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04/14/2020 12:00 AM

Re-Opening of The Thimbleberry Welcomed with Multiple Arms


As a show of support for Branford restaurant owner Mike McNamara and his Stony Creek eatery, The Thimbleberry, customer Heather Adams donned her giant squid costume to pick up her lunch on April 14. It was McNamara's first day back in business following the state's COVID-19 restaurant dining room closures on March 16.Pam Johnson/The Sound

When the state shut down restaurant dining areas on March 16, The Thimbleberry, a Stony Creek favorite, went dark. On April 14,  just in time for take-out-Tuesday, the small, casual café at 2 Indian Point Road re-opened for take-out breakfast and lunch offerings.

At lunchtime, customer Heather Adams was there to welcome owner Mike McNamara with multiple arms.  Adams stopped by to pick  up her order dressed in a puffed-up giant squid costume. Zip06/The Sound caught sight of the big orange squid talking to McNamara outside the quaint café at about 2 p.m.  Given that The Thimbleberry is poised across from the Branford waterfront and a town dock, and that this is, after all, Stony Creek, the squid seemed to fit right in.

"I came down to pick up some lunch, support Mike, and bring a little joy down to Stony Creek before I go back to work," said Adams, who decided this day would be the perfect opportunity to don that squid costume delivered too late for Halloween.

"I thought, 'What better way to socially distance?' You can't get close with this," she said, wiggling a couple of pink and orange squid arms.

Adams is a fan of The Thimbleberry's American cuisine and highly recommends the café's made-from-scratch items including fried chicken cutlets, chicken Philly sandwiches, steak and cheese sandwiches, soups and McNamara's New England clam chowder.

"People love his chowder," she said.

McNamara is posting all grill specials, soup and deli options available for take-out on a window poster at the restaurant and at the Thimbleberry's Facebook page (@TheThimbleberry). Breakfast offerings on April 14 included a specialty wrap, buttermilk pancakes, egg, cheese and bacon, ham or sausage on a hard roll, a Western omelet and fresh cranberry orange and blueberry muffins.

McNamara said he appreciated Adams' show of support and hoped to see more of his customers coming by soon.

"This is our first day back open. We're going to be open seven days a week, for breakfast and lunch. We'll see how it goes," said McNamara.

Customers can call ahead to The Thimbleberry at (203) 481-2836 or place their order at the Thimble Island Road entrance to the restaurant. Menu option updates are being posted on Facebook @TheThimbleberry