While people were celebrating love on Valentine’s Day, The Preston House and Hotel, a romantic restaurant and historic boutique hotel in downtown Riverhead, toasted Feb. 14 as its first anniversary in business.
Preston House is a chic farm-to-table New American-style restaurant with seating for 88 or 160 including al fresco in warmer months. The 20-room, five-story hotel located directly behind the restaurant features studios and suites that offer intimate service. Together, they offer the best of both worlds, with modern convenience and historic charm.
“We’re happy to be part of the revitalization of downtown Riverhead,” says executive director Jennifer Petrocelli.
Four years ago, her father, Joseph Petrocelli, bought the property built in 1905 that was once the home of Henry Preston, the first salaried Suffolk County sheriff. After extensive renovations that aimed to salvage as much of the charm as possible, the family transformed it into the hotel and restaurant.
“We restored it to its former glory,” Petrocelli says, noting that they kept the original ceilings, floorboards, and other details intact while modernizing the building with French tiles, shiplap, and custom artwork.
The modern luxury hotel behind the restaurant is a new build with custom furniture. It has three different size rooms, include 430-square-foot studios, 650-square-foot one-bedrooms, and a 900-square-foot suite. Guest rooms feature modern furnishings, Carrera marble bathrooms, and honed concrete floors that add a touch of industrial chic.
Leading the kitchen at Preston House is Chef Matthew Boudreau, aka Chef Matty, a veteran of Baron’s Cove in Sag Harbor and Vine Street Cafe on Shelter Island as well as national barbeque competitions. The menu that changes with the seasons is billed as “upscale, yet approachable” and uses locally grown ingredients — including produce from its own garden and beehives — new approaches, and fresh takes on classic standards. The focus is on sustainability and refinement with ingredient-driven and flavorful fare that takes a balanced and traditional approach to food.
The restaurant’s mixologists also offer innovative cocktails and an adventurous wine list that celebrates the winegrowing regions of the world in a 1,000-bottle wine cellar.
Cheers to that!
The Preston House and Hotel is located at 428 East Main St. in Riverhead. It can be reached at 631-775-1500 or theprestonhouseandhotel.com
