06 Aug Connie and Ted’s Is Worth A Visit…or Two…or More!

It’s been more than a year since talk began surrounding Chef Michael Cimarusti (of Providence Restaurant) opening a New England clam shack in LA.  Named after his maternal grandparents, Connie and Ted, Chimarusti takes us to the East Coast where he grew up, offering a menu of simple, delicious, familiar seafood dishes. The restaurant is located where the old Silver Spoon used to be in West Hollywood. As you approach the 140-seat restaurant, the large patio, open floorplan and exposed kitchen are bright and inviting.       The first thing you’ll notice is the service. If you have eaten at Providence, you will recognize many of the faces, such as Partner Donato Poto, Executive Chef Sam Baxter, Pastry Chef David Rodriguez and General Manager Matthew De Marte. Of course, it is a bit hard to recognize those in the front of the house as, instead of wearing their typical suit, here they are more casual and wearing aprons. Even being a new restaurant, the service was impeccable. Similar to Providence, it was like a choreographed ballet watching the wait staff serve and clear plates. While the patio is an ideal spot to sit, we took our seats at the long curved bar that extends from the servers’ area to the raw bar to the cocktail bar and began with a few cocktails. The cocktail program is designed by Laura Lindsay who was previously behind the bar at Providence. Rosie Ruiz is also behind the bar. Between the two of them, you know the cocktails are great. Sailor’s Delight (dry gin, strawberries, rhubarb, lemon, egg white, soda) – A great drink to start with, it is light and refreshing and the rhubarb adds a tartness. Catalina Eddy (Jamaican rum, white demerara rum, house made banana cordial, honey, lime) – This cocktail has great spice, like those found in bread pudding. Ted’s Cup (housemade scotch-based liqueur, mint, cucumber, citrus, birch beer) – The birch beer and mint result in a cocktail that tastes like spearmint root beer and was a little too easy going down. Once we had our cocktails, we selected our food from the menu. With a raw bar featuring 16 varieties of oysters, we chose the Chef’s Choice Platter 1/2 Dozen Oysters served with horseradish and mignonette. The six oysters were Kumamoto (WA), Coromandel (NZ), Shigoku (WA), Mermaid Cove (P.E.I.), Misty Point (VA) and Barnstable (MA). Angels on Horseback – The oysters are wrapped in smoky bacon atop toasted buttery bread in lemon cream sauce. The lemon cuts through the richness of the cream and butter. New England Boiled Dinner (mussels, steamers, lobster, linguica, potatoes, steamed corn) – Perfectly cooked seafood in a light, flavorful broth Hot Buttered Rolls topped with flaky salt and served in a cast iron pan were perfect to dip in the remaining broth from the seafood broil Lobster Roll served hot with hot drawn butter and Macaroni & Cheese – The lobster roll is filled with large chunks of juicy, tender lobster that isn’t too buttery and the Macaroni and Cheese is baked with a crispy crust on top. Indian Pudding (classic New England cornmeal and molasses pudding with vanilla ice cream) – The cornmeal adds a grittiness to the pudding and reduces the level of sweetness one would expect with molasses. The pudding was moist and delicious. Connie and Ted’s 8171 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90046 (323) 848-2722