Stamford's Harbor Point Becoming a Destination for Foodies

The Harbor Point complex in Stamford's South End appears to be on cusp of becoming a destination for foodies.

Last month, celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez — a judge on the Food Network's Chopped, opened Paloma, a pop-up 250-seat Latin-inspired grill.

Now comes news that Fortina, the wood-fired Italian eatery in Armonk, NY rated very good by The New York Times, has signed a lease to open an outpost at Harbor Point. 

According to the food blog CTBites, the menu will mirror offerings of its Armonk restaurant — fried meatballs, charred wood fired pizza, and pork braciole with Sunday sauce, as well as a few Stamford twists. The restaurant is expected to open early 2015.

New York Times restaurant reviewer Alice Gabriel wrote shortly Fortina opened in fall 2013 in Armonk, the wood-fired dishes "had me remembering things I had eaten in Rome, or Cremona, or Sicily."

Regarding Paloma at 15 Harbor Point Rd., Sanchez writes on his website that it will "offer a wide range of classic and contemporary cocktails that represent a wide selection of handcrafted spirits from Central and South America, including tequila, mezcal, pisco, cachaca, and rum.  The 250-seat restaurant features both indoor and outdoor seating, along with private dining and bar dining options for larger parties."

More food and entertainment
The developer of Harbor Point, BLT, also will host a variety of new events this summer.  “On the Rocks,” a popup restaurant, bar, and live music venue on the Harbor Point waterfront, opened last month. On Thursday nights, Harbor Point will host live music and the restaurants Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and Crab Shell have a full roster of bands throughout the summer. Starting June 15, there will be a farmers market held in Commons Park every Sunday. Plus, there are free weekly outdoor movie screenings on Fridays, also in the park.

The yogurt, breakfast and sandwich emporium Top This has relocated from downtown Stamford to Harbor Point, according to CTBites. And Harbor View bar and kitchen is expected to open this summer as well.