Danilo Mongillo stood in the middle of his Strega restaurant and tapped his hand over his heart. The restaurant was named one of the best Italian restaurants in the world.
Danilo Mongillo stood in the middle of his Strega restaurant and tapped his hand over his heart.
“And like thump, thump, thump, thump, YES! We did it again!”
That’s how he described learning that Strega won two out of three forks from Gambero Rosso, a top food and wine group in Italy.
The award named Strega one of the best Italian restaurants in the world.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
“New Haven deserves this, and I want to say Italy is here in New Haven today with this recognition,” Mongillo said.
He opened the restaurant in June, following restaurants in Branford and Milford. This time, he opted for a sophisticated menu, a six table dining room and smaller kitchen in the Chapel Street location.
“It’s small but I love it,” he said in the kitchen. There’s a lot of prep work and techniques used to make service at night easier. “Everything is already kind of done.”
Local
His team makes magic in the small space using as many ingredients directly from Italy as he can. The hot meal right now is a carbonara with duck, one of the twists he likes to add to his food.
“Everybody’s going crazy. ‘Oh my god this is the best. Oh my god,’” he said about the dish. “It’s still Italian food, it’s still Italian, all the recipes,” he said. “But a little ingredient or something else to say ‘why,’” he laughed.
Mongillo worked to make Strega an intimate dining experience. Guests have two and a half hours to have an award-winning Italian meal.
“It’s your time. It’s like a spa. No rush, no nothing. It’s like a massage for your stomach," Mongillo said.
The award comes just ahead of what’s expected to be a busy tourism season in New Haven.
“The fact that we have walkable streets, these wonderful small stores, business owners that are willing to take a bet on New Haven and can offer unbelievable food is something that makes us really proud, and this is one additional recognition of that,” Mayor Justin Elicker said.
Getting a seat in the award-winning restaurant might get a little harder. They’re already booking two weeks in advance.
“This is the kind of feeling we wanted,” Mongillo said. “In the dining room, yes, our guests, our guests. We will treat you good.”
