Wilmot's Dream Come True Turns One

Ridgefield varsity baseball coach Tony Wilmot was a friendly but imposing figure as he sat at the bar—his bar—at Bar & Grille on 7 the other night.

All six foot three of him was monitoring the goings on while chatting with the regulars. 

"I always wanted to open a sports bar," the lifelong Ridgefielder said. And, now that baseball season is over, he actually has time to spend in the joint, which turned one this past week.

On the bar's birthday, Ridgefielder Hugh Stangeland, who plays right tackle for Michigan State, was back from school grabbing burgers with friends at a side table. At another table, a dad sat quietly awaiting his food while his young son played a game on his iPhone. Local golf pro Andy Inman was enjoying a relaxing meal with his wife.

Wilmot sighed and smiled as patrons came up and congratulated him on being open for a full year, tired after a long day but still enthusiastic about what he'd built.

"My place is styled so that both the suit-and-tie crowd and overall crowd can feel comfortable," he said. He hired a chef away from Silver Spring Country Club, he said—thus Bar & Grille's signature lobster sliders—but the kitchen can also make a tasty plate of Buffalo wings.

The bar's regulars also enjoy a console trivia game hooked into one of the many large flat-screen televisions behind the bar. Anyone sitting at the bar can join in the game. They also keep coming back for the personal touches: the TVs are tuned into specific games upon request, there's a private party room and the bar offers live music or karaoke on Thursdays and Saturdays.

"Really, I think there are no places in town for people to have a fun night out, except here," Wilmot said. He said that he plans to keep emphasizing the personal touch as the the business continues.

"I have no big plans for any major changes." he said. "I just keep adapting."