Green Hill Group’s seafood-centric Anker (47 Front St., Greenport, 631-477-1300) is set to have customers swim on in for the season starting Friday, May 1, with exciting changes and updates afoot. This season, East End culinary veteran and chef, Albert Hand, is taking command of the kitchen’s helm and bringing his brand of think-outside-the-salt-and-pepper-shaker creativity
“I just like having fun with the food,” says the Hampton Bays native, who’s building out an entirely new, eclectic — and, quite frankly, darned delicious sounding — menu for the upcoming season. “That’s the biggest thing for me; to take an old idea and make it new; or just try something that seems completely off the wall.”
When it comes to ingredients, the only thing Hand will allow himself to be hemmed in by is doing as much East Coast sourcing, and as much of that from here, as possible. Blackfish, swordfish, scallops, a half dozen different kinds of oysters, clams “from two different bodies of water, to taste salinity difference from bay to Sound,” he says, are all on the docket.
Highlighting the beauty of the fresh product he’s working with is paramount, but he also likes to lean into the kaleidoscope side of flavor. He even keeps a notebook under his pillow for middle-of-the-night inspiration, which comes to him often. “That’s when I can just focus on food,” he laughs, “and not worry about getting the food out of my kitchen and onto the table.”
There’s certainly a far-flung flair to Hand’s creations, like his Caribbean-skewed swordfish with mashed yuca and queso fresco, served atop a braised pillow of callaloo and topped with a mango-papaya tapanade. “I want those flavors to pop in your mouth,” he says.
He’s also doing a halibut served alongside sticky rice, fried to a crisp, and layered with jam-braised eggplant, zingy yuzu and crunchy macadamia and topped with a lychee foam.
“I don’t confine myself to one genre of cooking. I’m not that type of person,” says Hand. “From Asian to Caribbean to American to French and Italian, I like to mix things up. I just like to cook.”
Brunch, too, is going to be an adventure of flavor and texture, with a hefty dose of seaside product in the mix.
His eggs Benedict swaps the soggy, old English muffin for a fried green tomato, topped with a lobster claw, seared pork loin and his own housemade hollandaise; breakfast hash will be rife with crab and topped with a sunnyside egg; and a rotating seafood frittata will ever be in the mix.
For the non-swimmy folks, Hand will also be offering plenty to love from the land, like a duck burger, seared ribeye and pork belly. “If you’re not a seafood food eater, you’ll still want to come and have our bison burger,” he says.
And as far as the fryer goes, forget the canola oil; Hand only uses beef tallow he’s rendered himself, for a crispier and, he says, healthier version of the crispy and crunchy side of things.
“Al doesn’t just cook East End food — he knows it at its core,” said Robin Mueller in a statement to the press. “He knows these shores, these fishermen and these ingredients. That’s exactly the voice we wanted in our kitchen.”
Hand is also slowly revamping Anker’s wine list to bulk up on local wines in a what grows (and swims) together, goes together state of mind.
“We want every element of the experience to feel rooted in this place,” Mueller adds. “The food on the plate and the wine in the glass should tell the same story—one that reflects how special this region truly is.”
Anker’s kitchen and interior has gotten a bit of an overhaul, too, with new equipment and individual work stations for the kitchen crew, a re-do of the vestibule, new tables (built by Hand’s hand; he likes to dabble in carpentry, too) and a little help from the keen eye of the folks at Lumber + Salt. Coastal artwork from Long Island artist Michele D’Aquisto was brought in by Hand and hangs on the walls. A new awning is set to arrive for the back outdoor area in a few weeks. And they won’t just be open weekends to start: an ambitious six-day schedule kicks things off, which will change to daily once the summer is in full swing.
“That’s what we’re about,” says Mueller. “Bringing another level of quality to the East End”.
Anker will be open every day except Tuesday through the rest of the spring from noon to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner from 4 to 9 p.m.
