The Pompano Opens in Norwalk with Seafood Concept from Evarito's Owners

Back in 2018 when Christian Burns opened Evarito’s on the corner of N Main Street, just past the 50 Washington Street building, “Hola!” was the restaurant’s catchy little social media term. Six years later, Burns, and the public, can say “Hola!” to the new concept that inhabits 14 N Main, The Pompano.

Before we get to what The Pompano is all about, a lot of folks are itching to know why Evarito’s is no more after announcing its last days earlier in 2024. While there were a few factors, the simplest answer is they never fully got back on track financially after 2020.

One of two tartare starters is bluefin tuna, tomato concassé, avocado mousse, and soy. The other? Beef! Just in case you were wondering if there is, in fact, something for non-seafood eaters.

Early on, Burns said this octopus appetizer (Spanish octopus, potatoes, tomato, pearl onions, golden raisin, rosemary oil) has been a hit with customers. And if there’s a holdover from Evarito’s, it’s the use of the wood fired grill.

“We just did OK,” Burns explains. “We were popping in 2019. In the winter, we still had a crowd. Then we never really popped out of COVID the same way. 2021 came and it was less (customers). 2022 came and it was even less. I knew it was time for a change and I thought Evarito’s had run its course.”

Burns—who you know from The Ginger Man and Cask Republic locations—had to think about if he wanted to relaunch the Evarito’s space, and if so, what would he want it to be. Travel was that inspiration. If Evarito’s was inspired by Burns’ trips to and love of various parts of Mexico, his new idea for a restaurant would be a New England seafood restaurant meets a South Florida seafood restaurant.

Much of the cocktail list is influenced by Burns’ time in South Florida. He said he had a rough idea of what he wanted it to be, then his bartenders tweaked and improved it. Pictured is the Bramble G+T - Plymouth Gin, Crème de Mure, Fever Tree Tonic, mint, blackberry.

Old fashioned - Sazerac Rye, barrel aged old fashioned bitters, demerara sugar, torched orange

Called The Pompano—named after the fish—Burns wanted to open something “that wasn’t really missing, but something where there was a need for more of.”

What seafood lovers are in store for at The Pompano is a vast raw bar with slurpable Copps Island Oysters and littlenecks, tartares, towers, caviar service, and hand rolled sushi.

They’re not just using the wood fire approach for a few fish dishes. These romaine hearts are flashed in the fire to give it a little smokiness. Light on the Grana Padono? No such thing.

Snapper w/braised fennel, cranberry, fig, raisins, apricot, and puréed potatoes. And it’s important to note that some of the entrées could see a seasonal switch up. Burns already told us the calamari, currently grilled, will move to being fried in the summertime.

You’ll find plenty more in terms of entrées—with eight-ounce pieces of fish, a point that Burns stressed when speaking about the menu, saying they’re not skimping on portions—and two lobster rolls, a Maine style, served cold with fresh picked lobster meat tossed in Meyer lemon mayo, and Connecticut style, served hot and drenched in butter. Both come with slaw and hand-cut, salty shoestring fries.

Peek into the open kitchen and you’ll see Franz Fruhmann, whose resume includes stints for Christian Delouvrier, Daniel Boulud, David Bouley, and Rick and Michael Mast at Mast Market. Closer to The Pompano, locals might know Fruhmann from North Star in Pound Ridge and as the opening chef de cuisine at Paul Newman’s Dressing Room in Westport.

Burns by the restaurant’s open kitchen

What’s important for Burns, Fruhmann, and the staff at The Pompano is freshness in everything they’re doing.

“Our seafood comes from multiple purveyors, with a majority coming from New Wave Seafood in Stamford and we work closely with Tom (Grady),” Burns says. “We’re trying to get the best we can, and the freshest product available. We don’t want to hold onto fish too long because it changes it, so we may sell out of certain dishes early on as we learn. Even the fries are made in-house. We’re making everything, including desserts. We didn’t want to pull anything out of a bag.”

Lobster shows up not only chilled and packed into rolls, but in a ravioli, and in a homemade lobster mac and cheese that’s mostly cheddar.

A chunk of lobster in almost every bite.

And despite the minor transformation of the former Evarito’s dining room, don’t let the white tablecloths fool you into thinking there’s a dress code or that it’s pretentious.

“I want to make sure people understand—you can see what we did with the dining room—it’s more formal looking than Evarito’s,” Burns says. “The bar is kinda the same as it was and we rearranged seating upfront, but I want people to know that you don’t have to come sit at a white tablecloth if you don’t want to. You can sit at the bar or bar area, have a sushi roll, bowl of soup, get an appetizer. Just roll in. It’s all come as you are. You don’t have to spend $300 on dinner either.”

A handful of meat or veggie main plates are a thing here. Currently there’s roasted chicken, a cauliflower steak, a double cut pork chop, at least one steak, and a braised short rib.

Stay for sweets, as they’re all made in-house. Key lime pie in the front, coconut cake in the back.

While The Pompano plans to introduce brunch soon, and Burns did mention that he’s tinkering with a happy hour that’s still to be determined, I know you all want to know what’s gonna go down up on the roof…

Burns’ description of The Pompano’s up upstairs is “a summer seafood shack on the roof.”

What does that mean?!

Think along the lines of ice-cold raw bar fare, much like what’s downstairs, but the preview he gave are rooftop exclusives that may or may not include fried seafood, a tuna burger, definitely lobster rolls (cuz ya gotta), bang bang shrimp, fish & chips, some different cocktails than the dining room (tiki style, like Mai Tais), and a final teaser that, “there might be rumors of a rooftop burger.”

14 N Main Street, Norwalk
203.939.1620, thepompanoct.com