Manchester, CT January 13, 2011 CW Chop's 'n' Catch is a new restaurant that has been open for about a month on Hartford Road in Manchester. A waitress grabs a freshly made salad from a chef at the kitchen in the lobby, Digital Photo by Richard Messina | rmessina@courant.com ORG XMIT: B58983568Z.1 (Richard Messina, Hartford Courant / January 20, 2011) |
Corey Wry knows Manchester. He was born and raised there, graduated from Manchester High School in 1995 and returned 10 years later to open his first restaurant. Nearly six years later, as he debuts his third eponymous eatery in town, it's safe to say Manchester knows him, too.
CW's Chops 'n' Catch on Hartford Road joins Pastrami on Wry on East Middle Turnpike and Corey's Catsup and Mustard on Main Street. While his first two restaurants focus on casual fare like deli sandwiches and burgers, Chops 'n' Catch is a more upscale spot that delves into steaks and seafood.
Wry, a classically trained chef, said this new format was a way for him to better use the skills he learned during his culinary education at Johnson & Wales University in Providence. Before opening Pastrami on Wry in 2005, he traveled and worked throughout the country.
"I would consider [Chops 'n' Catch] a little more upscale than what I've done thus far," he said. "I chose to do it because I wanted to use my cooking resources a little bit more. And I wanted to do it now while I was still young enough."
Chops 'n' Catch stays true to its name, with plenty of surf-and-turf selections. On the seafood side, there's a raw bar with shrimp cocktail, East Coast oysters and tuna tartare. Fresh-catch options include organic farmed salmon, New England cod and swordfish. A baked haddock dish with crab stuffing pays homage to the building's former tenant, the popular Italian restaurant Nulli's.
Steaks range from a 7-ounce filet mignon to a 36-ounce porterhouse for two people, with Kansas City strip and ribeye in between. All are seasoned with a custom spice blend and broiled at 1,200 degrees. The "Willie's Sizzling Sirloin" dish, made with hip steak, honors another former Manchester institution.
There also are unusual appetizers (bacon n' eggs, lobster cakes, blue-cheese potato chips), fresh salads and signature entrees like spinach- and cheddar-stuffed chicken (a deconstructed version of Wry's mother's recipe) and a chipotle-lime pork tenderloin. Beef short ribs braised in Dr. Pepper soda have quickly become a favorite, Wry said.
"The name says it all: a local place for steak, fish and comfort," Wry said. "That's exactly what it is. Comfort foods that everyone's familiar with … some things that are more traditional, some things with a few twists."
Wry is also making concerted efforts to use local products. A green Connecticut-shaped icon next to menu items denotes a local ingredient: such as bacon from Nodine's Smokehouse in Torrington, Janik kielbasa from Enfield, Lebanon's Beltane Farms goat cheese, Stonington scallops, mussels steamed in Olde Burnside's Ten Penny Ale. Ten Penny also shows up at the bar, along with bottled sodas from Hosmer Mountain and wines from Pomfret's Sharpe Hill and North Stonington's Jonathan Edwards Vineyards. Wry expects to change the menu seasonally, featuring more local produce in the spring and summer.
Customers from Pastrami on Wry and Catsup and Mustard have been excited about the new spot, Wry said. "I've got a good following, from that standpoint," he said.
While the menu and atmosphere at Chops 'n' Catch is a bit fancier than those eateries, Wry said he wouldn't necessarily classify it as "fine dining."
"I'm hoping [this will fill a niche] in the Manchester market. …Viewing it from the other side, as a diner…I don't think of it as gourmet or upscale, just casual American dining," he said.
"A lot of consumers that I deal with now appreciate something that's not a chain restaurant. It goes back to my concept of doing things locally, if possible, while covering a variety of foods that people are familiar with and are affordable."
In the near future, CW's Chops 'n' Catch will offer a happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m., with food and drink specials, along with a Sunday prime rib special. The restaurant also has a banquet facility to accommodate larger parties.
Asked if he thinks he's brought something exciting to Manchester, Wry smiles. "I'd like to think so, but I never really thought of it like that," he said. "I just try to go to work every day and keep people happy."
CW's Chops 'n' Catch is at 706 Hartford Road in Manchester. It's open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 to 9:30 p.m.; Thursdays from 4 to 10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 4 to 10:30 p.m.; and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. Information: 860-783-5545 or chopsandcatch.com.
Small Bites
The biannual Taste of Hartford restaurant promotion continues through Sunday. Presented by the Greater Hartford Arts Council and the Hartford Advocate, the event features $20.11 multi-course prix-fixe dinner menus at more than 20 city restaurants. For a list of participating eateries and their special menus, visit letsgoarts.org.
Primavera Pub, a Hartford restaurant that specializes in Portuguese cuisine, is now open seven days a week. The popular eatery at 271 Newington Ave., Hartford, just south of Avery Heights, recently started opening on Mondays, offering rotating specials with its regular lunch and dinner menu. The kitchen is now open Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telephone: 860-953-7411.
The owners of the Cupcake Brake truck recently opened a bakery storefront, Take A Brake, at 101 West St. in Vernon. Take a Brake sells a variety of cupcakes, pies, cookies, doughnuts and other sweet treats. Visit thecupcakebrake.com for hours and daily selections.
The Char Koon restaurant group celebrates the upcoming Chinese New Year with Malaysian Nyonya fusion cuisine. From Feb. 1 through Feb. 12, the three restaurants will serve specially priced prix-fixe menus. Char Koon in South Glastonbury and Char Koon 1800 in Canton will serve three-course menus for $20.11. Forbidden City Bistro in Middletown will serve a three-course menu with wine pairings for $39.95. Char Koon is at 882 Main St. in South Glastonbury (860-657-3656, charkoon.com). Char Koon 1800 is at 144 Albany Turnpike in Canton (860-693-8868, charkoon1800.com). Forbidden City is at 335 Main St. in Middletown (860-343-8288, forbiddencitybistro.com).
Bellini's Italian Eatery at the Shoppes at Evergreen Walk offers $9 lunch specials with a choice of half-panini sandwich or pizzette (small pizza.) The deal also includes homemade soup or salad and rosemary potato wedges. Bellini's Italian Eatery is at 501 Evergreen Way (Suite 538) in South Windsor (860-432-3461, eatdrinkbellinis.com).
IHOP hosts an "All You Can Eat Pancakes" promotion through Feb. 27. The combo deal is served with eggs any style, hash browns and customer's choice of sausage, bacon or ham. Find a nearby location at ihop.com.
Wine Events
J. Timothy's Taverne hosts a "Salute to Red Wine" dinner in partnership with Southington Wines on Friday. The dinner includes a fondue table, pan-seared scallops, lollipop lamb chops, braised short ribs and a trio of mini cakes. Cost is $70 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 860-747-6813. J. Timothy's is at 143 New Britain Ave. in Plainville. jtimothys.com.
Max Fish hosts a Ferrari-Carano wine dinner with two seatings: Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Wednesday at 6 p.m. The six-course dinner costs $79.95 per person plus tax and gratuity. Max Fish is at 110 Glastonbury Blvd. in Glastonbury. 860-652-3474, maxfish.com.
Max Downtown hosts "A Culinary Evening With Joe Bastianich," a renowned chef and TV personality on Jan. 30. Bastianiach will discuss his new book, "Grandi Vini." The restaurant will pair his Italian estate wines with its cuisine. Tickets are $135 a person plus tax and gratuity, or $235 a couple plus tax and gratuity. Reservations: 860-522-2530. Max Downtown is at 185 Asylum St. in Hartford. maxdowntown.com.
Send restaurant news to MaryEllen Fillo at fillo@courant.com and to Leeanne Griffin at lg7981@gmail.com.
CW's Chops 'n' Catch on Hartford Road joins Pastrami on Wry on East Middle Turnpike and Corey's Catsup and Mustard on Main Street. While his first two restaurants focus on casual fare like deli sandwiches and burgers, Chops 'n' Catch is a more upscale spot that delves into steaks and seafood.
Wry, a classically trained chef, said this new format was a way for him to better use the skills he learned during his culinary education at Johnson & Wales University in Providence. Before opening Pastrami on Wry in 2005, he traveled and worked throughout the country.
"I would consider [Chops 'n' Catch] a little more upscale than what I've done thus far," he said. "I chose to do it because I wanted to use my cooking resources a little bit more. And I wanted to do it now while I was still young enough."
Chops 'n' Catch stays true to its name, with plenty of surf-and-turf selections. On the seafood side, there's a raw bar with shrimp cocktail, East Coast oysters and tuna tartare. Fresh-catch options include organic farmed salmon, New England cod and swordfish. A baked haddock dish with crab stuffing pays homage to the building's former tenant, the popular Italian restaurant Nulli's.
Steaks range from a 7-ounce filet mignon to a 36-ounce porterhouse for two people, with Kansas City strip and ribeye in between. All are seasoned with a custom spice blend and broiled at 1,200 degrees. The "Willie's Sizzling Sirloin" dish, made with hip steak, honors another former Manchester institution.
There also are unusual appetizers (bacon n' eggs, lobster cakes, blue-cheese potato chips), fresh salads and signature entrees like spinach- and cheddar-stuffed chicken (a deconstructed version of Wry's mother's recipe) and a chipotle-lime pork tenderloin. Beef short ribs braised in Dr. Pepper soda have quickly become a favorite, Wry said.
"The name says it all: a local place for steak, fish and comfort," Wry said. "That's exactly what it is. Comfort foods that everyone's familiar with … some things that are more traditional, some things with a few twists."
Wry is also making concerted efforts to use local products. A green Connecticut-shaped icon next to menu items denotes a local ingredient: such as bacon from Nodine's Smokehouse in Torrington, Janik kielbasa from Enfield, Lebanon's Beltane Farms goat cheese, Stonington scallops, mussels steamed in Olde Burnside's Ten Penny Ale. Ten Penny also shows up at the bar, along with bottled sodas from Hosmer Mountain and wines from Pomfret's Sharpe Hill and North Stonington's Jonathan Edwards Vineyards. Wry expects to change the menu seasonally, featuring more local produce in the spring and summer.
Customers from Pastrami on Wry and Catsup and Mustard have been excited about the new spot, Wry said. "I've got a good following, from that standpoint," he said.
While the menu and atmosphere at Chops 'n' Catch is a bit fancier than those eateries, Wry said he wouldn't necessarily classify it as "fine dining."
"I'm hoping [this will fill a niche] in the Manchester market. …Viewing it from the other side, as a diner…I don't think of it as gourmet or upscale, just casual American dining," he said.
"A lot of consumers that I deal with now appreciate something that's not a chain restaurant. It goes back to my concept of doing things locally, if possible, while covering a variety of foods that people are familiar with and are affordable."
In the near future, CW's Chops 'n' Catch will offer a happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m., with food and drink specials, along with a Sunday prime rib special. The restaurant also has a banquet facility to accommodate larger parties.
Asked if he thinks he's brought something exciting to Manchester, Wry smiles. "I'd like to think so, but I never really thought of it like that," he said. "I just try to go to work every day and keep people happy."
CW's Chops 'n' Catch is at 706 Hartford Road in Manchester. It's open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 to 9:30 p.m.; Thursdays from 4 to 10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 4 to 10:30 p.m.; and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. Information: 860-783-5545 or chopsandcatch.com.
Small Bites
The biannual Taste of Hartford restaurant promotion continues through Sunday. Presented by the Greater Hartford Arts Council and the Hartford Advocate, the event features $20.11 multi-course prix-fixe dinner menus at more than 20 city restaurants. For a list of participating eateries and their special menus, visit letsgoarts.org.
Primavera Pub, a Hartford restaurant that specializes in Portuguese cuisine, is now open seven days a week. The popular eatery at 271 Newington Ave., Hartford, just south of Avery Heights, recently started opening on Mondays, offering rotating specials with its regular lunch and dinner menu. The kitchen is now open Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telephone: 860-953-7411.
The owners of the Cupcake Brake truck recently opened a bakery storefront, Take A Brake, at 101 West St. in Vernon. Take a Brake sells a variety of cupcakes, pies, cookies, doughnuts and other sweet treats. Visit thecupcakebrake.com for hours and daily selections.
The Char Koon restaurant group celebrates the upcoming Chinese New Year with Malaysian Nyonya fusion cuisine. From Feb. 1 through Feb. 12, the three restaurants will serve specially priced prix-fixe menus. Char Koon in South Glastonbury and Char Koon 1800 in Canton will serve three-course menus for $20.11. Forbidden City Bistro in Middletown will serve a three-course menu with wine pairings for $39.95. Char Koon is at 882 Main St. in South Glastonbury (860-657-3656, charkoon.com). Char Koon 1800 is at 144 Albany Turnpike in Canton (860-693-8868, charkoon1800.com). Forbidden City is at 335 Main St. in Middletown (860-343-8288, forbiddencitybistro.com).
Bellini's Italian Eatery at the Shoppes at Evergreen Walk offers $9 lunch specials with a choice of half-panini sandwich or pizzette (small pizza.) The deal also includes homemade soup or salad and rosemary potato wedges. Bellini's Italian Eatery is at 501 Evergreen Way (Suite 538) in South Windsor (860-432-3461, eatdrinkbellinis.com).
IHOP hosts an "All You Can Eat Pancakes" promotion through Feb. 27. The combo deal is served with eggs any style, hash browns and customer's choice of sausage, bacon or ham. Find a nearby location at ihop.com.
Wine Events
J. Timothy's Taverne hosts a "Salute to Red Wine" dinner in partnership with Southington Wines on Friday. The dinner includes a fondue table, pan-seared scallops, lollipop lamb chops, braised short ribs and a trio of mini cakes. Cost is $70 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 860-747-6813. J. Timothy's is at 143 New Britain Ave. in Plainville. jtimothys.com.
Max Fish hosts a Ferrari-Carano wine dinner with two seatings: Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Wednesday at 6 p.m. The six-course dinner costs $79.95 per person plus tax and gratuity. Max Fish is at 110 Glastonbury Blvd. in Glastonbury. 860-652-3474, maxfish.com.
Max Downtown hosts "A Culinary Evening With Joe Bastianich," a renowned chef and TV personality on Jan. 30. Bastianiach will discuss his new book, "Grandi Vini." The restaurant will pair his Italian estate wines with its cuisine. Tickets are $135 a person plus tax and gratuity, or $235 a couple plus tax and gratuity. Reservations: 860-522-2530. Max Downtown is at 185 Asylum St. in Hartford. maxdowntown.com.
Send restaurant news to MaryEllen Fillo at fillo@courant.com and to Leeanne Griffin at lg7981@gmail.com.
