Hen of the Wood opens – again – in downtown Waterbury
June 3, 2023 | By Cheryl Casey | CorrespondentAfter nearly three years of renovations, one opening night, and nearly two months of water damage repair from a faulty sprinkler system, award-winning restaurant Hen of the Wood held its second official opening May 31 at its new South Main Street location without a hitch – or drip, as the case may be.
The restaurant’s initial opening to the public was Friday, April 7, and according to owner and founder Eric Warnstedt, it was an “outstanding, super-fun” first night. But the celebratory mood was dampened around 11 p.m. when the fire-suppression system in the offices above the restaurant malfunctioned and triggered the sprinkler system. Warnstedt said that staff and a few lingering diners were in the restaurant when the water came leaking down, and there are still “no signs pointing to anything in particular on how it happened.”
The next morning, Warnstedt sent an email to Hen of the Wood’s followers with the subject heading, “Short-lived Honeymoon.” It gave a brief description of what happened and explained that the “excessive water damage” would put business on hold for an uncertain amount of time.
That also meant reservations for the coming weeks had to be canceled. “Everyone just got a call that we had to cancel, and luckily everyone was extremely understanding. Disappointed, but understanding,” said Warnstedt.
Any drywall that had come in contact with water had to be taken out and replaced, the restaurant owner reported. Flooring, decorative wood trim, and ceiling features also had to be replaced due to water damage. Warnstedt declined to comment on the cost of the repairs but confirmed that insurance covered the damage as well as employee salaries and tips.
Click to enlarge photos and see captions.
Big move, short distance
The short-lived opening came after Hen of the Wood spent nearly 18 years in the old grist mill just half a mile north on Stowe Street. Plans to lease the ground and first floors of the former TD Bank building at 14 South Main St. started coming together before the pandemic which slowed the transition considerably. The new home for Warnstedt’s first restaurant sits across the street from his other popular Waterbury eatery and pub, Prohibition Pig.
Finally complete, the move now promises patrons both a new experience and a sense of familiarity with tried-and-true favorites on the menu such as Parker House rolls and hanger steak. The mission continues to make Vermont-sourced ingredients the focus including the cheese menu dominated by Vermont varieties.
The new space seats about 70 indoors, compared to the original Hen that accommodated 50 comfortably. “The patio [at the back of the building] will bump it up closer to 90 probably. Still intimate with unique nooks and crannies!” Warnstedt said. Additionally, there are three bars to accommodate walk-ins and patrons waiting for their tables, which the grist mill location did not offer. No reservations required at the main floor bar, kitchen counter, or downstairs bar will “demystify the place a bit,” he added.
One reason for the move, Warnstedt explained, was the need to ensure the Hen of the Wood brand didn’t grow complacent. “Eighteen years is a really long time,” he reflected. And “with a brand that has longevity, the risk is about getting stale.” Warnstedt also recognized that his chefs needed a larger space to work if they were to engage in culinary innovation. “With their talent, the old place was too small and dark,” he added.
Located downstairs, the Main Street prep kitchen is large and bright, with plenty of space to move around and lots of surface area to work. The downstairs bar will serve snacks and specialty cocktails. On the main floor, the old bank vaults serve as storage spaces and meat lockers. Warnstedt and Chef de Cuisine Antonio Rentas opted to retain the open kitchen style, with a new wood-fired grill as the showpiece. There is also a private dining room that seats 14. The space is comparable in square footage to the Hen of the Wood Burlington location and Warnstedt doubled his staff from what he employed at the grist mill.
Another striking difference comes from the new decor that trades stone walls for portraits of classic rock stars including Bob Dylan and Jimmy Buffet, plenty of wood paneling, mounted fish and game, and vintage scuba-diving headgear. On the patio, Warnstedt sees the fireplace and tons of plants creating a lush, warm atmosphere. However, “the thing I like the most is the fun wallpaper everywhere,” he admitted.
Rentas noted that the look and feel of the new place is “glaringly different from the mill, but we’re doing the same thing – cooking from the roots. People will feel right at home here.”
General Manager Emmi Kern and Chef de Cuisine Antonio Rentas. Photo by Gordon Miller
With Hen of the Wood for eight years, Rentas said he is excited about the new setup, especially the seating around the open kitchen. “Interacting with guests at the counter is pretty special,” he said. He is also planning to make use of the larger space to expand the restaurant’s seafood program and acquire new equipment, especially for pasta. “I love to make pasta,” Rentas admitted.
General Manager Emmi Kern, who took over the role in November, is most excited by the “dynamic qualities” of having the restaurant in this new space. “It’s a choose-your-own-adventure,” she explained, as patrons have options to make dinner reservations for a multi-course meal, grab a drink and a snack, or relax with a nightcap.
Heading into last week’s second opening night downtown, the Hen of the Wood team led by Warnstedt, Rentas and Kern were well-prepared. Prior to the April 7 opening, they held three “soft-open” evenings for invitees. With reservations and doors wide open now, it’s time to settle in. “We’re all excited and looking forward to welcoming guests,” said Kern.
Meanwhile, although Hen of the Wood has left the grist mill location on Stowe Street, Warnstedt still holds a lease on the space. He said he plans on “doing something” there by way of a restaurant operation, but he has yet to reveal any details about the new concept.
A nod to history
Like the grist mill, the Main Street building that Hen of the Wood now calls home has a long history in town, giving that section of Main Street in the block below Stowe Street its nickname of Bank Hill. Local historian P. Howard “Skip” Flanders notes that it’s only been in the past five years that the property has not had a bank operating out of its southeast corner after more than a century as a local banking institution.
Hen of the Wood has kept some features of the building that connect to its past, particularly the bank vaults.
The Bank of Waterbury, incorporated by the State of Vermont in late 1853, began serving customers in April 1854 originally from an office in one wing of the Washington House, an inn located at the corner of Park Row and Main Street. According to newspaper clippings and other documents in the Waterbury Historical Society archives, when the Washington House was leveled by fire in 1857 (as was its successor on that corner, the Waterbury Inn, built in 1864 and destroyed by fire in 1953), the bank took up occupancy of a wooden-frame building at the approximate site of what is now 14 South Main St. In 1887, the building was torn down and replaced by the current brick one, constructed by celebrated local builder William Deal.
The Bank of Waterbury conducted business there for over 100 years, through several name changes (National Bank of Waterbury, Waterbury Savings Bank and Trust Co., then back to Bank of Waterbury in the late 1950s) and charters before merging with First Vermont Bank in the late 1970s.
The trail of bank mergers and acquisitions ended when TD Bank closed in December 2017. In November 2018, the bank sold the property to Furst Management Ventures, LLC. Furst began renovations that included removing the former bank drive-through. That expanded the available parking which was converted to the downtown’s first paid public parking lot. The Waterbury Record newspaper in 2019 reported the renovation project carried a price tag of approximately $2.3 million before Furst landed tenants. Zoning permits issued by the Town of Waterbury show that renovations to accommodate a restaurant in the old bank space began in the summer of 2020.
A spokesperson for Furst could not be reached for comment about the restaurant opening or the sprinkler incident in early April.
Hen of the Wood is open every day except Tuesdays with spots at the bar at 4:30 p.m. and seating starting at 5 p.m. In addition to the Waterbury and Burlington Hen of the Wood restaurants and Prohibition Pig Restaurant & Brewery in downtown Waterbury, Warnstedt also owns Doc Ponds on the Mountain Road in Stowe.
Waterbury Center resident Cheryl Casey is a professor of communication at Champlain College and president of the Waterbury Historical Society.