The Red Pine Cone restaurant opens in South Colton

Jun. 26—POTSDAM — South Colton has a new culinary attraction with the debut of the Red Pine Cone.

The restaurant officially opened on Tuesday after a "soft" opening last Friday and Saturday.

Owner Clinton M. Perrigo said that he and his wife, Catherine M. Perrigo, had their eyes on the dilapidated property, which used to be the Red Pine Pub, since 2017.

They lived right around the corner, and Ms. Perrigo would say "we gotta do something" with it. As for what, "We'll figure it out," Mr. Perrigo recalled her saying.

They purchased the property that year and began rehabilitating it in the spring of 2018. Given the abysmal state of the building, they decided it would be easier to raze it and begin anew.

They began construction on the new building in 2019, at which point they decided upon opening a pizza and ice cream joint.

"We had a goal of opening Summer 2020," Mr. Perrigo said. "But we all know how that turned out."

Construction had to stop during the pandemic, but their dream of opening the restaurant never dwindled. Mr. Perrigo said they didn't want to open with limited capacity and other COVID-19 restrictions, so they planned to open instead in Summer 2021.

This week that plan finally came to fruition.

The restaurant, within sleek new Adirondack architecture, still focuses on pizza and ice cream, but offers other standard American fare as well, including burgers, pulled pork sandwiches and boneless wings.

One of the best sellers so far, said Mr. Perrigo, is the maple-bourbon chicken, which can either come in a sandwich or on top of pizza.

Mr. Perrigo said that everything is made in-house, and nothing is store bought.

"We've tried to create an atmosphere here that's local and showcases our family's history," he said.

For example, upon the walls one can find a pair of skis that belonged to his great-grandparents' siblings. Also hanging on the wall is his mom's old toboggan sled.

The environment, he said, is designed for a family friendly experience. "We wanted something our kids would enjoy as well as adults."

This something-for-everyone attitude extends past the atmosphere into the cuisine. There are vegetarian options such as salads or the Red Pine Beyond Burger, and gluten free options as well. There is even a kids' menu, replete with classics like mac & cheese, hot dogs and chicken tenders.

"Ideally," said Mr. Perrigo, "the menu and hours will be expanding to include breakfast sometime in July."

"All we ask is for people to be patient while we work out all our kinks, which includes training a new staff," he said.

Right now the Red Pine Cone is open 7 days a week from noon to 8 p.m., and can be found at 3906 State Highway 56, South Colton.