The Buttery in Lewes gets new owners

LEWES - As the new owner of The Buttery, Wilson Gates knows he has to be both cautious and clever if he fiddles with tradition.

Gates took over one of Lewes' most iconic landmarks shortly after the Fourth of July. He's planning a gradual transformation of the 23-year-old restaurant in a restored, yellow and green Victorian mansion at the corner of Second Street and Savannah Road.

Gates doesn't want to upset longtime patrons and resort area tourists who enjoy dining on the glass-enclosed porch, wraparound veranda, outdoor front porch and back pub area. But he eventually wants to put his own stamp on one of the town's longest-running, white tablecloth food establishments. Since it's the height of the season, most updates will likely take place during the slower winter months.

"It's gorgeous. It just needs a little updating, a little TLC," Gates said as he stood in one of its dining rooms last week and admired the surroundings and view of the lush gardens from the windows. "The clientele at The Buttery expect certain items. I also want to bring in a new vibe and revitalize the menu."

It will require a delicate balance and is a much bigger undertaking than when he and family members purchased the former Lewes eatery Cafe Azafran in 2014 and created The Gate House of Lewes, a casual, 66-seat French bistro. The 109 W. Market St. restaurant, just like The Buttery at 102 Second St., is open year-round.

MAILBAG: Readers talk restaurant closings, lobsterrolls and Chinese food

STORY: Hey, Bon Appetit, that's not a Delaware beach 

Gates, who grew up in the Wilmington area, has already put some early fears to rest. The Lewes resident says he plans to keep The Buttery staff, including executive chef Marcus Green and servers who have been there more than 20 years. (Some customers ask for certain servers by name.) He won't remove popular menu items like the jumbo lump crab cakes, nor will he discontinue the famed Sunday brunches.

Gates also is keeping The Buttery's name and says he will honor, maintain and preserve the integrity of the 19th-century building. It's all about being a good steward of the history of the town, which was first settled in 1631. (Disclosure: I've known the Gates family for many years.)

"The name, I will not change at all. The name has been very nostalgic with downtown Lewes," he says.

Indeed. The Buttery has been a part of Lewes since 1994 when longtime owners John Donato and Twain Gonzales created a thriving business, featuring fine French cuisine, at the former New Devon Inn, now the Hotel Rodney. The eatery, featured in magazines such as the non-defunct Gourmet and Bon Appetit, eventually outgrew its site.

In 1999, The Buttery moved from its home to what is known as the Trader mansion off one of the town's main thoroughfares in the historic district. The partners brought in Lewes architectural designer John Lester to help restore the Victorian gingerbread, a landmark built about 1894. Earlier, it had been a private home of a sea pilot and the longtime home of the Trader family, who own a jewelry store in town. It also had been a boarding house and home to an antique shop.

STORY: New patriotic-themed barbecue coming to Dover

STORY: 'Chicken Ed's' in Dewey Beach likely gone for good, owner says 

The Buttery, known as a dining destination, has its original millwork and scrollwork, moldings, oak and mahogany floors. A trio of stained glass windows near the entrance also are original.

Gates says he initially wanted to open a second restaurant in Rehoboth Beach, but, for a number of reasons, it wasn’t the right fit. Then, when he learned The Buttery was for sale, he was going to buy the restaurant with another partner, but plans fell through. Realtor.com had the price of the 6,660-square-foot property listed at $1.23 million. Gates did not disclose the price he eventually bought it for. The early July sale of The Buttery took place quietly with little fanfare. Family members helped Gates with the funding and they now maintain two separate businesses – one for the ownership of the building, another for the restaurant business.

"It was a quick transition. No one really knew what happened until it happened," said Gates, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, who has worked at the Four Seasons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and at restaurants in Ocean City, Maryland.  "Everything seemed to fall perfectly into place."

He first opened The Gate House with his mother, Gretchen Gates, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of the Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, Arizona, and his younger brother Taylor, who also studied at the Culinary Institute of America. Taylor is now working at a restaurant in the Washington, D.C., area. Gretchen is still involved with The Gate House and now The Buttery, though not on a day-to-day basis.

"She does so many little things that I don't even know about," Gates says as he shows off The Buttery's separate baking area in the kitchen. "It's my mother's favorite, by far." He plans to have more homemade pastries and breads at the restaurant and offer catering.

Gates now has a new restaurant partner, Brenden Shaw, who is in charge at The Gate House. "There was no way to do both." While Shaw is new to the restaurant industry – he was a chemist – Gates says he admires Shaw's drive, passion and enthusiasm for the business.

It's been a little more than a month since Gates got the keys to The Buttery and customers are slowly learning there is a new owner.

After a lunch service last week, a patron approached Gates asking about the sale. "Are you the new owner?" asked the man, as Gates nodded. "Congratulations. Good job."

There will be visual changes coming soon, some subtle, some much more noticeable. The wooden floor in the foyer has already received a scrubbing and the interior will get some "freshening up."  The floor-to-ceiling window treatments that have covered the windows for more than 20 years will be replaced as will the carpeting and upholstery.

Gates has already put his spin on the wine list. He has plans to feature 25 wines available by the glass and will be expanding the wine cellar. The menu, which has long featured classic continental dishes, has received forward-thinking items such as lobster roll with tail and claw meat sauteed in thyme-butter, Hudson Valley foie mallard duck breast, homemade vegetarian gnocchi with chef's ragu, cumin-crusted salmon with golden raisin wild rice and local summer squash, and shrimp tortellini with English peas and smoked prosciutto.

The Buttery opens daily at 11:30 a.m. and the pub menu is available from about 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. to close in the bar and veranda. Gates says he still will be open Thanksgiving, one of the restaurant's busiest days of the year. There are already reservations in the book.

But Gates, who dines out often, knows he's not the only restaurant in town and the competition is growing. Heirloom, a new eatery in a renovated Victorian house at 212 Savannah Road, is just a few doors down from The Buttery. Construction for an expansion is expected to begin this fall at Gilligan's Waterfront Restaurant and Bar.

"Everyone has really stepped up their game. It's a good thing," he says. "The better the food is in Lewes, the more people will come here."

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: The Buttery restaurant in Lewes is one of the town’s most well-known landmarks.

WHERE: 102 Second St. in the historic district.

WHEN: Open daily. Lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner from 5 p.m. Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pub menu is offered in the bar and veranda daily from 2:30 to 4 p.m., and 5 p.m. close Mon.-Fri., and 2:30 p.m. to close on Sunday. On Saturday nights, the menu is available at the bar only.

INFORMATION: Call (302) 645-7755 or visit www.butteryrestaurant.com Reservations are suggested.