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Despite the pandemic headwinds, new restaurants continue to open in Westport.
Don Memo, Walrus Alley, Manna Toast, Hudson Malone, Outpost Pizza and Basso have all opened their doors, despite restrictions on dining.
Yesterday, Capuli joined them.
Like its predecessors in the Post Road East space opposite Bank of America — Westport Pizzeria, and before that Joe’s Pizza and S&M Pizza — it will serve pies.
But the cuisine is called California-Mediterranean fusion, featuring “a variety of fresh ingredients, low in saturated fats, whole grains, seasonal vegetables, lean meats and seafood.”
They plan on primarily takeout meals at the start. Call 203-557-9340, or email capuli.westport@gmail.com for more information.
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The pandemic has also affected Suzuki Music Schools. But their classical music education and performance schedule has simply moved from Colonial Green to cyberspace.
The popular children’s “Pillow Concert” series returns January 24, and continues through spring. Family-friendly concerts give children a chance to be up close and personal with performers beyond the front row (and they’re encouraged to bring pillows to create seats at the artists’ feet).
Online master classes and interactive workshops will be conducted by widely acclaimed artists like violinists Rachel Barton Pine and Regina Carter. They’re open to audit for non-students for the first time (for a small suggested donation to the school).
The 4th annual Connecticut Guitar Festival returns March 5-7. It goes global virtually this year, featuring international artists. Attendees can tune check out Suzuki Schools’ social media pages every week leading up to the festival for discussions famed guitarists about how they’ve performed during the pandemic.
For more information on Suzuki Music Schools, click here.
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To celebrate Martin Luther King Day, the Westport Public Art Collections announced a series of small rotating exhibitions. They’re part of a larger initiative to support nondiscrimination in the arts.
The first — opening at Town Hall on February 1 — explores longtime Westporter Tracy Sugarman’s civil rights activities during the Freedom Summer of 1964 in Mississippi.
The artist-reporter wrote, “I was determined to bring back real images of real people and real places so everyone could see American apartheid for what it really was.”
Tracy Sugarman died in 2013, at 91. To learn more about him, click here.
“July and 100 Degrees in the Shade at the Sanctified Church for Freedom School Kids, Ruleville”
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Colin Livingston writes:
“Has anyone ever mentioned the overflow Post Road traffic at the Starbucks drive-thru?
“I can’t tell you how many time I’ve driven by and thought it’s an accident in the making. I snapped this the other day leaving the Bank of America ATM next door. I could barely see the approaching traffic.
“I’ve got nothing against Starbucks. I just don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”
Colin, the topic has been addressed before. This has been going on for months — ever since the pandemic began.
I am stupefied that anyone would sit in a car for so long at any drive-thru. It’s particularly mind-boggling because there is a perfectly good Starbucks a mile or so down the road, at Stop & Shop. The biggest line I’ve ever seen there is one person.
You could drive, park, get your coffee, drink it — and do all your grocery shopping — in the time you’d spend on that Post Road Line.
Of course, it would mean getting out of your car …
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And finally … Phil Spector — the influential record producer who went from creating the famous Wall of Sound to prison for the murder of a woman in his home — died Saturday, of complications from COVID. He was 81.
Wait at Starbucks? That’s silly. There is a local coffee shop less than a quarter mile away in the old Bertucci’s location. It is called Shearwater (they have a Fairfield location, too). They have an app so you can pre order and plenty of parking. The drinks are better than ‘Bucks, too!
I feel compelled to defend one group of people who are probably using the Starbucks drive through line — parents of young children! My children are older now, but when they needed to be in car seats, a coffee shop with a drive-through was a gift! I often drove 10 minutes to a nearby town just to find one! 🙂
Ditto Lori! My wife and I alternate mornings with our two young children…on my days – I frequently drive 10 minutes further to this starbucks…beats wrangling two kids in and out at 6am!
The problem isn’t the Starbucks patrons (although I question why any coffee is worth 15 minutes in line with your car exposed to traffic whizzing by) but with the location. It’s obviously not suitable for a drive through attracting so many cars at one time. Why Starbucks traded one unsuitable location for another escapes me. Why the Westport CT government allows this unsafe condition to continue is another question we should be asking.
Cumberland Farms $1 any size….Mercury $1 any size…both places coffee always fresh..selection is great if you are a “traditional coffee” person….Oh Starbucks post road…only a FOOL would wait on post road…I almost ran into the “line” as the car in front of me had issues with brake lights…state road…local police, big chain…a Personal Injury Lawyers dream!!!!
I suspect there is a significant COVID aspect to the Starbucks line situation. Folks don’t want to go inside and wait around in a crowd for their drinks even wearing masks – it was always a long wait just to order then another wait to get the drink. With COVID maybe floating around, no thanks.
Mobile orders nominally speed things up but, pre-COVID, I noticed even if we mobile ordered and arrived 5 minutes after the drinks were “expected” to be ready, quite often they hadn’t even started them. My guess is they were prioritizing drive through orders to keep that line moving and, maybe, walk-ins since they could see them standing around.
With COVID, if I’m doing Starbucks, no way I’m going inside and hanging around waiting for a drink. On the other hand, if line is out on Post Road, no way I’m waiting in that long of a line. It’s not worth it.
I’m a fussy coffee drinker and years back a knowledgeable coffee shop owner suggested using filtered water (such as a Britta or the like) and it made all the difference, improving the taste immensely. I like STBX coffee but I agree they’ve created a dangerous situation on the Post Road. Make coffee at home – you don’t have to pile the kids in the car, and sit in line idling.
I love your music selections Dan
When I passed by the drive-through Starbucks yesterday, there were not only three cars waiting on Post Road (to turn right and enter the driveway) but there also were two cars waiting to turn left into Starbucks from the other side of Post Road When one of the cars from the opposite side of Post Road tried to make the turn into the driveway, the first car in line (on the same side of Starbucks) blocked that car. Now, both lanes of traffic on the same side of the street as Starbucks were blocked. I slowed down until the roadblock was cleared, but one driver went around – and drove into oncoming traffic on the other side of Post Road. Crazy stuff….