The owners of the popular Spiga restaurant in downtown New Canaan have opened a new eatery, The Waveny Polo Bar & Grill, on Pine Street.
The Waveny Polo Bar & Grill is open at 36 Pine St. Credit: Michael Dinan
Located in the former South End space, The Waveny soft-opened last week and the Racanelli Restaurant Group is “feeling great,” according to principal Gino Racanelli.
“We’re doing very well,” Racanelli told NewCanaanite.com one afternoon this week. “It’s tough in the beginning of any business, especially a restaurant. We created something we feel is perfect for New Canaan. New Canaan, we feel, is an upscale neighborhood and town, and they know good food. They like a nice, comfortable place to go to, and we think that’s what we achieved.”
The Waveny Polo Bar & Grill is open at 36 Pine St. Credit: Michael Dinan
The “New American” food at The Waveny—a change for the restaurant group known for its Italian cuisine—features seafood, steaks, salad and sushi, Racanelli said. Its lunch menu includes sushi and crudo options ranging from $17 to $29, including “The Waveny” (fried oysters, cucumber, ginger, avocado, crab salad, tobiko, togarashi, spicy mayo, ponzu and cracked nori, $22), starters including Philly Spring Rolls (prime rib, peppers, onion, cheese, tiger sauce, $23) and roasted beet salad (arugula, granny smith apple, pickled onion, roasted beets, pineapple-jalapeno dressing, $17), sandwiches including the Waveny Famous French Dip (house-made garlic baguette, shaved prime rib, Swiss cheese, au jus, fries, $33) and Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken (brioche roll, Asian slaw, lettuce, pickle, fries, $19), and lunch entrees including the Waveny Burger (10 oz, Vermont cheddar, bacon, brioche bun, garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, pickle, fries, $23), Lobster Squid Ink Pasta (fresh lobster, fresno seafood consomme, $29), Grandma’s Meatloaf (mushroom brown gravy, mashed potatoes, roasted heirloom carrots, $27), 10oz Prime Sliced Hanger Steak (Souvlaki-style with peppers, onions, tomatoes, oregano, lemon potatoes, $39) and Chili Con Carne (tender cuts of beef and red kidney beans slow simmered with crushed tomatoes and spices, $22).
The Waveny Polo Bar & Grill is open at 36 Pine St. Credit: Michael Dinan
Dinner entrees include Coffee Rubbed Short Ribs (carrot purée, crispy parsnips, roasted fingerling potatoes, coffee demi-glacé, $35), Chilean Seabass (orange-miso, bok choy, soba noodles, $39), Pan-Seared Diver Scallops (sage butter, potato fondant, fried capers, lemon-thyme aioli, roasted baby carrots, $39), Hudson Valley Duck Breast (house-cured, raspberry glaze, sweet potato mash, roasted heirloom carrots, $35), Lamb Chops (half-rack, wild mushrooms, roasted asparagus, potato fondant, balsamic reduction, $43) and 16-oz Pan-Seared Berkshire Pork Chop (bone-in center cut, apple chutney, sweet potato mash, roasted baby carrots, brown demi glaze $39), as well as several prime aged steaks (16oz New York Strip $55, 18oz Ribeye $59, Roasted Prime Rib $65).
Outside The Waveny Polo Bar & Grill at 36 Pine St. Credit: Michael Dinan
The restaurant group opened Spiga on Main in 2016 and has succeeded there where others had failed. Plans for The Waveny became public this summer, months after a landlord-tenant disagreement emerged with the former tenant.
Racanelli said he’s received positive early feedback at The Waveny, which is taking reservations. The New American food is something new, he said, and while the restaurant’s floor staff has migrated from other restaurants in the group, its kitchen staff is entirely new.
The Waveny Polo Bar & Grill at 36 Pine St. (203-920-1414) will start serving brunch this weekend at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Its regular hours will be 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.