When Brandon Kerr found out the historic Somers Inn was up for sale, he kept an eye on the newspapers to follow the sale’s progress. The chef, who was working for Max’s Tavern in Springfield, reached out to the new owners and expressed his interest in joining the new restaurant, he said.
“There’s obviously a lot of history here and that’s why I wanted to be on board here,” he said, saying that he’d grown up nearby and attended family functions at the venue. “Just to be a part of the next chapter of this; it’s an institution in town.”
The historic building sold in July, and the new owners, Jeannette and Louis Masaschi, went to work renovating the eatery. In April, the Copper House Tavern opened its doors, offering a relaxed yet refined atmosphere and New England-style comfort food with some gourmet twists.
“They were quite popular for many years and definitely had a loyal following,” Kerr said of the previous restaurant, saying the town was supportive throughout the transition. “Even if I wasn’t a part of it, I would have loved to just see it keep going. It’s not one of those things you want to [see] fall by the wayside.”
The building, a recognizable landmark along Main Street, was originally built in 1768 and once served as the town’s Kibbe Hotel. Before selling it in 2014, the Boggio family had owned and operated the restaurant since 1978. Now updated with polished floors, exposed brick and a new bar, the Copper House Tavern “sets the stage for a new era” in Somers, as it states on its website.
The Masaschis also have two Backyard Bar and Grilles in Enfield and West Springfield, Mass. Director of operations Gina Warga said Copper House Tavern’s menu is more upscale than its more casual sibling restaurants.
Kerr, who’s spent his entire career in the restaurant industry, honed his fine-dining skills with the Max Restaurant Group and before that, the former Still River Café, where he said he learned the importance of scratch cooking.
“I can’t tell you how liberating it was [to think] ‘I need chives,’ and go outside to grab them,” he said of the Eastford restaurant that maintained on-site gardens.
In Somers, he’s presiding over a menu of small plates, salads, sandwiches and hearty entrees. The starters ($7.99 to $11.99) feature daily-catch fresh fish tacos, calamari and spinach artichoke dip with housemade chips, along with creative presentations of a pork belly duo (hoisin-glazed meat in Asian-style steamed buns and candied belly with savory French toast) and Kerr’s take on French onion soup: thick-cut breaded onion rings served with gravy and covered in melted Swiss. Chicken wings, with flavors like carrot habanero, maple bourbon and truffle Parmesan, come with a blue cheese foam (Kerr describes it as a “Gorgonzola whipped cream”) instead of the traditional dressing.
A star burger is inspired by Rochester, N.Y.-style “garbage plates,” with a hand-formed patty, thick onion rings, macaroni and cheese, bacon and gravy.
“It’s like America between buns,” Kerr said, and it’s served with a steak knife to hold the messy tower of ingredients together. (The burger also comes with a side of disposable gloves, so the diner’s hands stay clean after eating.)
Another showstopper, a massive bone-in pork shank, is braised for several hours in uniquely flavored Moxie soda and stands tall in a bowl with vegetables and potatoes.
“If I can get one out into the dining room a night, then I know I’ll sell more,” Kerr said. “I think it intimidates people, but once you see it come out, it’s so dynamic.”
The main plates ($14.99 to $29.99) are divided into “land,” “air” and “sea” categories, with a variety of steaks, a pan-seared duck breast with blood orange reductions, homestyle turkey with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes, seared scallops with fennel risotto and cranberry agrodolce chutney, rigatoni Bolognese with ricotta and pesto and baked macaroni and cheese with shaved black truffle.
Dessert specialties include a seasonal fruit jar, homemade cookies and milk (Kerr loves the Momofuku-style “compost” cookies) and creme brulee. The restaurant also offers a Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a $22.99 fixed-price menu of breakfast and lunch items with choice of mimosa or Bloody Mary.
Kerr said he’s really enjoying getting to know the guests at Copper House, who “are like family we haven’t met yet.”
“We haven’t been open that long, but we already have regulars who come in a few times a week,” he said. “When you work in a bigger restaurant, sometimes you don’t have that kind of connection to your clientele.”
In Somers, “I’ve kind of come full-circle. I came from this the area, I’ve migrated around and now I’m right back here again,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be part of a start-up, I think I like this even more because there’s history…it’s not just some brand-new construction.”
>>Copper House Tavern, at 585 Main Street in Somers, is open Tuesday from 4 to 9 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 860-265-7535 or visit copperhousetavernct.com.
