Seminara’s
256 Post Road East, Westport
203-222-8955

My dinner companions and I were trying to remember the last time we had dinner together when it was all about the food. Not the social scene or the need to experience the latest “it” restaurant. Just about the simplicity of the food, the relaxed atmosphere, and personal service. Seminara’s Ristorante Italiano, a charming eatery in Westport run by the husband and wife team of Chefs David and Victoria Brai, was recently the scene of one of our most enjoyable dinners. Taking their culinary cues form David’s Sicilian heritage, Seminar’s approach to food is that of simplicity, ingredients, and genuine family hospitality.

The modest space is long and narrow and seats a mere 40 or so people. Dressed in simple white wood furnishings, kelly green wallpaper, and adorned with Grandma “Nonna’s” homespun hat collection, it’s easy to feel at home here.

Vicki runs the front of the house while David prepares each and every dish to order.  The wine list consists of 60 bottles of some of the most reasonably priced ($25-$60) Italian and American varietals. Cocktails can be enjoyed, but there is no bar - a welcome change from the many restaurants in the area that try to accommodate both a bar crowd and diners.

We began with an appetizer of fresh mission figs with prosciutto and sharp provolone cheese. This was a special that night and lucky for us we were able to savor the candy-like sweetness of the figs paired with the salty meat and tangy cheese. It was a great start to the meal. Other appetizers ($7-$10) included a refreshing salad of house made mozzarella with tomatoes marinated in red onion and basil pesto, and a unique dish of pan roasted scallops with citrus, garlic and basil sauce over shaved fennel salad. I wish more restaurants would use the slightly sweet and aromatic fennel bulb more often. It really lends so much to a dish, especially salads. It was just delicious! Grilled gourmet pizzas, antipasto, garlicky steamed mussels, and Sicilian rice balls are a few other fabulous starters.

David was excited to have just received an order of fresh Mediterranean sardines. We were even more excited when they came to the table prepared “oreganta” style with a peppery arugula salad. Capers, pignoli nuts, and currants were obvious Sicilian touches in the light breadcrumb stuffing. The wonderful thing about such an intimate restaurant is the capability of the chef to prepare “a la minute” and for the customers to reap the benefits of the chef’s creativeness and the availability of the freshest ingredients.  The menu is kept small and changes with the season. David does not force any ingredient to stay on the menu if he’s not satisfied with the availability and quality. Larger restaurants with large menus are often stuck with cooking with mediocre ingredients, making them a slave to the menu. This is not the case here.

Entrees ($19-$25), of course, include a few pasta dishes, although, I must admit, we went the entire meal without venturing there. David’s Bolognese sauce has, however, been the talk of the town since they opened their doors in 2001. This hearty meat sauce is served over cavatelli with freshly grated parmesan cheese. The linguini with clams sauce is an exciting take on the traditional. Littleneck clams, chorizo sausage, and fennel is simmered in a white wine and tomato broth and served over al dente pasta strands. Seafood fradiavlo over capellini and fusilli pasta with a chicken marsala sauce are also featured. Hard to pass up was the bucatini (thick spaghetti) with sautéed fresh sardines and those wonderful Sicilian ingredients, including currants and pignoli nuts

Our next course was sesame and almond crusted yellow fin tuna with a flavorful sweet and spicy tomato ginger chutney served with Isralian cous cous (larger) and lentils. This dish just worked. Everything seemed to come together, yet in writing, it’s hard to imagine.  It had fabulous color and taste contrasts. This is one of the dishes I will try to emulate. Try being the key word here. Roasted Long Island duck breast was prepared medium rare with a crispy skin, Vin Santo (sweet wine) drunken dates, green olives, almonds, and fresh parsley. The fruit components in all of these dishes were wonderful. I’m not a big fan of fruit salsas where you feel as if you’re being served a fruit salad with your meat or fish, but the chefs knows how to marry the fruit here and not overdue its presence on the plate. Other entrees include pan-roasted salmon with sautéed escarole, veal scaloppini with mushrooms, and rib eye steak with garlic and sweet and spicy peppers.

It must have been a while since I last went to or wrote about an Italian restaurant because all through dinner I kept voicing my anticipation of some of my favorite Italian desserts. I waited with baited breath for my beloved Gelato (cappuccino, pistachio, and vanilla) and raspberry sorbetto! These were all silky, not too sweet, and perfect on this particular warm summer evening. A real treat was David’s homemade tiramisu and a pleasant surprise was a large wine glass filled with fresh berries, swimming in a light, foamy, warm zabiglione cream. Truly decadent.

Seminara’s offers a pre-theatre dinner menu, as they are located directly across from the Westport Playhouse in the Colonial Green Shopping Center.   Sunday wine dinners will start up again this fall – a popular event for area food and wine enthusiasts. While little fan fare has been made about this delightful Italian restaurant, it stands out in its own way by simple word of mouth. This mouth wants to tell everybody!

Linda can be reached at linda@maxexposure.net.