Fall Getaway: Foodie Edition
Where to stay
In addition to techno-marvels like iPads for ordering room service and bathroom mirrors that fade into flat-screen televisions, the new J House Greenwich, an 86-room hotel in the Riverside neighborhood, has an innovation we simply can’t resist: a Bloody Mary bar, which serves fresh interpretations of the classic cocktail including an herbaceous version with tomato juice pureed with fresh cilantro, dill, parsley, and cucumber. There’s also the Chocolate Lab, which sells handmade truffles, pastries, gelato, espresso, and coffee drinks, made from cocoa and coffee beans from executive chef François Kwaku-Dongo’s native Côte d’Ivoire.
J House: 1114 East Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT, 203.698.6980
Where to eat
J House’s Eleven 14 Kitchen, led by chef Kwaku-Dongo (formerly of Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in West Hollywood), serves New American cuisine with locally grown ingredients. The expansive dining room is warmly lit, with a fireplace and leather seating. As you’d expect given the tony environment, the menu is decadent. You might start with homemade duck sausage served with mushrooms and caramelized onions, and follow that with pan-seared foie gras with quince chutney and vegetable chips, or venison with red cabbage, broccoli rabe, and pickled cherries.
Eleven 14 Kitchen: 1114 East Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT, 203.698.6999
Morello Bistro, in the heart of Greenwich’s town center and surrounded by shops and theaters, occupies a bilevel space broken up only by large Romanesque columns. Chef Forrest Pasternack, who apprenticed under the likes of Marcus Samuelsson, Mario Batali, and David Chang, has transformed the menu into a list of Italian classics. You can’t go wrong with the fresh pastas, such as agnolotti with chickpeas, red pepper, and fresh oregano, or fall-favorite spaghetti carbonara with pancetta, Parmigiano Reggiano, and organic egg. Wash it down with one of the bistro’s more than 500 bottles of wine.
Morello Bistro: 253 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT, 203.661.3443
For something refreshingly low key, check out Doppio, a pizzeria-meets-wine-bar opened by two twentysomethings in 2011, after they traveled through Italy. Crisp brick-oven pizzas feature seasonal toppings like kale-walnut pesto with goat cheese, sweet sausage, and baby arugula. Pastas include pumpkin ravioli with guanciale and smoked fire sardo. Nightly wine tastings and other events keep the vibe relaxed and buzzing.
Doppio: 41 East Elm Street, Greenwich, CT, 203.340.9470
View Fall Getaway: Foodie Edition in a larger map
