Cuvée Bistro & Bar - Restaurant Review

Cuvée Bistro & Bar at the Greenporter Hotel offers fresh, local ingredients and a wealth of local wines to create an upscale dining experience on Long Island's North Fork. With an impressive variety of wines by the glass and an assortment of gourmet meals, Cuvée Bistro & Bar is definitely worth a visit if you're in the mood for creative cuisine.

Cuvée Bistro & Bar at the Greenporter Hotel in Greenport, NY offers their Wine Spectator award-winning wine list with over 45 local wines by the glass, representing more than 60 North Fork vineyards. Decorated in an upbeat, Art Deco, 1950s retro style, Cuvée pleases the eye with its curved, lime green chairs and white tables. The eatery also pleases the palate with a tempting assortment of fine dining options featuring international bistro cuisine with an emphasis on local, often organic fruits and vegetables from North Fork producers including Satur Farms, as well as fresh, local seafood. Their steak comes from organically raised, grass-fed cows. It is flown in from Uruguay, but comes fresh and is never frozen.

My husband and I enjoyed a tasting created by executive chef Deborah R. Pittorino. The soupe du jour was a velvety smooth bisque crafted from Satur Farms' sweet summer corn and garden vegetable stock, topped with a savory chipotle coulis and the hearty flavor of grated Manchego cheese. It was paired with a local Riesling.

Next came two exquisite salads: the Salade du Jour with plum, beefsteak, cherry and zebra tomatoes as well as fried green tomatoes, all served with crumbled feta cheese and Greek oregano. A balsamic reduction and cold-pressed olive oil enhanced the fresh flavors. It was paired with Merlot Rosé from Long Island's Croteaux Vineyards. The Salade Roquefort Greenporter was a sublime mix of Satur Farms' mesclun greens, Long island tomatoes, French Roquefort cheese and walnuts topped by the bistro's own vinaigrette and paired with a local Merlot, Comtesse Therese.

Succulent, local Pipe's Cove oysters were served on a bed of sautéed spinach, and Cuvée's black pepper-encrusted sashimi-grade tuna was served with steamed rice and French string beans and paired with Lieb Vineyards' White Merlot.

I asked for a meatless substitute for the Steak au Poivre and the chef cooked up a luscious Pad Thai with smoked tofu and fresh local vegetables. We also enjoyed the Pasta Pesto with a heavenly, homemade arugula pesto sauce with cherry tomatoes, sautéed arugula and topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

I didn't think there was room for dessert.... but then again, it seems that I can't walk away from those after-dinner sweets. The chocolate mousse was made from decadently delicious dark Belgian chocolate created from Cuvée's self-styled "guiltless," cream-free recipe.

Cuvée features a good, comprehensive selection of some of Long Island's best wine producers including Shinn, Bedell, Castello di Borghesse and more. The pricing is highly competitive, and there's also a nice assortment of good value Italian, French, Spanish, South African and other wines as well. The recipient of Wine Spectator magazine's Award of Excellence, Cuvée Wine Bar & Bistro rotates its wine list every three months.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary services for review purposes. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy.