Customers keep coming back to this Connecticut restaurant for the made-from-scratch family recipes, fresh ingredients and presentation they say is like something out of a chef’s magazine.
But the wide selection of appetizers beckon as well.
At the award-winning Bin100 in Milford — which serves Italian and Mediterranean fare — there are 20 items of uniqueness on the appetizer menu and lots of guests make a sharing meal of them.
The appetizers include, grilled octopus, fried calamari served with a spicy aioli sauce, garlic shrimp, ceviche, polpetta, or Angus beef meatballs, tomato sauce, fresh ricotta, oysters Rockefeller, smokey pork egg rolls, squash blossoms filled with ricotta and mozzarella, Madeira wine cream sauce, and grape tomatoes.
The award-winning Bin100 in Milford, serves Italian and Mediterranean fare, including in a large outdoor space that customers gravitate too. (Courtesy)
“A lot of people come here for the large, varied appetizer menu,” said restaurant owner Elena Fusco. “It’s pretty extensive.”
Fusco opened the award-winning restaurant at 100 Lansdale Ave. in Milford about 18 years ago after a culinary journey that started at home with mom’s cooking and continued in the restaurants of family. She managed a brother’s restaurant, Luce in Hamden for 15 years.
She grew up in a family of eight children and two parents, meaning there were 10 for dinner every day.
“Interest was really with my mother cooking at home. She was a fabulous cook and my grandmother was personal chef in Italy,” Fusco said.
Every Sunday and on holidays the family had a big Italian meal that included homemade pasta, Sunday “gravy” and some 10 guests.
“It was an all day affair,” Fusco said of the home celebrations growing up.
Two of her brothers and three nephews are in the restaurant ownership business. One brother owns Encore by Goodfellas in New Haven and Drea’s in Branford. A nephew owns Casanova in New Haven.
Fusco came up with the name thinking about how wine bottles are typically stored in numbers bins and chose 100 because it was in the street address. The restaurant is known for it’s fine wine list with global types, but a concentration on Italian and California wines.
The award-winning Bin100 in Milford, serves Italian and Mediterranean fare, including in a large outdoor space that customers gravitate too. (Courtesy)
When she first opened, Fusco did some cooking, but has a chef who has been there since day one, beginning as a cook.
She brought in the family recipes, developed others with her culinary team, designed the menu and still manages the day-to-day operations, choosing to work front of house so she can with customers, many of them regulars who have become “like family,” Fusco said.
“I love to meet our guests, see that they have a great experience, celebrate with families. See people relax and have a good time around the table,” she said.
In addition to flavor, texture and freshness, a lot of emphasis is put on presentation of the food and that’s not lost on customers who leave online reviews of the food.
“People eat with their eyes too,” Fusco said. “They (the staff) put a lot of care into the dishes and it shows.”
The award-winning Bin100 in Milford, serves Italian and Mediterranean fare, including in a large outdoor space that customers gravitate too. (Courtesy)
The award-winning Bin100 in Milford, serves Italian and Mediterranean fare, including in a large outdoor space that customers gravitate too. (Courtesy)
The award-winning Bin100 in Milford, serves Italian and Mediterranean fare, including in a large outdoor space that customers gravitate too. (Courtesy)
The award-winning Bin100 in Milford, serves Italian and Mediterranean fare, including in a large outdoor space that customers gravitate too. (Courtesy)
The award-winning Bin100 in Milford, serves Italian and Mediterranean fare, including in a large outdoor space that customers gravitate too. (Courtesy)
Bin 100 Restaurant, Milford, CT(Diana DeLucia)
The award-winning Bin100 in Milford, serves Italian and Mediterranean fare, including in a large outdoor space that customers gravitate too. (Courtesy)
The award-winning Bin100 in Milford, serves Italian and Mediterranean fare, including in a large outdoor space that customers gravitate too. (Courtesy)
Show Caption
1 of 8
The award-winning Bin100 in Milford, serves Italian and Mediterranean fare, including in a large outdoor space that customers gravitate too. (Courtesy)
Expand
Some of the menu items that are popular include shrimp and monk fish in a lobster reduction, Paella, and pan-seared branzino. Bin100 has a thoughtful vegan menu, as well, so people with that eating style can indulge, rather than just ordering pasta or salad, The vegan menu is so popular that people travel for it, she said. The kitchen is also happy to accommodate those who are gluten-free, she said.
One customer wrote online of the vegan menu: “OMG, you guys, their vegan menu is absolutely amazing!”
Customers rave about the food and service all around.
“I ordered the swordfish, and it was absolutely excellent—perfectly cooked, flavorful, and one of the best seafood dishes I’ve had in a long time,” one reviewer wrote. “Everyone in our party was extremely happy with their meals, and every dish that came to the table looked and tasted fantastic.”
Another wrote: “For our main courses, my husband had the seared scallop dish with grilled shrimp — beautifully cooked and full of flavor — while I had the vodka rigatoni pasta with shrimp, which was creamy, rich, and absolutely delicious. Even the kids’ meal impressed us: the chicken cutlet with fries was a generous portion.”
The award-winning Bin100 in Milford, serves Italian and Mediterranean fare, including in a large outdoor space that customers gravitate too. (Courtesy)
Another wrote, “It’s not often that both the food and service exceed expectations, but this restaurant delivered on both. We will definitely be returning and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great dining experience.”
Although bin100 is definitely “upscale, fine dining” with white, linen table cloths, it’s not at all “stuffy,” Fusco said.
“With the vibe people often refer to it as cozy and chic,” she said. “It’s upscale but not stuffy.” The restaurant has a modern. industrial look.
They also have an outdoor dining area in a 2,000-square-foot white tent with windows and flaps that pull back for fresh air.
The inside is adorned with greenery, special lighting, flowers, and a wood floor. It’s easily decorated for special parties and events, Fusco said. It’s up for eight months.
“It’s like an extension of the restaurant. People prefer to sit in [the] tent,” Fusco said.
The restaurant has repeatedly been named Best Restaurant in Milford through the area Chamber of Commerce and has also picked up titles such as “Most Romantic” and “Best Bartender.”
“For me, I’m a social person and I love to be around people,” Fusco said. “I’m in a business where every day is a party.”
Dining and Cooking