A “Little Martini Shack by the Sea”

by Charlie Beckerman

The chefs and co-owners of Floyd & Connie’s, Nicholas Dorgan and Stephanie Butler, have a very specific vision for their new restaurant. “We’ve been thinking of it as Contemporary Retro, or Americana with a twist,” Nick says. “It’s things that you’re already familiar with, and done in a way that takes you to that comfortable place, but it’s also done better at the same time.”

“We want to have things that everyone will recognize,” adds Stephanie. “For instance, we wanted to do a pan-roasted chicken dish, but tried to think of what we could do to make it different. We turned it into a play on sausage and peppers, so the chicken has hot Italian sausage seasoning on it, and it’s over a bread salad with peppers and onions, with chicken au jus over the top. It’s just like a sausage and peppers sandwich, but with chicken and as a dinner.”

“You have all the elements of something you know, but it’s twisted in a different way,” she explains.

Stephanie and Nick have been working on the Floyd and Connie’s concept since 2022. It’s named after Nick’s grandparents, who were Christmas Tree farmers from upstate New York. “We liked the sound of the names together, and we’re a mom and pop shop,” says Stephanie. “It’s evocative of a different era, and we want the restaurant and the food to be evocative of a different era.”

After meeting at the French Culinary Institute in New York, the couple moved to the Bay Area, where they worked in some of Northern California’s most respected restaurants, including Delfina and 20th Century Café. But to pursue their own restaurant dreams, they set their sights on Fort Bragg. “City life was getting a little hectic and manic, and we realized that maybe it wasn’t the best place for our concept and style,” Nick says.

“You get into the restaurant business for the love of the game, and the love of hospitality,” says Stephanie. “We want to see our customers and be in the room with them.”

There were earlier iterations of Floyd & Connie’s as a pop-up restaurant in 2022. In contrast to the perceived cut-throat nature of the competitive restaurant scene, Café Beaujolais collaborated with Floyd & Connie’s by allowing the use of their dining space on the two days they were typically closed. Stephanie and Nick performed a weekly transition, hanging their own artwork, changing tablecloths, and bringing in dishware to reflect their vision.

Chef Julian Lopez, of Café Beaujolais, has described how Mendocino Village was defined by the generation that came up in the 70s when he first moved to the area. He has been excited to see a younger group of energetic chefs creating their own vision. Innovative collaborations like the Floyd & Connie’s pop-up help launch new businesses. Nick and Stephanie took many lessons from these early ventures when crafting their own restaurant.

The new permanent location in Noyo Harbor has the chefs pretty excited. “We knew we wanted to be in Fort Bragg, and we had looked at a lot of other spaces that weren’t quite right,” says Stephanie. “Immediately when we saw this dining room, it said ‘mid-century supper club’ to us. I knew what it was going to be right away.” Nick adds, “It’s kind of in a hidden spot. You need to know that it’s there, but that makes us like it even more.”

“The deck is what sold us on it,” notes Stephanie. “Lunch is going to be outside, and it’s the nicest spot in the harbor, with the seals and the view of the bridge. We don’t want people to think of it as just a dinner spot, it can also be a ‘let’s head down to the harbor and have a snack and watch the sunset’ spot.”

The chefs see Floyd and Connie’s as bringing some fresh ideas to Fort Bragg’s food scene. “I tell people all the time that all our friends up here are cool and creative people, and we want to be a part of that,” Nick says. “They’re chefs and bakers and photographers and artists ... we see Floyd and Connie’s both being a part of that, and creating a space for this vibrant community.

”As far as what diners can expect, Stephanie says, “We want people to be transported. Yes, there will be great service, great cocktails, creative food, but also, we want people to step into the dining room and think, ‘Oh, I’m in Fort Bragg from fifty years ago, but also, I could be in New York, or a seaside restaurant in Maine.’”

“Whether it’s friends or first-time diners, we’re excited to welcome the community into our space and our vision,” says Nick. “We want everyone to come, feel transported, and have a couple martinis. We call it ‘our little martini shack by the sea.’”

Floyd & Connie’s opens in June at 32150 N Harbor Drive, Fort Bragg. Head to floydandconnies.com for more information and to make reservations.

Charlie Beckerman grew up in the Bay Area and now lives in Cincinnati, where he is a PhD Candidate in Fiction at the University of Cincinnati. You can find more of his work at www.charliebeckerman.com.

photos courtesy by Nik Zvolensky