Just-opened
Pasta & Pizza Factory in SoNo serves up a new kind of dining adventure for Norwalkers. Co-owner Jackie Chrispim is introducing local restaurant-goers to Rodizio-style dining out.
This Brazilian style features an all-you-can eat experience, but not in the traditional format. Rather than expecting diners to fill their plates from a buffet or select from a menu, The Pasta & Pizza Factory asks patrons to “sit back and relax and our friendly wait staff will bring a variety of your favorite foods tableside.”
When and how does his flow of food stop? Diners use a handmade coaster, provided upon arrival, to signal when they're full. The coaster is silver on one side and black on the other. Keep the coaster silver side up to food coming, then simply “flip to black for the food flow to stop.” Until then, the serving staff will continue bringing an array of dishes.
Chrispim plans to alternate dishes regularly, so each time diners visit they can expect to try something different. Current offerings include chicken satay appetizers, artichoke margarita pizza, chicken francaise, vegetable lasagna and linguine bolognese, among others.
As is typical of Rodizio-style restaurants, prices at the Pasta & Pizza Factory are fixed. The dinner price is fixed at $19.99 per adult and $6.99 per child. For that price, diners receive unlimited bread, salad, appetizers, pizza, and entrees. The lunch price is fixed at $14.99 per adult – also unlimited.
Before 10:00 p.m., the restaurant caters to families. Chrispim, herself a Norwalker and the mother of two young boys, selected the location at 70 North Main St. largely because it's “next to the movies, Aquarium, and kids museum” and has ample parking in the Webster Street lot.
It's a kid-friendly spot. Paper table cloths are perfect for little artists, and multiple flat-screen televisions provide kid's with appropriate programming. Plus, any parent who has ever ordered a $7 entrée for a child only to have the young critic label the dish as “yucky” will appreciate that multiple kid-acceptable options are brought to the table. The restaurant's kid-appealing dishes include spaghetti and meatballs, cheese pizza, and macaroni and cheese, and desserts such as S’mores pizza.
The adult crowd is not neglected at SoNo’s cozy, yet sophisticated, new restaurant. It's the kind of place that lends itself to a girls’ night out or double date. Dinner is not rushed. It would be easy to spend a few hours sampling the many dishes and enjoying a bottle of wine. After 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, bar patrons can purchase unlimited appetizers for $10 plus the cost of drinks.
The restaurant seats about 100 patrons, and it is available for private parties.
In addition to owning The Pasta & Pizza Factory, Chrispim and her husband and partner, Mikhael Vitenson, co-own
Sundance Cafe & Wine Bar at Stamford’s Landmark Square.
What can Norwalkers look forward to at The Pasta and Pizza Factory? Chrispim hopes to soon offer weekend brunches as well as take-out services.
