Bob Rubin installed an air conditioning unit in the kitchen at The Bridge, it works well. The job is challenging, not the cooking— but dealing with Estelle the chef. She and I don’t share much in the way of common respect. I made a mistake early on and didn’t show a passion for her recipes, as a result we have become like 2 magnets dancing away from each other at every turn. Tonight the Bridge will serve the first Friday night dinner of the season. Her menu came out yesterday and I’ve not seen one dish plated yet, strange management technique.

My other news includes a long shuttered Greek style steakhouse on Montauk highway called the Old Stove Pub. I was hired as it’s consulting chef back in April by Brian Murray, a real estate investor who plans to swing a new development designed for residential use on the 14 acre lot that runs next to the 2.5 acre restaurant piece.

My job is to run the same menu that Steven Johnadies, the owner since 1969 had established. We opened the “Old Stove” on Tuesday last week. I start my day at The Bridge at 6:30 am, then head to Sag Harbor at 3:30 to check on the Little Kitchen, then on to the the “Old Stove” to cook steaks & chops from 4 to 10pm. The hours of operation at the “Old Stove” are limited until my new hire Rueben Bravo joins me in the end of next week. We’re serving Sunday to Thursday right now, so that I can do dinners at “The Bridge” on Friday and Saturday. It’s a wild ride.