Bonterra Italian Bistro Is A Great Reason To Venture To Southington

I have the distinct feeling that I have been underestimating Southington for a while. It’s one of those towns that doesn’t seem especially easy to reach. But in fact both I-691 and I-84 pass through Southington, so it really isn’t that challenging. And just about everyone has probably found his way to the Plantsville section for some kind of event or other at Aqua Turf. But Southington’s growing dining scene increasingly demands attention.

My buddy and I explored the town one frigid Friday night. It was the kind of scouting trip that true foodies would consider fun and anyone else would consider torture. My partner in crime pulled up to restaurant entrances as if he were the getaway driver for a robbery, his dented red 1997 Ford Escort with 313,000 miles idling as if its next mile might be its last. While my wheel man waited, I darted inside restaurants, passing lines of waiting customers who eyed me suspiciously, imagining I might be trying to jump their places in the queue. I would study the menu quickly, sometimes grab a paper copy, then run out and pronounce: “That’s one we should probably try sometime.”

About eight o’clock, I spied a restaurant that I felt had to be checked out on the spot. Never mind that there might be a bit of a wait. Located in the striking Valley Bank Building, that restaurant was Bonterra Italian Bistro, which shares the same ownership as Anthony Jacks, also located in Southington.

Once inside from the cold, we were warmly welcomed by this comely lass, whose name was Allison.

The predicted wait evaporated, and we were shown to one of the comfortable booths on the left side of the dining room.

The only empty seats were in the bar area,

and there weren’t many of those, either.

Wait staff were hurrying in and out of the surprisingly calm kitchen,

which was partially open to view.

Here’s a close-up of one of those attractive paintings, which portrays a rolling Italian landscape replete with vineyards.

Even at ten o’clock, the restaurant was still pretty busy.

A trip to the bathroom was revealing. Proof that Southington is still a bit off the beaten path, only one article about Bonterra was displayed.

Congratulations to old friend Todd Lyon of the New Haven Register for being on the ball. The second thing I noticed was the presence of an elevator in the men’s room,

a vestige of the building’s prior use as a bank. I have been assured that the elevator door is incapacitated and no one will stop in on a gentleman during a private moment. Pity.

As we soon discovered, there was good reason for the restaurant’s popularity. Bonterra features price points and generous portions that few dining establishments in Connecticut’s big cities or tonier towns seem inclined to match. Judging by examining an Anthony Jacks menu stacked at the hostess station, the sibling is similarly reasonably priced and generous.

Bonterra translates “good earth,” suggesting a philosophy of offering a bounty of high-quality wines, meats and produce. We were started off with a basket teeming with various breads.

The spread you see in the basket was a honey-orange butter, but there were also foil-wrapped squares of regular butter in the basket and flasks of olive oil on our table.

Our polished and genial waiter, Cecil, who deserves better than this blurry photograph,

cracked open a $16 bottle of Chianti that was surprisingly drinkable for the price,

serving it in voluminous glasses that facilitated swirling.

We began with a big bowl of hearty escarole, white bean and sausage soup that could have been a meal in itself. Ironically, it was listed under “Lite Fare.”

Good thing there were two of us. We also couldn’t resist trying a special of oxtail ravioli in a demi-cheese sauce, the filling including a little ricotta and broccoli rabe.

It turned out salads (house or Caesar) came with entrées. My Caesar was fresher and better than most,

and for a $1.95 surcharge, my buddy upgraded to a Mozzarella and tomato salad. Nice, huh?

For an impressive $16.95, we order twin grilled pork chops topped with hot banana peppers, roasted red peppers and caramelized onions. Realizing we were sharing everything but our salads, the kitchen nicely split them for us, serving each with a generous portion of creamy polenta.

Here’s a close-up, so readers realize just how imposing each plate was.

An order of grilled swordfish in a citrus marinade with a pistachio-mint pesto, roasted squash and shallot-mashed potatoes was also split for us, but for photographic purposes, we tried (not terribly successfully) to reassemble the fish on one plate. The good thing is, you can see the snowy white flesh of this tasty fish.

Stuffed to the gills (so to speak), we finished by sharing a single dessert, a chocolate zabaglione over sheets of puff pastry.

Bonterra’s atmosphere was warm and inviting, its food delicious, its portions ridiculous, its prices difficult to beat. I resolved to return from Hamden often, avoiding annoying Route 10 by taking the Wilbur Cross Parkway to I-691 to Exit 30 of I-84, a longer but faster route.

Figure out your own best route to Southington, because restaurants like Bonterra Italian Bistro are putting this up-and-coming town on the map.

Bonterra Italian Bistro, 98 Main Street, Southington, 860-426-2620, www.bonterraitalianbistro.com