Closed for Thanksgiving Weekend

As with tradition, BONDA Restaurant will be closed for Thanksgiving and the entire weekend to give our staff some much needed rest and family time.

We will resume dinner service the following weekend.

Abbondanza Specialty Food will be open for regular hours on Saturday.

Have a Happy Turkey Day!

Patty Party

Thanks to all who came to the 4th annual Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Wine Tasting Dinner. It was a real blast and as Chicky, Chodey and Mark kept chanting, it was a Patty Party.

Opening with the J. Christopher Riesling - slightly sweet, delicate, herbacious, a perfect appertif wine. Following the first of the Pinots, the 2006 Croft Vineyard, possibly the most loved of the night. Light and spicy with aromas of fresh berries and wild flowers - super fruit forward for PG at such a young age.

The Estate wines followed, Estate and Old Vines, both deelish in their own right. More structured and elegant than the Croft, they definitely will age a little better and ripen within the next year or two.

My favorite of every year, the Balcombe Vineyard showed best earlier in the evening (on a clean palate) but was the show stopper in my opinion. A perfect balance of tannins to fruit - not sweet fruit, but dark Oregon fruit with cedar notes and forrest floor - but at the same time some high tones of 13.7% alcohol that were pleasant. Not a door ripper like the Notorious or Edzell (sp) Block - but harmonious.

We look forward to the next tasting on January 22 of Rob Makin's Artisan Wines selection of New World Syrahs and Shiraz. Hope to see you there! Please email bondarestaurant@hotmail.com if you would like to make a reservation.

New Menu for Patty Green Tasting

The great thing about menus, is that they can change!

Here is the revised menu for the Patty Green Wine Tasting Dinner:

Hors D’oeuvre
Deviled Egg, Curried Chicken Salad Pate au Choux, Spiced Shrimp
J. Christopher Reisling

First
Seared Sea Scallop
over Carrot-Bacon Risotto with Parsley Coulis
Croft

Second
Wild King Salmon over Roasted Beets
with Citrus-Poppy Seed Beurre Blanc
Estate

Third
Grilled Leg of Lamb with Truffled Cauliflower Puree
and Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Pinenuts
Estate Old Vine

Fourth
Braised Pork Belly over Lentil & Spinach Stew
Balcombe

Patty Green Wine Tasting Dinner

We are currently fully booked, however we are taking reservations for the waiting list.

Please email bondarestaurant@hotmail.com to be placed on the waiting list and we will email you to confirm.

Thanks!

November 6th Patricia Green Wine Tasting Dinner

We have the wines and almost finalized menu for the November 6th Patricia Green Cellars Wine Tasting. All wines are from the 2006 vintage.

J. Christopher Riesling
Assorted Canapes

PG Croft Vineyard
Seared Scallop over a Bacon and Carrot Risotto with Parsley Coulis

PG Estate Vineyard
Blackened Salmon with Haricot Verts

PG Estate Old Vine
Braised Pork Belly over Lentil and Spinach Stew

PG Balcome Vineyard
Braised Lamb Pot Pie

The Cost is $110 per person. To make a reservation, please email: bondarestaurant@hotmail.com.

As of 10.22 we have a table for two left, but are glad to put you on the waiting list as we always have people drop out as the date approaches.

Fountainhead Wine Tasting Dinners

I know it has been awhile, but we have our next triumvirate of tastings.

November 6th, 2007: Our 4th Annual Patricia Green Cellars Wine Tasting Dinner. Featuring fantastic Oregon Pinot Noir from Patty Green.

January 22nd, 2008: Our 2nd Annual Artisan Wine Wine Tasting Dinner. Featuring wines from Rob Makin of Artisan Wines. Most likely candidates include American Northwest Syrahs, Bordeaux Blends and Southern Italian.

March 18th, 2008: Our 3rd Annual Fountainhead Selections Wine Tasting Dinner. Featuring wines hand picked by Mark and Mike from the Fountainhead. Most likely candidates will be Alsatian whites, Southern French Reds and a few surprises.

All dinners will be 5 courses starting at 7pm. The cost are TBD, but range from $85 to $110 per person. To make a reservation or if you have any questions, please email me at bondarestaurant@hotmail.com.

I will keep you posted as the dinners develop.

Cheers!

August Vacation

With the end of summer upon us, BONDA is taking our annual summer vacation starting Wednesday August 22nd and continuing through September 1st.

We will re-open for dinner on Wednesday September 5th.

Abbondanza Specialty Food Store will continue regular hours. To place a catering order, please call 203.454.0840.

Have a great end of summer!

Our Malay Sister Restaurant

I found this link while surfing around. I guess we should go check it out!

http://www.bonda-cafe.com.my/.

Zinfandel - America's Grape

No one makes Zinfandel like the Americans. Yes, thanks to White Zinfandel, the noble grape has gotten a bad rap, but the pure red delicious wine made from true Zin is wonderful. Some like to blend, some keep it pure. Look on our wine list for some great examples of this fantastic red! Ridge Lytton Springs 2005, Ridge Geyserville 2004, Carol Shelton Karma Zin 2004, Porter Bass Vineyard 2004.

Closing for Italian Festival

Every year the carnies come in and disrupt Charles Street for the Annual Italian Festival. Every year BONDA closes for the festival as it deters our customers from dealing with the traffic. We opened the first year and had a lot of people parking in our lot and using our bathroom! Luckily this year it falls on the the 4th!

Abbondanza Specialty Food will remain open for regular business hours. To place a catering order, please call 203.454.0840.

See you soon!

Zagat Attack!

Thank you all for voting in this year's Zagat for Connecticut.

Our ratings are: 26 Food, 17 Decor, and 25 Staff.

Needless to say we are very pleased with scores. Sorry not everyone loves our decor - we do!