Black Cat Grille Set To Slink Into Expanded Space In Ridgefield

RIDGEFIELD, CT — A new bar and restaurant will be moving into Ridgefield just in time for summer.

Area gastropub gourmands may recognize not only the menu, but the name.

The Black Cat Grille has been a fixture in Redding for years, but it's in the process of moving lock, stock and brew barrel to 59 Ethan Allen Highway in Ridgefield. The old/new restaurant will be slipping into the space formerly occupied by Little Pub and most recently Marc's Place

Owner Elio Cavicchia said he was taking the move "a little slow," and estimated Black Cat would be opening inside its new digs in 5-7 weeks.

Cavicchia can afford not to rush: he owns the Redding building where The Black Cat currently resides.

He said he was waiting to get approvals from the town to tear down the restaurant and replace it with some rental townhouses.

The Redding site would close just before the new site opened, the restaurateur said.

"I'm trying to set it up where I am not closed more than 3-4 days," he told Patch.

The Ridgefield location, at the corner of Branchville Road and Ethan Allen Highway, will be double the size of the restaurant at 58 Redding Road. Cavicchia said he was moving from 48 seats in Redding to 76 in Ridgefield.

All the old menu fare will remain, and the kitchen will be experimenting with "maybe four or five new items."

Keeping the menu on point is probably a smart move: Black Cat's burgers are regularly named among the best in the state — but make sure you get fries with them.

"We cut them from whole potatoes every morning," Cavicchia said.

Along with the burgers, Black Cat's next biggest movers are the seared tuna and Rhode Island calamari, which is served with garlic, red onions, blue cheese, cherry peppers, tomatoes and citrus vinaigrette

A restaurant's move is usually a moneymaking proposition for the owner, but rarely a good fit for the staff who find themselves left behind. In the case of Black Cat Grille, all 12 employees will be making the transition into the new Ridgefield space. Cavicchia said he will also be bringing more staff on to handle what he hopes will be an even more robust business.