In 2007, Tom Holmes and Bob Mitchell rescued 1776 from the auction block. To celebrate their ownership, Bob’s wife, Phyllis, placed a wooden pineapple in the Midway steakhouse. The fruit represents hospitality, wealth and welcome, which is why it frequently appears in home décor.
Today, the wooden pineapple has a place of honor at Rare Steak & Seafood, the new restaurant in the Villages of Five Points in Lewes. The restaurant is owned by Alex Piatrou and Tamara Tattersall, longtime employees of 1776 before its sale earlier this year to Regan Derrickson.
“After 18 years of not seeing her – because Bob sold his share to Tammy Mozingo – Mrs. Mitchell came in with a bag, and she brought the pineapple,” Tattersall says. “It was so beautiful, so sentimental. She said with tears in her eyes, ‘The pineapple has found its house.’”
It’s an appropriate gift considering the pineapple is Rare’s logo, and the partners place a priority on hospitality.
They don’t lack experience in that area.
Piatrou, who is from Belarus, came to the beach on a J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa. He cut his teeth at a pizza restaurant before moving up the career ladder at 1776, where he worked for more than 10 years.
Tattersall, a native of Chile, came to the United States with her mother, a traveling nurse. She waited tables at Victoria’s Restaurant before learning culinary skills in restaurant kitchens. She met Holmes while working at Rehoboth Beach Country Club, where she handled private events. When Holmes bought 1776, he hired Tattersall to build the kitchen staff.
Piatrou and Tattersall had often talked about owning a restaurant, and the sale of 1776 became the motivation to become entrepreneurs. The Rare staff includes Pablo Gomez, who manned the grill at 1776.
Jeff Gosnear and his wife, Lily, have also become valuable partners. Jeff is president of Grotto Pizza, and Lily owns Bee and Butterfly Design.
“They believed in us,” Tattersall says. “We call them our secret weapon. Lily brings my vision and colors to life. Jeff is mentoring us.”
Lily helped transform the former Ocean Grill, which has received a complete makeover. There is a bar to the right of the hostess stand and a dining room to the left. A private room has already become a popular meeting space for medical professionals.
On a recent visit, many diners greeted Piatrou by name. That’s not surprising given that he and Tattersall are gregarious people who form lasting connections with guests.
Tattersall remembers a 1776 customer with terminal cancer who dined with his family one last time.
“He came to say goodbye to us,” she says. “It was my hardest night.”
During the four months Rare was under construction, Piatrou missed those daily interactions with customers.
Along with friendly, attentive service, the partners buy their beef from George L. Wells Meat Co. in Philadelphia.
“We believe in their quality,” Tattersall says, adding that other vendors’ meat doesn’t compare.
While some dishes are reminiscent of Holmes’ 1776, others are Rare originals, including the Rare Velvet, an 8-ounce filet mignon stuffed with brie, wrapped in bacon and finished with raspberry demi-glace.
The partners’ longtime customers have been enthusiastic, and when they have suggestions, the owners take them to heart.
“We feel blessed,” Tattersall says, “and we feel the love.”
With familiar faces, a well-known beef purveyor and a pineapple near the door, the restaurant carries forward the spirit of the past in a contemporary setting.
Hospitality travels well.
Rare Steak & Seafood
17252 N. Village Main Blvd., Lewes
302-550-8961
raredining.com
