|
59 BANK Reviews
'Innovative' Restaurant To Open On Bank Street
By Abigail
Leab Martin
Staff Reporter
A husband-and-wife
team plans to bring innovation, enthusiasm and culinary
expertise into a familiar space on Bank Street in New
Milford.
Arthur Michaelsen, Jr. and his wife, Julia, are
opening a restaurant in the space that formerly was
Kaleidoscope. Its name is not only catchy, but will
also tell you right where it is - 59 Bank. Explaining
the choice of name, Mr. Michaelsen noted, "Numbers work
well for us and we have a successful trend with them."
The chef was referring to the success of his former
eatery, Ridgefield's 33 1/3. which he ran for eight
years with his sister Nancy Burke and his mother, Josie
Connelly. Previous to that, the Culinary Institute of
America graduate and his wife had run Heibeck's Ice
Cream in Georgetown, Conn. for eight years, as well as
having worked for a longer period with a catering
company called Sizzling Creations.
Asked about the new restaurant, Mr. Michaelsen
replied, "We have done a lot in Fairfield County and now
we'd like to start showing Litchfield County what we can
do." He then detailed the duo's many plans for the
restaurant with great gusto. The cuisine he described
as "innovative American / Italian," meaning in part that
they will "concentrate on a lot of different pastas and
a lot of grilled flatbreads, which are a thin crust
pizza that is a big specialty of ours."
He also described plans for a weekday happy hour
between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., featuring great bar food,
plans for live music on Friday and Saturday nights, as
well as plans for an extensive Sunday brunch menu
including a wide variety of omelets, pancakes and crepes
in addition to 59 Bank's regular lunch offerings.
According to Mr. Michaelsen, the brunches will also
feature either jazz or gospel, and football fans can
take heart because the chef, a self-described "big Jets
fan," will have Sunday football available on screen for
his patrons.
For those wishing to enjoy 59 Bank's food at home,
not only will the entire menu be available "to go" but
catering will also be offered. Those interested will be
able to contact a separate catering department via the
restaurant. If Mr. Michaelsen is passionate about his
new venture, he is just as enraptured with its locale.
Of New Milford he said, "I have never encountered more
friendly people. It's like a walk back in time."
A lot of work and attention have already been
lavished on the space with extensive painting and
renovations, including a new , large
temperature-controlled wine room to store the elements
of a sizable wine list. With all the work being poured
into perfecting the space, it is hard for Mr. Michaelsen
to pin down exactly when the restaurant will open.
"We're really shooting for the first week in October,
but to give an exact date would be too difficult."
Once the restaurant is open, "We want everyone to
come through our doors and feel welcome," Mr. Michaelsen
said. "I think that people just need to come and
experience what we have to offer.
Once they've done that, they'll realize what it's
all about and they'll be back. I am confident of that."
And considering the menu and the beauty of the
space - with its high, decorative tin ceiling and its
gorgeous gleaming wooden bar - the chef's confidence of
winning a New Milford following may be well placed. |
|
