Conte’s takes over the old DelMonaco space
By Todd Lyon
From the New Haven Register
Claudio Conte’s new restaurant on Wooster Street has all sorts of things going for it. These include, in no particular order:
1) Location. Wooster Street drips with cultural and culinary history, and is New Haven’s own Little Italy, now and forever.
2) Reputation. Claudio — who was born in Italy, halfway between Naples and Rome — has been in the restaurant business for nearly 30 years. For 10 of those, he’s owned and operated Conte’s Ristorante in Milford, a fine Italian eatery with loads of fans that’s still going strong.
3) Talent. He’s a gifted restaurateur who can oversee a busy kitchen, yet is also a hands-on chef who makes his own pasta and can fine-tune a sauce like nobody’s business.
4) Staff. Known and respected by the restaurant community, Claudio attracts and employs top-shelf servers and kitchen support.
Conte’s Restaurant/New Haven, which was officially launched via a grand opening two weeks ago, is not without its challenges, however. In order to truly prosper in our city, it will need to overcome a few obstacles. I can think of two at the moment:
1) Location. The ghost of DelMonaco’s — easily the most famous occupant of 232 Wooster St. — still haunts the place. Never mind that DelMonaco’s opened in 1972 and peaked long before its closing in the mid-’90s, and that the space has housed at least three restaurants since then. To this day, New Haven’s hard-core diners expect to be star-struck, dazzled and ga-ga when they walk through those doors, just like they were when DelMonaco’s reigned. (I suspect that the downfall of 232 Wooster Street Steak House, the building’s most recent tenant, was partially due to the excessive ramping-up of our town’s collective expectations.)
2) Competition. How many Italian restaurants can New Haven sustain? The new Yellow Pages arrived on my doorstep yesterday, and I sat down with a pink highlighter and made a casual count of 67 Italian eateries within our city limits. That’s a lot of marinara, folks. New kids on the block better be damned good.
The good news is that, with four check marks in its favor, Conte’s is off to a great start.
Claudio took the property over last winter and spent seven months making improvements, inside and out. What’s immediately noticeable from the street is a handsome set of carved antique doors. (You’ll probably also notice prominent crests adorning the building. I think they’re a little much, but that’s just me. You might like them just fine.)
Inside, Claudio and his crew created a Tuscan-flavored atmosphere dominated by brick and tile. The lounge has never looked better, and glows with coppery touches. In the revamped dining room, original brick walls have been liberated, and enhanced by new brick work that divides and articulates the space. Ceilings are dark; floors are covered in terra cotta-toned tiles; a few trompe l’oeil flourishes adorn the walls; tables are properly set in linen and stemware. The result is a welcoming room that’s fancy enough for dress-up dates, yet casual enough for relaxed meals with friends in sweaters and clogs.
The food, like the decor, is meticulous but never intimidating. Chef Claudio has built his menu around fine versions of traditional dishes like Linguini con Vongole, Insalata Cesare and Vitello Scallopine. There’s also less familiar, but equally successful fare such as Chilean Sea Bass, served over toasted pearl pasta with a Roma tomato glaze and crispy shallots; Pollo al Mattone, an organic half-chicken cooked under a brick, served with potato and pancetta hash; and, on a recent visit, an outstanding special of Sliced Duck Breast with a pomegranate sauce over roasted potatoes and wild mushrooms.
After dining on such delicacies, I had the pleasure of touring Conte’s kitchen. I was impressed by its size ("I could feed an army from this kitchen," says Claudio), and its cleanliness. But what really got me was the corner of the kitchen where, every other day, Claudio personally makes all the pasta for his restaurant. When I saw those stacks of wooden trays nestled with beautiful batches of fettuccini, gnocchi, penne, ravioli and more, I understood the depth of passion that drives Conte’s cuisine.
Will Conte’s become a regular destination for pilgrims seeking fine Italian food? That’s up to consumers like you. As for me, I can say with confidence that Conte’s has the essential ingredients to build a long and meaningful relationship with New Haven and its ever-more sophisticated and discriminating denizens.
Todd Lyon of New Haven is a freelance writer.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Place: Conte’s Restaurant, 232 Wooster St., New Haven.
• Phone: (203) 776-1010.
• Hours: Lunch, noon to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; dinner, 5-9:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 5-10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Sundays, and on Thanksgiving.
• Reservations: Recommended.
• Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Amex.
• Food: Classic Italian fare with creative flourishes emerges from Milford and finds a home on historic Wooster Street in New Haven. Chef Claudio Conte has created a welcoming space in the former DelMonaco’s; at dinner, he offers 11 salads and appetizers in the $5-$12 range, including a lovely Insalata Mista ($5) with baby greens, arugula, Romano and Parmigiano with a balsamic vinaigrette; Gamberi alla Griglia ($12), grilled jumbo shrimp wrapped with smoked cured ham and fresh fava beans, tossed with grape tomatoes; and Mare Caldo ($12), a smooth and savory dish featuring shrimp, clams and calamari in a light marinara sauce. Fresh pasta, made in-house, highlights eight dishes priced from $14-$19; try the Penne alla Vodka ($14, or $19 with shrimp). Entrees are $17-$28, with options such as Vitello Miraglia (veal medallions topped with asparagus and fresh mozz in a porcini mushroom sauce, $22); Pollo Wooster (grilled chicken breast with a salad of arugula, artichoke hearts, oven-dried tomatoes and shaved Toscano cheese, $17); New York Strip (Cedar River Farms beef with porcini mushrooms and potatoes rosti, $28); and Salmone Filet (with cockles and a fennel/Pernod broth over sauteed spinach, $22).
At lunch, an equally impressive menu features salads and starters in the $5-$10 range; pasta dishes priced from $10-$14 (try the homemade Lobster Ravioli); plus main courses of chicken, veal and fish ($12-$15).
• Vegetarianism: Plenty of meatless, fish-centric dishes are on the menu. There are also more virtuous options such as Bruschetta ($6), Ravioli con Formaggio ($14), Gnocchi con Pomodoro ($15), and a variety of salads.
• Drink: Wine manager Jeffrey Busk has assembled a promising cellar of bottles from Italy, California and beyond, ranging in price from $26-$150. Notable are four Chianti ($34-$70) and four Brunello ($84-$115) selections, and a dozen interesting wines by the glass, starting at $6 for a BV Century Cellars Merlot, and topping out at $16 for a Super Tuscan Terrabianco blend. There is also a full bar available, should you crave a martini or a negroni.
• Wheelchair access: Through the front door; accessible rest rooms are particularly attractive.
• Parking: In a dedicated lot to the left of the building. If that lot is full, alert the maitre d’ and you’ll be directed to a secret secondary lot a block away. |
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