Garten is a huge fan of Nick & Toni’s. She’s mentioned it on her blog, she had the chef on her show, and she even based her recipe for penne alla vodka on her favorite pasta dish from there.

It’s located in East Hampton, one of the most upscale towns on the easternmost area of Long Island, around 100 miles outside New York City.

Nick & Toni’s is rapidly approaching its 40th anniversary. Plenty of A-listers have been spotted there over the years, including Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, Lorne Michaels, Paul McCartney, and more.

In fact, a 2015 New York Times profile called the restaurant “a haven for A-list celebrities” and said there is “probably no more hallowed name among East End restaurants.”

The name might also sound familiar for a more tragic reason. In 2001, founder Jeff Salaway (who was nicknamed Nick in his childhood) died in a car crash after leaving the restaurant at 2 a.m. The crash made headlines in outlets like The Times and Observer.

In the 24 years since his death, the restaurant has continued on and remained a neighborhood spot — albeit, a neighborhood spot with $47 swordfish and regulars like Steven Spielberg.

Since I went on a beautiful late-summer evening, I opted to sit outside. The setting sun made for some dramatic lighting.

I was disappointed to see that Garten’s favorite pasta wasn’t on the menu — still, everything looked amazing.

There’s pasta, salads, fish, clams, pork chops, steaks, and more.

On the menu, this was described as “warm rosemary, thyme, and sea salt focaccia” accompanied by “whipped honey ricotta” and “tomato confit pesto.”

This started the meal out on the best possible foot — the focaccia was warm and flavorful, and not crunchy at all. The homemade focaccia is made fresh every day, and I could tell. It tasted like it had just come out of the oven.

I can’t say enough about the ricotta, which I could’ve eaten buckets of. It was so good.

Though cozy, the restaurant was deceptively large. From my vantage point, it looked like a quaint Tuscan farmhouse, but there were many rooms inside, each thoughtfully decorated — and crowded.

Sometimes, when you go to a famous or expensive place, you can feel like you’re getting ripped off with small entrées. This was not the case at Nick & Toni’s. The dishes were certainly not small.

To be specific, this was “wood oven roasted king trumpet mushrooms with basil pesto fregola [a type of pearl-shaped pasta], leeks, toasted chickpeas, and rosemary oil,” per the menu.

I had never had king trumpet mushrooms before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t need to worry, though, because this was delicious. I particularly enjoyed the pesto pasta and the toasted chickpeas.

As you can imagine, the market catch changes. When I visited, it was swordfish paired with “summer vegetables, preserved lemon, and micro basil.”

The summer vegetables turned out to be tomatoes and potatoes, which were both light and lemony. It was the perfect summer meal.

In the fall, the market catch now comes with “eggplant caponata [a type of sweet-and-sour relish], mâche [a green], and lemon vinaigrette,” according to the menu.

The tilefish was one of the day’s specials. Tilefish is a flaky white fish, but in terms of taste, it’s actually more frequently compared to lobster or crab.

It came with pesto, potatoes, and microgreens as a garnish.

I don’t know if I fully picked up on a lobster flavor, but I did think this was great. It was very light and not at all chewy — it was melt-in-your-mouth.

In addition to the appetizers and three mains, we also got two sodas for $6.50 each, a $7 espresso, and two $8 cappuccinos, rounding out the bill to $203.36, with tax but pre-tip.

While that’s not the most expensive meal you’ll find in the Hamptons, it’s not exactly affordable.

However, if you happen to be out East and trying to live your best Ina Garten life, I can’t recommend this place enough, from the food to the atmosphere to the people-watching possibilities.