Photography by Venera Alexandrova
Adam Zakka wanted to open a restaurant he and his friends would like—an adult place to gather for contemporary cocktails and to share globally inspired dishes. The managing partner of the Z Hospitality Group (Solé in New Canaan, Terra and Eastend in Greenwich, Terra in Danbury and Aurora in Rye) opened Blackbird on Elm Street in late April, and the crowds have flocked there, filling the restaurant’s tables, bar and the sidewalk seats beneath large white umbrellas.
At its best, Cocktail Culture is about an experience, a shared moment in which we are transported out of our workaday selves. The most excellent news is that Tim Bellantoni, beverage director for the Z Hospitality Group, has created a tantalizing menu of cocktails that blends top-shelf distilled spirits, liqueurs, amari (Italian botanical bitters), fresh-squeezed juices, herbs and spices. The man has hands, taste buds and his pulse on the flavor of the times. If you don’t know your falernum from your chinola, here’s the place to learn. (The former is a sweet Caribbean liqueur flavored with lime zest, cloves, ginger. The latter is a Dominican passion-fruit liqueur.)
Half of the menu is filled with cocktails: classic, proprietary and flights. There are six classics, from the American Sidecar to Brazilian Caiprinha, and 18 proprietary cocktails. The Elm Street Margarita is light and simple—Lunazul blanco tequila, orange liqueur and Tim’s mix (grapefruit and soda). Spicy margarita lovers will thrill to the Seoul Paloma, flavored with Mandarin Napoleon, a liqueur steeped in Sicilian oranges, herbs and spices, and Tim’s mix, with the rim dipped in gochujang (Korean red chile powder). Tiburon is a smoky, juicy blend of mescal, pomegranate, grapefruit and Blackberry herb shrub (an old-fashioned thirst quencher made with fruit and cider vinegar). These are just three of the intriguing cocktails, glistening in hues of mandarin, berry and lime, garnished with slices of citrus and berries.
We would happily spend the summer sipping our way through the menu. The most out-there cocktail is the Drive-In—seasoned popcorn-infused gin blended with chinola, thyme cordial and lime. An espresso martini flight presents four expressions of today’s most popular, sweet, creamy cocktail. The menu also features glasses of wine from France, Italy, California and Argentina, plus craft brews.
As for food, we started with freshly rolled sushi from on-site Sushi Chef Akyoshi Arai, who adds subtle original touches, a sliver of Asian pear to the salmon avocado roll, and charred jalapeño to the hamachi sashimi. Group Executive Chef Albert DeAngelis’s menu touches on cultures from the Middle East to the Caribbean, mixing and melding ingredients.
Amish Chicken Wings are seasoned with Asian flavors: ginger and chile, and topped with crushed peanuts and minced scallions. Fried oysters are served resting in their shells on a bed of buttery leek and salsify, with a touch of habanero heat. The chef plays with beef tartar by serving it on crispy rice, topping it with a whisper of black truffle and replacing the traditional egg yolk with “yolk jam” (thickened yolk that isn’t sweet). Jerk octopus (that’s a new one) was upstaged by the refreshing pineapple salsa it rested on. Salads pair greens and vegetables with sweet fruit and crunchy nuts. Cauliflower and trevisano, a mild radicchio, is tossed with apricots and pistachios, with a bit of Aleppo pepper in the vinaigrette. The BLT salad features Nodine’s bacon, locally sourced from Litchfield County. Salad add-on options include chicken, shrimp, scallops and salmon.
Even the mains can be shared. The waiter will cut the Smash Burger in fourths. But you might not want to share this monument to grilled patties, oozing gruyere, baconaisse (oh yes!), caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms and tangy, pickled green tomato. More sophisticated is the Black Sea Bass, served with early spring vegetables when we visited in May. With pea miso puree, asparagus and morel mushrooms, the luscious plate captured the season in vivid hues of green. Scallops are cooked “au poivre,” peppered jumbo scallops seared and served with bacon and fruity artisanal vinegar. Filet mignon is grilled bone-in for better flavor. Cognac and black truffle sauce enhances the filet and flat iron steak.
The chef elevates tagilatelle “cacio e pepe,” the Roman pasta of butter, grated parmesan and pepper, with shrimp, asparagus and preserved lemon. The flavor coats each strand of the noodles and it’s a satisfying pasta to twirl around a fork. So satisfying that we thought about it the next day.
For dessert, we were tempted by the espresso martini flight, but indulged instead in chocolate stout cake, a deconstructed dessert perfect for sharing, the plate was scattered with contrasting textures of peanut brittle, fluffy meringue, rich, moist chocolate cake and vanilla gelato.
Blackbird embodies cocktail culture at its best, and gives us many reasons to return.
BLACKBIRD
103 Elm Street, New Canaan
zhospitalitygroup.com