Viron Rondo Osteria: A Mix Of Classic, Modern Italian

If you were a fan of the award-winning Da Capo restaurants in Litchfield and Avon, then you surely had met former owner, the effervescent Viron Rondo.

The man who put the “old world-type” Italian eateries on the culinary map has moved on, however, and with his wife, Denada, has opened a new restaurant, Viron Rondo Osteria, 1721 Highland Ave., Route 10, in Cheshire.

Once the location of one of the area’s most prestigious restaurant, The Pavilion, Rondo has embraced that top shelf karma and along with his faithful, longtime executive and pizza chefs, David DeVaux and Nick Mexhuani, has turned the place into a welcoming Italian “osteria,” a place to share simple food and drink with family and friends.

“It is a casual dining experience with the best food possible,” says Rondo as he proudly shows off the space that includes a spacious bar/tavern area and a tastefully decorated main dining room. A veteran restaurateur whose resume includes working at New York City’s Patsy’s Italian Restaurant, Rondo has already made his signature mark with his newest restaurant.

“Fresh is most important,” says Rondo, whose menu is limited but anything but simple. A kale salad with feta cheese, clementines, cranberries and drizzled with a honey vinaigrette teases a diner into remembering the delicious freshness of summer. A hearty, fork-tender, grass-fed, Laurel Ridge Farms short rib with potato puree and root vegetables is the perfect comfort food for those cold nights.

Staying true to the concept of the Italian osteria, “secondi” choices also include such choices as paper-thin and perfectly cooked goat cheese and arugula ravioli in a pesto cream sauce; brick-roasted chicken; and cacciucco, a Livornese fish stew of prawns, scallops, little necks, mussels, calamari and haddock in a spicy tomato broth. Antipasti choices are equally diverse and top notch and include the specialty My Mother’s Chips, a recipe from Rondo’s Greek mother featuring paper thin slices of eggplant and zucchini, lightly floured, fried and served with a cucumber yogurt dip.

While an osteria is traditionally known for uncomplicated choices, Rondo has ratcheted up his menu offerings to offer both the simple and the sophisticated. “Classicos” include penne al forno made of Nodine’s sausage with Italian cheese, marinara and cream. There is lasagna with a hearty housemade meat sauce and béchamel, and a meatballs bucatini, housemade meatballs and plum tomato marinara.

Rondo describes his menu a mix of classic and modern Italian dishes with antipasti ranging from $4 to $14.95 for a classic antipasto plate. Entrees range from $14.95 to $28.95 per person, but Rondo, the father of two, wants his place to be a destination for everyone, even families.

Many items on the menu are available as family-style portions that will serve four.

And let’s not forget the pizza. Wood-fired ovens imported from Italy are used for creations that range from the classic mozzarella and tomato studded margherita pie to the more sophisticated, such as the verduretta topped with eggplant, artichokes, roasted peppers and fresh mozzarella.

There is a bar menu, happy-hour choices and an extensive cocktail list that includes such libations as the vodka-laced Cucumber Smash and the La Pommore French brandy-inspired Apple a Day martini.

Rondo says he is humbled by the support for his new restaurant, which opened just a few months ago has so quickly received.

“So many of our clientele from Da Capo’s have found us here,” says Rondo as he looked around a warm inviting dining room that was filled by 6 p.m. one Saturday evening. “We are so blessed for all the support.

“I have a reputation and serving good food and providing good service are important to me. I will make sure we do our best to do that.”

>>Viron Rondo Osteria, 1721 Highland Ave., Cheshire, serves lunch and dinner and is open seven days a week, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Sunday through Thursday from 11a.m. to 11 p.m. Information: 203-439-2727 and http://www.vironrondoosteria.com.