thePULSERiding the Water Street Wave
Fine food, classy surroundings and a romantic historical connection promise to make 86 Winter Street an eclectic, exciting addition to the city’s dining scene.
(L-R) Bill Mignone and Dave Lemenager, co-owners of 86 Winter Street.
August 2004 – It’s been a restaurant supply store, a stain glass window factory and an ice cream parlor run by America’s infamous “Queen of the Anarchists.” Worcester’s 86 Winter Street has a long, colorful history. Now two local men, Dave Lemenager and Bill Mignone, are re-opening the space as an upscale restaurant and bar.
The last restaurant at 86 was reportedly run by the controversial feminist and anarchist Emma Goldman and her life-long friend and lover Alexander Berkman. In the spring of 1892, they served breakfast, sandwiches, coffee, and ice cream, while pursuing more political interests. Just as the Russian immigrants began to turn a profit, they suddenly packed up and left for Pennsylvania to plan the assassination of Henry Frick, the powerful manager of the Carnegie Steel Company and central figure in the bloody Homestead Strike.
Though not political and cultural revolutionaries like their historical counterparts, Lemenager and Mignone hope to be dining revolutionaries. The city has been slow to attract storefront restaurants like those in Boston’s South End or on Newbury Street. The partners hope to end that trend in October when they open their casual but elegant American bistro called 86 Winter Street.
Winter Street, like much of the Green Island/ Kelley Square area, has quietly attracted a number of private investors. Abandoned buildings, mills and factories are now crawling with construction crews renovating street-side storefronts and converting industrial spaces into lofts. A group has even proposed a Providence-scale project to unveil Harding Street’s long-kept secret – the Blackstone Canal.
The façade of 86 Winter Street is a reminder of times past – you are greeted by large storefront windows with upper panes of ornate stain glass. Pass through the doors and you expect to interrupt a hushed conversation among Russian anarchist Jews and see Goldman behind a tiled counter smiling, writing out the day’s specials on a blackboard.
However, pass through the front doors of 86 and your trip to the 19th century ends. On my visit – a recent sunny July morning, busy construction and painting crews were working on the three-story building which will house not only 86 Winter Street, but also an upscale Italian caffé called SPQR, office space, and condominiums. I was greeted by Dave Lemenager, who was friendly and talkative. He led me through the dust and drop cloths, motioning excitedly as he described how the restaurant will look when it opens.
86 Winter Street has the potential to be both an intimate restaurant and a high energy bar. The walls of the 40-seat restaurant have been painted orange and green and some of the original brick can still be seen. The space is small, but intimate, sophisticated, but comfortable. I was struck by the high ceilings, which are deceptive and create the illusion that the room is larger than it really is.
Lemenager and Mignone have worked closely with local businesses to create a unique atmosphere. They contracted Joey Martucci of Light Lab, Worcester to design the lighting for the restaurant and W. J. Larrivee Cabinet Makers, Grafton to design and build a custom-made bar, wait station and table tops. They have also been speaking with local artists whose works they hope to feature on a rotating gallery-like basis. The partners don’t want their restaurant to be labeled. Although their new venture will be different and eclectic, they want to create an atmosphere that is comfortable for everyone.
86 Winter Street will feature homemade “comfort-food” inspired by a cross-section of culinary influences and prepared from fresh, top quality ingredients. Lemenager explained that everything from the salad dressings to the bread will be created by himself and young chef Mark Scanlon, whose resume includes Primo’s, La Scala and Union Station the Restaurant. He also hinted at a burger specialty that he promises will have me running into 86 after a long day at the office.
86 will be open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday beginning in October. Lemenager said that they plan to make the restaurant available for out-lunches and bookable for small private functions. There will be ample parking both on-street and in the municipal parking lot under I-290, which is around the corner from the restaurant.
Dave Lemenager and Bill Mignone are not strangers to owning a business, as co-owners of A Brighter Image, a contract cleaning company. This restaurant has been something they have always talked about, and it finally “just all came together.” The two had been looking outside of the city (as far away as Florida) for a location, but when they saw 86 they say they both knew ‘this is the place.’ Happy to be staying in the area, they are both optimistic about the Canal District. Bill Mignone told me as we stood outside, waiting for Lemenager to join him for a photograph, “I’m really excited about opening a space here!”
