By Gretchen Webster
WESTPORT — There’s a new “pizzaiolo” in town, hoping for a slice of the seemingly inexhaustible appetite Westporters have for pizza.
Carlos Monroy, the owner of Renato’s New Haven Style Pizza, has taken more than six months to prepare his new restaurant the way he likes it, but now he’s ready to serve up 28 pie varieties, specializing in the thin-crust style that New Haven pizza makers made famous. The eatery, located at 539 Riverside Ave. in the Saugatuck section of town, opened Oct. 18.
Renato’s pizza offerings range from “Firecracker Pizza,” featuring fresh jalapenos, sausage, hot oil, Bermuda onions and mozzarella cheese, to “White Specialty Pizza,” such as the Farmer Pizza with burrata, roasted tomato, carmelized onions and pesto drizzle. In addition to New Haven-style pizzas, Renato’s also offers “New York Sicilian” pizzas, both traditional and “Grandma” varieties.
There’s also the option of choosing from among scores of fresh and premium toppings for diners to design their own pies, which can be ordered in various sizes.
The restaurant is located where Parker Pizza formerly operated, and Monroy installed a new counter for bar-style dining in addition to tables. His take-out business is already strong, he said, noting that business was brisk last Friday and Saturday, the first weekend since opening.
Monroy has worked in culinary field of making pizza for 12 years, he said, all of it making New Haven-style pizza, which he described as featuring a thin crust and baked in a charcoal-fired oven.
Despite pizza being Renato’s specialty, there are plenty of other menu choices, including entrees like Brick Oven Lasagna with meat ragu, ricotta and san marzano sauce, eggplant rollatini, chicken scarpiello, veal parmigiana and a range of pastas.
Also on offer are appetizers like mozzarella sticks and calamari, and salads including garnishes like roasted beets or grilled salmon.
The menu even includes burgers and other hot sandwiches.
Renato’s also offers a full catering menu.
Monroy and his family are proud of the new shop, he said, and look forward to welcoming customers.
Renato’s New Haven Style Pizza, 539 Riverside Ave., is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Phone: 203-557-3434.
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Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist and journalism teacher for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman newspaper for 10 years and teaches journalism at Southern Connecticut State University.
I’m living almost beside renatos and miss Parker very much.
I can’t wait to try these thin crust pizzas. They sound fab.
Welcome to saugatuck Carlos.
Great sandwiches, too. Renato’s is a boon to the residents of Saugatuck, and they “get” the neighborhood. I asked them how they survived last week’s traffic jam: They sold slices to the folks forced off I-95 who were stuck in the traffic on Riverside.
I went to Renatos tonight and bought a firecracker pizza.
I met Carlos from the window of my car, as I was trying to squeeze out through the exit at the back of Parker’s, past a car parked almost in the exit.
Blatant entitlement by someone not even going to pick up a pizza from renatos, but using the parking lot Carlos is a tenant of like it was their own driveway.
May I remind saugatuck restaurants and patrons. This parking lot is private and until renatos moved in was a free for all since the closing of Parker mansion, but it is not public parking.
Treat it accordingly.
Have some respect.
I realize how difficult parking is all over town. But this man is a new tenant.
And as such the Parker mansion parking free for all is over.