Fornarelli’s restaurant opens in Colchester
Suburban restaurants, not dependent on the return of office culture in the city, have fared better in the pandemic than Hartford eateries. Carbone’s and Thomas Hooker Brewing have seen that, as their suburban locations thrive while their urban locations still struggle. Fornarelli’s has seen it, too. The Asylum Street location is scraping by, Vito Fornarelli said, but he is dipping his toe into the suburbs, too, with a new location in Colchester.
“In Hartford, the lunch crowd is gone, and for what’s left, people go where they are familiar with, where they’ve gone before,” he said. “There is no new traffic.”
Fornarelli’s just opened a location at 112 Halls Hill Road in Colchester, the town where Fornarelli grew up and still lives. The Italian eatery has been embraced by the community and Fornarelli is optimistic.
“The suburbs are where it’s at. Hartford has great restaurants, but during the week, with the workers gone, what is Hartford going to do?” he said. “It’s nice to get into the suburbs, become part of a town.”
The restaurant is where Colchester Farmer’s Hall banquet facility used to be. In his youth, Fornarelli, 30, went to parties there. Now he runs the renovated space, which has a bar-performance area downstairs.
The dining room is adorned with murals by Colchester artist Brian Wentworth, depicting Bari, Italy, hometown of Vito’s father, John Fornarelli. John and Vito founded Fornarelli’s in New Haven in 2014 and moved it to Hartford in 2019. Wentworth also created a mural in the bar, with Colchester landmarks. Food ordered in the dining room can be delivered to the bar if requested.
Fornarelli said “we want to bring a different flair to Colchester that it hasn’t had in years,” but also said of his restaurant, “we’re not a Michelin star type place, not hoity toity. We’re a family restaurant.”
The restaurant, which opened April 8, has a capacity of about 200, 250 when the weather warms up and the patio opens.
The appetizers, ranging from $8 to $15, include (from least to most expensive), fried mozzarella, eggplant rollatini, meatballs, bracciole, Sicilian calamari and shrimp cocktail. Pastas, from $20 to $25, include cheese ravioli, spaghetti with meatballs, butternut squash ravioli, lobster ravioli and beef bracciole with rigatoni. Entrees, from $22 to $26, are lemon chicken, chicken parmesan, sole piccata, baked haddock, shrimp scampi and veal marsala. Dinner specials are available.
A takeout counter will be set up soon, and Sunday brunch is served. Juan Modesto is executive chef.
Fornarelli said the Colchester opening has helped the Hartford location. “Fans of the Hartford restaurant have come here. Fans of this restaurant have gone to Hartford,” he said. “I hope we can boost each other up.”
Fornarelli’s is open Tuesday to Thursday 3 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 3 to 10 p.m., and Sunday for brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The bar is open Thursday to Saturday from 5 p.m. to close. fornarellis.com.