Berkeley Square and The Coach House is owned by Community First Solutions, and Kirkpatrick said earlier this year it “was a really tough decision” but still “the right decision” to close the restaurant, though it had been opened sporadically since spring 2020.
The reopening, which came with a facelift of the kitchen and dining areas, along with decorating help from Sara’s House, another Hamilton staple, but Tuesday’s preview and Wednesday’s opening started by a chance, Kirkpatrick said.
“I was reading the Journal-News online one day, and I saw that Phil (Wong) was closing the High St. Café,” he said, getting on the phone with Danielle Webb, Community First Solutions vice president of marketing and community relations.
That conversation led to Wong agreeing to help reopen the Coach House.
“It was a dark, filthy shut-down restaurant, and Phil Wong was the first step on the path of reopening the Coach House,” said Webb, also applauding Sara’s House for decorating the restaurant. “I think what is special is here, everybody has a little bit of magic and it all has come together in the best way.”
Community First Solutions hired Leesa Cassell to be The Coach House’s general manager, who said it’s “a destination restaurant.”
“We’re all about community and welcoming everyone,” said Cassell about the restaurant’s upscale American fare that has “a little bit of an Italian twist on it.” “We have a little something for everyone, including kids. We have a nice children’s menu, but our main menu ranges from pasta, seafood, chops, and steaks.”
Though the restaurant is not on the main drag of Hamilton, it is less than a mile away from Main Street, and Cassell said people “won’t regret making the trip.”
The Coach House has dropped the members-only model and serves anyone in the public, but reservations are needed, which can be made at coachhousetavern.com or OpenTable. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Additional days are being considered.
“This is a place where you can come, be comfortable, enjoy great service, great food, you can be very comfortable,” said Cassell.
Wong, who opened High St. Café in June 2015 until early June 2023, said they have “a bunch of goodies” on the menu.
“We brought some High St. Café favorites over, of course, that’s a given,” he said, including the Hamilton-famous Chicken Berry Salad. “We got some great dinner options. A little bit of everything.”
Though he’s been not cooking for the public for a few months, he did get a warm up with some catering jobs and a preview of the menu for the Berkeley Square residents, Wong said he’s “ready to get to it.”
“I’m used to throwing down hard, having a good time, and seeing smiling faces.”
More online
Visit Journal-News.com for a video about the reopening of The Coach House.
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