Southampton Restaurant Review: The Driver's Seat for Lunch

The Driver’s Seat has been “Southampton’s Meeting Place” for over a century, and on a particularly warm early summer day, it was the Dan’s Papers editorial staff’s meeting place for lunch.

We started off our meal with the Driver’s Seat’s signature baked clam casserole—chopped clams tossed with a variety of seasonings. A staple for any visit, the casserole is both buttery and crispy, making this the perfect dish to whet your palate. Lee couldn’t get enough of the app, which was warm and flavorful and came in a crock, making for a lovely beginning.

The chicken quesadilla, our group’s second appetizer, could have been a meal all by itself. The dish is served with all the fixins’—guacamole, salsa and sour cream—and also comes with a side salad. The cheese was melt-in-your mouth hot. Cut into four slices, the app was perfect for sharing.

Kelly ordered the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Salad, which featured two Maryland-style crab cakes made with jumbo lump blue claw. The cakes were light and perfectly pan-fried, taking nothing away from the flavor of the fresh crab. Paired with the ample garden salad, the dish makes an enjoyable light lunch.

Lee went with the classic cheeseburger, but decided to branch out from his typical American cheese habit and went with pepper Jack instead. The burger was cooked just right at medium well, retaining all of the juice and taste. The toasted bun complemented the burger nicely. Lee also ordered the parmesan and truffle fries, which had a strong, rich kick and proved to be popular with everyone at the table!

As a precursor to dessert, owner Irma Herzog brought out a new summer salad, which she said would be on the regular menu soon. The salad is made with mangos, walnuts, mandarin oranges, raspberries, blueberries, walnuts and everyone’s favorite, kale! By itself, kale can sometimes be a bit tasteless, but the combination of the fruit and cilantro dressing infused this entire dish with a refreshing flavor that makes this salad a summertime must. Lee is usually not one to go for greens, but he devoured the summer salad. Finishing off with dessert, Lee enjoyed a light, sweet rice pudding with a nice cinnamon garnish on top. We had just enough to bring back to the office to share with our colleagues.

The Driver’s Seat
62 Jobs Lane, Southampton
631-238-6606
thedriversseatrestaurant.com