For decades, Oscar’s was a fixture on Main Street.
When Lee Papageorge died in 2016, Westporters mourned the loss of a friend — and a great deli owner.
A year later, there was excitement when Rye Ridge Deli opened in that space.
Now, it’s changed hands.
Rye Ridge’s Westport location was sold to new owners in February. They have operated since, with a 4-month agreement to use the Rye Ridge name.
That’s ended. The new name is 159 Main.
Rye Ridge’s 2 other locations — in Stamford and Rye Brook, New York — remain open under that name.
(Photo/Steven Goldstein)
We hope the new owners will keep the mural on the back wall. Dating back to the 1980s, it shows a group of Oscar’s regulars — and Lee Papageorge.
A Rye Ridge waiter looks at Lee Papageorge, longtime Oscar’s owner. The mural was restored by Rye Ridge Deli. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
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Henry Wynne continues to run toward the Olympics.
The 2013 Staples High School, 2017 University of Virginia graduate, and holder of many Connecticut and collegiate running records, finished third in the semi-final heat of the 1500 meters at the Olympic trials yesterday, at the University of Oregon. He ran a season-best 3:34.40.
That qualifies him for tomorrow’s (Monday) finals (8:47 p.m. EDT; NBC and Peacock) — and a spot on the US track team that will compete at the Olympics next month in Paris.
Also yesterday, another Westport athlete fell just short of her Olympic goals.
Annam Olasewere competed in the 50 and 100 meter freestyle trials in Indianapolis, and reached the semifinal of the former.
She’s got a fantastic future. A rising senior at Staples, who competes year-round for Chelsea Piers Athletic Club, she’s already committed to Stanford University for the 2025-26 school year.
Next stop: the 2028 Olympics, just down the California coast, in Los Angeles.
Annam Olasewere
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Compo Beach residents are used to drivers speeding down Bradley Street, and blowing past the stop sign at Danbury Avenue.
But they were stunned today as a car driven by a teenage boy, with another teen as his passenger, raced along Compo Road South, roared onto Bradley without stopping, then passed several vehicles in the other lane on its way to the beach.
Without stopping at Danbury Avenue, it turned left onto Compo Beach Road, slammed against a car driving past, drove off and continued into the beach.
The car that was hit …
The young driver was apprehended quickly. No one seemed injured.
But if anyone had been walking or biking on Bradley or Compo Beach Road, it could have been much, much worse.
Be careful out there — everyone!
… and the vehicle that hit it. (Photos/Dan Woog)
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Speaking of the beach, here’s a new trend: Cars parking on the Hillspoint Road bridge over I-95.
Of the 6 cars in this photo, 4 are from out of state.
At first, it seems odd.
But apparently it’s the new way to avoid paying the daily out-of-town rate at Compo.
Signs warn that vehicles parked on Hillspoint between Schlaet’s Point and Old Mill, and at Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve, must have beach stickers.
There are no such signs this far north.
So folks park on the bridge, and hoof it to the beach.
On the one hand, it’s great that Compo is so attractive to out-of-towners.
And they should probably be applauded for creativity.
On the other hand …
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And speaking of dangerous behaviors (see above), Rob Jackson writes:
“I live in Saugatuck Shores, and drive to and from downtown on Route 136.
“With the onset of warmer weather, the electric scooter parade begins. There are some adults, but the majority are young teenagers.
“There is no bike lane, so these kids ride in the narrow strip between the traffic and the grass. It’s terrifying to see these young people, sans helmets, at times with headphones or earbuds, speeding along at 15-20 mph with cars, trucks, etc. blowing past a foot or two away. (The 35 mph speed limit seems to be only a suggestion)
“No helmets is downright lunacy. But the small diameter tires on these scooters (as opposed to a much larger bicycle tire) are an invitation for the first small rock to send the riding flying, possibly into a passing vehicle.
“I invite any parent to come watch their child navigate this roadway on their electric scooter. This isn’t Compo Beach or Saugatuck Island. It is a disaster in the making.”
Fun … until it isn’t.
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The Westport Weston Family YMCA marked its 100th annual meeting last week with a number of awards.
Honorees included Diane Dubovy Benke (Lee J. Edelstein Volunteer of the Year0; Robin Tauck (Legacy & Impact Award), and Kate Murray and Andrew Berkowitz (Youths of he Year).
Employee Recognition Awards went to James Leask, maintenance technician (Above & Beyond); Victoria Walters, lifeguard and swim instructor (Commitment to Mission); Alejandro Flores, maintenance technician (Relationship Champion), and Tina Turechek, digital marking manager (Rookie of the Year).
Robin Tauck (right) with Westport Y CEO Anjali McCormick.
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The Westport Library will be buzzing this afternoon.
The Hive — Frederic Chiu and Jeanine Esposito’s new community-building project — brings an intriguing music-making event to the Trefz Forum stage (today, Sunday, 2 p.m.).
It’s called a “LID Session.” The acronym stands for “Lay It Down.”
Chiu — a world-renowned pianist, who lived for many years in Westport — has always been fascinated by the way pianos connects people of diverse ages, backgrounds and experiences.
He has invited local people to take a chance, and “Lay It Down” for an audience of fellow community members. The 6 who will perform range in age from 12 to 94.
“The playing doesn’t have to be perfect, and the audience doesn’t need to know how to play,” Chiu says.
“The shared experience creates connection for everyone.
Chiu will kick things by playing a short piece. Six guest pianists then take their turn on the Library’s special Yamaha Disklavier, which captures the performance for posterity.
To close, Chiu will lead a community conversation. (For more information, click here.)
Frederic Chiu, at the Westport Library.
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A good crowd headed to the Westport Observatory yesterday, for the start of ARRL Field Day.
The Westport Astronomical Society hosted the local meeting of a nationwide ham radio event.
Attendees young and old heard from ham operators, and got on the air themselves.
ARRL Field Day continues today (Sunday) through 8 p.m. at the observatory on 182 Bayberry Lane. For more information, click here.
Coleytown Middle School student Dylan Rosen learns about ham radio yesterday from Larry Reed (AB1JC), at the Westport Observatory. Dylan contacted a ham operator in Iowa — and the hams in Westport stopped to applaud. PS: Check out Dylan’s shirt!
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Sure, “Westport … Naturally” featured a turtle the other day.
But this shot — taken yesterday morning, at the Longshore stone wall on Compo Road South — is stop-the-presses-worthy.
Quite an interesting looking character. Worth waiting for, even if he does take his time walking the golf course.
(Photo/Peter Armstrong)
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And finally … on this date in 1713, French residents of Acadia were given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia.
They did not pledge their allegiance. The result: a vibrant Cajun culture in Louisiana.
(“06880” wants everyone to be safe. That way we can all enjoy our town — and this hyper-local blog. And if you get a chance, please consider supporting us too. Just click here. Thank you!)
As it relates to the deli leaving: I’ve gone there twice and the service both times was extremely poor; so, I stopped going there. By contrast, the Rye Brook location is extremely well run; as was Oscar’s. The new deli owners should take note…
If you are the parents of these teens know that they could have killed someone else or themselves. They passed drivers over the double yellow line on Compo road south and blew past me and the stop sign on Bradley. This was way beyond reckless driving.
I went to Rye Ridge deli once when it opened and never went back. It was way too expensive. The food was mediocre and, at least at the time, the people at the counter didn’t really know what they were doing. The two delis, long time staples in Westport, Gold’s and Fortunas, should be the example from which all new delis start business. We just don’t need any more mediocre expensive food with relatively poor service.
I’m surprised that Rye Ridge stayed open as long as it did. Shortly after it opened, my husband and I went there for lunch. I ordered a corned beef sandwich, which, in addition to being extremely over-priced, had more fat in it than meat. Under “Comments,” I had a back-and-forth with the owner, who said I should have ordered “First Cut.” Now why should there be two levels of corned beef sandwiches (at the same price)? We never went back. Gold’s was much better, and the staff was nicer.
Driving becomes more terrifying by the minute. How much quicker did these children get there?
The kid driving recklessly should have his license taken away. We are all sick of this and someone will be killed one day.
New deli owners take note: don’t reinvent the wheel. A deli is a deli is a deli. Good sandwiches (pastrami, corned beef, ham and swiss, tuna salad …) overfilled but not piled so high you can’t get it in your mouth. Bagels, kaiser rolls, rye bread. Danish. Homemade soups. Reasonably priced. Ta da!
Lol! Reasonably priced. With Westport rent and rising food cost and inflation what do you expect.
It’s bidenomics. Lol!!
Found the MAGAT.
I just went to Rye Ridge the other day to meet my sister for breakfast. It took 45 minutes from the time we sat down until we finally got our omelette and benedict. There were few other people there, and we wondered how on earth they could stay in business. I’m so glad new owners will be coming in, and I hope they can run a good basic deli on Main Street.
Went to rye ridge once. To expensive. Golds is outstanding and always has been.
Rye Ridge closing is no big loss. ..Run Henry run!…..I hope someone took that turtle off the wall.. I still don’t understand why the WPD resists real traffic enforcement.
To clear things up, Rye Ridge Deli did not close, the location was sold in February 2024. The Rye Brook and Stamford locations are still open, business as usual. The name of the Westport location is changing as it undergoes transition / changes. The Westport location is open today, business as usual, continuing under its new ownership! Great and exciting things for that location to come!
Losing the Rye Ridge is no big deal. Over priced, under staffed and served food that was very ordinary
About Danbury Ave…
As a former resident for 34 years at 11 Danbury , and i hate speak negatively about a beautiful area, lifestyle it provided me ( Thanks to my fabulous husband Matthew and his family for purchasing this cool little beach cottage in 1962, and that they recent sale afforded us us a new lavish lake property in the Litchfield area)
That said..
Not only Danbury ave, but the other streets have become dangerous to even walk on , especially at night which we do to enjoy the beach or in my case would walk my dog almost being hit by irresponsibly drivers, especially on Soundview ave
i laughed at my former neighbor and friend saying ..
Compo beach is the new Autobahn
Drive slow, enjoy the beauty, be safe!
Easy to criticize eateries while overlooking the burden placed on every transaction by the State of Ct. of a 7.35% tax on all prepared food which places undue pressure on these small businesses. An under-the-radar destructive tax that also impacts many food items in grocery stores including items for the preparation of school lunches.
do other states have such a law or is only the law in Ct?
Connecticut is one of the highest taxed states in our nation. If we have an untenable and destructive tax which this sales tax on food is, there is no justification for its existence regardless of the possibility of its existence elsewhere.
Unless I’m missing something, the comments made are about Rye Ridge specifically, not about “eateries” in general. In fact there are references to other establishments that are much better. These establishments are also subject to this same “untenable and destructive” tax. Yet, these places manage to survive, and some even thrive. How could that be? Perhaps they have more effective, operationally-savvy ownership that know how to make things work, even in the presence of this tax.
Personally, I find we have a number of strong casual food options in and around Westport, and the number has actually grown since Covid. Sure, nothing is cheap these days but you’d think if this tax was so terrible, nothing of Rye Ridge’s sort would be able to survive and we’d all be buying groceries and eating in every night.
For those who have a complete disinterest or simply do not have a clue about the implications or demeaning effect of many targeted taxes let’s just call the recent multiple turnovers of local businesses the canary in the mineshaft.
My interest, along with many others here it seems, lies in not patronizing an establishment that due to poor business acumen, operational know-how or pure laziness (or perhaps a combination of the three) provides customers with a poor value relative to the competition.
Funny, when taxes are placed on many businesses the first thing you hear is “this will just get passed along to the customer anyway.” But then when they fail, just blame the tax. I guess business owners get to have it both ways?
“They couldn’t have failed because they weren’t good at their job – it’s the tax I tell you!”
I’ll be in the stands at Hayward rooting for Henry Wynne to finish in the top three in tomorrow’s 1500 meters race at the USA Track and Field Chmpionships. Wishing him all good fortune, he’s racing very well this year and has a great opportunity!!!
Steve Wheeler, Staples 1970
Steve, you forgot to mention why you have a rooting interest.
For those who don’t know, Steve ran the first sub-4:00 mile by any Connecticut runner. He went on to a great career at Duke University. Read all about it here: https://06880danwoog.com/2014/07/26/steve-wheelers-40-year-old-4-minute-mile/
The mural at Oscar’s, now formerly Rye Ridge also has Judith Marks-White in it who just recently passed away. I sure hope they will keep the piece of local history now that the deli has new owners.
GO HENRY GO!!!
We are listening to the community and working behind the scenes to provide a better experience for our costumers. We are also working on keeping the historic mural!!
https://www.159main.us
Very good to get feedback … Kudos