Local Flavor

DINING

Executive Chef Andrew Brooks joined Weekapaug Inn in September, moving over from Ocean House where he’d recently landed the executive sous chef position. Before that, he was at The Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island, Florida, and for several years before that he was chef de cuisine at the Omni, also on the island. Chef Andrew is excited about the relationships he’s building with local farmers and fishermen in Rhode Island and the region. “Weekapaug’s size and location make it ideal for getting the finest and freshest local ingredients,” says Brooks..

The Restaurant

Fine dining at The Restaurant has expanded. A daily chef’s tasting menu guides guests on a culinary journey of coastal New England. The menu reflects the Inn’s philosophy of showcasing the products and flavors of Rhode Island and the Atlantic coast.

The multi-course menu is refined and vegetableforward, featuring just-picked produce from nearby farms, fish and shellfish from local waters—even oysters from Quonnie Pond—as well as meat and poultry from farms in the area. Wine pairings are carefully chosen with the Inn’s certified sommelier, Stephane Clacquin.

“We want to redefine what fine dining looks like,” says Brooks. “It’s a

Left: Executive Chef Andrew Brooks makes homemade fettuccini pasta. Right: Local oysters and raw bar offerings are a welcome sign of summer.

true farm-and-sea-to-table experience.” The menu changes in response to the market, and that gives guests a reason to keep coming back. Adds Brooks: “We want to surprise and delight our guests each time they dine with us.”

The a la carte menu remains, with favorites like grass-fed rib eye steak in Bordelaise sauce and shellfish soup in tomato fennel broth with “soupy,” Westerly’s local soppressata.

The Garden Room

After dinner, guests and neighbors can order drinks at the bar in the Garden Room, which also serves an elevated bar menu with local cheese and charcuterie boards, lobster rolls and lots of vegetarian and vegan options. Resort guests often have drinks and snacks delivered to the second floor lounge, a favorite spot for families to relax and play games.

SeaRoom

Every seat has a great view at the SeaRoom—a breathtaking expanse of blue water and sky on the shore off Quonnie Pond. This traditional casual seafood grill, with an outdoor kitchen, has two seating areas, a ground-level patio and a covered upper deck. It serves an all-day menu, starting at 11:30 a.m. to the last seating at 7 p.m. No matter how warm and sunny the weather, most guests start with New England clam chowder. The recipe comes from Executive Sous Chef Chaz Paull, who grew up in Mystic. According to Brooks: “It’s a real traditional chowder, and it’s the best I’ve ever had.” Lobster rolls are another favorite. The hot buttered lobster is enriched with Vermont Creamery butter. The cheeseburger features Gulden Farms grass-fed beef, aged cheddar, crisp iceberg lettuce and ripe tomatoes on a brioche bun. Fried whole belly clams and spicy Rhode Island-style calamari, deep fried and tossed with hot cherry peppers, are guest favorites.

The Bathhouse

The Bathhouse, which serves guests enjoying the Inn’s pristine private beach on the Atlantic Ocean, has an exciting new menu inspired by an upgraded kitchen with a pizza oven. The chefs are firing up three signature hand-tossed pizzas featuring the finest ingredients. The traditional Margherita uses local tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil picked from the Inn’s herb garden. White clam pie is a regional favorite, and Chef Andrew adds sweet roasted garlic to it. The third is Classic Tomato, with sauce and mozzarella, the kind of pie all kids love. Panini, sandwiches,

Del’s Frozen Lemonade and ice cream treats are also on the menu, along with beer and wine.

The Inn offers rides to guests (and their beach gear) for the two-minute trip down the road, where they check in at the Bathhouse with a beach pass. While guests enjoy Dave’s Nitro Coffee, signature breakfast sandwiches and hash browns on the Bathhouse’s back deck, an attendant sets up chairs, blankets and umbrellas for them on the beach. And after breakfast, guests can just stroll along the sandy path through the dunes to the glorious beach.

OUTDOOR EVENTS

Wednesday Evening BBQ

Summer lobster boils are a beloved Thursday evening tradition, and now there’s a sister event featuring regional American BBQ. Starting in July, Wednesday mornings, the chefs roll out a serious Lang barbecue smoker, and load it with seasoned wood. “They are extremely highquality competition smokers that I had the pleasure of working with during my time at The Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island,” says Brooks. The chef pays homage to regional styles of barbecue with Texas brisket, Carolina pulled pork, St. Louis ribs, Cajun chicken and a Rhode Island bacon cheddar bratwurst. An abundance of sides includes honeyglazed cornbread, potato salad, baked beans, collard greens and macaroni salad. Local vegetable kabobs add something grilled for vegetarians. When guests return from a day’s adventure on sand and surf, they’re met with the mouthwatering scent of slowand-low-cooked barbecue. Wednesday evenings end with s’mores around the fire. The weekly events start at 5 p.m. Wednesday, and are open to resort and non-resort guests.

Top: Wednesday night BBQ is a new weekly offering. Bottom: Captain Teddy prepares a guest's kayak for an outing on Quonnie Pond.

Nature Excursions and Foodie Events

Captain Teddy stayed busy during winter preparing for his favorite season. The certified U.S. Coast Guard Captain and former marine loves spring and summer, and he especially enjoys taking guests on excursions and running natural activities. “I live for this stuff,” he says. “It’s so much fun.” The Inn has a new fleet of ocean single and double kayaks, ready for May’s Flower Moon paddle from Weekapaug’s shore to a secluded sandbar in the middle of Quonnie Pond. Some Native American tribes call it the “flower moon” because that’s when flowers bloom. “We are going to do these kayak paddles anytime there's a super moon or a special moon, if the tides and weather permit,” says Beahm. Viewing events are also held on the Inn’s front lawn, where guests can behold the moon and planets through highpowered telescopes. During June’s full moon, Captain Teddy leads tours on foot along the pond’s shoreline to view the ancient ritual of hundreds of horseshoe crabs laying eggs. Check social media for updates. Quonnie Queen, the Inn’s graceful, quiet Elco touring boat, has been completely restored, her electrical system (she’s powered by electricity to help keep the environment clean) updated, and the teak interior sanded, stained and varnished to gleaming. “The Quonnie Queen makes multiple trips every day for three to four months,” says Beahm, “and we put a lot of work back into her during winter.” He takes resort guests on complimentary daily tours. Guests can arrange charter tours for up to six on the Quonnie Queen, and the outing include beverages and a Weekapaug Inn-style cheese plate. Resort guests can also book 90-minute private excursions on land and sea with Captain Teddy, including fishing, swimming, biking and hiking, and a Castaway Lunch on a sandbar in the middle of the pond, a private version of the magical Sandbar Bites and Bubbles event.

Sandbar Bites and Bubbles

“You have to try this!” Guests quickly spread the word about this magical food and nature excursion that debuted last year. Captain Teddy, at the helm of a low-bottomed boat, ferries 16 guests to a sandbar beach in the middle of Quonochontaug Pond. There, a casually elegant table and bamboo folding chairs are set up with a bar and special hors d’oeuvres, which can include lobster bisque

Top: Lobster boils remain a summer tradition. Bottom: Champagne and Oyster Hour takes place monthly at the fire pit. shooters, roasted oysters and bruschetta. This spring and summer, Sandbar Bites and Bubbles is held twice a month, and it's open to resort guests and the public. The 90-minute excursion begins at 5 p.m. “People love it,” says Beahm. “It’s secluded. You’re surrounded by nature, and it’s luxurious.” He takes guests on walks, while talking about the history and ecology of the pond. “It’s a really, really nice evening,” he says.

Champagne and Oyster Hour

Oysters are the essence of coastal cuisine. They taste of the sea, balancing salinity, minerals and sweetness that, as any oyster lover will tell you, instantly energizes a person. Beginning in April, these monthly Champagne and Oyster Hours by the fire pit start at 5 p.m., on the front lawn overlooking Quonnie Pond—the very pond where the oysters are raised. “It’s so amazing to offer oysters harvested out of the pond where the Weekapaug Inn sits,” says Brooks. “It doesn’t get more local than that.” The chef serves them raw on the half-shell with lemon or Champagne mignonette, grilled on the open fire and topped with flavored butter. Chef’s classic Oysters Rockefeller, with local baby spinach and fresh herbs, is a favorite. Sparkling wine, effervescent and light bodied, and balancing a touch of sweetness with minerality, is a classic pairing for oysters. The sommelier serves oyster pairing wines such as sauvignon blanc and muscadet.

Back to Nature

With an Earth-friendly focus, The Inn adds new sustainability measures.

COMPOSTING PROGRAM

Chef Andrew has been composting for as long as he can remember. Growing up in Vermont, even his public school composted, and in high school biology, kids grew vegetables in the school greenhouse. “Composting is something I’m passionate about,” says Brooks, “and I’m excited to bring it to the Weekapaug Inn.” The goal is for the property to become zero-waste. Food scraps go to Earth Care Farms, a composting farm in Charlestown, RI. Earth Care transforms that into high-quality, nourishing soil. “Our scraps become the soil that local farmers use to grow the produce we serve in The Restaurant,” says Brooks. “By composting, we complete the circle of life and stay true to the Inn’s culinary philosophy of supporting local farmers.” The compost is also used in the Inn’s herb garden and greenhouse.

Weekapaug Inn’s Naturalist and Director of Recreation, “Captain Teddy” Beahm, has driven another sustainability project, a monthly beach clean-up program. Weekapaug’s barrier beach is a jewel on the Atlantic Coast, a habitat for native species. “It’s an important piece of land,” he says. This community event allows the Inn, guests and neighbors the chance to give back and protect the land for future generations. “It’s really like a walk along the sand trail,” says Beahm. “We’re armed with gloves and pickers, the essentials, and I talk about the history of the area. Afterwards, we have a little burger-anddog barbecue.” Guests’ donations for these events go to local conservation organizations such as the Rhode Island Audubon Society. The Inn is working with Save the Bay to host an International Coastal Clean-Up Day in September.

BEACH CLEAN-UP