The Remington House

The house at 3376, for many years the property of Landing A., Inc., and later of Paul Lancia and Frank DePetrillo, is currently owned by Michael and Patrick Berek. The handsome old building is now the Remington House, one of Warwick’s finest restaurants.

The house was once owned by Henry Remington, a Revolutionary War soldier and the son of a well-known sea captain, Thomas Remington. Henry purchased the land from Thomas Arnold, one of the area's largest landholders, and built this house in 1801. Remington was a judge of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1801-1808 and one of Apponaug's most influential residents.

December-May marriage

In 1828, when Judge Remington, age 65. married his second wife, Lucy Ann Arnold, thirty-nine years his junior, he gave Apponaug one of its most celebrated December-May marriages. Much to the surprise of many of the village gossips, the marriage thrived and Lucy and the Judge spent many happy years together. When Henry died in 1841, he left the property to his three daughters, the oldest being only 12 years of age at the time.

Biff's Cafe

The two-and-a-half story, gable-roofed dwelling was remodeled during the Victorian era, with a large bow window on the south side. Until 1997, the fine old structure had been uninhabited and used as a storehouse for the building at the rear. This long, low building was once the notorious Biff's Cafe, a favorite haunt of Warwick's quahoggers and rough and tumble seamen. During the first half of the twentieth century, the cafй was noted as Apponaug’s “trouble spot” and Saturday night almost always saw the Warwick police force called to the tavern to quell fights and arguments. One time police chief Forrest Sprague noted that all communities have the equivalent of Biff’s Cafй, “…but in Warwick we are fortunate as it is close to the police station….”

The Remington House Restaurant

Eventually, Biff's Cafe became the Boathouse Tavern and brought a new restaurant to the area. Since then, the Berek brothers have entered the scene. At first, they rented the restaurant, changing its name to the Remington House, and in 2002, they purchased the establishment. The young men have been working in the restaurant business for a number of years and have brought a special expertise to Apponaug. The restaurant, open everyday from four to ten p.m, specializes in American and Italian food. Both Michael and Patrick are well versed in the trade and feel this restaurant is a “dream come true.” Patrick emphasized that while they had great hopes, “We hadn’t believed the restaurant would be so great.” Many of the finest features of the old house have been preserved and now the Remington House has been renovated and transformed into a beautiful Apponaug showplace. The preservation of the past and the practicality of the present have been admirably brought together.