Now almost three years old, Michelle Greenfield’s Allium Eatery started out, as she puts it, “small.” Her restaurant, inside, is also small. Put a dozen people in there and it feels full. When the weather cooperates, Allium can take some walk ins for patio dining, otherwise you have a choice between either the 5:30 seating or the 7:30. n this case of “small,” small is good, and Greenfield’s restaurant is one of the hottest tickets in town.
No website, just social media, and they’re more active on Instagram, FYI. And chances are, when a table does wiggle free from a prior reservation on busier nights, it’s a given that someone will see their Instagram story announcement and snatch it right up.
Sally’s Apizza, the iconic New-Haven restaurant and bar, founded by Salvatore “Sally” Consiglio in 1938, will open on Thursday, August 29 at 5:00pm in Wethersfield. Situated on the ground level of the residential complex, The Borden at 1178 Silas Deane Highway, the Sally’s Apizza in Wethersfield marks the first of four forthcoming Hartford area locations, including Farmington, Newington, and South Windsor.
Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Bret Lunsford created a menu of noteworthy additions to complement long standing favorites. Guests will notice a variety of starters and salads to start off the meal such as Italian Wings with Calabrian Chili; Meatballs served in marinara and accompanied with house-made focaccia; a Wedge and Caesar Salad as well as a selection of bruschettas including Tomato and Eggplant. An expanded entree section features both Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan; two pastas including a ricotta-filled Ravioli and Chicken Francese.
The word “ferocity” is used to describe the small, but mighty, wildcat. While the cat is native to Africa and Eurasia, the name “Wildcat” has been floating around Hamden and it has nothing to do with an animal, but rather, a cocktail bar that’s hoping to capture you with its ferocity.
Both from Pawling, NY, Kris ended up in Connecticut working for the Barteca Restaurant Group and Shane, though he was originally pursuing a possible career as a lawyer, found himself bartending in New York City instead. Wildcat is brought to you by twin brothers, Kris and Shane McGowan, whose names you’ve definitely heard before as they’ve been in the industry near and far for well over a decade after they graduated college.
“I opened the West Hartford bartaco and it was a great learning experience to be somewhere that was sort of becoming corporate at the time,” Kris says. “Then I got the hell away from there because I didn’t want anything to do with corporate. It was a good structure, system, and rule that I learned a lot about. I started as a bartender, then moved up to bar manager, assistant general manager, and helped open Westport (bartaco) to train new managers.”
As a Norwalk lifer, I’ve seen the restaurant scene grow (and take some dips) tenfold. But one fact I’ll always tell people who aren’t familiar with Norwalk or to those who are visiting, is that we have a lot of cultures represented in our restaurants. One you haven’t seen in Connecticut as a whole is a Georgian restaurant.
It was about time this ridiculous, limited (but slowly working on more) series returned to bring you more of the weird, bizarre, and funny tales in the restaurant industry.
And while edition number one was a hodgepodge of stories from chefs that you know in the general area, this version has a focus…
PIZZERIAS!
This one’s got a few longer stories that I promise are worth reading, a Wu Tang sighting, one video of a chef busting his ass, and plenty of weird customer orders.
And if you’re wondering what volume three might look like, we’re hitting up bartenders because we know there’s plenty of tea there.
New Haven is a foodie destination. We’ve got a scene for every foodie, but here, every “apizza” is personal. Pronounced “ah-beetz” by folks across the Greater New Haven Region, New Haven pizza always wins.
In the Elm City, pizza is a way of life and a cornerstone of our foodie culture. On our plates and in the books of state lawmakers, pizza is on its way to becoming the official state food of Connecticut, thanks to the “Pizza Bill.” The bill, SB 390, was authored by New Haven’s pizza historian Colin Caplan, and passed through the state house in 2021, up for a vote in the senate again this year. Our pizzas taste good, and our pies are also truly historic, (Frank Pepe’s, Connecticut’s oldest pizzeria, turned 98 this year, and is the fourth-oldest pizzeria in the country).
You’ve just sat down at the newly opened Greer Southern Table in Norwalk. You either order a refreshing, fruity, ice cold cocktail, or you’re like me and despite it being 90 degrees, you still order an old fashioned. You scan the menu. You probably ponder over a few tasty dishes to share with your dining companions.
Waterfront. Dockside. Don’t those words just bring a smile to your face? Whether you are traveling by boat to go for a summer Sunday lunch or just wanting to enjoy your dinner with a beautiful view of the water, these restaurants will fit the bill for your summer enjoyment. And how is it exactly that everything tastes better when you are near the water?
How many times have you heard bizarre restaurant requests? How about ridiculous customer orders? What about those tales that are strictly between BOH and FOH staff?
I’m sure you’ve even overheard whispers as a customer or you have firsthand experience in the hospitality industry and you know about all the “crazy” that goes on, but either way, there are some doozies out there!
“Lemme get a bacon cheeseburger, minus the beef and the cheese, with lettuce, tomato, and mayo?”
The legendary Sally’s Apizza expanding outside of Wooster Street is a pretty big freaking deal.
Yeah, yeah. We know. You like (INSERT YOUR FAVORITE NEW HAVEN PIZZA JOINT HERE) better. Or you’ll have a snarky comment to leave that’s along the lines of “Sally’s New Haven is better!” or “I’m done because they sold out!”
Don’t care.
We don’t even need to dive into the history of Sally’s. Chances are you probably know it already anyway.
But either way you slice it—yeah that’s a pizza pun—you’re intrigued by what the inside looks like and a few tidbits about what’s new at Sally’s first shot at a modern version of their growing ‘za business. And a couple visuals of their famous pies won’t hurt you either!
