The Watershed Kitchen & Bar opens in South Jamesport

A couple that took a chance on a South Jamesport inn as COVID buffeted the hospitality industry have added a restaurant to the mix, one with water views, a polished menu and seating that spans fireside sofas, a marble bar, a modern 25-seat dining room and outdoor deck.

"I keep calling it a puzzle. Running a restaurant right now [during COVID] is like putting puzzle pieces together," said Patricia Kaspiev, who took over the Bay Breeze Inn last fall with her partner, James Mangiacapre.

During the winter, Kaspiev and Mangiacarpe unveiled the inn's on-site restaurant as The Watershed Kitchen & Bar, an atmospheric spot with upscale gastropub food and an extensive brunch across a string of indoor and outdoor dining spaces, much of it now separated by clear partitions.

It was the inn's bar that Kaspiev said she first fell in love with when she and Mangiacapre toured the inn. "It was chic, but not in your face. Clean and classy, which is our vision," Kaspiev said. The restaurant had most recently been known as Salt & Sea Bistro, one where chef Allison Fasano had done a turn before the eatery closed in fall 2019.

For The Watershed, Kaspiev and Mangiacapre hired chef Nicholas Puleo, and the menu became a collaboration. "We both love to cook," said Kaspiev, and Mangiacapre had worked in the food and restaurant industry more than two decades. "We wanted to find a chef who could translate our vision. We all plunged in together."

Puleo’s appetizers ($12 to $18) cinch together gastropub mainstays such as wings (grilled or fried, with gremolata, chili-lime or house Buffalo sauce) and braised pork-belly sliders and apple slaw with dishes that draw on Dominican flavors and techniques mined from Kaspiev’s background, such as mussels with Dominican salami, green peppers, cilantro and lime. A few other turns from Kaspiev’s oeuvre, such as a halibut ceviche, occasionally appear on the menu as specials. Larger plates ($15 to $30) include a Maine-style lobster roll, steak frites, pan-roasted cauliflower steak with beetroot puree and a white-cheddar burger layered with avocado, crispy shallots and cherry-pepper relish.

Brunch dishes ($10 to $28), offered on weekends for now, run an especially wide gamut — there are breakfast tacos, a breakfast flatbread topped with scrambled eggs, braised pork belly and cheeses, and duck breast over a sweet potato waffle. Carbs are well-represented, with multiple takes on waffles, pancakes and French toast.

Kaspiev said The Watershed's menu will change seasonally, as will desserts, such as carrot cake or cheesecake with blueberry sauce, that are made here.

The Watershed is open year round. Current hours are Monday to Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 9:30 a.m. until curfew. Reservations are accepted for more than six people.

The Watershed, 46 Front St., South Jamesport. 631-779-3454. thewatershedli.com