Pasta Nostra Restaurant
116 Washington Street, So. Norwalk, CT 06854
About us:
It all began in 1981 in Grandpa Joe Bruno's home town of Ortona. Chef Joe, who was not known then as Chef Joe, was playing on the beach with his two boys while Susan, his wife, went off to town to shop for dinner. She came back with some fresh pasta and news about the great little place where it was made and about how the owner, upon hearing that her husband was descended from a man from Ortona, wanted to meet him and show him his shop. When Joe met the man he wanted to buy all his equipment and take it home to Brooklyn, but the man was not yet ready to retire and sent Joe and Susan to Milano where they could meet the manufacturer and buy their own equipment.
With the equipment contract wrapped up in Milano, Joe and Susan and the boys set sail for the New World on the Polish liner S.S Stefan Batory (this was to be her last voyage as the Russian tanks were even then rolling into Poland and Solidarity was about to be ground into dust). Joe & Susan's plan was simple: to make and sell fresh pasta, sauces, sausage and antipasti, just like they made at home for themselves and their friends. The target was a small storefront in downtown Manhattan, but Joe, not yet a chef, had door after door closed (if not slammed) in his face. When Joe finally found South Norwalk's historic restoration district he knew his search was over. By that time the idea had grown: we might as well have some lunch tables where we can showcase our wares, Joe reasoned with Susan who wanted nothing to do with operating a restaurant herself.
In December of 1984 Pasta Nostra opened its doors and Joe's brother went out onto the streets and basically strong-armed timid folk into coming in for a free lunch of his brother's food. After that some of them actually returned and paid for a meal. Among those early lunchers was New Canaan artist Wilma Irvin who knew a good thing when she ate it. Wilma also knew the N.Y. Times food critic, Patricia Brooks, and told Joe that she was bringing her in--for the kill, Joe thought! Though he protested very strenuously to Wilma, she would not be deterred, insisting that Joe's food was more than worthy in spite of the fact that even Chef Joe, at that time, did not think of himself as a chef. So Patricia came and saw that it was good, and told her readers so. In fact, to Joe's eternal glory and joy (he being a designer, and all) she compared his cooking to the work of Bauhaus architect Mies van der Rohe. Before we knew what had hit us, our little store had become a bustling business, and to this day Chef Joe has never experienced a greater compliment than that bestowed by Patricia Brooks in that glowing first review.
Now, years later, we still make everything ourselves from ingredients of the highest quality. Unfortunately for our retail store customers, our products are now made exclusively for the restaurant. A few years ago we realized that we'd all collapse from exhaustion if we didn't close the store, as the restaurant had grown so busy that it consumed nearly all of our time and energy. It was probably the right choice; having focused our attention and efforts on the restaurant has made it more enjoyable than ever, for us and our customers!
If you haven't already done so, come in and experience for yourself what it is that has prompted many of our discriminating customers to proclaim Pasta Nostra to be "the best restaurant in the world". Be sure to make a reservation first though (we began accepting reservations in '92), as it is often difficult to "walk in". Also note our hours, which we have carefully limited in order to maintain our high standards and our sanity.
Did you see us on Martha
Stewart Living? We had a wonderful time with Martha and her amazingly
professional crew shooting a half-hour segment about our restaurant and its food. We
shot some of it right here in the restaurant and the rest in her studio; so far she has
aired it three times (we think she liked it), and those of you who saw it have given us
tons of very positive feedback. As far as Chef Joe is concerned, the live footage
in the restaurant came out better than Stanley Tucci's Big Night and the food looked like
Coppola himself had staged the scenes, yet the truth is that none of it was staged at
all. Every food shot was done just as the dishes were about to go out to our
patrons--no retakes, no food-styling, all natural! Bravo Martha and Chef Joe and
their two crews!
Our
Hours:
Wednesday nights beginning at 6:00.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights beginning at 5:30.
We serve Dinner only.
Accepted Payment:
Visa, MasterCard and (as always) US dollars.
Reservations:
Call us at (203) 854-9700 to reserve a table. For your convenience, when we're not in our answering machine will take your reservation request. Please understand that your reservation will not become official until we have contacted you and confirmed your reservation
Parties of six or more are subject to a minimum gratuity of 20%.
Please remember that we reserve tables as a courtesy to our customers. If you need to cancel your reservation, we ask that you return the favor by providing notice by 3 P.M. We reserve the right to require a Visa or MasterCard deposit of $25 per person for reservations--a sum which you will forfeit should you cancel after 3 P.M. or should you fail to honor you reservation in any other way.
RETAIL ORDER
FORM, March 2009
RETAIL PRODUCT INFORMATION
SHEET, March 2009
Use the order form to order pasta and other products for pickup at the restaurant.
Be sure to consult the Product Information Sheet for detailed information about each product on the order form--how to order, how to cook, etc.