Sorry New Haven, sorry Stamford, sorry SoNo, sorry Hamden and sorry Connecticut, but Hartford still has the Nutmeg State’s best Restaurant Week—even if the organizers have christened it the Taste of Hartford. New Haven may boast the best collection of restaurants, but it’s $32 price tag serves only its upper-echelon restaurants well. Hartford has assembled a great collection of participating restaurants, and after an ill-advised price increase to $23 last year, has returned to holding the $20 line that hordes of adventurous diners can’t resist. After all, the name of this game is not maximizing short-term profit but courting new customers and reconnecting with old ones. Hartford also believes in a seven-day week, where some Restaurant Weeks exclude Saturday. And Hartford has even extended its promotion a second week. And downtown Hartford’s parking meters don’t run till nine in the evening, as New Haven’s now do.
The restaurants participating in the Taste of Hartford include: bin 228, Black Bear Saloon, Black Eyed Sally’s, Carbone’s Ristorante, Casa Mia, Casona, City Steam Brewery Café, Costa del Sol, Coyote Flaco, Dish Bar & Grill, Feng Asian Bistro, Ficara’s Restaurant, Firebox, First & Last Tavern, Francesco’s Ristorante & Lounge, Hot Tomato’s, J Restaurant/Bar, La Fonda, La Kerencya, Max Downtown, Morton’s The Steakhouse, M&M Bistro, Nutshell Café, O’Camelo, ON20, O’Porto, Peppercorns Grill, Piolin Restaurant, Salute, The Tavern, Tisane Euro-Asian Café, Trumbull Kitchen, U.S.S. Chowder Pot IV, Vaughn’s, Vito’s by the Park, Vivo, Wood-n-Tap, and Zula Bar & Restaurant.
We’re now in the second week of the July 23rd through August 5th Taste of Hartford, so anyone who wants to take advantage of the $20.12 promotion had better hurry up and do it! As always, calling ahead for reservations is strongly recommended.
On Monday of the second week of the Taste of Hartford, my daughter’s boyfriend, Jeff, and I visited Vivo Seasonal Trattoria in the Hartford Marriott. I was armed with my new iPad, which I was trying out in place of my usual Panasonic DMC-257 or occasional Canon EOS 10. We entered through the hotel lobby, with its gorgeous patterned marble floor
and ceiling that looks like the eye of an alien being—if you have a runaway imagination, as I do.
We found the entrance to the restaurant,
passed the bar area,
and proceeded to the hostess station.
The hostess led us to our table,
where we were given the regular menu,
the Taste of Hartford special menu,
and a wine list.
Vivo started us off with bread accompanied by peperoncino olive oil and a nice spread.
We liked the spread, which consisted of cream cheese, mascarpone, cilantro, cranberry and honey, so much we asked for a refill.
Our waitress then presented us with the Columbia Crest Merlot we had ordered,
and then poured us our wine.
We ordered everything on the Taste of Hartford menu, then took in our surroundings while we awaited our food. Vivo is one of the handsomest restaurants in Greater Hartford. The main kitchen is hidden from view, but this counter located in plain view sustains a great deal of activity.
Vivo’s large dining room was about half full, not bad for a Monday night, and the staff was kept busy.
We deduced that an attractive solo diner with a computer open on her table must have been a guest of the hotel as well as the restaurant.
But our attention soon turned away from our surroundings because Jeff had a question to pose me. He asked for the hand of my older daughter, Rebecca, in marriage, and I gladly acceded.
We celebrated the momentous occasion with a terrific Taste of Hartford meal. For appetizers, we enjoyed lobster bisque laced with sherry and garnished with crème fraîche
as well as truffle-scented wild mushroom risotto.
Both were delightful, but it was the arrival of our entrées, requiring two sets of hands,
that really got our juices flowing. We exclaimed over pan-seared bay scallops and zucchini served over herb risotto with smoked chili aïoli,
pistachio-crusted salmon with beets in a caramelized carrot vinaigrette,
and beef tournedos laced with a pink peppercorn demi-glace and served over horseradish-whipped potatoes.
For desserts, we swooned over local seasonal berries served with a pistachio sabayon and whipped cream
as well as hazelnut gelato drizzled with amaretto and topped with whipped cream and a biscotto.
All around us, we observed other diners enjoying Vivo Seasonal Trattoria as much as we were.
Who could resist such hospitality?
Vivo Seasonal Trattoria in the Hartford Marriott, 200 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford; 860-760-2333; www.vivohartford.com