New restaurant – 113 Main – prepares to open in downtown Oswego

Oswego's newest restaurant is set to open on Main Street in the village's downtown later this month.

It's called 113 Main and is located on the ground level of a new three-story commercial building on the site of the old village hall. The restaurant will feature a range of menu options including steak, salmon, burgers, sandwiches and tacos, as well as a selection of craft brews, wines and whiskeys.

General Manager Matt Verde confirmed Nov. 2 that the restaurant is looking to open the week of Nov. 22.

"Because [COVID-19 mitigation measures went] into effect on Wednesday, and it's a minimum of two weeks before we can do any kind of indoor or even consider indoor, we're probably looking at about three weeks from today to go live," Verde said. "There's still some things that we're taking care of right now. But it's probably three weeks now from today where we would launch."

In a previous conversation in late October, Verde said that 113 Main's plans have adjusted as necessary to adapt to the restrictions.

"Even if things do rise and there is some type of restrictions or mandate, we will be ready to open in November," Verde said. "If we have to just do carryout and delivery for the first couple of weeks to introduce ourselves to the community, [Executive Chef Terry Kaminski] and I are preparing to do that.

"We're not just preparing the restaurant to open and have people eat and drink inside, we're also preparing … if we get that call and it's a 24-hour, 48-hour notice we have to pivot, what is our plan?" Verde said. "We're essentially trying to work out two restaurants – dine in and then the fully functional carryout operation."

Including the bar and dining room, the restaurant can seat 150 patrons, Verde said. If mitigation measures limiting indoor dining are put in place, he said the restaurant has the ability to reduce tables and appropriately socially distance patrons.

Exposed brickwork is heavily featured throughout the restaurant's interior. The warehouse style is evident at 113 Main with sealed concrete floors, simple designs and woodwork, and exposed black duct work across the ceiling.

When discussing the menu, Verde said it was a collaborative effort between him and Kaminski, with a goal of featuring "upscale, approachable American fare with unique twists." The menu will feature seasonal changes, such as a cheesecake dessert choice that will differ throughout the year.

"What we're doing out here, I think, is something you haven't seen yet in this area," Verde said. "What we're targeting is the people from Oswego, the people from surrounding communities who may travel to other towns to experience that. We want to bring that here, so there's no reason for people to leave Oswego, along with attracting people from other communities."

"We really have great food here," Kaminski said. "We've taken the steps along the way to elevate our bar here. I think we have a unique twist that we can put on all of our food.

"It's simplistic to where we have control to make it reach every customer that comes in," he said. … "I just want to cook great food and teach people along the way that if we can emulate this each and every day that we're open, then we can keep the bar up here and we are the real deal around town. That anticipation, we keep feeding off of it."

Although an official opening date has not been set for the opening of 113 Main, the owners have created a website, www.113main.com, to provide patrons with information.