Owner Of Multiple Norwalk Restaurants Teams Up With Chef To Open New Italian Eatery

NORWALK, CT — BJ Lawless, restauranteur and owner The BJ Ryan's Group, plans to open his fourth restaurant in Norwalk later this year in a longstanding building near the city's Wall Street area.

Falco, a BJ Ryan's restaurant, will be located at 2 Wilton Avenue in a building that once housed a number of other local eateries, including The Lighthouse and Ash Creek Saloon.

In addition to the original BJ Ryan's bar and restaurant on Main Street, Lawless also owns nearby BBQ restaurant BanC House and East Norwalk pizza restaurant and bar BJ Ryan's East.

According to Lawless, the idea to open up a fourth restaurant in town came from a desire to team up with Jared Falco, an acclaimed chef who previously co-founded Bar Rosina's in Greenwich.

"I was just such a huge fan of Jared and especially his cuisine," Lawless said to Patch, "that when I found out he was available...it just all kind of clicked. He and I have known each other for many years."

In addition to featuring Falco's Italian-style cuisine, the restaurant's menu will also offer some BJ Ryan's favorites.

According to Lawless, Falco specializes in homemade pastas and also plans to offer a number of sharing plates.

Overall, the new eatery aims to be a place for everyone with an "old New York Italian restaurant" vibe, Lawless said.

"Our hope is you can come in with your kids and they can grab a pizza," Lawless said, "or you can come in with your wife and have a wonderful sit down dinner and drink a bottle of wine and everything in between."

The restaurant will also emphasize using quality ingredients, something Lawless feels will help it stand out among other Italian-style restaurants.

"That's a big part of what [Falco] does," Lawless said, "is using some of the best and freshest ingredients to kind of bring his cuisine to the next level."

Lawless admitted he was unsure whether he would have opened another restaurant in Norwalk if the opportunity to team up with Falco had not presented itself, but ultimately he felt there was still enough room on this side of the city to grow.

"I've kind of immersed myself in the Wall Street area, in the redevelopment of the community here, and there's really nothing cuisine-wise like Jared's food in this area," Lawless said, "so I really felt it was convenient to be so close to the other restaurants, we do have a fanbase. Also that particular spot is directly off of the [Route 7] Connector, so people that are in Fairfield County that know Jared's cuisine, it's a fairly easy spot to get to."

While a number of restaurants that have recently come and gone inside 2 Wilton Avenue tried to work with what was already there, Lawless said he decided to mostly gut the inside and essentially start from scratch, revamping both the interior and exterior of the building.

"It's going to be a completely different restaurant as far as what anyone has ever seen in that spot," Lawless said, "which I think then gets away from anyone's preconceived notions about what it was."

Lawless said he also tried to keep some of the historical aspects of the building, which has existed for over 100 years and once housed a hat factory.

As of this month, the restaurant is currently still on track for a planned opening in October, according to Lawless.

"You're always excited to open something that's brand new," Lawless said. "I think anybody that goes to the other restaurants will see what we've tried to bring from the BJ Ryan's brand. At the end of the day, I know I sound like a broken record but I'm just excited to bring [Falco's] cuisine to Norwalk."