Mykonos to become The Red Dory!

 Stephen Johnson fell in love the first time he drove down the Sakonnet peninsula, through Tiverton and Little Compton.
This was in 1984. His friend, Chris Schlesinger, was a chef at the Sakonnet Country Club. This was before Schlesinger opened the East Coast Grill in Cambridge and the Back Eddy in Westport, before Schlesinger developed a national reputation as a chef and cookbook author.
“I was stunned,” Johnson said. “The area is so beautiful.”
Schlesinger raved about the food available locally from farmers and fishermen, about the number of celebrated food professionals who lived nearby.
So Johnson began inching his way toward the water, first putting a boat in the Westport River and then buying a house.
Next fall, he will make the move complete, Johnson said.
Johnson is renovating the space at 1848 Main Road and plans to open The Red Dory, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, in the spot that formerly held the Stonebridge Restaurant and Mykonos.
“I’m finally moving to the country,” Johnson said. “For the last 30 years I’ve been spending my free time in the area. I have a house and two boats in the river. I can’t wait to be down there full time.”
The plans for the restaurant call for 70 seats at tables with another 16 at the bar. There will be a separate room that can accommodate about 15 people to the side for birthday parties or family events.
“My background in food is western Mediterranean,” Johnson said. “French, Italian, Spanish, a little North African. I’ll continue to do what I do.
“The menu will be tailored to the location. There will be more seafood, of course. The restaurant looks right out on the water.
“I will also be sourcing my ingredients mainly from local farmers and fishermen. I know the area. I’m really excited by that opportunity.”
The building owner is currently replacing the roof on the building. Johnson said he will begin interior renovations after he gets all the required town and state permits.
“The plan is for my construction to start in about a month,” Johnson said. “The target to open in mid-September.”
Johnson is selling his business in Cambridge, Rendezvous, a small and well-regarded restaurant in the center of Central Square. He will be in The Red Dory full time, he said.
“I like operating a small restaurant,” he said. “I like being there. I like being able to focus on my guests.
“I want this to be a year-round business, not just feast and famine, busy in the summer and slow in the winter.”The renovation, he added, calls for the addition of a fireplace in the dining room to make the room more inviting when the tourists are gone and the days are cold.
The menu will change with the season and there will be nightly specials, he said.
“I’ve been in the business for a long time,” Johnson said “It’s what I do. I’m a food guy.
“This will be a pretty little restaurant. I’m very excited about it.”

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