Consiglio's Restaurant, located at 165 Wooster Street in New Haven, on one of the city's quaintest boulevards, has provided fine Italian dining for more than seven decades. As a family business, it is a legend. This summer again it is sending out tasty tendrils, combining delicious food with hilarious entertainment.
Mark your calendars immediately for the first offering on Friday, July 12 at 6 p.m. for ''What's Amore?," an evening about LOVE in all its aspects, in story, songs and memories. At 7 p.m. emcee Michael Sayers promises an interactive variety show with lots of laughs, games, contests and, of course, audience participation, No shrinking violets allowed. Only hearty sunflowers need apply.
A whole evening focused on love will take you along on a "fairy tale relationship to help a poor, unfortunate lady select her mate." Couples will be encouraged to play a Newlywed-type game "So You Think You Know Somebody?" as well as enter "Now That's Love Contest," a duet singing contest in the style of Captain and Tennille, with the tune "Love Will Keep Us Together." Wonderful and familiar Broadway and pop songs will be included, topped off with a special guest appearance by celebrity Joel Vig, star of "Hairspray" on Broadway and a fabulous writer who has composed a one woman show for Tammy Grimes as well as his own material as Sinthea Starr. Joel will perform a new verbal monologue in a wonderfully witty way all about love.
This variety show combined with dinner will offer appetizers such as eggplant Napoleon, layered with spinach, mushrooms, roasted red peppers and mascarpone, drizzled with balsamic glaze or a fresh crisp Caesar salad with homemade croutons and parmesan cheese. For the main course, of which there are eight choices, you might select parmesan panko crusted Tilapia, topped with artichoke hearts and capers in a lemon garlic wine sauce or chicken Amalfi, a boneless chicken breast sauteed with sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts, in a balsamic reduction sauce over linguine. For dessert, select a sweetness between chocolate mousse cake or Godiva Tiramisu.
For reservations ($55), not including tax, tip or beverages, call 203-865-4489. There are still a few openings for Consiglio's wildly successful four course cooking demonstrations ($65) on Friday, July 19 when homemade porcini mushroom ravioli will be prepared, topped with grilled chicken. Watch the preparations and then dine on the delicious finished products. Dates in August are Thursdays, August 8 and 15. Go to www.consiglios.com for more information.
Future evenings will provide mysteries to solve so get your Sherlock Holmes hat and magnifying glass ready for "The Butler Did It" on Friday, July 26.
The trick here is that in addition to the butler named Jeeves, everyone gathered at the reading of the will is named Butler. So which one did it?
The next mystery night will be "Now You Dunnit" on Friday, August 23.
In the middle will be another evening of song and story on Saturday, August 10, "Solo Duo Duet," with James Noble of "Benson" television fame doing a humorous staged reading of "The Candidate," about a politician who has to apologize to his constituents for a sexual indiscretion. The evening will also include games like "The Addams Family" and "TV Music Trivia" as well as a Scavenger Hunt that pits one half of the audience against the other.
Michael Sayers has written more than sixty murder mysteries, as recently as one this morning, over the last two decades. "I can blink and come up with a mystery, " he boasts, "and I use the best improv artists in the state." All year long he takes his troupe to colleges, universities and corporations from Maine to Maryland and as far west as Ohio. For the last fifteen years, he has been a fixture at New Jersey's Monmouth University where he continually sells out. "We work harder and have more fun. We enjoy it as much as the audience does. Our plot is paper thin, as long as we have a reason to gather, a birth, wedding, birthday, Irish wake, anniversary, reading of the will. It's like a game of 'Clue" and there are six possible endings and the audience votes. The actors know who the victim is but they have no idea who is the killer. It keeps everyone on their toes."
For five years, Sayers performed on Camelot Cruises and would be happy to find another ship to sail his mysteries on in the future. "Now You Dunnit" on Friday, August 23 will be such an evening where the audience provides suggestions as to motives, characters and victims. "For us, it's pure comedy, " states Sayers, "and we giggle until we get there."
Spotlight one or all of these special summer events and let Consiglio's Restaurant and actor Michael Sayers entertain you with a yummy meal and a delightful night of fun.
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