The WOODLAND: a Local Tradition

You don’t mess with success. That is the philosophy of chef and restauranteur Brandon Scimeca who recently took over ownership of the Woodland Restaurant, formerly owned by the late Robert Peters.

“The Woodland was definitely my favorite restaurant in the area,” said Scimeca. “Robert and I were friends and we saw food in a very similar way. I don’t have big plans to change too drastically.”

That continuity is important in a restaurant that has been a mainstay in the community for four decades. The Woodland was first a modest diner owned by real estate developer Anthony Peters who also owned the nearby Interlaken Inn. His daughter, Carol, saw the potential of the diner’s site and the Woodland was rebuilt and opened in 1983.

It quickly became the place for lunch and dinner in Lakeville and became a family tradition when Carol’s brother, Robert, came to work in the kitchen. He took over the restaurant in 2003 but before assuming ownership, the younger Peters immersed himself in the process of running a restaurant. He left the restaurant and went to the Interlaken’s kitchen where he worked beside a wunderkind chef who was earning rave reviews in the region. That chef was none other than Brandon Scimeca.

“Robert had worked at the Woodland since he got out of college,” Scimeca related. “Before he took it over, he left for 18 months and worked with me at Interlaken. He later said in an interview that he had worked with a young chef who taught him a lot things.”

The movement came full-circle when Scimeca left the Interlaken to work with Peters at the Woodland. “When Robert took over from Carol, I worked with him to pick out the décor and menu. He had a great vision for the restaurant and gave it a homier feel. I helped him out during Covid and as he got sicker.”

Now in charge, he is determined to perpetuate the restaurant’s mystique. “I want people to feel that it has never changed,” Scimeca continued. “Part of my whole plan is not to change too much too quickly. It’s more like a slow evolution. There are a lot of legacy dishes from Carol and Robert that people expect to find, but I get to have fun with the specials menu. There’s plenty of room to play around. That is why menu has become so big.”

Indeed, the specials menu is often nearly as long as the standard offerings. This past Sunday, for instance, there were 14 special appetizers—everything from the revered favorite, New England clam chowder ($9), to grilled Spanish octopus with potato, roasted peppers, olives and charred lemon ($16). There were nine special entrees, including a bone-in veal chop with roasted cipollini and royal trumpet mushrooms ($45); roasted La Belle Farm duck breast with walnuts and red currants ($35) and Italian buffalo mozzarella ravioli with broccoli pesto, crispy cauliflower and pistachios ($28).

The regular menu continues Peters’ divided focus on Asian and European dishes with sushi rolls and sashimi competing with entrees such as a French-inspired sauteed filet of sole meuniere ($29), strip steak au poivre or grilled with roasted garlic and herbs ($39) or sliced hangar steak on garlic toast with sauteed spinach and house fries ($31).

“I love traveling and bringing back foods from my travels,” Scimeca said. “The cool thing is, with a menu so varied, you can do what you want and it’s not out of place. You’re not pigeonholed. Luckily, our business is big enough so we can keep everything fresh. We’re as busy as ever, definitely as busy as we were pre-covid.”

Helping to ensure that the food is as fresh as he can supply is Scimeca’s dedication to growing some of his own produce for use in the kitchen. He has a farm on his East Canaan property which he expands every year. “I grow tomatoes, radishes and herbs—I’m trying to keep focused on six or seven different kinds of plants,” he said.

Scimeca, who also operates a busy catering business, gives credit to his team of cooks and servers for enabling him to keep up with all his work. “A lot of them are long-time employees and we were friends before I took over.”

The restaurant is currently open for dinner only, Tuesday-Thursday, 5 to 9PM; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 10PM, and Sunday, 4 to 9PM. Scimeca did not reopen for lunch. “Customers ask about it just about every day,” he said, “but I didn’t want to bite off too much too soon.”

The Woodland is located at 192 Sharon Road, Lakeville; 860-435-0578; click the link below.