Carpenter's Pub Opens in Black Rock From Familiar Neighborhood Faces

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Andrew Dominick May 27, 2026

Carpenter’s Pub may be the newest haunt on Fairfield Avenue, but the trio of owners behind it are familiar faces in Joseph Farrell, Sean Nye, and Marty McCarthy. For seven years, Farrell was behind the popular Walrus + Carpenter, originally located a hop, skip, and a jump away from where Carpenter’s is, while McCarthy’s Fire Engine Pizza (with two more spots in Milford and Shelton) has been a neighborhood staple for over 25 years, and Nye, a celebrated barman, who now lives in Black Rock, has likely mixed you a drink at Farrell’s Walrus + Carpenter, The Spread or El Segundo, L’Escale, or one of the two Milestone locations. How the three came together to open this American gastropub happened in stages.

J.B. Percival: Craft Cocktails in Fairfield

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Andrew Dominick May 28, 2022

Punch “J.B. Percival” into Google Maps and you’ll be well on your way to enjoying an expertly mixed drink in Fairfield County’s only straight up cocktail lounge. All that’s left is actually finding the entrance.

Your GPS will tell you “you’ve arrived,” and you’ll likely be close, whether you’re parked at Fairfield Metro or parallel on Unquowa Street. There’s still a bit of legwork left. Head down Donnelly Walk, spot a handful of outdoor seats, and you’ll ultimately see their logo and “Permittee Amy O’Shea” decaled on the glass door.

If you’re just now hearing about J.B. Percival, it might be because O’Shea and her husband, Billy, opened their doors at the start of 2020. Nine weeks after they began mixing drinks and pouring pints, they were shut down for on-premise everything like every bar and restaurant was. Like most, they pivoted to a takeout model selling to-go cocktails, cocktail kits, wine, eggs, honey, masks, hand sanitizer, and even vegetables. As restrictions eased, J.B. Percival started slinging drinks for outdoor patio consumption, and then, finally, it was back to welcoming customers back indoors.

B.J. Ryan’s East Takes Over Norwalk's Legendary Partner’s Cafe & Pizzeria

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Andrew Dominick March 18, 2022

When you hear that a legendary hometown restaurant is ending its run after almost 40 years, a flood of memories tend to hit you. Suddenly, I was a kid again, sitting on a barstool next to my father. He’d chug away at a Heineken while I sipped on bubbly cola straight from the soda gun. Thin-ish, crispy crust bar pizzas—likely extra cheese, pepperoni, or both—were involved, too.

Even as an adult, I’d occasionally grab a couple pies from Partner’s Cafe & Pizzeria to-go. Every time I drove by, I’d think about pizza, soda, my dad, and feeling pretty damn cool sitting at the bar.

Thankfully, for me, and I’m sure for a hell of a lot of Norwalkers, Partner’s gets to live on thanks to B.J. Lawless and Keith Torpey, under a new name, but with intentions to preserve the bar’s neighborhood “where everybody knows your name” charm.