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September 15, 2021

Ward 9 restaurant blends old and new on State Street

Photo | Liese Klein Dennis Beaulieu at Ward 9, his new restaurant on State Street.
By Liese Klein

You can find wings, burgers and beer at the new Ward 9 restaurant on State Street — just don’t you dare throw peanut shells on the floor.

Peanut-shell tossing was a draw at J.P. Dempseys, the longtime East Rock dive bar that Ward 9 replaced after it closed for good in May. At Ward 9, new decor and a revamped menu cater to the neighborhood’s changing tastes.

“I want positive vibrations,” said owner Dennis Beaulieu, an ebullient native of South Boston. He’s looking for the kind of customers who will come in to talk physics or other weighty topics and inspire each other, he said. “They want to come in and they want to have an intelligent conversation.”

The restaurant is named for its location in New Haven’s Ward 9, which encompasses East Rock and part of Fair Haven. It’s also a nod to a bar in Boston called Ward 8, run by a friend of Beaulieu’s. 

Husband-and-wife team Beaulieu and Carmela Buono want to keep the best aspects of Dempsey’s at Ward 9 while sanding down the rougher edges. The pair revived Dempsey’s in 2018 but changed course after the pandemic highlighted the limitations of the dive bar concept in that location. 

Beaulieu does want to honor the legacy of Johnny Panza, Dempsey’s longtime proprietor who died in 2016. “A great guy, he did a great job,” Beaulieu said, adding that people still come by  with reminiscences of Panza. “People really liked him and liked what he did.”

But the later iterations of Dempsey’s after the founder’s death didn’t match the changes along State Street, including the opening of the upscale Corsair rental complex. Beaulieau said he got tired of cleaning up after rowdy patrons and seeing people cross the street to avoid the swearing and smoking that routinely happened out front. 

“This is not the neighborhood that Johnny Panza had when he was here,” he adds. 

Photo | Liese Klein
Ward 9's exterior on State Street.

The restaurant now closes at midnight and has added desserts and a more ambitious menu to appeal to East Rock’s growing clientele of upscale renters and professionals. The wooden floors have been replaced with tile and the centrally located bar is topped with granite. 

Beaulieu’s own graffiti art hangs on one wall and mirrored sculptures sit over the bar. “I wanted it to be my own unique place,” he said. He draws his decor inspiration from European bars and eclectic entertainment venues. 

Ward 9’s neighbors reflect the changing times as New Haven transforms from a hardscrabble college town to a mini-Brooklyn. Across the street is a wine bar and Provisions on State, New Haven’s first “whole animal butchery.” Tavern on State down the block a bit has been named a “giant of the state’s food scene” by Connecticut Magazine for its innovative seasonal cuisine. 

Only a month ago, Flynn’s Grocery opened next door to Ward 9 with upscale specialty food including fine cheeses and local produce. (You can find peanuts at Flynn’s but they’ll set you back $10 a can and come in flavors like dill pickle.)

Beaulieu wants to offer casual food in a cosmopolitan atmosphere to draw a cross section of East Rock residents. Food items range from “build a burger” at $14 with a variety of patties to his take on Dempsey’s famous Buffalo wings at $12 for seven. Soups, salads and desserts are also available.

“I’m in someplace that I want to be,” Beaulieu said of the menu and the new environs at Ward 9. “I need to build a legacy.”

Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com
 

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