Hollywood comes to Warwick and Harpoon Bay restaurant

WARWICK-Last Wednesday was not a typical day at the restaurant for Denis and Linda Viera, owners of Harpoon Bay seafood restaurant and raw bar on Route 94 near the Warwick/Vernon border. Instead of serving their regular customers, the Vieras served up lunch to some of Hollywood's best known stars. "It was very exciting for us," said Linda Viera, who had the pleasure of serving lunch to stars Rutger Hauer and Connie Nielsen. The Vieras, who have owned the restaurant for about three years, didn't have much notice to prepare for their guests. Linda Viera said they only found out the night before. What exactly brought the stars to Warwick? They were filming director Michael Almereyda's latest work, "Tonight At Noon." The shooting took place on Barrett Road in the hamlet of New Milford. When it came time to break for lunch, they chose Harpoon Bay. Not only did they eat there, they decided to use the location as their hair and makeup salon for the day. Warwick has seen several movie crews over the years, including for the movie "In and Out" about a decade ago. One of Michael Jackson's music videos was filmed locally as well. Hauer is a veteran of such films as Blade Runner, Batman Begins, Blind Justice and Sin City. He's been in movies for 45 years. Nielsen starred with Russell Crowe in Gladiator and Robin Williams in One Hour Photo. The Vieras' six-year-old daughter, Tiffany, enjoyed the day as well, playing hopscotch with Nielsen during her breaks. As for lunch, award-winning chef Denis Viera prepared a special seafood mousse in a braided zucchini basket, and for dessert, a special fresh fruit soufflé using locally grown fruits from the Rogowski farm.