Long Island chefs Tom Schaudel and Michael Meehan host pop-up at Southold Social

Michael Meehan and Tom Schaudel are back for an encore. After the success of their February pop-up wine dinner in Mattituck, they are taking over the kitchen at Southold Social on Nov. 13 to present a $120, five-course tasting menu that features the wines of Pellegrini Vineyards in Cutchogue.

The encore is itself a reprise of the chefs’ storied careers. The two worked together briefly in the '80s when Schaudel was the chef at Garvins in Huntington and Meehan was working the line across the street at Rose & Thistle. "We didn’t do lunch," Meehan recalled, "but Garvins did. So I’d cook with Tom during the day, then flip my apron over and go back to Rose & Thistle for dinner."

Since then, they’ve maintained a close friendship, cooking at festivals, going on chef junket trips. "We’ve missed a lot of planes together," Schaudel said, "stayed too long at a lot of bars together."

A half century into their careers, he said, "we get a lot of ‘are those two still alive?’ " Schaudel also noted that former customers also get their resumes confused. For the record: Schaudel ran Panama Hatties in Dix Hills, 107 Forest Avenue in Locust Valley, CoolFish in Syosset, Jedediah Hawkins Inn in Jamesport and Jewel in Melville, among dozens of Long Island kitchens. He’s currently executive chef at Mill River Club in Oyster Bay as well as a partner at the North Fork restaurants A Mano and A Lure, and a co-owner of By Hand Catering.

Meehan’s greatest hits include Mill River Inn in Oyster Bay, Tupelo Honey in Sea Cliff, H2O in Smithtown and Vauxhall in Huntington. Over the last few years he has opened and consulted for restaurants such as Standard Rec in Patchogue and, veering sharply into Chinese food, Mama Chan’s in Northport. He is currently culinary director of By Hand Catering.

Here’s the set list for Nov. 13:

• Rock shrimp hash with squash, corn and piquillo pepper sauce (Meehan) Wine: 2023 sauvignon blanc

• Parsnip ravioli with foie gras, apples and sage (Schaudel) Wine: 2022 BBQ White
• Roasted duck breast with sweet potatoes, baby chard and blackberry jus (Meehan) Wine: 2019 cabernet franc
• Grilled sirloin with black bean puree, smoked-tomato aioli, fajita pepper salsa (Schaudel) Wine: 2019 Reserve merlot
• Pear-cranberry tart with meringue, almond cream and candied ginger (prepared by Southold Social’s executive chef, Brian Dancel) Wine: 2019 gewürztraminer

The wine dinner is at 6 p.m. on Nov. 13 at Southold Social, 56125 Main Rd., Southold. Tickets are $120, reservations required.