'Dining Room' Looks to Make a Splash in Long Valley
Restaurant Village owners bringing latest iteration to 1 West Mill Road.
It just needed “something,” Andrea Maletta-Bussel said.
That’s what she and her husband, Steve Bussel, said whenever they sat inside Splash Seafood and Pasta in Restaurant Village.
The Bussels own Restaurant Village and have been overseeing Splash for the last three and-a-half years. But Maletta-Bussel, the Village’s marketing director, said it was time for change.
On Feb. 4, the day after the Super Bowl crowd dissipated from the restaurant’s bar, Maletta-Bussel shut the doors and took on the project herself.
“I wanted it to feel like someone was dining at my house,” Maletta-Bussel said. “You can see the attention in the details; it has a totally different mood.” The entire interior of the restaurant is being redesigned by Maletta-Bussel herself.
It’s that mindset that was the catalyst for the restaurant’s new name, which will be called Andrea’s Dining Room, and has already been amended on the Restaurant Village website.
One of the problems with Splash, she said, was that too many customers thought the restaurant was seafood only. The name change, she says, should make an immediate difference.
Much of Splash’s menu items will remain the same but additions are on the way. One major addition is a grill being installed to the kitchen, which will allow for more steaks, chops and grilled fish, Maletta-Bussel said.
One of the restaurant’s most popular items–brick-oven pizza–will still be available as well. And for the Splash faithful, a simple request of an old item no longer on the menu can likely be fulfilled by just asking for it. The same kitchen staff and head chef from Splash will be in charge of Andrea’s Dining Room as well.
Prior to Splash, the building on the corner of West Mill and Fairmount Roads was The Gulf Coast and The Chesapeake before that.
The newest iteration will be different if nothing else, Maletta-Bussel says.
“I can promise you, there’s nothing like it around here,” she said. “It’s like something you’d find in New York City.”
Grand opening is currently scheduled for March 12.
Amy Mancuso
7:38 am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Looking forward to trying something new. It would be great to offer gluten-free items as well on the menu, esp. GF pasta! Good luck and look forward to seeing the renovations.
Andrea Maletta-Bussel
10:17 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Amy and MJ, we were talking about this today with the chef! Will do a gee gluten free items and of course you can always request things cooked a certain way. Thank you for showing an interest! Andrea
Heidi
9:23 am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
And some vegetarian selections besides just pasta
Andrea Maletta-Bussel
10:12 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Our chef is open to special orders anytime!!! Try some cannelloni beans with broccoli Raabe. Yum!! Please come. Andrea
MJ Zonfrillo
10:55 am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
And gluten free selections, too!
1819
12:09 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Is there a new chef?
Jason Koestenblatt
12:16 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Thanks for the comments, everyone. @1819 - As noted in the article, Andrea's Dining Room will have the same kitchen staff and head chef. Thanks for the comment!
Richard Fincher
12:27 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
There sure has been a lot of turnover in restaurants in that location in the last 20 years. I wish them success!
Andrea Maletta-Bussel
10:14 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Thank you, Richard. We are very excited. Andrea
Nina Dorlon
2:58 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Sounds great. Best of Luck. Something with warm and cozy atmosphere is needed in the valley!
Andrea Maletta-Bussel
10:13 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
We are putting in a fireplace and lots of stone!!!
Liberty
10:42 am on Thursday, February 28, 2013
Andrea--the fireplace sounds great! Really liked it best when it was the Chesapeake, so good luck to you! I hope there are no TVs on the walls....
Claudia K Tiger
4:04 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Wishing the new name and style much success. Still missing desperately the menu of the old Chesapeake and hoping Andrea's will embrace and increase the seafood selections.
Andrea Maletta-Bussel
10:14 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Claudia, I am open to all suggestions! Is there something in particular that you would like to see? There will be plenty of seafood. Andrea
Jersey
10:31 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Andrea, as someone who grew up in the area, I can tell you that a lot of the old-time locals miss the Chesapeake because the chef was trained on the Eastern Shore of Maryland... The crabcakes were authentic MD-style (Old Bay, lump crabmeat, little filler) and they had all you can eat blue crabs on Wednesday nights. But perhaps more importantly, the food and service were consistently good, and it was a comfortable, warm and welcoming spot for families.
I wish you the best and hope that the menu, food and service are strong enough to keep it going for more than a few years. Good luck!
SuperDope
11:43 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The live jazz of the Chesapeake was great.
JohnW
12:53 pm on Sunday, March 3, 2013
I use to drive by the restaurant every day and the restaurant always seemed dark and non-lively from the front. They have a beautiful porch, it would be nice to include outside seating on the porch so customers can enjoy. I just hope Andrea knows what she is doing - seen it may times, owners take it upon themselves to decorate and most all of the time this is a big mistake.
Liberty
2:01 pm on Sunday, March 3, 2013
They did have porch seating at one time--it was very nice on a summer's night.
Sue
9:49 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Good luck with your new venture! My experience with one of the past renovations was that the decor consisted of all hard surfaces and no fabric to dull the sounds so the noise was magnified greatly and when dining with my family of four we had to shout across the square table to hear each other but we could hear the conversations of the other diners as well. It was so stressful and grating on our nerves that we never went back!
so I hope you mix a variety of textures in your decorating. I love stone but have some soft materials too. Remember that before the food is even tasted if the ambiance is "painful" then the diners won't care what the food tastes like.
Suzanne Glassman
5:34 pm on Thursday, March 14, 2013
I know the owner and I'm sure the restaurant will be beautiful. She has fabulous taste! Can't wait to see the new decor! Good luck!!
Karen
11:16 am on Tuesday, March 26, 2013
I think gluten-free is a great idea. Also, salads with different healthy ingredients like apricots and such mixed in. No one will have what you will have. Saw someone with trout. I'm trying that next time. Looked great. Karen