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Halibut collar with tricolor cherry tomato is served at the new restaurant Nômade in Westport, Conn. Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Nômade is a casual cocktail bar and restaurant bringing seasonal flavors inspired from the Mediterranean to the Pacific.
Sparrow Pizza Bar in West Hartford offers thin-crust "bar pies."
Poutine fries and twisted fries at Jefferson Fry Co., with four Connecticut locations.
Pau Pau's Pizza Cones food truck parked at the Hey Stamford! Food Festival in August.
Moby Dick's on Campbell Avenue in West Haven.
Fest Faves owners Victoria Streeto and her husband, Eric Balcerzak, photographed in their store on Whitney Avenue in New Haven.
Chef Bion “BG” Green creates specialty stuffed potatoes at the new The Sleeping Potato at The SoNo Collection in Norwalk, Conn., on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022.
Chef Claudio Conte welcomes visitors to the new Il Capriccio Ristorante at 1015 Bridgeport Ave. in Milford on Tuesday.
Check out these new Connecticut restaurants, which include West Hartford spot for thin-crust bar pies and a new eatery with a year-round fair food menu in New Haven.
Sparrow Pizza Bar in West Hartford offers thin-crust "bar pies."
David Boyajian and chef Adam Greenberg, a four-time “Chopped” champion, opened Sparrow Pizza Bar in West Hartford over Labor Day weekend in the space formerly occupied by Grants Restaurant. The menu centers around thin-crust "bar pie" style pizza, Italian-inspired small plates, salads and craft cocktails.
The thin and crispy pies are available in a single 10-inch size, with red or white sauce bases: a classic margherita, a Ruby with vodka sauce, fresh mozzarella and nut-free pesto; and the Colony, an homage to the Stamford hot oil original with Calabrian chile. Current "small bites" feature Cajun-spiced Brussels sprouts with pickled onions, roasted olives, arancini, meatballs, mozzarella sticks and truffle fries, with salads like a baby gem Caesar, panzanella and arugula with pancetta. Greenberg also recently added assorted bruschetta to the menu.
977 Farmington Avenue. 860-999-9110, @sparrowpizzabar
Charred octopus is served at the new restaurant Nômade in Westport, Conn. Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Nômade is a casual cocktail bar and restaurant bringing seasonal flavors inspired from the Mediterranean to the Pacific.
Nômade is a new restaurant in Westport with an appropriate name; with the French spelling of the word, it nods to its variety of cuisines from across the world. Globally inspired offerings feature Mediterranean, Caribbean and Asian influences, with menu items like crudos, escargot, Wagyu bistro steak frites, Hungarian stuffed cabbage and fried rice with Peking duck.
150 Main Street, 203-557-9577, @nomade_westport.
Poutine fries and twisted fries at Jefferson Fry Co., with four Connecticut locations.
Jefferson Fry Co., a fast-casual eatery specializing in loaded French fries, recently opened its fifth Connecticut location in Storrs, near UConn's campus. The restaurant features a menu of loaded fry options with an international theme, with flavors from around the globe.
The Storrs restaurant comes just a few months after founder Emmet Moore and business partner Travis Dillon opened Jefferson's fourth location in Vernon in April. Jefferson Fry Co. also has full-service restaurants in Cromwell and Canton, and a satellite stall at Hartford’s Parkville Market food hall.
9 Dog Lane, 860-477-0589, @jeffersonfryco
Pau Pau's Pizza Cones food truck parked at the Hey Stamford! Food Festival in August.
Pau Pau's Pizza Cones, a new food truck that's been making the rounds in Fairfield and Litchfield counties, is serving pizza in a portable cone format. Dough is rolled into a cone shape and customized with toppings, then baked in an oven for the ideal melty, cheesy finish.
Co-owner and chef Ben Quick makes his own fresh pizza dough, which is then machine-formed into a cone shape and parcooked, getting it ready to load with cheese, sauce and toppings. He estimates the cones to be about the size of a rolled seven-inch pizza crust, he said.
The bready cones ($9 to $12) are available in classic cheese and pepperoni varieties, along with a meat lovers' option (with pepperoni, sausage and bacon), one with onions and peppers and another with spinach, mushroom and truffle oil. Similar to a Drumstick ice cream treat, which has a chocolate "nugget" at the tip of the waffle cone, Pau Pau's cones have cheese at the bottom, Quick said.
860-717-2525, facebook.com/paupauspizzacones
Fest Faves owners Victoria Streeto and her husband, Eric Balcerzak, photographed in their store on Whitney Avenue in New Haven.
With a passion for cooking and love for carnival foods, married couple Victoria Streeto and Eric Balcerzak opened Fest Faves on Whitney Avenue in early September, featuring indulgent treats like fried dough, jumbo corn dogs, cotton candy, funnel cakes and deep-fried Oreos. The restaurant’s interior is also carnival-themed, with red and white striped walls, neon signs and popcorn machines.
15 Whitney Avenue, 203-691-1830, @festfaves.
Chef Bion “BG” Green creates specialty stuffed potatoes at the new The Sleeping Potato at The SoNo Collection in Norwalk, Conn., on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022.
The Sleeping Potato opened at the SoNo Collection in Norwalk last month, offering a menu of made-to-order loaded baked potatoes, fries and chips. Premium potatoes are topped with everything from chives and cheese to sirloin steak, fried chicken, crab cakes, lobster and grilled salmon.
100 N. Water St., 929-979-4919, thesonocollection.com
Moby Dick's on Campbell Avenue in West Haven.
The new raw bar in West Haven by co-owners Doug Ruickoldt and Evan Mink aims to revitalize a critical commercial area of West Haven, they said, with a menu of “upscale raw” dishes led by executive chef Jeff Lamberti: freshly shucked oysters, clams and shrimp; oyster shooters and other options like sandwiches, flatbreads and chowder. Moby Dick’s also offers local beers on tap and signature cocktails.
558 Campbell Ave., 203-821-7588, facebook.com/mobydicks203.
Chef Claudio Conte welcomes visitors to the new Il Capriccio Ristorante at 1015 Bridgeport Ave. in Milford on Tuesday.
The owners of La Fortuna in Stratford recently opened Il Capriccio, with a blend of Italian and Latin American foods. Restaurateur Alex Gjeka said guests have been asking for dishes like tacos, nachos and quesadillas, and they’re now on the menu alongside Italian classics: rigatoni alla vodka, veal Milanese, gnocchi and linguine with clams.
1015 Bridgeport Ave., 203-713-8400, @ilcapriccioct
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Leeanne is the food and consumer reporter for Hearst Connecticut, handling coverage of restaurant openings and closings, trends, events and general news about CT food and beverage businesses.
She's been working in Connecticut news for more than 15 years, most recently as the food and dining reporter for the Hartford Courant. A native of Worcester, Mass., she holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University.