NEW MILFORD – With a broad menu of Mediterranean dishes, Robert Basar hopes to provide “the comfort of traveling around the world by being in one place” through his new restaurant, Contempo Kitchen + Bar.
“Our objective is to offer a broad range of dishes to our clients from different parts of the world under one perfect location,” said Basar, of New Milford.
Basar is hiring servers and bartenders in anticipation of opening Contempo Kitchen + Bar at 300 Kent Road at the end of April.
Between the view of the Housatonic River and the proximity to his New Milford home, Robert Basar said the Kent Road property was “a good location” for his new eatery. The property at 300 Kent Road previously housed Good Eats Restaurant & Bar.
“I’m excited about it,” Basar said. “I love serving people. Food is my passion.”
Basar said he previously ran another Mediterranean restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y., for a short period during the 1990s.
He said he “completely redid” the restaurant space to give it a contemporary look, and his restaurant’s menu will offer a variety of Italian, Greek, Turkish, Lebanese, French and Mediterranean dishes. Basar said he will also have gluten-free options.
Basar said he plans to support the area’s artists by featuring their artwork in his restaurant and hosting “Art Mondays” to give the community a chance to meet with local artists.
He said he will select a few artists to feature at the restaurant before opening the opportunity to other artists. Among these artists is his fiancée Iryna Chaboryk, who specializes in watercolor, oil and acrylic paintings.
In addition to “Art Mondays,” he said he’s thinking about hosting paint and sip classes at his restaurant.
Basar said he enjoys meeting new people and seeing them happy.
“I’m hoping that we’ll achieve it here,” he said.
Dining and Cooking