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Diving Deep into the Sea with Moby Dick's

Moby Dick’s opened on August 18, 2022, as an upscale oyster bar on Campbell Ave in West Haven, CT. When walking by the bar you see a black stainless steel seating area and their artsy chalkboard sign. It may seem like any other bar or restaurant but once you step inside, it transforms into a whaler ship. “You should know that this place was called Moby Dick’s almost 50 years ago and we brought it back and we kept all the historic pieces of the building and we worked really hard with the town to make sure we keep things congruent with the other businesses. We've maintained our portholes and wood beams that resemble a whaling ship. We redid the floor to an art deco model and I think people have taken a liking aesthetically” said an owner, Nick Ruickoldt when asked how the people of West Haven felt about the new establishment. 

Bar Before Most Renovations

Bar on March 15, 2023

Original Porthole

Front Entrance of Moby Dick's

People do not only love the looks but the food as well. “There are so many good dishes at Moby Dick’s. One being the mac and cheese which everybody likes, seafood and nonseafood lovers, you can always top it with lobster or bacon. We have suddenly become known for our meatballs. Everybody loves our meatballs, meatball fra diavolo, and meatball sliders” said Brianna Hackett, a bartender since the beginning who stuck through and became manager. Jeff Lamberti is the chef and has done nothing but an incredible job according to many customers and coworkers. Ruickoldt said hiring him was the most important step and main focus after finishing all the renovations. “Lamberti created a menu of multiple kinds of oysters that come in fresh every day. He does so many seafood specials, and is just so creative in the kitchen,” explained Ruickoldt.

Lobster Mac and Cheese

Seafood Tower

Moby Dick Whale Drawn by Brianna Hackett on the Oyster Bar

The food is definitely a contributing factor as to why there are so many returning customers, but this certainly isn’t the only reason considering the several IPAs, lagers, and beers the bar has on draft. Ruickoldt thinks having local brewers represented in the bar such as New England Brewing Company located in New Haven, CT, Tribus in Milford, CT, and Whalers Rise from Rhode Island has brought an appeal to the community. However, Moby Dick’s doesn’t only have beer. They have a large assortment of cocktails from Old Fashioneds to “Captain” Collins. Some days Hackett feels like she makes “100” espresso martinis. Over the month of March, the fan favorite was the “Drunk Leprechaun.”

Old Fashioned

Bar During Month of December

Chalkboard Menu

The group of people who went in on this project were not previous bar or restaurant owners, but they did have family in the industry. Ruickoldt is an Insurance broker for the Russell Agency and was a former fire commissioner and former city councilman. Evan Mink, a partner, and the permittee,  delivers baked goods and is a fire commissioner for the West Shore district in West Haven. When asked how the idea sparked, Ruickoldt replied  “So, we are lifelong residents of West Haven and our families were in the restaurant business for a long time and this opportunity came up, it was a vacant storefront on our main throughway in West Haven, Campbell Ave. We came and visited the property and immediately fell in love with all the old architecture and we thought we could tackle remodeling it and bring it back to life.” 

It seems like they have done a fine job since they recently won the Greater Milford Chamber of Commerce “Best New Business” Award. The Greater Milford Chamber of Commerce is made up of West Haven, Milford, and a couple of other smaller surrounding towns. “Many news outlets picked up the story, which affected business significantly,” says Ruickoldt. Hackett told a story of an older couple who came in one night because they recently read an article in the West Haven Voice after winning the award. She remarked, “They would probably never have come in if it wasn’t for winning the award.” Hopefully, you get a chance to have the Moby Dick’s experience and #GetShucked. 

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Insurance by Day, Whaler by Night? Maybe Not so Exactly.

Nick Ruickoldt is one of the owners of the new bar Moby Dick’s in West Haven, CT on Campbell Ave. Moby Dick’s opened as an upscale oyster bar on August 18, 2022. The bar was made to resemble the inside of a whaler's ship, hence the name which was the name of the place about 50 years before. Ruickoldt and the rest of the team tried their best to keep the original pieces of the bar intact. For example, the authentic paintings inside each porthole, the wood beams going across the ceiling, and the same copper bar with all the carvings of people’s names and so what  in the wood going around it. Moby Dick’s obviously isn’t just known for their looks, but their food and drinks as well. Any of the bartenders can make you a one-of-a-kind espresso martini while you enjoy Chef Jeff Lamberti’s signature dish of the week, his classic cast iron mac and cheese, or go raw bar and have some fresh oysters. Ruickoldt explained that he believes the community has taken a liking to Moby Dick’s because of the aesthetics, food and drinks, and the “home feel” the business gives off. Although Ruickoldt has been somewhat successful in the bar business so far, this is not his main interest or where his main income comes from. As a graduate of Merrimack College in 2008 Ruickoldt found himself in the insurance world. He started working at The Russell Agency in 2009 and in 2013 Ruickoldt was elected to West Haven’s city council as a representative of the second district. However, that term came to end but Ruickoldt still stays in touch with many of the other representatives. 

Interview

Q: What is your typical day like? 

Ruickoldt: “My primary living is in insurance. My real estate ventures and Moby Dick’s are side interests. So I have an ownership stake in it, but we have employees and managers that run day-to-day operations.”

Q: So you would say you are not there on scene front and center?

Ruickoldt: “Yes, exactly. My model is to find other really good people that can manage these things for me on a day-to-day basis and then just report up to me in various capacities.”

Q: What made you get into your extracurricular activities, like the city council position? 

Ruickoldt: “I got involved there because I had some issues that I wanted to work on so I decided to run for office to make those changes on that level. I really learned to love it and got more involved. Other opportunities opened up and I was able to serve in multiple different capacities.”

Q: What specific issues were you concerned about?

Ruickoldt: “The two major ones were economic development and how our beachfront was being handled and taken care of.”

Q: When talking to you about how the customers enjoyed the place, you used the term “home feel”. Where does the feeling come from?

Ruickoldt: “I believe the feeling mainly comes from the great staff that has become a close-knit community. We try and have our employees remember as many names as possible and I think that makes a huge difference in customer satisfaction.” 

Q: Can you tell me about the trivia night you recently started doing?

Ruickoldt:  “The trivia night idea was an attempt to try and bring in more business. We have it every Wednesday and have various topics ranging from 80s music, sports, and close to St. Patty’s Day we did an “All things Irish” edition as a fundraiser for the Greater New Haven St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee.”

Q: Is there anything else you did for St. Patrick’s Day?

Ruickoldt: “Yes actually we had a leprechaun hide bags of gold around the city with the hopes of the public going out and finding them and bringing them to Moby Dick’s on St. Patrick’s Day to win a prize. The people loved the idea. So many people saw the leprechaun and gave him compliments or wanted to take a picture with him. Doing events like these definitely add to the “home feel” we were talking about before.” 

Q: What have been the main obstacles you have faced when opening the bar?

Ruickoldt:  “It's always people right, in any business. I think the biggest hurdle is always finding the right people. The ones with the right skill sets. It’s finding the right people to bring together because ultimately it’s your people who are going to make or break your business. Dealing with permits, construction, delays, and cost increases due to covid are all other things you have to deal with but I think they are pretty manageable and just a part of the business.”

Q: What is a piece of advice you would give someone who is filling your shoes?

Ruickoldt: “People, Process, Product. We buy the best fish and shellfish that money can buy. We try to pay our people the most we can and still run a business and we are still looking to figure out the best process. That's another obstacle we've encountered is the process. Fine-tuning that process to one, be efficient, and control costs but to give our customers the best experience possible to make a safe environment for your employees.”

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West Haven's New Hot Spot in Town

If you ever catch yourself in West Haven, Ct wanting to enjoy a nice meal and have a drink head down to Moby Dick’s. No, not the book, the oyster bar & grill over at 588 Campbell Ave. It is a newer bar on the Campbell Ave strip opening on August 18, 2022. Even in the short time been open, they have been successful enough to win the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce’s “New Business of the Year” Award.

 Walking up to the entrance you will see the simple yet sharp black lettering spelling out Moby Dick’s and directly underneath in front of the two glass windows there are two tables for outside dining or just hanging out with the front door to the right. 

Once you enter the door you see their fun, artistic chalkboard menu listing all of their oysters including where they are from. Places range from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine,  and even Japan. They also have their draft beers along with any specials they may be serving at the time whether it be a cocktail or one of the chef's creations.  

By the time you sit down, either at a high chair at the copper bar with a thick wood lining that has been carved into by customers from times before and during Moby Dick’s, or a stool at one of the tables, you realize you are no longer on Campbell Ave but a ship. With portholes showing old paintings of massive ships sailing the seas, strong wooden beams going across the ceiling, and rustic rope trimming the walls you feel like you are in a bottom of a ship with your crewmates having a drink and a meal. 

Now the question is what do you have for that drink or meal, I am going to tell you all about Moby Dick’s menu starting with the iconic cast iron mac and cheese. With this dish, you can have three different ways to approach it. You can just get the mac and cheese or you can add bacon or lobster. I got the lobster and let me tell you I was not disappointed at all. They certainly do not skimp on the lobster. The mac and cheese was so creamy and crisp from the breadcrumbs.  

Although this meal is delicious it is very heavy and can be somewhat of a struggle to finish so keep that in mind if you are just there for some drinks with friends. I would say this dish is more of a dinner-time decision instead. 

Staying with lobster, the lobster sliders are to die for. You will be served a plate with three toasted brioche buns loaded with buttered up lobster pieces with a condiment cup filled with even more butter and oil for you to pour in at your discretion.

Not into lobster sliders? You have to try the fan-favorite meatball sliders. Still being served three brioche buns but instead of lobster, you have fat homemade meatballs with melted parmesan cheese on top of them. The sauce soaking into the bun is phenomenal and the meatball itself practically melts in your mouth. When I am on the clock working at Moby’s this is my go-to because it is quick and extremely tasteful. 

Moby Dick’s also has a variety of flatbreads you can choose from. Some are slab bacon, white clam, and shrimp scampi. Personally, I have never tried the slab bacon however I have heard many customers that they love it. The white clam flatbread was a special when I was home sometime during the school year so I was intrigued because I can get down with some white clam pizza. I thought it was great. The clams were browned but were still juicy and tasty when you bit into them. The bread caught my eye because of the crisped lines going across the pie. My favorite flatbread is the shrimp scampi flatbread. The shrimp is so flavorful in every bite and it is topped with tomato chunks and basil and fresh lemon. 

Now for the standpoint of Moby Dick’s. The raw bar. Getting daily deliveries of seafood you know it is fresh and you certainly can tell. They do shrimp cocktails with big and little neck shrimp. You’ll be given a nice display in a silver tray filled with tiny ice cubes, a cup of cocktail sauce with a dash of horse radish, and a piece of lemon with a cute tiny fork. And that is with all orders coming out of the raw bar. 

  I heard customers raving about all kinds of oysters. Blue Points, which they get from Connecticut, are the biggest oysters they carry and so they are super meaty. They have Wellfleets from Massachusetts and those are also on the bigger meatier side. One of the smallest oysters they offer is called the Kumamoto oyster and it is from Japan. I find that it is almost sweet to a point. If you want to get crazy you can do an oyster shot. It is in a Moby Dick’s shot glass with your choice of oyster and then Bloody Mary on top. 

This brings you to what a bar is truly all about, the alcohol. Of course, they have everyday items like Bud Lights, Budweiser, and simple mixed drinks like vodka sodas or rum and coke. The special drinks are what makes them stand apart. They have many drafts some being Whalers Rise APA, Sea Hag IPA, and the Baby Fuzzy Duck. I love the name of that last one and the others fit the theme perfectly. They also have Captain Campbell Collins as their John Collins which I thought was creative. 

One time I went there with my mom to get lunch and she ordered a peanut butter martini. When it came to the table I was in shock. It looked beautiful and like a dessert. It was peanut butter whiskey, Baileys, chocolate vodka, and creme, with crushed Reese's peanut butter cup rim. They used to have but I am not sure if they still do a pistachio martini. The drink was so bright green that it lit up the room. Not literally but you get the point. 

Around the holidays they put out specialty drinks for a limited time. For the wintertime, it was a winter bourbon punch that consisted of bourbon, fresh orange, cranberry, and simple. During February for Valentine's Day, you could have been drinking “Love Martinis” and for St. Patty’s Day it would have been the “Drunk Leprauchan.”

Overall Moby Dick’s is a great place to experience. It is a very unique small knit community bar and has very good vibes around it. The food is amazing, and the drinks are right along with the food. If you ever get the chance to go you shouldn't miss it.

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Building The Boat

It was springtime in the year 2022. It must’ve been early May or late April when my friend, Joe D’Aurio, called me after school one day to work for Rucks, better known as Nick Ruickoltd. We weren’t doing the regular yardwork or other small construction projects around his house as we had done before. Joe told me we were going to work at Ruck’s bar, and I just remember being like, what bar? I was very confused until we got there and saw Rucks and Evan Mink, another owner, and the permittee, on their knees with crowbars and hammers ripping up the flooring of what looked like an old run-down dump of a bar. 

After several long days of prying the wood paneling off the floor, bagging it up, and bringing it to the dump underneath revealed a layer of dark, musty green carpeting. This stuff was disgusting. When you finally peeled enough off, you could rip and pull to get a big piece of the carpet off, and when you did, you received a face full of dust, dirt, and whatever else had been on that floor for about 50 years. 

Fast forward about a week, and all the flooring was up. The floor was bare. It was just the baseboard. There was an issue right away which was not too surprising to me. The bottom of the bar was rotted in one area, and so were a couple of studs in the floor. Rucks, Joe, and I went to Home Depot to get the new pieces of wood. Once we got back, Joe and I unloaded the car while Rucks went inside to start removing the rotted wood with a hammer. After all the rot was gone, there was a huge hole behind the bar. The gap was roughly three feet long and went from the back wall to the bar. Joe took the Sawsaw and cut the 2x4s to the accurate measurements to newly support the floor. He then handed me the pieces so I could drill them into place. While doing all that, Rucks marked up the wood we were using for the baseboard and then tacked it into the pressure-treated studs. Since then, you can walk around without worrying about where you might step. 

The next few days, I didn’t do much besides clean up because Rucks had these two guys come in to do something to the floor. I couldn’t tell you what they were doing, but they had these two pretty big machines that had the similarities to resemble a snow blower and lawn mower mix. The two men were not around for long. They worked for two days, and that was it. I never saw them again. Rucks was happy with what they did, so I guess they knew what they were doing. 

After those guys, Rucks brought in Tony. Tony is rough around the edges but can joke around at times. Honestly, Joe and I would usually get so frustrated while working with Tony because he would make such a mess that could easily have been avoided, and Joe and I would get stuck having to clean it up after we finished helping him with the actual project. Overall we like him, and he knows what he is talking about. 

The first thing we did with Tony was tear down the kitchen area and bathroom. I vividly remember Rucks swinging a hammer at it and showing no progress, and then Tony walked in the back door after puffing a cigarette and had a whole wall down in what seemed like 15 seconds. With Tony, things did run quicker and more smoothly besides the mess afterwords or the number of screws and bits that were lost due to him just throwing everything everywhere. 

After the old walls were down completely, we started roughly framing the bathroom by using pieces of wood to see how big it would be. There is only one bathroom in Moby Dick’s, but it is pretty big. If you use the bathroom now, you will be reminded of a house bathroom. It is dark brown tile flooring with a single sink and toilet. There is a ledge with tissues, flowers, and other decor on top of it. I really like how the ledge turned out because it is mismatched with different pieces of wood with different colors. In my opinion, it looks neat and is creative yet simple. The bathroom stays clean too since they only have one bathroom the owners emphasized keeping it clean. 

As I may have perceived in the above paragraphs, the bathroom did not finish right away. There was a time when even I felt stressed, even though I have nothing to do with the outcome because Rucks could not find a plumber that could do the job in the time frame he wanted. I am pretty certain that it took a week of calling around to find someone. Rucks was even asking me if he thought my dad or uncle would be able to do it because they are plumbers. Ruck’s Dad finally found someone with the time and skill to do the job. I walked into the bar one day while the plumbers were working and I ended up knowing of the son because he goes to Platt Techincal Highschool in Milford, Ct. 

I liked doing the construction work because you get to see the progress day in and day out. Having a project that big also meant having something new every day or every couple of days. One day we would be polishing the portholes from the original Moby Dick’s that was there a long time ago after cutting into the walls for them to showcase the also original paintings of massive boats sailing the seas. The next day we would be fixing up the warped copper bar by using a mallet and this liquid spread that stiffened it and gave it a hard wax coating. 

Going back to the seeing the progress throughout the days, unfortunately, I was 

away at school for soccer preseason when they had their soft and grand opening, but I saw their success on Instagram and through family and friends. Over winter break I put in some shifts as a barback, and it was cool to see the place I contributed to in action and be a part of it on that side. In my short time working behind the bar, I made connections with many customers and employees. It truly provides a place to be a part of a community and enjoy yourself.