It’s not summer without a backyard BBQ, and Dave Sokolin is here to share five of his go-to red wines that pair well with summer BBQs. "When I barbecue, I look for something bold that can handle big fire and sauces from being on the grill. I also look for wines with style and subtleties that can shine through. Here are my five picks that I will be barbecuing with this summer, with prices starting at only $31.95." - Dave Sokolin
2019 Alex Foillard Brouilly - $31.95 | 93 VM - "The king of Beaujolais makes ethereal styled wines." - Dave Sokolin
2016 Michele Chiarlo Barbaresco Reyna - $37.99 | 94 WE - "This refined Piedmont from the legendary 2016 vintage pairs well with most BBQ ideas." - Dave Sokolin
2015 Barde Haut - $44.99 | 96 JD – “A classic, 96 point Saint Emilion that drinks great today -
1. Peel 1 celery root and slice paper thin on a slicing machine if possible
This recipe for grilled pizza is one of the more popular dishes on the bar menu that we introduced this summer at the Plaza Cafe. We really like the combination of flavors here, and it's a great item for guests to share too.
Summer in the Hamptons just isn't summer without a fantastic, fresh lobster roll! This is a summer favorite, and the waters of the East End provide us with very high quality lobster. In celebration of the summer months, The Plaza Café, located in Southampton, created a new bar menu. The lobster roll is a great feature on that menu, and it's become a favorite amongst customers. We have the recipe for you, which is easy to follow and straight forward. Enjoy!
Tuna and Crab Tian with Yuzu Vinaigrette is another one of our signature dishes that people ask me about often. I created it a few summers ago specifically for the James Beard Foundation's Chefs & Champagne event honoring Thomas Keller. It has since become a summer staple on our menu at the Plaza Cafe.
Tuna Tartar:
I've always had a fruit crisp on my dessert menu at The Plaza Café, which varies depending on the season. Since local strawberries are currently in season, I thought this was an appropriate fruit crisp to feature now. I've had this particular item on our menu for the past few summer seasons, and it's a great treat! Enjoy!
AMARETTI CRUMB TOPPING
Local sea scallops are in season on the East end, and we all love a great scallop dish! The inspiration for the dish was a trip I recently took with a local scallop guy who ran a boat called the Tiny Giant. I was really blown away at how hard this guy worked to get me such a pristine product. I also really respected the fact that he harvested his catch the old fashioned way without damaging the ocean floor. 
Out on the East End of Long Island, we are fortunate to have incredible fish available to us right off of our shore. I initially started to create this dish in an effort to take advantage of our local striped bass run, but the recipe ended up really being a tribute to local bounty on a larger scale. I decided to use potatoes as the building block for the rest of this dish, which is the vegetable the East End is probably most known for. I then thought of our local clams and knew they would make a nice natural broth for the dish that would go well with the potatoes. Although the chorizo is not a local ingredient, I love the way it goes with the clams, and it added a nice kick to the broth. I then took it a step further and added a little of our local calamari to the dish, and that really put it over the top! The sherry vinegar cut through the richness of the dish and balanced it all out. I'd best describe this dish as very simple, clean and a great one for the fall.
With fall in full swing and Thanksgiving coming up in a few weeks, I thought this Pumpkin-Lobster Bisque Soup would be an ideal recipe to feature now. I actually came up with this recipe a few years ago by chance when making preparations for an Opus Wine dinner menu with Michael Silacci. I needed a first course that paired well with the only white of the evening, a Mondavi Fume Blanc. I initially started to make a traditional pumpkin soup, but it just seemed boring to me. So, to solve that, I blended in some of my lobster sauce and really liked how the two went together. The finishing touch was to butter poach some lobster and add it to the dish to really round it out. This is a great soup to enjoy on cold autumn evenings. 
This Scallop presentation seems to have become one of our signature dishes here at the Plaza Cafe. I remember working as the Banquet Chef for Marriott Corporation many, many years ago and constantly seeing Chicken Piccata on the menu. I got so tired of this preparation that I never wanted to cook this dish again. Needless to say, that flavor profile of acid, capers, butter and so forth stayed in the back of my mind. So when I started thinking of a new way to accentuate the sweetness and texture of our local bounty of scallops, this combination came to mind. Of course it is not a traditional 'Piccata' and is just a play with words, but it did bring back memories. The dish seems to surprise most guests because it doesn't sound like all the ingredients will meld together, but they really do. The cauliflower-white truffle puree adds earthiness to the dish, while the capers add a touch of bitterness and the clementines offer a fresh burst of acidity. However, the real star of the show is by