Shortly after floodwaters deluged Old Ellicott City in 2018, Dave Carney was set to sign a lease on a music venue and restaurant down the hill from his shop, The Wine Bin. He did not sign the lease, he said, but has itched ever since to open something else along Main Street.

That day has finally come.

Carney and Washington, D.C., chef Rachel Bindel soon plan to open Vesper at Pike & Main, a cocktail bar and restaurant, at the former site of Pure Wine. Unlike Carney’s first business, though, Vesper will not be limited to wine.

“I didn’t want it to be a wine bar — I didn’t want to be pigeonholed,” Carney said. The new spot “is all about fabulous food, wine and cocktails.”

Vesper at Pike & Main is slated to open in mid-June. The restaurant will be open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, with an earlier opening on Sunday with brunch specials.

The first time Carney stepped into the building at 8210 Main St. in the historic part of Ellicott City, he knew it was the spot he was looking for.

The layout allows for roughly 72 seats divided among the downstairs bar area, the more intimate and quiet dining space and an outdoor patio. Reservations will be accepted for the dining area, with the largest party being four. Patio and bar seating is first-come, first-served. The top portion of the patio will have no seating; rather, guests can order a drink and sip on it while they wait for a table.

“We want the space to feel a little bit like a New York City restaurant,” Bindel said. “We can do a lot with what we have.”

Carney wants this new spot to introduce even more people to Old Ellicott City. Since the 2018 flood, Carney said, Main Street has been down on restaurants.

“We need to bring more people to town,” Carney said. “I want a space that doesn’t feel like you’re sitting in the suburbs of Howard County. I want people to feel like you’re sitting in the city.”

Bindel is a Howard County native, but her culinary career has always been in Washington, D.C. Patrons would drive in from the suburbs to enjoy a weekend meal out but wouldn’t have anywhere to go during the week locally. She’s hoping Vesper will change that.

The duo hope that Vesper will be both a weekend, date-night spot as well as a regular place that folks will pop into during the week. Bindel said the menu is crafted with enough variety that it won’t feel stale to weekly diners.

Speaking of the menu, Carney said Bindel’s concept is “phenomenal.”

Bindel, who is French-trained, said the menu is driven by French techniques, including a mix of small and larger plates for dinner. Menu shifts will happen every few weeks, Bindel said.

A sample spring menu includes crispy pork belly, Maryland blue crab, wagyu skirt steak and choux au craquelin.

Given the restaurant’s small space, there’s no walk-in refrigerator, but Bindel isn’t worried. She prefers to cook with fresh ingredients daily. Having food brought in daily will naturally allow for menu tweaks and variety.

And of course, the pair is working on the drinks menu.

The restaurant draws its name from James Bond’s signature drink, the Vesper Martini, introduced in the 1953 novel “Casino Royale.” Vesper’s drink offerings will include classic cocktails, “seasonal riffs on classic cocktails,” mocktails and of course, wine. Guests can either enjoy nearly a dozen wines by the glass or peruse the wine list for a bottle.

Said Bindel, “A perfect martini is a perfect martini, and we want to do that with everything.”