The owners of 18 Bay, a critically acclaimed Shelter Island restaurant, are looking to reopen in Jamesport.
Chefs Elizabeth Ronzetti and Adam Kopels, of Southold, plan to bring 18 Bay to the Dimon Estate property, formerly home to the Jamesport Manor Inn restaurant on Manor Lane. The couple said they are close to finalizing the purchase of the property from current owner Kar-McVeigh LLC and intend to transform the building into an 82-seat restaurant.
18 Bay serves “a four course Italian inspired Chefs menu that is a direct reflection of the local markets,” according to the restaurant’s website.
“Dinner begins with four different antipasti, followed by a handmade pasta, a choice of entree and dessert,” the website says. “For those seeking more flexibility, we also feature a selection of 18 Bay classics on our à la carte menu. We serve handcrafted cocktails, and a well curated wine list from small international and local producers. We look forward to sharing with you our interpretation of the best of our terroir.”
18 Bay began as a small six-table restaurant in Bayville before moving to Shelter Island in 2011, where it could handle a larger crowd. At both locations, the restaurant received “Excellent” reviews from New York Times critics. In 2018, Ronzetti and Kopels were named semi-finalists in the prestigious James Beard Awards for Best Chef in America’s Northeast.
The restaurant closed for its usual winter break in 2022 but never reopened.
The couple said they hope Jamesport will be their final move. They have not set an opening date but intend to move quickly after closing on the property.
Ronzetti and Kopels appeared at Thursday’s Town Board work session with their attorney, Charles Cuddy, seeking an amendment to the special permit granted to Kar-McVeigh in October 2023. The condition they want removed prohibits the building’s second floor from being used “for restaurant or catering use.”
“We’re very honored to be able to, you know, procure this and purchase this property and really bring it up to what it needs to be and what it should be,” Ronzetti said during the meeting. “We’re not interested in having 300 people traipse around the grounds, that kind of thing.”
The Dimon Estate had drawn complaints from neighbors and area residents about noise from events — primarily weddings — held at the venue. The restaurant is a pre-existing, nonconforming use within the rural Agricultural Protection Zoning District. The town took Kar-McVeigh to court multiple times, including over violations of the town’s noise ordinance and the use of the building as a catering hall.
The town ultimately granted Kar-McVeigh a special permit allowing a slight expansion of its pre-existing, nonconforming use. However, the board limited the number of seats requested and prohibited the use of tents and other temporary structures for catering. Shortly after the permit was granted, Kar-McVeigh listed the property for sale.
Riverhead Senior Planner Greg Bergman said Ronzetti and Kopels are “no longer seeking any type of catering use, any type of wedding use” on the property. “The application no longer proposes to construct an expansion of the restaurant or any on-site facilities,” his staff report states.
“I think, from what I understand, some of the neighbors that have been upset with issues in the past are kind of okay with this,” Supervisor Tim Hubbard said. “So that’s a good thing. [W]e’re hearing that from the grapevine.”
Council Member Joann Waski, a Jamesport resident, said the restaurant “sounds [like] exactly what we need, and we really are looking forward to a good neighbor.”
Bergman said the permit change will have no environmental impacts. He recommended the board schedule a public hearing on the application, as required by the town code.
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