NEW CANAAN, Conn. New Canaan residents previously in the dark about the towns fine cuisine dined on plates of red snapper and ravioli at Cava Wine Bar and Restaurant this week.
The last two nights have been full, said Vicente Siguenza, owner and manager of the Forest Street eatery. The outside first, and then they come inside.
Siguenza is glad to see it, especially if it means giving residents left without power a taste of something good during a rough time.
Cava and other restaurants participating in the first-ever New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Restaurant Week have seen more visitors than they expected, due in part to the promotion and in part to residents looking for a fresh-cooked meal they cant get at home because of the outages.
Siguenza said several customers this week were from New Canaan homes that lost power during Hurricane Irene. Cava never lost power. He said many people were looking forward to Restaurant Week, where participating restaurants offered dishes at a fixed price.
Weve had a great response from the town, Siguenza said.
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tucker Murphy said shes seen people eating at restaurants every night since Restaurant Week kicked off last Thursday with the Taste of the Town Stroll, the exception being Sunday night during the immediate aftermath of Irene.
I think everything is moving right ahead, Murphy said. People are going to restaurants they maybe had not been to before. People [without power] cant cook, so theyre eating out.
Domenico Iovieno, assistant manager at Solé on Elm Street, agrees there has been an uptick in business because of the outages. While hes not happy about that, Were happy to have all of them, he said, mentioning the popularity of a parmesan-crusted fish dish on the stores prix-fixe menu.
Have you dined out at a New Canaan restaurant for Restaurant Week? Was it because your home lost power? Let us know by leaving a comment below. You can also visit our Facebook page.
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