New Port Chester NY restaurant Talia to open Aug. 9: See inside
Chef/owner Ian Vest is opening new restaurant Talia in Port Chester in August. Get your first look at the eatery here on lohud food.
A new chef-focused European-inspired restaurant is opening Aug. 9 in Port Chester.
Ian Vest, who’s been cooking for more than 20 years including at DANIEL, the NYC Michelin-starred Daniel Boulud eatery, and the since-closed Back 40 Kitchen in Greenwich, Connecticut, is bringing his classical French training and love of Italian cuisine to the table (no food pun intended). The bilevel 120-seat Talia, with an open kitchen, a horseshoe bar on the second floor and a large outdoor terrace to come, has been three years in the making, leading to a much anticipated opening.
The fact that Vest is offering 2,000 different wines from around the world, with an on-staff sommelier and two bars, is icing on the cake.
What to expect at Talia
The Greenwich resident said he wanted to create a place that was playful, with a “hip, sexy, modern” vibe that walks the line between masculinity and femininity (with not too much of either). He also wanted splashes of color, to make it bright and inviting.
A lot of what exists — teal tile, gold and brass accents, curved walls, an array of greenery and a blue exterior — is pulled from the floral wallpaper that wraps around the open kitchen in the back, leading to the glass-enclosed wine cellar. The goal was to exude a Mediterranean/European vibe that feels both lively and elegant.
Upon entry, your eye immediately goes to the open kitchen in the back, the 10-seat bar to the right and the dining room, which thanks to an array of oversized windows, feels airy and bright. Diners can expect cushioned black bar stools, a geometric black and gray floor, brown tables with off-white seating and teal cushioned banquette seating in the back. There’s also a teal backsplash behind the bar and an array of plants on ledges, which add to the jolt of hues Vest was looking for.
Upstairs is another scene stealer with a horseshoe bar surrounded by 13 white cushioned high-back chairs, along with an assortment of high-top and regular tables, some with blue sofas. Vest said he envisioned the first floor to be warm and inviting, ideal for an early dinner or an intimate meal while the second floor, with its soft lighting and sweeping bar, is meant to be loungey— with more of a cocktail bar ambiance. He also hopes, down the road, to do events in this space, ideally with live bands and collaborations with The Capitol Theater.
Let’s talk food
As much as the décor is a focus, the main event is the food which Vest has poured his heart and soul into. Diners can expect French and Italian-influenced cuisine with shareable starters such as Hamachi crudo, devilled egg, stuffed arancini and lamb polpette. Entrees run the gamut from house-made pastas — try the Bucatini Carbonara with its egg yolk intact — artisanal pizzas and elevated dishes made with seasonal ingredients including dry-aged duck breast, Hidden Fjord Salmon and pork tenderloin brined in tea.
“I wanted the menu to be very modern and playful, just like the décor,” he said. “I like to take ingredients that are seasonal but also different and use them in ways that other people are not.” Case in point: the guanciale, an Italian cured meat he sources from Salumeria Biellese, a hundred-year old Manhattan deli that’s used in his bucatini.
Just as the food is well thought out and curated, so, too is the wine. Hence, the addition of Jose Cuevas as sommelier and general manager. The goal, said Vest, is to offer a collection with a focus on France and Italy as well as other renowned producers from across the globe.
“Great food goes with great wine,” he said. “People who are passionate about food are also often passionate about wine and beverage which is why we feel committed to delivering something different.” That philosophy extends to the signature cocktails such as the Primo, which mixes basil with strawberry, a blue cheese-infused vodka dirty martini and La Plage, made with pineapple chard rum, coconut rum, pineapple juice and coconut syrup.
Also important to him: the open kitchen so people can peek inside and he can keep his eyes on the dining room. “We want to try and break down the barrier between employee, chef and guest. This is our home,” he said. “Our space was designed to be inviting, stylish, and approachable.”
If you go
Address: 25 Willett Ave., Port Chester, 914-201-3566, talia-restaurant.com.
Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with cocktails till midnight (subject to change).
Good to know: Lunch and brunch are down the road. Also coming: an outdoor area which, when finished sometime this fall, will double the restaurant’s space and make for year-round indoor and outdoor dining.
Fun fact: The restaurant is named after Vest’s daughter, Talia, and uses a logo of a daffodil representing March, the month she was born.
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Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.
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