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05/30/2013 12:00 AMChanges are afoot in local food venues. At one town gateway, a family restaurant, Pat’s Kountry Kitchen, is no more, but in its place is a new family-owned restaurant featuring northern Italian and steak menus. At the other town gateway at Spencer Plains Road and Route One, a traditional burgers, milk shake, fries and other sides restaurant is opening soon.
But first, patrons of another local food institution had a brief scare when The Paperback Café closed its doors—but to the delight of its regulars, quickly came to life again. The café was sold recently by the prior owner to the owner of the café’s next-door neighbor, Fiore’s Pizzeria. The Paperback Café closed briefly, but quickly re-opened with the same familiar staff, same cook, and same menu that the old Paperback had.
However, since the old owner took all of the café’s computers and registers with him, for a few weeks, the Paperback operated on a cash-only basis for orders under $10. At press time, the computer systems were expected to be up and running this week.
A Retirement Leads to Opportunity
When Pat Brink of Pat’s Kountry Kitchen decided to retire, loyal patrons worried about what would become of her iconic restaurant, a town institution at Route 154 and Ferry Road.
Many patrons and residents worried the local independent restaurant with its prime location would soon become just another chain restaurant without local character or connections.
Fortunately, this fate was averted when two restaurant families made a match, and a new independent family restaurant, Terra Nostra Ristorante, was born on the site of the old.
Opening in mid-May, the new restaurant is owned by Nicole Uva and managed for now with the help of her father Fernando Uva, a retired restaurant owner. Nicole grew up on Martha’s Vineyard so building a new life in Old Saybrook is exciting and a return to her New England roots.
After learning the restaurant business from her father, five years ago she decided to strike out on her own, opening a large restaurant in Fort Myers, Florida. Using her father’s recipes from his former restaurant, she founded the first Terra Nostra Ristorante. Unlike her father’s restaurant model, though, she paired the Italian fare with a steak menu to broaden the restaurant’s appeal and make it family-friendly.
Now she’s brought that model to Old Saybrook in her second Terra Nostra Ristorante. She chose Old Saybrook after doing a lot of research to find the right shoreline area location for her new business—and her new home. She plans to relocate to town this summer.
Describing the new restaurant, Nicole Uva explained, “The Terra Nostra Ristorante offers fine dining that’s family-friendly. It’s an Italian restaurant and a steakhouse in one.”
The restaurant building, with a capacity of 110 seats, has been transformed by Uva from its former look to one that uses Tuscan themes and colors. For the northern Italian menu choices, she’s tapped her father’s recipes and for the wine list, his experience. The site’s soft opening was on May 15.
“Out first two weekends were very good,” said Uva, who looks forward to her family becoming part of the Old Saybrook community.
A Return to Milk Shakes
The second new restaurant takes a step back in time to the ’50s and ’60s when diners and lunch counters were the main source of shoreline food fare and, if you wanted a burger, they served the way you asked for it.
This new restaurant, called Jake’s Wayback Burgers, plans a late June opening on the grounds of the new West Marine store at Boston Post Road and Spencer Plains Road. The 1,574 square foot restaurant at 1657 Boston Post Road with 32 seats in addition to its food menu will offer beer and wine for sale.
The new restaurant is part of a Connecticut-based chain whose first location opened in 1991 near the University of Delaware campus in Newark, Delaware. This Old Saybrook location will be the 12th Jake’s Wayback Burger location in Connecticut.
Serving food a vintage 1950s and ’60s diner-like setting with accents of stainless steel, Jake’s menu offers signature hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie and turkey burgers, sandwiches, and 12 different flavors of custom-made milkshakes. On the side are cheese or chili fries as well as beer-battered onion rings. Two salads and slaws are also on the menu.