Established in 2009, Esca Restaurant & Wine Bar has become a well-known and popular dining spot in Middletown’s robust dining scene.
Located on the corner of Main and Washington streets, Esca features contemporary Italian fare with a two-story dining room that includes a balcony dining room. The restaurant can seat 250, and has an extensive menu and a “wine cave.”.
Esca Restaurant & Wine Bar is a female-owned business, operated by Elisa Bramato and her mother Marisa Bramato.
The name Esca is Italian and means “to lure,” and that’s exactly what the restaurant has done by providing unparalleled dining elegance and a dynamic menu to create a true contemporary Italian dining experience, Elisa says.
The Bramato family worked on every detail of Esca before opening the restaurant in 2009..
The restaurant’s unpretentious facade belies the elegant and sumptuous interior, which features a soaring two-story dining room and a second floor balcony that overlooks the main dining area.
Part of the bar has concrete elements designed to look like the interior of an Italian wine cave. The rest of the restaurant’s innovative décor combines traditional and contemporary elements.
Elisa’s father designed Esca’s interior, creating the beautiful wine cave and even making by hand the chandeliers that hang throughout the restaurant.
Esca combines family values, Sicilian and Northern Italian dishes, and an intimate ambiance to create a unique dining experience, Elisa says.
“A lot of love went into making it.”
Both of Elisa’s parents were born in Sicily, and moved to Middletown where Elisa grew up. She says her mother, Marisa, “is an amazing cook, and I love to cook as well, and so we bring the flavors of Italy and our culture to our restaurant."
Esca, which offers lunch, dinner, a happy hour, and Sunday brunch, has an extensive Italian menu that includes a bevy of seafood items.
The restaurant, Elisa says, has what's known as a "scratch kitchen," which means all of the menu items are made fresh daily.
One of Esca's most popular items, she adds, is the sea bass, which is made with crab, asparagus and a crispy risotto cake.
“The Chilean Sea Bass has been on the menu since day one and it’s a crowd favorite,” Elisa says.
Another seafood favorite is the Lobster and Crab Fettuccine, which uses freshly made pasta. Esca also has a raw bar, that features grilled octopus with Sardinian couscous grilled pizzas, and steaks.
“We have a little something for everyone,” Elisa says.
Esca’s wine bar has an extensive wine list, featuring “hundreds of global, esoteric wines.”
The restaurant’s bar serves specialty cocktails, such as the Esca “Elit” martini - and seasonal housemade infusions. In addition to wine and cocktails, Esca also has “a nice selection of craft and draft beers, including many local, and an extensive list of premium spirits,” Elisa says.
In addition, Esca has a banquet facility that features two private rooms, one that can seat up to 100 guests and a more intimate space that can seat up to 35 people. The spaces can accommodate small weddings, bar mitzvahs, baptisms and showers, birthday parties, holiday parties and corporate events.
Born and raised in Middletown, Elisa says her family’s restaurant has provided her an opportunity to become better connected in and with the local community.
"You feel like you kind of know everyone and you’re giving back to the community.”
Esca Wine Bar & Restaurant
437 Main St., Middletown
Phone: 860-316-2552
Online: Escact.com
Hours:
Mon.-Wed., 11 a.m. to Midnight; Thursday, 11-1 a.m.; Thurs. & Fri., 11-2 a.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
We bring the flavors of Italy and our culture to our restaurant.