Chestertown has a new restaurant, but perhaps “new” is not the best way to describe “The Remington on Main.” It is housed in an 1893 building that has been a local hub for decades and is owned and operated by people who are hardly new to the area: Jennifer and Brent Bliss.
But that doesn’t mean it won’t offer diners a fresh experience.
“We want to serve food and wines that you won’t necessarily find everywhere else in the region,” said Brent Bliss. “And we want to be able to serve a family who’s looking for a casual meal as well as a couple celebrating a special occasion. If that’s a niche, it’s one we’d like to fill.”
Earlier this year, the Warren County couple purchased the Main Street building, which, in addition to the kitchen, bar and dining room formerly occupied by the Bull House Restaurant, includes a Short-term rental, The Loft at Remington.
Renovations began almost as soon as the papers were signed in February and were completed in time for a Memorial Day weekend opening.
For Brent Bliss, owning a restaurant is the culmination of a career in the industry, one that has included managing Garnet Hill Lodge in North River and directing Food and Beverage Services at the Sagamore.
For Jennifer Bliss, a hospitality veteran herself whose resume includes the Sagamore as well as the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls, “Remington on Main” is an affirmation of her many local ties.
“I was born and raised in Brant Lake and went to North Warren Central School here in Chestertown,” said Jennifer. “And I moved back. When you move back to your hometown for the right reasons, to raise a family or to be close to family, that place will always have added, special meaning.”
The couple returned from Arizona, where they met and both worked in the hospitality trade, in 2013, in part to help Jennifer’s father with Brant Lake’s renowned Hilton Family Farmstand.
Buffeted between the conflicting needs of a growing family and professional obligations at the Sagamore, Brent began to wonder if a business of his own might provide a better work/life balance.
“I was looking for a change. I felt I was missing out on what should have been time with my family. So I started searching for businesses that were for sale and which I could operate myself,” said Bliss.
As it happened, Bliss had bartended Saturday nights at the Bull House when it first opened in 2013, so the fact that its former home was for sale was, to say the least, fortuitous.
“Jen thought I was nuts to want to open a restaurant, but she agreed nothing was to be lost by talking to the building’s owners, and frankly, buying a building piqued our interest more than just a restaurant would,” said Brent.
Brent is used to taking chances.
“I’m an eighth-generation Vermonter. I went to college there. And I was either going to stay there for the rest of my life or take a chance and leave. I left, and it worked out. I met my wife and we started a family,” he said.
At Remington on Main, the Blisses have created a contemporary American restaurant that is both upscale and casual, blending steakhouse, seafood, Italian, and Asian-fusion influences, with a menu that balances classic comfort dishes with modern culinary trends.
The chef is Jen Bliss’ cousin, Bobby Riddle, formerly of Hague’s Firehouse and Bolton Landing’s Huddle Kitchen.
As of June 22, the restaurant has been open every day of the week except Sunday, from 4 to 9:30 pm.
According to the Blisses, it will maintain those hours through Labor Day, and will remain open, if on a curtailed schedule, year-round, if possible.
That should accelerate the restaurant’s adoption by locals as their “local,” something of obvious importance to the Blisses.
“We want to be part of the community,” said Brent Bliss. “I’m a big relationship person. We want to have partnerships with people whose success we’ve invested in and who care about our success.”
“For instance, we partnered with the ‘Birds of a Feather’ gallery for art to hang on the walls,” said Jennifer. “Betsy Krebs, the owner, went to high school with my mom. We are happy to provide her artists with additional exhibition space.”
Remington on Main is located at 6369 Main Street, Chestertown. Phone: 518-803-4005. The restaurant currently does not accept reservations.
