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05/17/2018 12:00 AMWithin the past year, several new restaurants opened their doors in the Valley area, including Grano Arso in Chester, Scotch Plains Tavern in Essex, and The Essex in Centerbrook. Each brings something unique to the area as well as a passion for food and hospitality.
Grano Arso
6 Main St., Chester
860-322-4134
granoct.com
Tuesday to Thursday: 5 to 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 5 to 10 p.m.
Saturday lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Grano Arso, a seasonally inspired Italian restaurant, opened in November 2017 by Chef Joel Gargano and his wife Lani Gargano. Chef Gargano focuses on local products and traditional Italian cooking, milling native New England grains in house to create pastas and breads.
One of the most popular dishes has been Campanelle Amatriciana–a tulip-shaped house-made pasta tossed in a San Marzano tomato sugo made with pancetta, red onion, and chili, finished off with smoked ricotta salata. The dish was featured on Better Connecticut with Scot Haney during an episode on hygge (a Danish word meaning coziness) in Chester.
In addition to a wide variety of Italian specialties, Grano Arso features Italian wine, local beers, and specialty craft cocktails. The Garganos pride themselves on warm and knowledgeable hospitality and look forward to embedding their restaurant into the community of Chester.
"We wanted to share our love and passion for contemporary Italian food and New England grain while supporting local businesses," said Lani Gargano. "Chester is known to be a vibrant cozy town occupied with many well known restaurants, galleries, unique shops, and charming residents so it was a perfect fit for us."
Scotch Plains Tavern
124 Westbrook Rd., Essex
860-662-4032
Sunday to Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (bar until 11 p.m.)
Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. (bar until 1 a.m.)
scotchplainstavern.com
Fred Autorino, the owner of Scotch Plains Tavern, is no stranger to the area as he's found success at The Back Porch in Old Saybrook for more than a decade. For the past several years, the seasonal restaurant owners sought a location for a year-round spot, and opened the doors to Scotch Plains Tavern in December 2017 in the former Oliver's Taverne, a two-story, post-and-beam structure with vaulted ceilings and a two-story stone fireplace.
The main dining room is on the first floor where a dining room for private events will also be opening this spring. The bar area and more casual dining is located upstairs where there are flatscreen TVs, a game room with a pool table and shuffleboard, and the bar, circa 1913, which was originally from Chicago and is rumored to have been a favorite of Al Capone's.
Scotch Plains Tavern offers a selection from wood-fired flatbreads to steaks; chops to seafood entrees; as well as gluten-free and vegetarian items. Some menu favorites include Tavern chips with house-made bleu cheese onion dip, a selection of chicken wings, fried green tomatoes, corned beef hash, the Signature Reuben, and Cavatappi Bolognese.
"Our desire is to offer great food, service, ambiance, and entertainment in a traditional tavern setting, which is accommodating and inviting to people of all demographics," said Autorino. "We enjoy serving the wonderful people of the shoreline communities as well as the seasonal residents, vacationers, and visitors."
The Essex
30 Main St., Centerbrook
860-237-4189
Tuesday to Saturday: 5 to 10 p.m.
Sunday brunch: 12 to 3 p.m.
Sunday supper: 4 to 8 p.m.
theessex.com
Colt Taylor and his father opened the doors to The Essex in July 2017, choosing its location in Centerbrook after seeing so many vacant signs on Main Street. The pair had a goal of bringing Chef Taylor's experiences in kitchens throughout the world together to create a restaurant with American food that represents the melting pot the country is known for.
One of the most important things to Chef Taylor is using local and sustainable ingredients. Much of the produce is sourced from local farms, including Long River Farms in Old Lyme, Seacoast Mushrooms, and Terra Firma milk and eggs. When it comes to meats and fish, the beef comes from non-GMO, locally sourced grain-fed. The Essex is a partner of Monterey Bay Ocean Watch to meet high quality and sustainability standards.
The Essex offers classic selections like Caesar salads, Niantic Bay oysters, shrimp cocktail, and steak frites. The bisque merges seafood chowder and pork ramen with homemade stock and noodles. Everything at The Essex–from bread to gelato, ketchup to vinegar–is made in house and is available for purchase in the attached market and panini bar where the meats and fish are also available for purchase.
"You can have six different experiences at The Essex, from intimate and elevated to laid back and fun–your seat and the food you choose will guide that experience," said Taylor. "We want people to be happy, absolutely enamored, when leaving."