The Ocean House Collection restaurant group has announced a new wine director, Matthew MacCartney, for its Rhode Island resorts. Ocean House is the force behind the Ocean House and the Weekapaug Inn, homes to Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winners Coast and the Restaurant, respectively. (The group also owns Watch Hill Inn, not far from the Ocean House, in Watch Hill, R.I.).
“It is a rare opportunity to adopt a large wine program such as the one at the Ocean House,” MacCartney told Wine Spectator via email. “Aside from the wine list being an amazing read, the part that excites me is the fact that we have a clientele that not only appreciates, but actually purchases on a regular basis, the fine and rare bottles we offer.”
MacCartney, who started in June, brings experience from an impressive list of restaurants, including New York’s Gramercy Tavern and Grand Award–winning Daniel. He also spent time at two well-known European institutions: Les Prés d’Eugénie in France and Ristorante Cibrèo in Italy. MacCartney, who moved to Rhode Island in 2011, was a co-owner of Jamestown Fish in Jamestown, R.I., which held a Restaurant Award for years before closing in 2019. (Jamestown Fish and Ocean House celebrated their Restaurant Awards together on live television in 2014.)
“I loved simply being a patron [at Ocean House] over the years and driving down for an exceptional meal and great wine,” MacCartney explained. “But in the back of my mind I always thought, ‘Wow, if I didn’t have my own restaurant, this would be an amazing place to work!’” MacCartney takes over from friend and sometimes collaborator Jonathan Feiler, who was Ocean House’s wine director for 12 years before leaving this year to lead the beverage program at the Boca Raton resort in Florida. “It gave me tremendous pride to know that Jonathan was confident that I would be the appropriate steward to carry on what he built,” MacCartney added.
While the Ocean House list is already extensive, MacCartney plans to increase the representation of several of his favorite regions, such as Austria and South Africa, as well as cooler-climate areas of Australia. Meanwhile, the team at Weekapaug Inn has increased cellar space. “This is a dream for any wine director to hear, as it allows us the opportunity to flesh out the offerings a bit while also providing the added bonus of being able to organize the cellar,” said MacCartney, who looks to spotlight wines that complement both locations’ menus while offering good value. “My hope is to offer our guests a ‘Big City’ wine experience while relaxing by the sea with an ‘on vacation’ mindset.”
MacCartney, who originally trained to be a chef before moving into wine, will also continue overseeing the annual Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival in Newport, R.I.; additionally, he helps lead Avventura, a travel company he co-founded to host wine- and food-themed trips in Italy.
In addition to overseeing the Ocean House wine programs, MacCartney is leading a variety of educational programs at Ocean House’s Center for Wine & Culinary Arts, including the “Oyster Shucking” and “Off the Beaten Path White Wines” programs. Visitors can attend a range of classes or arrange private events with their own sommelier and chef.—C.D
Owners of Sonoma County’s Little Saint Debut The Second Story, Led by a Noma Alum
After parting ways with partners Kyle and Katina Connaugton at the end of 2022, Little Saint owners Laurie and Jeff Ubben took a brief hiatus to reevaluate the restaurant. They reopened with an all-day café and wine lounge on the first floor of the two-story building in the town of Healdsburg, introducing a more casual menu that is still farm-to-table and plant-based, all while promising something special for the upstairs dining room.
That new restaurant, The Second Story, debuted July 7 as an elevated dining concept with executive chef Stu Stalker at the helm. Stalker most recently headed the kitchen at Popl, a neighborhood burger spot in Copenhagen, Denmark, opened by several alums of celebrated restaurant Noma, where he spent eight years as senior sous chef and research and development chef. The chef said a series of happy coincidences led him to California wine country.
“A friend of mine has a holiday home here [in Healdsburg] and is friends with Laurie and Jeff; they came to Copenhagen to eat at the restaurant I was at,” Stalker explained to Wine Spectator. “They gave me a call, and I was already planning to move to San Diego with family. We came up here and spent a few days, then a week, and really liked the place and the idea behind Little Saint and decided to take it on.”
Stalker said the Ubbens had a mission statement and an idea for the opening, but no culinary team or menu conceived when he came on. “One of the big things about moving here was that they had their own farm,” he said, commenting that he’s excited about California’s climate and year-round access to fresh produce.
The result of their collaboration is a $120 multi-course menu showcasing the season’s bounty. Among the dishes on The Second Story’s opening menu, Stalker highlighted one that celebrates summer produce. “We take five or six vegetables and apply different techniques, from grilled to lightly smoked to marinated and dried,” he explained. “Then we add tons of fresh herbs and a dressing of smoked tomato, miso and pasilla chile. It’s hearty and smoky but clean—nothing hidden.”
Stalker said the menu is all about simple presentations and deep, clean flavors, quickly pointing out that his team is not trying to aim for exclusivity. “It’s important that we’re seen as a neighborhood restaurant to serve people from the community,” he said. The $120 price tag is much lower than at other multi-course restaurants in the area, such as Cyrus in Geyserville or the French Laundry in Yountville. In short, The Second Story isn’t offering a white-tablecloth dining experience; its dining room is open and airy with wood tables and lots of plants that lend a cozy and convivial atmosphere.
The wine list is slightly more adventurous than the café’s, though wine director Alex Sarovich’s nearly 600-label, downstairs program is available for guests upstairs as well. The full list contains a treasure trove of selections from wineries practicing sustainable techniques, spanning the globe with impressive breadth across many categories. However, Sarovich has given special attention to the upstairs list, with wines tailored specifically to The Second Story’s cuisine. “We went heavy in Aligoté and some higher-end rosés to gear towards the beautifully delicate, fresh vegetables highlighted in a few of the first courses,” Sarovich said.
Guests can add wine pairings to their meal for an additional $65. According to Sarovich, one of these has been particularly popular: “For the no-ABV pairing, we highlight a local non-alcoholic wine called Kally. It’s made right here in Healdsburg and utilizes local verjus (juice pressed from grapes that have not ripened), offering a remarkable level of tart fruit and slight sweetness.”—A.R.
New York’s Hotel Chelsea Opens Café Chelsea
On July 14 (Bastille Day), New York City’s landmark Hotel Chelsea opened its first new restaurant in nearly a century: Café Chelsea, overseen by Sunday Hospitality and hotel partner Charles Seich. This premiere follows the 2022 reopening of the renovated hotel and its 1930-founded El Quijote restaurant.
Hotel Chelsea wine director Claire Paparazzo—who leads the wine program at El Quijote—has assembled a French-focused, 190-label wine program for Café Chelsea, with an inventory of about 2,500 bottles. “I just love the creative process that I have been given in setting up the list,” Paparazzo told Wine Spectator via email. Paparazzo draws from Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley, along with several other French regions, spotlighting leading wineries like Marc Morey and Château Cantenac-Brown.
American, Italian, German and Portuguese producers also feature, including California’s Robert Sinskey and Oregon’s Argyle. “I set up a program [so] that you can have great wine at all price points,” Paparazzo explained. “We have an amazing sommelier team that are bringing passion and excitement to the room.” Guests can also find a range of cocktails from director of bars Brian Evans, including distinctive spins on the French ’75 and the Vesper.
Executive chef Derek Boccagno’s menu is similarly French in flavor. Diners can expect dishes such as beef tartare, roast chicken and Raviole du Dauphiné, a cheese-filled specialty of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southern France.
France is the main influence on the restaurant’s décor as well, on display with elements such as a zinc bar top and vintage chandeliers. The restaurant also boasts pieces of art from the hotel’s historic collection. In addition to the Grand Café (the main dining room), Café Chelsea features the sunny Petit Café for daytime dining. The restaurant’s solarium can be reserved as a private dining space, and the private “Wine Room” dining room will open in the near future with a refrigerated wine wall and seating for up to 35 guests. “We would love to host wine events there,” said Paparazzo.
“I hope that [Café Chelsea] will be a landmark fun spot for people to come to for decades,” Paparazzo added. “The space is so stunning … I love training the staff, seeing the enthusiasm and making real connections for guests.”—C.D.
Ruth’s Chris Opens New Location in Michigan
With more than 150 restaurants across the U.S. and abroad, including 12 Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners, Ruth’s Chris Steak House has established itself as a global leader in steak-house dining. In June, it expanded in Michigan, opening its latest location on the main floor of the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant.
“We’ve had the absolute pleasure of serving the Michigan community for many years, and are fortunate to make our one-of-a-kind experience available to even more guests in the area,” Michael Atkins, the new restaurant’s general manager, said in a statement.
While choice steaks form the core of the Mount Pleasant menu, executive chef Mitchell Chase also offers fresh seafood dishes such as seared ahi tuna with English cucumber in a mustard-beer sauce, as well as a range of classic steak-house sides: roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and lobster mac and cheese, to name a few. As at other Ruth’s Chris restaurants, the culinary team finishes each steak with a proprietary, infrared broiler before sending it to the dining room.
The wine program at Ruth’s Chris features about 300 labels and a cellar of more than 1,200 bottles. To complement the steaks, Napa Valley Cabernets take pride of place, with selections from some of the Golden State’s best-known names.
As part of its pre-opening celebrations, the Mount Pleasant restaurant team hosted a dinner for local community leaders, business owners and company executives. The restaurant donated all proceeds from the dinner to the Greater Lansing Food Bank, which has worked against hunger in Michigan since the 1980s.
“The Mount Pleasant location is our fourth in the Michigan area. We’re thrilled to continue to serve this community and look forward to more expansion opportunities in the near future,” said Cheryl Henry, president and chief executive officer of Ruth’s Hospitality Group, the parent company of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, in a statement.—O.N.