Step Into Soho At

59 Bank In New Milford

Successful restaurateurs Chef Arthur Michaelsen and his family have opened 59 Bank in New Milford, offering innovative American/Italian cuisine in a Soho-style setting.

The care that has been taken with the new décor and the menu reflects the style of Art Michaelsen, a Culinary Institute of America graduate who most recently operated the restaurant 331/3  in the Copps Hill Plaza in Ridgefield.

“When the plaza was undergoing a major renovation to fit Super Stop & Shop, there was a lease buyout and our restaurant was torn down,” Mr Michaelsen explained. “So we began to look for another location.”

Located in the building at 59 Bank Street previously occupied by the Kaleidoscope, the new restaurant is a completely new experience, from the gleaming wood floors, high tin ceilings, and expanses of brick walls in the bar and lounge to the large downstairs dining room where the spaces have been thoughtfully redesigned to provide intimate dining areas.

Art Michaelsen and his wife Julia are co-owners in the new restaurant, as they were about 16 years ago when they operated Heibeck’s Ice Cream on Route 7 in Georgetown for eight years.

“We did a lot of off-site catering there,” Mr Michaelsen said. “We continued the catering in Ridgefield, where my sister, Nancy Burke, and mother, Josie Connelly, were involved in operating 331/3. My sister is still involved in the catering operation [Sizzling Creations] and my mother does the floral arrangements for 59 Bank with another sister, JoAnne Moore.”

Mr Michaelsen, who also worked as a chef in Greenwich, Stamford, and the Virgin Islands, has designed a menu for his new restaurant that includes nearly 59 items but has an emphasis on pastas and grilled flatbread pizzas.

“We’ve priced the menu so that everyone can feel comfortable,” he said.

Nine different flatbreads –– delicate, crispy grilled pizzas laden with various toppings –– are offered, $6.59–$9.59, along with an equal number of Oodles of Noodles (pastas), $9.59–$13.59, and nine “BIG” plates that range from Mama’s Meatloaf to potato-crusted rack of lamb, pecan-crusted Atlantic salmon, and a 16-ounce prime aged grilled rib eye, $12.59–$17.59. The pastas and entrees are served with house salad.

There are plenty of “Between the Slices” sandwiches including a Jack Black Burger that features a half-pound of sirloin patty pressed in peppercorn, flamed with Jack Daniels and served on an English muffin with Monterey Jack and Bermuda onion.

Salads include a wood-roasted salmon that features caramelized pears, crumbled Maytag blue cheese and a port wine vinaigrette, a Banker’s Cobb, and baby field greens with pan-fried goat cheese among the more traditional offerings. There are lots of “small plates,” $3.59–$9, to start the meal or to nosh on in the bar. The entire menu is available “to go.”

“I’m here every lunch and dinner overseeing everything from prep to plating,” Mr Michaelsen said. “I think consistency is extremely important.”

Brunch on Saturday and Sunday can start with a brunch basket that serves two or more and includes an a la carte menu of two dozen varieties of omelets, crepes, challah French toast, and Eggs Benedict-style dishes like Eggs Montana (served with a grilled filet mignon and béarnaise sauce) and Eggs Maryland (with crab cakes and orange scallion hollandaise).

Wednesday evening is open mike night in the bar. There is live music starting at 10 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings, when dinner is served until 11 pm, and never a cover charge.

“Downstairs is entirely separate,” Mr Michaelsen said. “There is dining music downstairs.”

During the holiday season the dining room, which accommodates up to 80, will be available for parties. The bar and lounge can accommodate about 40.

Bank Street is a dining district with a half dozen restaurants surrounding the movie theater. “People can come here for dinner or come afterwards for cappuccino and dessert,” Mr Michaelsen said. “We have an extensive draft beer selection and a dozen variety of martinis.

“We’ve had a very positive response since we opened on October 12,” he said. “We want everyone to come through our doors and feel welcome. 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.”

59 Bank is open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 am to 1 am; Friday from 11:30 to 2 am, Saturday 10:30 am to 2 am, and Sunday from 11 am to 1 am. For reservations or more information call 860-350-5995. There is also a website at www.59bank.com.

 

 

Shrimp Pasta

20 shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 garlic cloves, chopped

15 pieces sundried tomato, chopped

10 basil leaves, chopped

1 small bag of fresh spinach, cleaned and chopped

5 Tbs lemon juice

¼ cup white wine

2 Tbs olive oil

2 lbs cooked pasta

Heat sauté pan. Add oil. Add garlic and sauté. Add shrimp, sundried tomato and basil. Cook until shrimp are done. Add white wine, lemon juice, and spinach. Bring to a simmer. Add cooked pasta and toss. Serves 4.