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One of Sag Harbor’s reliable pleasures is a cocktail or a cup of tea on the American Hotel’s trellised porch while watching the Main Street promenade. The 1846 hotel features four pristinely restored dining rooms—a large main room, a bar room, a cozy back room, and a narrow atrium. Nary a detail is out of place, from the dim-lit Lincoln portraits to the period ads. The American twist on the French menu would be the most exciting thing here if it didn’t have to compete with the celebrated 2,500-strong wine list, featuring the best of local vineyards. Gardner’s Bay clams and Peconic oysters keep the focus local, as do seasonal salads and vegetables from North and South Fork farms. Quality ingredients shine in the kitchen’s simply prepared, cleanly executed dishes, but the tender bison filet mignon and delectable slow-cooked Long Island duckling are likely to be among the best-prepared entrées this side of Riverhead. — John Capone

T-shirts aren’t welcome in the dining room, and cell-phone users can face chastisement.

Howard Picknell’s Peconic oysters, $18; oak-smoked Scottish Salmon garni, $19; Long Island duck sandwich (lunch only), $17