The Southampton Social Club's building at 256 Elm Street empties out every year when the summer season ends. This year the kitchen stays hot. Union, the restaurant that built its name in Southampton as Union Burger Bar, has moved into the Social Club building and is serving through the fall and winter.

The Social Club itself has closed for the season and says on its site that it returns next summer. In its place, the same building now carries what the club calls the Union Southampton pop-up, open through the cold months at the Elm Street address. The name change is complete enough that Union Burger Bar's old web address now lands directly on Union Southampton's new site.

Burgers on one page, sushi on the next

The menu keeps the burgers that made the original room run. A build-your-own starts at $17, the Double Smashburger with grilled onions and special sauce is $21, and the Double Truffle Smash trades the American cheese for melted gruyere, crispy onions and black truffle mayo at $23. There is a fried chicken sandwich called The Coop, a Mac Attack on a pretzel bun topped with macaroni and cheese, a turkey Gobbler with apricot compote, and a six-ounce Impossible burger for the table's vegetarian.

The second page is where the room shows its range: a full sushi list, from $12 and $13 classic cuts of salmon, tuna and yellowtail to signature rolls that run to $29, including a Social Roll of lobster, avocado, cucumber and mango, and a Coral Reef Roll of toro, spicy tuna, wasabi nori and caviar wrapped in soy paper.

Dinner entrees run from a $32 cast iron ratatouille to a $59 cast iron seared filet mignon, with steak frites at $44, charred apricot barbecue baby back ribs at $39 and a veal, pork and beef bolognese at $34. The dessert list is built around $16 cookie skillets and beignets, plus $17 Crazy Shakes, one of which arrives wearing an entire s'more. A kids menu holds everything at $16.

Bingo, trivia and a DJ in the off-season

Union is pitching itself as the room where Southampton's winter happens: live music and DJs, weekly specials, bingo and trivia nights, a happy hour and private events of any size, with reservations open on its site. The building it occupies was designed for exactly that kind of night, which is what makes the seasonal swap work: a summer venue's dance floor and dining room, put to use in the months it would otherwise sit dark.

If you go

Union Southampton is at 256 Elm Street in Southampton, inside the Southampton Social Club building, through the fall and winter season. The menu and reservations are at unionsouthampton.com.

Sources