On May 19 the newest culinary establishment opened its doors in the Stonington Borough. The restaurant, Dogwatch Café, is the latest venture of renowned Stonington sailor Clay Burkhalter and his brother-in-law, David Eck. Located at Dodson Boatyard in the same building that once housed Boom Restaurant, Dogwatch Café has a much different feel than the previous establishment.
“It’s a very casual, warm waterfront bar. People ask me what it is and I say it’s a bar/restaurant, not a restaurant/bar,” Burkhalter said, laughing. “It’s a laid-back place but we’re still going to offer a great menu with fresh seafood, steaks, and all kinds of specials.”
The name Dogwatch is a marine term referring to the watch on a ship between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., which was split into two to allow sailors working both shifts to eat their evening meal at around the traditional time. The term is thought to have derived from the fact that those sleeping during the dog watch only get “dog sleep.”
Very familiar with lack of sleep on a boat, the name is fitting as Burkhalter and Eck first pondered opening the restaurant while waylaid at Peter’s Café in the Azores, a famous bar frequented by sailors. Serving all the traditional bar favorites like sandwiches, wings, and a variety of appetizers, Dogwatch Café General Manager Dawn Arneson explained that the restaurant will also serve a wide array of salads, steaks, seafood, and daily and weekly specials created by head chef Jim Ward. Arneson said that the restaurant will be serving up only the freshest ingredients, joking that the refrigerators are too small to store more than a day’s worth of ingredients.
Burkhalter said the Dogwatch will be open seven days a week for breakfast at 7 a.m., and will start serving lunch around 11 a.m. and dinner at 5 p.m. The kitchen will close at 10 p.m. during the summer and weekends and 9 p.m. during the week, with the bar staying open until 1 a.m. Burkhalter also said he plans to host live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights and occasionally on Thursdays as well.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Burkhalter said. “We’ve got a great staff and menu and it’ll be a fun atmosphere and anyone will be welcome.”