Restaurants
Mediterranean Grill in Wilton

Mar 28, 2007

- Scott Mullin photo

Mediterranean Grill
5 River Road
Wilton Shopping Center
Wilton, 203-762-8484

Open every day serving lunch from 11:30 to 2:30, Monday to Friday; dinner from 5:30 to 9, Monday to Thursday; 5:30 to 10, Friday and Saturday; and 5:30 to 8:30, Sunday.

Reservations recommended; handicapped accessible; major credit cards; full bar, global wines; Mediterranean cuisine; vegetarian selections; dietary restrictions accommodated; full take-out; casual smart dress; wine dinners, entertainment; private parties; seasonal outdoor patio dining; $5 split entree fee; parking adjacent to the restaurant.

• Appetizers: $7 to $11
• Salads: $7 to $9
• Salad toppings: $6 to $7 extra
• Lunch entrees: $12 to $18
• Dinner entrees: $17 to $38
• Sides: $5
• Wines by the glass: $8 to $10
• By the bottle: starting at $30
• Cocktails: $10
• After-dinner drinks: $7 to $10
• Desserts: $7 

Mediterranean Grill in Wilton

by FRAN SIKORSKI

A self-taught cook and owner of Precision Construction and Design in Norwalk, Chef Michael Baffa, with a partner, purchased Mediterranean Grill in the Wilton Shopping Center four-and-one-half years ago to expand his avid interest in gourmet cooking by offering menus he had developed through his travels.

During our visit, he told us he had learned about food in his grandfather’s restaurant and it became a hobby for him to create new dishes. Whenever he went on vacation, he always made his way to the kitchen of any restaurant he visited, to meet the executive chef and learn something new.

Backed by a well-trained staff, Chef Baffa is now sole owner and executive chef, assisted by cooks Darwin Cardenas, Raul Zuniga, Antonio Asencio, and Luis Pelaez, with Rahim Ouloul as manager. The restaurant is giving diners a unique experience with dishes like Mediterranean fish stew, Moroccan grilled chicken, and Tunisian veal stew, menu favorites that regulars would not permit the owner to remove.

Chef Baffa said he also finds time to supervise his construction business several days a week. It was his expertise that provided the restaurant’s new backdrop, inside and on the patio. He plans wine tastings there during the summer months. The dining room, designed by Kathryn Gray, is enhanced by imported pottery and other accessories from Spain, and the environment is warm and welcoming. Art by the owner’s mother, artist Kathy Baffa, is included among the distinctive paintings displayed on the walls.

Before ordering dinner, I enjoyed one of the restaurant’s signature cocktails, Mediterranean Sea, made with Trump vodka, Malibu rum, Blue Caracao and pineapple juice. My companion and I followed the suggestions of Chef Baffa, ordering both signature dishes and new items on the menu.

Our appetizers were grilled sea scallops, with marinated asparagus and a balsamic vinegar reduction, and innovative artichoke-rice cakes stuffed with Manchego cheese and served with a tangy roasted garlic aioli. Also a standout was goat cheese with caramelized onions and housemade pita chips. The tapenade, made with olives, sun-dried tomato, raw onions and roasted garlic, was addictive.

Other appetizers are grilled baby squid over greens tossed in a lemon, olive oil and bell pepper vinaigrette; goat cheese with eggplant ragout, sundried tomato vinaigrette and pita chips; and grilled lamb kefta skewers over vegetable couscous salad, with a cucumber tzatziki sauce.

Among the salads are poached pear with endive, Cabrales blue cheese with roasted beet vinaigrette, Caesar, green bean and mesclun.

Manager Rahim Ouloul suggested a “healthy” entree for me, grilled flounder with a cauliflower puree, sauteed garlic spinach with a citrus sauce, and my friend who likes food on the spicy side, ordered Moroccan grilled chicken over couscous, with spinach and a garlic-cumin sauce. Both were delicious.

Also suggested are seafood risotto with sauteed shrimp, bay scallops, squid and mussels in a seafood sauce; shrimp and onion fra diavolo over penne pasta in a lemon and parmesan cheese sauce; linguine with cockles; grilled dry-aged New York strip steak in a bell pepper dressing; grilled pork chop over artichoke, mushrooms and cherry peppers in a garlic brown sauce; and grilled blackened tilapia in a zucchini confit sauce.

For dessert, we shared a raspberry lemon bar and orange flan, both a nice light ending to a meal tailored just right for our appetites.

Chef Michael Baffa said he feels he has achieved his potential. We agree.

Side dishes