Owners of the new Prospect Café in West Hartford plan to have an official grand opening on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015.

The new Prospect Café will officially open on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

Paul and Jeff Emery are overseeing the final preparations for the long-awaited opening of the new Prospect Café, bringing back an updated version of an iconic restaurant that anchored the neighborhood’s eastern border for decades.

The hardwood floors were gleaming, the bar was fully stocked with brand new glassware and unopened bottles, the patio chairs were sporting brand new cushions beneath a modern logo, and staff were learning the ropes on Thursday afternoon, in preparation for a fundraiser the restaurant will host on Friday evening to benefit the CT Brain Tumor Alliance.

The fundraiser, which will include food and drink, will take place from 7 – 10 p.m. It’s open to the public, and the suggested donation is $10, all of which will go directly to the Alliance, Jeff Emery said.

On Monday, Sept. 28, the restaurant will officially open its doors, bringing back what the pair call “an integral part of the community.”

The new Prospect Café logo is displayed on the exterior of the building. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The restaurant is dubbed an “eclectic scratch kitchen,” with a menu reflecting items locally and seasonally available. Lunch offerings include a wide variety of salads, all with a bit of a twist. The chicken Caesar is topped with gorgonzola and fig-rubbed croutons. There’s a grilled salmon salad and a crispy sriracha chicken salad.

The sriracha chicken and the grilled salmon also appear in sandwich form. The sandwich menu includes a grilled cheeseburger, fish tacos, veggie burrito, and several other options.

Other lunch offerings include small plates of steak frites, lobster-stuffed shrimp, calamari Pomodoro, and scallops jardin.

The dinner menu includes the appetizers and salads, but adds a more extensive variety of entrees like the “Provence chop” (double-cut wild mushroom stuffed pork chop with pan-roasted potatoes and Amish apple dumpling) and salmon and gnocchi. There’s also a grilled rib eye for the beef-lovers.

The Prospect Café’s mission is printed right on the menu: “To create a one-of-a-kind food and beverage experience for our customers using the healthiest, freshest, locally-sourced ingredients whenever possible.” There is no microwave and the only thing frozen is the ice.

The Emerys are hopeful that the restaurant will have broad appeal – to retirees as well as working professionals and young people.

Although the interior and the menu are updated, the Emerys are passionate about the Prospect Café name and bringing back a neighborhood icon. “We thought it had a great legacy, and we want to honor it,” Paul said previously. “We want to bring it back to life,” added Jeff.

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Staff set up the bar at the new Prospect Café, which will officially open on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The new Prospect Café, which has a large outdoor seating area, will officially open on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Front patio of the new Prospect Café, which will officially open on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Revamped dining area of the new Prospect Café, which will officially open on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. Photo credit: Ronni Newton