Lisa Reisman Photo
Brazi’s head chef Jesse Melgar in the kitchen.
Over the last 28 years, Brazi’s Italian Restaurant, just down the walkway from Long Wharf Theatre, has played the role of host to such luminaries as Arthur Miller, Robert Redford, and Al Pacino, as well as Brian Dennehy and Amy Irving.
So it’s perhaps no wonder that, on a recent morning, head chef Jesse Melgar was at the industrial stove, adding a touch of Chardonnay to a skillet popping with chicken cutlets, red bliss potatoes, and cherry peppers, before theatrically tossing its contents as a flame gushed upward.
“You can use any kind of cooking wine, but Chardonnay, it gives a nice flavor,” he said, as a rich aroma wafted through the kitchen.
Melgar, 52, has been at the restaurant since 1993, a few months after it opened in Food Terminal Plaza just off Exit 46 on I‑95. At some point, Chicken Cutlet Scarpariello, which Melgar was preparing, became Brazi’s signature dish.
Such is its popularity that, Melgar estimated, at least before March 2020, 20 to 25 orders came in each night.
Jesse Melgar with Chicken Cutlet Scarpariello.
Earlier that morning, he’d coated thinly sliced boneless chicken breasts with flour, eggs, and Panko. That’s what sets apart Brazi’s Chicken Scarpariello, otherwise known as shoemaker’s chicken, he said: It’s breaded.
After cooking the cutlets in a deep fryer to a “nice golden brown,” as he put it, he pivoted to the stove.
A native of Mexico City, Melgar said he’d always been drawn to cooking and attended culinary school for a short time there. In his early twenties, he joined two of his brothers in Connecticut. One of them was working at Antonio’s in Waterbury.
Around that time, “someone told me, ‘You work, you learn better,’” he said as he spooned the dish onto a plate. “So I did. I worked wherever I could. And then I started at Brazi’s.” 28 years later, he’s still going strong.
Brazi’s owner Valerio Capobianco.
One reason is owner Valerio “Val” Capobianco. “He’s a great boss,” Melgar said, wiping his hands on a towel. “Being restaurant boss and chef, it’s like a marriage, you have to make it work. But it’s everybody here, all the staff. We spend Easters together, we spend Mother’s Days together.”
Capobianco, who had just entered the kitchen, agreed. “Jesse is key to what we do, but it’s about the whole team,” he said. “I always say it’s like an orchestra. A conductor without an orchestra can’t play music.”
Capobianco got his start at Brazi’s in 1993 under original owner Anthony D’Alto. A native of Salerno, Italy, he and his family settled in Waterbury in 1977 when he was 7.
“I was working at restaurants the whole time I was going to school, so I was learning the trade from the bottom up,” he said, as he pushed through the swing door, past the service bar into the spacious, mellow-lit dining room.
In the early days at Brazi’s, he made himself indispensable. “I did everything, from A to Z, from dishes, to cleaning, to waiter, whatever needed to be done,” said the congenial 52-year-old. “We didn’t start off busy. Then we started partnering up with Long Wharf and building a name for ourselves.”
He took over Brazi’s in 2012. He hasn’t looked back.
Among the greatest challenges, he said, has been “running an Italian restaurant outside of Wooster Street.” Among the greatest joys: “running an Italian restaurant in the city of New Haven.”
“It’s the best city in Connecticut, as far as people-wise, food-wise, culture-wise,” he said.
In spite of lacking Wooster Street cred, the location, in fact, has been a boon for Brazi’s.
“We get everybody,” he said, as a distant horn sounded. “Long Wharf is our big partner, and we’ve had our share of celebrities, but really we welcome everybody.”
“Being the location that we are, right by I‑95, you get to meet all kinds of people, from someone who makes candles to a brain surgeon to a guy who manufactures manhole covers,” he said.
Then there are the universities. “They have so many events going on all the time, from parents’ weekends to football games to graduations,” he said. “So obviously there’s a big demand for hotels, and with [La Quinta Inns and Suites] next door, that’s another natural partner.”
Whether it’s a legendary actor or retired Justice Lubbie Harper, Jr. of the Connecticut Supreme Court, a regular, or a candlemaker or visiting parents just happy to get off their feet, he said, “we treat everybody with the same level of respect because you’re walking into our establishment, you chose us out of all the other restaurants, for that alone.”
From that moment, the performance begins. “From the front of the house to the dining room to the kitchen, everything has to be on point.”
That means, first and foremost, consistency. “We’re absolute fanatics about consistency. We’re going to make the salad the same way, the eggplant parmigiana the same way, the veal marsala the same way. We’re constantly coaching each other to get it right.”
It means an emphasis on plating and presentation. “You can have the best dish in the world, but if the waiter doesn’t present it properly, it’s hard to enjoy that dish.”
It means decor and lighting “so peaceful and relaxing that you can sit here for hours.”
“It’s true,” said long-term employee Charisse Sanzo who was straightening table settings ahead of the lunch serving. “I never want to leave this place.”
Capobianco looked around the chestnut-accented dining room. “Last year at this time we were closed, just doing takeout, so we had to pivot and just concentrate on to-gos.”
“But we’re still standing,” he said. “And for that I give a lot of praise to our governor, the job he’s done, and the restaurant association, Scott Dolich, who’s been tremendous in supporting us and keeping us up to date on everything, and Congresswoman DeLauro, all she’s done to help the hospitality industries,” he said.
“They didn’t leave us behind, and we’re so excited to finally be reopening fully.”
The Dish
Chicken Cutlet Scarpariello.
As appetizing as it looked, this correspondent opted to wait until evening to sample the Chicken Cutlet Scarpariello. Here’s my report.
The Panko took certain stage, affording an extra-crispy coating to the chicken. The potatoes took supporting actor honors, offering a nice, pillowy counterpoint to the prickly heat of the peppers. Overall, with the Chardonnay trilling in the sauce, the dish was a triumphant ensemble of tangy and rich, spicy and sweet, tender and crunchy.
Based on this dish alone, Brazi’s second act should get stellar reviews.
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Brazi’s Italian Restaurant, 201 Food Terminal Plaza, brazis.com; 203 – 498-2488. Indoor and outdoor dining. Curbside pickup and delivery available.
Previous coverage of recommended take-out orders to help local businesses survive the pandemic:
• Today’s Special: Haci’s Napoletana Pie
• Today’s Special: Fred & Patty’s Brie On Baguette
• Today’s Special: Nieda’s Moist Falafel
• Today’s Special: Qulen’s Vegan “Wings”
• Today’s Special: Aaron’s Peruvian Rice Bowl
• Today’s Special: Singh Bros.’ Chana Kulcha
• Today’s Special: Grandma’s Chicken Soup
• Today’s Special: Woody’s Steak & Shrimp
• Today’s Special: Shilmat’s Yemisir Sambusa
• Today’s Special: Arjun’s Vegetarian Manchurian
• Today’s Special: Mohammed’s Bhel Poori
• Today’s Special: Francesco’s Tortelli
• Today’s Special: Seikichi’s Sushi
• Today’s Special: Ketkeo’s Khao Poon
• Today’s Special: Mike Fox’s French Toast
• Today’s Special: Zhang’s Squirrel Fish Dish
• Today’s Special: Jessica’s Gumbo
• Today’s Special: Kenny Kim’s Vegan Ramen
• Today’s Special: Ernesto’s Venezuelan Arepa
• Today’s Special: Corey’s “Prison Reformer” Frank
• Today’s Special: Bryan’s Butter Chicken Pie
• Today’s Special: Jared’s Super Supreme Baked Potato
• Today’s Special: Craig’s Breakfast Reuben
• Today’s Special: Sunny’s Mackerel Sashimi
• Today’s Special: Jamshed’s Lemon Chicken
• Today’s Special: Dave’s Navratan Curry
• Today’s Special: Nicole’s Oxtail
• Today’s Special: Brisket Kansa-Lina Fries
• Today’s Special: Sandra’s Bourbon-Glazed Salmon
• Today’s Special: Alba’s Beet Salad With Goat Cheese Panna Cotta
• Today’s Special: Alex’s Chicken Pad Thai
• Today’s Special: Kenia’s Steak & Cheese Sub
• Today’s Special: Mama Mary’s Collards