Downtown Gets A Steakhouse

The city’s Restaurant Week kicked off Monday with the opening of a new steakhouse downtown.

Mayor Toni Harp broke out the giant scissors for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 212 College St. on the first floor of the College & Crown luxury apartment building that opened in 2015. The building also is home to clothing retailer J. Press.

Harp said Monday that she has made the ribbon-cutting rounds to recently opened restaurants that serve Cajun-Creole, Peruvian, Turkish and even Hawaiian food. The openings solidify the city’s reputation as a destination for foodies, she said.

“If you will pardon the expression, it’s quite a mouthful to list all of the opportunities for fine dining,” Harp said. ​“New Haven’s reputation as a destination for foodies has grown. There is no limit to the variety of excellent, interesting food to enjoy. And it highlights the fact that for a great meal with fresh ingredients, representing cultures around the world, you must come to New Haven to eat.”

Jack’s is the latest venture by restaurateurs Bladimir and Marco Siguenza, two brothers from Ecuador, who have found success in the steakhouse business. They were the owners of Washington Prime, which had locations in South Norwalk and Georgetown. They sold that business in May.

Marco Siguenza said it made sense to open the restaurant here because the city does not have a steakhouse (Central Steakhouse is now closed).The restaurant employs about 30 people and features prime cuts of steak along with seafood. The restaurant also has private dining space available for parties and business events.

“This is a beautiful city that needs a steakhouse,” he said.

City Economic Development chief Matthew Nemerson called the opening of Jack’s a testament to the Harp administration’s strategy of requiring downtown developers to create retail space on the first floor of their apartment buildings so that the streets stay active and alive.

Town Green Special Services District’s Win Davis called the opening of Jack’s and the construction of luxury apartment complex about it an example of how far downtown New Haven has come.

“Ten years ago, this was a parking lot, and we were having some issues trying to make sure that it looked and felt like a part of downtown,” Davis said Monday. ​“Now, this is a part of downtown to show off to everybody.”