New Business: D'Oro Brings Italian Charm to Main Street

It's the good food and warm ambiance that should drive you to D'Oro, Main Street's new Italian restaurant that opened on Thursday. At least that's how owner Sam Bruncaj sees it.

"We are local. We don't have a big name or a cook," Bruncaj said this afternoon inside the restaurant space, which formerly housed Fuoco until that restaurant closed in January. "But we are good quality."

D'Oro is the first restaurant that Bruncaj has owned, but he brings an impressive restaurant pedigree with him. He has worked at Da Benito in Union, Il Capriccio in Whippany and Tosca in Hanover, and in the meantime built up his knowledge of what makes a restaurant tick. When the space at 219 Main Street opened, he decided to fix it up a bit and put in his own place.

He's proud of the ceiling, in particular, which he had redone. He plans to continue remodeling the space as time goes on.

"See how beautiful it is," he gushes, pointing up toward the rafters.

Bruncaj knows Chatham well—he lived here for 17 years. "It's beautiful," he says.

He's been putting in long hours since the restaurant opened last week to make sure everything is clicking nicely. He goes over to check on photographers taking photos for the restaurant's eventual Web site (it will be up in two weeks) and then walks over to the front to greet a member of the community requesting a menu.

"It's the first one [I own]," he said. "The first one—you've got to be good. You've got to make this happen."

The restaurant's menu offers dishes such as pescatrice (monkfish) brodetto, galletto mattone (cornish hen) and pork chop giambota, and also offers a wide selection of pastas and other traditional Italian fare.

It also serves up desserts, such as a chocolate cake that drew murmurs from those inside the restaurant this afternoon.

Bruncaj is confident people will enjoy their experiences at D'Oro.

"When they see me, they know what they want, because I've been so long in the industry," he says.

D'Oro Ristorante. 219 Main St.; 973-701-6990. Open Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Sunday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. (the menu changes from lunch to dinner at 3:30 p.m.). BYOB. Reservations recommended, especially on weekends. Major credit cards accepted.