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Connecticut Dining | New Canaan

A Transformation of Space

CHANGESThe eclectic menu at the Pine Social includes slow-braised short ribs, below, with shallots and potato gnocchi.Credit...Andrew Sullivan for The New York Times

IF at first you don’t succeed, get a new name and a completely different menu. That seems to be what the brothers Joseph, Michael and Frank Rocco have done, transforming their generous New Canaan space into the Pine Social restaurant, a vast improvement over Rocco’s Italian Kitchen, their former venture in the same spot.

The restaurant’s name (Pine is the street it’s on, and Social, according to the manager, Michael Moroney, stands for the “environment the owners want people to feel comfortable in”) is as welcoming as the wait staff. And despite all the changes, the prices are still family-friendly.

Adam Truelove, the chef at Rocco’s Italian Kitchen during its final six months, designed the new, eclectic menu. For starters, my dining companions and I chose the beef carpaccio capped with shaved Parmesan, crisp celery leaves and a black truffle vinaigrette, and the flash-fried calamari with a lemon aioli that was more mayo than citrusy. For entrees, we liked seared sea scallops — lightly browned, accompanied by roasted cauliflower, pine nuts and cranberry chutney — and roasted Crescent duck breast with winter vegetables and a port-cherry sauce.

There are a few pro forma items on the menu (a lackluster Maine lobster bisque comes to mind) and a throwback to a dimmer dining era (beer-battered onion rings, resembling gross, doughy inner tubes), but most dishes were quite enjoyable.

Several appetizers combined a homey touch with a dash of originality, notably the creamy lobster mac ’n’ cheese (with bacon, toasted bread crumbs and a truffle essence) and the delicious polenta, topped with a pool of spicy ground sausage in a mixed pepper ragout.

Among the better entrees were the tasty, well-cooked slow-braised short ribs, served with frizzled shallots and puffs of delicate potato gnocchi. Another good choice was the pan-seared wild salmon: the fish wore a chipotle glaze that provided a pleasing “bite,” and the creamed corn cradling the fish was also a nice touch.

Several of the sides, at $6 each, added verve to the menu. Two of my favorites were the grilled al dente asparagus with a “river” of pecorino cheese sabayon along the top, and Catalan spinach sautéed with pine nuts (which should have been toasted) and currants.

For dessert, I gravitated to the satiny-textured espresso pots de crème, but one of my guests raved about the pecan pie, which was not overly sweet, with an abundance of pecan halves. As a spectacle, though, it would have been hard to top the New York cheesecake, a giant portion of super-creamy light-textured cake, so lavish in itself it didn’t need its canister-whipped-cream topping.

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Slow-braised short ribs with shallots and potato gnocchi.Credit...Andrew Sullivan for The New York Times

There are a number of lighter choices for lunch, like the bountiful spinach salad (one of five on the menu) with bacon, poached pear, Danish blue cheese and glazed pecans. I also enjoyed the tricolor salad, with generous shards of endive, radicchio and arugula, and garnished with Granny Smith apples, pecorino cheese and spice-glazed pistachios.

Besides the tasty sandwiches, like bacon and avocado with goat cheese, lettuce and tomato, three burgers are offered at lunch. The gargantuan Social burger (also available at dinner) features half a pound of prime ground beef served on an English muffin with red onion jam, lettuce, tomato, pickles and regular or sweet potato fries.

The Pine Social

36 Pine Street

New Canaan

(203) 966-5200

pinesocial.com

WORTH IT

THE SPACE The L-shaped dining room has high ceilings, chandeliers, wood paneling and a mix of well-spaced tables and booths. The ground-level location, on the right side of a small strip mall, is wheelchair accessible.

THE CROWD Couples, foursomes and many families, neatly, casually dressed. The wait staff is friendly and helpful.

THE BAR Full bar, separated from the ample dining room by a wood-and-glass divider, has a selection of aged Scotch, brandies, ports and after-dinner liqueurs. Wines by the bottle (most from the West Coast) begin at $25, with many bottles in the $30-to-$35 range; 13 wines by the glass, $8 to $16.

THE BILL Lunch: salads, sandwiches and burgers, $6 to $14; entrees, $13 to $19. Dinner: starters, $7 to $13; entrees, $16 to $31. All major credit cards accepted.

WHAT WE LIKED Spicy tuna tartare, creamy polenta, lobster mac ’n’ cheese, beef carpaccio, steamed clams and Prince Edward Island mussels, spinach and tricolor salads; slow-braised short ribs, roasted Crescent duck breast, chipotle-glazed wild salmon, seared sea scallops; espresso pots de crème, pecan pie, New York cheesecake.

IF YOU GO Lunch: Tuesday through Friday, noon to 3 p.m. Dinner: Sunday through Wednesday, 5 to 9:30 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 5 to 10:30 p.m. Reservations accepted. Free parking in front of the restaurant.

RATINGS Don’t Miss, Worth It, O.K., Don’t Bother.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section CT, Page 8 of the New York edition with the headline: A Transformation Of Space. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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