Gino B.
Yelp
Downtown Stamford's restaurant row has a lot of options and world cuisines. Opting for ZaZa Italian Gastrobar and pizzeria was an easy choice when looking at the humming action and nice plates from its floor to ceiling windows on Broad Street.
As we entered, our lovely hostess walked us to our booth which can easily seat 4-6 people comfortably. While strolling through the aisles on the way to our seats, we gasped at the rather unique decor of the space: gothic red leather seating with Count Dracula style crystal chandeliers to shabby nouveau chic overtones throughout; and, a fully visible open kitchen from Every seating angle.
As soon as we sat down, a white ceramic plate containing complimentary thick cut bread slices arrived to the table ready for skinny dipping In the extra virgin olive oil to get things started...
The housemade soup of the day ($8), Chickpeas and ham, had a fantastic presentation and tasted homemade like it was made in the back, nice! Next came the first spiced calamari ($11) which was non breaded but was sautéed and had an ultra tender texture; it also contained beans... ZaZa's different minimalistic gastro take on this classic staple dish. To round out the appetizers, the meatball sampler trio ($9.50) was a nice teaser in the 3 house varieties, my favorite being the spicy One!
For our mains, we kept it simple with linguine and fettuccini bolognese ($14) and a skirt steak over anchovies Ceasar salad ($18). We couldn't help but notice how the pasta was fresh and again, like it was just made or something like that. From presentation to portion and taste, everything was terrific! We were too full to indulge in any desserts, next time!
On our way out, we asked the owner about the pasta, and he proudly stated that it is made fresh right in his open kitchen with the Imported Italian Ferrari branded pasta making machine. He was a little Protective of it when I asked if I can take a photo.
Owner: "Is it to copy what I have going so you'll open a restaurant and compete with me?"
Me: "No! It's to talk about it to my friends at Yelp"
Owner: "Ah...then let me tell you about the machine, it's a Ferrari, you know...."
Nice story but we really had to go! Not for
Long though...See you again very soon ZaZa!