Date: Fri 05-Jan-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Olde-Newtown-Tavern-

Full Text:

Three Restaurateurs Set Out To Restore A Tradition Of Hospitality

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

An effort to bring one of Newtown's former favorite restaurants back to the

popularity of its heyday is under way at 160 South Main Street.

Restaurateurs Glen Davis, Bob Tymon, and Tim Murphy have established the Olde

Newtown Tavern at the site of the defunct Tom Sawyer's Restaurant. Their focus

is on serving "fantastic food in a casual atmosphere at affordable prices" in

a style reminiscent of the popular Newtown Inn which operated there from 1952

to 1985.

On a snowy afternoon recently the three men settled into comfortable chairs in

one of the dining rooms and reflected on the events of the past few months.

"I've always liked the building since I first saw it a half dozen years ago -

before it was Tom Sawyer's," Glen Davis said. "I thought it would be a good

location for the right type of business. When I heard it was available, I came

up August 14 to talk to people about it, and we've been here every day since

August 18."

"When we took it over, the building was in a great state of disrepair," Mr

Davis said. "But it was a place that we all agreed on, a place that had a lot

of character, a lot of history."

Built in 1962 and expanded in 1787, the building originally was a farmhouse

set on about 170 acres of land. The property passed from hand to hand until it

was purchased by the Greenman family around the turn of the century. Harry

Greenman, who for many years operated Lovell's Garage at the corner of Main

Street and Route 302, was born there, as were two sisters and brother.

At that time, an apple orchard filled the area where the parking lot is now.

The house had no electricity, central heat or plumbing until years later.

Harry Greenman's mother sold the property to the Otto Heise in 1952 and the

house was remodeled into a restaurant under the direction of architect Andrew

F. Euston, former dean of the Yale School of Fine Arts. The restaurant, known

as the Newtown Inn, was operated under a lease agreement by Nino DeNicola and

his wife until 1958, when they bought the business and pledged to continue to

operate it under the motto "le rendezvous des gourmet."

In 1958 the DeNicolas retired to Florida, selling the property to realtor

Richard Cappozi and building contractor Ron Roman. It subsequently became a

series of restaurants, each of which lasted only a few years.

The new owners believe the key to success is fitting the restaurant to the

area, not to imposing a concept that may not be well received.

"The worst thing you can do is to fit a theme to a place that won't hold it,"

Mr Davis said. "You have to match the market. As soon as I saw this place, I

saw `classic country dining' and so far we've been pretty well received."

The trio also decided not to do a grand opening, instead opening quietly on a

Sunday in late October.

"It's a mistake to have a grand opening before you have all the kinks worked

out," Mr Davis said. "Lots of little things happen when you open a new

restaurant and it takes time to get everything operating smoothly. We'd like

to have a grand opening soon, if we can find the time to do it."

The three restaurateurs, from southern Fairfield County and New York, worked

together in the Westport area in the late 1980s and had been looking "on a

serious basis" for the past three years for a restaurant they could operate

together. When they agreed on the Newtown location, they immediately set to

work to restore the building to its former ambience.

"We wanted to do a few things different, however, so we installed a wine

cellar at the back in an area that really wasn't good for dining," Mr Tymon

said. "And we've had to explain to more than one person that we didn't remove

the big fireplace that was in the back room - that was done by Tom Sawyer's."

The restaurant's other well-known fireplace, a four-sided style that opens

into dining areas and the foyer, has been decorated for the holiday season. On

the wall nearby are framed photos of the building taken years ago and

newspaper clippings from the DeNicola era.

The Olde Newtown Tavern is open for lunch and dinner and for Sunday brunch.

Dinner entrees generally range from $9.95 to $16.95, soups and salads from

$2.95 to $7.95 and appetizers, $4.95 to $6.95. There's also a sandwich board,

$4.95 to $6.50, for those who want lighter dinner fare, and a children's menu,

$3.50 to $5.95, for those age 12 and under.

On one recent weekday, the daily specials included such choices as grilled

mahi mahi with pesto and toasted pine nuts, served with grilled baby potatoes

and vegetables, and Hungarian stuffed cabbage with roasted garlic mashed

potatoes.

"One of the most popular items on the menu is the Innismore lamb stew," Mr

Davis said. "Shepherd's pie is very popular at lunch. We change the specials

twice a day and on a real cold day we will offer hearty food like split pea

soup."

Along with these rib-sticking choices and traditional beef cuts, the

restaurant offers choices like Two-Peppered Crusted Fresh Tuna, Darjeeling

Steam-Roasted Duckling, marinated grilled Tarragon Chicken Breast and

Fettucine Agliata (fettucini topped with sauteed shrimp and scallops in a

saffron-walnut scented sauce with shallots, roasted peppers and spinach). The

chefs also try to accommodate special diets whenever possible.

There are a dozen appetizers including such choices as Oysters Rockefeller,

escargot on puff pastry shells, tempura vegetables, garlic shrimp sate,

grilled portabella mushrooms, baked brie with toasted almonds and Tuckernuck,

described as "our famous clams casino pizza on a light crispy flour tortilla."

All three owners are chefs and plan to take their turn in the kitchen but for

now Timothy Murphy has been out front, supervising the service and checking to

make sure customers are satisfied.

"If they're not, we want to know," Bob Tymon insisted. "We always guarantee

every meal because we want everyone to walk away happy."

One of the biggest surprises the three men have had is the difference between

operating a restaurant in Newtown and restaurants in lower Fairfield County.

"Our previous experiences have been much more impersonal," Mr Davis said.

"Here people see us on the street, recognize us and say `hi.' Recently someone

came up to me at Edmond Town Hall and actually handed mail to me. It's a great

feeling.

"Starting the restaurant has been a lot of hard work but it is more than worth

it. We feel like we have a great rapport with the community."

For reservations or more information, call 270-6300 or fax 270-6266.