Locked out!
Our visit to sample Rioa (pronounced ROY-uh), the newly opened restaurant in the Taft Hotel formerly Hot Tomatoes, had an ominous beginning — the door to the restaurant was locked. We waited there with an employee also trying to get in for her first day of work. She finally found the cell number of the manager, who she called and came to unlock the door.
Roia, named for the river that runs between France and Italy, offers fresh food with influences from both countries. As we considered the menu options, we ordered a bottle of Sancerre, Pascal, Jolivet ’11 from the Loire Valley, west of the river. We were brought a ’12, saying that was all they had and it was the same. Odd. (To be fair, later in the meal as the manager apologized and offered a half-glass pour of Sauvignon Blanc, Grand Caillou, Patient Cottat, 2011 an IGP, also from the Loire.)
The newly renovated restaurant has horrid acoustics. When renovating, they uncovered and decided to use the original ~100-year old tile floor. Sound ricochets off all the hard surfaces. A plus: No longer do you need to head to the hotel for the WC, as they added restrooms with communal — visible from the restaurant — sinks.
At the time of my visit, Rioa served fabulous crusted sour-dough, unseeded rye bread brought in from Balthazar (NYC). Absolutely addicting. For an amuse, they sent out a tiny, but tasty, crostini topped with Tuscan white bean puree drizzled with lemon oil as an amuse to tickle our palates.
Appetizers were tasty, but pricey for what we got. Only three small pieces of perfectly char-grilled octopus ($11) came with the baby carrots and beets, plus an abundance of toasted hazelnuts. The light and delicate carrot souffle (sformato, $11) comes drizzled with both pistachio oil and aged balsamic vinegar, and is scattered with pistachios. Also good is the wild-caught king salmon tartare ($12) with a citrus vinaigrette and topped a poached quail egg; served with housemade potato chips.
The entrees delivered. The grass fed strip steak loin arrived rare as ordered, drizzled with a tarragon shallot butter and accompanied by a p
ile of crispy frites, with an optional garlic aoili ($24) — all that plus a side of watercress salad. The delicately tender crisp-skinned Alaskan fresh halibut — the fish of the day — sat atop a confit of fennel along with heirloom tomatoes cooked in oil and some kalamata olives ($30). Light and flavorful.
Avi Szapiro the talented 35-year-old chef-owner, originally from Bogata (Columbia), is finding his niche at Rioa. I’d save give him and the restaurant a chance to make it in New Haven. It’s pricey but tasty. Now, if the could only do something about all that noise.
– bonnie
ROÌA Restaurant and Cafe
261 College St
New Haven, CT 06510
(203) 200-7045
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