Southampton’s Silver Lining

This is the diner experience, elevated. The Silver Lining Diner, which opened last month in the previous home of Southampton’s Princess Diner, is a delight, and we predict its future is as bright as its yellow banquettes.

The colorful 250-seat restaurant delivers the American diner experience, and it’s what the diner experience was always meant to be: unpretentious, family friendly, and full of good eats. The happy color palette of sunshine yellow, accented by stainless steel fixtures, feels simultaneously contemporary yet nostalgic.

The Silver Lining dream team brings together the talent of five partners who include Executive Chef Eric Miller, Operations and Events Director Marc Miller, financier Richard Silver, marketing and branding guru MT Carney, and world-renowned interior architecture and design firm Jeffrey Beers International.

Brothers, Eric and Marc, have close to four decades experience in the restaurant business. They most recently ran Bay Kitchen Bar in Springs and also run Food & Co. and Hampton Clambake, which offer special events and on-beach catering services.

The restaurant’s menu aims to capture all four seasons by showcasing the year-round bounty of the East End, sourcing from local farmers, foragers, and fishermen, whenever possible. This was evident in the dishes we tried when my husband Joe and I stopped by for dinner last week.

I started with the Basic Beach cocktail, because if there’s vodka and/or sparkling wine in a cocktail, it’s the choice I’m going to go with. This particular concoction included raspberry, vanilla, lemon, and lime, along with vodka and sparkling wine. Delish!

To start I had the Greek salad, which became an instant favorite of mine. The fresh, local ingredients really make the difference along with the perfect balance of North Fork romaine, feta, Kalamata capers, vine ripe tomatoes, and cucumber. Joe started with something a bit meatier, the buttermilk fried buffalo wings, which he enjoyed. Get your take-out orders ready for football season, these are worth it!

I ordered the roasted organic chicken as my entrée. It’s served with mashed golden potatoes, roasted vegetables, and local thyme, and was cooked to perfection. Joe went with the whole shucked one-pound Maine lobster roll with lemon aioli and noted it is as one of the best he’s had on the East End.

“Our menu celebrates the abundance of seasonal ingredients that are locally available,” explained Eric. “We hope to offer something for everyone and anyone, for every occasion.” Chef Eric has always been an advocate of the dock-to-dish and farm-to-table movements on the East End.

For dessert, we tried the double chocolate blackout cake, which was decadent to say the least, served with a mocha fudge sauce. Hats off to Pastry Chef Meghan Saccone. She artfully remakes the classics with a modern twist, all baked in-house daily. Also keep in mind that any shake or float can be ordered “naughty” like the Caramel shake spiked with Amaretto, or a Brooklyn blackout chocolate shake spiked with Kahlua.

We were there for dinner, but Silver Lining, like any good diner, is also open early until late. For breakfast, there’s an emphasis on farm-fresh organic eggs, milk, and flour, and the menu offers the full gamut of diner classics. Think eggs Benedict, buttermilk pancakes, egg sandwiches, you name it. Or try the “Silver Morning Continental Breakfast,” a basket of pastries from the on-premise bakery, served with seasonal homemade jam and Maldon salted butter.

The lunch menu focuses on homemade soups, entrée salads, cold and hot sandwiches, and much more. There’s also a late-night menu with 15 to 20 signature items available from 11 PM to late.

Silver Lining is open year-round, seven days a week. Visit www.silverliningdiner.com for more info.

jessica@indyeastend.com