Willett House carves its own special niche

Nation's Restaurant News, August 30, 1993 by Peter O. Keegan

PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- "Steaking" its reputation on being a cut above the rest, the Willett House has made a name for itself as one of Westchester Country's premier steak houses.

Located approximately one hour north of Manhattan and hugging the Connecticut border, the Willett House occupies a turn-of-the-century grain storage facility on the Byram River in the industrial town of Port Chester.

The restaurant emulates the old-style New York steak house, giving those outside the city a chance to sample prime U.S.D.A. steaks and chops without having to travel an hour south to places like Spark's Peter Luger Steak House, The Palm and Smith & Wollensky's.

The owners -- Tony Cereta, Neil Hopkins, Chris Inisco and John Hopkins -- teamed up in 1989 because they wanted to open a restaurant and were tired a traveling so far for a high-quality piece of meat. The group work together at a multimillion-dollar electric-components firm and are not dependent on the restaurant for their livelihood.

"It was the late 1980s, and we've always had a desire to get into the restaurant business and the opportunity presented itself. So we surveyed the possibilities," said co-owner John Hopkins. "The Westchester Fairfield [Conn. area had grown in the past couple of years, and the variety and selection had increased but what was missing was a New York-style steak house."

When co-owner Cereta folded his family plumbing and heating supply business at 20 Willett St. and joined the other members at the electronic firm, the wheels began to turn.

"We all thought, |What a nice environment for something different,'" Hopkins said. "Most of us had been to San Francisco or New England and had seen this type of atmosphere before."

Many people thought that they were crazy to open a steak house back then, as "nutrition" was an industry buzzword and steak was not yet on the comeback trail.

The only active partner, Hopkins, is in the restaurant managing daily with general manager Irwin Snellinger. "They call it my hobby," Hopkins said. "We're not making our living from here, so we're not cutting any corners."

One of the first buildings as part of a major revitalization project for downtown Port Chester, Greenwich, Conn.-based architect Paul F. Hopper retained the brick exterior and filled the arched windows with etched glass. The authentic factory floor, wood plank ceiling, exposed pipes and block and tackle hanging from a 30-foot skylight bring diners back to an era long gone.

Situated near the mahogany bar area are pictorial reminders of the town's economic heyday, when the Byram river was a bustling port, bringing goods to and from New York City. The Willett House parking lot is where schooners were docked at the turn of the century, and customers can get a feel for it from the mural that is the centerpiece of the main dining room.

Local artist Cecilia Barnett researched the area and created a mural depicting a port scene 80 or so years ago. Like looking out onto the river of the past, the 6-foot-by-15-foot painting is done on three arched brick trompe l'oeil windows.

"At Peter Luger you have prime rib, steaks and broiled chicken," Hopkins said. "If your doctor said you can't have that or have had enough beef, we have other options."

The menu, which is available in Japanese, clearly shows that the Willett House is first and foremost a steak house, with prime meats aged for two weeks in aging boxes, porterhouse, roast prime rib, filet mignon and loin lamb chops but also features Maine lobsters, swordfish, filet mignon of tuna and spaghetti with white clam sauce.

Average checks are $15 for lunch and $42 at dinner.

Hopkins said that because the Willett House is not their biggest income generator, doing $2.5 million a year compared with $9 million in sales a month for their electronics business, the progress is slow and steady.

"New York clientele is much more tolerant than in Westchester," said Hopkins, who said he's surprised at the amount of people who come from the city and Long Island. "They're spoiled up here and don't have to put up with the day-to-day problems of Manhattan, so they can afford to be more selective."

The group recently added on a 60-to 80-seat private room to the 178-seat restaurant for weddings, parties and other affairs. "The addition of the private room is a real money maker," Hopkins said. "December is now our biggest month." He said that eventually he would like to see catering as 20 percent of sales.

"We've been thinking about doing other ones and have looked around," Hopkins said. "And we've had offers to open places in Westchester County, because so many have wanted to emulate us."