Silvers–Best Place for Brunch in Southampton Village
SILVERS–BEST PLACE FOR BRUNCH IN SOUTHAMPTON VILLAGE, NEW YORK!… When the Wellins family bought Silver’s, the soda shop, cigar, and news stand on Main Street in Southampton Village in 1923 there was a real opportunity to take advantage of the void of good places to go for a great bowl of soup, a good magazine and a good cigar! It grew from a cigar shop to a magazine stand and finally a soda fountain over time and it was one of those establishments that grew along with the Village itself. It was never boring for anyone!
There were the days in the ’70s when the magazine racks were full of newspapers, Life, Time, Look, Vogue, Seventeen and many more not so well known magazines of the day. Many of the folks who walked into Silvers were there for a cigar or a newspaper. The soda fountain existed for the hand full of visitors who wanted to sit and enjoy their paper or magazine with a cup of coffe.
Even in the winter, the place to go for a delicious bowl of hot soup was Silvers on Main Street. It was cozy in the winter and bustling in the summer. It drew all who knew about the family store into its fold and many who never ever ate outside their home found the Wellins family welcoming and the food satisfying as they enjoyed hot soup and a sandwich for lunch.
The proprietor, Mr. Wellins would stand guard over the newspaper stand as he tapped his cane on the floor and ordered: “Are you going to buy that?” when someone reached for and opened one of the magazines. He would not tolerate the person to stand there, read it and then put it back…He was a character; one who was irascible and was seen to be downright mean; but he was just being protective of his hard won business!
Old Mr. Wellins is no longer alive–he passed away about 20 years ago and his Grandson, Garrett Wellins has been running the little shop since. He transformed it into a Bistro–threw out the cigars and the magazines and expanded the seating area for brunch and lunch as he trained to become a chef of the first order. I have never been disappointed and have never heard a bad thing about the place. It is a treasure that remains as it was in the 1920s.
Now, the brilliance of the decision to open the shop in the 20’s is topped by the talent that Garrett has shown in his taking over this little shop. He transformed it from a mediocre magazine store to a top notch cafe; one that is now THE place to go for the most delicious brunch or lunch in Southampton Village, New York.
The front of Silver’s remains as it was from the very beginning; the original leaded windows still stand out from all the other storefronts in the Village. You can read the menu, written in chalk on the window panes for all to see…Then step inside to step back in time and enjoy the best Bistro fare on the Eastern End of Long Island!
The cash register is the original one, a treasured antique that still works!
A memorable lunch is the order of the day when you go to Silvers. There is a wide array of wines now and each and every meal is carefully prepared and served by a meticulous staff!
A real treat is to meet your friends there for a delicious brunch at 12:00 and be at the beach by 1:30 to relax the day away in the white sands of Little Plains Beach or take a drive to Cooper’s Beach on Meadow Lane–rated the number one beach in America!
You may even pick up a half dozen of Silvers best, out-of-this-world lobster rolls wrapped in waxed paper; take a bottle of a crisp Chardonnay or a great rose’ and enjoy the most wonderful picnic brunch while at the beach!!!
MY PERSONAL PICK OF THE BEST THINGS ON THE MENU:
• Silvers Borscht: The original family recipe of Russian Cabbage Borscht, a soup that is unforgettable in its color of a very deep red-orange, and swimming with the tasty beets, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes and dill in chicken broth…..Served with the BEST grilled, Tuscan bread that is surrounded by a thick and chewy crust, dribbled with an extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled lightly with an array of herbs and a crunch of sea salt. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
• Silvers Roman Sandwich: A thick sliced, crusty Tuscan sandwich, filled with prosciutto, sliced tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella and saturated with balsamic vinaigrette that makes you only want more!
• Silvers BLT: Grilled Tuscan bread sandwich with bacon lettuce, tomato and light mayo and is so thick you need two people to eat the whole thing.
• Silvers Lobster Roll: Lots of sweet, succulent lobster with just a little mayo and a refreshing crunch of celery on a soft, crusty baguette
• Silver’s charcoal grilled sirloin burger served on a soft and crusty brioche roll with fresh sliced tomatoes, baby lettuce and onion.
• Other specialty items include a good selection of caviar served on toast points and served with Champagne; or the freshest Scottish salmon on pumpernickel with dill and capers.
If you do decide to go to Silvers for brunch on a weekend sojourn, please say “Hi” to Garrett; he is always there! Here is the website: www.silversrestaurant.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Written by: Paula I. Hathaway
