It’s too soon to say if this is the beginning of a retreat of bougie high-price restaurants in Kingston, but Brickmen Kitchen + Bar is going red-sauce retro next month. According to owner Dave Amato, on Oct. 8 the North Front Street eatery is changing its name to Brickmen Cucina + Bar and adopting a classic Italian-American menu.

“The rebrand formalizes a shift toward Italian-American cooking: real red sauce, fresh pasta and family recipes passed down through owner Dave Amato's family,” the restaurant stated in a press release. “The transition has come together with the support of Jess Mino, general manager of both Brickmen Cucina + Bar and The Cornell Restaurant + Bar and managing partner of Brickmen Cucina + Bar, who has been a key player in bringing this new chapter to life.”

According to the release, the restaurant “will serve Italian-American food made with real ingredients, priced for regulars, in a bar-forward setting built for any night of the week.”

When Stella’s closed earlier this year, it left an opening for the ever-popular “red sauce” style in the Stockade District. “Brickmen Cucina + Bar will take on that role with a menu designed to be approachable, true to the classics and neighborhood-friendly, the way Brickmen has always operated, now with a clearer culinary identity behind it,” the release stated. Amato, whose grandfather once worked in the city’s many brickyards, is keeping that part of the restaurants’ name.

“This isn't a new direction for us, it’s the direction we were always headed,” Amato, also owner of Downtown’s Cornell Restaurant + Bar, stated. “My grandfather built a life here with his hands, and this kitchen is where our family’s food gets to tell that story.”

Diners will be greeted by many new offerings, including:

A revived pasta program featuring seasonal sauces, including Bolognese, vodka, vongole, aglio e olio, and cacio e pepe
Red's Meatballs, named for Dave's father, Anthony "Red" Amato
A shareable antipasti and bar snacks menu, built for the table
Classic Italian-American dishes, made shareable for two
New lunch offerings, including classic Italian sandwiches
Amato family favorites, brought back from the restaurant’s earliest days
Tiramisu, cannoli, and Amato's original carrot cake recipe for dessert, alongside the return of frozen yogurt as a nod to the original menu