Fahey: Anchorage 1770 to launch pop-up fine-dining restaurant
Since its opening last summer during the Beaufort Water Festival, Anchorage 1770 has been busy with local and tourist traffic.
The inn resides in a historic building at 1103 Bay St., with 15 guest rooms in the main house and a two-bedroom cottage just behind it.
Although the current owners, Frank and Amy Lesesne, spent nearly two years renovating and restoring the mansion, they are already looking to add a new element to their business, starting Monday.
"We're doing a test run of a restaurant, The Ribaut Club," Frank Lesesne said.
The name is an homage to one of the former occupants, The Ribaut Social Club, a group that originated in 1891 as a literary club, but who instead threw grand parties at the home ... complete with a bar, roulette wheel and dancers.
Even before the drinking parties, the house has a riveting history. Former Beaufort mayor and cotton planter William Elliott III is said to be one of the original owners. The mansion was used as a Union Civil War hospital, and was spared from the burning of William Sherman's army. Gen. Wade Hampton made one of his "red shirt" campaign speeches from the house's front porch while running for governor in 1876.
And then when Admiral Lester Beardslee moved in and spent $80,000 on renovating the house -- a fortune for 1901 -- the house was brought to its current grandeur, complete with massive columns and Beaufort's first passenger elevator.
The modern-day Ribaut Club, a fine-dining restaurant, will likely be significantly less rowdy than its namesake. Before committing to a permanent schedule, though, Frank Lesesne said the restaurant will only be open a few select nights in January and, likely, February.
For Monday's dinner, which is already sold out, only 16 spots were available, but Frank Lesesne said he expects to eventually be able to serve 30 to 40 people at one time.
"There are limitations as far as space," he said.
But by opening a pop-up restaurant during the slower season, Frank Lesesne said it's a good time to test the waters and see what is possible with the available space.
Monday's menu at The Ribaut Club, prepared by chef Kevin Reilly, includes a choice between two entrees: seared scallops with winter root vegetable hash and duck persillade.
A pop-up restaurant isn't the only bit of exciting news for Anchorage 1770: On Thursday, the New York Times mentioned Beaufort -- and the historic inn -- in its list of "52 Places to Go in 2016," which included destinations from all around the world.
Frank Lesesne said a group of journalists stayed at the inn in the fall, and one of them pitched the city of Beaufort and Anchorage 1770 to be put on the New York Times' list.
"We are thrilled -- for us and for Beaufort," Frank Lesesne said.
Details: 877-951-1770
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This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Fahey: Anchorage 1770 to launch pop-up fine-dining restaurant."