Carpe Diem Opens w/ Northern Italian in New Canaan

Food lovers of New Canaan rejoice! Carpe Diem, a Northern Italian inspired restaurant by Alan Basaran, has opened and the housemade pastas are delicious. As CTBites presented earlier, Basaran, a North Stamford resident and owner of Carpe Diem Restaurant in New York City, is excited about creating delicious Northern Italian cuisine in New Canaan, his wife’s hometown.

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Carpe Diem Opens in New Canaan CT w/ Upscale Italian

Carpe Diem, the newest addition to the New Canaan culinary landscape opened ahead of schedule this week on Locust Avenue in the space formerly occupied by 50 Coins. After enjoying several dishes during the last two days, I am incredibly excited to have exceptional Italian food in town. The highlights of my two visits included a creamy Mozzarella di Buffalo paired with roasted red peppers and Prosciutto di San Daniele, a wonderful housemade Spaghetti with shrimp, scallops, mussels, little neck clams, arugula, and radicchio in an organic tomato sauce, housemade Pappardelle Bolognese, a tender and moist Veal Piccatina with a light lemon sauce, and a perfectly prepared prime Ribeye steak. On the sweeter side, I sampled a very complex apple pie as well as a selection of chocolate, vanilla and blackberry Cabernet gelato. All of these dishes were very well executed and I look forward to my next meal at Carpe Diem.  

While a detailed “Behind the Scenes” review is in the works, I would recommend that food lovers of Fairfield County plan a visit to a very special restaurant in New Canaan. 

Carpe Diem 26 Locust Avenue New Canaan, CT 06840 203-594-9599

Ad: Cheesecake Factory & Brio Open @ Danbury Fair Mall

Danbury Fair has made shopping more appetizing this winter with the addition of popular restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory® and BRIO Tuscan Grille. These great new dining options bring affordable upscale dining to Danbury Fair and will provide the perfect rest stop during the upcoming holiday shopping frenzy. The Cheesecake Factory®'s award winning family friendly menu with over 40 decadent desserts promises something tasty for everyone while BRIO brings authentic, Northern Italian cuisine to Danbury CT.  

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GotChef Gourmet Food Truck in Milford

Biagio’s Barone’s is reinventing the wheel. Literally.  His GotChef gourmet food truck, which is parked on the Eastbound side of the Milford, CT Metro North Station, is turning the mobile canteen concept on its head.  From Monday through Friday, 11:00am-8:00 pm, and Saturday 3-7pm, Chef Biagio and his crew offer up-all natural, creative, delectable cuisine out of his neon yellow restaurant-on-wheels.

You won’t find the typical taco, BBQ-grilled cheese-Belgian waffles-cupcake food truck fare on the GotChef menu.  His selections, which vary with the season and change daily, are comparable to anything you can find in an upscale Italian bistro. Some of the recent chalkboard specials include:  Capesante Farcito (Stuffed Scallop with Lobster, Shrimp, Sweet Bread Lemon Stuffing in a Scallop Shell, drizzled with Lemon Gremolata), Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi, Slow Roasted Short Ribs--served over a mushroom truffle risotto, Wild-Grilled Salmone Agrodolce-- topped with a pineapple Sweet and Sour sauce and served over balsamic glazed green beans, and an Osso Bucco

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Road Trip: Ballo Italian Restaurant & Club @ Mohegan Sun

A month ago I contributed an article about John Tunney’s latest creation, Ballo Italian Restaurant & Social Club. Now, I am pleased to bring you a sneak peek at not just the décor, not just a menu preview, but of the reason we are all here, for the food. 

But first, let me take you on a brief tour of this restaurant/bar/dance club/lounge. Remember that preview article? All that construction and the pictures of what it will look like? Seeing those photos is one thing, seeing this place in person is another. The wraparound marble bar, the sphere-like hanging lamps, the giant lanterns, and the fireplaces, give Ballo a glow unlike any other restaurant in Mohegan Sun Casino.

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L'Andana to Bring Tuscan Cuisine to New Canaan

New Canaan continues to expand its reputation as a restaurant destination with the scheduled opening of L’Andana next month in the space formerly occupied by 50 Coins on Locust Ave. The Northern Italian inspired restaurant represents the newest addition to owner Allan Basaran’s list of culinary accomplishments, which currently includes Carpe Diem in New York City. Prior to opening Carpe Diem, Basaran was a Director at Le Caprice Restaurant at the Pierre Hotel, the Maitre d" at the Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel and the Italian eatery Nello’s.  

Significant renovations are currently in process and L’Andana will include a private dining room, a separate bar and chef’s table to complement the Northern Italian menu.

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Longtime Westport Restaurateur Opens Pane e Bene

After more than three decades as the maestro at other people’s restaurants, Angelo Capponi, the proud owner of Pane e Bene, 1620 Post Road in Westport, struts around his new Italian restaurant and bar like a proud papa. 

Pane e Bene means “bread and goodness.” To Angelo, it signifies, “Freshly prepared, simple food, nice décor and an ‘experience’.” He explains, “We want to give people what they don’t find elsewhere; a place where you feel special. The opposite of places where you feel like they’re doing you a favor.”

Just two months into opening, with talented chef and partner Henry Lopez in the kitchen (“a partner who radiates goodness inside and out,” Angelo says), the word on Pane e Bene is out.

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Road Trip: Ballo Italian Restaurant & Social Club @ Mohegan Sun

Restauranteur John Tunney, owner of the popular Mexican restaurant Besito in Hartford, expects to wow you with his 12th and newest restaurant, Ballo. The word “Ballo” is Italian for “dance.”  Diners can expect the usual eating and drinking, but you can do what the name says and dance as well.

Ballo Italian Restaurant and Social Club will join Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse, Todd English’s Tuscany, and Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain at Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino this September. Even though Ballo is still under construction, Tunney’s idea is unique, and when he speaks, you can imagine how original this new restaurant will be from the usual. 

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Paci in Southport: An Italian Treasure

I know, what’s with a preface to a review?  Is it some admission of not being able to objectively evaluate a place?  Or a built-in excuse for the inevitable “don’t just be a cheerleader for a pricey restaurant” response?  Who knows?  It could be anything - but I do feel like sharing my biases about Paci in Southport.

First, they’ve been open in Southport for fifteen years, about as long as I’ve lived in Westport – so there is a hominess and familiarity to the place that I appreciate.  There aren’t many constants in life, but for nearly a third of my years, Paci has been there.

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Fine Dining For Less at a Westport Landmark: Da Pietro’s

Once Le Chambord vacated its location on the Post Road (you have to be a true townie to remember it), Da Pietro’s staked its claim as Westport’s standout “classy joint” from the late 1980s on, and today is like the town’s elder statesman in the restaurant realm.  A seamless fusion of French and Italian cuisine, a tour de force of European refinement and classic technique, Chef Pietro Scotti’s repertoire has evolved with the times, but his establishment is still a benchmark of classic fine dining in the area, and he's still in the kitchen. 

Happening by Riverside Avenue recently you might have seen a chalkboard sign subtly advertising DaPietro’s weekday lunch and dinner prix fixe deals. For real?  Yes, $12.00 gets you a two course lunch, three courses for $15.00, and at $33.00 for dinner (drinks excluded), you can enjoy a three course meal and be privy to the chef’s wonderful creations. 

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Sneak Peek @ ZAZA Italian Gastrobar in Stamford

Teaser billboards in the windows of Stamford's soon-to-be-open ZAZA portray a scantily clad woman really "enjoying" her pasta. You can't miss it…that's the idea. The Racanelli family, owners and operators of Pizzeria Molto in Fairfield know how to create a little buzz (as anyone who has waited for a table at Molto on a Saturday night knows all too well). Leveraging the success of Molto, their new venture will continue the tradition of the Italian gastropub and is slated to open in early June. Situated on busy Broad street with sidewalk seating, "ZAZA will have more of an urban feel with an active bar scene." says GM, Nick Racanelli Jr. ZAZA's casually chic interior, covered in white marble, red leather, and oversized images depicting Italian street scenes, is both welcoming and sleek. Black glass chandeliers hang like jewels over the communal tables, begging for the party to begin. The decor is clean and sexy, while the menu aims to please. Here is a sneak peak at ZAZA Italian Gastrobar.  

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A Conversation with Joe Bastianich

We are counting the days to the opening of Tarry Lodge Enoteca and Pizzeria this summer, Batali and Bastianich's latest restaurant venture poised to open in Westport. Located in the space formerly occupied by Abbondanza, this latest incarnation of the Tarry Lodge concept is lending momentum to the revitalization of the Saugatuck waterfront project. Hungry for more details, we had a quick chat with Greenwich resident Joe Bastianich about the opening, what we can expect from the menu, and why of all places they chose Westport, Connecticut.

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Bar Rosso Opening May 12th: Behind the Scenes II

The long awaited grand opening of Bar Rosso is scheduled for next Thursday May 12th and CTBites previews its gastronomic delights for this latest edition of “Behind the Scenes.” We returned and discussed the restaurant’s culinary vision with Dan Kardos, the Executive Chef, as he finalizes his interpretations of dishes from throughout Italy and met with Mary Schaffer who described her team’s conceptual design.

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Gabriele's in Greenwich: A Steakhouse With Italian Roots

An American Italian restaurant dressed in elegant steakhouse clothes, Gabriele's in Greenwich is the bespoke incarnation of Luca's, the Italian restaurant and caterer that's inhabited Church Street for the past fifteen years.

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Liana's Trattoria: A Taste of Napoli in Fairfield CT

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TINA RUPP

“I can hear myself speak” was my sentiment shortly after arriving at Liana’s.  It’s kind of nice in this age of lofty wine bars and chic locales to find respite at a place on the cozy side that makes an effort to slow the pace down just a little.  

Despite its small street level space on Tunxis Hill Road in Fairfield, Liana’s Trattoria accommodates a full bar and two high top tables to the left through the entry, with a half wall separating it from the dining room to the right.  The ceilings are low and with lights dimmed the ambience is, dare I say, intimate.  

Liana DeMeglio, who worked for a long time at Pasta Nostra in Sono, greeted and sat us, returning frequently to check on us throughout the meal, while hours before she was in the kitchen making desserts and the ricotta gnocchi renowned by repeat diners.  It’s readily apparent that she’s the lady of the house;

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