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.
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.
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?
Less than a year ago, we introduced readers to Stamford branch of The Taco Project, a fast casual Mexican restaurant whose roots began in Tarrytown in 2014.
Since April of 2022, The Taco Project and its brand grew even more outside of its existing Westchester locations (Tarrytown, Yonkers, Pleasantville, Bronxville) and its High Ridge Road spot in Stamford, as they’ve set their sights on the Florida market and opened up shop in Coral Springs.
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?”
Tarrytown, Yonkers, Bronxville, Pleasantville, and now Stamford.
Since opening in 2014 in Tarrytown, The Taco Project’s popularity kept growing in Westchester, and now they’ve brought their brand of Mexican-inspired fast casualness across the state border to the busy High Ridge Shopping Center.
Co-owner Carmelo Milio—who’s one of The Taco Project’s head honchos with partners Sebastian Aliberti and Nicholas Mesce—mentioned that opening their fifth location in Stamford was a natural progression for their brand.
“Being that we’re all Westchester residents (Sebastian is in Pleasantville, I’m in Armonk, and Nick’s in Dobbs Ferry), we come to Stamford to hang out often,” he says. “We’ve always thought about opening here, but we didn’t necessarily want it to be Downtown, so we can cater to our fans in Pound Ridge and Bedford as well. We like to be in these type of neighborhoods where it’s a little more laid back, more families, but still keep a fun ambiance while getting your food to you quickly, like within 15 minutes or so.”
