Once the County Line Inn, plans are to open Tusk this spring
By: Katie Wagner
MONTGOMERY A building that has seen several restaurants come and go over the years is undergoing major renovations in preparation for the spring opening of a modern-styled American cuisine restaurant and bar with catering facilities.
What remains of the structure located on Route 206 north of Orchard Road "is all going to be completely different," said John Cheng, the building’s newest owner.
Since the mid-1940’s, the site has seen at least 10 different owners. Most recently it was Catania’s. For many years it was known as the County Line Inn. It has even been a sandwich shop.
"It seems that everybody I’ve talked to in the area has been to a party here at one point or another and we’re going to continue that," said Ashley Ziemann, the project manager.
Prior to demolition of about half the structure, the building was 19,260 square feet and Mr. Cheng said the new structure will remain in the original footprint.
He said he hopes all debris from demolition work will be cleaned up within the next two weeks and that by January the exterior of the building will be complete.
The restaurant is scheduled to open in May.
"The property caught my eye because of the location and the size of it," Mr. Cheng said. "There’s really no other facility like this around here, other than the hotels on Route 1."
The building has been vacant for the past four years and was purchased by Mr. Cheng three years ago. His site plan was approved by the township Planning Board in July 2005, but work on the building only began this month.
The newer part of the building’s triangular roof will be flattened out and the faux brick, which lines the interior walls, will be removed. The wall of the building facing the street, which includes several windows, will be converted into an all-glass wall.
The portion of the building recently demolished, located on the northern side of the property, will be rebuilt with higher ceilings.
"The ceilings of the old part were too low," he said. "When I looked at this place, I knew the only way to make it work was to put some money into it."
The existing part of the building will serve as the dining area of the restaurant, which will be called Tusk. The majority of this section will include several tables surrounding a large Buddha statue. A small room in the southwest corner will be converted into a private dining room. To keep the private room private, Mr. Cheng said, a special kind of glass will be used on its wall shared with the dining room that will prevent other diners from being able to see in.
Directly below the dining room will be a revamped catering space that Mr. Cheng expects to be used by big local businesses for luncheons and other events.
The other, larger catering facility will occupy part of the portion of the building to be reconstructed. Between the catering facility and main dining area, beginning on the north side of the main dining area’s north wall, will be a restaurant and lounge.
An expansion of the patio, attached to the south side of the existing structure, will be the final stage of the project. Already, sufficient space for some outdoor seating is available, but Ms. Ziemann said a lower patio will be built to accommodate about twice as many customers as the upper patio.
Jimmy Vastardis, who will be general manager of the entire facility, said the idea is to offer something for everyone.
"We want to be able to accommodate families at affordable prices and make it a place where you can have fun," Mr. Vastardis said. "If you want to have a great dessert and a cappuccino, you can do that. If you’d like to have a cocktail and something light to eat, you can do those things, too. You don’t have to come here for just one item."
The restaurant will offer American food with European, Asian and Mediterranean flares. A variety of seafood, steaks and homemade pastas will be included and sushi will be served in a separate area of the restaurant. From the bar, Mr. Cheng added, "out of this world" martinis will be offered.
On weekend evenings, Mr. Cheng said, he plans on bringing in some light entertainment, but promised not to transform the establishment into anything like a nightclub.
Mr. Vastardis and Ms. Ziemann, who will be running the restaurant, have several years of experience in the restaurant business.
Ms. Ziemann said she has worked in the industry for about eight years.
Mr. Vastardis owns the Blue Water Seafood Company, a restaurant in East Brunswick. He has been in the restaurant business for the past 25 years and has specifically worked in the seafood restaurant industry for the past 16 years.

