Restaurant Spotlight
Posted by estiator at 9 March, at 14 : 36 PM Print
Viron Rondo Osteria
1721 Highland Ave, Cheshire, CT
vironrondoosteria.com
When restaurant veteran Viron Rondo decided to venture out on his own (following a notable career at popular eateries in New York City), he was determined to bring his Manhattan sensibilities with him. With Viron Rondo Osteria, in bucolic Cheshire, Connecticut, he has done that and more.
From the approach to the restaurant, visitors immediately sense the attention to detail and the devotion to beauty that characterize Rondo’s aesthetic: the magnificent grounds are reminiscent of an Italian villa and are meticulously maintained by a resident landscape architect. Inside, the space is appointed with a set of spectacular brick pizza ovens, custom made in Italy, visible from throughout a dining room that in turn spills into a new addition that houses more dining tables and a mammoth marble-topped bar. The addition, which reportedly cost upwards of $7 million, includes defining pieces of art, the focal point being a 1,500-pound, 381-bulb vintage chandelier (that formerly resided at a New York Film Academy theater).
As part of the construction project (which was completed in October and more than doubled the eatery’s square footage), Rondo installed a tremendous outdoor bar and veranda that transports visitors to a Mediterranean coast. Again, the attention to detail and commitment to beauty are manifest in the impressive artisanal stonework that touches all aspects of the expansive outdoor space.
The restaurant’s beauty runs deep, with Rondo’s culinary team producing some of the state’s most soul-satisfying plates, from Point Judith calamari (with squid ink pasta, spicy plum tomato sauce, and Calabrian chiles) to roast half chicken (sourced from Bell & Evans); and from grass-fed steaks (three different cuts) to freshmade pasta. The kitchen, Rondo proudly adds, works with the area’s farms to produce dishes that are truly farm-to-table, while also sourcing the finest seafood on the market. The osteria is also famous for its thin-crust brick oven pizza, with dough stretched to order by longtime Rondo collaborator Nick Mexhuani. Mexhauani relocated from Manhattan to open and run his friend’s pizza program at his first restaurant in the Litchfield Hills (which is no longer affiliated with Viron) more than a decade ago. A true pizza master chef, the three-plus decades that Mexhuani has logged stretching and baking dough are evident from the first bite.
In the meantime, the beverage program at VRO (which recently enlisted Estiator columnist Dimitris Zahariadis as beverage director) is without question one of the state’s best. The restaurant has been an early adapter and leader in the craft cocktail movement while it also boasts one of Connecticut’s best craft beer programs (focused, of course, on the area’s most interesting smallbatch brews). With over 100 labels on its wine list (including 25 reds by-theglass and 25 whites), VRO is a wine destination, attracting oenophiles throughout Connecticut and beyond. Testament to this is the fact that Wine Spectator magazine has included it in its prestigious Top 100 list for the last three years.
But no discussion of Viron Rondo Osteria is complete without mention of the host himself. Rondo, who has been in the industry from his teen years in Greece, is among the best frontof-the-house men in the business. His ability to connect with his guests— new visitors and regulars alike—is unmatched. He circles the dining room like an athlete competing in a decathalon, greeting guests at the door, visiting them at the table, and running food from the kitchen to the table. Rondo attributes this quality to his upbringing, smiling and saying, “I come from the Land of Hospitality.”
