Table Talk: New Glam Clam Shack in Mystic, Fresh Salt in Old Saybrook Goes Greener
Connecticut Magazine | Elise Maclay
Oh, say can you see? The river? You’re on it. A huge whitewashed clapboard building? You can’t miss it. The stars and stripes hang from the rafters. You’re inside a stunning new restaurant called Red 36 at Seaport Marine on Washington Street in Mystic. Opened this summer, this glamorous, glorified clam shack owned by Angela Kanabis, the daughter of Carol Kanabis who operates Bravo Bravo in Mystic and Olio in Groton, has everything goingfor it—seating for 150 inside and out, a casual vibe and an ocean-oriented menu delicious enough to be a draw without a river view
The new net zero is hot news these days because while renewable energy may be a matter of life or death for the planet, for the first time architects and builders are able to achieve it in practical, affordable ways. Forget ugly in-your-face solar panels and take a look at Saybrook Point Inn, Spa & Marina, which Stephen Tagliatela and his partners have transformed into one of the greenest resorts in Connecticut, a poster-child of what the new net zero looks like when beauty enters the equation. Much of the appeal lies in what you don’t see. Thirsty lawns have been replaced with flower beds, shrubbery and plants that delight the eye, prevent erosion, attract birds and provide herbs and vegetables for the inn’s Fresh Salt restaurant. The new net zero means saving what we have so we can have more of what we want. Way to go, Connecticut.
The newest restaurant in Oxford now occupies one of the oldest buildings in the state. Built in 1795 as a hotel, Oxford House has been dishing out hospitality pretty consistently until a couple of years ago when it closed and fell into disrepair. But all is well—a couple of Irishmen came along and saved the day. New owners Kieran McAlinden and Michael Brennan renovated and restored the building and now have opened Brennan’s Shebeen Irish Bar and Grill, dedicated to the meaning of “shebeen,” the old Irish term for a drinking establishment where you can always find good drink and good friends.
Gone just six months after opening Primary Food & Drink, chef Graham Elliot, the hotshot from Chicago, closed his Greenwich restaurant and went back to the Windy City. Officially: “The concept ultimately did not transfer to the Greenwich market.” Unofficially: “It wasn’t busy.”