Not to state the obvious, but the last two years have been a trying time for all of us. When the pandemic hit, many aspects of everyday life were thrown into disarray. Obviously, with lockdowns, social distancing, and an airborne pandemic, one of the hardest hit sectors of the economy was the restaurant industry. While some restaurants came up with imaginative ways to get meals out and keep the lights on, others were forced to close. Amidst all the uncertainty, a few brave souls saw hope and decided to take a risk and bet on a brighter future. With that in mind, Milford is now home to two new restaurants that seek to enliven your tastebuds and revive the old school joy of eating out.
Strega
9 River Street
Stregamilford.com
203.293.1849
Mon. – Sat. 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
As the country was trying to regain it’s footing after the harsh year of 2020, Chef Danilo Mongillo was looking to resurrect his restaurant. When Covid shuttered his award-winning restaurant, Strega in Branford, Mongillo searched for a new location where he could create his authentic Italian cuisine with a modern touch. After finding his new space on River Street, he set to work on a menu that could be brought to life using a small kitchen and a modern pizza oven. Strega, which is Italian for witch, is an homage to the women of the Benevento region who used herbs and plants to heal and cook, who took meager ingredients, “skillfully combined,” and created something extraordinary. As the restaurant’s website says, “Cooking is Magic.” That magic is on display as Mongillo creates his Neopolitan style pizzas and soft, delicious focaccia breads in plain sight in the oven behind the bar.
Raised about 45 km (about 28 miles for the non-metric among us) northeast of Naples in the small town of Pugilanello in the Benevento province, Mongillo learned his love of food from his family. “My parents owned a butcher shop—the only one in my town—and when we cook, we cook for like twenty people, my whole family, cousins. Really, my first passion was cooking.”
While serving in the Italian army (that included a stint in Afghanistan) and as a police officer with the ministry of agriculture, Mongillo traveled throughout the country ensuring the quality of wines and produce. Through this job he gained a great appreciation for the importance of quality products and a love for all of Italy’s regional cuisines. “I lived in Piedmont and Venice and Rome and Milan, and with all the national parks I worked at, I got to know the food, almost like a guide book for a tourist. I got to know the good and the bad from everywhere.” It is this idea of serving authentic Italian food from different regions that drives Mongillo. “I want to give people fresh, real food with the best ingredients that people eat in Italy, to challenge people a little bit. It’s Italian food that maybe you haven’t tried before. I want people to try a new dish paired with a wine that they wouldn’t normally try and go, ‘Wow! That’s something special.’”
Sampling the menu, I found each dish a delicate, well-thought construction of flavors. Having visited Tuscany, I thought I knew my way around Italian cured meats and cheeses, but Strega’s Misto, with prosciutto di Parma, salame, mortadella, caciocavallo, gorgonzola and parmigiano Reggiano, was impressive. The quality of the ingredients topped any I’ve had from Rome to Siena to Venice. Next was thePane Cotta,made with Broccoli Rabe and black garlic-infused bread, topped with parmigiano Reggiano, all resting in a delightful cannellini bean puree. It’s a must order for all who visit.
I joyfully moved on to the Carpaccio Di Manzowith paper thin slices of raw beef topped with a light and creamy cacio and pepesauce and shaved with black truffles. It looked so wonderful that l forgot to take a picture until after I had sampled it! Finishing up the appetizers I had the Tartare Di Tonno, a tuna tartare infused with Asian flavors of soy and ginger atop a flourish of Italian eggplant, onion, and garlic. Last came the Calabrese pizza with a light, airy crust, tomato sauce, ndujasausage, and a big, soft ball of whole burrata cheese in the middle. It all combined for a rich and dynamic tasting experience, one that will have you planning your return visit.
Oar and Oak Birdhouse
1 Seabreeze Avenue
203.283.0752
Moving eastward is the newly opened Oar and Oak Birdhouse in Woodmont. The Woodmont location is the third iteration of the culinary team of Chef Dan Kardos and owner Peter Massey’s restaurants. The Oar and Oak team specialize in comfort food with a slight lean toward cuisine that might feel more at home south of the Mason/Dixon line. While you can enjoy a variety of styles from lasagna Bolognese, beef empanadas and even a lamb burger, it’s the shrimp and grits, warm cornbread, and chicken and waffles that let you know that Oar and Oak is all about down home cooking. This is where the “Birdhouse” name comes in.
From the Liberty Rock Tavern to Oar & Oak, to the Food Network’s show “Guy’s Grocery Games” with famed chef Guy Fieri (where he won the Fried Feud challenge), Chef Kardos has proven he knows his way around a chicken cutlet and a deep fryer. Oar and Oak’s chicken sandwiches hold a place of honor on their menu and are the food pillar on which Oar and Oak rests. During the height of the pandemic, it was their chicken sandwiches, sold out of their take-out only Birdhouse business in Stratford and their food truck, that enabled them to keep cooking long enough to open a new Oak and Oar Birdhouse in Milford. The weekly specials always change but their famous chicken stays the same.
On my visit I went big and ordered the chicken and waffles, warm corn bread topped with bacon jam, and the butternut squash ravioli. The chicken and waffles is a delicious construction built with a buttermilk waffle base, whipped butter, and capped with two, crispy, crunchy, fried chicken cutlets. Add maple syrup to the party and you’ve got a celebration of southern comfort. The warm corn bread is a light and buttery cake with a crown of jam comprised of sweet maple syrup and savory, salty, bacon. The butternut squash ravioli is an ode to fall’s harvest, with a rich, creamy, roasted squash flavor accented by rosemary and pecorino cheese. It was the perfect comfort food for a chilly night.
According to the book, Dining Out: A Global History of Restaurants, people have been gathering in what we would recognize as restaurants since the 12th century. These establishments grew in populated cities in China, where traveling merchants could find some comfort. Restaurants, and the food they served, became the connection to feeling safe and secure, a home away from home. Since that time, restaurants have been integral as the communal meeting places that bring communities together. The isolation caused by the pandemic showed just how deeply ingrained the social aspect of dining out is in our society. The new Milford restaurants that opened in a time of collective anxiety show the resilience of their owners as well as the skills, artistry, and passion of their chefs. They are a much needed and welcomed sight.
