Bar 140: Belgian Frites, Burgers, Bibimbap Wings + Booze in Shelton

Fryday is every day at Bar 140. At least it is Tuesday through Saturday.

It wasn’t that long ago that I found myself in Shelton covering all things pierogi at The Rogi Shoppe when I received a few DMs on two different Instagram accounts saying I should stop by Bar 140.

They all sang the praises of Bar 140’s bar food, particularly their Belgian style frites (big shout-out to Gina for being first). The frites immediately got my attention! But the hype only grew continued when a few other messages told me that it’d be my type of bar; casual, kinda hipster, solid cocktails, and a fine beer list.

I asked around and got much of the same. Even Mateus from The Rogi Shoppe said their fries were stellar.

In addition to owning Bar 140, Ballaro is involved in the Shelton Farmers Market. He used to sling breakfast sandwiches at the market, now he’s a board member.

After I set up an interview with Joe Ballaro, who owns Bar 140 with his wife, Tiffany, I told a few friends I was going up there. It got pumped up even more by my friend Katy, who said, “This is my spot! I used to be a regular when I worked a few block away. It’s a good little spot. Good beer list and food. The owners are really cool.”

Sold! Plus, I’ll never pass up the chance at eating carefully made, hand cut fries by the bucket full, with different dipping sauces to plunge them into.

Two of Bar 140’s six signature cocktails. Left: Black Walnut Old Fashioned (Four Roses Bourbon, black walnut bitters, orange, Luxardo Cherry). Right: Campfire (Xicaru Mezcal, Old Forester Bourbon, oak bitters, honey, toasted cinnamon).

But before we get to fries, it’s important that non-Sheltonites get to know a little background on Bar 140, which will have been open for 11 years when September 2022 hits.

Ballaro, a Shelton native who’s a career musician, has been in the restaurant business as long as he can remember. He worked for caterers, and for the longstanding Shelton restaurant, Wellington’s, that’s famous for its steak, seafood, and pasta driven menu.

“Music is a big part of my life, but I was always in the industry,” Ballaro says. “When I was back from music gigs, I’d always go back to catering. But I figured if I could have my own place, I could at least come back from gigs and work for myself, since I’d be going back and working in the industry anyway.”

Sit at the bar, or the attached dining room (that usually has local art on display), or sit on the back patio if it’s a nicer night.

According to Ballaro, the idea to open his own spot came from a mixture of things, one being that he likes hospitality and places that put hospitality first. Another reason was the fact that he and Tiffany didn’t hang out in their own hometown.

“When we first started dating, we would go to bars in New Haven and in New York City,” Ballaro says. “In New Haven, we saw lots of Shelton people there. We thought by opening here that we’d cut people off at the pass.”

His idea was a laid back, hipster type of bar with a handful of cocktails, a mostly local beer list, and a small food menu of tasty, simple bar fare. And even though he had never worked in a bar, Ballaro will tell you he has been to a lot of bars all over, so why not give it a shot in Shelton?

“I called the people who owned this property, and it wasn’t a normal business transaction,” he says. “I asked if I could rent this place, and they said, ‘Uhhh…sure.’ We had a comical budget to open, but my wife and I turned it over in six weeks. If you ever want to test your relationship, open a business together!”

In September 2011, Bar 140 opened on Center Street, in an area where watering holes were known to randomly pop-up decades ago.

There’s a mostly Connecticut craft beer list on draft here, but I wouldn’t miss the chance at knocking back this smooth double IPA from Lone Pine.

“This space has been a bar since the 50s, as far as I can track it,” Ballaro explains. “In this neighborhood, every hole in the wall, the patched over bricks, they were probably bars. Any place they could put a bar in, they would. This was an industrial town. (He points out of Bar 140’s window). That hole over there, that one over there, all bars. Ships would come in and the workers would all go drinking. Even in here behind my bar, I can see two squares that were bricked over. It was probably a small kitchen or something. I have a few customers that told me they used to sneak in here in the 50s when they were underage.”  

“Fries are what’s made the place since day one, and I like to treat it with respect,” Ballaro says. “We plan whole week around the fries. It’s excellent social food. I like wings, but they’re not as social as fries.”

And you should know that these fries are fried in their own fryer. No gluten or meat touches that fryer.

But in the 50s, no one was cranking out Belgian style frites the way Bar 140 has been since its inception. A pile of fresh cut fries—that take two days to prepare before they hit the fryer—was and still is Bar 140’s signature. Each small Russet potato is hand cut, soaked in water for 24 hours to pull out the starch, then the cut spuds are rinsed off, dried, and blanched in 300 degree oil before they’re cooled, refrigerated for another day, then fried to order. They’re crisp, potato-y, well-seasoned with a salt and pepper blend, and served with your choice of homemade dipping sauces, some of which are curry ketchup, sriracha mayo, peppercorn, pesto, and honey mustard.

“My approach is technique based; I like simple things,” Ballaro says. “When I was at Wellington’s, I remember the husband was a badass, a real tradesman. I think of cooks as tradesman. Those are the cooks I like. That style. They made everything. All the sauces included. When we opened we only did fries, a burger, and a salad. Part of me wishes I stayed there, but I like to make other stuff. I don’t buy premade stuff. I didn’t even have a freezer until last year.”

A burger does still exist here—along with a turkey burger, a plate of two sliders, and vegetarian black bean option—that uses hyper local beef from the nearby Stone Gardens Farm that gets enveloped with white Vermont cheddar, mixed greens, and sautéed onions on a brioche bun. There’s also tuna ceviche, a house salad, bowls (poke or shrimp), and four types of tacos that started as specials that were kept on due to customer demand.

And then there are wings. I’d argue that they’re essential to your Bar 140 experience, and I think everyone who told me to come here would echo that sentiment. Crispy skin, meaty, saucy. And of course, all the wing coatings are made in-house. I passed on O.G. buffalo because the Korean bibimbap sauce sounded too good to pass up. Each flat or drum was garlicky, with a touch of sweetness, and lingering heat that at first caught me off guard. Should the spice take you by surprise, don’t worry, it’s aided by a swipe of your next wing or carrot in the ramekin of creamy, homemade blue cheese that isn’t short on chunks of pungent goodness.

Wings are hard to photograph, they say. Oh, and that’s not Ken’s Blue Cheese.

Aside from all of Bar 140’s set in stone bar bites, Ballaro has occasionally offered smoked pulled pork, beer battered fish & frites, and he’ll usually bust out specials when local produce is in full bloom or on days like St. Patrick’s Day, where Reubens, shepherd’s pie, and Irish breakfast plates are what the people desire. He even teased a possible Korean pop-up, featuring Tiffany’s family and home recipes. I’ll certainly speed up there when and if that goes down.

On most days, Bar 140 will stick with its rep as a damn good place to grab a couple drinks, crush a pile of fries, and get messy with a dozen wings.

“Everyone loves Sweet Home Alabama because it’s an awesome song, but they’re not trying to make it into an EDM song,” Ballaro says. “If you hit on something really well that people like, you have time to maybe try little other things, but I want to stick to what’s awesome with a dialed-in technique.”

140 Center Street; Shelton
203.513.2164; bar140.com