When I learned that Zest, a nice but perhaps overly ambitious venture by beloved chef Pietro Scotti, had closed in downtown Westport, I wondered what its replacement might be. Opening June 10, 2009 in its place was Manolo, a Mediterranean-themed restaurant by Pedro Garzon, previously the executive chef for the Barcelona restaurant group.
Manolo is named for Garzon’s great grand uncle, who exposed him to the cuisines of Portugal, Spain, France and Italy (among others) on family road trips throughout Europe. Although the menu seems about equally split between Spanish, French and Italian cooking with a couple of nods to Portugal, the majority of the dishes I tasted at a recent introductory press dinner I would have called Spanish (which is just fine because that’s my favorite cuisine).
Like its predecessor, Manolo doesn’t especially catch one’s eye from the street,
so it’s helpful to know that its mostly sunken (but airy) quarters are located on Church Lane across from the Westport Y.M.C.A. The interior has taken a marked turn from the lime-green-and-yellow color scheme that characterized Zest, with softer lighting and brushed earth tones that I find less forceful and much more comfortable.
I didn’t go behind the scenes at Zest, so I can’t comment on how much the kitchen has changed. I can say that when Isabel Tartaglia (co-owner of RestaurantsCT.com with Bob DeZinno) and I popped our heads into the kitchen, we found it well-organized and sparklingly clean (which is not always the case). Here, you see Garzon and Isabel getting chummy.
And here, addressing my fellow media members, you see Operations Manager Matthew Davies.
Davies pointed out that Manolo’s approach to wine is one of accessibility. The wine list features no wines over $68 and eight wines priced at just $19. Manolo offers wines that over-perform for the price, a laudable approach. The corkage fee is only $10, and the casual stemware is, well, stem-less. Manolo also offers a better selection of beers than most, including Estrella Damm, Gaffel Kölsch, Hoegaarden White Ale and Ommegang Farmhouse Ale.
A superior wine and beer list tremendously enhances a menu, but the food itself must be superior as well. I was impressed with Manolo’s food, and I am not easily impressed. The menu is structured to encourage communal dining, offering almost every dish in both tapas and family-sized portions. Garzon calls his food “very basic, family-style, from the heart.” He says he tries to combine the “best product I can get with the least amount of treatment given to it,” a simple philosophy at the heart of much Italian, Portuguese and Spanish food (but not so much French).
When we sought seats at the long table set up for us, we found various antipasti in place, including terrific olives, peppers and hummus
as well as good cured meats.
The antipasti included cockles with chorizo (which I forgot to photograph) and jumbo Mayan prawns, served with their heads.
Grilled baby octopus with lemon and oregano was tender and flavorful.
Provençal vegetables were yet another winner.
The main dishes were every bit as successful as the starters. Jumbo sea scallops were served over melted leeks with tomato fondue.
A risotto with asparagus, forest mushrooms and black truffle was one of the nicest I ever tried.
Beautiful slices of grilled Angus New York strip steak were served in a vibrant chimichurri sauce.
Even better, if it’s possible, were grilled lamb chops with piquillo pepper, smoked paprika and almond-based romescu sauce.
As for magret duck breast done up with organic cherries, cherry brandy and balsamic vinaigrette, I went back for thirds. Okay, fourths, if you really sweat me.
Even the sides we tried were really successful. I loved the truffled soft golden polenta.
The green beans with almonds and pancetta were also terrific.
Our dessert course included a nice cheese platter (partially shown) with Manchego cheese, Maytag Blue cheese (the loneliest cheese) and Pavé d’Affinois,
not to mention a lovely flan.
The press dinner was a tremendous success from beginning to end. The food media were left with a desire to dig even deeper into the menu, wine list and beer offerings. Manolo is an important addition to the Westport restaurant lineup.
Manolo, 8 Church Street Suite 101, Westport, 203-227-0703
I went to this restaurant with my parents and my husband, driving up to Westport from New Canaan, based on this review. The food was sensational! We are all frequent world travelers and have quite high standards when it comes to dining. The way the menu is organized is genius. There are small and large portions of both appetizers and mains, as well as separate side dishes. Between all of us, we ordered the mussels and prosciutto appetizers, the scallops, lamb, vegetable pasta, risotto, and bass for mains, and spinach, fingerling potatoes, and green bean sides. Dessert consisted of profiteroles, maytag blue and pave cheeses, and figs with mascarpone. We all tried a little of each dish, and we all unanimously agreed that the food was excellent. All the ingredients tasted as fresh as I think any could. Each flavor component could be detected, and complemented one another perfectly. We felt like our sense of taste had been heightened. The $32 chilean wine was so good that we eagerly consumed two bottles of it, and the men concluded that even the coffee, often a disappointment at nice restaurants, was very good. I am not sure I have ever had such a satisfactory dining experience. There were no disappointments. Everything impressed. Even the fingerling potatoes, flavored simply with olive oil, salt and parsley, were extraordinary. We cannot wait to return.