Onyx Bar & Grill
970 High Ridge Road
Stamford • 203-322-9888

Just What The Neighborhood Ordered!

While the city of Stamford continues to thrive in its downtown area, there’s a less congested section of town due North that’s home to a flourishing array of small businesses, shops, restaurants, and a large residential community. In the thick of it all is a new brand of dining, unique to this area, called Onyx Bar & Grill. Don’t blink – you might miss it! Onyx is tucked into a strip mall, making a statement all on its own.

Owned and operated by the Sandolo Family who has a strong tradition of family style restaurants throughout Fairfield County (John The Baker, Luigi’s Pizza, and Bella Nonna), Onyx is the brainchild of the youngest son, Antonio. Looking to adapt to the ever-evolving local food climate, Antonio has broken away from the family’s casual Italian style eateries and created a sophisticated, upscale restaurant with a fabulous bar scene.

Onyx is a sleek restaurant, using straight lines, metallic fixtures, contemporary artwork, dark fabrics, and large wooden cylinder chandeliers that emit soft lighting. The small space (12 bar stools and seating for 60 in the dining room) is definitely used to the restaurant’s advantage. There’s always an active bar scene, premium wines and spirits abound,  and scrumptious bar-top munchies (home-made chips) are a dead give-away as to what’s in store for diners from the eclectic menu.

While this is not a steak house in the true “Morton’s” style of the word, Onyx features some of the best steak and seafood in the area, along with an exciting mix of global fare.

Executive Chef Gerard Spezio has been spearheading the Sandolo family’s restaurants for several years. A born and bred New Yorker who trained at the New York Restaurant School, Chef Spezio honed his skills at the Plaza Hotel, the Hudson River Club in Manhattan, and the popular Pearl Room in Brooklyn.

The raw bar selections (platters $49-&75, and market price) and chowders ($8) are all freshly prepared New England style fare. Crispy fried calamari and Italian antipasto are always a popular choice, but even more enticing appetizers ($8-$12) are the corn and crab spring rolls with sweet and sour dipping sauce, and the sweet coconut shrimp with Cajun spiced mayonnaise. Both are fried and indulgent, but well worth the calorie intake. I was unwilling to share my seared tuna sashimi as it was truly a melt-in-your-mouth dish, served with avocado wasabi and soy sauce and spicy seaweed salad. Taking another culinary cue from a different part of the world, Chef Spezio’s chicken and beef sates are grilled to order, and served hot and juicy with a Thai peanut sauce. Crab cakes, sautéed mussels, and a buttery lobster tart are a few other delicious appetizers.

I would ordinarily be leery of a menu that tries to be everything to everyone. I recently wrote an article that touted being “true to your concept” and “less is best”. I’m glad to see that in this case, Onyx has managed to cover numerous tastes while maintaining the quality and integrity of the food. Not an easy feat.

Large salads ($7-$9) are great to share, and include Caesar, spinach, and a chopped salad. Mentioning the arugula salad with grilled figs and Maytag bleu cheese might just be teasing you, because this is only offered when the figs are available. Lucky for us, they were in season, and proved to be a candy-like treat with the peppery greens, pungent cheese, and silky port wine dressing.

A first look at the entrees, and you might assume you’re in an Italian restaurant. Yes, the pasta dishes are spectacular and come in ample portions ($14-$24), and include seafood linguini brimming with shellfish in an aromatic seafood and tomato broth, and “Sunday” pasta – al dente penne with shaved garlic, olive oil, basil and tomatoes. A classic – done right. And even the spicy chicken Scarpariello prepared with Bell and Evans chicken, sweet sausage, hot cherry peppers, and roasted potatoes, is deserving of the Little Italy award. But, Chef Spezio travels beyond his Italian heritage (and specialty) creating impressive dishes ($12-$39) such as braised veal shank with wild mushroom risotto in a veal demi, and grilled wild striped bass with a tangy citrus glaze. Just when you thought potato encrusted fish was a passing fancy, Onyx brings it back to its full glory, wrapped around moist salmon, accompanied by a tasty Dijon mustard sauce.

The carnivore in me relished the char-grilled dry-aged sirloin, as it was seasoned generously with salt and pepper and had enough marbled fat to char well and really bring out its beefy flavor. Other meaty choices are the cowboy (rib eye) steak, a porterhouse for two, prime filet mignon, and a double cut pork chop with pancetta stuffing. Oven roasted chicken was another winner with its sage, apple, chestnut and sausage stuffing. The menu evolves with the seasons and there are always innovative specials worth trying.

I’ve never done this before, but I think the side dishes ($7-$8) alone are worthy of their own paragraph! Vegetables include creamed or garlicky spinach, braised Brussels sprouts that even the naysayer will devour, and sautéed wild mushrooms. Seasoned steak fries are potato quarters deep fried to perfection and served with ketchup and blue cheese dressing. The macaroni and cheese can stand on its own, as well as the barley or wild mushroom risotto. Oh, and don’t forget to ask for a side of broccoli rabe. Tell them Linda said it’s the best around!

Now, for dessert, let’s just put it this way: fried ice cream with a banana bread crust, traditional crème brulee, seasonal fruit crisp, and chocolate heaven – literally! This is a dense fudge-like flourless cake served with chocolate sauce and chocolate chip ice cream. Even if you are full from dinner, I recommend a bite…or two.

The wine list is chock-full of reasonably priced varietals from around the world, and a few extra special vintages thrown in for those special occasions. The wines by the glass are the way to go for me, as they offer a fabulous selection and are always changing depending on what’s new and exciting.

What is new and exciting is this inspired brand of dining called Onyx.

 
Linda can be reached at linda@maxexposure.net.