A New Restaurant from a Cultural Crossroad

By Frank Whitman

If you’re looking for something new in a restaurant, an unfamiliar but sophisticated cuisine in a Euro-stylish setting, get a reservation at Cheese and Bread in South Norwalk. Georgia, the country not the state, is on the menu at this new, buzzy spot. 

Sandwiched between Russia to the north and Turkey to the south, with the Black Sea on the west, Georgia has been a cultural crossroad since the days of the Silk Road.  The Caucasus ranges, arid plains and sea coast make for a diverse food culture. Wine has been made there for at least 8000 years. All this adds up to some pretty good eating and drinking. 

The extensive menu, presented on an iPad, is loaded with unfamiliar and unpronounceable dishes, most well-described.  Study it, but I found it’s best to rely on the advice of the Georgian staff. 

Dinner began with a sampler of Pkhali ($23), vegetables finely minced with ground walnuts to create a unique traditional dish. The colorful, beautifully presented scoops included green bean, leek, and beet along with eggplant and red beans, each distinctly flavored with an overarching background of walnuts. The nuts are an important ingredient and popular flavor in Georgian cuisine.  A platter of pickled vegetables ($18) was the recommended tangy foil to the rich Pkhali.

It’s best not to overlook the menu category for Pastry.  Not dessert, this is the source of the restaurant’s name. Cheese and bread are found here in several styles. Khachapuri Acharuli ($24) a boat-shaped bread filled with cheese and topped with a baked egg is a Georgian favorite and the restaurant’s signature dish. The soft egg is stirred at the table into the sharp, salty cheese beneath, creating a robust flavor mix in the tender bread bowl. 

Filled with a spicy mix of beef and pork, Khinkali soup dumplings ($15) are eaten by hand – grabbed by the peaked top and turned upside down. Suck out the broth on the first bite or risk

Gregg Glaser shows how its done

losing it all. Surely these are a legacy of the Silk Road. 

Hearty house-made Kupati sausages ($31), a speciality of Chef-partner Andrea, are served on a sizzling platter under a blanket of sliced red onions. 

Portions are generous, making sharing the best introduction to the new and unfamiliar flavors. It doesn’t matter if  you can’t pronounce (or spell for that matter) the dishes, they’re all worth exploring. 

Dining Room partner Ako, a former opera orchestra violinist in Georgia, is eager to introduce the dishes and explain their origin.  His warm personality makes up for any gaps in translation. 

The wines are from Georgia and well worth exploring. The better reds are fermented in clay jars buried in the ground.  Both red and white selections include a sweet wine, customary in Georgia but seldom-seen here. Wines from unfamiliar grape varieties are well-described and the staff is happy to make suggestions.

The space revolves around a central bar. Tables along the window look out to the active SoNo streetscape.  On an upper level the view is of the open kitchen.  Done up in contemporary shades of gray, the dining room looks sharp. The tables boast white cloths, green napkins, bronze flatware and quality crystal – a classy look. The overall vibe is continental chic.

Cheese and Bread is so new that there’s no website or online reservations, at least for now. Call 203 883 8000 to make plans. Even on a steamy Tuesday night, the restaurant was full by the time we departed. 

Desserts are limited but a deconstructed Napoleon was a winner.  Served in a long-stemmed coupe, the leaves of puff pastry were layered with a rich pastry cream and sliced strawberries.  A hot-weather cloudburst sluiced down the corner of Washington and South Main and kept us at our table a little longer to savor our desserts, recap our culinary adventure, and plan a return trip. There’s lots more to taste at this new restaurant.  Marsha and I didn’t know what to expect, but we were delighted by what we found at Cheese and Bread