Southold Social

"Wow. What a great experience! I was first introduced to Chef Payard as the pastry chef at a private club. Mind was blown. So I checked out his restaurant and was impressed with everything - the service, the menu, the creativity, the atmosphere, and the incredible food from start to finish. Do yourself a favor and check it out."

"I came for dinner last Thursday with my family, which was a few days before Southold Social closed for the season (We had come shortly after they first opened and I had refrained from writing a review until they had some time to work out the kinks). It also happened to be ladies night, so we had pre-dinner drinks at the bar (1/2 off drinks for Ladies). My Dad, the only man in the group, somehow, got a free beer since he had 'kicked the keg'! We ate upstairs. The décor was simple and the area was quiet, except for the the occasional whir of the hand dryer in the restroom, which provided more laughs from my parents than annoyance. The service was good, much improved since our first visit, save for a couple glasses that got picked up not QUITE before they were empty. As for food, we ordered a range of things: the Caesar salad, beet salad, cacio e pepe, rigatoni alla vodka with muscles, grilled salmon and the pork chop. Consensus was that the salads were nice, pastas OK, but the mains were lacking. My dish, the Rigatoni was maybe the best vodka sauce I've ever head (and I eat a lot of pasta), but the muscles in the dish were enormous and fishy--I picked around them. The Cacio e Pepe was good, but not a classic or imperfect preparation--slightly oily/salty. The salmon was a basic grilled preparation on a bed of something (can't remember what), which provided all the flavor--but the flavor was very one-note: sweet. I didnt try the pork chop, by my dad was disappointed and determined he would not order pork chops at restaurants anymore. Next, we tried some of Payard's desserts, and thank goodness we did! We got the trio of sorbet ("best I've ever had" -Dad), the Pavlova with mango and passion fruit, and a chocolate flourless cake. The desserts, at 10$ each, are by far the star of the restaurant. Overall, the restaurant is much improved from our first visit just after they opened, however, the price tag on the mains suggest creative flavors and perfect preparation, which we didnt see. We would come back again for lunch, in the summer, to sit outside, eat a salad and delicious dessert."

"Great food and attentive servers. We shared a selection of tasty starter dishes. However, they were unable to switch on the heating and do much to prevent cold air blowing from the vents at our feet other than bring a welcome blanket to wrap our legs in. A primitive but somewhat effective solution. What price warm air?"

"For our Girls Night Out we tried a new restaurant, Southold Social by Chef François Payard. Everything was outstanding, the ambiance, decor, staff, and of course the food! If you like sweet cocktails order “Don’t Poke the Bear”. The Caesar Salad and Cacio E Pepe were delicious, and the Payard Chocolate Dome was rich and decadent with a touch of hazelnut. I highly recommend Southold Social!"

"Food was so good! Focaccia was perfectly airy and finished with a sprinkle of sea salt. We had the charred octopus, tuna crudo, orecchiette with mushrooms, and house made cavatelli. Service was great! Our favorite was the chocolate dome…I could have this every night."