Hidden Gem in Broad River: Lou’s Pizza

Tucked away in a shopping center in the Broad River section of Norwalk is Lou’s Pizza. Chances are that you don’t even know Lou’s is even there or you’ve blown right past it, but some Twitter peeps and a few friends raved about it. Seeing how I am always looking for a new pizza place, I finally took the short trip over there and experienced an “Oh, it’s you” moment and some good quality pizza.

That moment I mentioned came the second I walked in. Behind the counter at Lou’s was Lou! Well, that’s not that exciting but that “Lou” is Lou Letizia. You may recognize the name from another pizza place in the area, Letizia’s (owned by his cousins), and if you’ve been around Norwalk for a while, Uncle Joe’s (formerly owned by the family). Lou, who once worked at both restaurants, now with a spot of his own, is breaking out some thin crust goodness to THAT part of Norwalk. 

Closeup. Craving this even the day after!

The pizza you can expect is right up there with the best in Norwalk, possibly even some of the best in Fairfield County. Thin, cooked through, crisp with a little chewiness, excellent sauce, cheesy, and perfectly greasy all describe the experience eating Lou’s Pizza. I ordered mine with half sausage and half meatball and the toppings weren’t piled up but I appreciated being able to actually taste the pizza rather than a mountain of pork and beef to hide its flaws. I loved every second of eating the pizza here and next time I plan on ordering two pizzas! Well, you have to have leftovers, right?

Lou’s also has classic Italian entrées like eggplant parm, chicken scarpariello, lasagna, and more,and it seemed like customers that picked up their take-out were ordering lots of those dishes and salads as well. I even added on an order of chicken fingers that were homemade, not like the frozen ones you get at most places in town (you know who you are).

Hopefully I’ll make my way to some of the entrées at Lou’s but for now, I’m so stuck on their pizza. I am sure I found another go-to pizza joint, give Lou’s a shot and you might just agree.

Lou’s Pizza

115 New Canaan Avenue

Norwalk, CT 06850

(203) 840-1800

Oak + Almond Opens at Former Tuscan Oven Location

Trust me, you’ve never voluntarily wanted to be this close to a CT DMV in your life.

In the place of Tuscan Oven is the newer, more trendy, way more delicious (sorry Tuscan Oven groupies) Oak + Almond. As soon as word got out that Jeff Taibe was at the helm as executive chef I knew I had to get over there ASAP. You may recognize the name “Taibe” from Westport’s Le Farm and The Whelk owned by Jeff’s brother, Bill.

Having good experiences at a Taibe restaurant in the past, I was on the case.

When I first walked into Oak + Almond I remarked how open and well-lit the place was and it was not cluttered, but the décor was simple. Visible to diners is where the restaurant’s name comes from, a wood burning oven that is fueled by oak and almond wood that gives certain dishes some good, smoky flavor. Another cool addition is the enormous patio area that seats around 70 people and is sure to be a hit on nice weather days. 

Immediately I glanced at Oak + Almond’s drink book and my plan of not drinking went right out the window once I read some of the descriptions of their high quality and creative cocktails. This drink list has something for everyone’s favorite type of hard liquor and a signature drink with Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon, Luxardo Triplum, almond syrup, lemon, bitters, and a smoked sea salt rim, appropriately named the Oak & Almond. My drink of choice that night was the Aged Hemingway Daiquiri; Diplomatica Reserva Exclusiva 12 Year Rum with grapefruit and lime juice, and a Luxardo Maraschino Cherry to top it off. I appreciate a good, rum drink and will have a tough time not ordering the Hemingway again but I would love to make my way around the entire drink menu, not to sound like an alcoholic or anything. 

Along with your drinks at Oak + Almond, you must go H.A.M. (hip hop reference, anyone?) on the shared plates section of the menu. With everything from local oysters to octopus, and even flatbread options, you clearly have your work cut out for you, but whichever starters you decide on, it will be a wise decision. One dish you may want to share or not share (trust me), are the tender and juicy Pork & Ricotta Meatballs with a simple, but spicy tomato sauce that should get mopped up with bread afterwards. My favorite shared plate was the Pork and Pistachio Terrine. If you do not know what head terrine is, please don’t be freaked out when you hear that it is made by boiling a pig’s head in stock and spices and all that tender meat falls off to later be formed into a loaf. The addition of pistachios gave the terrine a textural component, plus it was lots of fun making mini sandwiches with the terrine, mustard, and those mini pickles. Oak + Almond also gets major point for their rustic presentation on this dish; truly well done.

And if you’re a salad person, order Oak + Almond’s Caesar salad along with your starters. Why, it’s just a Caesar, right? Wrong! The addition of bacon and a soft boiled egg just put this fresh, well-dressed salad over the top and the yolk with the dressing was very serious stuff. I was mad that I split it with someone! All mine next time. 

As much as I loved the shared plates, the entrées took a small step back. The organic chicken was juicy and tender but the polenta lacked a bit and didn’t take on the flavors of the juice from the chicken or the sauce, and the greens that came with it were a bit overpowered by slightly burnt garlic. However, the chicken itself was extremely good having been cooked in the wood burning oven. My guest ordered halibut with little neck clams, artichokes, and prosciutto broth and remarked that the clams were a bit tough. The rest of the dish was nicely cooked, especially the fish. 

Bringing the overall experience back were the desserts. I always look for something light, gelato, or a pudding of sorts and Oak + Almond must have known I was coming with milk chocolate panna cotta on the menu. I am not a big fan of rich chocolate to end a meal and they got this one right. The panna cotta had a light chocolate taste, crunch from the hazelnuts, homemade whipped cream, and caramelized bananas on top. Bonus points earned for the presentation in a Mason jar as I was able to get a perfect amount of pudding, nuts, and whipped cream in every spoonful.

Even with a few minor issues, I am looking forward to my next visit to Oak + Almond. The entire staff was courteous and really knew about food as was evident in the many conversations I had with various managers and servers that night. Three things they kept mentioning were the porcini rubbed ribeye, the burger, and a pork sandwich I keep hearing so much about from many different people.

Oak + Almond should get plenty of folks to hang out on that side of Norwalk if they keep doing their thing.

Oak + Almond

544 Main Avenue

Norwalk, CT 06851

(203) 846-4600

http://oakandalmond.com/

PastaPresta Perfection

Being primarily of Puerto Rican and Italian heritage there was a small joke about me in middle school regarding the cuisine of my two cultures. That joke went something like, “So what do you eat for dinner, lasagna and rice and beans?” To which I always replied, “No. I wouldn’t mix the two carbs during the same meal.” That whole scene played in my head at the PastaPresta press invite at SoNo MarketPlace where I had no issue having carbs in every course, in fact, I welcomed it.

PastaPresta is one of the newest additions to the ever growing SoNo MarketPlace and is the creation of Bill and Meri Erickson of New Canaan and their partner Mario Cavestany of Madrid, Spain. The trio all have an appreciation for the farm-to-table concept and that’s pretty clear based on their backgrounds. Meri’s love of food dates back to her childhood, gardening on her family’s property and caring for farm animals. Later in life she went on to study culinary arts in Paris at Le Notre and Le Cordon Bleu and eventually at the International Culinary Center in New York. Combine Meri’s experience with Bill’s passion for the neighborhood markets in Paris and overall love of seasonal goods, and Mario’s farm and pasta making knowledge, and PastaPresta was born.

 PastaPresta will feature handmade pasta from farm fresh ingredients. The facts about PastaPresta’s ingredients are…their flour is the highest quality semolina, durum and whole grain, they use Pete & Gerry's Organic Pastel Blue Eggs, and when infusing pasta or stuffing ravioli PastaPresta looks to local farms in Connecticut and the Hudson Valley, New York.  

Besides the amazingly fresh, and great product they are putting out, PastaPresta has a gadget in back of their MarketPlace stand that will have you wondering, “What the heck is that thing?” That machine you see, is the one that preps the product, it is called Pastation by Pama Parsi Macchine. This Johnny Five (“Short Circuit” reference? Come on!) version of your grandma’s pasta maker can make pasta and raviolis and can cut sheets of pasta to your specifications. If you’re wondering what kind of pastas this thing can make, well it’s probably easier to start with what it cannot make. This machine is just THAT good and is the only one of its kind in the United States and just the fifth in the world.  

Now, remember that whole thing I said about mixing carbs in one sitting? Back to that. This press invite was pasta focused (obviously) with a few nice surprises from some of SoNo MarketPlace’s family of vendors. We started our taste buds with oysters on the half shell and stuffed clams from Bloom Brothers and prosecco at Up the Creek Bar. Then with some help from a few of the market’s eateries, it was time to sit down, roll up our sleeves, and do this. 

Waiting at the place settings, courtesy of Festivities, was a minted pea shooter and a ricotta cheese crostini topped with an oven roasted grape tomato that reminded me of a mini pizza. I could have eaten all of these that were prepared. Our first pasta offering, three cheese egg ravioli served with Wise Guys marinara sauce, was a huge hit amongst the writers. It was simple and it seemed everyone cleared their plates. They barely had to wash my dish after the mop up job I did with a piece of Green Leaf Bakery's bread. 

I actually thought the ravioli would be my favorite dish of the night until the heirloom tomato casarecce came out. The pasta sat in a spinach and artichoke pesto with a crispy parmesan garlic crostini. The sauce was extra creamy and the tomato flavor in the pasta came through. If people were not near me, shoving my face in the bowl would have happened.  

Our final pasta dish was seafood based, yes, even the pasta. You know what that means? Squid ink! The squid ink linguini was served with scallops and a blood orange olive oil. If you don’t know what to expect with squid ink pasta, think along the lines of the ocean, meaning brininess. 

If all that wasn’t enough, we kept the indulgence going with a cheese plate by Plum Plums, an array of sweet treats from Pecan Patti (now a major addiction), and a crostate choice by Maura & Nuccia. 

 

While I got full all over again just writing this, you should get all the right stuff to make your next meal or have your next cooked meal at SoNo MarketPlace and visit these great people and the terrific products they put out. After you stock up at the market, don’t forget the fresh pasta and stop by PastaPresta on your way out.