Where to dine in Harford, CT?

[Scargo]

I live in the New Haven area of Connecticut and am often in the Hartford area. Usually I'm just passing thru (to the airport or to go skiing). I could/would stop there and eat more often if I knew where to go.

I am bummed by the fact that I see very little (on eGullet) about dining in Hartford. I want to eat there and don't know what to try, other than Pastis, near the coliseum, where we have been twice.... We are open to almost any type of food, except hotdogs

More towards fine dining is our preference, though we love good BBQ!

So what's up with so little info coming out of Hartford? Surely there is some good dining to be had and there's not a ban on talking about it! Come on eGulleters!

[SweetSide]

Trumbull Kitchen, also near the civic center is very good. Associated with that restaurant group is also Max Downtown, which is also good, but I haven't eaten at that Max restaurant personally.

In West Hartford, Bricco's (Italian) and Grant's are both good. Been to both myself. Max's Oyster Bar (of the above Max group) is also in West Hartford and gets good reviews, but I don't like that type of food, so haven't gone. All are but 4 miles from Hartford and easy access to the highway for your travels.

[bushey]

Trumbull Kitchen is also part of the Max group. I haven't been there, but Max's Oyster Bar in West Hartford does a wonderful job with seafood. There are other Max group restaurants in the Hartford area -- Max's Downtown, near the civic center, is a very good steakhouse. Another place to try in Hartford is Peppercorn's, which always gets rave reviews and when they're on, the food is fabulous.

[SweetSide]

Ah, and I forgot that my husband highly recommends the Agave Grill for Mexican. Forget where exactly it is, but it is downtown Hartford. Walking distance from Travelers Tower.

[John]

e....  We are open to almost any type of food, except hotdogs

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Gee, that's too bad. Because Rosco's Big Dog on Franklin Ave. serves one of the best hot dogs that I've had. I made the trip from Jersey to sample their dogs. Maybe I can get you to reconsider?

[ludja]

I don't have any fine dining suggestions, but my sister took us to good Afghan restaurant:

SHISH KEBAB HOUSE OF AFGHANISTAN

360 Franklin Ave.

Hartford, CT

(860) 296-0301

We have lots of good Afghan restaurants in Silicon Valley and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. It's been a few years; is it stil up to snuff?

[Scargo]

Thanks everyone, so much! In my haste to make a decision (and the fact that my GF's birthday was recent) I wanted to take her to a romantic spot so I selected The Mill on the River, in nearby South Windsor (for tomorrow, lunch). Hope I/we won't be disappointed!

And no, I don't think I will reconsider hot dogs... What's up with the hot dog fanaticism up here (in the northeast)? It rates up there with pizza. Both are bad for you! Thanks anyway!

[John]

True, hot dogs and pizza may not be the best things to eat healthwise, but they sure do taste good! New Jersey and Connecticut along with New York have great pizza and dogs; that in part explains the fanaticism.

[Scargo]

John,

Pizza, I would agree with....Some can be excellent, taste great and not necessarily put you into coronary distress, but as John Stewart (of the Daily Show) would say......

"hot dogs..... not so much!"

I.E., I've basically given up greasy, unhealthy foods...... To each, his own....

[Scargo]

In my haste to make a decision (and the fact that my GF's birthday was recent) I wanted to take her to a romantic spot so I selected The Mill on the River, in nearby South Windsor (for tomorrow, lunch). Hope I/we won't be disappointed!

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I thought I'd report back on our experience at The Mill on the River...

We made a reservation for 11:30AM, when they open. It is a very pretty setting. The first thing I noticed was a plackard on the covered walkway (crossing the stream) that said they were "Zagat rated".

We ordered glasses of wine, crab cake and 6 oysters on the half-shell. They were out of the wine I ordered. We felt the crab cake was oily and lacked "crab". The presentation was nice and the cayenne tartar sauce, though very mild, was good. Really, one of the poorest crab cakes I have had in New England! I was not happy with the plump, perfect-sized oysters since four of the six had an off-puting reddish color around the edges and a funny flavor. I now feel sure this was rust from the oyster knife...

She had the Spicy Asian Pasta with sautéed chicken, shrimp, baby bok choy, and spinach with a spicy red bean sauce and sesame oil tossed with linguine pasta. It also had yummy porcini mushrooms, not mentioned on the menu. We both thought this dish was excellent.

I had the Redfish Nouvelle, their (quote) "signature dish, lightly blackened and topped with shrimp, scallops, and leaf spinach in a Mornay sauce, served with rice pilaf and zesty coleslaw". It actually came with a rice and peas sidedish and no slaw. It was good, but I felt both main entrees spent too long under the heat lamps.

Which brings me to a major gripe. We went early. They did come close to filling up inside till about 12:30PM. We could not get our waiter's attention and sat for a long time with empty wine glasses while eating. I was on my way to the bar to "order-it-myself" when he met me midway. We then got our wine and he made an excuse that he had just taken a large order. I don't know whether others feel this is a legitimate reason for poor service or not. Do you not, on occasion, delegate or ask for help?

The bill was $74, plus tax and tip. I thought it was good, overall, but not excellent. Though they could have used it on that beautiful Thursday, they did not have any outdoor seating yet available.

It got pretty noisy in the main room when they got busy. That, with the slip-ups in food and service, was a bit of a buzz-kill for a "romantic lunch".