Photo by Bill Bittar
The owners of Tacomida, a new taco and tequila restaurant at 50 Bridge St., are, from left, Altin Pergjoka, Hartin Ballabani and Paul Ganassini.
SHELTON — Tacomida may be a new taco and tequila restaurant in a new building, but the decor on its walls display a flavor of historic downtown Shelton with framed black and white photos of the old basket factory, Rapp’s Restaurant, an old streetscape of Howe Avenue, and the Shelton High School marching band.
Hartin Ballabani co-owns the restaurant with Paul Ganassini. They wanted Tacomida to fit in among businesses that are already fixtures in the city.
“We want to be something that down the road people say, ‘we’re proud to have this be part of our town,’” Ballabani said.
Ganassini, a Shelton High School graduate from the class of ’88 and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, has owned several restaurants, including Roberto’s in Monroe.
He and Ballabani have worked together since the early 2000’s. Among their stops was Barcelona Wine Bar Group.
On Monday evening, they joined equity partner, Altin Pergjoka, in celebrating the opening of their new restaurant at 50 Bridge St. with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Among the local dignitaries were Mayor Mark A. Lauretti, Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce President Bill Purcell, Chamber Board Chairman Robert Lesko and Police Chief Shawn Sequeira.
“It was always a goal for me as mayor to get the downtown another place and here we are,” Lauretti said. “We turned a corner. People are going to be in awe of what they see here in the next five to seven years. I wish you all the success you can have in this difficult business.”
Lauretti is a former restaurant owner. Downtown Shelton just keeps growing, with new restaurants and old buildings being converted into market-rate condos.
Purcell said Tacomida will be a “fabulous addition” to the regional restaurant scene. He also praised Lauretti’s administration and the Planning and Zoning Commission for creating the atmosphere for developers to grow the local economy.
Ganassini and Ballabani credited landlord, Angelo Melisi, for his strong support in getting the word out about of Tacomida.
Melisi completed Bridge Street Commons, the mixed-use development with 44 residential units and commercial tenants on the ground floor, in August of 2017. The units are fully occupied and the lower level includes a hair salon, a nail salon, a financial office and now Tacomida.
Melisi has one remaining 1,200 square foot commercial space to lease out.
Tacomida’s hours are 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to midnight on Sunday. Ballabani said the restaurant had a soft opening just over two weeks ago.
“We wanted the neighbors to come and check it out first and avoid a mad rush and craziness,” he said, “so we opened quietly and it gave us a chance to meet them and the neighboring businesses.”
Ballabani said Tacomida has a family atmosphere, where patrons can share small plates and order as they go.
“We wanted to offer street-style tacos,” he said. “We’ll have different flavors down the road. We want to add some fun specialty tacos, as well.”
Asked what the most popular taco is among patrons so far, Ballabani said it is a toss up between the Baja Fish and the Chicken Borracho.
“We like to think of eating tacos in a fun, casual way,” he said, “but we also cater to people who want to sit down to a full meal. We have small plates and a selection of salad and rice bowls.”
Tacomida also serves whole grilled bronzino and a half-roasted chicken.
The restaurant has a full bar. “We put together a cocktail list with a good selection of tequila cocktails and the basics with rum and whiskey,” Ballabani said. “We have a frozen rosé, as well.”
The bar offers a selection of craft beers from local breweries like Black Hog in Oxford, Two Roads in Stratford and Counter Weight in Hamden.
“The margaritas are the most popular drink,” Ballabani said. “We use a very good, hand-selected tequila, freshly squeezed lime juice and agave syrup.”
“We’re not looking for a late night club atmosphere,” he added of the bar. “If you have dinner up the street, we want people to be able to come here for a cocktail in a lively atmosphere.”
Contributed Photo
A ribbon cutting ceremony for Tacomida restaurant, 50 Bridge St., included, from left, equity partner Altin Pergjoka, developer Angelo Melisi, Mayor Mark A. Lauretti, co-owners Paul Ganassini and Hartin Ballabani, restaurant hostess Nicole Guittard, planning and zoning commissioner Jimmy Tickey, Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce Chairman Robert Lesko and Chamber President Bill Purcell.
