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Grand Opening at The Speckled Trout Restaurant & Bottle Shop Receives Warm Welcome

Ribbon cutting ceremony at The Speckled Trout yesterday/Photo by Ken Ketchie

By Bailey Faulkner

The wait is over! The Speckled Trout Restaurant & Bottle Shop opened its doors yesterday after months of major renovations and rebranding. Breaking with the past to now house both a restaurant and bottle shop, The Speckled Trout is moving forward with new leadership from brothers William and Eric Brinker and their wives Erica and Emily along with General Manager and “lover of liquids” Foster Ramsey and “all-star” chef Scott Smith.

Lifelong friends with former Speckled Trout owner and founder David Bartlett, the Brinkers have rebranded the famous restaurant on the corner of Main Street in Blowing Rock to focus on regional Appalachian food and craft beers, wines and spirits.

In addition to the new house-prepared and regionally-sourced menu, The Speckled Trout is excited to have bottle shop curator Foster Ramsey, also the restaurant’s front-of-the-house manager and lifelong friend of the Brinkers, and his extensive background in food, beverage and design to enhance guests’ experience at restaurant.

Blowing Rock extended The Speckled Trout a warm welcome to say the least.

The Brinker family/Photo by Ken Ketchie

“We held soft openings last week, but we did more volume last night. We probably had around 100 people out here and it was a Monday night,” Eric said. “Some people have already eaten here twice and we’ve only really been open for two meals.”

If you haven’t seen The Speckled Trout undergoing renovations in the past months and want to learn more about what’s new, check out our April “What’s Going On” business spotlight on the completely-renovated staple of Blowing Rock’s Main Street here.

If you haven’t eaten at The Speckled Trout since its previous ownership, you truly don’t know what you are missing. Along with renovations of the building, the restaurant’s updated menu of regional food and drinks is unparalleled.

“The food and drink selection are second to none,” Eric said.

You can check out the restaurant’s updated menu here.

For more information on The Speckled Trout Restaurant & Bottle Shop, visit the restaurant’s website or call (828) 295-9819.

Check out these pictures from yesterday’s grand opening.