Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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Seven women with direct connections to New Canaan—see the gallery above—will share their leadership experiences and encourage women and girls to pursue their goals in “Being Queen: Thoughts from the Throne,” a panel discussion hosted by NC Women Mean Business that will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at New Canaan Library. Read here for more information to this free, open event. ***

A New Canaan woman spotted a bobcat on her Canoe Hill Road property on Saturday morning—the sixth such sighting in one month of the reclusive feline. “I happened to be in the kitchen and turned and looked out the window and saw a bobcat on the front lawn,” Carol Miller said of her sighting at about 4:35 p.m. Saturday. “It meandered across the driveway and headed into the woods, and not a minute later there were six prancing deer that followed it.

Business

New Post Office To Open ‘Hopefully By Thanksgiving’; Gates ‘In the Coming Weeks’

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Planning officials on Tuesday night received updates on two of New Canaan’s most widely anticipated projects downtown: the Post Office and Gates. New Canaan’s Richard Carratu, developer of the Post Office, told members of the Planning & Zoning Commission at their regular meeting that he’s contractually required to “hand off” the building to the U.S. Postal Service at the end of August. “The plan is they take two to three months to do the interior—they want it open by Christmas—so hopefully they will have it open by Thanksgiving,” Carratu told P&Z at the meeting, held at Town Hall. Asked by P&Z Commission Chairman John Goodwin whether he has a “high confidence level” that he will meet that deadline, Carratu responded: “If I don’t I think the penalty is $550 a day, so we are highly motivated.”

The Post Office is taking shape opposite Joe’s Pizza on Locust Avenue, in what had been two separate buildings—the former Carpe Diem restaurant and (going way back) former Nicoletti’s Market. (Carratu, represented by his attorney Michael Sweeney of Stamford-based Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP, was appearing before P&Z to request a small alteration to his site plan.)

P&Z during the same meeting unanimously approved outdoor signs for New Canaan Chicken—now open in the former Chicken Joe’s space on Elm Street—and Gates, which has been closed since last April and is undergoing an extensive renovation (sneak peek here).

Business

Sneak Peek: Gates Renovation Nears Completion

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The wait is almost over. After months of massive interior renovations and construction, the re-opening of Gates is nearing its completion. The new owners of the iconic New Canaan restaurant—which shut its doors last April after 36 years of operation—are aiming for a late-January re-launch of Gates, which will occupy the same 10 Forest Street address. Just with a major facelift. Diners familiar with the old restaurant’s layout are sure to marvel at the redesigned space that features an expanded, open kitchen replete with a brick oven for flatbreads and other menu items. Many of the building’s 650,000 bricks that were transported to New Canaan during construction in the late 19th century have been exposed, providing a unique ambiance throughout the main dining room and bar, which retains its original footprint.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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We’re hearing from an inside source that the “new” Gates Restaurant, closed since the New Canaan mainstay was sold in April, will open early in January. We’re also hearing that locals will recognize some friendly, favorite faces at Gates when it reopens anew, including Rich “Doc” Ludemann (not our source)—a popular figure at the former restaurant (who many of us also call a good friend and former swim coach). The new restaurant will be heavy on craft beers, with an updated look and menu, stage for live music, wood-fired oven and grill, smoker, food bar and more features. ***

Joe Scarborough is listed as one of those who has supported (with $360) the Go Fund Me campaign for the New Canaan Police Department’s K-9 unit. In all, 29 individuals have donated a total of $2,300 to the cause.

Business

Interior Demo of Gates Underway; Mid-Fall Reopening Planned

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Gates Interior Demolition August 2015
Interior demolition of the former Gates is in full swing and the New Canaan mainstay’s new owners say it’s on track to reopen mid-fall with an updated look, layout and menu. New Canaanites Jay Luther and Paul Tully, partners in the venture whereby Gates was purchased in April with an eye on reopening with the same name, say locals are excited about planned changes that include a new food bar in the main dining room that looks into an open kitchen with a wood-fired oven, smoker and wood-fired grill. “We are almost as excited as they are to get this open and to reestablish Gates as a go-to place in New Canaan, appealing to a broad base of people,” Tully said on Friday morning, hammer in hand as he joined demolition workers in removing sheetrock to expose the industrial brick inside the restaurant. “Families. Couples.