FĒNIKS, A New Fine Dining Restaurant, Opens In Southampton

FENIKS is now open at 75 Jobs Lane in Southampton, New York

FENIKS

As beach days draw to a seasonal close, a buzzy new restaurant has opened in the Hamptons. FĒNIKS, at 75 Jobs Lane, transforms the former Le Chef space into a contemporary, Croatian inspired restaurant by chef and restaurateur Douglas Gulija.

Following 28 years operating the locally beloved (and now closed) Plaza Café, Gulija decided to pivot. He partnered with his cousin, Skip Norsic to embark on a new chapter of his culinary novel. Feniks, the Croatian spelling of Phoenix, to honor their Croatian ancestry, and named the space after the Croatian spelling of “phoenix”, a bird symbolizing rebirth and renewal.

“I still have as much passion for my craft as I ever did,” Gulija said. “Working on this project with my cousin allowed me to create something really unseen in the Hamptons. His willingness to not cut any corners in creating this space was incredible.”

With FĒNIKS, Gulija wanted to bring a new style of fine dining he believes is relatively absent in his seasonal resort town.

“In some ways, I feel that many people [in the Hamptons]

have given up on fine dining, and in some ways even started accepting mediocrity,” Gulija said. “I still believe in fine dining and our space is small enough to meet the needs of diners. I believe our attention to detail is unmatched. I am a firm believer that we offer the best value around as I believe value to be based not on what you pay for, but more importantly the service you received for that fee.”

Inside FĒNIKS

The cousin duo has spent the past year renovating and redesigning the space at 75 Jobs Lane.

“The initial impression of how our designer Karen Dallago was able to translate my crazy vision and create such an incredible looking space is impressive,” Gulija said. “We have been hearing from our guests since day one that they feel as if they just walked into a fine dining restaurant in Manhattan.”

The interior aims to balance comfort, intimate dining and sophistication. The two-story atrium space offers three distinct dining experiences: an exclusive Chef’s Counter, an exquisite a la carte menu and a lively lounge with artisanal craft cocktails and small plates for sharing and snacking. Soothing tones of taupe, charcoal and cream offer a backdrop to more dramatic design details and lighting. An architectural bronze beam begins at the Chef’s Counter, threads through both levels and completes itself above the open mezzanine ceiling creating a cohesive space.

Dining at FĒNIKS

FĒNIKS’ cuisine is inspired by the seafood-driven far Gulija is known for from The Plaza Café, combined with an eclectic New American style. Dishes are inspired by and created with local Long Island produce and seafood, plus ingredients sourced from boutique vendors.

The Chef’s Counter offers an exclusive eight-course culinary experience to six diners at a time. Opening dishes served at the counter this fall inlcue caviar canapés with Montauk Pearl oysters in an edible oyster shell with vodka créme fraiche, wagyu steak tartare on potato pavé and a lobster-tarragon pillow; a local tuna and jumbo lumb crab tower with avocado-wasabi mash and yuzu; Crescent Farms duck breast with Asian slaw, caramelized peach-hoisin sauce and duck-fat fingerlings; and Prime Spinalis Dorsi roulade with Okinawan sweet potato, snap peas, maitake and soy bordelaise.

The a la carte dining menu will rotate seasonally. Current highlights include plancha-seared local calamari with hummus, piquillo peppers, dry-cured olives, preserved Meyer lemons and sherry vinegar; summer vegetable tian with squash blossom, burrata and pesto tapenade; Columbia River King Salmon with saffron-mussel broth, tomato-fennel confit, pickled fennel and espelette oil; swordfish chop tagine couscous salad, harissa, fig gastrique and coriander smoke; and Snake River Farms American Wagyu strip steak, Okinawan sweet potato, snap peas, maitake and soy bordelaise.

“Each dish was created for a different reason and each hits upon a different emotion,” said Gulija. “It goes back to our philosophy that we want our guests to feel we exceeded their expectations and that they were not left wanting for anything while they were a guest in our home, and that they felt it was an incredible value.”

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To drink, FĒNIKS’ serves a range of wine by the glass and bottle, beer, spirits anda. unique craft cocktail list. The signature house martini is called the Wrong Foot and made with smoked blue cheese and bay leaf-washed vodka, garnished with smoked blue cheese stuffed olives. A clarified Porn Star Martini is elegant with vodka, passion fruit, lime and vanilla.

FĒNIKS is now open Wednesday through Monday at 5 p.m. Reservations are available via Tock.