Aug. 5 (Bloomberg) -- The original Bobby Van's restaurant, nearly 40 years old, is still alive. The drinks are strong. The steaks are big. But Bobby Van the man is gone.

The piano-playing Juilliard dropout died in December. No longer an owner in the Bridgehampton saloon that bore his name, Van worked as a taxicab driver in his later years.

Bobby Van's, on the East End of New York's Long Island, attracted literary greats like Kurt Vonnegut and George Plimpton. Truman Capote took his liquid lunch there. As such, we dropped by for some midday martinis.

A pomegranate cocktail sells for $14. It tasted like rubbing alcohol, which I suppose is just punishment for those who partake of such frivolities. Rum punch tasted a little like rum, a lot like punch. Then a few minutes later, we felt the booze. A Key lime libation was medicinal -- it evoked NyQuil.

Stick to the classic gin martini.

Oysters Rockefeller needed more oysters. Couldn't even find the shellfish amid the heavy cheese and spinach. Fried calamari was tender, soggy, bland.

The famous ``Harry Salad'' was a blend of cold shrimp, chopped tomatoes, onions and bacon -- a relic of the Atkins era. Had as much flavor as a bowl of Styrofoam.

The lobster roll was a lobster wrap. No split-top bun, just a flour tortilla stuffed with mayonnaise, lettuce, carrots -- and a bit of lobster. Tasted like a bad tuna sandwich.

Fettuccini primavera was al dente. Seared tuna, crimson and rare, got a spicy chili sauce.

Try the sirloin. Didn't have the requisite char, but was sufficiently beefy and cooked to order. The price: $17 for 14 ounces; possibly the best steak deal in the Hamptons.

Relax beneath the ceiling fans and sit near the open air windows. Patrons watch the Yankee game on flat screens. We heard crying babies. Saw a man in a tank top. Alas, the golden age of Van's might have passed, but after a few whiskeys, who cares?

Bobby Van's Steakhouse is at 2393 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton; +1-631-537-0590; http://bobbyvans.com.

Emissions

Townline BBQ, just outside of East Hampton, doesn't need a sign. It permeates the surrounding area with hickory smoke. You can't see the fumes but you can inhale the sweet aroma. If carbon monoxide smelled like this, we'd all be dead.

The barnyard-like hut sports a pay-first ordering system and American Express isn't accepted. It's all brought to us by the people behind Nick & Toni's.

Brisket lacked the requisite smoke rings but was well salted and moist with good marbling. Beef short ribs presented a wallop of fat and grease; those who work around that are rewarded with intensely flavorful meat.

Hefty Ribs

Dry-rub ribs were packed with porky goodness and heft. No wimpy fall-off-the-bone meat here; the ribs left clean ``shark- bite'' marks when chomped -- the sign of well-cooked 'cue. Peel and eat shrimp had impressive smoke flavor infused throughout.

Saucing was a problem: Meats that didn't need it got the ``wet'' treatment. Musty pork was spoiled by sweet sauce. Tender smoked chicken suffered the same fate. Burnt ends -- intensely beefy with a pleasant beef jerky-like chew -- overpowered the sweet slop it was coated in.

Pair everything with a good dark beer. Finish with fried cherry pie (like the handheld McDonald's dessert) or coconut- covered German chocolate cake.

Townline BBQ is at Townline Road and Montauk Highway in Sagaponack; +1-631-537-2271; http://www.townlinebbq.com.

(Ryan Sutton writes about New York City restaurants for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this story: Ryan Sutton in New York at rsutton1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 5, 2008 00:01 EDT