As the saying goes, out with the old, in with the new, and that can true with restaurants too. The owners of The Benjamin realized how powerful those words are upon purchasing the former Bernard’s Restaurant in Ridgefield. After being open for about six months, they revitalized and revamped the restaurant, rolling out a whole new menu and vibe.
“We wanted to continue the lineage of French cuisine, keeping with the property’s historically French offerings. Why go against the tide, when people for decades have known they could find delicious French food here,” said Dave Studwell who co-owns the restaurant, and Washington Prime in South Norwalk with Rob Moss and B;J. Lawless, of B.
J. Ryan’s Restaurant Group that owns B.J.
Ryan’s East, B.J. Ryan’s Pub, and B.
J. Ryan’s B·AN·C House, also in Norwalk. “We aimed for sophisticated and refined with French-inspired sauces and techniques that are involved in every state of cooking, especially the high-end level.
It was delicious, but not a lot of people wanted to come out for smoked trout, foie gras, or escargot. We knew we had to make a switch,” said Studwell, noting he felt the restaurant wasn’t connecting with the needs of the community. “We didn’t want to fall into a special occasion restaurant,” he said.
“Being more involved in the town of Ridgefield and seeing all the events, we realized how family-driven everything is in town.” The owners set about switching up the menu, and said they focused on w.