The owner of Westport’s Bistro 303, a popular gay cafe and nightspot, is opening an “eclectic new restaurant [that] offers diverse cuisine from a variety of ethnical cultures” next door.
The Peacock will be in the original Ragazza spot at 301 Westport Road. It’s a tiny space, just eight-hundred square feet, and will seat just forty-eight people.
The idea is to have a “playfully sophisticated space” say owners Jeffrey Schmitz and Gene Switzer, who run Bistro 303 next door.
“We knew we wanted to do something with the space next door, and we had a lot of time during the pandemic to visualize and map out a concept,” Schmitz said in a press release.
According to the release, “Chef Brian Mehl created The Peacock menu with diversity in mind.”
Mehl was the original chef at Plate in Brookside and had previously been at Pressed Penny Tavern in Westport and The Classic Cup Cafe on the Country Club Plaza.
Among the “cultures [which are] are represented on the expansive menu” you will see Thai, African, and Middle Eastern influences.
The dish that caught our eye, pictured above, is the Peri Peri chicken, which is popular in South Africa and Portugal. It’s a half chicken generously spiced with the classic peri blend and served with dirty basmati, shiitakes, cranberry, charred greens and Chamoy butter.
Among the appetizers, you’ll find beet hummus and fried Brussels sprouts.
For those headed to planning a night out in Westport, The Peacock will do a happy hour from four to six Tuesday through Saturday. That menu will be seven-dollar small plates including calamari and Brussel sprouts.
