We’ve had some memorable experiences at celebration restaurants

By Frank Whitman

Eggs Benedict

Recently I wrote about some “weeknight” restaurants: local, friendly, and reliable. This month we’re celebrating a birthday (they’re all big ones at this stage of the game) calling for something a little more fancy with creative cooking, upscale ingredients, and priced accordingly. 

The festivities kicked off with an invitation to brunch at Gabriele’s Italian Steakhouse in Westport. Tucked in behind the Playhouse, this has been the location of many restaurants over the years, most memorably the collaboration between Paul Newman and chef Michel Nischan called the Dressing Room. After a successful decade in Greenwich, current owner Danny Gabriele set up shop with Gabriele’s in 2021.  

Lobster Toast

Brunch is often an add-on to an all-day dinner menu, and it is here too. The extensive steakhouse menu is at the ready, but the brunch choices are so tempting that it’s easy to put the dinner menu aside. 

Eggs Benedict ($27/34), for instance, can be had with either prosciutto or lobster instead of the usual ham (a request for sauce on the side was no problem.) Chicken and waffles ($22) was a towering stack of crispy buttermilk-fried chicken breast, bacon, whipped mascarpone and maple-bourbon sauce all atop a crisp-edged, tender-hearted waffle.

Lobster-avocado toast ($34) was an eye-catching display of generously buttered toast, bright avocado and pink lobster all peaking out from under two slightly runny sunny-side-up eggs. A well-dressed toss of greens and cucumber wedges balanced the plate. Steak and eggs ($32) is expected at a steakhouse, this with classic home fries and a green salad.  A sausage frittata ($19), coconut-crusted French toast ($17), and Wagyu burger ($26) with bacon and a fried egg on top rounded out the choices. 

On the full menu, steak is the feature along with an extensive raw-bar. There are, of course, other entrees, salads and pasta dishes. I’m sure we’ll be back for dinner to explore.

The shared slice of warm honey-pineapple carrot cake ($15) was a hit with everyone at the table. A spectacularly flaky Napoleon ($16) with vanilla bean mousseline and caramelized almonds was a complimentary gift to the birthday girl, who kindly shared it with all.  

Now completely redone, the space is sophisticated but not stuffy, elegant but not formal.  The decor is light and fresh, foregoing the dark wood paneling common to so many steak joints.  Colorful banquettes line the walls while comfortable upholstered chairs pull up to the tables. The jewel-toned display of bottles behind the bar draw your eye away from the elaborate coffered ceiling.  The only vestige of the Paul Newman years is the stone fireplace in the corner. We were lucky to sit next to it on a blustery in-the-teens morning. Thanks, Paul. 

The birthday festival continued at Allium Eatery, across from the Westport train station, where creative cooking is at the heart of the food-focused experience. The menu is always in flux, determined by the seasons, available ingredients, and chef Michelle Greenfield’s eclectic interests. 

Alliuim Roast Chicken

Rotisserie chicken ($42) is “almost always on the menu,” our server shared. It’s an organic, French-style rotisserie bird with dark, crisp skin and moist white meat, garnished with roasted potatoes, blue oyster mushrooms, blistered kale and marsala jus. That plate alone explains the chef’s skill, with flavor, color, texture and classic technique, all combined with a dash of exuberance. The chicken (with two sides) is also available for pick up after 4:30 – best to call ahead. 

Cappelletti ($38) were filled with sweet potato, showered with bright brussels sprouts leaves, sauced with a sherry beurre blanc, and sprinkled with shitake mushrooms and toasted pecans. An improbable but immensely satisfying combination. 

Cappelletti

Roasted parsnips, toasted freekeh, grapefruit and collards accompanied a beautiful square of pan-seared halibut ($47).  Roasted breast and confit fritter were the duck duo ($48) that came with roasted sunchoke, baby bok choy, and date mole. 

We shared Simon’s sourdough ($8) with paprika butter to start, along with a “snack” and a “bite.” Chickpea fries (Panisse, $17), crispy on the outside and creamy inside, were accompanied by pickled daikon radish and black garlic aioli. Endive, Asian pear and fennel salad ($19) was dressed with brown butter vinaigrette and garnished with bourbon-aged cheddar and crushed pistachio – another remarkable combination of flavor and texture.  Dainty tongs were brought so we could divi up the shared plates without too much fuss – a nice touch. 

Chickpea Panisse

Rice pudding was the consensus desert for the four of us to share.  Decorated with sliced white strawberries, it was a surprise hit.

Our server easily discussed the menu, ingredients and portions and was happy to make recommendations. From my seat, I could see a little of goings-on in the open kitchen.

The restaurant is tiny. There are only 20 seats, 14 at high top tables along the windows and six more at the bar. Reservations are essential and only taken over the phone.  It feels a little like a narrow, improvised space you might find in a  hip, developing neighborhood in Paris. But the cooking is definitely special occasion. 

Endive Salad

It’s worth noting that of the four restaurants bunched along on Railroad Avenue, Allium was the only one bustling on a February Wednesday night. 

We had memorable, delicious experiences at both restaurants, but each quite different from the other. These excellent restaurants are just two of the many special occasion destinations in our area.  Whatever you’re looking for, there’s an exciting option. 

Allium Halibut