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January 21, 2025

Newbrook Kitchen in Cheshire relocating to bigger space it will own

Google Earth The building at 36 Wallingford Road in Cheshire will be the new home for Newbrook Kitchen.

Newbrook Kitchen, a reservation-only supper club that has operated in The Watch Factory complex in Cheshire for nearly two years, plans to relocate to a building it is acquiring in town.

Danielle Hartog, the owner and chef for the club, told the Cheshire Economic Development Commission during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday morning that she is acquiring 36 Wallingford Road, a two-story, 3,696-square-foot office building that is home to the law firm Bartlett & Grippe LLC. 

Andrew Martelli, the town’s economic development director, told the commission that the law firm plans to relocate to a building at 219 South Main St. The firm acquired the building last year for $865,000.
 
Newbrook Kitchen, which opened in April 2023, is not a typical restaurant. It has room for a limited number of diners, who must make reservations. Diners can then watch as Hartog works in her open kitchen to create and plate a six-course meal composed of small plates for a “chef’s tasting menu.”

Newbrook Kitchen is named after the paper converting business operated by Hartog’s grandfather, Lawrence Diamondstone. She said his business in the 1950s and ‘60s had offices in both New Jersey and Brooklyn, New York, which is why he decided to name it Newbrook. 

Naming the restaurant after his business “seemed only fitting,” she said.
 
“The whole idea was to pay homage to what he would have loved, so an opulent, New York-style speakeasy with good food,” Hartog said “But the whole idea is accessible fine dining … (which) means that anyone can come in and experience a multi-course fine dining meal, but it's never gonna be stuffy. It's never gonna be pretentious.”

Hartog said the cost for the entire six-course meal is under $100, including tax and gratuity. Customers are allowed to bring their own wine and other beverages.

The menu changes monthly and is published on its website on the first of the month. When she first opened it would take two to seven days to fill all of the reservations, she said, but now it takes just 30 minutes to two hours.

Diners can reserve specific tables via the website, including those at the chef’s tasting bar. In its current location, the tasting bar can seat just eight; in the new location, seating at the tasting bar will be doubled.

“We had 14 seats originally, and now we seat up to 40, all with the same concept, all with just me cooking,” Hartog said.

The club, which employs five people, serves its meals a few times a month, while also hosting events like a murder mystery dinner as well as catering private events. It also can cater to any dietary restriction, including those with allergies or who require a gluten free menu.

The current location in The Watch Factory is leased, and Hartog said that her grandfather “believed that when you're putting money into a space, you should own the space.” The success of Newbrook Kitchen allowed her to acquire the building at 36 Wallingford Road, she said.

The sale has not yet closed and Hartog declined to say how much she is paying for the building.

The new location has 10 parking spaces, but Hartog said she has made a deal for additional space with the Cheshire Grange for additional spots. 

“I know exactly who's coming in every single night,” she said. “We only really ever have 20 couples, so essentially 20 cars.”

She said she hopes renovations will be completed and the restaurant will be fully operational by this summer.

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