ILIS

Bonny melon and fresh cheese with green almonds.
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Bonny melon from , compressed with rice vinegar and salted plums, lightly seared on the plancha. Served with a melon sauce made from sake lees and butter, alongside fresh cheese, young green almonds, and finished with cold-pressed almond oil.
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We say goodbye to one of our summer favorites. Santa Barbara Sea Urchin in a fava bean husk, served with a crispy pork skin tostada with nasturtium leaves, sliced fava beans, and dry sea urchin.
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Get ready to experience our fall menu—coming soon.
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Young sunflower and caviar.

Inspired by the intricate beauty of sunflowers, this dish mirrors the delicate structure of their seeds with caviar, playing on their natural resemblance. Three layers of sunflower bring complexity: a sunflower seed emulsion forms the base, followed by a jellied sunflower consommé, and finished with caviar and sunflower petal oil. We use every part of the sunflower—from the stalks to the seeds and petals.

Sourced from in New Jersey and in Upstate New York, this dish highlights the nuttiness and versatility of this edible treasure, transforming what is often seen as decorative into a no-waste delicacy.

Introducing Ocean Martini.
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Ki No BI K Edition Gin, Iichiko Frasco Shochu, Acid Sugar Kelp, Sea Bean Brine, Beachcomber Produce.
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Featuring .official Gin aged in ex-Islay Scotch barrels, known for their smoky, oceanic, and fruity notes. This unique gin inspired a collaboration on a seaweed eau de vie, creating a martini that ventures into the savory spectrum—a blend between a Gibson and a dirty martini.
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Paired with an assortment of ocean produce, foraged by Steven, and thoughtfully preserved, this martini reflects bespoke ingredients and careful craftsmanship.
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Heirloom Tomato Carpaccio.

A late summer bite that celebrates the best of tomato season. Cured on kelp and served on a block of ice, the tomatoes are dressed with tomato molasses and salt infused with golden tomatillo, NuMex Suave peppers, and berries. Finished with flowering basil and oil made from smoked tomato skins.

Montauk oyster with late summer tomato, nasturtium petals, and red yuzu kosho.

Inspired by the flavors of gazpacho, a black cherry tomato from is served on the side—squeeze it over and enjoy.

Dry Aged Tuna – Our Classic Take on Jamón

Our aged tuna shows how earthy notes deepen through time. Sliced tableside and finished with black truffle and olive oil to balance its natural salinity, it’s served alongside rotating pairings that highlight the depth of the fish’s flavor.

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Big eye tuna with pickled magnolia and black sesame.

Tuna has always held a place on our menu. This cold preparation highlights the purity of different ages of tuna.

The young tuna, with its natural acidity, is sliced and garnished with pickled and fresh flowers from the market. We’re currently using preserved wild magnolias and fresh poppies from Moon Farm. Each slice is meant to be dipped in tuna garum split with freshly pressed black sesame.

Enjoy it alongside our dry aged preparation—one bite of fresh, followed by a bite of aged—to experience the dual nature of tuna’s flavors.

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Wheatgrass granita with caramelized goat’s milk.
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This dish captures the essence of grass through every component on the plate. A granita made with wheat grass and sorrel is paired with a jam from grass-fed goat’s milk infused with barley grass smoked over the hearth. A soft milk foam covers the jam, adding a delicate layer.
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The granita represents fresh grass, while the milk jam embodies dried grass, highlighting the unique flavors of each element.
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Available on both Market and Field Guide menus.
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Maine whelk with lovage and potato.

A staple on our menu since the beginning, this dish exemplifies how we can use a more sustainable bi-catch from our oceans. Our whelk, which primarily feeds on mollusks and oysters, offers a rich, complex flavor.

We start by slowly poaching the whelk in seawater and sake, which helps to remove any impurities. The meat is then pressure-cooked until tender and run through a grinder, much like a tartare, before being mixed with wild cress and lovage.

The shells and operculum (foot) are cleaned and repurposed to make the bowl and spoon. The shell is filled with beeswax and left to set, creating a unique serving vessel.

To serve, we spoon in the whelk mixture, covering it with a foam of new potato. It’s dusted with lovage powder and finished with nasturtium oil. The lip of the shell is adorned with nasturtium petals, ready to enjoy.

Enjoy it on our Market and Field Guide menus or as a snack à la carte at the bar and lounge.

Field Guide Snacks: A taste of the sea, sourced from the nearest shores. Unlike typical tasting menus, our snack selection showcases ingredients in their most natural state—just as they appear by the sea. The offerings on ice change with the ocean’s bounty, ensuring we always serve what’s in season.
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Lobster with rosehips and sake.
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As lobsters begin to molt in warmer waters, their texture changes. We find their peak flavor and quality in colder waters. So, while it’s lobster season elsewhere, we’re giving this ingredient a break. We’ll bring it back when the weather cools down.
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This dish celebrated simplicity and purity, highlighting the natural sweetness of the lobster with delicate support from roses and sake, while keeping the lobster as the star.
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We received live lobsters daily, ensuring the freshest quality. They were poached in kelp water and sake, perfumed with dried wild roses. The tails were removed while hot and cooled in the same rose water.
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The coral and brains were emulsified into a sauce with cultured cream and sake, reduced with aromatic herbs and garlic. The joints under the head created a rich stock, reinforced and reduced to a thick demi infused with amino paste and vinegar from pickled rosehips. The small legs were blended with cold-pressed sunflower oil to make lobster oil.
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When ordered, we presented the lobster sliced and layered with pickled beach rose hip petals. The tail was brushed with lobster reduction and placed back into the carcass. The head was lined with kelp and filled with the coral emulsion, finished with a few drops of lobster oil.
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Summer Vegetable Plate
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This dish opens our market menu, celebrating the purity of seasonal ingredients. Every element is sourced from farms we closely collaborate with and treated with minimal intervention. Often, we lightly mist the vegetables and flowers with salted water to maintain their natural essence. The plate evolves with the seasons, reflecting the freshest produce available. In leaner months, it features preserved, pickled, and fermented ingredients. Currently, our summer plate highlights a selection of our favorite vegetables and flowers from dedicated farming partners, presenting the best of each week’s harvest.
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We say goodbye to one of our guests’ favorites: the Okinawa Sweet Potato.
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Inspired by Okinawa’s tropical climate, this cocktail blended the earthy richness of Japanese whisky and sweet potato shochu with the tropical notes of coconut, creating a harmonious fusion of Japanese and tropical flavors.
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Exciting new cocktails coming soon—stay tuned!
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Montauk Bream: Fire and Ice
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Cured Montauk Bream with Fresh and Preserved Citrus.
We receive the Montauk bream whole, freshly caught and out of the water for less than 24 hours. Our process begins immediately by expertly cleaning and aging the bream for two days. We then fillet the fish on the right side and brine it in seawater to eliminate impurities and enhance its naturally fatty texture. Our ‘commis’, Steven, meticulously slices the fish, layering it with this year’s fresh citrus and brushing it with a reduction of last year’s preserved salted yuzu. The garnish, which varies seasonally, currently features softened, fermented young almonds, complemented by fresh herbs and flowers that Steven personally forages or cultivates at home.
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Grilled Montauk bream with nasturtium and miso.
After guests enjoy the raw preparation, the fish is returned to the kitchen and stored on ice until they are ready for the hot preparation. The other side is then grilled over embers on Japanese skewers, blistering the skin until it becomes crispy and caramelized, and then it’s finished in the oven. It’s served with large nasturtium leaves dressed in rice miso, made from Anson Mills’ new crop of Carolina Gold rice, intended for wrapping each bite of fish.
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We will be closed today through Friday, July 5th, for the holiday. Enjoy this time with your loved ones! We’ll see you on Saturday for regular dinner service.
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Fire dining at ILIS.

Chef grilling over embers.

Santa Barbara Sea Urchin Grilled in Fava Bean Husk with Crispy Pork Skin and Flowers
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This dish is a prime example of our commitment to using every part of our ingredients creatively. We shell fresh favas from Norwich Meadow Farms, purée them with avocado and a touch of mirin, then pipe the mixture back into the husk with Santa Barbara sea urchin before steaming it over embers. The fava’s deep grassy umami beautifully contrasts with the sharp brininess of the sea urchin.
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Served alongside crispy pork skin and various flowers from Girl & Dug or the market, this dish offers a unique flavor profile. We encourage guests to scoop out the uni and make a tostada with the pork skin cracker.
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From our current Spring Season Menu - Green Delta Asparagus with Fresh Cheese and Nettles
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We source our Green Delta Asparagus from the fertile deltas of California, grown by Roscoe Zuckerman in Stockton. Every part of this special vegetable is utilized: the tips are sliced thin and cured with salt, the tender stems are blanched, and the woody ends are finely chopped and turned into a sauce similar to chimichurri.
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This asparagus is paired with a soft fresh cheese and a puree of wild nettles. The garnish changes with the seasons, but one constant is the capers we make from day lilies pickled last spring.
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Come and experience the vibrant flavors of this unique dish!
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Introducing our newest addition to the cocktail menu: NASTURTIUM
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Crafted with Matchbook Timur Vodka, Acid Spirits Horseradish, Forthave Yellow Genepy, Mandarin, and Celery Bitters this cocktail is a symphony of flavors.
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Experience the art of nitro muddling, where herbs are frozen solid with liquid nitrogen, then crushed and infused directly with alcohol. This innovative technique was pioneered by Dave Arnold, with whom has collaborated over the years.
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Each element of this cocktail is carefully sourced, from vibrant orange and red Nasturtium flowers to Timur Vodka specially crafted for us by in Greenport, Long Island. Additionally, we incorporate locally-produced Acid Horseradish and Forthave Yellow Genepy from Brooklyn.
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Initially inspired by the classic Bloody Mary, this cocktail offers a unique twist: the horseradish flavor isn’t spice-driven but contributes to a harmonious balance of flavors.
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We’re thrilled to showcase so many independent and New York-based producers in this one. Come and experience it for yourself!
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Long Island squid with tomato and spring flowers

Our Long Island squid from is a testament to sustainable and flavorful seafood. Unlike most squid fisheries that use harsh chemicals for processing, freeze the squid, and ship it back to the States, leaving it tasteless and textureless, this squid is caught on day boats in Montauk and delivered to us within 12 hours, ensuring unparalleled freshness.

We simply clean the squid of its organs and cook it for a few seconds on the plancha, preserving its natural taste and texture. It’s served with a sauce made from last year’s tomatoes from Norwich, fresh market tomatoes, and the squid’s reproductive organs. The dish is accompanied by lettuce stems and spring flowers, lightly poached in butter.

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Braised Artichoke with Sunflower and Flaxseed

Spring marks the beginning of the daisy season, bringing key ingredients like artichoke, sunflower, and sunchoke into the spotlight. As the season progresses, more daisy options will become available, allowing this dish to continuously evolve as we explore the expanding daisy family.

Antelope from South Texas with knotweed and hoja santa​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We craft a birch skewer, layering antelope, wild boar, lardo, and Hoja Santa, then brush it with reduced smoked antelope bones and miso, infused with spicebush and honey.

Served on a rock gently heated in our wood hearth, alongside a knotweed and spruce sauce. Embracing knotweed, an invasive species overtaking New England, not only aids in environmental preservation but also adds a touch of unique flavor to our dishes.

That’s a wrap for April. With the longer and warmer days here, we’re fully immersed in our spring menu, incorporating new seasonal ingredients and creating new dishes every week.

Our reservations for June are now open - Secure your spot through the link in our bio and join us next month!