New Main Street Business To Feature Seasonal Wines, Beers, Food

Jeff and Christine McKay had a dream — to create a place where customers could taste wines, beer and coffee in a place that felt as comfortable as their own living rooms.

And now, that vision is becoming reality, as the Jamesport couple plans to open their Vines & Hops Cafe at 127 East Main Street in downtown Riverhead by early August.

Local, as well as California wines, will be served, Jeff McKay said, along with local craft beer and gourmet coffee.

"Our menu will complement the beverages we're serving," he said. "This is different than a bar or a restaurant in the respect that our menu will be something that isn't offered anywhere in Riverhead."

Artisanal foods prepared by chef Steve Amaral of the Suffolk County Incubator will include wine-infused truffles, pastries and sliders, with candies from the North Fork Chocolate Company. "We'll serve local wines, local craft beer, and local food — everything is going to be local," McKay said.

Food will be designed to be paired with wines and beers, which will change with the seasons. Pumpkin ales will be spotlighted in October and holiday spirits will be on board for the winter months.

"Our menu will change so that it will be a totally different experience for our customers with the seasons," he said. "We wanted to add that diversity to downtown."

The interior of the eatery will allow customers to "sit and relax" after a show at the Suffolk Theater or Vail-Leavitt, McKay said.

His goal, McKay said, is to open by the second week of August. "That gives us a little bite of the summer," he said.

Their venture into the restaurant business is a new venture for the couple. McKay works as a massage therapist and strength conditioning coach; his wife has been employed as a physical therapist for the physically and mentally challenged at BOCES in Westhampton Beach.

"We always wanted to get into the hospitality business," he said. "We put two girls through college and we've never had the opportunity before. We're reinventing ourselves. We want to have fun with something different we can offer the public. We're excited."

McKay said he and his wife are proud to become a part of the downtown landscape. They attended Sunday's fundraiser for the Athens Grill to support owner John Mantzopoulos, even though they haven't even officially opened yet.

"We felt the theme downtown should be 'all for one, one for all,'" McKay said. "We want to give back."