New Haven’s College Street features Nuevo-Latino cuisine, Mediterranean-influenced fine dining, time-honored vegetarian fare and trendy cocktail bars. Restaurateurs Moe Gad and Rafael Palomino felt there was still something missing there.
The owners of Pacifico, known for tapas and mojitos, opened Villa Lulu earlier this month, with a modern Italian menu. Though Italian restaurants are prevalent in the Elm City, “there was a need” for Italian fare in the immediate area, Gad said. He noted the location at 230 College Street, just a couple of doors down from Pacifico, was convenient and attractive to him and Palomino.
The bi-level space, formerly occupied by Samurai Japanese Restaurant, features a black marble top bar, open kitchen and pizza oven on the first floor and an upstairs dining room with red and gold banquette seating and white linen-draped tables. Villa Lulu also has an outdoor patio, with seating for about 30.
Villa Lulu’s menu is a mix of modern and classic Italian cuisine. Antipasti options include burrata and prosciutto with figs and aged balsamic vinegar, crispy calamari, polpo pizzaiola (octopus with tomato sauce, arugula, fingerling potatoes and roasted peppers) and eggplant meatballs with ricotta pistachio pesto. Gad said the vegetarian meatball dish is a best-seller.
Pizzas are also early hits, with a traditional margherita, prosciutto with arugula and more gourmet options like guanciale with sunny side up egg and black truffle oil. Housemade pastas include “old school” linguine with clams, Gad said, a wild mushroom gnocchi and a squid ink fettuccine with shrimp, salmon and sun-dried tomatoes in saffron cream sauce
Another “old-school” dish, pollo scarpariello, may become a signature item at Villa Lulu, Gad said. The entree is made with Amish marinated chicken, Italian sausage and red, yellow and Calabrian peppers. A classic eggplant parmesan is topped with burrata, and seafood entrees include shrimp risotto, seared tuna and branzino puttanesca with tomatoes, capers and olives.
Villa Lulu’s wine list specializes in Italian varietals, and craft cocktails like the East Side Lulu (gin, lime, cucumber and basil) and Queen of Naples (vodka, blood orange, lemon, Cocchi Rosa, hibiscus and prosecco) have been early favorites, said Gad.
A lunch menu offers two courses for $20, including starters or salads for a first course and pizzas, pastas, entrees, panini and an Italian bowl (with base of quinoa or salad) with choice of protein and vegetable toppings.
Villa Lulu, at 230 College St., is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday (11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday) and for brunch and dinner Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. 203-691-7177, villaluluct.com.
Dining and Cooking