Williamsburg’s newest dining establishment, Rye, officially opened its doors about two weeks ago. Owner Cal Elliott, former co-chef at Dumont and Dressler, turned to the early twentieth century to outfit his restaurant. “Our elemental inspiration came from the pre-Prohibition pubs that existed in almost every city across the country. The pubs of this period were beautifully furnished and styled,” he says. Rye’s centerpiece is the 21-foot-long bar. It’s made from quarter-sawed oak topped with mahogany, and has a mirror, a rose marble base kick, and bar and foot rails — Elliott believes it to be an Oxford model built by the Brunswick Manufacturing Company in Chicago circa 1890 to 1900. The bar was originally installed in Pottsville, Pennsylvania — home to Yuengling, America’s oldest brewery, founded in 1829. “Around the turn of the century, [Yuengling] franchised pubs in the Pottsville area that would feature their beer,” says Elliott, “Our bar is one of those original pub bars.” Watch the slideshow to see the rest of Rye’s old-timey features.
Rye. 275 S. 1st St., nr. Havemeyer St.; Williamsburg.
