12 Knots restaurant sails into town

For sailors, the ideal conditions on the water aren't perfectly calm days or gusty windstorms. Instead, they need balance. Enough wind to propel the boat, but not so much that it becomes dangerous. 

For Michael Dearing, that sweet spot is 12 knots. The wind speed, equal to just under 14 mph, inspired the name of Dearing's new Wareham restaurant: 12 Knots Classic American Grille.

"The beauty of 12 knots is every boater has the ideal condition," Dearing said, adding that he wants 12 Knots to represent the best possible dining experience conditions. 

12 Knots Classic American Grille occupies the old Towne Tavern and Tap in East Wareham, the building previously owned by Lindsey's Family Restaurant.

Dearing said that the 12 Knots restaurant has a scratch kitchen and will include menu items like prime rib, steak tips and seafood, which is the "focal point" of the menu. And this isn't Dearing's first restaurant venture. He owns Fireside Grille in Middleboro and plans to bring some of the restaurant's favorites, like its buttermilk chicken, to 12 Knots.

Opening a restaurant in Wareham is a bit of a homecoming for Dearing. He said he grew up at the border where Middleboro, Rochester and Wareham meet. 

"I actually went to school in Middleboro, but I had a 295 phone number growing up and went to church and played youth sports in Wareham," Dearing said. 

On Tuesday, July 7, the Wareham Select Board unanimously approved a jukebox and entertainment license for the restaurant. 

"I really feel like I'm kind of coming back home," Dearing said. "The fact that we can now be the stewards of this property is really a wonderful thing."

Select Board members thanked Dearing for choosing Wareham for his business. 

"Welcome to Wareham," Select Board member Judith Whiteside said. 

Dearing said the restaurant is now open after its soft opening on Tuesday, July 7 and will have a formal grand opening ceremony sometime after Labor Day.