Brass & Bone: Bringing Live Music + New Orleans Inspired Food to South Norwalk

Third times a charm, right?

That’s what the ownership quartet of Maxim Schiavone, Joseph Magrath, John McGraw, and Jonathan Ackerman is hoping for with Brass & Bone on Norwalk’s Washington Street.

Replacing two short lived music venue, restaurant and bar concepts before it in Music & Industry and Washington Social, Brass & Bone’s foursome of friends believe they have the recipe to make it work, especially with their respective backgrounds. Schiavone is an entertainment guy, McGraw has a tech and marketing background, Ackerman is a veteran bartender, and Magrath is a chef.  

Fried catfish po’boy w/mixed greens, pickles, and roasted tomato accompanied with fries and black pepper aioli

Most of the staff will tell you that this is high on their list of favorites; jambalaya arancini w/broth and Cajun crema.

How it all came together actually happened on the final night of the space’s previous occupant.

“Max did the booking for Washington Social, and on the night they closed, John’s band was supposed to be playing,” Ackerman says. “John called up Max and was like, ‘Is this something we could maybe save?’”

Schiavone continues, “I was in here when Music & Industry opened. I was excited to have music back in SoNo. I came here a lot and supported it. I saw what they were doing well and what they were doing poorly. When Music & Industry closed, I was interested in being involved in whatever opened next. And when Social did its thing, same thing. When Social closed, I was like, ‘So, what’s the deal with that space?’ and it came together. We’re approaching this coming from a place of love, love for this community, and we all love music, (we’re all musicians) and we love good food and drink. We want to be in this community.”

Rumor has it that this mac & cheese was one of the first things Magrath wanted to nail down since mac & cheese is typically an afterthought at most restaurants. His is a three cheese blend of white cheddar, gouda, and gruyere that’s super creamy and a taste that’s nutty and sharp. And FYI, there’s an option to add crabmeat.

Best believe there’s some veggie friendly fare happening here, too, like this cauliflower steak w/beet and cannellini puree, pickled onion, toasted garlic, eggplant tapenade, and Calabrian chilis.

Guessing what Brass & Bone is should be a no brainer if we tell you that some of the music is jazz, soul, and funk.

Got an answer?

Brass & Bone has a lot of small plates that include beef bourguignon, blackened shrimp over cauliflower puree, roasted hot honey glazed pork belly, and these gatorcakes, a blend of alligator and crab meat.

Well, what if some of what’s on the menu consists of po’boys, gumbo poutine, jambalaya arancini, etouffee, and beignets?

I probably shouldn’t even need to go onto mentioning hurricanes, sazeracs, and Abita Purple Haze then, right?

So why a New Orleans theme in the New York Metropolitan area?

Let’s not forget the bar, overseen by Ackerman, who prior to Brass & Bone, ran the bar program at Lazy Sister nearby.

Pictured: three different gin sours (left to right), apple-thyme, blackberry-mint, strawberry-basil

Melon-coconut margarita, and yes, they’ll set some stuff on fire.

“It’s a natural intersection of music and food,” McGraw says. “Max and I both have a connection to New Orleans through our fathers. His dad ran a bar down there and my dad was in the Air Force in Mississippi, so he’d go there and had all these stories about music. He also leaned heavily into, like, you see Bourbon Street, OK, and all the craziness, but he always said the real heart of the city is much different than that.”

Take the music and Schiavone’s and McGraw’s backgrounds into account, plus, a bartender who can make New Orleans themed drinks really well (and twist them a bit, too), and a chef who has southern cooking stints under his belt at Walrus + Carpenter, and that became the focus.

Lead bartender Scott Teague pours their rye, raspberry, fig, anise sazerac.

Poured into a frosty glass, of course.

But they are all about mixing it up.

“Chef has that background from Walrus + Carpenter and he worked at Two Roads Brewing Company, and Rothbard Ale + Larder,” Ackerman says. “We call it elevated Americana with a twist on New Orleans classics. It’s inspired by New Orleans, but we took some of that and put our own flavor on it. The sazerac, I changed it and used raspberry brandy and demerara simple syrup. We worked on a lot of flavor profiles in synergy with the kitchen.”

While some of the NOLA style grub is pretty classic, like the gator and crabcake with remoulade, a proper, well-seasoned, cheesy mac, and red beans and rice. Others, like the arancini, gumbo, catfish with couscous, and a blackened chicken thigh with a sweet and spicy jalapeño-pineapple glaze, on top of tzatziki, fit into the “inspired by” category.

McGraw with his tech background, and someone who says he was unfortunately born with lots of food allergies, created and coded something nifty for Brass & Bones’ menu. In your browser, click on their menu section, find the allergy info in the upper right, and you can select the things you’re allergic to or cannot tolerate, hit hide allergy info, and it’ll cross out all listings where your allergies apply. For instance, if you select peanuts, sesame, soy, and treenuts, both the cauliflower steak and the chicken po’boy are crossed off for you.

“We looked at the ecosystem of the street and said what cuisines are represented already?” McGraw says. “Where can we fit in? What can we do without stepping on anyone’s toes? This was a natural place where we could fit in.”

As for the music, Schiavone mentioned that they have tunes almost every night of the week now that range from low key jazz bands, acoustic soul, funk, rock, R&B, open mic Tuesdays, karaoke Wednesdays, and that occasionally it turns into a piano bar. On weekend nights, he says it’s a full-blown party. And although they just opened the doors, and the stage, in February, they’ve had 54 (and counting) different bands perform since then.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Brass & Bone Restaurant (@brassandbonect)

Half chicken, red & black bean rice, gumbo z'herbes (a Louisiana Creole gumbo made from leafy greens), and Creole beurre blanc

“We’re really trying to build a music scene here and we’re even hoping to bring in some touring acts in the future,” Schiavone says. “Most nights, it’s like a living room type vibe.”

“We try not to do two of the same bands in a week,” McGraw continues that thought. “We’re also all inclusive, so we invite people up during open mic nights. You can get up there and sing, do poetry, break out into a puppet show, or play a didgeridoo.”

But if there is a final thought, it’s from Ackerman, who’ll tell you that they’re all in this for the love of the game.

“It’s our home and everything we do, we do it with love,” he says. “Mom’s lasagna is the best lasagna because mom puts love into it. You can taste it, mix it up. It’s a lot of work doing this, it’s a stressful environment, and you can sometimes be a little grumpy when we’re doing prep or cooking, but you stop, because we don’t cook angry. It’s important for us to act with intention.”

136 Washington Street, Norwalk
203.286.6011, brassandbonect.com