DALTON, Mass. — A new restaurant is trying to fill the hole left by the iconic Dewey's Public House.

 

Robert Collins opened the Riverside Public House recently in the former pub.

 

Dewey's owner closed the restaurant in July to "prioritize his health and family," according to a Facebook post. 

 

"I was a longtime patron of Dewey's Public House, and I always admired the fresh food and the homestyle cooking and broad range of menu items that he always either had on his menu, or it was always evolving and changing," Collins said. "I felt like there was a hole in town that missed that farm-to-table/pub atmosphere in town."

 

Collins was able to negotiate with Joe Dewey to acquire the items inside the restaurant. He changed some things like the tables, lighting, and the menu, but still paid homage to some of the classics, like Dewey's Milltown Pizza.

 

He also plans to have some events with music and a special prime rib night.

 

"We started on Saturday nights having a prime rib special every Saturday. And basically we're just gonna go with it until it runs out. We fix so much prime rib, and when it's gone. It's gone," he said.

 

Collins hopes, in the future, to bring in new taps for premixed cocktails and whiskey.

 

"My end goal is to have margaritas on tap and a Moscow mule on tap, on the draft system, and in time, we may end up having the ability to do draft bourbon," he said. "OK, bourbon on tap."

 

Collins said he wants his restaurant to focus on and buy local. Currently, he uses Berkshire Mountain Distillery and Holiday Brook Farm.

 

"We're using Holiday Brook Farm hamburg, and hope to use their vegetables and produce and in this summer and fall when it's available. And we plan to try to use as much of their hamburg and stuff that we can. And that's practical. We're trying to use local distilleries we're trying to do the farm to table as much as we can, that makes sense, and we're trying to do local," he said.

 

His chef Ryan McIntyre, makes everything in house with some popular dishes like clam chowder, smash burgers, and hand breaded chicken tenders.

 

He wants people to be able to enjoy their time at the restaurant and see it as a great family dinner night that can be nice to even the pickiest of eaters.

 

"I hope when somebody comes in, I hope they find that the atmosphere is friendly and warming and welcoming, and that people feel that it's an attractive and social place that they feel comfortable bringing their children and family to for dinner, where they can get really good home-cooked food and meet the needs of their entire family, if they have picky eaters."

 

As to the name, his wife didn't like the options he came up with.

 

"I had come up with a bunch of names, and one night, I was talking to my wife, and she hated all the names that came, and she's like, nah. So all of a sudden she got quiet, and she came back, she goes, how about the Riverside. You're next to the river. How about the Riverside. And I was like, You know what, honey, I think that sounds pretty good."

 

Since opening the community has been very supportive and happy to see a new restaurant open in the space.

 

"I have to say, I've been very, very pleased and seem to be very welcomed in the neighborhood you know, to have been opened up, and people are glad to see that this particular space is opened again," Collins said. 

 

Riverside Public House is located at 16 Depot St. It is closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and open from noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and Sunday being from noon to 7 p.m.