Pizzeria Molto in Fairfield is Molto Bene
Deanna Foster
Deciding where to go for lunch has always been a highly situational dilemma for me. The right place can depend on my mood, the purpose – are we going just for fun or is there work to be done, the number of people involved and the occasion, if any. Too often, my stable of choices has seemed just one horse short of a winner. Recently, however, I had two excellent lunches at Pizzeria Molto in Fairfield, one for work and one for pleasure; the food and the atmosphere were just right on both occasions.
Molto occupies a large, corner space in the Brick Walk Promenade and despite its size it is immediately warm and inviting. The front of the room holds an assortment of tables with café chairs; then leads to an expansive space lined by a row of booths on one side and a lengthy bar with red leather studded bar stools on the other. The vibe is reminiscent of a French Brasserie, where you’d be greeted with a hearty “Bonjour”, but the menu and the food definitely shout “Mangia”.
While the name is Pizzeria Molto, this is a restaurant that will work for many occasions and dining moods. The menu is broad, offering tapas, panini, salads, two types of pizza and entrees. Molto also has a mozzarella bar with four types of mozzarella: Bufala, Wisconsin, Burrata and Affumicata, and three antipasto plates: salami, cheese and vegetable. The possibilities for mixing and matching among all the offerings seem endless. Within each menu category, including Salads, the selections have been thoughtfully chosen to satisfy everyone from meat eaters to vegetarians. Panini, for example included Mozzarella, Grilled Verdure, Pollo, Bistecca, Veal Parmigian and a Kobe Bar Burger; entrees included chicken, veal, lamb, salmon and shrimp dishes.
We started our lunch with a salad of white beans with crispy pancetta. It was dressed with lightly salted olive oil and just the right amount of red pepper flakes that added an occasionally pleasing spark to the palate. The Calamari Salad is presented in thin strips of calamari rather than rings, which is a nice change in form, and served with white beans, garlic and tomatoes. The calamari was tender and all the elements worked well together. We deemed the dish “absolutely delicious” and we each eyed the last strip trying to be somewhat polite in determining who would stab it first.
Pizzas can be ordered in two styles: 12” Brick Oven or 14” New York Style. When we inquired about the difference, we learned the NY Style Pizza is a traditional, round pizza with sauce ladled first on the dough, then topped with cheese, etc. and baked in a regular oven. The Brick Oven Pizza is, of course, baked in a brick oven, shaped in a rounded rectangle, and to keep the crust crispy, the cheese is laid down first to prevent the sauce from making direct contact with the dough. Based on our very crispy spinach and eggplant pizza, the recipe is a success. The vegetables were bright and tender, and the cheese incredibly fresh and delicious.
On another visit, my Salmon Salad was excellent, perfectly dressed with just the right amount of salmon for a lunch serving. One friend raved about the Fried Artichokes and another had a hard time conversing in between bites of his Linguini Carbonara. While I can’t comment on the taste of the Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage, it looked so good when it was brought to a neighboring table that it sparked a lengthy conversation about the appropriateness of asking complete strangers for a taste of their food.
Another surprising change in form came with dessert. The Molto Cannoli Dip is a deconstructed cannoli that solves all the problems I usually associate with sinking my teeth into a pastry cylinder full of sweetened crème: the pastry falls apart, there’s too much filling, and the powdered sugar residue lingers. This cannoli is served with the pastry already broken into pieces and drizzled with a touch of chocolate, surrounding a small pot of the crème filling. So, in the manner of chips and dip, you use the pastry to scoop the exact amount of filling desired. In keeping with Molto’s something for everyone thoughtfulness, this dessert allowed a table of women to enjoy just as much of this sweet ending as each wanted without all the plate passing and fork stabbing that usually accompanies dessert sharing.
Pizzeria Molto Winebar does not take reservations for lunch or dinner. I did not have a problem getting a seat at noon, but by 1:00, the restaurant was hopping. Dinner reports from some CTBites readers have noted long evening waits and less than stellar service. While this was certainly not my lunch experience, it may help to arrive before 8 pm until the restaurant finds an evening service groove to match its more positive noon-time performance.
Pizzeria Molto Wine Bar 1215 Post Road Fairfield. 203.292.8288
Reader Comments (7)
your write-up was right-on. We loved the pizzas and the salads. It would be nice if they would expand the wine list.
Loved the food - especially the extreemly fresh sauce that brings the pizza to life - service was close to the worst i have ever had! hopefully that will shake out!
My recent experience at Molto was anything but excellent. I was there for lunch with my wife and sons and it took almost an hour to get our food. Our waitperson was apologetic, but given the fact that the place was less than half full when we arrived there should not have been any delay. When we asked to speak with the manager he chose not to come over to our table when he saw our food finally arrive. The two pizzas were just OK, the Kobe burger was a bit small, my linguine seafood dish was fairly good. Next time bring a bowl for the discarded shells though. Also we all thought it rather odd that a place with a cheese bar would place a shaker of dried Parmesan cheese on the table instead of offering fresh. Overall a disappointing lunch.
We stopped for lunch here last Saturday at 1pm. The place was half full. Since it was cold outside we did not want to sit in the front, by the windows. When we requested something else, you would have thought that we were asking for open heart surgery. Nothing else was available so we decided to sit at the bar and were promptly told that they could not serve food at the bar. No other options were suggested.
All in all there was no effort to accomodate our party of three. No one seemed empowered to do anything for us,we were left just standing there. We promptly left.
I find it amazing in this day and age that the concept of hospitality still eludes so many eateries in Fairfield County
Eduardo - I don't understand the comment about them not serving food at the bar. The entire bar is set up with placemats, glasses, silverware. We've eaten here about 7 times for lunch and the bar has always been full with people eating. We've eaten at the bar twice when the tables have all been taken as well. Are you sure you're talking about the correct restaurant?
I agree kbfood - I don't think Eduardo is talking about the same Pizzeria Molto as the article - the bar there is built for eating food at - infact a number of times we have been encouraged by the hostess to have dinner at the bar when seats are avaliable.
I'm in love with the place - the only negative experience I've had is the long waits on the weekends but there isn't much anyone can do about that.
Great job Molto and great write-up Deanna!
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