| rev:text
| - I really wanted to love this spot; unfortunately, my experience was far from enjoyable. Because I have dietary restrictions (vegan with celiac and thus requiring gluten free), I called ahead and was informed there would be no issue--the kitchen could easily accommodate by preparing anything requested from the ingredients on the menu.
Accordingly, my date and I decided to try Hamptons on a Friday night and were able to easily book a reservation last minute through OpenTable. We initially opted to sit outside on the patio but were turned off by the large groups of children running around bumping into chairs, which was odd considering the sign stating no one under 21 could be in the area due to the presence of the bar.
After being seated inside at a booth, we ordered drinks and began to peruse the menu. I ordered a kombucha-based Moscow mule that was disappointing and I certainly would not recommend. The cocktail was somehow watered down, yet overly sweet at the same time. At this point, I just hoped my dinner would be better than the dismal cocktail; I mean, how do you annihilate a Moscow mule?
Unlike what I was told when I called to inquire about dinner options, I was told the only thing that could be made was the vegetables with forbidden rice entree (which honestly sounded good). I made sure to ask the server, who was quite jumpy and borderline nervous, to triple check with the chef to ensure there would be no gluten in my dish. I really didn't want to ruin Memorial Day weekend feeling like garbage. I felt uneasy about the server's "assurance" that the dish was safe for celiacs as she and others didn't seem to understand what gluten is and if it might be present in the dish I ordered. Nevertheless, after my third inquiry about gluten, and namely, the presence of soy sauce, I figured the dish was safe and I could eat without worry of falling ill. That was a mistake.
When the dish arrived I was pleasantly surprised as it looked better than expected; however, I was concerned that soy sauce seemed to be in the coconut sauce (based on both appearance and scent). I really didn't want to make a fuss as my date already seemed to think I was being neurotic (those without celiac truly don't understand the suffering we endure with gluten). I decided to go ahead and eat the entree, and about 2 minutes later, I began to have severe stomach pain. When I asked for the fourth time if the dish had soy sauce, it took THREE people to get a solid answer and two of them NEVER returned. The manager that finally returned to break the news even tried to deflect by saying simply, "there's soy in the dish". FYI: soy is NOT gluten. Soy sauce, however, has gluten due to the presence of wheat. Soy is NOT soy sauce! The staff here seriously needs to learn their ingredients and be WAY more cautious about serving individuals with allergies/celiac disease. I was CRYSTAL CLEAR that soy sauce was unacceptable and that soy alone would not induce any symptoms of celiac disease. Again, soy and soy sauce are two different things!
Overall, Hamptons was extremely careless and handled the situation poorly. I do understand it's unpleasant to tell a patron they have just been given an ingredient that will make them sick (i.e., poisoned), but I do not understand the outright inability to face that patron and tell them the truth. In the case of a food allergy, it could potentially be a life or death situation. Based on my experience at Hamptons, I will not be returning, and I will certainly not recommend this establishment to anyone.
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