![Janice Samuel, left, and Lorine Watkins, right, enjoy their lunch at the Fairfield Cove. "It is good food at a good value," Watkins said.](http://matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/public/sites/469/assets/Protopapadakis_anchors_Fairfield_Cove2_1362166846.jpg "Janice Samuel, left, and Lorine Watkins, right, enjoy their lunch at the Fairfield Cove. "It is good food at a good value," Watkins said.")
WINNSBORO — People looking for a lunchtime, afternoon or dinner time hangout in Winnsboro have a new place to tie their anchor, the Fairfield Cove.
Located at 1418 U.S. 321 South, the establishment has retained much of the favorite menu items from when the restaurant was the Captain’s Galley. Owner Evangelos “Van” Protopapadakis, said he is here to serve the public and he wants to be sure and have their favorite foods on his menu.
A native of Crete, Greece, Protopapadakis comes from a family of restaurateurs and said he learned a great deal of his culinary interests while at his mother’s knee in Greece.
“The Greek islands are famous for their seafood,” he said.
That familiarity with seafood made a seafood establishment a natural fit for him. He plans to begin serving some Greek food items in the near future.
The Fairfield Cove exists because of the public. The customers at his Chester restaurant often came up from Winnsboro and it was a steady enough stream of them that he considered the market ripe for a restaurant. He listened to them as they told him how this area once had a seafood restaurant and that they missed eating there.
“When I saw the location (in Winnsboro), I decided to open up here. The name Fairfield Cove was chosen out of respect for the town and the people who live and work here,” he said.
The community welcomed him with open arms and he is especially thankful for the Chamber of Commerce’s assistance, particularly president Terry Vickers.
The Fairfield Cove serves lunch on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Sunday lunch begins at 10 a.m. while the Thursday and Friday lunches are served starting at 11 a.m. The restaurant closes at 10 p.m. Friday nights and at 9 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays. It also is open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and is open on Saturdays from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m.
He has plans to expand and add a lounge area once he gets a liquor license, but his aim for his restaurant is that it remain family-friendly and serve a clean cut clientele.
An astute businessman, Protopapadakis is targeting a variety of niche markets as he seeks to serve the community. There is a senior citizen’s menu. Special pricing is available from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the afternoons, so he hopes his restaurant can become a hangout for students from the local high schools.
Protopapadakis consulted others in the community including hospital officials and professionals to see what they were looking for in a restaurant. He has healthy fare such as specialty salads and broiled tilapia, Canadian Flounder and chicken breast. He is particularly proud of the marinated grilled chicken salad.
He offers a variety of desserts like cheesecake, key lime pie, custard pie, chocolate pie and assorted cakes to go along with coffee. Popular appetizers include wings and chicken tenders.
“We are serving surf and turf, too,” Protopapadakis said, adding he is proud of the establishment’s steaks.
Though the restaurant business can be very competitive, he said he wants to see all the establishments succeed in this area.
“We want to see business do good for the good of the city,” he said.
Most of his employees are from Winnsboro, as well. That means a lot to him because he wants people locally to have opportunities.
The lunch menu includes flounder, popcorn shrimp, tilapia, chicken tenders, hamburger steak, pork chops and sandwiches including a BLT, cheeseburger, fish sandwich meatloaf sandwich, country fried steak sandwich, chicken sandwich, wraps and pastas, chicken and cheese quesadillas.
Side items include sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries, onion rings, green beans, loaded baked potatoes, fried squash, fried okra and hush puppies. Chicken salad and tuna salad cold plates help round out the lunch time menu.
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