A couple of months ago John and Morgan Nealon (owners of the ever popular Taco Daddy) partnered up with Chef Mo Major, General Manager JJ Henao, and Mixologist Dave Cohade to create a restaurant experience like no other. This restaurant is The Lila Rose, a luxurious, sophisticated, whimsical and (I dare say) over-the-top restaurant.
The interior, dressed entirely in shades of pink and gold, is distinctly feminine with a flirty vibe that’s sophisticated yet playful. The Lila Rose is a delicious feast for the eyes offering up so much exquisite detail, you can’t possibly take it all in.
I had the opportunity to sample their menu a couple of weeks ago. With so few opportunities to “get away” these days, the Lila Rose fills that void, offering guests a truly memorable experience. This is the type of venue where you’ll want to slip into something more beautiful and we noticed that the guests thought so too.
Last week we took a road trip to Barcelona Wine Bar in West Hartford to meet Executive Chef Jason Toledo who recently joined the team there from the Boston locations. Barcelona Wine Bar, which first appeared on the scene in 1995, has been a go-to for tapas and wine lovers ever since. Known for their rustic Mediterranean and South American inspired influences, regulars seek out the restaurant’s signature dishes as a source of comfort and consistency. (I cannot, for example, not order the spinach and Chickpea Cazuela and the Gambas al Ajillo - ordered with extra bread to soak up the divine garlicky juices). While we all have our go-to comfort foods, discovering new items is an equally thrilling part of the experience.
With 18 locations in nine states, Barcelona prides itself on celebrating each chef’s individual talents, allowing for certain dishes to be exclusive to each restaurant. Each location, while unique, has a familiar and welcoming atmosphere.
One of life's principle joys is an unexpected bulldog. There you are, mind preoccupied and steps ahead of whatever you should be paying attention to in the moment you're actually living, and boom: giant smiley meatball of joy out of nowhere. How could that not improve any day? Last September, in the Before Times, I went to a Connecticut farm to find out about hop growing, and discovered a newborn brewery instead. At the time, Stewards Of The Land in Northford wasn't finished, not quite ready yet for the outside world. So now, just as the eyes of the world are cautiously blinking open again, I returned to sit on the farm brewery's patio and, yes, there was a bulldog.
I'm not just making an allegory here: Guinness (that's the name he came with, give head brewery Alex DeFrancesco more credit for creativity than that), was cooling off on the stone patio, set with chairs outside the New England tavern style brewery, above a field of sprouting row crops - the hillside and lawns swaying here and there with bluish stalks of heirloom rye. I squatted down and scruffled Guinness' huge head behind his ears. He had it right. This is a place to stretch out and relax.
As some Connecticut restaurants begin the slow process of reopening with outdoor dining, you’ll either rush right out, ease back into it, or wait a bit longer when it comes to reintroducing yourself to your favorite eateries based on your level of comfort. Regardless of where you stand, it’s a safe bet that your dining repertoire will still include takeout.
At the very beginning of quarantine, one of my first orders came from an oldie. Joe’s Pizza has been open since 1967, almost two decades before I was born. I’ve actually had my entire life to try it, but here I am in 2020, a Joe’s newbie.
For nearly a decade, Mezón Restaurant has been thought of as one of Connecticut’s premiere Latin eateries by word of mouth and its seen its fair share of media recognition—they are fresh off Connecticut Magazine Reader’s Poll wins for Best Latin in Fairfield County and the runner-up for Best Latin in the state. And that’s saying something considering they didn’t even know they were nominated and because of that, they didn’t publicize it.
Four years ago, our own Lou Gorfain sang Mezón’s praises after a small tasting of ceviche, pan seared pulpo, Dominican fried chicken, and churros. But everything food deserves an update, especially considering there’s a new chef at the helm, an obviously newer menu, and a haven for craft cocktails.
Oh, and I’m pretty sure Lou and Kristin are the only ones at CTbites who have been to Mezón. For Stephanie and me, we uttered the same thing, “I’m embarrassed I hadn’t been here before.”
This review has been a long time coming. For the past year, my family has had a standing reservation either Saturday or Sunday morning at Barcelona Wine Bar’s Waypoint location. We have been regulars at their evening Tapas service, truly enjoying Chef Kaline Capps’ ever evolving but consistently well executed menu. However, the morning we walked in for Brunch, our weekend breakfast game was forever changed. Barcelona serves a 12 piece curated Brunch menu that knocks the socks off of most local breakfast menus, and the prices…well…there is only one item on the menu over $8. Scrambled Egg Montadito with Manchego and Serrano ham will run you $4.50. Migas Verduras with Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower, and Aioli sets you back $6.50, and the incredibly delicious Chorizo Breakfast Bowl can be yours for $7.50. Every time we stagger out the door, full of cured Spanish meat and perfectly cooked eggs, we have reverse sticker shock. The menu features ingredients you know, each with a delightful Spanish twist. Now, I’ve shared my little secret. You know where to find me on the weekends. And I haven’t even gotten to the pancakes…
As soon as you cross the threshold of Gaudi Tapas & Wine, past the sandy white stone facade, Meditteranean blue trim, and mosaic details on the walls, your passport has been stamped; you have officially been transported to Spain.
The Ruiz sisters hit gold when they recruited another set of siblings to underscore and deliver on their much-awaited dream restaurant. (Saray practically stared at the location for four years, before it was available and ready for them and their dream). Enter: Jose Flores, who has worked under the esteemed Arturo Franco-Camacho at Shell & Bones; and his brother, Oscar who has worked under Michelin star chef Luis Bollo of Salinas. Needless to say, you take the passion of two sisters--twins no less--and the powerhouse skills of talented chefs, and what do you get? Well, eh hem, as of October 2, you get a statewide nomination for Best Restaurant Newcomer of the Year.
Connecticut Magazine recently sited Gaudi Tapas and Wine as one of their favorite restaurants for 2018. We thought you should take a look…and taste.
Saray Ruiz saw something in the little house-like building off Route 37. The one with the small parking lot and everyday architecture. The one others drove by thousands of times without a second glance.
I’m going to open a restaurant there one day, she’d tell her twin sister, Noemi Ruiz, and anyone else who would listen to her dream. “It’s not going to happen,” Noemi would say.
At the time, a few years back, the spot was home to a Mexican restaurant. Saray had a feeling that would change and thought the cozy spot could host a restaurant inspired by her childhood in Lleida, a small town in the Catalonia region of Spain, within driving distance of Barcelona. This past fall, when she and her once-skeptical twin opened Gaudí Tapas and Wine, her dream became a reality.
Zaragoza’s tapas bar opened in New Milford in April 2016. The CTBites crew covered them a few months before their official opening and shared owner Artie Praino’s anticipation of a long-time dream come true after years in the deli business. Now, two and a half years later, they are a much beloved, popular spot for delicious, creative plates and cocktails.
Fully informed by several Zaragoza regulars that I was sure to be delighted, my belly gurgled for a new tapas experience. I’ve had the pleasure of going to Spain a few times, so, admittedly, morsels from those adventures like ceviche, calamari, and chorizo propelled me to the restaurant with little hesitation. I was eager to taste what their twist on the classics would be.
New bar & restaurant opening in Westport as reported by WestportNow.
A new bar and restaurant, 190 Main, opens Dec. 15 at 190 Main St., according to Melissa Gorman, co-owner with Sam Alang. Gorman said the eatery offers small plates and tapas featuring seafood specialties. Gorman is a Weston resident who grew up in Savannah, Georgia where she previously managed several restaurants. The 190 Main Street space was previously occupied by the Vine Wine Room that closed in July and the the Luxe Wine Bar, which closed in April 2016. The restaurant offers lunch Thursday through Sunday and dinner every day, according to Gorman.
In Italian, stuzzichino means a snack, or appetizer, or nibble. Assaggio, similarly, means a small amount of food or drink.
From Italian to Spanish, both translate roughly to tapas, an Iberian food culture that pairs small servings of food with drink in a laid-back setting.
It’s the kind of cuisine and vibe that Massimo Tabbacco and Miguel Angelo D’Onofrio, co-owners of the recently opened Bar Lupa, want to achieve at their redesigned space on the Post Road in Westport.
“It’s little portions, so you can taste a variety of things,” Tabbacco said. “It’s basically the same thing as Spanish tapas. But here in America, they know the word tapas more than stuzzichino.”
To avoid confusion, the items are listed on the menu as “Italian tapas,” but the dishes are inspired by Tabbacco’s and D’Onofrio’s respective upbringings — in Rome and Sao Paolo, Brazil, which has a large Italian population — and shared experience working in Italian restaurants throughout Fairfield County, as well as New York City.
After 20 years as a Sono institution, Barcelona Wine Bar has moved up the street and officially opened its doors in Norwalk’s new Waypointe complex. Their new home looks and feels much like the creative dining spaces guests have come to expect from Barcelona’s five CT locations, but as SVP Adam Halberg says “ Waypointe will feel familiar, but there are some key areas that make this new location quite unique.” The open kitchen, massive 40 seat bar, and a new menu approach will take their authentic and distinctive Spanish tapas menu even closer to the markets and restaurants of Spain.
I have an affinity for those underexplored sweet spots that are slightly off the beaten path, tucked away, or unheard of. For whatever reason, Taberna, a Mediterranean tapas and wine bar located in the Brick Walk in downtown Fairfield hasn’t been widely discovered. Although I hadn’t heard of it many have, and those who have sing its praises.
Some of you might be familiar with the name, thinking it’s not in Fairfield, it’s in Bridgeport! And you would be correct, sort of... Prior to opening the Fairfield location, Chef Daniel Lopez and his brother Jaime owned and operated the Bridgeport restaurant for 8 years. Upon hearing that it was closing, longtime diners were happy to follow to the new larger venue with light-filled dining area, large bar and outdoor patio.
I was able to sit down and chat with Chef Lopez who was born and raised in Ecuador who revealed to me that he had been enamored with the flavors and cuisines of the Mediterranean since he was a child. In 1994 he and his brother emigrated to the states and immediately began working in the restaurant industry - for many well-known Fairfield County favorites.
Even though it’s one of the largest cities in Connecticut, Danbury was once regarded as a restaurant wasteland. The downtown eateries catered to a family demographic who sought a reasonably priced menu that took few culinary chances. Very mid-century. However, in the past few years, a vibrant international food scene has burgeoned on the city’s west side. The cuisines are sophisticated, diverse, and creative, reflective of 21st Century dining.
Many credit Richard Reyes’s Mezón Tapas Bar and Restaurant with transforming Mill Plain Road into destination dining. The year was 2011. Reyes was then a former Wall Street Executive who decided to come home to Connecticut and open a restaurant where people could dine on food prepared in the Latin tradition of his family. From the heart. From the home. Richard was all of 25 … and Mezón posed far more of a risk than even the stock market. At the time, Mill Plain Road was dotted with a string of mostly red-sauce Italian/American restaurants. “Sure, we were taking a chance,” he recently told us, “But we helped break the mold.”
Rich invited CTbites to sample some of the Latin and Caribbean fare that has attracted Mezón’s diverse and discerning clientele from across the region. Though the Paella and the Churrasco are the most popular dishes on the menu, Reyes had other ideas for our feast.
Zaragoza, a new tapas and craft cocktail bar, is scheduled to open at 31 Bank Street in New Milford in the spring of 2016. Zaragoza represents the next adventure by Newtown resident Artie Praino, who previously owned the Newtown Deli, Sandy Hook Deli, Sideline Café, Woodbury Deli, and Bayside (NY) Salumeria.
Praino is following his passion for Spanish cuisine combined with small bites to be shared with friends and family. “Tapas are simple, but hearty and unpretentious food. Our ingredients and recipes will be fresh and robust, beautiful to look at, and mouthwatering to eat. Tapas to me means friends and family enjoying food and flavors on shared small plates -- a warm and familial dining experience.”
Going out for a meal can be an incredibly rewarding experience. There is a reason restaurants are a popular spot for a night out and a number of people proudly refer to themselves as “foodies.” However, it can also be a downright chore. Do I brave the downtown traffic? Where do I park my car? How do I get there? Will there be a table for me?
Lugano Wine Bar and Salumeria, newly opened in Greenwich, alleviates all of those hassles. The Italian inspired restaurant sits just off of exit 6 from I-95 on East Putnam Avenue in Riverside, far removed from the droves of people downtown. It has its own lot next to the restaurant for easy parking as well as a valet service.
Indoors, the space is approachable, yet impressive. When you walk through the front doors, you enter a spacious bar with plenty of seating and room to stand and mingle. Wine glasses elegantly line the bar’s counter, as if inviting patrons in for a drink.
Just off of the bar to the right is a large dining room with high ceilings and a dome that serves as a skylight. It is light and open, lined with large windows. Lugano even boasts a private dining room for special functions, or for guests who prefer a quiet dining experience.
The lovely space was the impetus for the restaurant.
Olea's condomiz / Photo: Jen Kaufman, Connecticut Magazine
Many in the New Haven area mourned the closing of Ibiza last spring.The restaurant has been reimagined by former Ibiza chef Manual Romero who is now the owner and chef, reviving this modern Spanish tapas mecca for the city once again.
Our friends at Connecticut Magazine recently visited, giving it an excellent rating, and here's why:
When Ibiza in New Haven closed last spring, Connecticut lost a culinary treasure. Located on High Street, steps away from two famous art museums, it was itself a work of art, showcasing the best of modern Spanish cuisine in the state and on the East Coast. Busy, buzzy, frequently bustling, with a mile-long list of intriguing tapas and a devoutly loyal customer base, it vanished suddenly, as if it had never been. Rumors flew. Diners mourned. But within six months, the spirit of Ibiza rose like a phoenix in the same location but in a glamorous new guise, re-imagined and rechristened, Olea.
Cuisine: American, Tapas, Wine Bar, West Hartford Price: Small plates range $3.95 - $17.95 Our Highlights: wine, charcuterie, tapas Hours: Kitchen open Mon – Wed 4-10pm, Thurs: 4-11pm, Fri-Sat: 4-12pm (Bar open late Mon-Sat) Sun: Kitchen & Bar 4-9pm Online: Official Website | Facebook
Small plates reach new heights at Vinted Wine Bar and Kitchen, where food is anything but secondary. Add 68 wines by the glass and you’re well on your way to finding that perfect pairing. Sister restaurant to The Federal in Agawam, Vinted burst onto the West Hartford dining scene in late 2012 when owners Ralph Santaniello and Michael Presnal launched their newest venture in Blueback Square. A classy vibe, inventive array of modern American tapas, and encyclopedic wine list leaves little, if anything, to be desired.
The culinary landscape of New Canaan now includes the vibrant cuisine of the Iberian Peninsula with the opening of Picador, the second restaurant of owner Alan Basaran. Located on Elm Street in the space formerly occupied by Harvest Supper, the interior’s décor offers a warm and inviting environment as backdrop to the region’s vibrant cuisine. Copper-topped tables and a wrap-around leather-covered banquette fill the entire back and side walls with additional copper-topped tables with dark leather chairs occupying the remainder of the space. The walls are adorned with plates, mirrors and sconces; reminiscent of the region.
