Some of the best kept secrets in Connecticut are the amazing restaurants found throughout the state.
And one of the coziest places we've found recently is
Viale Ristorante in Bridgeport CT!
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| Viale Ristorante in Bridgeport CT |
Located on Fairfield Avenune in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, Viale Ristorante has been serving fine Italian food since 2005. Walking in to Viale is like stepping back through time, when dining out felt special, food wasn't overly-complicated or pretentious, and the atmosphere was friendly and fun.
Well...welcome to Viale Ristorante, where music is soft in the background, service is fast - but not rushed, and enjoying great food with good friends is encouraged!
We started with some delicious crusty bread (made on premise) and some great red wine. You know you're at a traditional Italian restaurant when a cruet of fine olive oil, and both parmesan and crushed red pepper are on the table when you arrive!
Appetizers
Luckily, we were with a group of six and decided to share appetizers, so we each selected one apiece and passed our plates around!
We ordered some traditional favorites like the Viale Antipasto, Broccoli Rabe, and the day's special a creamy Burrato; some seafood, Calamari Meditteranean and Garlic Grilled Shrimp; and a simple salad, the Iceburg Wedge, that wasn't simple at all! It was packed with a creamy dressing and bacon pieces!
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| Viale Antipasto |
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| Broccoli Rabe |
This was the first time I've sampled Viale's Burrata Mozzarella and it was wonderful! So creamy good, made from mozzarella and fresh cream and was the perfect consistancy to mix with the red peppers, fresh tomatoes, pesto, and greens served with it. Did you know that the word "burrata" means "buttered" in Italian.
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| Burrata Mozzarella |
The Mediterranean Calamari was another beautiful dish and we loved the aromatic herbs, olives, and red peppers that flavored the dish.
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| Mediterranean Calamari |
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| Iceburg Wedge |
The shrimp was perfectly prepared and the toasty grilled garlic added a wonderful zest to the dish. And see that beautiful light garlic and herb infused oil? It was mopped clean with some of Viale's baked on premise crusty bread! Mmmmm good!
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| Garlic Grilled Shrimp |
Entrees
We ordered a wide variety of dinners too! Everything from a pasta, to seafood, to pork, chicken, and beef! That's the great thing about going out with a group of people - you get to see, (and if you're really good friends, you get to sample - chuckle-chuckle) a bit of everything and find out what YOU might like to order the NEXT time you return!
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| Lasagna |
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| Pork Chops Scarpielo |
Look at this rich sauce on the Shrimp Fra Diavlo! Did you know that Fra Diavlo translates loosely to "brother of the devil" - referring to the spicy hot fire from the spicy hot sauce! But don't let the definition scare you off, because we felt that this sauce packed more of a "medium" heat than a super hot fire - and was the perfect blend of spicy goodness!
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| Shrimp Fra Diavlo |
Rich decadent Gorgonzola cheese made this chicken dish sing - and the mushrooms added an earthy and grounded flavor.
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| Chicken Gorgonzola |
And I absolutely loved my dinner, a beautiful dish of Zuppa di Pésce. Although the name means "Fish Stew" - it's actually a seafood pasta dish.. This one was delicious! The pasta (linguine) was cooked to a perfect al dente (still firm) - and it was chock full of sweet mussels, clams, calamari, shrimp, and scallops, gently covered with a wonderfully light broth-like and flavorful sauce.
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| Zuppa di Pésce |
And look at this beautiful rib-eye, which was char-grilled beautifully, and cooked to a perfect medium rare.
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| Ribeye Steak |
Desserts
Believe it or not, after all this food we decided we simply had to sample dessert as well, ordering a medley of some of Patricia's made on premise cakes and treats.
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| Blueberry Creme Roll |
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| Carrot Cake |
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| Tiramasu |
While each dessert was incredibly good - I'm still raving over the New York Style Cheesecake which was quite possibly the best I've ever had. In spite of being creamy rich - it was also light. Even after all that food, it hit the sweet spot and felt like the perfect ending to a wonderful night with good friends and great food!
Over dessert we toasted happy birthday to me (YES to me!!!) over some sweet dessert wine and my favorite after dinner drink, an espresso martini, with three beans reflecting health, wealth, and happiness in the coming year.
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| Dessert Wine and an Espresso Martini |
It's no surprise that Viale Ristorante is standing the test of time. After almost ten years you know they're doing something right! Be sure you visit them soon.
Viale Ristorante Bar and Grill
3171 Fairfield Ave
Bridgeport, CT 06605
Phone:
(203) 610-6193
Disclaimer: We were invited to this menu sampling by members of Viale's public relations and management team. However, all opinions are our own.
