FROM STAFF REPORTS

On a recent, spring-like day, downtown Hallowell finally emerged from its wintry cocoon. People strolled jacket-less down sunny Water Street; shop owners push-broomed winter sand and debris off brick sidewalks.

And, at the newly renovated Slates Restaurant, a big "OPEN" flag waved a brave hello in the breeze.

Yes, Slates was open.

Opening night was April 8, roughly one year and one month after a devastating fire closed the charismatic destination spot famed for its fresh-made, gourmet cuisine, eclectic live music and artsy funk.

"It was mobbed," said longtime kitchen staffer Amy Jones, of the approximately 400 loyal customers and locals who showed up to celebrate the restaurant's rebirth.

Now, Jones was back to her old job of preparing food, but this time, in a spiffy, new kitchen.

"I love it. It's much bigger and there's new equipment," she said of new stoves, slick work counters and refrigeration units. "I love the open kitchen. You can see the dining room. People can see us. We get to be part of it."

Jones' brightly colored paintings of hummingbirds and flowers decorated two dining room table tops. In fact, every table top has been painted by staff and local artists, including Marc Poirier of Hallowell and Augusta veterinarian Judith Herman. There was new furniture, but old- time customers will recognize familiar tables and chairs, saved from last year's fire.

Altogether, it's a clean slate at Slates.

The entire restaurant has been renovated, including two, brand-new wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, complete with a giant iguana painted on the ladies' room wall and a big blue gecko in the men's room.

Dining areas boast vibrant color schemes -- hot-pepper red in the main dining area and navel orange in the entry. In the reconfigured function room, walls are painted dandelion yellow, a bright contrast to vintage objects, like a freestanding, dark-toned cupboard and old gold, antique mirror frames, fortunately rescued from the fire.

New and improved

Hallowell resident Jessica Tysen has lived up the street from Slates since 1990. "Slates has always been special. They've kept the same ambiance, but it's new and improved. I'm so excited," she said.

Other customers applauded the new design.

"We love the open kitchen," said musician Ellen Gawler of Belgrade. "I love the new entrance. It's so welcoming."

"It's mind blowing," said her friend Peggy Connell of Winthrop, on a lunch break from her motivational services job in Augusta. "I love the ceiling, the brilliant colors and Wendy's paintings," she said of tour-de-force murals worked on at night, over a month's time, by restaurant owner and operator Wendy Larson.

Larson's whimsical bar mural, for instance, shows Hallowell's former mayor, the late Barry Timson, cozying up to a mermaid. In the main dining room, her mural of an earthy maiden picking grapes amid a swirl of colors, enlivens a corner. There's also her delightful, big fish painted in rainbow pastel hues on the clear divider that separates the kitchen from the public dining area.

"The art -- that's who we are. It's a wonderful side of Slates. The food is art, too. It uses the same energy," Larson said.

And art is everywhere, from the Ray Skofield watercolor hung by the coffee bar to local art work displayed on walls. Amazingly, the employee art show currently on exhibit consists of the same paintings carried out the day of the fire.

Crowd is back

"Two days -- that's all it took," said waiter and long-time Slates employee Richard Baker of Hallowell, of the crowd. For the occasion, he sported a short-sleeved green shirt festooned with leafy patterns, that perfectly fit the decor. Grinning from ear to ear, he was thrilled to be waiting again at the restaurant.

"It's not work. I love what I do. This is my first lunch," he said.

But it wasn't just the new design and friendly service that attracted 60-plus customers for lunch that day.

"The food is the best; I love the food," Gawler said.

"I came here for the chicken pot pie they're so famous for," said Diane Gilmour, staff assistant for governmental relations at the University of Maine System in Augusta, as she searched the menu.

"It has gone up -- but it's worth it," she said.

Overall, Slates visitors can expect prices to be about 10 percent higher, Larson said.

"It's because of inflation, and we are doing natural meat, chicken, beef and pork, which is more expensive. And, we use a lot of organic produce, such as greens," she said.

Breakfasts are not yet being served at Slates, but Larson expected that to change after her staff adjusted to the lunch and dinner regimen.

Newly hired bartender Celeste Ross of Hallowell, pointed out the "new" bar top, a weathered-looking, roughly 2 1/2 -foot-wide, thick, white-pine plank coated with urethane.

"It was taken out of an old barn in Bowdoinham," Ross said.

"Wendy aims to create a bar crowd -- a happy hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. We serve complementary appetizers after work, like homemade crusty French bread served with garlic herb and other dipping sauces," she said.

That day, three-story scaffolding was still raised on the restaurant's steam-cleaned brick exterior, as workers constructed upstairs offices. The ongoing work and absence of restaurant signs baffled some visitors looking for the restaurant's new entry, located at the right side of the building, a few steps off Water Street.

"Customers won't have to walk through the bar," said hostess Dottie Galley, explaining the side-door entrance.

Lynn Ascrizzi -- 621-5731

lascrizzi@centralmaine.com