Tim Sizer is at one and the same time excited, ecstatic, nostalgic, proud, and ready for his next challenge — and it's on the way, too! Sizer is the prolific artisan chef who has owned & operated Timothy's Restaurant in Harbor Country for sixteen years, anchoring his eclectic restaurant inside the Gordon Beach Inn at Union Pier. He's about to celebrate his last Christmas season and New Year's Eve at that location however as he has unveiled today the news that he is moving several hundred yards to a brand new location along Red Arrow Highway.
Sizer says reality is that he outgrew his 3,000 square foot restaurant at the Inn a number of years ago, but recent contract negotiations faltered there and he ultimately decided he either had to find a new adventure or face having to close up shop. Fortunately for fans of Chef Sizer who have reveled in his stock in trade for years he elected to relocate and launched a search for new quarters.
Tim didn't have to look very far, as the vacant Mickey's Place Sports Bar was on the market about 2/10ths of a mile from his current front door, and his negotiations this time were a huge success. He has purchased the 7,000 square foot restaurant building which was originally known as Miller's Country House, and will move in there shortly after the New Year with a soft target of being up and running by Valentine's Day. He knows the building well, having worked at Miller's Country House as an Excecutive Chef for about a year and a half in the late 90s.
The last supper at the current Timothy's will be his usual New Year's Eve bash which historically has been the biggest day of the year for his 16-year old restaurant.
Tim will work over the early winter season to restore his new home to a style and atmosphere similar to the original Miller's Country House with a couple of twists. He will ditch all of the TVs in the main dining room of the building, and dramatically reduce the sets in the front of house bar to about four. The side bar on the south end of the back of the house will retain a number of TVs and share the dual purpose of a football fan haven in the fall and a special use space for those interested in hosting private parties at Timothy's.
The front of house bar will showcase a casual atmosphere with a lighter bar fare menu from the main dining room, which will return to its white table-cloth, more refined atmosphere with the traditional fare he has offered in his highly successful restaurant at Gordon Beach. The back side bar will also have a bit of Tiki Bar feel in the summer time with some outdoor dining options, and throughout the house Tim plans to broaden the menu and blend in more moderately priced offerings like one might find at Red Arrow Road House.
His new kitchen features three times the space of his current facility, and the new place will offer Saturday and Sunday lunch options along with some great smoke house offerings like an Asian Barbecue, Barbecued Brisket, Pork Butt and Chicken Wings going forward.
Timothy's has always been a great place for special occasions, but Tim wants to make sure that people are comfortable in his new space for more frequent visits, not simply when a special occasion hits your calendar. With the plans he's conjuring up, he will likely hit a home run in that category as well.
By more than doubling his space Tim's crew will be hiring additional staff. He currently has 18 people and that balloons to 25 in the summer season. Peak season personnel will probably approach 50 with some 20+ during the slower winter and fall seasons.
With a strong brand already in the marketplace, the new restaurant will, appropriately, retain the name of Timothy's Restaurant, however, much like the Grand Mere Inn has it's Cranberry Bog Bar, he's giving strong consideration to naming his main bar on Red Arrow Highway, as well.
Tim told me today he is absolutely pumped for the new venture, saying, "It will be a big challenge, we know that, but we're up for it, and very, very excited."
Mr. Sizer has promised to keep me posted as his new menu develops and his plans advance for the relocation, so stay tuned and we'll share the latest as it arrives for you.
