We've been to every prior iteration of this restaurant, which keeps changing names and possibly ownership -- but seems to have retained its excellent chef, Chef Giovanni. We are incredibly lucky to have this chef and food in Sherman, CT, a town with literally one stoplight.
The staff is deeply hospitable in that old school, sincere, just-really-good-people sort of way. We last arrived in a rain storm and the owner / chef lent us his personal umbrella so we could run from the back parking lot to the front door without getting drenched.
From what I can tell, the menu is still more or less the same as it was before. There's still the excellent octopus appetizer, the lovely meatballs, all of the pasta iterations, the salmon, branzino, pork chops, veal, and chicken preparations. And there's pizza available for takeout, which seems to be quite popular based on the traffic we saw on our recent visit.
Importantly for me, vegetables are a strong point and every (almost every?) main course comes with a side of vegetables (sauteed broccoli, green beans, baby carrots) and roasted potatoes. Both are improbably good, made with skill. Sides of vegetables (e.g. spinach, broccoli, broccoli rabe, etc...) are generously portioned. In general, vegetables are treated with dignity, well seasoned with garlic, and quite enjoyable -- just like we make it at home.
Seafood is well made and fresh, not fishy at all. Cooked seafood has to be pristinely fresh for my kiddos to voluntarily try a bite without gagging. A recent order of branzino passed their test. It was a single fillet, not huge, but quite well prepared: pan seared to a perfect temperature, slightly browned on the edges, seasoned well and in moderation so you could taste the freshness of the fish. I enjoyed it quite a lot. (On prior visits, I've enjoyed the octopus, salmon, and mussels as well.)
Progeny 1 ordered the pollo marsala (lightly floured chicken breast with fresh mushrooms in a marsala wine sauce served with mixed vegetables and roasted potatoes). I don't know if I've ever had a preparation of this (Italian-American) dish that floored me, but this was a serviceable version. The thinly pounded chicken breast was tender and juicy, only lightly seasoned. Sauce was just creamy enough, studded with plenty of mushrooms.
Progeny 2 had the penne a la vodka (another Italian-American dish; I know the daughter of the man who claims to have invented it), which included a generous amount of bacon. The pasta was cooked to a good al dente texture. The sauce was quite creamy and decadent, generously studded with bacon. The supposedly children's size portion was absolutely enormous.
The Pardner's Braciola di Maiale Pizaiola (pork chop with cherry peppers and cherry tomatoes cooked in a marinara sauce with mixed vegetables and roasted potatoes) was moist, substantial in size. I very much enjoyed the slightly spicy, fresh-vegetable-rich sauce. It tasted just like summer.
We wanted to get home for birthday cake, so skipped dessert and declined the offer of cannoli on the house for the birthday girl. But what a kind and generous gesture!
The Italian wines by the glass we tried were all approachable, easy drinking young wines from major producers.
Oh -- on weekends, they often have live music. We happened upon a fellow named Al Rivoli who sang and played guitar quite proficiently, whom we really enjoyed. First Selectman Don Lowe performs with semi regularity as well.
We've been to the restaurant on near empty days and on days when a reservation is very much recommended. Make a reservation to be safe, especially if it's a nice summer day.
Is it the best Italian / Italian-American food we've ever had? Probably not. But it's enjoyable, well made, generously portioned, fairly priced, and the best food of any sort for miles around. (I suspect the authentic Italian preps are far better than the Italian American offerings given Chef Giovanni's Neapolitan roots.) The kid's menu is absolutely standout and includes far more sophisticated options than most. Definitely worth a visit if you're in these parts. read more