It was the highlight of my week. Hubby, Joe rarely ventures out to eat these days. So, it was a day to celebrate when he agreed to come out for lunch at Good Ground Tavern. That’s the restaurant which just opened in the spanking-new, lavishly-renovated and refurbished Canoe Place Inn and Cottages in Hampton Bays.
We, longtime residents have been waiting for this moment for more than a decade.
Since 2008, in fact, when the Rechler development company, who’d bought the site of the old Canoe Place Inn, announced plans to raze it to build 75 new town homes on the land.
Not so fast, said residents and history buffs who pointed to the rich, centuries-old, historic standing of the inn dating back to 1635. Back then, the inn was a coaching post providing food, water, lodging and care for horses of travelers venturing even further east across the Shinnecock Canal. During the Revolutionary War, it was taken over by British Army officers.
Later, much later, in the 1920s it developed into a Prohibition hangout, given its proximity to the ocean, and being a handy place for bootleggers to unload their booze. At one point, it was owned by the family who owned the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan and who set the price of a room depending on the model of the car a guest drove!
Boarded Up For More Than A Decade
It survived the 1938 hurricane that devastated Long Island. Later still, it was a favored vacation spot for celebrities like Lucille Ball and Helen Hayes and both Roosevelt presidents. Then, the Inn fell on hard times and went through various iterations as a nightclub and disco during which time entertainers such as The Ramones, Billy Joel and Led Zeppelin performed there.
In 2005 the Rechler development company bought the site and the acreage directly across the Shinnecock Canal. The developers’ plans to raze the structure and build townhomes was met with vigorous opposition. So, subsequently Canoe Place Inn was boarded up and fell victim to squatters, mold, mildew and rodents as developers, residents and the Town of Southampton went back and forth negotiating a compromise deal.
Twelve Years Later
In 2018, following a 12-year approval process, the Rechler development company announced an agreement to rebuild and restore the Inn in exchange for the approval of the Town to build 37 townhomes across the Shinnecock Canal.
It took another four years for the grand re-opening of the Canoe Place Inn and Cottages — and its restoration to former glory with 20 guest suites and five guest cottages
Lunch
Which brings us to lunch for Joe and I at the Inn’s restaurant, Good Ground Tavern, approximately 17 days after the Inn opened for business. I was torn between two items on the menu: the lobster roll and the burger. I chose the burger. Because? I really don’t know. I should have gone with the lobster roll.
Why? For one, in Hampton Bays, we are surrounded by water. I usually think anyone who goes with meat or chicken in any restaurant out here is CRAZY!
Second, the burger on the menu at Good Ground Tavern featured bacon and Manchego cheese. Unlike thousands of millions of consumers who order bacon with everything these days, I am not a fan of bacon on my burger, or anything, unless it’s eggs.
Also: Manchego? I’m not sure if Manchego is a really good fit with burger. All I know is, that I always order Swiss with my burger. Okay. Okay. I’m a creature of habit. My problem? I am not an adventurous burger eater. So, yes, my problem!
Gorgeous
Like I said, I should have ordered the lobster roll. My mistake. I’ll know better next time. And, so far as I’m concerned there will be a next time. The new Canoe Place Inn is gorgeous.
Check out the photos below:
The interior is beautifully refurbished. The bar is spectacular (above.)
The dining room is splendid (above)
There is a guest lounge for hotel and cottage guests that features a fireplace and a display of old photos on the mantelpiece (above)
The grounds are gorgeous (above.) The Rechlers, developers of Canoe Place Inn and the townhouses across the Shinnecock Canal describe the sites as the “Gateway to the Hamptons.” What they are probably saying is “Gateway to the REAL Hamptons.” Because there are many out here who like to think that only East Hampton, Southampton, Amagansett, Sag Harbor and Montauk are the real Hamptons.
Which always comes as a surprise to residents of Westhampton, Quogue and East Quogue –which lie west of Hampton Bays, but which consider themselves to be very Hamptons, too.
Whatever! In Hampton Bays, we have TWO Bays (Shinnecock and Peconic); and several glorious beaches (Ponquogue, Tiana, and Hot Dog (for residents only.) We have more frontage on water than any of the “other Hamptons.”
If this was an Instagram post, I’d end it with hashtag #lovewhereIlive.