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04/08/2017 12:00 AMVisitors to The Wharf Restaurant at Madison Beach Hotel are in for a pleasant surprise. The dining establishment has been completely revamped with a new interior and entirely new menu, but is keeping its name and award-winning executive chef, Leo Bushey. Another element that hasn't changed is the stunning view of the Sound, showcased by walls of windows. At this writing, the newly designed restaurant was scheduled to open in mid-March and its menu was still in the works.
Lou Carrier, president of the Distinctive Hospitality Corporation, which manages Madison Beach Hotel, says the new atmosphere is intended to evoke a "classy, yet quintessential New England shoreline" atmosphere.
Four distinct areas of the experience are tied together by a design scheme that highlights varying degrees of casualness and formality, Carrier explains. First is the bar area, which features booth seating and a vibrant blue granite bar with an extensive selection of spirits, specialty cocktails, craft beers on tap, and wines by the glass.
Next is the formal dining room with its nautical theme, crisp white tablecloths, a stone fireplace, and expansive ocean views, all highlighting a cuisine of expressive regional flavors. Third is the all-weather dining area on the deck overlooking Long Island Sound with stone top tables, a raw bar, and a casual al fresco feel. Finally, there's the wine room, rich with walnut tables, wine cabinets, and millwork, featuring what Carrier says is one of the most distinct collection of wines in Connecticut.
"The location of the restaurant is irreplaceable and incomparable to anything in Connecticut," Carrier says. "By virtue of that alone, the restaurant and bar are destination venues. Our mission is to surpass the spectacular nature of the physical space with the experience of a culinary and social visit to The Wharf."
Both Madison Beach Hotel's seasonal guests and those who come to visit throughout the year have been ardent fans. But The Wharf aspires to cement its reputation as a social hub for Madison and the shoreline area.
"Making sure that our neighbors feel that this is their place is elemental," Carrier says. "A big part of the reason we've reworked the restaurant and bar is in response to neighborly nudges and ideas."
As for the revamped menu, Carrier says, "Think contemporary New England meets farm-to-table rustica. Very fresh, very creative, very local, and very value-driven. The location demands seafood and an element of predictable poultry and meats, but the preparation, the use of local farms, and the presentations will create the 'wow' factor."
One of the new items is white gazpacho with the soup poured a la minute. "Everybody makes red; we make white," comments Bushey. His white gazpacho is made with cucumbers, potatoes, vegetable stock, and onions. "When it's cool, we pureed it with cream and sour cream."
Another new dish is panko-crusted Chilean sea bass with Moroccan cous cous and a tomato coulis, topped with micro greens. "The tomato has that really good zippy flavor," Bushey comments.
Bushey, who was recently named Best Chef in New Haven Living's Best of 2015, began working at The Wharf a year ago.
"The dining room is going to be more fine-dining, so we're going to have more intimacy and our food's going to be a bit more delicate," Bushey says. John Mathers, general manager of Madison Beach Hotel, adds, "At the same time, we'll have the wine room in the back, which will enhance our ability to offer casual fine dining as well."
When asked what brought about the change, Mathers says, "We've just been observing what works in The Wharf and what doesn't work, and what people are looking for, and we recognized that there's a real demand for casual fine dining, and we felt our formal dining room was just a little bit too large. So we're adjusting the dining room to have an increased casual element to it."
Mathers adds, "Guests often say they feel like they're on a cruise ship when they're here. We're right there on the water, so the new restaurant has a nautical feel to it. The wallpaper is a map of Long Island Sound; instead of a wooden bar top, we have a granite one with a lot of blues in it. It almost looks like water, like the ocean. It's a little more contemporary of a design than what we had, but it's still traditional. The front of the dining room is formal with white table cloths, and the back of the dining room is more of a wine room. It has more of a comfortable, casual feel to it. We're trying to create a more inviting space."
Chef Bushey's creations are sure to inspire many returns, and perhaps the best ingredient is the marriage between the atmosphere inside and the scenery it overlooks. Carrier confirms, "The redesign is a clear nod to the region, but has a freshness and energy we think will set the bar for the shoreline and compliment the best of Connecticut."
The Wharf Restaurant at Madison Beach Hotel
94 West Wharf Road, Madison
203-350-0014
www.madisonbeachhotel.com
Open seven days a week. Breakfast hours are 7 to 10 a.m., lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., dinner from 5 to 10 p.m.,
and Sunday brunch goes from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.