![]() ![]() I make a note to Google for information once I am home. In addition to the terroir from which it came, the one thing I will never forget is that it was fermented and aged in a concrete egg. Soon our lovely server, Julia, arrives toting a bottle of unfiltered 2020 Viognier-GRAND GESTURES, from vines grown in the Robert Clay Vineyards in Mason County – but that is another story for another time. But perhaps this explains their unique address, 330 Minor Threat Lane. I peruse the names of the wines we will taste: GRAND GESTURES, THE LOVERS & THE DREAMERS, ALL THINGS GO, and HIGH SPEED, LOW DRAG. The four of us sit at a narrow picnic-style table for six, waiting. The sun and the hills and the sky are a golden elixir. Even if we had no wine and no food, the day and the view beyond, with the world literally at our feet, would be enough. Since Southold’s website reminded us that wine is best with food and that food and wine are best shared with others, we are here with friends. We know there will be a wine tasting with an assortment of mezze/tapas-like food offerings, not necessarily prepared to match the wines. A slight breeze blows through the shaded patio as we sit and wait-not sure exactly what to expect. We have 2 pm reservations-they are prepaid. I notice a sign that says, Appointments Only. Missing the entrance on Minor Threat Lane-there must be a story there-Michael makes a U-turn and heads up the hill. The glasses from that bottle, sadly, will be savored with a much less captivating view.With only 60 minutes to get to a destination that is 70 minutes away, Michael sets his cruise control 3 miles above the speed limit, and we begin winding along the back roads that will take us to Southold Farm + Cellar. I bought a bottle of the juicy sparkler to take home just in case I couldn’t find it in town. The former can only be purchased in stores, and the Damn the Torpedoes had limited life outside of the 62 acres. We were able to try the rich red fruits of the All the Wrong Moves Mataro with the honey and soy-laced pork dish, and the tingly tart berry flavors of the recently released Mataro Pétillant Naturel named Damn the Torpedoes pierced the rounded sweetness of dessert. ![]() Meador told me he created the restaurant as another way to draw folks out to try his wine, and that’s one of the great selling points of dinner at Southold: getting the chance to drink wines you won’t usually find at restaurants or retail outlets. I’d happily pay 15% more for about 30% more food. The plates were served as shareable for two, but I, a man with an admittedly large appetite, could have eaten each of the servings unassisted. ![]() I didn’t want to share either of those final two small dishes, which highlighted my one nitpick with the experience. More: Fareground reopening downtown with new tenants, including Wu Chow spinoff That offering was paired with Southold’s crisp, slightly funky and not-what-you’d-expect-from-a-Chardonnay Stay on Target. Despite the handsome, window-wrapped dining room, all leather, wood and concrete splashed with early evening sunlight, we dined with our baby outside as a safety precaution.Ĭorn fritters cracked and popped, revealing a gentle interior on a dish of tender fried quail legs set in a tart pickled green tomato mayonnaise. Golden beets infused earthiness into a gazpacho dotted with a dollop of crème fraîche for a refreshing start to our al fresco dinner. More: The best thing our restaurant critic ate this week was at this Dripping Springs bakery All perfectly suited for the expressive wines on which Southold built its reputation. The dishes are artful without being precious, direct but not simplistic. Led by Eden East and Weatherup veteran chef Courtney Watson, it serves a fixed menu of seven small plates that lean on local and seasonal produce for their Hill Country flavors. ![]()
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