For months now, two opening events have been eagerly awaited in these parts. Salt and Vine, the new restaurant in the Olney House, has been soft-opened for dinner for about a week. The other, Olney Winery in Ashton, now projects opening “sometime between June and July.”
Update on The Winery
The Olney Winery’s interior is just about finished. It has a neo-neon kind of vibe, thanks to some very cool backlighting behind the bottle racks in the front room. The new oven is up and cooking pizza. The chef, Tim Couzens, has developed a small menu of snacks designed to go well with wine.
The Old House is New Again
Salt and Vine promises to raise the level of dining in this part of the county. The chef and owner, Tom Zeppelli, gave me a tour the other day and described the extensive renovations that were made to the historic structure, while remaining true to the nature of the property. Research revealed that the house once had a front porch, so it was reconstructed. Along with a large ground-level patio, it’s now one of several options for outside dining. There’s also a second-floor balcony around the back.
The interior’s two stories have light-filled rooms (some fit for private dining) full of high-style, minimalist, but comfortable-looking furnishings.
For those of us who remember when Ricciuti’s occupied the space, there’s little left of the interior from those days except the wood-burning oven. “Don’t call it a pizza oven, because we are planning to use it for more than pizza,” said Chef Tom. And, indeed, there are only three pies on the menu, but many other courses, from antipasti to dessert.
There is a full bar, and a wine program. “The wines are mostly Italian, except for Champagne,” said Tom. What about Prosecco? I asked. “Oh,” he said, “We have Prosecco on draft!”
