Roli – A chef’s journey to restaurant success
By Frank Whitman

Local Bread at Roli

Chefs are just like most of us. Their career follows an arc – from student or apprentice through the stations of the kitchen – as they experience various styles of restaurants looking for their niche.  Some rise like cream to the top of their profession; others can’t stand the heat (literal and metaphorical) and find another path.  The ultimate goal for many is “to have their own place.”  It could be one hands-on eatery or a multi-unit empire, small town or big city, traditional or cutting edge, but definitely expressing the personality of the boss. 

If you’re lucky, it’s possible to follow a chef on his path through various kitchens, watching the culinary growth and development along the way.  Harder to see are the management skills essential to the top job.  Make no mistake. Great food is not enough; chefs have to be skilled business people, otherwise the ship will sink. 

I’ve been fortunate to follow chef Roland Olah on part of his journey through Fairfield County. Born in Hungary and trained across Europe, I first met him at Bruxelles in South Norwalk. There he broadly interpreted the food of Belgium with lots of French accents and a touch of Hungarian. His partner, Angela Grogan, ably managed the front and brought a British Empire sensibility to the bar with Gin Bowls and well chosen wines. 

We loved to eat there.  Later in the evening, after a satisfying meal, it was possible to catch Roland for a quick chat when the order tickets slowed down.  There I learned that he had been the chef at Martel, a popular French Bistro in Fairfield.

The Rive Bistro in Westport was Roland and Angela’s next stop. There, at the charming restaurant along the Saugatuck River, he took the classic French menu up a notch or two. The gin bowls and excellent wines followed along. 

Now the pair has opened their own place: Roli in New Haven.  Around the corner from two of New Haven’s iconic pizzerias, Sally’s and Frank Pepe, Roli has hit the right note in this up and coming neighborhood. The menu reaches across Europe touching France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Hungary as well as the USA. (After all, you’ve got to have a hamburger and a steak. And why not a pork chop with bacon and Brussels sprouts?)

Mushrooms with sherry

A crusty round loaf of local bread ($8) with a ramekin of truffle butter got us going. Crisp fried Salt Cod Fritters with preserved lemon aioli ($16) were a good fit with our sparkling wines – one each Crémont du Loire and Prosecco.

Mushrooms and Polenta ($18) – a revelation! Mixed organic mushrooms came on a pool of mascarpone polenta.  The trick was the sherry that glazed the mushrooms.  Fruity, with the depth of flavor that only sherry offers, the wine elevated the dish into something very special.  It kick-started me splashing some sherry on dinner at home.  

Sautéed Branzino ($34) came on a heap of spaghetti squash, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and Moroccan olives surrounded by  squash purée and (drum roll, please) beurre rouge. We’ve all had beurre

Branzino with beurre rouge

blanc – that blend of butter and white wine – on a range of dishes.  It’s been a menu staple for a while now.  Olah switches the usual white wine for red for a striking color on the plate and a bolder flavor in the sauce. Another surprising success. 

Tuesday, it turns out, is Hungarian night. Marsha couldn’t resist Csirkepaprikas, the classic Chicken Paprikash ($29) with spaetzel, from the three entree choices offered. Two appetizers and a dessert rounded out the night’s Hungarian menu. 

The four weeknights all have their special offerings: Monday, Schnitzel; Wednesday, Fish and Chipper; and Thursday, Frenchie in addition to Hungarian Tuesday. 

Paprikash

We were there on a Tuesday night, expecting a half-full dining room at best, like most restaurants. Instead, we got the last table.  The place was jumping as it is most nights. Roland and Angela have been showered with awards including a semifinalist nomination for the prestigious James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in the country. 

Angela designed the attractive space from scratch. “I always wanted a U-shaped bar,” she shared, and now she does, complete with custom made stools trimmed with classy brass nailheads. Hanging lights were imported from London, a friend in South Africa designed the graphics, and  murals and posters cover the walls. 

The crowd is a mixed bag of young and old, academic types, up-and-coming city folks, and walk-ins from

U-shaped bar

the neighborhood.  The diversity and energy of New Haven was strong enough to lure Roli and Angela away from Fairfield County. Now, we have to trek up 95 to see them “at their own place.” Believe me, it’s worth it!