The CTBites team paid a visit to Gioia right before it opened last fall— you can read about it here. This past weekend, CTBites returned to check out the newly launched brunch menu where you’ll be sure to find everything your brunch-craving heart desires. In typical fashion, we browsed the menu with discerning eyes, deciding which items seemed particularly delicious as well as photo-worthy. While doing so we nibbled on some Weekend Pastries – a selection of 3 different baked treats served with honey butter and a fruit preserve. Included was a flaky cherry turnover loaded with fruit and a cornmeal scone. This was not your run of the mill scone; this one was particularly light. The cornmeal added a lovely texture and a touch of sweetness which paired beautifully with the honey butter. These were joined by an old-fashioned glazed cake doughnut, reminiscent of eras past — the kind you want to dip into your cappuccino and savor slowly.
In recent weeks, New Haven-style apizza has been big in the news, with feature stories splashed across such publications as The New York Times and The New Yorker. To the surprise of some, “apizza” is no typo. Apizza is a culinary cornerstone. Now that we’re on the same pie, let’s talk about how your readers can win free apizza for a year for National Pizza Day (February 9).
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.
Roll into the former Davinci’s Pizza (or Cosmos if we take it back to 1985) at 60 Connecticut Avenue, and it’s a way different vibe than it used to be.
Quirky artificial intelligence cartoons, featuring pizza, are pasted in the entryway. Sawed off cookbook bindings are the art on the walls. A black and white photo of Marco Pierre White stares at you if you glance to your right.
In the latter part of July, I covered the opening of Taco Guy and owner Adrian Hurtado. If you read THAT article, towards the end of it, I alluded to the wood burning pizza oven being used at some point.
If you’re a regular to Taco Guy like I have been, I’m sure you’ve asked Hurtado if he was going to fire that oven up. Well, friends, that time is now.
In the early 1920s, Dominic Zuppardi brought his master bread-making skills from southern Italy to New Haven and after several years of working for others creating artisanal breads and “abeetz,” he opened Salerno’s Bakery on Donnelly Place in New Haven in 1932. Two years later he moved to Union Street in West Haven and opened Zuppardi’s Bakery, and in the 1940s Dominick handed the reigns to his son Anthony. In the early years, Anthony produced a small variety of apizzas, primarily the traditional tomato pie, and as the menu grew (a customer favorite was Anthony’s Italian fennel sausage), he decided to focus on apizza and rebrand the family shop Zuppardi’s Apizza. After Anthony’s passing in 1988, his children and grandchildren assumed the familial leadership to ensure the continuation of Dominick and Anthony’s tradition and almost 90 years after Dominic opened on Union Street, Zuppardi’s Apizza is still considered one of the best in the New Haven area.
Beyond the beautiful views, calming sounds, and salty smells of Sasco beach, one may hear the cries and laughs of a baby and delicious smells of pizza. These senses come from Proof Pizza, the food truck stationed at the beach Thursday through Saturday between four and eight pm in the Summer seasons, and out and about in CT spots including Sport Hill Farm and St. Thomas School in the Fall.
In another life, co-owner Jennifer DeGirolomo was in the banking industry, and her husband and co-owner Lenny was in construction. The couple has had a love for pizza since they started dating 16 years ago. In 2019, they made this love into a career.
“We had the opportunity to kind of restart and reinvent ourselves. He’s always wanted to do a food truck and we’ve always done pizza together and so it was kind of a no brainer. We said, we’re never going to have this chance again so we took everything we had, threw it into getting this little pizza oven from Italy and we did farmers markets and little pop up stuff,” Jennifer said.
“We love being down here, this has been kind of life changing for us. Like I said we love it, even on bad days that’s your view. We were driving down and my younger son was like, ‘Mom, there’s our office.’”
This oven from Italy was the perfect find for the DeGirolomo’s specific needs. They wanted a wood fire oven that was portable so it would fit in the truck, but was also high quality and could cook enough pizzas at once to keep up with demand. Once the oven was secured, they were able to develop the other key component of what makes Proof Pizza unique: the dough.
In 2018 I headed to Cos Cob to meet Frederico Perandin and his wife Anissa Nouhi at the location of their brand new restaurant, Il Pastificio, adored by all in the Greenwich area.
Born and raised in Padova, Italy, the founder of a successful Italian advertising agency, Federico Perandin moved to Greenwich in 2016 where he immediately fell in love with the town, the scenery and the lively international community.
In 2022 Perandin and Nouhi found a second home for Il Pastificio in Westport. Initially it was to serve as a market of sorts with its take out menu, but that changed when, after closing for a month over the summer for some light construction, a new sit-down eatery was born. The new restaurant is best described as rustic chic. Its elevated casual atmosphere offers guests a comfortable setting dressed in pale yellows and woods in which they can linger comfortably over Frederico’s authentic recipes, steeped in tradition alongside a healthy serving of Prosecco and conversation.
So this taco and this pizza walk into an Indian joint…
Darbar India located in Branford, Connecticut is a family run business that has been a staple of the Branford community, serving authentic Indian cuisine for nearly 30 years. Sunny, Vinny and their father Haresh Nariyani took over the business in 2008 and this past January they relocated to its current location on Montowese Street.
When we were invited to check them out we naturally had to scope out their Instagram account which was filled with images of pizzas and tacos! Whaaaaat??? We really had to go see what this was all about.
Inside we found a small, modern space flanked by quintessentially Indian artifacts and figurines, punctuated by their fish pond. While the decor might be simple, it’s the food that steals the show. Darbar prides themselves on their traditional flavors and cooking styles. While Sunny and Vinny were both born in the states, Haresh did not come over until 1990.
Dave Portnoy’s 8.2 score of Grigg Street’s popular sour dough pizza was ehhh…good. Could’ve been higher even by a smidge in my opinion, but anything in the “8s” is a fine rating.
What Dave wasn’t wrong about, though, was scoring Grigg’s cheesesteak a full point higher at a 9.2, and despite being on a major pizza eating and scoring tour, he kept going back for another bite, saying, “This is great. You weren’t fuckin’ around.”
Portnoy dove in with his mouth. I’m about to dive into this haute “Philly” by giving you the culinary facts behind it.
To get the skinny on this appropriately greasy, pungently cheesy, slightly spicy, and beefy sandwich, I caught up with my homie, Grigg Street Pizza co-owner and chef, Matthew Watson.
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).
Gioia, the new wood-fired Italian dining/cocktail/gelato/rooftop bar on Wooster Street from partners Tim Cabral (Ordinary) and Avi Szapiro (Roìa), is set to open in October, but we’ve already visited the spot to give you a first look.
You’ll see the space, get a glimpse of the enticing menu, and read our exclusive interview with the partners about the concept’s creation in their own words. Read on!
Avi describes how the two met one night in 2011 when he was eating at Caseus: the seed event which would lead to the creation of Gioia.
“I thought nobody knew me or what I was doing, and Tim comes up to me and says ‘I heard you’re opening a restaurant, what’s the concept?’”
That turned out to be Roìa, which opened within two weeks of Tim’s Ordinary (“We literally shared a back door between the restaurants, we’d steal stuff from each other all the time.”), and the two became great friends, to the point they started brainstorming ideas just so they could work together.
Restaurateur husband and wife super-team, John & Morgan Nealon, are back at it again! Enquiring minds wondered what was next for this duo, and now the wait is over. John & Morgan have just signed the lease on the old Davinci’s Pizza in Norwalk at 60 Connecticut Avenue. Get ready for CRUST ISSUES, a casual neighborhood joint, opening in early Fall. As the name might suggest, there will be pizza, but as per usual with these two, it won’t fit into a classic pizza-style. More on that if you keep reading… and wait till you hear what else is on the menu.
Crust Issues is housed in the bones of an old school pizza spot, with tiled floors and big pizza ovens in the open kitchen, and the Nealon will be leaning in to this relaxed vibe. Guests will order at the counter, grab one of the 40 seats, and enjoy a cocktail (John’s got some fun new tricks up his sleeve in the cocktails department…obvi), and you’ll likely get a Nealon bringing some tasty elevated comfort food to your table.
I recently had the pleasure of dining at Yuki’s Kitchen, a charming Korean, Japanese and Chinese culinary haven that left me utterly impressed and thoroughly satisfied. From the moment I stepped in to this primarily take-out spot, the quaint friendly ambiance and attentive service set the stage for a memorable gastronomic experience. Ken and Yuki Piao, a husband and wife team, have been in the Fairfield/Westport area for more than +10 years and decided in November of 2022 to open a lovely tiny haven of authentically excellent Asian food. We also had the pleasure of enjoying some special dishes prepared by Yuki’s mother visiting from Korea for 2 months.
To pick, or not to pick, that is the question that Nick Conti and a small crew of whiskey enthusiasts are faced with regularly when it comes to making barrel picks for his three spirit shops Sav-Rite Liquors in North Haven, Ye Old Wine Shoppe in Wallingford, and Greens Farms Spirit Shop in Westport.
One of the most visually eye-candy-esque restaurants in CT, Terrain Cafe, has recently added a new bar to their ever-expanding dining space. For years, guests haven’t been able to get enough of this local seasonal menu under the helm of Chef Jes Bengston, and tables can often be tricky to score. But now, you don’t need a reservation to grab a seat at Terrain. Simply sidle up to their new walk-ins only bar (always my favorite seat in the house), and enjoy their brand new dedicated bar menu, created exclusively for those 13 seats. Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to order the full Terrain Café menu from your bar stool, but wait till you see what else only you can enjoy.
Let’s start with the bar itself. Just like everything else at Terrain, it’s sexy rustic chic. The thick white marble slab counter is bright and elegant by day, and vibey by night as the lights dim and those happy hour feels set in.
Nestled in a quiet corner of a shopping plaza located right off of the hustle and bustle of Fairfield’s Black Rock Turnpike is Vespino Pizza + Restaurant. Located in the space that was formerly Stefano’s, Vespino fills a void in the area’s restaurant scene. Best described as elevated casual in a stylishly modern setting, Vespino is an ideal choice for a quick neighborhood lunch, casual dinner with friends and family, or an after work cocktail. Vespino has already established a loyal clientele and has earned praises for their pizza, pasta, appetizers and main dishes. Sister restaurant to longtime local favorite Quattro Pazzi Café, Organika and the newer kid on the block, Pizza Lyfe in Westport, we came in with high expectations, eager to try a few dishes ourselves.
Tacombi, known for its full-flavor tacos, cocktails and ice-cold beers, is excited to announce the opening of its newest location in Westport, Connecticut on August 7th [1680 Post Road, Westport]. With over 17 locations across New York City, Long Island, Miami and the Greater Washington D.C. area, the brand is excited to expand its footprint with its first location in Connecticut, offering the Westport community of families, young professionals and longtime residents to indulge in authentic Mexican food and culture.
This new taqueria is centrally located near the Long Lots & Coleytown neighborhoods, just down the road from exits 18 & 19 off of I-95 and close to local public transit, making this taqueria accessible to all in the area. The colorful 2,966 sq foot free-standing location offers speedy and convenient service, with the option to order at the counter or via QR code tableside. The space offers an indoor-outdoor setting with an expansive outdoor seating area, where guests can dine under canopies, the perfect place to indulge in tacos during the warmer months.
Pride, potential, purpose, passion, and a love for all positive P words are the founding ideals of The Porch at Christies, and the core of their mission. Included in this list of P’s is of course Pecoriello, the founding family and owners of The Porch and partner organization, Sweet P Bakery.
The Porch serves a delicious menu of items from baked goods, to breakfast bowls, sandwiches, salads, coffee, and more. There is truly something for everyone. However, visiting The Porch is not solely a culinary experience. The inviting atmosphere of inclusivity and community makes it hard to simply grab a meal and go. The Porch is the perfect spot for a nice meal with family, coffee with friends, and even a place to meet someone new.
