Backstage Takes Downtown Torrington By Storm

Backstage, whose motto is “Eat. Drink. Live.”, is taking downtown Torrington by storm (and goodness knows, we’ve seen plenty of those lately). Situated on the site of the former Cambridge Brew House, Backstage’s location next to the Warner Theatre suggests a symbiotic relationship.

The owner of Backstage is Keith Mahler, who is the president of Premier Concerts, Connecticut’s largest independent concert promoter. There’s a studio theater behind the restaurant called backstage Live! With acts like Leon Russell, Jefferson Starship and Dave Mason, Torrington residents should be the winners, as should all of those folks who will come from near and far for great entertainment offerings.

My own motto has always been “Will Travel For Food.” But for a concert that’s important to me, I also think nothing of racking up the miles. For the January 25th opening party for Backstage, I made the trip to Torrington with a buddy who also lives in Hamden but works in nearby Harwinton. My friend was grateful to have an exciting new place near his work to grab a good meal.

When we entered Backstage, we were warmly welcomed by these lovely young ladies and given VIP passes.

I noticed upstairs seating, and immediately took the high ground. There was a surprising amount of space up there.

Then we checked out the vibrant scene from above. The turnout was incredible,

keeping Chelsea busy hanging up and retrieving guests’ coats all evening.

Here’s what the scene looked like from above.

We were eager to join the fray, so we headed back downstairs. I wanted to attack the food and drink, but I’ve learned that it’s best to get the photos one needs first. Opportunities can easily be lost. At the far end of the venue was a lounge we had spotted from the street through big panes of glass. Two guests had sought a quieter place to talk,

and I wondered whether they’d get the staff attention there that they needed.

I needn’t have worried. My boss, Bob DeZinno, who owns this website, is a former president of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, a former restaurant critic, a former restaurateur and the current owner of DT Media Group, a top restaurant consulting concern. With Bob heavily involved in the development of Backstage and the planning of this event, including the training of staff, I knew everything would be first class. And I was right. It didn’t matter where one tried to hide. A staff member always tracked one down and offered to get one whatever one needed.

My buddy and I wanted to see the kitchen.

The staff was hard at work.

Not surprisingly, I found Bob there making sure that every detail was just right.

Here he is shown with Debbie Rappaport, owner of Jordan Caterers.

Sandwiches like these

(and many other delights) were being made.

I wondered when we would see these freshly baked snickerdoodles (my 13-year-old daughter’s favorite thing to cook).

We exited kitchen left, then I took more ground level photos. The joint was definitely jumping.

There was even another photographer—but I outdrew him.

There was a snack table to which people could help themselves,

and many did.

But it really wasn’t necessary, as well-trained staff were constantly circulating bringing guests some great treats.

Although the mountain would have gladly come to Mohammed, my buddy made a beer run

because he wanted to check out Backstage’s offerings, which include about 40 beers by the bottle and two dozen on tap.

He returned with drafts of Flying Dog Raging Bitch IPA (much better than it sounded). We settled at a table way in the back, but food kept finding us.

The same great staff that took care of us that night would be working at the establishment after it opened on January 28th.

And here are some of the delicacies that were circulating, as best as I can identify them after the fact. These were hippy chick sandwiches,

pita strips with hummus,

and vegetable spring rolls with Asian dipping sauce,

and believe me, they weren’t just for the vegetarians in the crowd. There was wonderful New England clam chowder

and equally good lobster bisque.

There were ham and cheese sandwiches,

and terrific macaroni and cheese.

The kitchen showed a serious flare for Southern cooking, with incredible hush puppies,

clam fritters,

and Southern-style fried chicken.

Besides the fried chicken, there were buffalo wings

and Asian-style wings.

For beef lovers, there was not only beef short rib

but perfect hamburgers, including a Greek Isles burger

and an el Cubano (which I liked so much I had several).

Everything was so well-seasoned that I didn’t see a single salt or pepper shaker getting any use.

The desserts also were fun and varied. Those snickerdoodles appeared in two forms: on a tray with biscotti

and as a garnish to creamy rice pudding.

Finally, there was delicious deconstructed strawberry cheesecake.

I ran into my friends Ronnie and Emma,

who did some of the work on the space. Artistic Emma even painted this guitar on a high ceiling

and this door mural.

After an exciting evening, we bid the gals at the door adieu and headed carefully back to Hamden.

Backstage, 84 Main Street, Torrington, 860-489-8900
www.backstageeatdrinklive.com