The Phantom Comes to Wayland’s Dudley Chateau

A phone call from the Phantom Gourmet is probably the only time you’ll say, “Sure, come on over” when a “ghost” wants to visit.

Husband and wife Kenny and Mandy Phillips got that phone call about two weeks ago and without hesitation opened the doors of their restaurant, , to the Phantom Gourmet camera crew.

On Wednesday afternoon, the telltale purple car joined several other cars in the parking lot adjacent to Dudley Pond, and a camera crew set up shop in a low-ceilinged downstairs room of the rough-hewn wooden restaurant.

The Dudley Chateau, or the ‘Chat as it’s affectionately known, is the kind of place you only find if you’re looking for it. Set on the banks of Dudley Pond, the quaintly ramshackle yellow building has taken turns as a fishing shack, a speakeasy, a bar and a restaurant during its who-knows-how-long history.

When the Phillips purchased the ‘Chat about two-and-a-half years ago, its one-time reputation for serving stellar food was a distant memory, but the Phillips saw potential.

“I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for places like the ‘Chat,” Kenny Phillips said. “It’s really just your local neighborhood gathering place.”

Most patrons at that point stopped by for a beer and perhaps some mediocre bar grub, but no one really came for the cuisine.

The Phillips changed all that, beginning with shutting down the establishment in January 2009 only to reopen it with a new kitchen manager, a new menu and even a couple of signature dishes.

Mandy Phillips admits that at least part of the motivation to create a menu was to comply with Wayland laws, but now the food is as much a part of The Dudley Chateau as the beer and the friends.

The menu is filled with traditional-with-a-twist bar and grill fare. There are no ovens at Dudley Chateau, just a grill and fryer, but with the endorsement of the Phantom Gourmet, who needs an oven anyway?

Dave Andelman, founder of Phantom Gourmet, showed up at The Dudley Chateau for a meal a couple of months ago. Mandy Phillips remembers thinking he looked strangely familiar and asking her longtime bartender Liz Luthin whether he was an undercover cop.

Luthin, however, recognized Andelman. She even remembers that he ordered the steak and cheese spring rolls. When his brother Danny Andelman showed up a week or two later, Luthin said he ate a “ton of wings” and a burger.

Apparently, the food left an impression, because Phantom Gourmet segment producer Deb Hurley and cameraman Sean Finley brought the purple PhantoMobile to Wayland.

“I think it’s dynamite,” Kenny Phillips said of the Phantom Gourmet exposing his neighborhood hangout. “It’s a nice recognition to have the Phantom choose to take their valuable time to come here.

“It validates what everyone has been telling you.”

The Phantom Gourmet crew spent several hours at the ‘Chat interviewing the owners and filming the restaurant. While the crew, Mandy Phillips and Kenny Phillips talked about the “unhinge-your-jaw” 10-ounce Angus burgers, the after-work crowd gathered upstairs at the boat-shaped bar carried on as though it was just another Wednesday afternoon.

It’s just the kind of atmosphere Kenny Phillips hopes to maintain at the ‘Chat. Years from now he hopes to see, “really just more of the same.”

“I want to see newcomers and future generations of people being able to enjoy what people have enjoyed for years.”

Mandy Phillips added that part of what makes The Dudley Chateau special is the diversity of people who sit at its tables and bar.

“I love the fact that we have our families coming in, you have your after-work crowd and, later at night, we get the younger crowd in here,” she said. “As long as my kitchen is open, everyone is welcome.”

When the kitchen closes, the ‘Chat becomes an adults-only hangout. But the grill is cooking until 10 p.m. and the fryer until 11 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and both close an hour earlier Sunday through Tuesday. That means kids are welcome the majority of the time.

No definite airdate has been announced for The Dudley Chateau’s Phantom Gourmet episode, but it will most likely be in May. Often the Phantom Gourmet page on Facebook will tease the episodes the week before they air.