Speculation about the future of The Chequit since its closing last fall has (mostly) come to a definitive end, just as the chilly spring has finally (mostly) given way to warm spring days and hints of summer.
The hotel reopened last month with a new restaurant and refreshed spaces to welcome guests. Often the first landmark to greet travelers coming up from the North Ferry, the 154-year-old hotel is ready for another season serving Islanders and visitors.
As of Memorial Day Weekend, lunch and dinner service are available seven days a week through the summer. The new menu emphasizes local seafood and produce, adding an Italian accent to many dishes, with selections ranging from a Big Italian Burger that lives up to its promise with 8 oz. of a proprietary blend of ground beef with melted provolone on a plush brioche bun from Balthazar, to Italian pasta classics like a simple, flavorful San Marzano tomato sauce clinging to toothsome semolina rigatoni, to local Black Sea bass, to a 10 oz. flatiron steak kissed with rosemary and garlic and seared over charcoal.
Although the Soloviev Group, which owns The Chequit, has not announced the appointment of the restaurant’s chef, the name of celebrity toque Rocco DiSpirito has been circulated widely according to local reports and an official announcement is expected soon.
Fresh, Italian-skewed comfort food highlights many new dishes on the Chequit menu. (Photography courtesy of Soloviev Hospitality Group)
The Chequit has always been about bringing people together through hospitality, food, and community, and this new chapter builds on that legacy,” says general manager August Ceradini, who runs Soloviev Hospitality Group and is chairman emeritus of the Culinary Institute of America.
The dark, pub-like atmosphere of the Inn’s street-level restaurant has been transformed and brightened with white walls — and tablecloths — with additional seating where a pool table formerly stood.
The wine list leans into Italian, French and California selections, as well as a selections from Peconic Bay Vineyards in Cutchogue, owned by the Soloviev Group. Cocktails such as a strawberry Aperol spritz and an Italian margarita featuring amaretto are joined by a roster of martinis, from dry, dirty, Gibson and gherkin to your choice of garnish. Bar offerings include several beers, including Montauk Wave Chaser IPA, Budweiser, Yuengling and Peroni.
The 19-room hotel has undergone upgrades to guest rooms and spaces, with refreshed interiors and furnishings. Lobby floor spaces will be available to book for private events for up to 100 guests.
The Heights Cafe, tucked in a corner of the hotel, serves coffees, espressos and pastries from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
The Chequit also operates the Rian Harbour marina down the hill, and this summer will be offering cruises aboard the historic Selina II, a nearly 100-year-old catboat hand-crafted in Greenport in 1926, that’s moored in Dering Harbor. The 42-foot mahogany sailboat, adorned with her original bronze fittings, Selina II will be available to guests for sunset cruises and private sailing charters.
