Maidstone 1845 in Woodbury closes after failed reboot

After a tumultuous two months during which the restaurant shuttered for a reboot and reopened briefly with a new chef, Maidstone 1845 in Woodbury has closed permanently. Managing partner Simone Mitchell said that “we had no revenue coming in while temporarily closed, and additional lease requirements forced our hand."

The Maidstone 1845 opened in April, 2022 with a menu that chef Lewis Vargas described as “farm-to-table-inspired New American cooking.” A chic, well-appointed eatery tucked away in the Woodbury Town Plaza on Jericho Turnpike, it split the difference between weekday approachability and weekend pizzazz.

In June, Vargas and the owners parted ways. Alan Gotay, whose Cuban-Mediterranean restaurant Babalu in Huntington had closed in June after a six-year run, was hired to design a new menu. The Maidstone 1845 reopened July 14 with a new, Caribbean attitude: Crab-and-chorizo cakes with jerk seasoning, an empanada flight, jerk-seasoned blackened pork tenderloin.

A week later, however, Mitchell and her partners realized that “the odds were already stacked against us” and they made the decision to dissolve the business. "It is a sad day for me and my partners,” she said.