The sidewalks of downtown New Canaan will be remade by midday Thursday as the outdoor dining launches on what is forecast to be a sunny afternoon in the upper-60s.
Pushed back one month this year to May 1, the launch of the outdoor dining season is a widely anticipated amenity for restaurateurs and visitors to New Canaan’s lively village center.
Adam Zakka, principal of Z Hospitality Group—owners of Solé and Blackbird and new food-and-beverage providers for The Playhouse Pub next door—said he was “super-optimistic” about the upcoming season.
“It was a little bit of a colder winter than usual, so we’re pretty happy to see the warmer weather coming,” Zakka told NewCanaanite.com. “And I think the town embraces local businesses so it’s an exciting time of the year.”
This year’s outdoor dining will be bolstered by the addition of more sidewalk “bumpouts” on Elm Street, including in front of Dunkin, The Playhouse and Dolce. (Because they’ll exempt the town from a state law that forbids parking within 25 feet of a crosswalk, the bumpouts will allow New Canaan to gain back a handful of parking spaces on the south side of Elm Street’s one-way stretch.)
Asked about the new menu at Playhouse Pub, Zakka said “there will be some unique options for The Playhouse, exclusively, that will fit their concept as far as pub food.” Those include “five or seven revolving items that will be more ‘pubbish’ than Italian,” he added.
Rose Bonura, chef and owner at the popular Elm Street restaurant “Rosie” said she and her staff look forward to welcoming back outdoor diners.
“We are very, very excited and we love, love, love to have our customers come with their dogs and their strollers,” Bonura said. “They love it outside, enjoying the sunshine.”
Laura Budd, executive director of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce, said diners “are certainly excited” for the season’s opening.
“The town made a correct decision in pushing the start date from April 1 to May 1 this year, given typical Connecticut spring weather,” Budd said. “We understand that in some spots the dining does take up a handful of parking spaces. We’re also happy to see people enjoying the weather. And while we do lose those spaces, the bumpouts that the Department of Public Works has put in will actually gain five spaces back on Elm Street.”