Business

Spiga on Main Street Launches Sunday Brunch, Adds Soundproofing and Stool Cushions

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Even with a strong opening and positive reviews from locals, the owners of New Canaan’s new Italian restaurant on Main Street say they’ve taken in early feedback regarding food and overall dining experience, and have made several changes. Complaints about high levels of noise led Spiga to reinstall soundboards in the ceiling at 136 Main St., and cushions have been added to seats at the row of tables up the middle of the restaurant, according to owner Dan Camporeale. On Sunday, Spiga also launched a new Sunday brunch menu—a collaboration among Camporeale, business partner Gino Racanelli and executive chef Jose Marcos. “We wanted to put out a different type of brunch,” Camporeale said. “Everybody does bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Mary’s.

Business

Third Time’s the Charm: Spiga Opens on Main Street

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After two failed restaurant ventures at 136 Main St., owners of the recently opened Spiga are hoping to buck the trend that first sank Tuscan and more recently, Barolo. And if foot traffic and response are early indicators, it seems as though the third time is indeed the charm. Since its soft opening earlier this month, Spiga has New Canaan denizens abuzz with favorable and enthusiastic praise for their Northern Italian cuisine. The motto at Spiga is ‘Eat – Drink – Play,’ and while I personally can’t speak for the ‘play’ part of it there is something for everyone on the voluminous menu for diners of all types. Gone are Barolo’s sectioned dining areas, walk-in wine refrigerator and antipasti bar, replaced with a large, open space replete with oversized booths, communal tables with seating for 130 people.

Business

PHOTOS: Sneak Peek Inside ‘Spiga’; Aug. 1 Opening for Italian Restaurant on Main

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An owner of Spiga at 136 Main St. in New Canaan said the Italian restaurant is expected open Aug. 1 following a major interior renovation that will deliver a unique dining experience. Located in the former Barolo space downtown, Spiga will offer not only an extensive wine list and wood-burning pizza oven, but also a custom copper beer tower with eight craft beers at the 21-stool bar and a throwback, fresh-made foods area in front of an open kitchen, according to Dan Camporeale. Specifically, prosciutto, soppressata and other dry-aged meats will be featured in a glass case and hang from the ceiling there, beside a “gentleman that makes fresh pasta all day long—some pasta red because of beets, some green with basil, all different shapes and sizes,” Camporeale said.

Business

Experienced Trio To Open ‘Spiga’ Italian Restaurant on Main Street

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An experienced trio that’s already launched successful and acclaimed restaurants in Fairfield, Greenwich and Stamford is planning to open a new Italian spot in the former Barolo space on Main Street. ‘Spiga’—that’s Italian for the stem on a stalk of wheat—will feature fresh-made pastas, an extensive wine bar and wood-burning pizza oven, and is slated to open mid-spring at 136 Main St., according to Dan Camporeale, a Bronx, N.Y. native. “We will offer a lot of things for everyone, something you can enjoy seven nights a week and not just on special occasions,” Camporeale told NewCanaanite.com. Camporeale said his partners include members of the Racanelli family, who also own Molto in Fairfield, Lugano in Greenwich and both Zaza (which earned a “Don’t Miss” rating from New Canaanite Patricia Brooks, food critic with the New York Times) and Dolce (excellent) in Stamford. (The Racanellis have owned nearly 20 restaurants over four decades in Westchester, Camporeale said.)

The ownership group holds a café license for Spiga, meaning there’s no separation between the bar and dining room and so patrons will need to be at least 21 to go or else accompanied by a parent or guardian.