It has taken a little longer than expected, but Townline BBQ, the new Hamptons joint from the group that runs Nick & Toni’s, is nearly ready to open its doors. The restaurant occupies the space that housed Alison on the Beach, which had to be vacated because it was close to being condemned. (“The insurance company wouldn’t insure us anymore,” says Alison on the Beach owner Alison Becker-Hurt. “We had to move out.” This goes a long way to explaining why the town dragged its heels for so long before granting a certificate of occupancy for Townline.)
The menu was created by Joe Realmuto, the executive chef at Nick & Toni’s. With owner Mark Smith, Realmuto drove the “BBQ trail” from Lockhart, Tex., to Kansas City, Mo., to research the menu. Smith tells us the 100-year-old building was the perfect space for his concept, judging from that trip; the reconstruction, including a hand-washing station in the center of the restaurant, just fulfilled the place’s promise. —John Capone
3593 Townline Rd., Sagaponack, N.Y.; no phone yet.
