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http://exploreli.com/restaurants/feed-me-1.812004/coming-up-comtesse-therese-bistro-1.2238522
Coming up: Comtesse Therese BistroThursday August 26, 2010 12:30 PM By Peter Gianotti
Photo credit: Randee Daddona Expect the wine to be flowing and the French-Mediterranean cuisine to be ready next month at the long-awaited Comtesse Therese Bistro in Aquebogue. The bistro was slated to be one of the major openings on the North Fork this summer. But delays mounted. The 19th century Main Road farmhouse where the eatery will be located has been going through the approval process and extensive renovation since late 2004. New timetable: mid-September. Owner Theresa Dilworth produces wine from her Le Clos Therese vineyard, also in Aquebogue. The bistro, which will seat 28, plans to specialize in pairing food and wine. The chef is Arie Pavlou, whose Long Island resume includes the departed Coeur des Vignes in Southold. ************http://www.suffolktimes.com/news-articles/1709/1709-Aquebogue-vineyard-adds-Jamesport-bistro.htmlThursday, August 26, 2010Aquebogue vineyard adds Jamesport bistroComtesse Thérèse to open in mid-Sept.BY VERA CHINESE |STAFF WRITER
BARBARAELLEN KOCH PHOTO Arie Pavlou, a graduate of the Cordon Bleu culinary and hospitality school in Paris, shows off a giant chicken of the woods mushroom he found in Wading River recently. He said the mushroom weighed 30 pounds before he cut it up and sauteed it for risotto. Last spring, a "coming soon" sign appeared outside the Comtesse Thérèse Bistro in Aquebogue promising that the restaurant, which has been in the works for five years, would be opening shortly. But since then, the doors to the North Fork's first restaurant to be operated by a local vineyard owner have remained closed and the kitchen empty. The operators now say opening day, held up for years by red tape, really is right around the corner. And if all goes according to plan, the 28-seat restaurant and tasting room will open by mid-September. "I kept having to say, 'No, it's not open," said the restaurant's owner and namesake, Theresa Dilworth. She is also proprietor of Le Clos Thérèse vineyard on Union Avenue in Aquebogue, a few miles down Main Road from the bistro, which occupies an 1830's farmhouse Ms. Dilworth has spent years renovating. "It's going to be so great to tell people, yes, the bistro is open," she said. 'We want it to be a charming place.' Comtesse Thérèse Bistro owner Theresa Dilworth Ms. Dilworth and her husband, Mineo Shimura, first proposed the restaurant in 2005 and nearly gave up on the project several times, she said. Ms. Dilworth said they are now working on the finishing touches while they await approval from the board of health. Inside the restaurant, cherrywood tables, made by Ms. Dilworth and chef Arie Pavlou themselves, lie unassembled among stacks of paintings and antique-style chairs still wrapped in plastic. The walls are painted, molding has been put in place and gold-trimmed mirrors adorn the interior. Mr. Pavlou, a graduate of the Cordon Bleu in Paris, described the menu as French Mediterranean, with entrées made mostly with local ingredients. He said it will be moderately priced. Among the menu offerings will be locally caught fish and game and herbs grown at Ms. Dilworth's Mattituck home and outside the restaurant, he said. "We're truly a local establishment," Mr. Pavlou added. The restaurant's decor is European inspired, Ms. Dilworth said. "We want it to be a charming place. We have to make up for being small by being good." The owner said there will be an emphasis on pairing food with her locally grown and produced wines. "It's definitely a place where wine and food are equally important," Ms. Dilworth said. Mr. Pavlou said it was sipping Ms. Dilworth's wine that inspired him to go into business with her. "The quality of her wines, I can still remember," he said. The restaurant will offer wines made from grapes grown at Ms. Dilworth's vineyard, Le Clos Thérèse. Mr. Pavlou said they are looking into securing a permit to brew and sell their own beers as well. Before dining, patrons will be able to enjoy a glass of Ms. Dilworth's Hungarian Oak merlot or chardonnay on an upstairs deck or in the garden, which will be illuminated with solar powered lights, Mr. Pavlou said. Though they have missed summer and the height of North Fork tourist season, Mr. Pavlou said he doesn't mind because he aims to make the restaurant a year-round destination. "We might have missed the summer," he said, "but we're going to get the harvest." vchinese@timesreview.com ********* A similar article appeared in the Riverhead News-Review Thursday, August 26, 2010Bistro all set to open -- for real this timeComtesse Therese Bistro owners eye mid-September for launch dateBY VERA CHINESE STAFF WRITER
********** Newsday.com, May 25, 2010The Hamptons: New eats out east link to articleOriginally published: May 25, 2010 4:31 PM This year, the Hamptons dining scene is all about local ingredients served in relaxed settings. 
Photo credit: Photo by Gordon M. Grant | Bostwick's Chowder House is a new seafood restaurant in East Hampton. (May 15, 2010) The East End's garden of restaurants sprouts annuals and perennials. This season, there are plenty of newcomers to compete with the veterans, on the North Fork, in the Hamptons and in Montauk. If you're looking for a 2010 theme, it's local ingredients served in relaxed settings. That doesn't mean cheap meals reign. But there's a broader price range in this post-recession summer, plus a greater variety of eateries than in the last couple of years. The timetable for openings varies. But here's a look at what to expect under the summer sun NORTH FORK COST $$-$$$ Owner Theresa Dilworth expects a July opening for her 28-seat bistro, Long Island's first in a vineyard. Naturally, the place will emphasize wine and local ingredients. Chef Arie Pavlou, of the departed Coeur des Vignes in Southold, said coq au vin, duck confit, lamb stew and smoked bluefish will be among the choices.
************ Foodies On The Search Will Find What's Cooking In New Jamesport NorthForkvue.com, May 14, 2010 by Joseph Pinciaro Jamesport - With a couple new eateries due to open soon and one new wine tasting room already up and running, those making the trip out to the North Fork might be tempted to linger in Jamesport and Aquebogue for the afternoon to enjoy the new offerings.(discussion of Grana wood-fired pizza and Sherwood House Vineyards in Jamesport omitted
If you're in the more for French fare, Comtesse Therese Bistro in Aquebogue is slated to open in the next six to eight weeks, according to builder Anthony Sannino. A nod to the Aquebogue wine producer and restaurant co-owner Therese Dilworth, the restaurant will feature an outdoor dining deck. Sannino, who redesigned Ackerly Ponds Vineyards in Peconic, is in the process of adding two floors totaling 800 square feet to the building, originally constructed in 1830. The addition will offer extended reception and kitchen space on the lower floor and an outdoor deck upstairs. |
