Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app.
After the Village Way restaurant sailed from Chandler Square, it created a void that has lasted seven long years. Now, Renaissance is finalizing plans to open in the space this fall, serving up steak and seafood with what its owner Tom Fallicia calls an Italian flair.
“I want this to be a place that people come back to,” Fallicia told GreaterPortJeff. “A lot of people are looking forward to it.”
The building’s ship facade will remain, with Fallicia carrying the motif through into the bar and dining areas, as part of a full-on renovation. The building inside has been stripped down to the studs. Among the big changes is a brand new kitchen.
“We’re just keeping the floors,” Fallicia said.
The Village Way could to seat 90 people inside and 60 outside, according to Fallicia, who is paring those numbers down a bit, in order to open up the bar area. Renaissance will seat 80 patrons inside and 40 on its side patio.
Fallicia plans to host live music and a DJ from the elevated ship area, calling it the perfect stage. The new restaurant’s bathrooms will be upgraded to be ADA compliant.
Fallicia noted that a rising tide lifts all boats, so he’s spent some time reaching out to fellow retailers to include local food and drink items on his menu. He wants to carry a Port Jefferson Brewery beer in one of his taps and festure a special dessert menu that includes treats from Kilwins, Grand Marnier and Chambord.
He has also been coordinating the music schedule, so as not to conflict with the nearby brewery’s concert series. Businesses banding together will make the village much more competitive.
“Part of the feeling is that Port Jefferson’s competition is Patchogue,” he said. “So it builds up everybody.”
The menu isn’t quite ready to be revealed, but Fallicia said there will be separate dinner and bar menus. He is looking for the eatery be open from 11 a.m. until 1 or 2 a.m., with dinner being served from 4-10 p.m.
Recently Northwind Group purchased Chandler Square, and some of the changes that the commercial real estate investor are making are already apparent.
“They’ve only been here for three weeks, and they have been very good,” Fallicia said. “They’re doing what should be done. A lot of the tenants are happy about the new landlord.”
The change comes at a good time, as Fallicia is renovating the interior. Northwind Group is already beautifying the exterior.
“I have a feeling we are going to be the flagship of the square,” he said.
Fallicia didn’t navigate his new restaurant to Port Jefferson in a straight line. He had to take a bit of a detour before landing in the waterfront village.
“The reality is I was going to invest in a small bar in Selden,” he said, noting he encountered a much higher rent than he was willing to pay for the area.
So, Fallicia cast about for a new location and settled on Port Jefferson. Maria Palmar, owner and broker at Maria Palmar Properties in Port Jefferson, was instrumental in making the deal happen, he said.
”This place was nominally more in rent and was within my needs,” Fallicia said.
Fallicia arrives in the village with diverse experience. He’s worked in his fair share of restaurants and bars, notably the Country House and Three Village Inn in Stony Brook.
“I can jump behind the bar and mix drinks, and if I had to jump behind the grill, I can do that,” he said.
Fallicia has three strict rules for the kitchen that he learned from his previous bosses.
“You keep it spotless, don’t send anything out that you wouldn’t eat yourself, and safety first,” he said.
His timeframe to open depends on many factors, but he thinks he will open in within three months.
“We’re coming along nicely,” he said. “We’re really hustling to get it done in two.”
As for the name, Fallicia said that it has two meanings. First, Renaissance is the name of his favorite progressive rock band from the 1970s. The name also refers to the rebirth of the space as a restaurant after remaining for such an extended time period.
“I think I have one of the best spots on Long Island, he said.
