Enjoying a crisp glass of wine with a beach sunset view sounds like a luxury reserved for special occasions. Jason Allen (left) and Caleb Banks (right), owners of The Carriage Wine & Market in Dauphin Island, are working to make it an everyday occurrence. They opened The Carriage last summer with the mentality that good things in life should be enjoyed each moment, wine included.
With one other Carriage location in Florence, Allen and Banks have over a decade’s worth of experience. The Dauphin Island bar and market under one roof blends consumption and education seamlessly. A wine list that rotates often and a seasonally rotating food menu helps. “We keep a learner’s mentality,” says Allen. “Our job is to get fresh things in front of people so they can experience something new.” The Carriage is the largest seller of Waris-Larmandier champagne in the country, with likely the largest selection of champagne in the state. “We try to find grower champagnes, meaning the person who grew the grapes is making the wine,” says Banks. Their teal shelves display a 400-bottle selection of wines and champagnes. In short, there’s always something exciting to uncork.
Whether patrons share a bottle, order a glass or try out a cocktail, they will easily find a perfect complement from the kitchen. Chef Suzanne Phillips creates a rotating menu featuring an array of appetizers, lighter bites and full meals, with an emphasis on keeping things fresh and local. The oysters come straight from the Mississippi Sound, literally in The Carriage’s backyard. The tomato tart features heirloom tomatoes from Deakle Farms in Grand Bay. The meats on the fromage boards are hand-cut the day of. It’s enough to make your mouth water. Enjoyed on the outdoor deck, at the white tables indoors or the bar with its intricate oyster artwork handmade by the owners from shells sourced from the Sound, life is feeling a bit better already. “People say to us, ‘Why Dauphin Island?’” says Banks. “And we say, ‘Why not?’ Why doesn’t Dauphin Island deserve something like this? We love this community and I hope we’re giving them a little bright spot that makes their day better.”
It all goes back to the owners’ mantra of living life to the full and making every moment special. “Jason likes to say we should drink champagne every day,” says Banks. “Listen,” says Allen. “We only get one show. We better make it a good one.”
On the Menu
Traditional Fromage Board, Fresh Oysters and Seafood Tower.
Traditional Fromage Board
The quintessential sharable, this board features cheeses served with hand-cut artisanal meats, almonds, seasonal accoutrements and the signature Carriage Bar Mix. Adding adult grilled cheese bites, with prosciutto and three cheeses, brings this board to an over-the-top level.
Heirloom Tomato Pie
Tomatoes are baked with cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, bacon and egg in a flaky crust for the perfect Southern savory pie.
Seafood Tower
Hand-shucked local bivalves from Isle Dauphine Oyster Company fill the bottom tier, baked oysters Bienville and a white wine cream sauce cover the middle while jumbo Gulf shrimp cocktail with spicy house-made cocktail sauce tops off a seafood lover’s dream tower.
Red, White and Blue Salad
This patriotic arugula salad features strawberries, blueberries, feta and pecans, and is drizzled with a tangy honey-lemon vinaigrette, cool and refreshing on a hot summer day.
The Carriage Wine & Market • 1522 Bienville Blvd, Dauphin Island • 313-215 • Tue and Wed 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Thu – Sat 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., closed Mon
