Playing in the Dirt & My Perfect North Fork Food Day

I don’t know about anyone else, but life has been lifing lately. Between a car that urgently needs replacing, a canceled gig that was supposed to fund said car, a hike in property taxes, and a million other little challenges I won’t bore you with (because I’m sure you have your own similar list!), I’ve been feeling a bit like I’m just fighting to keep my head above water.

But just when the weight of one more mishap feels like it might be too much, I’m reminded exactly why we moved out to the North Fork in the first place.

As Justin and I were driving home from running errands yesterday afternoon, the rain clouds parted, making way for a stunning spring day. After visiting Papa’s Organic Plants on Sunday for my latest North Fork Sun story (coming next week!) we’d been waiting for the perfect window to get our starter plants into the ground to officially kick off year two of our gardening journey. I’m not one to ignore a sign from the universe. We got home and headed straight into the backyard.

I definitely lost track of time, and there are certainly some emails I missed, but there is truly nothing like spending quality time outside with Justin, while figuring out this whole life thing together. Sometimes, you just need to breathe in the fresh air and go play in the dirt.

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That same grounded feeling carried over into this morning. I made my second appearance on NoFo Live, the weekly IG Live show started by Sunita Narma and Tracey Kessler. Last time, I was the interviewee, but today I got to fill in as a guest co-host to chat with the folks from the North Fork Community Theater about their production of Anything Goes, which debuted last night.

At the end of every episode, they run their guests through the “NoFo Live Five”—a rapid-fire wrap-up designed to capture a little local flavor. Today’s episode inspired me to finally put my own answers down in writing (and shamelessly plug some of my recent North Fork Sun articles along the way).

My answers to the NoFo Live Five:

1.) If you were taking us out to breakfast, lunch, or dinner on the North Fork—where are we going? On Food Network Obsessed, we always ask our guests to describe their perfect food day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert). So, rather than picking just one meal, I’m taking you on a full, dawn-to-dusk culinary tour of the North Fork.

• Breakfast: We are starting our morning at Black Sheep Bagels. Justin and I absolutely love grabbing their giant twists and unapologetically dipping them straight into a tub of scallion cream cheese. But if I’m craving something heartier, my current obsession is their BEC on an everything roll.

  

• Lunch: This is a toss-up, so we’re doing a bang-bang (one meal right after another). First stop: a comforting, briny bowl of clam chowder from Braun’s Kitchen as an appetizer. Then, we’re heading over to Love Lane Kitchen to split their Cuban panini (though you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu!!)

  

• Happy Hour: Let’s kick off the evening at the Silver Sands Boathouse. There’s nothing quite like knocking back their locally farmed oysters and whatever incredibly fresh crudo they have on special while sitting at the cozy bar. You could certainly stay for a full meal, but I’m indecisive, so we are doing another bang-bang.

• Dinner: Little Fish holds a special place in our heart because not only is the food delish, but we visited on our first ever trip to the North Fork (which led to us moving here.) Their cornbread is a non-negotiable, followed by the tuna tartare taquitos, and—if we still have room—a steaming bowl of mussels and fries.

  

• Dessert: A North Fork food day isn’t complete without Magic Fountain. Depending on the day, I’m either grabbing a cup of whatever seasonal flavor they’ve dreamed up, getting a giant swirl of soft serve, or picking up a package of their ice cream sandwiches to stash in the freezer. (Or perhaps all of the above!)

2.) Go-to farm stand? We love Bayview because it’s so close to home. They offer a massive selection of their own beautifully grown produce, but they also stock other great local products and essentials to round out your grocery haul. In the summer, the smell of their roasted corn is intoxicating, and their pick-your-own strawberry patch is high on my list for this June. I also love the market and butcher shop at 8 Hands Farm, and I really need to get back over to see Larry at 1760 Homestead for his black garlic Caesar dressing and beautiful seasonal produce.

3.) Sunrise or sunset—favorite place to watch? Sunset, without a doubt. If we’re already out and about, I love catching the colors over the water at Kenney Beach (usually right after a meal at Little Fish). Alternatively, taking our Magic Fountain haul over to Iron Pier to watch the sun dip below the horizon is a classic North Fork evening. But honestly? My absolute favorite place to watch the sunset is right from my own backyard in Jamesport. It’s quiet, it’s private, and it never gets old.

4.) Brewery, winery, cocktail, or mocktail—what and where? Winery, and make it bubbly. Sparkling Pointe is my go-to. There is something incredibly celebratory and elegant about sitting out there with a glass of their sparkling wine.

5.) Why do you love being part of the North Fork community? It all comes down to the people. It’s an incredibly welcoming, tight-knit community of creators, farmers, chefs, and locals who genuinely support one another.

Looking at that list, it all comes back to exactly what I felt out in the garden yesterday. Whether it’s putting new roots down in the soil, sharing a plate of local oysters, or just leaning on neighbors when the chaos of life gets a little too loud, this community is the ultimate grounding force.

So, if life happens to be “lifing” for you right now, too, I hope you find your own version of playing in the dirt this weekend.

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