It was a rainy Thursday evening when hubby and I drove down to Bridgeport to enjoy an Italian meal at Viale Ristorante Bar and Grill. Our dinner companions that night were Wendy and Greg of Connecticut Lifestyles Magazine and Bonnie of Home Place Blog with her husband Tex.
The meal began with these crusty bread that were baked on-site.
Care for some wine? This was the first bottle of wine for the night.
While drinking the wine and eating the rolls, our group agreed to order different items from the menu. We planned to pass around each plate accordingly. That way, we’ll have the chance to taste-test so much food in one meal! Brilliant, right?
This Grilled Garlic Shrimp was cooked with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and white wine. Simple ingredients, delicious results!
This Burrata Mozzarella was a first for me. With its creamy gooey goodness, I’ll definitely be on the lookout for it the next time we go for Italian food.
Hubby chose the Grilled Calamari Mediterranean with olives, roasted red peppers, garlic and olive oil. Mmmm!
Another appetizer we had was the Broccoli Rabe & Sausage sauteed with garlic and grilled Italian sausage. The Viale Antipasto (see picture below) had Italian cold cuts, roasted peppers, olives and cheese. There was one order of Iceberg Wedge as well. Honestly, the antipasto would’ve been enough for us, but since we were on a tasting adventure, well, you gotta try what you gotta try!
When it was time to choose our main dish, we kept the earlier agreement – order individually then pass it around. I opted for their Shrimp Fra-Diavolo over Linguini. Fra-Diavolo sauce is supposed to be hot, but thankfully, this one was mildly hot. Whew! Even if I shared my food with the others, there were still enough leftover.
Hubby went for that night’s pork chop special. After quietly finishing his meal, he deemed it highly satisfactory.
Bonnie’s Zuppa di Pesce was such a beautiful dish. What’s more, I got my share of clams and mussels. 😉
The others ordered the 20 oz. Rib Eye Steak (Certified Black Angus Beef), Gorgonzola Chicken and Lasagna.
All the main entrées we had were really good. It’s hard to choose a specific favorite. I tasted everything, but the slice of steak proved to me why steaks are this restaurant’s specialty.
Despite the amount of food we already consumed, leaving the restaurant without trying their desserts didn’t seem right.
We had a dessert plate with blueberry cream roll, carrot cake, banana mousse, chocolate mousse and New York-style cheesecake. Patricia, the owner’s wife, made all the mouthwatering desserts.
They even gave us a separate plate of tiramisu.
Our birthday gal, Bonnie, wanted some espresso martini. What birthday gal wants, she gets!
Here are some interior shots I took while waiting for our food.
Verdict: Long story short, we had a delicious dinner and an enjoyable time with great company in a family-friendly place. With their insanely hefty portions, this sit-down restaurant easily allows small groups to share substantial meals (like what we did!). Their wine options were great. The food was made-to-order. The restaurant is easy to find with a nice parking lot at the back.
If you’re looking for traditional and authentic Italian fare in Bridgeport, then you should check out Viale Ristorante Bar and Grill in the Black Rock area.
Address:
Viale Ristorante Bar & Grill
3171 Fairfield Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06605
Disclaimer: I received an invitation for this free food event in exchange for writing a review on this blog. All opinions in this blog post are my own and my husband’s.
This was such a fun place to visit and I couldn’t imagine spending my birthday with better friends!
Great write up! And of course, beautiful pictures!
Thanks, Bonnie! It was great celebrating your birthday with you!