‘I LIKE TO SPICE IT UP’
Owner Libby Meissner relaunches Ansonia’s Crave as Uptown Bar and Eatery
ANSONIA — Crave, which has been a staple of the restaurant scene in Ansonia for more than a decade, is no more.
Owner Libby Meissner took a gamble and relaunched her restaurant, now known as Uptown Bar and Eatery, dispensing with everything that made Crave a well-liked hot spot on the local food scene. Nachos are out, but there will be chicken tikka masala in addition to other items that comprise the new menu, described by Meissner as new American food.
On Friday, Uptown was a hit with customers who attended an invite-only soft launch Friday. The restaurant will open to the general public Monday.
Kathleen Malerba, of Ansonia, ordered the fried zucchini and eggplant.
“The appetizer, it was wonderful. Excellent. I didn't expect anything but that and the atmosphere ... everything is Libby, she knows how to do it,” Malerba said.
Just after 6 p.m., the bar was packed with people ordering drinks, while diners began to sit at the dining area in the back. The walls had been repainted to a matte black and were adorned with art and posters. To the back of the restaurant near the bar is a prominent neon sign.
“I licked it, so it's mine,” it read. Local officials attended the soft launch as customers. Economic Development Director Sheila O'Malley, Corporate Counsel John Marini, Alderman Josh Shuart, his wife Jen Shuart and Mayor David Cassetti were eating zucchini chips and flatbread. Jen Shuart noted the vegetarian and vegan options.
Marini said the new restaurant is unique.
“It's a great change of pace. I think it's unique in downtown. I think this is a great venture for Libby. It's going to be amazing,” Marini said.
The menu is drastically different. While Crave was a Latinfusion restaurant, most items are completely new such as ramen noodles, an Asian cucumber salad and poutine.
Uptown Bar and Eatery has echoes of the Crave menu. Customers can order Tatchos, tater tots with chipotle chili, onion, jalapeno, queso, sour cream and lime.
Meissner said she thought of the name herself but when she learned about Ansonia's history, she realized the name was fitting.
“I found a piece of artwork that had the name on it, and it drew me to it. So I decided on that. And then after I decided to name that, I found out that Ansonia — before it was named Ansonia back in the day when it first got settled back in the 1650s — it was called uptown Derby,” Meissner said.
She said uptown was as a label for Main Street in the last century.
Meissner said the new menu is eclectic and compared it to the increasing diversity of the country.
“So America is now a melting pot of all people. And there's all types of restaurants in our communities,” she said. “And I have picked little things from every restaurant that I like, and I created it — our own Uptown version. So they're items that everybody's going to recognize and everybody is going to love. But it's a very eclectic assortment of cuisine, like ethnicities in our cities.”
Brent Callaghan, of Ansonia, on Friday was drinking a Redbreast whiskey on the rocks. He said he was sad that Crave was no more.
“It was the end of an era. But I'm happy after seeing this, it was good,” Callaghan said.
When Meissner first made the announcement earlier in the week, she said most people were supportive but she did hear negative feedback.
“The word on Facebook, I would say 90 percent of the people are super excited. There's always those negative Nellies that want to ruin it for everybody. And they're just going on and on about ‘why ruin a good thing.' Well, those are the complacent people that do not like change in their life. I like to spice it up,” Meissner said.