The dining scene in Hamilton welcomed a new addition with the opening of Brine & Stave’s dine-in service on Jan. 24. The new establishment, a raw bar and seafood restaurant run by couple Alicia McGinnis and Josh White, brings a seafood experience to the heart of the village, combining high-quality ingredients with curated beverages.
For McGinnis and White, opening in Hamilton was a natural choice. McGinnis grew up in nearby Fabius, N.Y., about 45 minutes away, while White grew up in Cooperstown, N.Y.
“Hamilton just kind of made sense. It’s close,” McGinnis said.
McGinnis has roots in the area, having worked at the Colgate Inn and Rusch’s Bar and Grille. She added that her dad worked in Hamilton.
The restaurant’s commitment to quality begins with sourcing. A focus on fresh, non-processed and health-conscious options is imperative to the restaurant’s concept. Seafood is sourced weekly from Foley, a trusted Boston-based seafood supplier with whom White has worked for over a decade. For McGinnis and White, the emphasis on nourishing and nutritious food is deeply personal.
“We use them because we know the product, trust them,” McGinnis said. “They deliver to Albany, and we meet the truck in Albany and come back here. So we’re there once or twice a week.”
Despite having no formal culinary background, the duo has created a distinctive menu that changes with the seasons and available catch.
“Everything’s just kind of fresh and designed for the fish that we’re using,” McGinnis said.
The menu features items such as aguachile — a Mexican ceviche-style dish — tuna tartare and chowder, along with both a grab-and-go cooler and a separate dine-in menu. The grab-and-go cooler offers rolls, onigiri and seaweed salad — available for takeout and on DoorDash — and the separate kitchen menu includes raw bar staples like oysters. Looking ahead, they plan to source oysters from around the world.
“[White] is trying to get some oysters in from other countries as well — Scotland, Ireland,” McGinnis said.
White added that his aim is for Brine & Stave to distinguish itself by a unique selection of oyster types
“We’re looking into serving warm-water oysters that are not West Coast oysters,” White said. “We’re trying to find something that you can’t get anywhere else.”
McGinnis is particularly excited about the wine program, which continues to grow.
“When all is said and done, it’ll be about 28 bottles,” McGinnis said.
The list was developed with help from an industry expert, tasting through over 40 bottles to make the final selections.
While Brine & Stave currently offers wine, beer and cider, plans include a cocktail menu featuring sake, soju, vermouth and sherry. McGinnis has already been experimenting — she mentioned that she was playing around with a concept for a dirty martini that replaced vodka with soju.
Running the restaurant is truly a two-person operation.
“We do all the cleaning, we do all the cooking, we do all the beverage creation and bookkeeping. All of it,” McGinnis said.
Their hands-on approach to their restaurant reflects their love of the industry.
“I love what I do for a living, and I think that matters when it shows, and kind of what we’re presenting,” McGinnis said.
Despite the challenges, McGinnis wouldn’t change a thing.
“Restaurants are tough, you know? I’ve been in restaurants for over 20 years. So was [White]. We’re almost at 50 between us — I took a hiatus for a few years and did something else, and I couldn’t wait to get back into the restaurants,” she said.
The response from the community has been encouraging.
“We’ve had a nice start,” McGinnis said. “I feel like it’s a nice mix. We have students and locals. I think people are excited. It’s different. Hopefully, we’re living up to their expectations.”
Sophomore Esme Hudson described the restaurant’s interesting flavor mixes.
“They have quite the selection of refrigerated foods,” Hudson said. “We tried their salmon and avocado onigiri and their tuna and wasabi onigiri.”
Brine & Stave is also committed to supporting local art through rotating six-week installations, at no cost to featured artists.
“We don’t take any commission. Just trying to kind of support everybody,” White said.
White and McGinnis said that they are eager to extend this opportunity to Colgate students and the broader community. They are interested in collaborating with the Colgate Department of Art and even Hamilton Central School.
Over time, they expect the restaurant’s walls to fill with meaningful pieces and, as it does, to bring pieces of the community home with them.
“Eventually, it’ll probably be mostly full with permanent pieces,” McGinnis said. “We have the wall space, you know? I think some of it will even come home with us.”
