At RestaurantsCT.com, we don’t usually cover a Restaurant Week the first time that it is held. We generally like to stand back and see whether the event is successful or not. We like to give its organizers and participating eateries time to work out all of the kinks.
But when old friend Linda Kavanagh, a restaurant publicist and consultant, informed me she was helping organize a Restaurant Week for Westport, I was immediately intrigued. First, I have great faith in Linda’s organizational smarts. Second, when it comes to noteworthy dining venues, Westport is loaded. It may not be Greenwich or New Haven, but the tony little town of roughly 26,500 is easily one of Connecticut’s top dining destinations. One measure of that fact is that only four Nutmeg towns—Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk and New Haven—have more restaurants listed in the latest Zagat Survey than Westport does.
Some things that we at RestaurantsCT.com look for in a Restaurant Week were in place, others not. Great roster of participating restaurants? Check! Event well-promoted on multiple media? Check! Good buzz among the participating establishments? Check! Irresistible restaurant prices? At $35 for some venues, not so much. Menus published in advance? Eeenh!
But we had experienced virtually all of the restaurants firsthand and knew we liked them. Furthermore, we knew that Linda was busy explaining to all of the restaurateurs that they shouldn’t dumb their food down or cut their portions back. The point of a Restaurant Week, Linda would stress, is to strut your stuff so that loyal customers will be rewarded and new ones will want to come back.
So what was the verdict? Well, all of the restaurants I visited acquitted themselves very well, thank you. We gave new-kid-on-the-block Westport a shot its very first time out—and we didn’t regret our decision for even an instant!
BEST OVERALL RESTAURANT—TARANTINO
First Runner-Up—Da Pietro’s
Second Runner-Up—Acqua
Every establishment that I visited during Westport Restaurant Week seemed to be making a genuine effort to put its best foot forward. Ramze Zakka restaurant Acqua Ristorante Mediterraneo took second runner-up honors overall, placing in the top three in many categories and taking first place honors in four categories. Da Pietro’s earned first runner-up honors with a strong showing, scoring firsts in five categories.
But—cue drum roll!—the winner of our grand award, Best Overall Restaurant, was Tarantino. The Westport sibling of Columbus Park Trattoria in Stamford and Applausi Osteria Toscana in Old Greenwich took first place in seven categories. It showed no areas of weakness, scoring wins in categories pertaining to food, service and atmosphere. Tarantino—we salute you!
BEST NEWCOMER—RIZZUTO’S
Since this was the first time that Westport Restaurant Week was held, our Best Newcomer award had to be reserved for a newly opened restaurant, not just a restaurant participating in the event for the first time. Rizzuto’s Wood-Fired Kitchen & Bar was no ordinary novice, however, owner Bill Rizzuto having already established firm footholds in Bethel and in West Hartford. And Rizzuto’s didn’t just show up for this event—it tied with four other restaurants for the third most first-place awards among the participants with four. Now wasn’t that confusing?
BEST OVERALL VALUE—DA PIETRO’S
First Runner-Up—Rizzuto’s
Second Runner-Up—Bombay
Despite Westport having as high a price tag as any Restaurant Week event in the Nutmeg State, there was value to be found. First, no one I saw was dumbing down their menus excessively with cheap ingredients, nor shorting diners with shrunken portions, strategies I have seen employed by a few Connecticut restaurants in similar events. Second, because there was a two-tier price system, restaurants could elect the lower lunch or dinner price points to offer customers the best value. And third, some restaurants found other creative ways to build in additional value.
Matsu Sushi and Bobby Q’s Barbeque & Grill should be praised for offering generous $15 lunches. And at dinner, Bobby Q’s even offered $25 all-you-can-eat ribs with a choice of two sides.
But our second runner-up for Best Overall Value was Bombay Bar & Grill, which offered an amazing lunch spread (including a glass of wine or soda) for just $8.95 and family dinners for $15 per person (with a four-person minimum). And our first runner-up is Rizzuto’s for electing the lower price points for lunch and dinner while offering exceptional quality and portion sizes that rivaled the best Westport had to offer.
Our winner for Best Overall Value is legendary Da Pietro’s, which offered a sumptuous four-course dinner for its $35 price tag. Diners began with hot rolls and fine olives (pictured above), then chose between a soup or salad, progressed to an appetizer, moved on to a full-fledged entrée, and finally, concluded with a lovely dessert. Way to go, Pietro!
BEST MENU—DA PIETRO’S
First Runner-Up—Rizzuto’s
Second Runner-Up—Splash
Splash and Rizzuto’s take second and first runner-up honors respectively with balanced menus that offered plentiful and imaginative choices in every category. But Da Pietro’s menu not only offered plentiful and imaginative choices but it offered four courses. And even then, Da Pietro’s wasn’t done, because it added other specials to the menu like the potato-encrusted orata in a citrus beurre blanc with spinach and mashed potatoes pictured above.
MOST EXOTIC MENU—SPLASH
First Runner-Up—Matsu Sushi
Second Runner-Up—Bombay
This category is a personal favorite, because it speaks to why I so love to dine out—the adventure! The food universe is almost infinite, and I have often said that food writers who think they already know everything prevent themselves from learning anything. If I have a meal out and don’t learn something new, however insignificant, then I’m actually disappointed.
In this restaurant lineup, it was a given that Bombay and Matsu Sushi would figure among the most exotic, and they win second and first runner-up honors respectively. But Splash’s menu with its artful blending of East and West ingredients and cooking techniques provided about as much fun as you can have and still stay legal. Pictured above is Splash’s popular roasted chicken salad with fried wonton strips, Napa cabbage and a sesame vinaigrette.
BEST BREAD & ACCOMPANIMENTS—ACQUA
First Runner-Up—Bombay
Second Runner-Up—Rizzuto’s
Good bread and accompaniments were the rule, not the exception, at the Westport restaurants I visited. Second runner-up Rizzuto’s not only serves good fresh baked bread, but long and round loaves of its bread can purchased at the take-out entrance. And first runner-up Bombay deserves strong consideration for its exotic batura, idli and assorted naans. And with its breads one could enjoy all manner of chutneys, raita and other accompaniments. But Acqua takes first place honors for its lovely focaccia, savory bean spread and Monini extra virgin olive oil.
BEST SOUP—TARANTINO—escarole, sausage and bean
First Runner-Up—Da Pietro’s—roasted garlic and cauliflower
Second Runner-Up—Acqua—cream of potato with roasted garlic
Most of the food categories were extraordinarily competitive, and Best Soup was no exception. Only three could finish in the money, which means some absurdly good soups, like Dressing Room’s purée of celery with bean served with a roasted Beacon oyster, Splash’s shellfish chowder and Da Pietro’s lobster bisque didn’t even place.
Acqua’s delightful cream of potato with roasted garlic was good for third place. Da Pietro’s roasted garlic and cauliflower soup took second place. But first place went to Tarantino’s stunningly flavorful escarole, sausage and bean topped with grated Parmesan, which stood head and shoulders over all other versions of this soup that I had previously encountered.
BEST SALAD—SPLASH—crackling calamari salad
First Runner-Up—Acqua—grilled octopus and chorizo salad
Second Runner-Up—Tarantino—tri-colore salad
Tarantino takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary through scrupulous attention to ingredient quality. Its tri-colore salad, a nice combination of arugula, radicchio and endive in a balsamic vinaigrette with shaved Parmesan, takes second runner-up honors in this category. Taking first runner-up honors was Acqua’s lovely grilled octopus and chorizo salad with salsa verde and carrot coulis. But our Best Salad award goes to Splash’s famous crackling calamari salad, a dish which I order every single time I visit the restaurant.
BEST CHEESE DISH—TARANTINO—soft polenta topped with sautéed wild mushrooms in a creamy Gorgonzola sauce
First Runner-Up—Da Pietro’s—ravioli Piemontese
Second Runner-Up—Blue Lemon—ricotta mascarpone cheesecake with strawberry sauce
Unlike in Hartford’s and New Haven’s Restaurant Weeks, cheese was not so much in evidence as a signature ingredient. I didn’t wind up trying any cheese plates or fondues, for instance. So I was forced to look to dishes where cheese was at least a crucial ingredient.
Blue Lemon wins second runner-up honors for its light and lovely ricotta mascarpone cheesecake. Da Pietro is first runner-up for its ravioli Piemontese stuffed with ricotta and Parmesan and finished with a tomato basil broth and white truffle oil. But the winner is Tarantino for its soft polenta topped with sautéed wild mushrooms in a luxurious creamy Gorgonzola sauce, a dish I don’t think I could pass up on a return visit.
BEST PASTA DISH—DRESSING ROOM—housemade buckwheat pappardelle pasta with lamb ragù
First Runner-Up—Tavern on Main—housemade wild mushroom ravioli with white truffle oil
Second Runner-Up—Da Pietro’s—ravioli Piemontese
On the television show Kitchen Nightmares, one of Gordon Ramsey’s favorite ways to turn a restaurant around and enlarge its customer base is to offer fresh housemade pasta. It’s a powerful way to communicate one’s commitments to one’s customers and to utilizing premium ingredients. Pasta also can be seen as an ideal blank slate upon which a culinary artist can express himself or herself. And culinary artists aplenty showed their finesse with pasta during Westport Restaurant Week, making this the most competitive category of all. After this week-long dining experience, I am ready to declare Westport to be Connecticut’s fresh pasta capital.
Maria herself made Tarantino’s fettuccine noodles, which were topped with shrimp and graced with a light and fresh puttanesca sauce. And Rizzuto’s goat cheese and spinach ravioli with crispy pancetta and mushroom cream sauce were also spectacular. But the competition was just brutal.
How brutal? Da Pietro’s beautifully balanced ravioli Piemontese stuffed with ricotta and Parmesan cheese and finished with a tomato basil broth and white truffle oil would be worthy of a last meal request, and they’re merely earning second runner-up honors. First runner-up honors go to Tavern on Main’s luscious housemade wild mushroom ravioli finished with white truffle oil. But Dressing Room’s housemade buckwheat pappardelle pasta was topped with a lamb ragù that surpassed any ragù I had previously encountered, propelling the restaurant to victory by the slimmest of margins.
BEST SEAFOOD DISH—BLUE LEMON—grilled baby squid
First Runner-Up—Da Pietro’s—cozze gratinato
Second Runner-Up—Splash—maple-glazed Atlantic salmon
Best Seafood Dish was another category deep with potential winners. (And if I hadn’t decided to treat seafood salads as salads rather than seafood dishes, it would have been even deeper.) For instance, Tarantino only gets an honorable mention for its lovely tilapia (in most American restaurants, a forgettable fish) with lemon, white wine and capers. Second runner-up honors go to Splash for its maple-glazed Atlantic salmon with dill yogurt sauce over a house-smoked salmon hash. Da Pietro’s takes first runner-up honors for its wonderful steamed Prince Edward Island mussels with parsley, garlic butter and Panko crumbs. But the winner is Blue Lemon’s signature grilled baby squid in a ginger and lime vinaigrette.
BEST POULTRY DISH—SPLASH—soy-roasted half Cornish game hen
First Runner-Up—Acqua—wood-oven roasted Amish chicken
Second Runner-Up—Bombay—chicken and egg biriyani
Poultry appeared in many forms throughout Westport Restaurant Week (although duck was strangely absent). Noteworthy poultry dishes included Splash’s roasted chicken salad, Matsu Sushi’s chicken satay with peanut dip, Rizzuto’s pan-roasted chicken breast in pan jus with truffled mashed potatoes and spinach, and Dressing Room’s grilled chicken sandwich on housemade focaccia bread with bacon, lettuce and pesto aïoli.
But Bombay Bar & Grill buffet lunch, which also included tandoori chicken and chicken tikka masala, takes third place for its chicken and egg biriyani. And Acqua scored big points with us for its wood-oven roasted chicken in natural roasting jus with gratin potatoes. However, Splash is our winner for its delightful soy-roasted half Cornish game hen, which tasted as if it was prepared with a five-spice mix (especially star anise).
BEST MEAT DISH—TARANTINO—veal Marsala
First Runner-Up—Blue Lemon—hanger steak with chimichurri sauce
Second Runner-Up—Da Pietro’s—grass-fed beef with red peppercorn and Cognac sauce
There were many great meat dishes, but three particularly stood out in my mind. Thus, third place goes to Da Pietro’s for its sliced grass-fed beef with red peppercorn and Cognac sauce. Second place goes to Blue Lemon for beautiful pink slices of marinated and grilled hanger steak served with chimichurri sauce, roasted red bliss potatoes and broccoli. But our award for Best Meat Dish goes to Tarantino for its memorable veal scaloppini sautéed with roasted red peppers and mushrooms in a Marsala wine sauce.
BEST PIECE OF MEAT—BOBBY Q’S—dinnertime rack of ribs
First Runner-Up—Tavern on Main—New York steak in a Merlot wine sauce
Second Runner-Up—Café Manolo—country pâté
Our Best Piece of Meat award is generally aimed at recognizing those dishes that satisfy that most primitive of urges for meat—perhaps a great steak, rack of ribs or shank, for instance. But a refined use of meat that is also intensely meaty, like a good steak tartare, might also qualify.
And thus, our second runner-up award goes to Café Manolo for its country pâté of pork and foie gras, which was served with various accoutrements. Our first runner-up award goes to Tavern on Main for its good-sized and delicious New York steak in a Merlot wine sauce with potato galette and mixed vegetables. And Best Piece of Meat goes to Bobby Q’s for its rack of ribs (all you can eat at dinnertime during Restaurant Week), even though I only got to photograph its lunchtime half rack of ribs, which was served with pit beans, coleslaw and a soft drink.
HEARTIEST DISH—BOBBY Q’S—all-you-can-eat dinnertime ribs
First Runner-Up—Bombay—lunchtime buffet
Second Runner-Up—Tavern on Main—steak in a Merlot wine sauce
Our Heartiest Dish award is aimed at the food item most likely to leave you sitting on your couch with your hands folded over your round stomach as you slip into the equivalent of a Thanksgiving Day turkey coma. Although our winner for Heartiest Dish during the last Taste of Hartford was a vegetarian offering, it’s much more likely to be meat dish. Thus, you’ll see some overlap between Heartiest Dish and Best Piece of Meat this time around.
Tavern on Main takes second runner-up for that beautiful steak in a Merlot wine sauce. Bombay takes first runner-up honors for its all-you-can-eat lunchtime buffet. There was no limit regarding how much of any dish you could eat during its lunch buffet, but I have chosen to picture the kalmi kabob and tandoori chicken. And the winner of our Heartiest Dish award is Bobby Q’s, because few things on this earth fill you up like all-you-can-eat ribs.
BEST VEGETARIAN SELECTION—BOMBAY
First Runner-Up—Da Pietro’s
Second Runner-Up—Acqua
Although I’m the furthest thing from a vegetarian, I believe that a good Restaurant Week menu will have a path through which a vegetarian can enjoy every single course. Thus, I want to make sure I acknowledge every single restaurant (four of the twelve I visited) that provided adequate vegetarian options. At Tavern on Main, you could have opened with a mixed greens salad with baked panko-and-herb-encrusted goat cheese, proceeded to homemade wild mushroom ravioli with white truffle oil, and finished with dessert.
At second runner-up Acqua, you could have opened with a cream of potato and roasted garlic soup or a Caesar salad, proceeded to a four-cheese beggar’s purse with sautéed mushrooms in a brown butter sage sauce, and finished with dessert.
At first runner-up Da Pietro’s, you could have had four vegetarian courses, kicking off with the house salad with balsamic dressing and Gorgonzola or with a roasted garlic cauliflower soup, moving on to a grilled portobello mushroom with balsamic vinegar, garlic and olive oil or to housemade ravioli Piemontese, then transitioning to a wild mushroom risotto with Parmesan cheese, and finally, concluding with dessert.
Da Pietro’s would seem to present an unbeatable vegetarian lineup, but not when there’s a good Indian buffet in the running. Bombay offered any number of vegetarian items in its lunchtime buffet, including vegetable fried rice, steamed mix vegetables, dahi vadai, aviyal, saag paneer, aloo gobi, channa masala, sambar, several types of breads, basmati rice and, of course, dessert.
BEST VEGETARIAN DISH—TAVERN ON MAIN—housemade wild mushroom ravioli with white truffle oil
First Runner-Up—Da Pietro’s—ravioli Piemontese
Second Runner-Up—Tarantino—soft polenta topped with sautéed wild mushrooms in a creamy Gorgonzola sauce
The best vegetarian dishes are those where it never occurs to you that it’s vegetarian. Of course, that may just be my omnivorous perspective. Our second runner-up is Tarantino for its luxurious soft polenta topped with sautéed wild mushrooms and creamy Gorgonzola sauce (already winner of our Best Cheese Dish award). First runner-up is Da Pietro’s for its wonderful, light, housemade Piemontese ravioli stuffed with ricotta and Parmesan, then finished with a tomato basil broth and white truffle oil. But our winner for Best Vegetarian Dish is Tavern on Main for its exquisite housemade wild mushroom ravioli with white truffle oil.
MOST EXOTIC DISH—MATSU SUSHI—spicy salmon skin salad
First Runner-Up—Splash—sambal shrimp and linguine
Second Runner-Up—Bombay—shrimp Madras
And no, gentlemen, I’m not referring to a hostess or waitress. Just about every dish at Bombay could qualify, but I’m going to single out the delicious shrimp Madras for special recognition. Splash also brimmed with exoticism, but I’m going to select another shrimp dish—the Indonesian accented sambal shrimp and linguine, which imparted plenty of flavor and a nice slow burn to the palate. The winner of our Most Exotic Dish award, however, is Matsu Sushi for its absolutely delightful spicy salmon skin salad, a dish for which I could develop a serious craving.
BEST OVERALL DISH—DRESSING ROOM—housemade buckwheat pappardelle pasta with lamb ragù
First Runner-Up—Splash—crackling calamari salad
Second Runner-Up—Tavern on Main—housemade wild mushroom ravioli with white truffle oil
It’s not surprising that two of the top three winners for Best Overall Dish, a much coveted award, were pastas, because I have never seen a selection of pastas over the course of an event like those I encountered in Westport. I’ll speculate that twenty-five of our fifty states couldn’t produce a pasta that could crack Westport’s top three. They were that good.
Counting backwards like a beauty pageant, and believe me this was a beauty pageant, second runner-up honors go to Tavern on Main for those incredible housemade wild mushroom ravioli with white truffle oil. First runner-up honors go to Splash for its crackling calamari salad, a beautifully balanced dish. And top honors go to the Dressing Room’s fabulous housemade buckwheat pappardelle pasta with lamb ragù, a dish that may not have looked especially impressive but contained a world of flavor.
BEST DESSERT SELECTION—DA PIETRO’S
First Runner-Up—Blue Lemon
Second Runner-Up—Tavern on Main
I always encourage Restaurant Week participants to make sure they offer plenty of selection for every course, including dessert. Tavern on Main takes third place for its dessert selection, which included carrot cake, crème brûlée and a chocolate molten cake. Blue Lemon took second place for its ricotta mascarpone cheesecake, tiramisù, lemon tart with fresh berries and crème anglaise, and chocolate-almond-cranberry biscotti. But Da Pietro’s emerges as the winner of our Best Dessert Selection award for its crème brûlée, profiteroles, panna cotta and sorbet.
BEST USE OF CHOCOLATE—CAFÉ MANOLO—flourless chocolate and praline cake
First Runner-Up—Rizzuto’s—chocolate mousse tart
Second Runner-Up—Acqua—warm molten chocolate cake
Surprisingly, there wasn’t a tremendous amount of variety or imagination shown in the use of chocolate. Or perhaps great minds think alike. In a slight nod over versions by Splash and Tavern on Main, Acqua takes second runner-up honors for its warm molten chocolate cake with caramel ice cream and biscotti crumbs. Rizzuto’s scored big points for its chocolate mousse tart, a nice change of pace. But the winner of our award for Best Use of Chocolate is Café Manolo for its flourless chocolate and praline cake with vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce.
BEST DESSERT—TAVERN ON MAIN—carrot cake
First Runner-Up—Blue Lemon—lemon tart
Second Runner-Up—Café Manolo—flourless chocolate and praline cake
Although chocolate desserts tended to be in the molten chocolate cake mold (pun intended), Café Manolo’s flourless chocolate and praline cake with vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce stood out, earning it second runner-up honors in our Best Dessert category. Blue Lemon’s signature lemon tart with fresh berries and crème anglaise is first runner-up. But improbably, the dessert that really wowed me was Tavern on Main’s carrot cake, which was not only about the best I ever encountered but was served in a delightful orange sauce that balanced its inherent richness.
BEST WINE LIST—DA PIETRO’S
First Runner-Up—Acqua
Second Runner-Up—Tarantino
There are no great surprises here. Although newcomer Rizzuto’s and a couple of other restaurants made strong showings, Da Pietro’s wins our award for Best Wine List, with Acqua taking second place and Tarantino taking third.
BEST DRINK LIST—SPLASH
First Runner-Up—Rizzuto’s
Second Runner-Up—Bobby Q’s
Several of the restaurants participating in Westport Restaurant Week feature interesting drink lists. However, the most intriguing seemed to be Splash, winner of our Best Drink List award. Rizzuto’s takes first runner-up honors, and Bobby Q’s takes second runner-up honors.
BEST PLATING—BLUE LEMON
First Runner-Up—Rizzuto’s
Second Runner-Up—Dressing Room
Good plate presentation is a point of pride with top chefs. To manage attractive plating under the duress of Restaurant Week crowds is all the more laudable. Several restaurants did a nice job, but second runner-up in this telling category goes to Dressing Room. And Rizzuto’s takes first runner-up for its careful plating. However, top honors go to Blue Lemon, which managed to make virtually every dish it served look like a work of art.
TOP CHEF—DA PIETRO’S—Pietro Scotti
First Runner-Up—Splash—David Repp
Second Runner-Up—Café Manolo—Pedro Garzón
In this very important award category, second runner-up goes to Pedro Garzón of Café Manolo for a solid Restaurant Week performance and for making his mark in Westport in a very short amount of time. David Repp makes a Splash at first runner-up for his good work in the kitchen and his imaginative Restaurant Week menu. But it may come as no surprise that our award for Top Chef goes to Scotti Pietro of Da Pietro’s, where he has proven himself a thousand times over and continues to do so with his scintillating Westport Restaurant Week performance.
BEST OVERALL SERVICE—TARANTINO
First Runner-Up—Da Pietro’s
Second Runner-Up—Tavern on Main
Our Best Overall Service award is based not just on one server but all of them that we have the opportunity to observe. And it’s not limited just to wait people but encompasses the whole coterie of staff from top to bottom who keep a dining room running smoothly. Second runner-up honors go to Tavern on Main. First runner-up honors go to Da Pietro’s. And smooth-as-silk Tarantino takes first place for Best Overall Service.
BEST SERVER—TAVERN ON MAIN—Pedro
First Runner-Up—Acqua—Wynn
Second Runner-Up—Dressing Room—Kim
A server can make—or break—a meal. Everyone has experienced a server so good that he or she saved an otherwise disappointing restaurant experience. Fortunately, there were no disappointing experiences that needed saving during my Westport Restaurant Week visits. But I would still like to highlight three servers who made a difference. Forgive the use of first names, because that’s all that servers usually give us. Kim of Dressing Room takes second runner-up. Wynn of Acqua is our first runner-up. And Pedro of Tavern on Main is the winner of our Best Server award.
HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTESS—RIZZUTO’S
First Runner-Up—Matsu Sushi
Second Runner-Up—Café Manolo
This may be a lighthearted award that we give out, but the way that one is acknowledged when one comes in the door of a restaurant (and when one exits) leaves lasting impressions. My wife currently works as a hostess—and I have handled door duty myself at a fine restaurant in Westchester County. So I feel it’s important to recognize those whose cheery presence and professionalism hopefully set the tone for a great dining experience.
BEST FRONT-OF-THE-HOUSE PERSON—BLUE LEMON—Angel Chacón
First Runner-Up—Tarantino—Angelo Capponi
Second Runner-Up (tie)—Acqua—George Corrales and Dressing Room—Lori Nischan
A more serious category, our Best Front-Of-The-House Person award recognizes that managerial individual who leads by example, who becomes a key face of the restaurant, and whose presence and demeanor rubs off on all of those under him or her. There were more deserving people than I could recognize, but the following individuals really stood out. Suave George Corrales of Acqua and delightful Lori Nischan of Dressing Room tie for second runner-up honors in this important category. Knowledgeable Angelo Capponi of Tarantino takes first runner-up honors. But our Best Front-Of-The-House Person award goes to Angel Chacón of Blue Lemon, whose smiling face, easygoing manner and ready professionalism are one of Blue Lemon’s top attractions.
BEST RESTAURANT OWNERS—TARANTINO—The Marchetti-Tarantino family
First Runner-Up—Da Pietro’s—Janine and Pietro Scotti
Second Runner-Up—Tavern on Main—Helen Zervus and Hector Maneiro
Successful restaurateurs know that they, above all, set the tone for their dining establishments. Everything, good and bad, flows from them through their staff and onto their customers. The owners of the twelve eateries I visited during Westport Restaurant Week are an exceptional bunch, but I’m choosing to highlight three for special recognition.
Third place goes to Helen Zervus and Hector Maneiro of Tavern on Main. Second place goes to beloved Janine and Pietro Scotti. And our award for Best Restaurant Owners goes to the Marchetti-Tarantino family. I don’t have their photo, but I’m sure they’ll have no problem with my using manager Angelo Capponi’s photo to represent them. Angelo has nothing but praise and love for his employers, saying they have always made him feel like a member of their family.
BEST EXTERIOR—ACQUA
First Runner-Up—Tavern on Main
Second Runner-Up—Rizzuto’s
Curb appeal is particularly important for selling a home, but it doesn’t hurt when it comes to selecting a restaurant, either. Rizzuto’s takes second runner-up and Tavern on Main first runner-up, but Acqua wins for what has to be one of Fairfield County’s more appealing restaurant exteriors.
BEST PARKING—RIZZUTO’S
First Runner-Up—Dressing Room
Second Runner-Up—Blue Lemon
This award category is self-explanatory. Blue Lemon takes second runner-up honors, Dressing Room takes first runner-up honors, and Rizzuto’s wins Best Parking for its capacious, completely private parking lot.
BEST LOUNGE SPACE—RIZZUTO’S
First Runner-Up—Splash
It’s funny how lounge space is more important in some towns than in others. In New Haven, there’s lounge space up the yin-yang, but in Westport, I can only find two participating restaurants to recognize.
So here goes… Splash finishes first runner-up because the handsome lounge in the photograph is actually located outside the restaurant proper. Rizzuto’s takes our Best Lounge Space award for this comfortable space pictured that seems to attract lovely ladies.
BEST BAR AREA—TAVERN ON MAIN
First Runner-Up—Tarantino
Second Runner-Up—Rizzuto’s
I’m not especially a bar person, but if I had to spend my time in the bar area of one of the twelve Westport restaurants we visited, these are the ones that would most appeal to me. Rizzuto’s spacious modern bar takes second runner-up honors and Tarantino’s hopping bar takes first runner-up honors. But the bar that I would be most comfortable just hanging out at is the one at Tavern on Main.
BEST FIREPLACE—DRESSING ROOM
First Runner-Up—Tavern on Main
Second Runner-Up—Rizzuto’s
Rizzuto’s figures prominently in this category because, well, its fireplace figures prominently. And Tavern on Main actually has multiple fireplaces. But only one restaurant could boast a fireplace in use plus real live firemen, so Dressing Room wins this award hands down.
BEST DÉCOR—ACQUA
First Runner-Up—Tavern on Main
Second Runner-Up—Blue Lemon
Blue Lemon takes second runner-up in Best Décor for its highly successful blue-and-yellow color scheme. Tavern on Main takes first runner-up for its historic structure and antique trappings. But Acqua wins Best Décor for its intriguing layout and elaborate Italianate detail.
BEST AMBIANCE—TARANTINO
First Runner-Up—Acqua
Second Runner-Up—Da Pietro’s
People sometimes express confusion about the difference between best décor and best ambiance. Think of ambiance as what you get when you add people to the décor. Think of it as design plus vibe. Da Pietro’s takes second runner-up honors, and Acqua takes first. But the winner of Best Ambiance is Tarantino for the way its bar area and dining room absolutely light up whenever they get busy, which is most of the time.
MOST ROMANTIC—ACQUA
First Runner-Up—Blue Lemon
Second Runner-Up—Da Pietro’s
This award category answers the very narrow question: where would you take a date (or want a date to take you) if you hoped it would lead to further intimacy? Da Pietro’s takes second runner-up honors and Blue Lemon first runner-up honors for being highly conducive to romance. But Acqua, with its numerous private spots and lovely décor, is the clear winner of our Most Romantic award.
CUTEST COUPLE (Found at Cafe Manolo)
CUTEST BABY (Found at Tavern on Main)
BEST GROUP (Found at Cafe Manolo)
PHOTO GALLERY
