The first two Rizzuto’s, already well-established in Bethel and in West Hartford, were joined in late September by a Westport sibling located in the space that previously housed Conte’s Market & Grill (which has taken up residence at the Westport Inn).
I eagerly attended an Election Day press dinner at the new Rizzuto’s Wood-Fired Kitchen & Bar, the recent switch to Standard Time guaranteeing that a mantle of darkness had descended over the main entrance by the time of my arrival.
The former Conte’s space seemed a perfect fit for the newest Rizzuto’s. Rather than accessing a fish market, the second entrance now led to a pasta pantry, from which customers could be seen escaping with carry-out food.
Behind the counter of the pasta pantry, I found Bill Rizzuto himself, the restaurant’s amiable owner.
Housemade pastas, meatballs, sauces and salads were available on one side,
fresh-baked breads on the other.
My wife and I proceeded into the lounge, where other members of the food press had already gathered.
Ann wasted no time settling in.
Our hostess for the evening was restaurant publicist Linda Kavanagh of MaxExposure,
and here you see Celia Meadow of Weston Magazine
and her delightful daughter, Simone.
We sipped from flutes of NV Valdo Prosecco, Veneto, Italy while helping ourselves to a shellfish tower teeming with jumbo shrimp, clams and oysters.
We also enjoyed slices of thin-crusted margherita pizza.
Rizzuto came out and mingled with members of the food press. You can see that Rizzuto got quite passionate about his latest project,
that he knew how to make a point,
that he was a hands-on guy,
and that he had all of the right moves.
While my fellow members of the food press were getting reacquainted, I wandered around the restaurant, making a pest of myself with my Canon EOS10. Next to the lounge was the raw bar, which you now see front
and back.
Beyond the raw bar was an L-shaped bar area,
while across from the bar were appealing tall tables and stools.
Near the entrance, lining the hallway to the restrooms, was a gallery of vintage photographs.
Farther inside the restaurant was the hostess station,
and beyond that, the main dining room, which appeared quite family-friendly
and featured an attractive fireplace with a surprisingly convincing fire.
But my favorite area was the counter seating with a view of the kitchen,
which was even more appealing when in use.
High above the counter seating was a chalkboard list of specials.
But we were there for a press dinner, which means we had our own list of specials.
Our first course was an antipasto platter consisting of 24-month prosciutto di Parma, Fra’ Mani organic sopressata, Parmigiano Reggiano, Taleggio cheese, grilled artichoke heart and assorted olives.
Here are close-ups of the artichoke hearts
and the olives.
The platter also included a Sicilian eggplant caponata
and ramekins of black olive tapénade, truffled honey, and golden raisins soaked in Marsala wine.
Our second course featured an organic baby arugula salad with pear, goat cheese, candied pecan, baby tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and an apple-honey-cinnamon-infused white balsamic vinegar.
The antipasto and the baby arugula salad were paired with a 2007 Attems Sauvignon Blanc, Friuli, Italy, which exhibited the minerality and balance that makes white wines from Collio so tremendous.
But for our third, fourth and fifth courses, we savored a soft and polished red wine, a 2000 Moris Farms, Morellino di Scansano, Riserva, Tuscany, Italy. The third course turned out to be pappardelle bolognese with shaved Reggiano Parmigiano.
This pasta was followed by roasted crabmeat-encrusted halibut in a white wine sauce served with sautéed spinach.
The final savory course proved to be veal piccata with artichoke, capers, roasted fingerling potato and broccoli rabe.
For dessert, we were treated to one of the best tiramisùs any of us had ever encountered. Paired with it was a 2008 Elio Perrone “Sourgal,” Moscato d’Asti, Piedmont, Italy.
In closing, I want to give credit to Rizzuto for his vision, to his staff for taking great care of us throughout our meal, to his chef Julio Cevallos for his good work, and even to the imposing Le Panyol Provence wood-fired oven that produces so many great dishes.
Rizzuto’s Wood-Fired Kitchen & Bar, 540 Riverside Avenue, Westport, 203-221-1002
Rizzuto’s Wood-Fired Kitchen & Bar, 111 Memorial Road, West Hartford, 860-232-5000
Rizzuto’s Wood-Fired Pizza Kitchen, 6 Stony Hill Road, Bethel, 203-790-4444