Fiddlers on the Roof  Italian restaurant opens on Fiddler's Green In Simsbury.
A restaurant on a roof promises delicious fresh cooked Italian meals.

Fiddler's on the Roof at Fiddler's Green in downtown Simsbury opened Wednesday, Nov. 25th, one day before Thanksgiving.

First cousins Dino and Benny Cecunjanin, who share a love for Italian cuisine, partnered in the venture, with Dino donning a chef's hat and apron, creating his masterpieces in the kitchen.

The pair has joined forces on restaurants in the past and is from a family entrenched in the restaurant world. They have owned - with other partners - restaurants including Fiores in Middletown, Campagnia's in Portland and Portofino in Kensington

And While the brothers have moved on to other ventures, the restaurants remain open, a point of which they are proud, stating that they never owned anything that has failed.

"Our family, we have restaurants all over the place, Connecticut, even Florida and New York." said Dino. " We have 20 restaurants, probably, or 30, I don't even know. If i count,probably more."

Dino learned to prepare exquisite Italian meals in Montenegro, where the brothers were born, and moved to the U.S. 18 years ago, following another brother. Here, he practiced the art of cooking and honed his skills, then, eight years after he arrived in this country, Benny followed. "We chase our family, no?" Dino said.

Relocating to the states was also about increased opportunities, said the brothers, who also spoke of white picket fences and making their dreams come true.

Opening night was deliberately soft, the brothers said, explaining that they did not want a large crowd that first night as they did not want the wait staff pressured so soon. Still, diners seemed pleased, they said.

"They love the food." Benny said. "They clean their plates, they clean them up, they like the prices," Dino chimed in. "Everything is made fresh."

Dino shares cooking duties with Joe Pereira, the chef and owner of Portobello's in Plainville, which closed a couple of years ago, much to this reporter's dismay.

At Portobello's, Pereira made delicious meals from fresh ingredients and weekly drew a crowd of eager hungry folk to his dining room.

On Friday, Nov. 27th, Pereira sparked up the gas stove and heated olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and flavorful spices and such over shooting flames until the aroma of fresh sauce permeated the kitchen. The Chicken Parmagiano he made - not an actual menu item - was just as delightful as the reporter remembered.

"We have anything you want. We make it for you - chicken, veal, anything," Benny said. "If you want something we don't have on the menu, ask the wait staff."

Waiter Andrew Godiksen reiterated that not only will he and his staff bring diners' requests to the chefs, they will also make their own suggestions for food and wine choices, and answer any and all questions.

"If one of the wait staff doesn't know, they will go looking for Benny, Dino or Joe, and they'll give them the answer they need," he assured.

-Sloan Brewster is a Staff writer for The Valley Press.