Blackbird Restaurant on Elm Street ‘Opening Soon’

The new restaurant planned since last spring for Elm Street next to The Playhouse is close to opening, owners say. Blackbird, which owners say will offer a wide range of cuisine that patrons can share, is “opening soon,” according to its website. Promoted as “chic cocktails and bites in New Canaan,” the restaurant at 105 Elm St.—between the movie theatre and Solé, formerly home to Potpourri and, later, Fat Face—is “a sleek and sophisticated bar and restaurant in the heart of downtown New Canaan,” the website said. “Our moody ambiance is the perfect backdrop for your night out: dim lighting, share plates of inventive dishes for the table, and rounds of handcrafted cocktails— come for the buzz, stay for the vibes,” the site said. It’s owned by Z Hospitality Group, which owns Solé as well as Aurora in Rye, N.Y., EastEnd and Mediterraneo in Greenwich, and Terra, which has locations in Greenwich and Danbury.

PHOTOS: Refreshed ‘Gofer Ice Cream’ To Open Friday

Phil and Mina Luongo have been frequenting Gofer Ice Cream with their kids for years. The Norwalk residents’ kids attend Strawberry Hill School in Stamford, and on the way home they regularly hit the Gofer on High Ridge Road. 

An accountant by trade, Phil Luongo in December 2022 spotted a sign inside at one point about becoming a franchise owner. “I said to my wife, ‘We always wanted to open our own business, what about Gofer Ice Cream?’ ” he recalled. They signed up with the parent company to become franchisees a few months later and learned about an opportunity in New Canaan, where an owner was stepping away from ice cream shop at 103 Main St.—for decades the Baskin Robbins, which closed in December 2019. The Luongos became owners Jan.

‘Taj Indian Cuisine’ Restaurant Coming to South Avenue

An Indian restaurant with locations in Stamford, Westport and Fairfield is coming to South Avenue in downtown New Canaan. The owners of Taj Indian Cuisine on Wednesday received approval to create the restaurant at 9 South Ave., formerly Mackenzie’s and vacant for four years. The Planning & Zoning Commission during a regular meeting held at Town Hall and via videoconference granted site plan approval to the restaurant’s owners, as per the New Canaan Zoning Regulations. (An audio problem with the Zoom broadcast of the meeting prevented attendees from hearing P&Z’s discussion or vote, though the town planner confirmed the approval, with no conditions, via email.)

The new restaurant is the second provider of Indian food in town, following Chef Prasad Chirnomula’s eponymous restaurant on Main Street. According to the Taj website, the new restaurant uses “traditional Indian cooking techniques along with unexpected ingredient combinations, forward-thinking flavor profiles, contemporary plating and impressive table service.

New Canaan Firefighter Launches ‘OBG Mobile Tire Services’

Michael Jackson, a career firefighter with the New Canaan Fire Department, has always been a car guy. “I’ve always loved older BMWs,” the St. Luke’s School graduate, 39, recalled on a recent morning. “I’ve always worked. I started to work on them when I was in college.”

That was at North Carolina State University, where Jackson took a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

Best Pizza Shop on Main Street ‘Permanently Closed’

The Detroit-style pizza shop that opened in the former Vicolo space about one year ago has closed. Best Pizza Shop is “permanently closed,” according to its Google listing. Though no notice has been posted to the business’s door, website or social media channels since Jan. 1, Best Pizza Shop is not taking online orders and its space appeared vacant Tuesday during regular business hours. Its owner, John Parlatore, did not immediately respond to requests for information sent by phone and email.