West Street Grille brings new life to popular downtown space

Article originally posted as “West Street Grille brings new life to popular downtown space“ By Janelle Faignant Correspondent

November 17, 2022

Rutland Herald

A funny caricature of “The Godfather” in oil hangs above one table, a framed black-and-white photo of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra above another. There are vintage knickknacks and throwbacks in every corner — the ambiance is a combination of brand-new floors, freshly painted walls, the classic wooden bar and beams still in tact, accented by a menagerie of memorabilia.

“A lot of this has a story behind it,” says Trevor Leonard, co-owner of the new West Street Grille, which opened Nov. 3.

One of the few business fronts in town that hasn’t had much turnover in the last 50 years, the space, at 121 West St., has had a solid streak of successful restaurants. Up until earlier this year, it was occupied by Little Harry’s, a popular bar and restaurant owned by Jack Mangan and Trip Pearce, who opened it in 1997. Before that, Frank Czachor ran 121 West there for years.

Now, Leonard, 43, and co-owner Tim Urich, 51, are excited to continue the tradition of stable restaurants at that address.

The retro sign outside only hints at what you find inside — what Leonard describes as a “pop-culture museum.” Images from vintage movies, TV shows, bands and classic collectibles are scattered throughout, including lots of remnants from the Sound Barrier, the popular music and clothing shop that sat on Center Street for years. Die-hard fans still pining over that store’s closing in 2003.

“We wanted an atmosphere more high-energy and fun,” Urich said. “We (strove) to make it a contemporary, energetic atmosphere, and we were trying to avoid being stuffy.”

“The art is going to constantly be on rotation,” Leonard said, “and the menu’s going to constantly evolve.”

Urich described the menu as pub fare meets higher-end dining in a casual atmosphere. “We had a group in the other night who said we’re sorry we’re so loud, (but) that’s what we want; we want people to have a good time. When this dining room gets filled up on a Friday and Saturday night, the energy in here is amazing.”

Originally from central New York, Urich moved to Vermont 25 years ago. He’s worked in health care for the past 20-plus years. Leonard’s family, until recently, owned Vaillancourt Tree & Landscape Service, where he worked until the restaurant’s inception. Then it happened quickly. Six months ago, they started looking at locations, including the former Kelvan’s at 128 Merchants Row. In June, the Rutland City Board of Aldermen voted to award Leonard and Urich a start-up grant, and by July they were renovating, opening four short months later.

“There’s probably not a square inch of the restaurant that we didn’t touch,” Urich said. “We tore up the carpets, we repainted everything, new light fixtures everywhere.”

“The only thing we kept,” Lenoard said, running a hand over the bar, “we wouldn’t touch this custom cherry bar. It was built for this exact space, it’s gorgeous.”

With staffing issues changing hours at almost every other restaurant in the area Urich said, “There was a concern because every industry, even outside of restaurants, has faced that same challenge. But we also knew that we had already formulated a good team.”

Urich said in addition to walk-in applicants, they have a network of friends and family to rely on.

“Trevor and I knew that we were going to be here every day so we had two full-time employees right out of the gate, and we were prepared to do anything that we needed to,” he said.

“The whole process is more than just us coming in to a restaurant,” he added. “It’s (all) family and friends, so this has been very special to us.”

Chef Jay Tezak created a unique menu that includes a “Taco of the Moment” ($12), a Philly Cheesesteak ($18), many vegetarian options, and a Pork Osso Bucco ($32) that Leonard called the “flagship.”

“It’s served over a bed of polenta with root vegetables and the meat — you just barely touch it with a fork and it starts to fall apart,” he said. “(Tezak) is incredibly talented.”

Tezak said he came up with the menu from “years of experience and seeing what might work in (the) space.”

“We really wanted to make our own identity,” he said. “I try to meet everybody’s expectations, (but) I (also) like to be adventurous with the food, and I want them to experience what I like to eat.”

Tezak’s career started 30 years ago in Manchester and he’s since traveled around the country “chasing seasons, chasing food, chasing experiences.”

“That was my culinary school, traveling and experiencing food and working with good people,” he said.

“We set out to do something a little bit different,” Leonard said. “We have a lot of small, sharable plates. I’m more likely to get three appetizers than an entrée so that’s what the menu is, and you can get out of here for 10, 12, 15 dollars.”

“We wanted to have a good variety but also make sure that we didn’t have so much on the menu that we didn’t nail everything,” Urich said.

“I’ve lived in a lot of different resort towns and eaten in a lot of different restaurants,” Leonard added. “We’ve all had great experiences and we’ve all had horrible experiences, and it was a big think tank with our circle of friends, trying to bring all the best experiences we’ve had in different places all together here.”

The building also holds a downstairs space that hasn’t been used since 121 West was there, but Urich and Leonard are getting ready to renovate that as well, which will be available for private parties. They also talked about expanding hours to seven days a week and adding lunch service down the road.

“People are our foundation and our backbone,” Urich said. “We have good people and the potential to do some really amazing things.”

West Street Grille is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Sunday; and from 4 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Call 802-747-4848 for more information.