Rocco's Restaurant Closes its Doors, Will Reopen as Pine Social

Rocco's Italian Kitchen has closed its doors.

The Pine Street restaurant is currently undergoing renovations and will reopen on Saturday, September 12 under the name Pine Social.  The new restaurant will feature reupholstered banquettes, new lighting and a "plush" lounge area in the front of the restaurant, owner Joe Rocco said. 

"We're responding to feedback from our customers," he said.  "We're addressing the sound issue.  When we were busy it got pretty loud."

In addition to the interior design changes, the menu will be getting a makeover, too.

"Being  an Italian restaurant was restricting our chef," Rocco said. "He wanted to try new things. We're going to create an upscale tavern menu. It will be an American menu with Italian, French and Mediterranean influences."

While renovations are taking place in the dining room, Chef Adam Truelove and his team are at work in the kitchen, creating new dishes.

"This is an exciting opportunity," he said as he sliced a red onion.

Liza Sama and her sons Sebastian, 12, and Aidan, 6, of Greenwich, peered through the locked glass doors this afternoon.   "We came after our annual pediatrician visit," Sama said. "We really like it." 

Brent Haney was disappointed, too, to learn the restaurant was closed.  Haney, who works across Pine Street at Whitcomb, Haney College Placement is a fan of Rocco's.

"It was their first family restaurant," he said.  "They had to figure it out.  It wasn't for lack of effort."

Rocco owns eight Planet Pizza restaurants in the region, and will open a ninth in Danbury this fall.  "We have a solar system of nine planets," he said.  "But this is our first upscale restaurant."