STAMFORD, CT — Nestled off Newfield Avenue within the Sterling Farms Golf Course sits The Royal Green, a modern American steakhouse and hidden gem that fills the need for a higher-end restaurant in the northern part of Stamford.
Owner Ari Thanos took over the food service at the public golf course at 1349 Stillwater Ave., in November 2019 with the agreement to open The Royal Green within a year.
But the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and Thanos focused on getting The Stillery Restaurant & Bar up and running, a sister restaurant a stone’s throw away conveniently right by Curtain Call/The Kweskin Theatre on the same property.
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Thanos used The Royal Green building and outdoor area for private parties and events, but now after a year of interior renovations, upgrades and planning, the restaurant officially soft-opened this past November.
The idea was to create a higher-end dining option in a cozy environment for Stamford residents, especially in the northern section. Thanos hopes to tap into neighboring communities like Norwalk, New Canaan, Darien and Westchester County, N.Y.
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“I want to give diners different options for food. If you want a high-end restaurant, we have a high-end restaurant right here in The Royal Green,” Thanos said, noting the ample parking available on the property. “If you want a pub, family-restaurant, we have that in The Stillery.”
Portions at The Royal Green are generous, and the menu has a variety of options and tastes.
“You go to various steakhouses and they give you this little piece of steak, and you’re like, “That’s it?” Thanos said. “We ‘wow’ people with the size of the portion, plus the taste of the food as well.”
The eclectic menu starts off with hors d’oeuvres, such as a grilled corn & Maryland crab cornbread crumble dish, or the cashew-crusted calamari, which features a hot and sour citrus glaze and a Thai peanut dipping sauce, to name a couple.
A unique Caesar salad comes in an edible, crispy parmesan cheese basket, with polenta croutons and marinated white sardines.
Entrees include seafood options like pesto-crusted Chilean sea bass or a coriander & peppercorn medallion of tuna. There is also a maple leaf roast duck dish, lamb shank osso buco and a Heritage loin pork chop.
Pasta dishes include a gnocchi Romano bolognese, or butternut squash ravioli.
Steaks from the grill are all certified black Angus, and come out on piping hot plates cooked to the guest’s liking.
The bone-in New York sirloin is $46, and the bone-in ribeye is $49. There is a porterhouse steak for two at $98, a Colorado loin veal chop at $46, and Colorado loin lamb chops for $49.
The fruits de mer, which includes lobster, jumbo shrimp and jumbo sea scallops with a lemon garlic butter sauce for dipping, and the barrel cut filet mignon, are $49 each and favorites for Thanos.
There are sides like crispy parmesan truffle tater tots, cornmeal fried red onions, or traditional steakhouse sides like creamed spinach, sautéed wild mushrooms or onions, and more.
Dessert options range from a chocolate bread pudding with banana whipped cream to a poached pear & fig strudel with vanilla ice cream.
There are a handful of featured cocktails available to go along with a wine list.
A list of menu specials changes from week to week, and special menus will be offered for holidays like Valentine’s Day.
Equally as impressive as the menu are the interior space and the ambiance.
The building is over 100 years old and operated by The Golf Authority of Stamford. It has housed several restaurants over the years, last occupied by Zody’s At Sterling. The city owns the 144-acre property, which was once an active dairy farm.
Thanos and his team weren’t allowed to touch the exterior of the building, but the inside was transformed and refreshed with new paint, flooring, wallpaper, lighting and furniture.
Fordham Marble, a family-owned Stamford business, helped refresh the fireplaces and granite/marble features within the building.
There is an upper floor to the restaurant that The Royal Green hopes to utilize in the future, perhaps for a bridal suite or private dining area.
“When you walk in, I feel like you’re escaping into a very cozy house,” Thanos said. “When you’re walking in, you feel like you’re walking home and you’re going to have a home-cooked meal and you’re going to escape the normalcy of your everyday routine by being there.”
The main dining room area has French doors which open up to an outdoor patio in the summer that overlooks one of the holes on the golf course.
The sunroom, which is a small extension of the building, offers a cozy alcove and view out to the property where private events can be held. Overall between the two spaces and bar area, about 100 people can sit comfortably.
Dining at The Royal Green feels like you’ve been whisked away from Stamford and into a famed New York City steakhouse. The Sterling Farms Golf Course is a public course, but Thanos said he tries to make it feel like guests are dining in an exclusive club.
“We try to make everyone feel like they’re a member,” he said. “I think overall, once you see the value you get in terms of pricing and the size of the portions and the ambiance, I think it’s a great value proposition to diners.”
The Royal Green and The Stillery are under the ownership of the Thanos Restaurant Group.
A 20-plus year veteran in the restaurant industry, Thanos also owns The Stamford Diner, which was featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives” last summer; The Mirage Restaurant & Café in New Rochelle, N.Y., and The Pleasantville Diner in Pleasantville, N.Y.
He also has plans to take over The Westchester Diner in Peekskill, N.Y., over the next few months.
The Royal Green is currently open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday.
The bar opens at 4 p.m., and dinner runs from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Thanos said in the future he hopes to open for lunch and brunch on Saturday and Sunday, and eventually open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
For more information on The Royal Green or to make a reservation, check out their website and follow them on Instagram.
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