On the first Saturday in June, EMP Summer House came to life with a modest speech by chef Daniel Humm. “We thought we were only going to do this summer house for one year,” Humm explained, as Eleven Madison Park shut down last summer for renovations. “But we liked doing this so much, we brought it back to the Hamptons again this year.” While true that the Eleven Madison Park staff loves moving operations to the eastern shore of Long Island for the summer (if the giddy smiles on servers, sous chefs, and bartenders are any indication) what is verifiably true is that diners may be even happier. Open only to American Express card members, reservations at EMP Summer House are taken quickly, due to the prospect of being able to enjoy Chef Humm’s world-renowned cooking in a new setting.
“EMP Summer House quickly became the top requested reservation in the U.S. last summer through Platinum Concierge,” said Janey Whiteside, executive vice president and general manager of Global Premium Products, Benefits, and Services at American Express. “And it was the second most requested for the whole year.”
Reservations can be made at empsummerhouse.com for bookings through September. Coming this December, Whiteside notes: EMP Winter House in Aspen.
Eats
The seafood-heavy menu, developed by Chef Humm, was enjoyed on opening night. Standouts were the raw seafood preparations (fluke ceviche, charred squid with chili and fennel) and clam flatbreads. Brought back by popular demand: the lobster boil.
Drinks
Pietro Collina is the Bar Director for The NoMad Hotel in New York City and developed a few signature cocktails for EMP Summer House. On the opening weekend, he hosted a mixology course for guests. The most popular? The Summer of Hell Yes.
Ingredients
1 cucumber slice
1/2 lemon
1/2 watermelon shrub (see sub-recipe)
1/2 spicy agave syrup (see sub-recipe)
1 St. Germain
3 Evil Twin Nomader Weisse beer
How to make it
Combine all ingredients except the beer in a shaking tin. Add ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds, then pour beer into the shaking tin. Strain into a highball with ice and garnish with a cucumber.
Design
Part of the allure of EMP Summer House is the chance to eat world-renowned cuisine in the casual-chic settings that a Hamptons farmhouse provides—picket fence out front, picnic tables out back, and laid-back elegance inside. Part of the charm comes courtesy of Grain Surfboards, a Maine-based surf company, now with an Amagansett outpost. Owner produced some of the surf-inspired bespoke décor items found at EMP Summer House. Sign up at the Hamptons location through September for a three-day board-building class and hit the waves with your own bespoke board.
Sweat
If you had as much carrot cake at EMP Summer House as most people (seriously, “the best I’ve ever had” was a constant refrain after the opening dinner), you may need a carb-burning workout. There are several Soul Cycle studios around the Hamptons, but only Montauk offers the chance to burn 500 calories or so, then sit on Adirondack chairs afterward and hear the waves. What might you hear inside while spinning? See the below playlist from Soul Cycle Founding Instructor Laurie Cole.
As part of its ongoing partnership with Chef Daniel Humm through the Global Dining Collection, American Express is collaborating with the Eleven Madison Park team to bring EMP Summer House and Winter House to life. Request a reservation directly through empsummerhouse.com using your American Express Card, or call the number on the back of your Card.
