REVIEWS, RECIPES, RESTAURANT LISTINGS Saving Graces TWO EXCITING MODERN RESTAURANTS MAKE THEIR HOMES IN VENERABLE HISTORIC BUILDINGS. BY ELISE MACLAY “Waste not, want not.” It’s an old Yankee saying. But in a throwaway, tear-down society enamored of the new, historic preservation tends to get lost in the shuffle. However, unlike computers and cell phones, beautiful old buildings with historic significance are impossible to replace. When they’re gone, they’re gone, and when too many disappear, one town begins to look pretty much like another. The trend is market-driven, of course, but there is a solution: Recycling. Repurposing old buildings is nothing new. In Connecticut, we’ve been doing it for years. Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven used to be a church. The Westport Town Hall was once a school. I myself lived in a converted horse barn in Darien for quite a few years. For restaurants, it’s a win-win situation because old buildings have a charm you can’t simply paint on. So let’s hear it for the newest, most delicious transformations. RATINGS ✭✭✭✭ Extraordinary ✭✭✭ Superior ✭✭ Very Good ✭ Good Fair Poor Metro Bis ✭✭✭ Simsbury Simsbury’s popular Metro Bis restaurant was 15 years old and the historic 1820 House Inn down the road was pushing 200 when they joined forces last year. It was a match made in culinary heaven. Metro Bis had outgrown its narrow, railroad-car shaped space and was looking for a new home. The 1820 House was looking for the fountain of youth. Both got their wish. It took a prodigious amount of imagination, cooperation and hard work, but Christopher Prosperi, chefowner of Metro Bis, and everyone involved were determined to make it happen. A new dining room was created on the main floor, the old one downstairs was remodeled for banquets and meetings, and a cozy bar (made from local sycamore wood) was fitted out with shelves to display the chef ’s cookbook collection. This much I knew before I arrived to take a look and taste the food, but nothing I had heard or read had prepared me for the architectural beauty of the building and the caring preservation of every detail— fanlights, mantels, leaded windows with wavy glass panes, carved finials—all shown to best advantage in bright, freshly painted rooms with sun-splashed color schemes. The dining room, with its lime-green walls and sparkling white trim, was the essence of springtime, although it was a cold, blustery night. We settled in and ordered lobster bisque to warm up, nibbling on triangles of pita bread spread with chef Prosperi’s legendary redpepper hummus until the soup was served. Then we sipped, we savored and, digging down, came up with a generous supply of tender sweet lobster meat. The bisque was deeply satisfying, bold but not spicy—just robustly, unmistakably lobster. Prosperi embraces the local-farm-to-table concept with enthusiasm and creativity, visiting local farms and naming them on the menu so we know that we have Holcomb Farm in Granby to thank for an arugula salad tossed with roasted beets, and Beech Tree Ranch in Bloomfield for the goat cheese that gives the salad its smooth, creamy tang. Great salad—good for you and good for the land. (Incidental intelligence: Holcomb Farm dates back to 1756, predating the historic room we were dining in. ) For all his homegrown activity, chef Prosperi draws from his global experience, especially in Thailand where he cooked with a famous Bangkok chef. So it didn't surprise us to find Asian influences on his menu. One of his signature dishes, Metro Asian Tuna and Salmon Tartare, garnished with wakame seaweed salad, pickled ginger and wasabi cream, was a tasty example. Both fish sparkled with freshness and the combination was inspired. Metro Bis has never been a “gee-whizlook- at-this” kind of place, and moving into halls hallowed by history has not changed its focus: classically grounded innovation, seasonally oriented and ever open to a playful riff or two. When a popular restaurant relocates, innovation often takes a backseat for a while. But this one has actually gotten more daring, especially when it comes to presentation. Maryland lump crab cake, for instance, robed in a tomato-horseradish vinaigrette, with pickled red onions and a splash of Grey Goose, arrived in an oversize martini glass. So far, so familiar, but on top were crispy threads that crunched and crackled in the mouth. I was hard put to identify them but I was keeping a low profile—and I also love a mystery—so I didn’t ask. Swordfish, too often frozen, overcooked or less than fresh, can be awful or sublime. Metro Bis approached perfection with a noble slice of swordfish fresh as Block Island waters and looking like an island itself in the center of a dinner plate filmed with corn and clam chowder. Marinated freshwater prawns went south to Lousiana bayou country for inspiration, with creamy grits, braised greens, smoked bacon and tomatillo gravy— a taste of Mardi Gras on a plate. There were so many alluring seafood items on the menu we went a bit overboard, but I’d hate to have missed the delicate pan-seared rainbow trout served with sweet-potato apple hash and pecan pesto. To cover the bases, we ordered roast chicken, which we liked a lot. All-natural, slowroasted and flavorful, it came with creamy polenta, Parmesan cheese and a balsamic-pepper demiglaze. Pork with kale and black beans was trendy although the meat was rather bland, no match for the strong-tasting braised kale and overly sweet beans with bacon and maple syrup served with it. But never underestimate the appeal of the tried-and-true. The Gorgonzola-crusted flat iron steak was glorious. Perfectly grilled with rosemary-scented demiglaze and a red wine reduction, tender and juicy, served with garlic- whipped potatoes and roasted vegetables, it was also pleasingly priced at $24.95. Desserts took us back to the golden olden days of home baking and pudding making. In fact, the dessert I liked best, lemon posset, took us back even farther, a posset being a Medieval drink that’s making a comeback as a modern dessert. At Metro Bis, it’s served in a wine glass for old times’ sake. Made with heavy cream spiked with lemon and topped with raspberry coulis, it’s too thick to drink and far too good not to spoon up every mouthful. We liked the maple white chocolate bread pudding, too, and the warm apple-cinnamon tart with vanilla ice cream that might have been served back when this old house was in its prime. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Simsbury 1820 House is not just old and beautiful. Illustrious men—including a U.S. Senator, a member of Congress, and two governors—interesting women and lots of children lived here. Over the years the house was enlarged again and again to accommodate family, friends and overnight guests who were entertained at dinner parties, lawn parties and the ritual Fourth of July ice cream social when the whole town, especially the children, were invited for band music, games, dancing and unlimited ice cream. How sweet it is to know that this spirit of hospitality has been reawakened in the 1820 House circa 2014. Metro Bis Simsbury 1820 House 731 Hopmeadow St., Simsbury 860/651-1908, metrobis.com Lunch 11:30 to 2:30, dinner 5:30 to 9 Monday through Saturday. Wheelchair access. Major credit cards. Price range: appetizers $6.95 to $12.95, entrées $20.95 to $28.95, desserts $5.95 to $6.95. Post 154 ✭✭1/2 Westport The character of a city or town, our sense of it, what we remember and carry away derives in large part from its buildings. The British Museum and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, but also lesser buildings in the aggregate. Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. The walled towns of the Dordogne. Old as they are, they still exist to instruct and enchant us because people have cherished and worked hard to protect them. Connecticut’s historic buildings have their champions, too. Case in point: Post 154, a new restaurant in what was formerly Westport’s main post office. Attention should be paid. Gratitude is due. The exterior of the white-limestone-andbrick building looks the same only better. Step inside and it’s fast-forward to the future, no holds barred. The surprisingly spacious interior can comfortably seat over 250 guests in a series of spaces cleverly delineated by lighting and furniture. On my first visit I find myself gravitating to the banquettes facing the brightly lit kitchen, which spotlights cooks in action whipping up dishes that are offbeat, vaguely Latino, modern and fun. The executive chef is Alex Rosado, whose most exciting dishes reflect his special take on places where he’s cooked. Rosado’s a Puerto Rican native and graduate of Oglethorpe University’s School of Culinary Arts in Atlanta, who’s cooked at some pretty prestigious places and accumulated impressive awards—most recently at Little Palm Island Resort in the Florida Keys, where he won a Best Chefs of America honor awarded by fellow chefs. Before that, he held chef positions at the Caribbean Grill in San Juan, The Ritz Carlton in San Juan and The Biltmore Hotel in Miami. Always creative, often with a Latino beat, this is his personal culinary milieu. He’s not only comfortable with it, he makes it sit up and take notice. A press release tells us that “the chef is fearless.” Good. We are, too, and Westport foodies have a taste for adventure—witness the popularity of chef Bill Taibe’s restaurants, LeFarm and The Whelk. The menu at Post 154 is peppered with hip culinary jargon but the Portuguese Octopus with Red Chile Sauce EVOO, for example, is fabulous, whether or not you realize that it’s named for Rachel Ray’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil sauce. What I want to know is how the chef manages to find, cook and serve octopus so tender you can cut it with a fork, yet pleasingly firm and with a flavor like a freshening sea breeze. My friends speculate. Marinated? Sous vide? Never mind, it’s delicious. An eggplant meatball dish is one of those games chefs like to play and I often enjoy. It doesn’t work too well here because eggplant, unlike ground beef or pork, is watery and soft, giving the teeth nothing to bite into and making a mush of the sauce. The robust tomato flavor and the tangy taste of the cheese topping, however, might tip vegetarians in its favor. Golden corn bisque is a pleasant surprise—a jolt of sweetness, followed by a soothing touch of velvety cre`me fraiche accented with toasted, almost burnt corn kernels strewn on top. When it comes to mussels, for me it’s all about the sauce—which puts chef Rosado’s subtly scintillating dish on the top of my list. Listing the ingredients—chorizo, shallots, roasted garlic, saffron and white wine—only begins to do it justice. The whole is definitely more than the sum of its parts. Quesadillas, ubiquitous street food in Mexico, are dolled up for their Post 154 debut with lobster, huitlacoche (corn must) and queso Chihuahua (a soft white cow’s milk cheese named for the state of Chihuahua). The menu, for all its punctilious detail, makes no mention of the fiery blast of hot spices that lurks within the benign-looking little triangle of dough. Jalapeno? Harissa? “Who cares?” the fire-eaters at my table cry. Hot is hot, and they love it. For me, the incendiary blend of spices in the filling overwhelms the delicate flavor of the lobster. So off we go for Argentinean-style churrasco with chimichurri. At Post 154, it’s made with Kobe beef. How luxe is that? Don’t tell my friends in Argentina but it’s better than some I’ve had in Buenos Aires. Guava adds an elusive sweetness to barbecued pork tenderloin that, as tradition dictates, is served with black beans and cilantro-laced mojo sauce. Moving right along we order scallops and grits vaguely reminiscent of the deep South, with ham jus and Tabasco-flavored crisps. Departing from the playbook altogether is Atlantic Salmon with Lime and Maple Syrup, unexpectedly terrific. It may be farmed but it tastes wild, flaking away from the fork in silky petals, and the lime-and-maple-syrup glaze is inspired. Halibut served with creamed celery and Creole shrimp fondue is so good I order it again on a second visit. Listed as an entree, this is not a hearty dish—just a little gem in every way. The dessert list, with its voluptuous tres leches cake, intense chocolate fudge torte and apple empanadas with red-hot cinnamon dip, is hard to resist. On weekends, when Post 154 tends to be jammed, it gets loud—very loud— but it’s a high-energy din, and it’s fun to know we’re saving a building by going to the post office for dinner and a jigger of history. Post 154 154 Post Rd., Westport 203/454-0154, post154.com Open daily. Lunch 11:30 to 3. Dinner 5:30 to midnight. Wheelchair access. Major credit cards. Price range: small plates $8 to $14, entrées $14 to $38, desserts $10. Table Talk BY ELISE MACLAY Located on State Street where Goodfellas used to be, Mambo Cocina Latina (203/562- 0660, mambococina.com ) brings the sunny flavors of Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Spanish Caribbean and South America to New Haven. The menu is ambitious, the food fresh, freshly prepared and delicious. Mango oyster shooters, corn soup, lobster paella and chicken stuffed with Manchego cheese are just a few of the dishes that diners are calling their new favorites. Ski season may be drawing to a close but Fire at the Ridge, the exciting new restaurant at the newly revamped Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort in Middlefield, plans to be open year-round. With executive chef Kevin Cottle at the helm, it should be fun to visit whether or not the slopes are open. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, and recent exec chef at Jordan Caterers, Cottle achieved national recognition when he finished runner-up on season 6 of “Hell’s Kitchen.” At Fire on the Ridge, he’ll be cooking what he calls “artfully inspired regional cuisine” in an equally inspired 200-seat dining area with fireplaces and televised views of the slopes in the bar. (860/349-3454, powderridgepark.com) With restaurants opening and closing like revolving doors and a plethora of tiny tidbits on small plates, there’s something to be said for a 20-year-old restaurant serving what used to be called a square meal—meat and potatoes— and plates heaped high with homemade food. Specifically: breaded pork chops, potato dumplings stuffed with veal, mile-long kielbasa links and pierogies plump with cabbage, potato and bacon. You guessed it: We’re in a Polish restaurant, Staropolska in New Britain (860/612-1711, staropolska.net), not the least of whose charms is the fact that none of its monumental mouthwatering entrées costs more than $17.95. Come hungry, and be prepared to leave with a doggy bag. Upscale food in downtown Bridgeport? Escargot with garlic butter and a fluff of puff pastry. Ethereally light pike quenelle. Duck breast with chestnut purée and red-currant demiglace. Pear tart with ricotta ice cream and bourbon-honey sauce. All this and more you’re likely to find at Bistro B (203/908-4224, bistrob. net ), an unsung little American bistro where the menu changes frequently to display the chef’s considerable talent. Adjoining Barnum Publick House Tavern on Broad Street, it’s a casual place with white tile floors, a long bar, a row of high-top tables and vintage airline posters on the walls. But the food is the reason to come. I like it so much I hesitate to mention it, lest it become so crowded I can’t get a table. Recipes from Rio LETICIA MOREINOS SCHWARTZ CELEBRATES HER BRAZILIAN BIRTHRIGHT IN A HOT, HOT, HOT NEW COOKBOOK. Amid bleak landscapes and frigid temperatures, who couldn’t use a little tropical inspiration? Westport’s Leticia Moreinos Schwartz gives us plenty in My Rio de Janeiro (Kyle Books), her new book of Brazilian recipes and culinary reminiscences from her old hometown. What better way to warm up your winter? Green Beans with Minas Cheese and Brazil Nuts Summer in Rio is no joke, with temperatures normally in the 90s and sometimes getting up to above 100. People are exercising at the beach, the scent of coconut water covers the boardwalk, soccer is at the Estadio do Maracana, and then more soccer on television. People are packing their cangas (a cloth that serves as a beach towel), their sunglasses, and sandalias havaianas (our version of flip-flops) and heading straight to the beach. This is my Rio, the perfect time to eat vegetable salads and fresh cheeses with refreshing flavors. I prepared this recipe using green beans I bought at the farmers’ market Feira da Gloria after a morning at the beach and a juice at a juice bar. 11/2 pounds string beans, ends trimmed Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 T. fresh lime juice 1 tsp. soy sauce 1 garlic clove, minced 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup crumbled Minas cheese 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion 1⁄3 cup Brazil nuts Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Place the green beans in a steamer or a pot fitted with a steaming basket over boiling water. Season with salt, cover the steamer, and steam until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the beans to the ice water bath for 5 minutes to cool. Remove the green beans from the water using a slotted spoon and spread them on a plate covered with paper towels to absorb any extra water. Let air dry for 5 minutes, then place them in a serving bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until well blended. Pour enough dressing over to coat lightly (reserve the rest for another use). Add the cheese and red onion and grate the Brazil nuts over the green beans with a microplane. Taste, adjust the seasonings, and serve. Serves 4 Tagliatelle with Shrimp, Asparagus and Coconut Milk Pasta with shrimp and asparagus is a classic served all over the world—we all know that. But there is nothing common about this dish, a version of which I ate at Terzetto, a traditional Italian restaurant in Rio. The twist—done Brazilian style—is the coconut cream sauce, infusing the shrimp and asparagus with a nutty aroma and richness. I like to make my own shrimp stock by roasting the shells with an onion, about two cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of tomato paste, but any chicken or fish stock will do. Kosher salt 8 ounces Italian tagliatelle (or linguine or fettuccini) 8 ounces (about 1/2 bunch) asparagus, bottoms trimmed 3 T. extra virgin olive oil 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined Freshly ground black pepper 1 large shallot, finely minced 1 cup shrimp stock from the shells or chicken stock, plus more for tossing pasta (optional) 1 cup coconut milk, plus more for tossing pasta 2 T. cognac 2 T. chopped fresh chives Fill a pot with four quarts of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add a large pinch of salt, then add the tagliatelle and stir. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is 2 minutes away from al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta, saving some of the pasta water just in case. Fill a bowl with ice and water. Place the asparagus in a steamer basket and season with salt. Add a small amount of water to the bottom of the steamer basket, enough to cook the asparagus without touching the water. Bring the water to a simmer, cover the pot, and steam until the stalks are just tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the steamer and cool the asparagus in the ice-water bath for 1 minute. Drain, then cut into 1-inch pieces and set aside. In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, add them to the skillet, and saute until they just start to turn orange, about 1 minute per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a bowl and cover with foil. Add the shallot to the oil that is left in the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 3 minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the coconut milk, bring to a boil again, and boil until the sauce starts to concentrate, thicken, and reduce by half, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the pasta, shrimp and asparagus, tossing vigorously to coat everything with the sauce. If needed, add a little pasta cooking water or stock and some coconut milk to keep the dish creamy. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cognac and chives. Transfer to warm serving bowls and serve immediately. Serves 4 White Chocolate Mousse with Passion Fruit Gelee Silky, sweet and tart, this recipe brings me back to when I was 15 years old, when I first developed a white chocolate mousse. I started with an American recipe that I got from Anne Willan’s Look & Cook series and tried to make it work in my Brazilian kitchen. My first few attempts were failures, but there my mania for experimentation was born. This recipe is luxurious, the white chocolate mousse interlaced with a floral passion fruit gelee. The delicate pastel colors are beautiful, and you are sure to dazzle your guests with this dessert. MOUSSE 2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped 2 large eggs, separated 1 1/4 cups heavy cream Pinch of salt 2 T. sugar PASSION FRUIT GELEE 1 tsp. powdered gelatin 4 T. water 1/2 cup passion fruit pulp, thawed 3 T. sugar Special Equipment: 8 six-ounce wine glasses Make the mousse: Place the white chocolate in a bowl and set aside. Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk lightly. In a medium saucepan, bring 3/4 cup of the heavy cream to a boil over medium heat. Pour a little of the hot cream into the yolks and whisk well, then pour in the remaining cream and whisk again. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over low heat until it coats the back of a spoon. Immediately strain the mixture through a fine sieve directly over the white chocolate and mix with a rubber spatula until well blended. Let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream at medium speed until soft peaks form. Set aside. In another bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites with a pinch of salt and, starting at low speed, beat until they start foaming, then increase the speed until peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, turn the speed to medium-high, and beat until soft glossy peaks form. Using a large spatula, fold the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the egg whites. Carefully divide the mousse among the wine glasses with a small ladle or a tablespoon. Fill each glass a little above halfway, leaving space for the gelee. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Make the gelee: In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the water. Stir and let stand until softened, about 2 minutes. In a small saucepan, heat the passion fruit and sugar over low heat, whisking often to dissolve the sugar. Add the gelatin mixture and whisk well. Do not let it boil, otherwise the gelee will taste like gelatin. Strain through a fine sieve into a measuring cup. Let cool to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes, then pour into the wine glasses over the mousse. (If you let it stand too long, the gelee will start to harden and it won’t pour as well, but it shouldn’t be too hot, or it will melt the white mousse.) Transfer the glasses to the refrigerator and chill until the gelee is set, at least 2 hours. Remove the wine glasses from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving. Serves 8