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Have You Been to ‘The Box’?

It's only been in business for a short time and it already has a nickname: Simon's at Deep River Landing is known by locals as "The Box." It got the name for obvious reasons - Simon's Market annex eatery is housed within the confines of a box container that has been transformed into a sleek, unique food dispensary now serving guests at the picturesque Deep River Landing.

The seed for this out of the box idea has been growing in Jim Reilly's mind for a while now, and was finally given roots about a year ago, when he purchased the 9-by-20 foot box container from a container yard in New Haven. Reilly is no stranger to the world of restaurants; he has been the owner of Simon's Market, a staple of downtown Chester, for the past 11 years and the owner of the popular summertime, riverside restaurant The Blue Oar in Haddam, for the past 19 years.

"We have such beautiful waterfront areas available in this part of the state, along the Connecticut River and also at the shore, that I wanted to create this box container restaurant as the flagship representation of what could be, in hopes that I can do this in more locations in the future," Reilly explained.

The box container at Deep River Landing has been repurposed and transformed over the last year into Reilly's vision, with the help of carpenter Bix Dupont and welder/painter Brian DeWolf along with plumbers and electricians (and some hands on work performed by Reilly himself). The container has a one-of-a-kind, mahogany wood bar front and is complete with a working kitchen and self-contained fresh water and is hooked up to an electrical source. It is movable via a flatbed car carrier and will be housed in a storage warehouse in East Haddam, when the season ends this year, sometime in September.

"The town was great about us doing this. We went to First Selectman Dick Smith with the idea and everyone was very supportive. We are very grateful. So far everything is going great and our customers are loving it," said Reilly.

Right now Simon's at the Deep River Landing is open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. serving up a menu similar to Simon's Market in Chester, such as a daily menu of fresh made sandwiches and side salads with the addition of staples such as the pulled pork sandwich and the lobster roll.

"This place offers one of the most beautiful views of the Connecticut River we have in this area, and we are so happy to be able to provide people with some good food to enjoy while they are enjoying the peaceful scene here. It's a great place," said Reilly.