The Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy, is a famous Medieval bridge that spans the River Arno. The bridge is known for having shops built upon it, as was once common. The original tenants apparently were butchers, but now the shops are filled with jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers.
In the Connecticut town of Fairfield, Ponte Vecchio Trattoria lies near the rear of one of those prim strip malls that run back from the street rather than alongside it. I might never have tried this charming little restaurant if I had relied upon the assessment of the New York Times critic who reviewed it. However, repeated experience has taught me that, where Stephanie Lyness is concerned, there’s no more than a random chance that I’ll agree with her.
A sign outside the restaurant proclaims it a “Cucina Italiana,”
and it certainly is. Owner Giannino “John” Cavalli hails from the town of Ripi in the Monte Cassino region of Italy. Cavalli, shown right in the photo below, says a steady diet of home cooking in his childhood taught him that “fresh and simple” is the way to enjoy the cuisine of Italy.
At Ponte Vecchio, one shouldn’t expect a lot of fancy flourishes or extraneous ingredients. What one can count on is simple classic preparations using the freshest high-quality ingredients. Start off your dinner with great crusty bread from El Forno Artisan Breads. Pair it with really fragrant olive oil. Have the friendly staff bring you a nice glass of red wine. Contentment may start to set in before you even open the menu.
Inside the menu, you may find some Italian standards, but they won’t taste standard. I’m going to go light on the verbal description of my meal—and mostly let my photographs speak for themselves.
The freshness of a simple insalata mista is unmistakable.
So, too, the freshness of an arugula salad. Much as I love Gorgonzola, I omitted the cheese because this combination of arugula, red onion, grape tomato and slice almond in a shallot vinaigrette deserved the chance to shine on its own.
I never order spaghetti with marinara sauce, but I would order it often if it were as vibrantly prepared as my companion’s was.
Veal is something else I rarely order in our Italian restaurants, convinced it’s all too often pork or chicken masquerading as veal. I had no such fear as I ordered Cavalli’s vitella delicata, or veal scaloppini with shiitake mushrooms and roasted tomato in a light Cognac cream sauce. Note, too, the freshness of the accompanying vegetables.
Perhaps the best way I can illustrate the quality of the food at Ponte Vecchio is to show you the side of pasta that was served with my dinner. Rather than the standard ziti in a terrible, acidic marinara sauce, I received linguine with pesto sauce that could have starred in its own right rather than being relegated to the supporting cast.
And finally, at the head of food items that I have tired of and normally try to avoid ordering, there’s tiramisù. This housemade version was absolutely lovely.
If it weren’t enough that Ponte Vecchio’s food is terrific, or that the owner and staff couldn’t be nicer, then let me close with a photo illustrating that the interior is far more charming and comfortable than its strip-mall location might lead you to believe.
Ponte Vecchio Trattoria, 1275 Post Road #7, Fairfield, 203-256-1326