'Southern tavern' Calhoun's to open in Old Town Bluffton by former Vineyard 55 owner
A popular wine bar in Old Town Bluffton will not be returning.
Instead, its owner has teamed up with his brother and a Charleston restaurateur to launch a new concept down the street.
James Groetzinger, Jon Rinaldi and Joey Rinaldi -- who grew up together on Hilton Head Island -- will open Calhoun's, described by Jon Rinaldi as a "Southern tavern," at the former Infield Bar and Grill at 9 Promenade St., as early as March.
"Bluffton doesn't have this type of establishment," Jon Rinaldi said. "It's more of a high-end bar."
Groetzinger and Joey Rinaldi operate two restaurants in Charleston, Warehouse and Parlor Deluxe. Jon Rinaldi stayed local, opening Vineyard 55 in 2011.
The wine bar shuttered abruptly at 55 Calhoun St. in September. Jon Rinaldi said his original restaurant wasn't a good fit at the new location in the Promenade, adding the mixed-use center currently has two wine bars -- Latitude and Corks.
Calhoun's will include some Vineyard 55 favorites, but the concept is different from the wine bar, which closed after the business' lease was not renewed.
"We thought we were going to have a new lease," Jon Rinaldi said. "The (landlord) made a decision to go with someone else."
The Pearl Kitchen and Bar, a restaurant by the same owners of ELA'S Blu Water Grille on Hilton Head, is expected to open this winter at 55 Calhoun St.
Calhoun's, a beverage-focused establishment, will feature classic cocktails, mint juleps, whiskey sours, barrel-aged cocktails, "extensive" whiskey offerings, six beers on draft and 10 wines.
Calhoun's menu will include about 15 small dishes, ranging between $6 and $15, which Groetzinger described as "eclectic small plates" with "modern twists on Lowcountry favorites." The menu has not yet been finalized.
"We're bringing an elevated cocktail program" to Calhoun's, Groetzinger said. "It will have a bit of a Kentucky Derby feel."
He added he and the Rinaldis felt there is a local market for an "upscale" sports tavern.
Jon Rinaldi said renovations are underway at the restaurant, including the patio, which will include an outdoor bar and televisions.
OId Town Bluffton has recently undergone significant activity and development, particularly with restaurants.
In the Promenade, James Soules, owner of The Bluffton Room and Agave Side Bar, recently announced he is opening an oyster bar at the former Mulberry Street Pizzeria this spring. FARM, a restaurant featuring locally sourced foods, is under construction. The Sippin Cow cafe is moving into a yet-to-be constructed building near The Midnight Baker this spring.
On Calhoun Street, both The Pearl Kitchen and Bar and The Depot, a fine-dining restaurant and raw bar, are expected to open in the coming months.
"I feel the whole Lowcountry is very hot on the scene right now," Groetzinger said. "There's been kind of a revolution, bringing back local fruits, vegetables, grains, raising cattle, community fisheries ... it's a new wave."
Jon Rinaldi echoed that sentiment, saying the number of new food and beverage establishments in the Promenade is positive.
"It's bringing the community together as a downtown," he said.
Follow reporter Ashley Fahey on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Ashley.
Related content:
- New restaurant to occupy former Vineyard 55 space in Old Town Bluffton, December 22, 2015
- Another restaurant closes in Old Town Bluffton, October 20, 2015
- Vineyard 55 now closed in Old Town Bluffton, September 22, 2015
This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 12:42 PM with the headline "'Southern tavern' Calhoun's to open in Old Town Bluffton by former Vineyard 55 owner."