Cesco’s Trattoria

Our first trip there and our last one! Our goal was to go to our favorite Italian hotspot in Stamford on a Saturday night but unfortunately the wait was still an hour long at 8:55 pm so we decided to use Unilocal and find a place that was close to where we were off 95S for Italian and it led us to this. We got there and the owner seemed pleasant to the clientele and greeted them and us with «Bueno Sera” – that immediately gave us yummy goosebumps and set the positive tone for the night! We sat down and looked around and the place did have a few tables still dinning – quite the posh clientele similar to what we find in New Canaan. The place was nice, soft, contemporary with a great design flare. Our waiter came to us after about 7 minutes and asked us if we wanted sparking water or bottle water and we replied table water. A few minutes later, he brought back 2 glasses of water – they were absolutely piss warm! Was like stale toilet water – guess the European flare was carrying out too in how they deliver the water. A few minutes later, he came back and asked us if we were ready to order – I looked at him and asked him if they’re were any specials for the night and he said, oh yes, then ranted them off. I asked him for his opinion between the seafood risotto and the bronzino dishes and all he said were «they are good” – I asked him his opinion which to get and he veered me to the halibut –unfortunately I am not a halibut fan so didn’t take him up on it. I should have taken his lack of enthusiasm of my 2 choices as a hint! We ordered the veal meatball appetizer and my husband ordered the tagliatelle in bolognese sauce, I, the Bronzino with lobster reduction and gnocchi. He walked away and didn’t come back… never did he ask us if we wanted a cocktail. We saw a few busboys and waiters sauntering about and after about 10 minutes we had to ask one for bread, and then ice for the toilet water they served. We received the bread which was very yummy and then they served two little focaccia points with bruschetta which were absolutely delicious – at this point, we felt a little better BUT we still had the warm water to contend with – mind you, the ice cubes came and they melted rapidly because water was that warm and it wasn’t hot out yet! Our appetizer came – it was pretty good, although meatballs had been over fried and the outside had a bit of a crunch to it and with veal, you have to be attentive to not overcooking since it can dry up – these dried up a little bit and were a tad hard but they were tasty and sauce was good and the quantity for the price was pretty generous… these got a ⁷⁄₁₀. Our meals finally came, the presentation of my fish was nice but I could tell that the bronzino was over seared! My husbands Tagliatelle was bountiful and a serious super size portion BUT, it looked like Alpo – barely any red in there and it looked dry… nothing appealing. He let me sample it and sadly, the taste was worse than its appearance. My dish was dry, the gnocchi tasteless, the lobster reduction extremely fishy in flavor but the Brussel sprouts quite tasty – thank god… this meal was going to transform me into a Vegan. My husband detested his dish… he tried to make the best of it but hard to do with dry pasta that doesn’t even look appealing, No sign of our waiter until he saw us at a stand still (maybe about 25 – 27 minutes later)…never did he approach us to ask us if we wanted cheese. Finally, he approaches us, looks at us and asks us how everything is and we tell him the pasta is terrible and that my fish was over dry. He then has the audacity to say that the pasta does indeed look dry and not good – I then in turn asked him why he brought it out then if he recognized that and he had no answer. My husband then asked him how well they do since it was our first and last time there and the waiter said, very well… we get some great clients, like Brian Cashman – he comes here with his family 2 – 3 times a week. Seriously? Brian Cashman? I love the Yankess, and am a New Yorker, but by no means does THAT make it a selling point. All that tells us is that Brian Cashman is lazy and will not travel for good food and settles! We were stunned. Yes, they took off the pasta off our bill but there was nothing else done to appease us… not even sending us over Mr. Bueno Sera to lay down his charm.
In short if you want to go to a nice looking place with some upper crust clientele and some famous faces and horrific service and enjoy piss warm toilet tap water with dried out pasta, then this is the place for you! We will save our money, time and appetite and continue to splurge on Café Sylvium or Columbus Park! They are actually worth the 1 hour wait… we took the easy lazy Brian Cashman way out and clearly, wasn’t good enough for us! Hopefully Cashman isn’t bringing those leftovers to the Bronx for his boys!

Small, cozy setting w authentic Italian food. Grilled seafood dish was superb: calamari, swordfish, shrimp and scallops in a deliciously garlic sauce. Our friends loved their meals as well: pasta w shrimp, arugula salad w shrimp, scallops. Drinks were great. I would definitely return.

Truly pleasant environment. Beautiful music and quiet setting. The food is awesomely delicious and menu diverse. Highly recommend the bread pudding.

I don’t understand how anyone could give this place a good review. The food is horrible and the chef should be fired. My husbands lasagna was cold in the middle so the waiter brought it back to the kitchen. The chef put it into the microwave and cooked it until it was a brick. Then they brought it back. It was inedible! My pasta with bolognese sauce was dry and tasteless. The fried calamari was not fresh — they use frozen seafood like you would get in a fast food restaurant. The restaurant is extremely overpriced and the food is awful Need I say anymore? Wake up people, this place is not even a little bit good!

This place is beautifully decorated and very homey. The bruschetta they bring out before the meal is quite delicious, the service is great, and the wine list is extensive. That being said, I ordered the spaghetti carbonara and was severely disappointed. It was bland and extremely oily. Not sure if Cesco’s is trying to go for an authentic Italian vibe but I was not feeling it with this dish. It seems like I’m the anomaly here so I might need to try this place again.

Cescos is located very conveniently in Goodwives shopping center. The location has ample parking and is very close to I-​95. The restaurant is lovely, a cozy and intimate space but large enough to feel like you are not sitting on top of the person next to you. You will be greeted immediately by a team of friendly servers, and often by the owner himself. You feel like family upon arriving and will feel like that throughout your entire time in the restaurant.
You can’t go wrong with what you order here. The caprese salad is delicious and fresh. The grilled sea scallops melt in your mouth. The pasta is as fresh as can be, and the homemade gnocchi is presented and cooked perfectly. My favorite thing to order is the seared branzino, which comes with delicious Brussels sprouts. The accompaniments to each dish seem to be just perfect.
You will leave happy, full and wanting to return to Cescos as soon as possible!

We went to Cesco’s for our anniversary dinner. We’re definitely not anywhere near as wealthy as the clientele. We were mere plebes here and it was very obvious. But it’s ok.
I was shocked to discover that an Italian restaurant didn’t have a simple tomato sauce pasta dish. Instead there were cream sauces. I asked the waiter if they might be able to prepare my gnocchi with a red sauce instead of white and they kindly obliged. It was very good but the gnocchi were not shaped correctly at all. They looked more like misshapen orecchiette. Gnocchi should never be dumpling blobs! But they tasted good… texture was pleasing, not too soft and not too tough. Nothing annoys me more than super soft gnocchi. My husband ordered the chicken Milanese which was fried and drenched in oil… not crispy or pulled together at all. But this place does excel at service, friendliness and ambiance. Food was good but not great. Salads were outstanding and VERY fresh mozzarella was impressive. Recommend for a special night out.

Great first time dining– Jose was extremely hospitable & very nice to see an owner working his own restaurant — we will be back

Our recent dinner at Cesco’s was so over the top good that I had to share the experience.
Setting: A warm, inviting, stylish space tucked into the front corner of Darien’s Goodwives shopping center (Darien Cheese Shop is next door). Décor is reminiscent of a beautifully appointed local Tuscan trattoria that respects tradition, but is in touch with today’s modern aesthetic.
Tone: despite being fairly busy the night we were there, this is a restaurant where the noise level remains under control. Easy to have a conversation. Service: Friendly and accommodating. It’s as if the husband and wife team that own Cesco’s, has welcomed you into their home as an honored guest. So comfortable, I could see myself dining here regularly… which many locals around us seem to be doing.
Food: A lot of love and care went into every dish we had. This is Italian cuisine elevated to a new level. Favorite starters included a roasted sweet beet ravioli topped with shaved Parmesan as well as the mushroom gnocchi topped with shaved black truffles. We also had a fresh scallop served in the shell with a touch of mango sauce on top (see picture)
Favorite entrées were the super flavorful skirt steak, the roasted salmon and a fresh take on Eggplant Parmigiana that was unlike any I’ve had.
Dessert: go for the ricotta cheese cake, tiramisu or fresh cannoli.

Took my family here for Father’s Day dinner. We all were totally impressed by the quality of the food that we were served.
The Veal Osso Bucco was so tender and delicious as was the Night ‘s Special Stuffed Veal Chop. The Red Snapper special was right up there as well. Definitely worth the trip as some of us came from quite a distance to meet here.
Service was spot on and accommodating.
We all commented about this hidden gem in a strip mall and really look forward to a return visit.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the entire United States and I spend most of my time in New Orleans. It’s that good. Everything here is just perfect, I’m not sure how else to describe it. Aldo (the owner) is a rockstar and is so welcoming and friendly– you feel like family when you’re there. The service is great, as well as the wine list, and of course the food itself. Standouts/​must haves, in my opinion, or things you should definitely try would be the bruschetta, the burrata stuffed tomato, the black truffle gnocchi (rich so you could do the half portion as an appetizer and be totally happy), the halibut, and the lemon fettuccine with shrimp. That’s not to say other menu items aren’t kickass, but those are some personal favorites that never disappoint. The tiramisu for dessert is the best I’ve ever had outside of Italy itself. Everything they do here is incredible and the flavors are always on point. The lemon fettuccine literally blew my mind– it’s so light but has SO much flavor and is as savory as a heavier dish would be, but without making you feel gross afterward. I love this place. Would recommend to anyone and everyone ever.

Great Restaurant, Great Service and lovely atmosphere! The owners went above and beyond to make us feel like we were receiving a home cooked meal. The food was excellent. Highly recommended! 5 Stars

We love this place! Not only is the food delicious, the service is outstanding. My favorite dish is the halibut, with artichokes and served over a bed of spinach. The butter sauce is to die for! I also love the veal piccata, and any of their pasta dishes are always yummy. Last night, my husband had a surf and turf that was a special on the Valentine’s Day menu. It was cooked to perfection. Aldo and Barbara go out of their way to make sure you’re happy and enjoying your meal. Easy parking, outdoor tables in the summer, great food, great wine, wonderful service! A favorite for sure.

We went to Cescos for dinner. The service was outstanding, but the food was extremely disappointing. The branzino fish dish sounded excellent by its description on the menu. When it came the fish was overcooked and the dinner itself was inedible. I sent it back and ordered a chicken marsala dish. The chicken had absolutely no flavor and the sauce was a watery mess. The owner replaced it with the chicken dish. However, at the end of the meal when the bill came I found that I was charged for the $ 32 branzino fish dish. I didn’t bother saying anything. Really I wanted to just leave. I had eaten here in the past and the food was delicious. I’m sorry to say that we will not be returning. The dinner was terrible. These were basic sauces that had gone terribly wrong. My advice stay away from Cesco’s

Had my first visit to this fine establishment last night. Had veal meatballs to start. They were in a delicious tomato sauce. The main course was chicken scarpiello. Wonderfully tender chicken and sausage with peppers in a sauce with spinach that had me saying delicious after every bite. For dessert I had bread pudding with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. All others in my group were happy we have discovered this restaurant and will visit again.

Drawn by great reviews, we took an old friend to Cesco’s last night for a birthday dinner. Her scallops and shaved brussel sprouts were excellent. My wife’s Branzino was pretty good, although the bed of gnocchi were rubbery, definitely not close to fresh and delicious. My dish with chicken scarpariello and creamed spinach was flat out terrible. The chicken scallops were flavorless, difficult to cut, and probably left over from the previous day; and the spinach was even worse, salty beyond over the top. We had an appetizer of veal meatballs, too. The meatballs were dry inside, obviously overcooked, and not flavorful.
Our wine was fine, as was the sparkling water. For a disappointing meal, the prices were high. Service was good.

Great food and wine. Service is very efficient. Did not love the location but once you are inside it’s lovely.

Always amazing. Aldo and Barbara the owners make this place feel like eating in an authentic Italian village restaurant. I’ve tried several different things on the menu and all have been fab. The Chicken Scarpariello is one of my favorites.

Great good-​a little overpriced but good.
Gets VERY crowded so make sure you have a reservation.
Bar area is TINY so don’t plan on hanging out there very long… bottom line, make a res.
Aldo is very hospitable… staff can be hit or miss.

Dine at Darien’s Cesco’s Trattoria and you’ll soon understand why it’s a dream come true for both the owners and the patrons. My sister and I recently had the pleasure of eating at Cesco’s, and we were impressed! We visited on a Wednesday evening, which is not typically a big restaurant night, but the trattoria was packed (which tells you something)!
It’s nice to see success come to such good people. I met the owner’s wife when she was running our church’s soup kitchen volunteer group. (Read this post for more on that experience). How she finds the time to work full time, run a church ministry, and help open a restaurant is beyond me!
Anyway, back to the food… We started with complementary appetizers (it’s nice to know people!). First they brought out a delicious antipasto platter to accompany an assortment of Italian breads, including focaccia. Neither of us is big on antipasto, but Cesco’s version is fantastic! They followed that up with two pasta dishes: a chianti spaghetti with crumbled sausage and broccoli rabe and a spinach ravioli in a cauliflower cream sauce. I’d be hard-​pressed to decide which was tastier. They were both fantastic! I mean really, spaghetti infused with chianti? OMG! And a cauliflower cream sauce? Ridiculous!
I was going to order a heavy pasta dish as an entrée, but after those appetizers I decided to go with something light. Per the waiter’s recommendation, I opted for the Halibut Burre Blanc with spinach and artichoke hearts, which is their most popular entrée, and I could see why. It was sooooo good. I’m all about guilt-​free deliciousness, and this dish delivers! The halibut is seared on the outside (which maybe adds some guilt but is totally worth it), the brothy sauce is not too salty, and the spinach and artichoke are perfectly cooked.
From the ladder back chairs to the brick archways and white tablecloths, the atmosphere of Cesco’s Trattoria is lovely, cozy, and authentic. Their website features some great pictures as well as the menu.
Darien has long been waiting for a true Italian trattoria, now they’ve got one! All in all, Cesco’s Trattoria really is a dream come true, and I can’t wait to return!