Grana Brings a Slice of Its Own to Jamesport

The first thing that's noticeable upon stepping inside is an ambiance that gives the restaurant a feel of its own. It's not quite a pizza-joint, and it's not quite a modern cafe with an urban twist. 

Yet it is both.

While the chic feel lacks the Wi-Fi  access or cappuccino machines one may expect with the comfortable and relaxed interior and custom menu that help make it "not a slice pizza place," says owner Dave Plath, Grana has certainly carved out a spot of its own in six months on Main Street in Jamesport. 

"I wanted something comfortable, since I basically live here," said Plath. "We have some warm colors and it's a little eclectic. It has a rustic/antiquey/Italian feel."

More than a few factors play into that. A large wallpaper mural on the left side of the restaurant depicts an old wine cellar and a large bar on the right side offers a different seating setting. The building's original wood floors – which Plath uncovered under multiple layers of flooring – are nicked but not beaten. A row of shelves on the eastern wall holds rows of Jamesport Vineyard wines (to which Plath and his wife, Nancy, say they will add Shinn Estate Vineyards). 

And last, but not least, is the wood-fired oven pizza staring customers in the face on the far side of the open kitchen upon entering Grana. The clay composing the interior of the oven was imported from Tuscany, Plath boasts, and the oven itself is instrumental in giving Grana's pizzas a unique taste the chef took years to fashion. Indeed, before building an oven in Grana's kitchen, Plath honed his pizza-making skills at home in his own wood oven – which cooks around 700 degrees – for years. 

So why bring the wood oven to Jamesport?

"I've always liked the North Fork," said Plath, a Hampton Bays resident who bought the building at 1556 Main Street in Jamesport four years ago. "It has its own sense of community, with the farms and vineyards. And I'm able to go to the farmstands at times and use whatever I can find that's fresh."

Since opening in July (he was delayed following severe rains last spring), Plath said he has made some minor adjustments, including a change in the cheese curd he uses - he makes his own fresh mozzarella - and increased the size of the pizzas. Other than that, he said every day is a learning experience. 

Read a food review of Grana .