Wendy Logan photo

Pulled pork sandwich

The Little Pub
59 Ethan Allen Hwy., Ridgefield, (203) 544-9222

Good economy or bad, sometimes the relative success of a business rests simply on being in the right place at the right time. Kevin McCue, one of the original owners of the highly-regarded Match restaurant in SoNo, clearly gets this. In July, he opened The Little Pub in Ridgefield in an area off Route 7 next to the Branchville train station that's largely devoid of quality dining options. The place has been jamming ever since.

While the tavern-style menu covers all the traditional pub staples, one of the chef's personal favorite starters, or "Little Plates," is a signature chicken tortilla soup. It is as close as I have ever found to a version I enjoyed in Mexico City many years ago. The aromatic and rich puree is cumin-laden, studded with hefty chunks of boneless chicken, and topped with perfectly crisp strips of white corn tortillas.

The generously portioned chicken quesadilla is likewise loaded with chicken and oozing with a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack. Alongside comes a fan of perfectly ripe avocado slices and a tangy cilantro-lime infused sour cream. While undeniably tasty, a bit of heat — perhaps a dice of fresh jalapenos — would've kicked them up considerably.

As a final appetizer, we try the salt and pepper calamari. Dusted with coarse sea salt and cracked black peppercorns, the squid is tender, the batter not at all greasy. A trio of dipping sauces includes a creamy remoulade and a garlic aioli, which are somewhat similar, and a spicy fra diavolo which is a bit over-chilled.

Next, we try the ahi tuna tacos. The dish comes with three warm, soft flour tortillas and a beautiful row of sashimi-grade seared tuna slices crusted with sesame seeds. Adding some shreds of the grilled pineapple, mint, and jicama salsa and a drizzle of the wasabi and lemon yogurt sauce, we roll our own and happily dig in (although the wasabi is a bit lost in the sauce; its added heat would've balanced the dish out to perfection).

It's worth noting that all the sandwiches at The Little Pub are served on chewy, lofty-soft rolls. The Little Pub fish sandwich is an example. It features a thick piece of exceptionally mild, Bass Ale–battered Atlantic cod, fried to golden brown and served with very fresh iceberg lettuce, a red-ripe tomato slice and tartar sauce. While it's a solid example of the classic sandwich, the fries, in their supporting role, steal the show.

Handcut, neither fast food–thin nor cakey-thick, these heavenly, seemingly greaseless french fries are crisp to the bite, soft inside, and salted just so. After trying them, we understood why they're offered on their own as an appetizer, sprinkled with Parmesan and served with smoked bacon mayonnaise, blue cheese dressing and the aforementioned garlic aioli. A basket of these with a few beers sounds like game day to us, and we make a note to return for them during football season.

The mark of a great pub has to be its burger, and while we find that there's a veggie and a turkey option, we are compelled to sink our teeth into a standard bacon and cheeseburger. It arrives cooked exactly to our specifications, the meat just a tad undersalted, but with thick cut slices of crisp, lean bacon and melted sharp cheddar cheese, it's a hit. It comes with the same fantasy fries, and our teen expert gives it the thumbs up.

Our favorite dish by far is the pulled pork sandwich. The lean, fork-shredded pork is slow-cooked and bathed in a sweet and smoky, truly mouth-watering barbecue sauce. Topped with a creamy, tangy, crunchy cole slaw that counts as one of the top 10 we've ever tried, this sandwich, which is served appropriately with thin-sliced sweet potato fries, simply rocks.

Dessert at The Little Pub is all about pie, and we sample three different hefty slices, each accompanied by a spin-arty swirl of sauce on the side. The honey-heavy pecan pie is soft and just a touch too sweet for our taste. We're happier with the Mississippi mud pie, whose sauce provides a cinnamon hint that cuts through the richness of the three-inch dark chocolate filling. But it's the peanut butter pie that takes the proverbial cake. Coated on the outside with crushed Oreos, topped with mini Reese's cups, and dotted through its fluffy, creamy, peanut buttery filling with peanut butter chips and bits of chocolate, we ignore our full bellies and devour every bite.

Housed in an unusual 1920s building that was originally built as a pub, with fireplaces inside and out and the promise of winter pub favorites like shepherd's and beef and Guiness pie, The Little Pub is poised to become a regular stop on our dining circuit heading into fall and beyond.