Business

Town To Focus on Ridding Elm Street of Double-Parking Trucks

By |

Once the oversized dumpsters in the parking lot behind The Playhouse are moved to a better area, and there’s also a new ramp connecting that lot with the alley that runs alongside Le Pain Quotidien, enforcement officers will focus on getting double-parking delivery trucks off New Canaan’s main drag downtown. As it is, delivery trucks exacerbate congestion on the one-way stretch of Elm Street throughout the day. That segment of Elm and the commercial block of South Avenue both will change to paid parking later this summer, reversing a decades-old system. (When that happens, the town will convert the paid spots in the Park Street Lot to free.)

“We are going to be trying to push them, and we do that now,” Parking Manager Stacy Miltenberg said Tuesday during a regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

She continued: “We try to move them. We try to direct them where we can.

Business

‘It’s Going To Hurt Merchants’: Parking Commission Pushes Back on Elimination of 15-Minute Spots on Elm Street

By |

Members of the appointed body that oversees New Canaan’s parking department this month pushed back on part of a larger plan that will see the one-way stretch of Elm Street converted to paid spots. Specifically, members of the Parking Commission during their May 7 meeting objected to plans to eliminate—rather than increase—the number of free 15-minute parking spaces on Elm Street while the town converts those free spots to paid. “If we are not interested in revenue, what is the argument against short-term parking?” Commissioner Katie O’Neill said during the regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “Because as I see it, we are adding a surcharge on coffee shops, on sandwich shops. All the sudden now if you are picking up a $15 sandwich it’s going to be $15.50 or whatever.

Business

‘Doppio’ Italian Restaurant To Open on Main Street

By |

A New Canaan resident with a successful restaurant in Greenwich is planning to open a second location on Main Street this summer. Joseph Barresi, owner of Doppio, said he’s wanted to open in New Canaan since moving here three years ago and finally found a great spot in the “alley” next to Ching’s Table, in the commercial space long occupied by Vicolo (and most recently by Best Pizza Shop). “It reminds me a lot of Italy, those little villages and alleyways, it could be charming and do a lot of work to create that ambiance,” Barresi told NewCanaanite.com. 

Asked how he describes the restaurant to those who haven’t been to the Greenwich location, which opened in 2011, Barresi said, “Doppio is a chic yet approachable all-day dining destination where elevated Italian classics meet effortless style—perfect for a casual lunch, afternoon aperitivo or a relaxed evening out.”

Fan favorites include rigatoni vodka and “there’s a big emphasis on our pizza,” Barresi said. 

Other popular dishes include chicken Milanese, Carpaccio and octopus, he said. The name “Doppio,” or “double” in Italian, refers to Barresi and his brother, Louis, who is executive chef. The pair are owners-on-site, Barresi said.

Business

‘A One-Stop Shop’: ‘Resource360’ To Open on Main Street

By |

Todd Sell developed the idea for Resource360 soon after he started renovating properties, about eight years ago. The New Canaan resident found himself bringing together a number of carefully vetted professional resources for the work and thought, “It would be really valuable for a lot of people to have a place where you can tap somebody that actually has done it before, and then also has all the resources to help you do it,” he said. “And it’s just a place where you can come and ask questions,” Sell told NewCanaanite.com on Wednesday afternoon from inside 99 Main St., whose most recent long-term tenant was Family Britches. Soon, the vacant commercial space will feature a retail area near the front for both kitchen and bath, with large sections for cabinetry and vanities, as well as a number of services, such as property management and interior design, and professional referrals for suppliers and trades such as painters, electricians and plumbers. “My vision for this place is to be a one-stop shop for whenever you need something for your house,” Sell said.

Business

‘An Exciting Time of Year’: New Canaan’s Outdoor Dining Season Opens Thursday

By |

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.