I closed out the first week of the Taste of Hartford by visiting U.S.S. Chowder Pot IV.
Although I had dined at the Branford branch years ago, I had never visited the Hartford one. Well, it turned out I was hardly the only one with the idea. There was a constant stream of people coming and going.
People waited patiently for tables, the P.A. system resonating throughout the parking lot, waiting area and restrooms, announcing the next lucky group to be seated.
However, the sound of the P.A. system never reached the comfortable dining areas. Everywhere that I wandered, I saw hard-working staff tending to full tables
and people enjoying one another’s company almost as much as the food.
Here you see a couple having a great time,
but no one was having more fun than this little one (remember you can click on photographs to enlarge).
Nautical décor was everywhere (note the Taste of Hartford poster),
including this handsome sailing ship replica.
Ship lanterns hung over the bar
and raw bar station.
Of course, the lobster tank was more than mere decoration,
as was this dessert showcase.
However, as everyone knows, I’m all about the food, and boy can I tuck a lot of it away! Some of the specials—like Dungeness crab (which I was raised on in Oregon) and a nine-and-a-half-pound lobster—were so tempting I almost wavered in my purpose, but the Taste of Hartford menu offered plenty of temptation as well. Besides, the four-course menu was an extraordinarily good deal.
Our waitress, Melanie Jordan, brought us a warm loaf of bread glazed with honey butter.
For the first course, we had a choice of three soups. My companion ordered a nice New England clam chowder
while I had a creamy lobster bisque.
However, I was glad I requested a small taste of the Rhode Island clam chowder, because I liked it best of all.
For the second course, we had a choice of two salads. My companion selected the house salad, ordering a robust Gorgonzola dressing on the side,
while I chose the Caesar salad.
The bread, soup and salad had dented our appetites, but we had so much more to come. There were five entrée choices, from which we selected the irresistible lobster macaroni and cheese (made with housemade shells, sweet lobster meat and Vermont Cheddar)
and a ten-ounce end cut of slow-roasted prime rib served with horseradish sauce and au jus.
For sides, my companion chose a baked potato,
while I feasted on crinkle-cut fries.
However, thanks to the generosity of manager Suzanne White, we were able to photograph and sample the other three entrée choices, too.
I’m not normally a fan of fried seafood, but this mountain of scallops, clam strips, shrimp and fillet of sole was so beautifully and lightly battered that I kept finding my fingers stealing back for more.
Another winner was the baked stuff shrimp, which you see with a side of rice pilaf.
But the absolute prize of the evening, which I brought home, untouched, an hour later to my happy waiting wife, was the steamed chick lobster.
My wife, who grew up on her family fish farm raising tiger prawns, milkfish and crabs, exclaimed over the lobster’s freshness. “Of course, Honey,” I laughed. “That lobster was wandering around a tank two hours ago.”
We still had one course to go—dessert! Chowder Pot offered New York-style cheesecake in one of three preparations: with strawberries, chocolate sauce or caramel sauce. I chose the strawberries,
while my companion chose the caramel sauce.
We thanked our attentive waitress, Melanie (left), and the ever-so-helpful restaurant manager, Suzanne,
and then left Chowder Pot with broad smiles on our faces.
U.S.S. Chowder Pot IV, 165 Brainard Road, Hartford, 860-244-3311