The aim was to bring to bring a little bit of Sicily to the heart of downtown.
And that is what Noto Americano in Southington is doing, customer say.
The Italian restaurant, named for the small city of Noto in Sicily, opened its doors in the former Zingarella space late last year and has quickly become a town favorite. Zingarella, which opened in 2011 and became an established meeting place in town, closed early last year due to the effects of the pandemic.
Nick LaRosa, a former Phoenix-based chef and a 2019 “Chopped” grand prize winner, and his cousin Frank LaRosa, owner of Alliant Restaurant Brokers, are co-owners. Nick LaRosa, who grew up in the town and graduated from Southington High School in 1997, is the head chef in the kitchen. He said that he jumped on the opportunity to come back home after more than 20 years out west.
“Southington has always been home to me,” Nick LaRosa said.
“So when my cousin told me that the former Zingarella location was available, I knew we had to jump on it. My family is here and my friends are all here,” he said. “The amount of support I have received and the people who have talked to me that I haven’t seen in 25 years has been really surprising. Every day is a mini reunion. I’m very grateful and humbled to have come back to my roots.”
Frank LaRosa, a longtime real estate broker in the town, previously co-owned the former Quinn’s Tavern in downtown Plantsville that became Hop Haus.
The cousins’ Sicilian background meant that when growing up, food was often at the center of family life. A Johnson and Wales culinary graduate, Nick LaRosa’s first big break came when he worked for former Reebok CEO Paul Fireman at a private country club in Cape Cod. From there, he became head chef and owner of the popular Phoenix eatery Nook Kitchen.
“Food has been my passion since I was a child,” Nick LaRosa said. “To be able to cook and do what I love is a blessing. I love it when people pull out their phone and take a photo of the dish I just cooked. Sometimes I’ll peek around a corner at tables and see someone smile as they take their first bite. That’s what brings me the greatest joy. It’s all about bringing people together and creating that happiness in my food.”
A taste of Sicily
The restaurant serves classic Italian fare including pasta, pizza, and grinders along with traditional dishes such as scallops risotto, chicken cordon blue, and chicken and eggplant parmesan.
“Noto Americano is named for the city my great-grandparents came from Sicily before coming to Ellis Island,” LaRosa said. “The plates are traditional but I also put my twist on them like every chef does. Some of the recipes were passed down in my family through the generations and others are more modern takes on Italian cuisine.”
One of the most popular entrees is a porcini-rubbed 8 ounce filet with classic sides such as grilled asparagus, black garlic cream, and parmesan mashed potato.
“The filet is a dish I’ve been doing for quite some time and it’s already becoming really popular,” LaRosa said. “You can’t go wrong with a mouthwatering filet with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus on the side. It’s always a real banger.”
Other entrees include a grilled double-bone duroc pork chop with cider honey garlic glaze and sides of roasted potato and bacon brussels. For a more unique offering, Noto Americano serves up grilled swordfish with salmoriglio sauce made with a blend of olive oil, lemon, garlic, and oregano.
“A lot of my dishes are really well balanced, so you’re getting texture, sweet, spicy, salty, and savory all on the same plate. Infusing flavor in every bite is really important to me. Swordfish is one of my favorite fishes to use. It’s got great flavor and texture. My hope is to do some more seasonal dishes as well as we get into spring.”
The restaurant also serves traditional thick-crusted and rectangular Sicilian-style pizza with LaRosa’s secret dough ingredients. The menu offers more than 15 different varieties of pizza including the traditional margherita and cheese. The classic Sicilian style features traditional ingredients like tomato sauce, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, herbs, and parmesan for a blend of flavors.
“My dough is fantastic. People love my dough, and I think that’s what gives us an edge. There’s a lot of pizza in Connecticut. So you’ve really got to have good stuff here to compete.” LaRosa said. “The dough is light and airy and not your typical dense bogged-down Sicilian-style pizza. It’s got good rise, crumb, texture and flavor. It’s really, really good.”
Creating a destination place
Noto Americano, located at 83 West Main St., sits adjacent to the Rails to Trails bike path and walkway that cuts through downtown Plantsville. The restaurant already features outdoor seating covered by an awning behind the building, but the owners have plans to expand that to fully utilize the property.
“This is the perfect spot,” LaRosa said. “We’re in the center of Plantsville that is really up and coming. We’re also right near the bike path and in a really visible location. The building had great bones so we only did some modernizing and redecorating to the inside. But you really can’t ask for a better spot.”
The restaurant recently won approval to add an outdoor patio in the front of the building, bringing an additional 50 more seats to the establishment. A newly constructed fence in the front of the building allows the restaurant to serve liquor outdoors.
“Were also doing an inside-outside bar on the other side of the building facing the trail, which will add seating as well. So we’re really excited about these changes and utilizing the full potential of the space.”
Noto Americano currently only serves dinner and is open 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday; and 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
For the menu, hours, and reservations, visit notoamericano.com
Stephen Underwood can be reached at [email protected]