The Thieves Are Back In Town

It’s been 200 years since Dedham townfolk banded together to stop the scourge of equine burglary, birthing the Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves. But that storied, whimsical institution might want to call an emergency meeting, because the thieves are back, setting up shop right in Dedham Square.

Chief among them are experienced restaurateurs Chris Lutes and Laurence Wintersteen along with their new General Manager, Michelle Kousidis. The group has staged a grand return for the thieves in a forthcoming tavern that bears their name: Horse Thieves Tavern.

“The Society started when a bunch of farmers got together in a local tavern to address the problem,” explains Lutes. “They all got loaded and had a blast and said we should do this again.

“We figured it would be fun to create a place for the actual thieves to hang out,” he says with a smirk. “Those guys have their fun, so we’ll create the old tavern where the old thieves used to hang out.”

For Lutes, who has been developing creative culinary outposts such as the Miracle of Science, Tory Row, Cambridge 1 and Audubon Circle in and around Boston for over a quarter of a century, the pull of Dedham was palpable; plus, a friend had recently acquired a building in the Square.

“I graduated from college and my first job was in a small start up company working with Peter Reynolds,” Lutes recalls. The two stuck up a friendship that lasted over the intervening decades. When the local author bought the building that housed his bookstore, he gave Lutes a call.

“He said come out to Dedham Square I want to show you this place. One of your restaurants would do really well here,” Lutes says. Lutes had considered opening a restaurant in the Boston suburb previously, but the time had never felt right for the busy food maven.

When he saw the space abandoned by the pharmacy, however, all that changed. Lutes had been working with Wintersteen on a new restaurant concept targeted to Boston’s South End; he’d found in Wintersteen, the brains behind a local Amsterdam Falafelshop franchise and, earlier, a string of Pressed Sandwich shops in Boston, a kindred spirit who also wanted to try something new in the market.

“I dragged him out here to show him this space,” Lutes says of his partner, “and we let the other one go. This was a more doable project in so many ways. It was a fun project. It had a built-in community.”

“We liked Dedham,” Wintersteen adds. “It was becoming more and more vibrant, and we knew this restaurant would really add something.”

“Plus,” Lutes winks, “we had a really friendly landlord.”

The deal was inked. That was over two years ago. Since then, Horse Thieves has been waiting to settle into its new space. Upgrades to the building, variances required to convert the space into a restaurant, and a whole lot of sweat were the first orders sent to the kitchen. Delays felt endless.

“It started out quick, however,” recounts Lutes. “We went to the town government and applied for a liquor license and a food and beverage license. We got an arms-wide-open welcome to Dedham. They said, ‘Good luck with everything, hurry up and open.’”

But to town members, the hip new eatery in the square has been little more than a tease for two years; upgrades to electricity, plumbing and structure required time, permits, approvals and inspections. A quick view behind the scenes, however, now shows a space that’s finally ready for finishing touches. The team intends the Tavern to open with the turn of autumn.

The space is surprisingly large, with an expansive bar, a see-through fireplace bracketed by communal tables, plenty of booths and a first floor kitchen supported by a large prep space in the basement. The décor is designed to match the quirky theme, with cobbled-together wooden and steel elements, warmly lit to enhance conversation and good times. Local architect Molly Moran is ensuring a hip, contemporary feel that bridges a 19-century storyline and a revitalized Dedham Square, while preserving a sense of mystery via frosted windows and a front door that’s tucked away.

“The idea is to have sort of a cobbled together feel,” Lutes explains. “As if one guy found a nice piece of stone in the back of a truck or something, and donated it, and someone else donated the bathroom fixtures, and someone else brought in some wood for the fireplace.”

Along with fabulous cocktails at the bar, the fare you’ll find in the new space will be modern American – comfortable and cost-effective, leaning heaving on locally-sourced produce and proteins.

“Everything will be made from scratch,” Lutes asserts. “We’ll acquire fresh meats and vegetables and process everything in house. It’ll be a small plates concept where you can piece things together to create the meal you like. Nothing will be particularly expensive. We want you to spend time grazing and hanging with friends.”

With the locals including the courthouse down the street and a burgeoning number of businesses thriving around the Square, the restaurant is also preparing a lunch menu, items from which will be available all day long.

To complement the fresh new fare, Lutes and Wintersteen set about finding just the right General Manager – a difficult trick, given the tongue-in-cheek nature of the establishment. They found what they were seeking, strangely, in the least obscure of places: the Blue Bunny storefront, where she served them coffee during their ubiquitous morning meetings.

“They were my customers,” Kousidis laughs. “They were here every day working.”

Lutes, Wintersteen and Kousidis became fast friends, and the two owners were impressed by the way she seemed to be a fixture in Dedham Square.

“She knows everyone in town,” explains Wintersteen. “This is a restaurant for the people of Dedham, so that’s why it’s exciting having her as its manager.”

Those who have frequented Mocha Java over the years – both in its current location inside the Blue Bunny and its previous digs across the street – are familiar with the winsome smiles and easy care of Kousidis, who may have started out in Real Estate but found her true home serving the community via lattés and baked goods.

“I have a special fondness for my customers here. They become my friends and family,” she remarks. “That’s why it was so hard to leave in April. I’ve had this real withdrawal. It was very hard. Even thought I’m going next door, I was still crying a little.”

She’s also friendly with the other restaurants in the Square; although the venues compete for patronage, they support each other in times of need. Moreover, the sheer variety of successful eateries – BBQ, Mexican, Thai, Italian, the recently opened gastro pub called Oscar’s, and more on the way – implies that Dedham is becoming a foodie haven drawing an increasing number of aficionados from around the greater Boston area.

“This is the beginning of a culinary mecca,” Wintersteen asserts, pointing to the number of restaurants within view of the Tavern. “So the more options the better. Nobody wants to go to a town with one restaurant. But if you have six or seven of them, then you’ll say let’s go to Dedham and see what’s going on in the square.”

As the Tavern nears the finish line, the three new friends hope their efforts will pay off with a relaxed, fun, communal space welcoming to all.

With one exception, that is. Members of the Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves should check their badges at the door.

“Everyone is welcome here, but they should watch out,” Kousidis laughs. “We're the troublemakers.”

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To be “in the know” when the restaurant opens, join the mailing list on Horse Thieves Tavern website at horsethievestavern.com.