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Tuscan Oven
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 10 pm
Sat 12 pm - 10 pm
Sun 11:30 am - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Jack G. said: "Best Italian in Fairfield. Peter DelFranco, the owner, is always on the floor, interacting with the customers. The menu is simple but elegant. I love this place. Try the Penne alla Vodka or the Linguini con Gamberi, mine and my…" read more »
18 reviews for Tuscan Oven
18 reviews in English
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Review from Emily C.
10/18/2011
What a meal, what a meal.
I lived in Norwalk for 20+ years and surprisingly never checked out Tuscan Oven until this past weekend! Missing out for so long was an unforgivable mistake.
Bonus points: Tuscan Oven was the ONLY Norwalk restaurant participating in (the much anticipated) Connecticut Restaurant Week. Can't pass up 3 courses for $20.11!
I arrived at the restaurant for dinner with my family on Saturday night and we were met with a fabulous first impression. Lovely interior, very.....well, Tuscan. Our waitress was wonderful- attentive but not overbearing, and the food, OH the food.
Here are highlights to get your appetite rockin:
-Ricotta gnocchi with wild boar ragu
-Slow braised shortribs with saffron risotto & fava beans
-Eggplant rotini
-best. creme. brulee. I've. ever. had. (The tiramisu, chocolate mousse, and molten lava cake were quite divine as well. My family takes our dessert very seriously!)
The fabulous first impression was sustained to the very last morsel.
Also- location is a bit odd (right next to the DMV and practically across from the highway connector) but parking is ample and location is extremely convenient for folks who work in the Merritt 7 office buildings.
Looking forward to visiting again soon! -
Review from Emily B.
9/14/2011
I truly don't get how or why this culinary wonder popped up in Norwalk, CT, but I am glad it did.
Coming in for business from Chicago, I saw this place a few blocks from the hotel and pulled in an hour before service ended. The place was basically deserted and the hostess was on her cell phone, probably playing Words with Friends, when I got there, but all that is excusable, for the food and wine was amazing.
Ricotta gnocchi with boar ragu? Really? Amazing. In fact, everyone enjoyed their pasta dishes...even the bread and spread was delicious. Unidentifiable on my palette, but delicious indeed.
Two desserts: cannoli and chocolate lava cake. Both rich and done to perfection. Everything was fresh and the server genuinely seemed to enjoy our late night stop-by. I will be back (every month, actually) for sure.
Note: no music, totally silent. Also, plates and glassware were chipped. Not sure if that was supposed to be "rustic Italian" or what...but didn't love it. -
Review from The wanderer B.
Halethorpe, MD
12/17/2011
We had high hopes based on the reviews, but we were let down big time. Went on a Tuesday night and the restaurant was half empty. We were promptly seated and a waitress stopped by to take our wine and meal orders. And that's about where good service stopped.
For a table of three it took over 45 minutes for our food to be served. When it was, the lasagna looked like it had been under a heat lamp for 20 minutes and both the pasta dishes were cold upon arrival. The spice was lacking and favor was relatively bland.
Our server continued to be extremely elusive all the way through dessert and the check.
What should have been a 45 minute dinner was just shy of two hours by the time we were walking out. -
Review from Melissa K.
Weston, CT
11/14/2011
Almost a 5.
Absolutely love the food. Carpaccio, pizza, pasta bolognese and veal are especially superb. Desserts are wonderful too. Very nice wine list. Reasonable prices. Decor is better than you'd expect from the neighborhood and the exterior (honestly, it looks like an Olive Garden). Only the service is hit or miss. All in all, a family favorite. -
Review from Darien G.
Darien, CT
5/17/2011
The one-liner: good food, not as good of service, and I'd probably go again to see if the latter might improve.
Was there on Saturday with a group (ten of us total) and, as is typical with a group, we arrived at staggered times and weren't completely coordinated. However, that didn't seem to cause any issues as the staff dealth with staggered drink orders and delivered appetizers for us at an appropriate time.
Ordering the food was no major adventure either, but once it started arriving we had some slight issues. Some were offered freshly-ground pepper while others were ignored, some drinks were re-filled while others weren't, etc. Nothing too big, but just little things that had people shrugging at the time.
What stunned us was at about 10:15 they started playing with the lights. They would turn them on brightly and then dim them completely, and we thought it was an accident. Then we realized that most other patrons had left, and they were trying to tell us to leave too. A Saturday night at 10:15 is evidently too late to stay open? Never mind we were clearly finished ordering, had already signed the check, and were just chatting at the table as people finished the last of their drinks... just seems odd to me.
Maybe there are clearly posted hours that we didn't know about or something, but if you close at 10:15 on a Saturday, you're not a good place for groups in my opinion. -
Review from Winifred X.
Santa Clara, CA
5/28/2010
Cute Italian place at the intersection of Main Ave and where Super 7 Hwy ends in Norwalk, I'd given it a 4 star but the service was a tad bit slow today...
- decor: quaint, spacious, and nice
- service: courteous, though a bit slow during lunch time today, even without many other patrons around, we were sitting and wait for a while before our food was served or the bread brought out. The bus boys doesn't speak much English, but he did refill our water continuously.
- food: I had the Gargallini $17 and it was really good pasta (homemade, just the right amount of chewiness)... though I think they forgot that I ordered for some extra truffle oil (?), either that or it's so trace amounts I couldn't smell or taste it.
- they did offer to put a candle on the birthday coworker's dessert, but when we said that we have dessert waiting at work, they gave us free ice cream instead... how cute. =)
Will be back next time for a smaller party dinner. ..Listed in: Nice places
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Review from Matt B.
Norwalk, CT
6/2/2010
The decor is warm and inviting...tasteful and comfortable. I have eaten here several times over the past five years or so, and the food is always pretty good. They have great homemade pasta and it's somewhat reasonably priced.
The major drawback is the pace of service. My wife and I went to dinner this past Sunday and would have had a great time...but the waiting!!! We were seated upon our arrival with no reservations and got a great table overlooking their patio.
So about this wait....We could have fit in two dinners in the time that it took us to have one. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't enjoy a casual dinner, it was just that the time between waitress check-ins and the time between ordering and receiving our apps, entrees, etc. was just way too long. The place was busy, but it wasn't crazy. There seemed to be adequate staff, but another waiter or two would've helped.
Overall, my wife and I liked the food, but as we exited the Tuscan Oven we made the comment to each other that we would probably never be back...there are other places where you can spend a buck-twenty for a similar food experience (or better) and not feel like we are spending a lifetime waiting. -
Review from Michael E.
Dallas, TX
1/28/2009
I worked down the street from Tuscan Oven for about ten years. Tuscan was our place for many corporate group dinners, lunch meetings, and customer events. I have probably dined here at least 3 dozen times.
In all that time I was never, ever let down. Has every dish been fantastic? No, but I never had anything that was poor and on average the dishes are very good. Wine selection is excellent, service always friendly and attentive.
Ambiance is pleasant, but the bar area is quite small and can get crowded. Parking can sometimes be a pain in the evening as the lot is small. Sneaking over to the DMV lot is often required. -
Review from Rich G.
Milford, CT
2/21/2010
Good place to have lunch.
Had excellent appetizers (mussels, etc.) and the wine selection was extensive.
Would definitely go back for dinner -
Review from John B.
Westport, CT
People who work nearby know this place is an asset for after work happy hour, great lunches, and homemade pasta. Others likely drive by unless they're staying at the Hilton next door. It's a family style Italian atmosphere with great brunch options - challa French toast with chocolate shavings and caramelized bananas for example - and large portions. Wood fired brick oven pizza and a Tuscan outdoor bar with fountains and courtyard. Well worth it to enjoy!
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Review from Toan H.
Norwalk, CT
7/24/2009
this place was pretty odd in the location perspective. between the dmv, hotels and a very busy intersection. the place is hard to come and go out of the busy street. that's the only true drawback. pricey would be another one, but this place is definitely worth the price.
i liked the decor, food, overall appearance of the place. the mussels i ordered were delicious and the following lasgana was perfect. i would suggest a better house wine, but the food was worth coming to. staff, very attentive, but we went for an early dinner so there wasn't a lot of ppl. didn't have room for desserts since pasta in general is very fulfilling. wish it was in a better location for access, otherwise a great place for a date, special dinner, or corporate paid dinner. -
Review from M M.
Shelton, CT
9/11/2007
I have eaten here several times over the past couple of years and have yet to be disaapointed. Their pasta is outstanding and their specials are always excellent.
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Review from Kit E.
Mountain View, CA
10/25/2006
I really enjoy the Italian food served at this restaurant. Their pasta is always done to perfection and the flavors are incredible. My friend and I ordered the specials of the day -- linguine with half a lobster, clams, and mussels in a light tomato sauce and sea bass on top of a bed of sauteed wild mushrooms. Both were truly satisfying and delicious. The previous time I ate here, there was a fresh pasta with a truffled mushroom sauce, every bite was orgasmic! MMMMMMMMMMM
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Review from Oli M.
Charlestown, MA
1/24/2008
The food, the service, the wine selection - all lovely. I didn't quite understanding the bowls of corks and unfinished brickwork decor, but I loved the real fireplaces and decorative wine cellars. A must for a fancy dinner.
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Review from D G.
Norwalk, CT
3/8/2011
Not impressed. For the price, it's not worth it. Planet Pizza has better food across the street and it's a take out joint. I think you pay for the ambiance here b/c the food was underwhelming as was the menu.
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Review from Sandra O.
Norwalk, CT
1/19/2011
This place has great lasagna and chicken milanese! I had my birthday dinner here and it was so good! I highly recommend it.
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Review from Kathy J.
Norwalk, CT
3/19/2010
We had lunch last week. Thoroughly enjoyed the mussels appetizer but $9 for a glass of no-name wine is a bit pricey even in Fairfield County.
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Review from Mathieu R.
Norwalk, CT
9/2/2009
Both the food and the wait staff is excellent. Probable one of the best Italian restaurant in CT, certainly Norwalk. And like everything in life, you get what you pay for.
