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Stamford Welcomes Cask Republic To Summer Street Restaurant Scene

STAMFORD, Conn. – With 52 draft beers, a fireplace and a casual pub atmosphere, customers at Stamford’s newest restaurant can understand why they call it a "communal tavern."

The new Stamford restaurant Cask Republic on Summer Street boast more than 50 types of craft beers from all over the world.

The new Stamford restaurant Cask Republic on Summer Street boast more than 50 types of craft beers from all over the world.

Photo Credit: Alissa Smith
The new Stamford restaurant Cask Republic opened to the public in mid-December. The owners say they have had an excellent reception from patrons.

The new Stamford restaurant Cask Republic opened to the public in mid-December. The owners say they have had an excellent reception from patrons.

Photo Credit: Alissa Smith
Cask Republic joined the Stamford restaurant scene in mid-December.

Cask Republic joined the Stamford restaurant scene in mid-December.

Photo Credit: Alissa Smith
The high-top tables at the Cask Republic include plugs for patrons to charge up.

The high-top tables at the Cask Republic include plugs for patrons to charge up.

Photo Credit: Alissa Smith
Cask Republic, a new Stamford restaurant, has joined the lineup on Summer Street.

Cask Republic, a new Stamford restaurant, has joined the lineup on Summer Street.

Photo Credit: Alissa Smith

It took the restaurant group Skal seven months to open its new restaurant after signing the lease in May. In those months, the owners completely revamped the building area, including ripping down walls to open up a second dining room that can be rented out by larger groups.

One of the restaurant's concepts was to make customers feel comfortable, and they accomplish that by layering the restaurant, from couch seating by the fire to high-top tables with outlets for customers to plug in and booth tables.

“So much of what we’re doing is globally inspired,” said Christian Burns, a principal in the Skal group. And that includes everything from the beer list to the menu. “One of the major things here is that the food is going to be in the front.”

The creation of memorable food for the Cask Republic menu is something that Executive Chef Carl Carrion has been doing for the past year. Several of the items on the menu he tested as specials at the groups other restaurants such as the Gingerman in Greenwich and Norwalk.

“For this one I wanted to do a more sharing menu,” Carrion said. He is one of the many chefs following a trend that gives diners more opportunities to share menu items rather than stick to the traditional appetizer, dinner and dessert.

Items such as the short rib meatball and duck comfit pizza are consistently sold out by the end of the night.

But the menu doesn’t stay the same for long, Carrion said. The kitchen cooks everything from scratch, so they have the opportunity to work with different items. A selection that was on the menu one week might not be there the next. “We like to do stuff today for today and tomorrow for tomorrow,” the chef said.

Some customers stay for hours, starting with appetizers and drinks in front of the fire before moving to a table for dinner and back to the sofas for after-dinner drinks, Burns said.

“It’s a very nice place to stay for hours,” Carrion said.

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