The Benjamin in Ridgefield Changes Philosophy To Be "More Approachable"

An all-American style burger pushes out The Benjamin’s French inspired burger in what’s almost a full personality change for the restaurant.

From “a uniquely American, French inspired restaurant and bar” to “a uniquely American, globally inspired restaurant and bar.”

For The Benjamin—which opened just before last summer in the former Bernard’s Restaurant and Sarah’s Wine Bar space—and owners Rob Moss and Dave Studwell of Washington Prime and B.J. Lawless of B.J. Ryan’s, B.J. Ryan’s East, and BanC House, they knew that a year later they’d have to switch up the restaurant’s philosophy.

Lawless, Moss, and Studwell dressed to the nines a year ago. Don’t worry, they still look great, but you won’t catch them rocking suits anymore. Instead? Polos and jeans.

“Before, we had button down shirts on,” Studwell says. “We ditched the ties and left that attitude somewhere else. It’s all about guest relations and having fun.”

Call it a pivot if you want, but according to Studwell, it wasn’t just one thing that needed changing.

“I’d like to say it was one thing,” he says. “Honestly, we were high on French, but not everyone wants caviar, foie gras, and smoked trout all the time. Ridgefield is a family driven town and we didn’t realize that.”

Masa fried and parm tossed calamari with lemon-dill tartar sauce. They still serve seafood, but it’s not as prominent on the menu the way it was when The Benjamin opened its doors.

“We were probably 90 percent seafood,” Studwell says. “We barely had any appetizers that weren’t seafood.”

Pictured: pork belly with apple, jicama, and red cabbage slaw, cilantro dressing.

Little Gem Caesar - pickled onions, garlic breadcrumbs, homemade Caesar dressing. A dish from the first menu that customers told them has to stay and one that they should leave untweaked.

Studwell, who’s a father, also said that initially, The Benjamin missed the mark when it came to families with children.

“Mom and dad were coming in having a nice meal and a bottle of wine, but they weren’t bringing their kids,” he says. “Some kids would order a filet and lyonnaise potatoes, but those kids are few and far between. We didn’t want to be the place that kept chicken fingers in the back as a what if.”

Specials, like these gluten free masa fried oysters with chipotle crema and fresh pico de gallo, will be more common here now, too, whereas before they were not.

The Ernest Daiquiro (Diplomatico Planas Rum, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, fresh squeezed grapefruit + lime - their take on a classic Hemingway

Veal, beef, and pork blend meatballs, tomato sauce, polenta

And with a personality change, comes a new (but old) chef in Vicente Santa Cruz, who was Studwell and Moss’ head chef at Washington Prime’s former Georgetown location. Santa Cruz replaced Benjamin Traver, whose contract was up, plus The Benjamin’s new direction wasn’t the right fit, so a mutual parting of ways made sense.

The popular leftovers from The Benjamin, version 1.0 can still be had; the raw bar, the roasted chicken, Polynesian tuna tartare, olive oil poached halibut, and the little gem Caesar with pickled onions, garlic breadcrumbs, and homemade dressing, all dishes that guests specifically told them to keep around.

Roasted Pineapple Sour - bourbon, caramelized pineapple purée, lemon, simple, egg white

What else made sense for the Moss, Studwell, and Lawless trio was to bring over some already successful dishes from their respective Norwalk restaurants.

“The steak tartare (shallots, parsley, parmesan, truffle vinaigrette, quail egg) we brought up here from Washington Prime and the pork chop martini from B.J. Ryan’s East that has taken over as their number one entrée there,” Studwell says. “It’s a bone-in chop, pounded out, breaded and parmesan crusted, fried, cherry peppers, marble potatoes, toasted garlic. It’s scarp style pork. B.J. absolutely wanted that dish on this menu.”

Proper mid rare on a filet. And while it’s not a Washington Prime preparation, the guys thought they should add a few steaks to the new menu.

Pork Chop Martini—call it scarp if you prefer.

More additions include a fresh poke bowl, a few high-quality steaks served with grilled asparagus, mashed potatoes, and green peppercorn sauce, and a completely different version of “The Benjamin Burger” that you’ve likely had at Washington Prime before.

“The burger before was trying to be something too fancy,” Studwell says. “It was a giant, mouthwatering wagyu patty, raclette, Dijon aioli, pickled onions, and cornichons. The one at Prime is just a good, all-American burger.”

And while you’ll still find a touch of The Benjamin’s former fanciness, the guys made sure to add a bunch of small plates meant for table sharing at an affordable price point and cut back on being overly seafood driven.

“There were really no table sharing options before, so we expanded those and made them family friendly and approachable,” Studwell says. “We scaled the price point down. We were priced higher than most restaurants in town. We don’t want to be just the special occasion place. Come get a burger and wine one night and come back another night for a birthday party. We don’t want to be a place that you come to every six months.”

Studwell says of Knauer: “We, personally, used to say no to desserts, but we can’t with her here.”

The Benny Bar - caramelia mousse, chocolate glaze, candied hazelnuts, chocolate cookie

But what hasn’t changed at The Benjamin is their ridiculously talented pastry chef, and 2023 CRAzies nominee, Melissa Knauer, who’s making the restaurant’s homemade ciabatta (a switch from sourdough) with three different butters, and stunning desserts that regardless of if you visited last year or during this new iteration, you absolutely should save room for.

Her dessert menu frequently changes, so there’s no telling what you’ll encounter.

“I’m working on lots of specials,” she says. “Things I haven’t really done before. I want to make it so you won’t say, ‘I don’t want that.’”

The Benjamin, version 2.0. Here we go.

20 West Lane, Ridgefield
475.275.6001, thebenjaminrestaurant.com