July 29 (Bloomberg) -- Tutto il Giorno's big-name chef left. Its media-mogul partner died. Yet the wait for dinner is still 90 minutes on a Saturday. No wonder. It's one of those rare Hamptons venues serving mostly good food.

Scott Conant, the telegenic celebrity chef who helped open the restaurant last summer, no longer cooks here. He now runs Scarpetta in Manhattan's Meatpacking District. Maurizio Marfoglia is the new toque at Tutto.

The real tragedy came in December. Heart attack complications killed co-owner Steve Florio, the 58-year-old former chief of Conde Nast Publications. Gabby Karan De Felice is the new headline-worthy partner. Her mother, DKNY designer Donna Karan, runs the Urban Zen boutique next door.

Cue the impeccably dressed crowd swathed in polos and linens. Candles flicker on bronzed skin and toned bodies. It feels like a Ralph Lauren photo shoot, with alcohol.

Tutto is in Sag Harbor -- a town with a quiet, New England feel. It's just as pretty as the Hamptons but lacks the attitude and Lamborghinis. A small cottage opposite the water houses the eatery. It looks like somebody's tiny weekend home. Just 50 seats or so. So get in line.

Tutto doesn't take reservations. We were told the wait was 90 minutes inside. What about outside? Just as long.

We waited at the packed bar. The bartender felt our pain. She poured us free prosecco. She poured a lot of free prosecco that night, it seemed.

Cholesterol

Start with the burrata. The curds tasted like pure cream enriched with more pure cream; tomatoes provided color, acid and marginal health benefits.

Move on to pastas -- half portions available.

Who knew sour apples were the perfect foil for ricotta? The chef did. He stuffed both into ravioli. A lamb ragu offset the pale noodles with an inky slick. The quadratic equation of salt, fruit, cheese and meat may sound like a bad buffet platter, but the flavors counterbalanced one another with aplomb.

A grind of veal, sharpened by wine, fortified toothsome cavatelli. Spaghetti with tomato and basil lacked the pink hue and sweet taste that fresh sauce should have.

Poached sea bass can taste like diet food for supermodels. Not here. The wild fish was infused with white wine; the seasoned flesh melted like gelato. A $36 T-bone got respectable treatment on the grill; what it needed was a char under the broiler.

My $36 veal chop was pounded into a medium-rare cutlet. Never had such a juicy cut of calf. Broccoli rabe, bitter and spicy, soaked up the meaty grease. Ate it all up with a tiny clam fork; servers should pay more attention to the silverware.

Panna cotta didn't jiggle enough; a scoop of gelato un- crisped my tarte tatin; saffron fruit soup was just right.

Tutto il Giorno is at 6 Bay St., Sag Harbor. Information: +1-631-725-7009.

Slice of Brooklyn

La Parmigiana, founded in 1974, is a little slice of Brooklyn in the Hamptons. It deserves praise for a phenomenon that's uncommon in these skinny parts: big portions.

The antipasti for one was large enough for four. Expect fresh mozzarella, artichokes, prosciutto and olives. Wash it down with a glass of lambrusco.

Veal parmesan was meat layered upon mozzarella layered upon more meat. Billows of steam rose from the frutti di mare that must've weighed 10 pounds. The shellfish were briny and tender; the pasta was overcooked. The food was so hot it almost burned my hand when it made it to the doggy bag a half-hour later.

La Parmigiana is at 48 Hampton Rd., Southampton. Information: +1-631-283-8030; http://www.laparm.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: July 29, 2008 00:01 EDT