“06880” always looks for ways to serve our community. Readers always look for ways to find out what’s happening around town – including where to eat.
Which is why “06880” introduces today a new feature: a “Restaurants” tab. It appears permanently in two places on our home page: at the top (directly underneath “06880”), and on the right side (under “Pages”).
It’s a way to feed the hunger of our readers — for both information and food.
The drop-down menu (ho ho) includes:
Links directly to a restaurant’s website
Its social media handles
Its phone number
And a 2- to 3-sentence description (from them) about why they’re special.
Each restaurant can choose its own category. (NOTE: Restaurants pay a small fee to be listed.)
Click here (or above, or on the right side of the home page) to access the “Restaurants” tab. For more information on being listed, email 06880blog@gmail.com.
What to eat tonight? Click on our “Restaurants” tab!
The property was unkempt; there had been no life there for days.
But the website was accepting reservations. A phone recording announced “new hours.”
Readers commented. Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce director Matthew Mandell said he’d spoken to the new manager, who “looked forward to the Slice of Saugatuck and will be one of the sponsors of the event.”
Clark Thiemann added: “Tarry Lodge had a sign on the door they were closed for vacation this week and will be back at the beginning of August.”
It’s now mid-August. Either the restaurant’s vacation has been extended for quite a while — in the middle of outdoor dining season — or plans changed.
Or perhaps management was, you know, lying.
The website still uses Open Table for reservations — though today, none were “available.”
More telling is the paper that covers the windows.
Then again, maybe that’s just part of Tarry Lodge’s “vacation” plans.
There’s only one day each year when visitors to Sherwood Island State Park can stay past sunset.
It’s Shorefest — Friends of Sherwood Island’s annual fundraiser. This year’s event is set for September 9 (6 to 9 p.m., main pavilion).
Guests enjoy an evening of food, live jazz piano, silent auction — and of course, a spectacular sunset. Catered by Westfair Fish & Chips, dinner options include lobster, steak, salmon, or vegetarian. Burgers and hot dogs are available for kids. Appetizers, salad, beverages and dessert are included.
All proceeds support habitat restoration, education and advocacy. Click here for tickets and more information.
Longtime Coleytown Elementary School physical education teacher Pearl Marcus died peacefully at home in Westport last week. She was 99 years old.
Her family calls Pearl “a Gigi, Momma and Mom. What a wonderful and beautiful life she lived. She had a fantastic group of friends and a loving family. She was always there for all of us. She will always remain the anchor of our family.”
In addition to decades of teaching at CES, Pearl was involved in the Westport community. She enjoyed traveling, entertaining family and friends, theater and tennis.
She was predeceased by her husband of 64 years, Marc (Melvin) Marcus. She is survived by 2 daughters and their spouses, 5 grandchildren and two spouses, and 4 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Quick Center for the Arts, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824, or Baltimore Squashwise, 2801 Sisson Street, Suite 100, Baltimore, MD 21211 (Pearl’s great-niece is executive director).
Nearly 200 people watched live and remotely last night, as 2 Westporters reported on their efforts to aid Ukraine.
Brian Mayer recently returned from his third extended visit to the war-torn nation, where he was joined by Ken Bernhard. Mayer co-founded UkraineAidInternational.org, a non-profit offering humanitarian relief and refugee rescue.
The pair discussed the importance of their work, and the challenges they face. They noted that tax-deductible contributions can be sent to Ukraine Aid International, 88 Partrick Road, Westport, CT 06880, or made via Venmo: @ukraineaidinternational. (Hat tip: Dave Matlow)
Brian Mayer (left) and Ken Bernhard, on the Westport Library stage. (Photo/Dave Matlow)
Meanwhile, some Westporters headed to Georgetown last night, for a special show featuring Jackopierce at Milestone restaurant. The show did not disappoint.
The sold-out crowd included members of Staples High School’s Class of 1987. That’s when Cary Pierce — half of the popular duo, and a Westport native — graduated.
Jackopierce is based in Dallas. A couple of fans from there were at the show too. They enjoyed seeing the singer/guitarists in an intimate setting.
Cary Pierce (right) and Jack O’Neill: Jackopierce, at Milestone. (Photo/Rick Benson)
The latest victim of the coronavirus: Slice of Saugatuck.
The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce has canceled the annual event, planned for September 12. The food tasting and retail experience draws thousands of people to Saugatuck each fall. There’s music and kids’ activities too.
The announcement is a disappointment to festival-goers, restaurants and shops — and Homes with Hope, which benefits each year from the proceeds.
Hungry for live music? Hungry period?
Head to the Milestone in Georgetown this Saturday (July 25, 7:30 p.m.). There’s an “old school music variety show,” featuring Aztec Two-Step and the Old School Revue with the Saugatuck Horns, plus surprise guest artists.
The large patio offers plenty of space for social distancing. But — as it always does — great music draws everyone together.
There’s not even a cover charge!
Westport was well represented in this year’s Connecticut Entrepreneur Awards.
Sarah Deren of Experience Camps took home first place in the “Entrepreneur of the Year: Scaling Company” category, while Mark Mathias won in the “Community Favorite — Entrepreneur — Social Good” division for his work with Remarkable STEAM.
Mathias also earned honorable mention in the “Judged — Entrepreneur — Social Good” category.
Remarkable STEAM received honorable mention in the “Community Favorites – Event” category, for producing Maker Faire Westport.
Traffic has picked up lately — though it’s still lighter than pre-COVID levels.
Nevertheless, this sight on Morningside Drive South is one you don’t see too often here. The riders are Greens Farms residents.
(Photo/David Squires)
A group of friends gathered at the Longshore golf course 10th tee last week, to unveil a bench and plaque honoring Greg Tapfar. He died in December, of complications from ALS.
And finally … the Summer Olympics were set to begin in Tokyo this Friday. The pandemic has pushed the quadrennial event back to 2021. So it will be another year before we hear:
Sue Fine — founder and owner of Soup’s On, the popular Main Street gathering spot — died last month in November. She was 82.
Carole Sue Coulon was born in Boston, and grew up in the Hotel Vendome. She worked there after school and during summers, learning the “people skills, guts and stamina” that helped her when she opened Soup’s On — a “country kitchen” — in 1978.
Sue’s son Peter recalls watching proudly as his mother “moved heaven and earth” to serve grateful customers wonderful dishes, made with fresh, local ingredients.
Peter Fine and his mother Sue
There was always something delicious cooking at home too, he says. Friends often came around for “the food and the fun.”
At the time he craved spaghetti and meatballs — basic food his friends’ mothers made. But as he grew up, he says, “I realized how lucky I was to have someone instill the passion of good food in me.”
His mother was “a courageous and tireless entrepreneur, and a constant body in motion. The outpouring of love and stories that have flown freely since her passing have centered on her indomitable positive spirit, style and grace, along with her trademark ever-present smile and sense of humor.”
Sue Fine
Sue and her late husband David lived in Westport and Weston, and loved New England, particularly Boston and Nantucket. They were original investors and active part ownwers in Nantucket’s famed 21 Federal restaurant. Sue created and operated 21 Federal Specialties, offering takeout food for vacationers.
She also obtained her realtor’s license, and was a resource for anyone wishing to buy or rent on the island.
Sue and David moved to Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida in 2004.
“Sue was a tenacious believer that hard work, grit and gumption would get you far, and passed those traits on to her children,” her obituary says.
Peter — a restaurateur and real estate consultant — recently opened Milestone in Georgetown, Connecticut. Sue was a proud investor.
Peter Fine and his mother Sue, outside his new restaurant Milestone. The photo was taken last summer.
Sue’s son Bill is president and general manager of WCVB-TV, Channel 5 Boston. Her daughter Kim is a mentor and teacher at Firewood Academy in Homer, Alaska.
Sue is also survived by 7 grandchildren, and her dog Buster.
She will be buried with her husband privately at sea, off the coast of their beloved Nantucket, this summer.
Donations may be made in Sue Fine’s name to The Home for Little Wanderers — an organization she first supported as a child — which provides services for at-risk children in Eastern Massachusetts. Click here, or mail to 10 Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135.
Westporters of a certain age remember Soup’s On with love.
Much about the small Main Street restaurant with the big heart can’t be recaptured: its casual, homey atmosphere and before-its-time emphasis on healthful food, for example.
But more than 30 years after it closed, Soup’s On lives — in Georgetown.
The country kitchen opened in 1978. Peter Fine — owner Sue Fine’s son — grew up in a house that was “all about food.” He watched proudly as his mother “moved heaven and earth” to serve grateful customers wonderful dishes, made with fresh, local ingredients.
Sue Fine (center) had a great relationship with her loyal employees.
Though Fine spent most of his professional life in real estate, the Soup’s On experience lingered. And because he focused on the restaurant and hospitality sector, he always dreamed of recreating Soup’s On essence.
He tried to find a spot in Westport that would work. But when he heard the Lumberyard Pub sports bar had closed in Georgetown, he realized that neighborhood — where Weston, Wilton, Redding and Ridgefield meet — was perfect.
The result is Milestone. Since opening in late summer, it’s earned raves from diners far beyond the tiny — but funky — Georgetown neighborhood.
Peter Fine and his mother Sue, outside his new restaurant.
Fine installed a Forza Forni brick oven. Reaching 700 degrees, it produces superb, made-from-scratch pizzas and succulent fish.
There’s a great meatball dish, excellent salads, crispy chicken, skirt steak — “something for everyone,” Fine says. “Delicious, simple, without fussy flavorings.”
That made Soup’s On special too. And though he can’t recreate its magic, Fine has resurrected a couple of his mom’s recipes — exactly as they were.
He served her gazpacho. As the weather turns colder, he’s adding her onion soup and chili to the menu.
Peter Fine’s restaurant may be called Milestone. But in Georgetown — as it was in Westport — Sue Fine’s soup’s on.
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