Out tonight for a little dinner celebration with Jill and Cory. They frequently come out this way and have been here before. This restaurant is located in a beautiful location, very close to the Farmington river trail, Nepaug state forest and reservoir, so it is a perfect place to stop in the area. A very historic section of Canton, this building is very deceiving from the outside--once you get inside, it is a nicely decorated space, successfully marrying old and new, giving it a comfortable feel. They offer call-ahead seating, which we took advantage of, and we were seated right away.
We went with an appetizer to start--Jill chose the JW's Nachos--holy mess on a plate! The chips were buried under a mountain of guacamole, cheese, chili and jalapenos--a very messy dish. Shortly thereafter, warm bread was brought out to share. Then came our entrees--Cory had a salad with grilled chicken, Jill had the fish and chips (nice large pieces of fish battered and fried--it looked good!), Tom had the Bison burger with lettuce and tomato (it is on the pub menu, which you have to ask for when dining in for dinner) and I had the Stuffed Chicken with spinach, VT cheddar cheese and apples with an apple cider reduction, served with mashed potatoes and house veggies. My dish was nicely presented and well-priced, with the cider reduction being the star of the meal.
A very nice meal--the service was pleasant and the food was timely and filling. Tom and I agree that if we were in the area, we'd stop by but we wouldn't go out of our way to get here. Overall, a lovely evening with friends!
Monday, May 7, 2012
5/4/12-Arch Street Tavern, Hartford, CT
Came here for lunch with my clinical group to celebrate the last day of school EVER! I've never been here before but it was relatively easy to find with on and off street free parking (in Hartford? awesome!). Walking in, one of my classmates commented that it smelled like church--I wouldn't know, but it definitely has a worn and broken in feel to it--according to the website, the building was originally the Hartford Brick Carriage Factory, built in 1895, so yeah, it has some years on it. We sat at a big long wooden table in the middle of the restaurant and drinks all around were ordered--the Cabana for me--as we toasted to our final semester coming to an end.
The menu is a limited, no fuss, bar menu with the usual suspects--burgers, salads, sandwiches and wings. I went with the chicken caesar wrap--the waitress mentioned that it came with potato chips but for an additional $1.75, I could swap to french fries. For me, this was kinda off-putting, but I went with the fries so I could share with a classmate (they were nothing exciting, save your money and stick with the chips!). The wrap itself was good, especially because I asked to have mine with the cajun chicken to give it a little extra kick. Karolina had the buffalo chicken salad--at first glance, she was disappointed that the chicken just had a bit of buffalo sauce poured on it instead of the chicken being coated in it, but after a few bites, she said it was enjoyable. A cup of house chili, an apple gorgonzola salad and a burger were among some of the dishes ordered at the rest of our table, with no major complaints noted.
Overall, it was a nice lunch with the girls and a great way to end the semester, as this was one of the last times I'll see some of them--thanks for a great clinical experience! As a side note, considering the other choices that Hartford has to offer, and the fact that the food here just isn't that exciting, I'd go somewhere else first. This is more of a place to hang out at the bar after work and drink or to go hear some live music on the weekends, and there's nothing wrong with that.
The menu is a limited, no fuss, bar menu with the usual suspects--burgers, salads, sandwiches and wings. I went with the chicken caesar wrap--the waitress mentioned that it came with potato chips but for an additional $1.75, I could swap to french fries. For me, this was kinda off-putting, but I went with the fries so I could share with a classmate (they were nothing exciting, save your money and stick with the chips!). The wrap itself was good, especially because I asked to have mine with the cajun chicken to give it a little extra kick. Karolina had the buffalo chicken salad--at first glance, she was disappointed that the chicken just had a bit of buffalo sauce poured on it instead of the chicken being coated in it, but after a few bites, she said it was enjoyable. A cup of house chili, an apple gorgonzola salad and a burger were among some of the dishes ordered at the rest of our table, with no major complaints noted.
Overall, it was a nice lunch with the girls and a great way to end the semester, as this was one of the last times I'll see some of them--thanks for a great clinical experience! As a side note, considering the other choices that Hartford has to offer, and the fact that the food here just isn't that exciting, I'd go somewhere else first. This is more of a place to hang out at the bar after work and drink or to go hear some live music on the weekends, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
4/25/12-Griff's Chicken Shack, Hamden, CT
We've been here a few times and we never leave disappointed!
Stopped in for lunch today and both Tom and I got chicken tender baskets with french fries and coleslaw and the awesome dipping sauces--Island BBQ, honey mustard and blue cheese. I always try to get a different sauce, but it is so hard when the ones I've had are so good! The chicken is so juicy and huge, you will not leave hungry. They have a chicken tender eating contest (currently 32 tenders is the record) but you'll be satisfied with just a few! I also enjoyed the sweet tea--the real stuff! The owner is really nice, the food is fast and the atmosphere is relaxed and colorful--and today, he was playing Jimmy Buffett! Any place playing Jimmy has my vote!
http://www.griffschickenshack.com/
Stopped in for lunch today and both Tom and I got chicken tender baskets with french fries and coleslaw and the awesome dipping sauces--Island BBQ, honey mustard and blue cheese. I always try to get a different sauce, but it is so hard when the ones I've had are so good! The chicken is so juicy and huge, you will not leave hungry. They have a chicken tender eating contest (currently 32 tenders is the record) but you'll be satisfied with just a few! I also enjoyed the sweet tea--the real stuff! The owner is really nice, the food is fast and the atmosphere is relaxed and colorful--and today, he was playing Jimmy Buffett! Any place playing Jimmy has my vote!
http://www.griffschickenshack.com/
Monday, March 26, 2012
3/20/12-The Farmhouse Tap & Grill, Burlington, VT
Our last stop in Burlington before heading back to the B&B for the night was to get dinner at the Farmhouse. An old friend of mine works here and posts about the beers they have, which totally appeals to Tom and the menu looked pretty awesome, so we were happy to try it. Loved the space! They are a self-described "gastropub" and that feel definitely came through! Great size dining room with a laid-back, hipster feel to it, with an outdoor beer garden that was hastily opened for the beautiful weather that invaded Burlington in late March. Like many other VT places, they are connected with many local farms and producers, which always means that quality is fresh and excellent.
For beers, they have an amazing selection. Tom decided to try two of the hefenweizens they had on the list, while I went with a cider that was on draft, suggested by the waitress--she made a great call, it was crisp and light, just the way I like it! Before dinner, a paddle with four condiments was brought out--ketchup, whole grain mustard, house made bbq sauce (this was the one thing I was not a fan of!) and an aioli--nice touch for further customization of your burger! For dinner, I had a burger that was on the specials for the night, topped with local VT cheese and apples tossed in a balsamic dressing--juicy and a touch of sweet from the balsamic apples, I definitely enjoyed this! Tom had a burger as well, also with local VT cheese (I didn't try his because it disappeared so quickly!). The burgers both came with fries, which were "hand cut"--pretty good, nice and crispy! The burgers might seem a bit on the pricey side, but the locally sourced quality is worth the extra cash.
In all, we had a very nice dinner--everything was awesome from the service to the food to the bar.....would definitely return next time we're in town!
www.farmhousetg.com
For beers, they have an amazing selection. Tom decided to try two of the hefenweizens they had on the list, while I went with a cider that was on draft, suggested by the waitress--she made a great call, it was crisp and light, just the way I like it! Before dinner, a paddle with four condiments was brought out--ketchup, whole grain mustard, house made bbq sauce (this was the one thing I was not a fan of!) and an aioli--nice touch for further customization of your burger! For dinner, I had a burger that was on the specials for the night, topped with local VT cheese and apples tossed in a balsamic dressing--juicy and a touch of sweet from the balsamic apples, I definitely enjoyed this! Tom had a burger as well, also with local VT cheese (I didn't try his because it disappeared so quickly!). The burgers both came with fries, which were "hand cut"--pretty good, nice and crispy! The burgers might seem a bit on the pricey side, but the locally sourced quality is worth the extra cash.
In all, we had a very nice dinner--everything was awesome from the service to the food to the bar.....would definitely return next time we're in town!
www.farmhousetg.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)