Pictured | Chef Andrew Figel
On June 19 at 6:00 PM, On The Verandah invites you to settle in for an evening shaped by wine — its nuance, its story, its ability to turn strangers into companions. The occasion: a multi-course dinner ($225 per person) featuring the elegant, earth-driven wines of Oregon’s Torii Mor Winery, with expert guidance from Michael Searles of Grapevine Distributors.
This is more than a pairing. It’s a conversation — between vintner and chef, grape and soil.
Chef Andrew Figel is no stranger to that dialogue. A Highlands native raised in this very kitchen, Figel has helmed On The Verandah since 1999, layering global sensibility onto Appalachian roots. His wine dinners are especially transporting — smart, thrilling, and always deeply pleasurable. What elevates them is not just culinary talent but his instinct for how food and wine can amplify each other’s finest notes.
Torii Mor offers plenty of those notes. Founded in 1993 by Dr. Donald Olson, the winery is built on a reverence for Pinot Noir and its uncanny ability to reflect the land. The name comes from the torii gate in Olson’s Japanese garden and the Old Norse word mor, meaning earth — a fitting symbol of the winery’s grounding philosophy. From just 1,000 initial cases, Torii Mor now produces 10,000 annually, including not just Pinot Noir but Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Rosé, and a rare Syrah Port. These are wines made with restraint, integrity, and the quiet kind of confidence that rewards attention.
While the dinner’s menu is a surprise, the restaurant’s regular fare offers a preview of Figel’s voice in the kitchen: chewy, tender sea scallops over angel hair in a bright ginger-scallion sauce; tangy and savory pomegranate-glazed lamb ribs with perfectly crisped edges; lush, lemon-laced lobster piccata that somehow manages to be both decadent and refreshing. These are not guaranteed to appear — but they set the stage for what’s possible.
And then, there’s the setting. Built in 1937 as a speakeasy and reborn in 1981 by the Figel family, On The Verandah sits at the edge of Lake Seqouyah, shaded by old trees, and warmed by the buzz of shared enjoyment. These wine dinners invite something deeper than dining — they invite conviviality. Laughter flows easier. Stories linger longer.
To reserve your seat, visit ontheverandah.com. Some dinners are meals. This one’s a mood.
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