Taste Of Hartford—Our Editorial Awards

The Taste of Hartford, which was extended an extra week, running from July 27th-August 9th, seemed to be a tremendous success overall. Thirty-two participating restaurants created special, usually-three-course, prix-fixe menus priced just $20.09. For the restaurant-going public, this promotion was a tremendous opportunity to try new restaurants or to revisit old favorites at an unbeatable price.

Naturally, the restaurants that seemed to be the most heavily patronized were the ones that were normally the priciest. The discrepancy between what it would normally cost to visit these restaurants and what it cost during the two-week promotion was the greatest, thereby providing the best savings by customers. But some of the less expensive venues also seemed to benefit from participating.

Different restaurants adopted different approaches, and here I’d like to offer a few words of advice. Several restaurateurs candidly expressed that they had reduced portion sizes for items featured on their Taste of Hartford menus. Some plate presentations disguised this fact more adroitly than others. In a few cases, it was painfully obvious. While a number of restaurants reduced their portion sizes, I don’t think that decision showed great vision. I didn’t point out who those restaurateurs might be, but careful inspection of my photographs would obviously tell the tale.

A few top restaurateurs made a real point of not shrinking their serving portions, realizing that this event provides a unique opportunity to court new customers and reward loyal returning customers. The smartest restaurateurs were those who maintained their regular portion sizes, offered at least two (preferably more) choices of appetizer, entrée and dessert, made sure that all items offered were intriguing ones, and even made some affordable drink specials available.

Based on my visits to roughly half of the participating restaurants, I’m releasing my own editorial awards. I realize these accolades are highly subjective, but I think it’s important to reward restaurants that did an outstanding job, to inform the public which restaurants those were, and to offer an incentive to all participating restaurants to expend the greatest effort to make this a successful and rewarding event.

So here goes…

BEST OVERALL RESTAURANT—COSTA DEL SOL

Several restaurants did a great job. Morton’s Steakhouse was one of my top picks, but it didn’t elect to join other restaurants in participating for a second week. Dish Bar & Grill also did a superior job. However, no restaurant in my eyes made more of the opportunity provided by Taste of Hartford than did Costa del Sol.

BEST NEWCOMER—MORTON’S STEAKHOUSE

The participation of Morton’s Steakhouse was a pleasant surprise for all. I hope that its decision not to extend its menu into the second week of the event doesn’t indicate reluctance to participate in future years.

BEST OVERALL VALUE—MORTON’S STEAKHOUSE

Morton’s Steakhouse offered four courses (counting sides). The portion size was formidable, the quality of the food was exemplary, and the savings to diners were tremendous.

BEST OVERALL MENU—COSTA DEL SOL

Costa del Sol offered the kind of menu one would like to see every future participant develop. The restaurant offered five starters, five entrées and three desserts. Every single item, like the grilled salmon in a Spanish orange brandy glaze pictured, was enticing. Costa del Sol’s menu even built in enough flexibility to allow two diners to team up and get one of its imposing signature paellas.

MOST EXOTIC MENU—FENG ASIAN BISTRO

Feng Asian Bistro should be commended for putting together the most interesting menu of any participant, including unusual appetizers, exotic main dishes and intriguing desserts. Kudos to Feng for including a couple of top-flight sushi offerings.

MOST APPEALING ITEM—U.S.S. CHOWDER POT IV

Chowder Pot did what no one else did. They made a steamed whole lobster one of the entrée choices in their four-course menu. And the lobster macaroni and cheese was just as satisfying.

BEST SERVICE—MORTON’S STEAKHOUSE

The service at Morton’s Steakhouse was impeccable. Staff members always seemed happy to pitch in and help one another, unlike a couple of restaurants where servers exhibited the dreaded tunnel vision. Water glasses never ran dry, empty plates never lingered. Our waitress, Diana Herrera, typified all that was good about Morton’s service.

HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTESS—AGAVE GRILL

As used to be more common before the economy constricted, Agave Grill used two hostesses, so if one hostess had to leave to seat people the other was still ready to receive customers. They were professional, they were charming and they weren’t hard on the eyes, either.

BEST BREAD—DISH BAR & GRILL

Morton’s onion loaf, Francesco’s brick-oven Italian bread and Vaughan’s housemade Irish soda bread were all worthy of consideration, but the clear winner was Dish’s addictive, fresh-baked, parker house rolls.

BEST APPETIZER—COSTA DEL SOL

Costa del Sol is the winner in this category for its extraordinary housemade Galician chicken empanada. Although there were five tempting appetizers to choose from on Costa del Sol’s special menu, almost forty percent of its customers selected this wonderful treat.

BEST SOUP—DISH BAR & GRILL

There were many noteworthy soups, from Chowder Pot’s Rhode Island clam chowder to Costa del Sol’s gazpacho to Black-Eyed Sally’s sweet corn and chicken chowder. The winner, however, was Dish’s New England clam chowder with Benton’s bacon, new potato, littleneck clams and sweet cream.

BEST SALAD—FRANCESCO’S RISTORANTE

Morton’s huge fresh salads and Barça’s lovely poached pear salad were strong contenders, but the winner was Francesco’s terrific Caprese salad.

BEST SIDE VEGETABLE—MORTON’S STEAKHOUSE

Credit is due to Black-Eyed Sally’s for its incredible green beans, but the winner has to be Morton’s Steakhouse for its huge serving of pristine asparagus with hollandaise sauce.

BEST PASTA—PEPPERCORN’S GRILL

Peppercorn’s Grill is the easy winner in this category for its housemade orange ravioli pictured below. Rumor has it that by calling ahead, one can order other ravioli varieties, like butternut squash or artichoke.

BEST ENTRÉE—COSTA DEL SOL

While Dish receives an honorable mention for any and all of its entrées, the winner is Costa del Sol for its incredible house paella for two, which in my book would have won even if halved.

BEST STICK-TO-YOUR-RIBS FOOD—BLACK-EYED SALLY’S

Black-Eyed Sally’s gets the nod over U.S.S. Chowder Pot IV and Vaughan’s Public House for its hearty Southern food, especially its authentic and delicious Memphis-style ribs.

BEST USE OF POTATO—VAUGHAN’S PUBLIC HOUSE

Vaughan’s is the easy winner in this category for its potato soup, its potato skins, and especially, its delicious shepherd’s pie.

BEST DESSERT—DISH BAR & GRILL

This was surprisingly easy. Although there were many noteworthy desserts, Dish, one of the few restaurants left with its own pastry chef, made the best strawberry shortcake I had enjoyed in years.

BEST HOUSEMADE SPIRIT—VAUGHAN’S PUBLIC HOUSE

It’s not uncommon for restaurants to try their hand at preparing their own grappa, their own limoncello, and so on. Vaughan’s housemade Irish cream is nonpareil.

BEST PLATING—BARÇA RESTAURANT & TAPAS BAR

Although Dish, Feng and others came up with some very attractive plate arrangements, this floral arrangement of stuffed piquillo peppers was our hands-down winner.

BEST PATIO DINING—O’PORTO

Dish, Black-Eyed Sally’s and Francesco’s all have the capacity for patio dining, but the easy winner in this category is O’Porto’s attractive patio dining setup.

BEST LOUNGING—BARÇA RESTAURANT & TAPAS BAR

Between its upstairs lounge and the V.I.P. lounge associated with its dance facility, Barça was the easy winner in this category.

BEST AMBIANCE—FENG ASIAN BISTRO

Barça deserves mention here, but I’m awarding Feng best ambiance because its interior does more to transport me to another reality than any of the other entrants.

BEST DÉCOR—COSTA DEL SOL

There were several strong contenders in this category, but I selected Costa del Sol for its lovely murals and other authentic Spanish touches. There is nowhere in Hartford that I find more comfortable and comforting to dine than at Costa del Sol.

BEST PLACE TO ENJOY MUSIC WITH DINNER—BLACK-EYED SALLY’S

Although the band scheduled to play on the night I visited Black-Eyed Sally’s cancelled with little notice, this jumpin’ joint is still the clear winner in this category.

BEST ENTERTAINMENT—LA CASONA

La Casona’s enthusiastic dancing scene, which includes dance floors for contemporary dancing and for salsa dancing, is unrivaled by any of the other entrants.

BEST PARKING—U.S.S. CHOWDER POT IV

Parking is not my favorite topic when it comes to dining in Hartford. With its gigantic free parking lot, Chowder Pot is the easy winner in this category.

BEST RESTAURANT OWNERS—COSTA DEL SOL

Runner-up honors to Carbone’s and Peppercorn’s, but no one seems friendlier, kindlier or more beloved by their clientele than the Feijoo family. No one.

CUTEST BABY

Apparently, it’s never too early to start your youngsters on the Taste of Hartford. This baby was having a blast at Chowder Pot!

CUTEST YOUNGSTER

This Agave Grill visitor didn’t want to leave!

CUTEST COUPLE

There were many worthy nominees in this category, but with a gun to my head I’d have to pick this couple dining at Agave Grill.

FUNNIEST OUTTAKE

I tried to sneak a photo of these attractive young ladies, only to have the white butcher paper covering the table inexplicably attack one of my subjects.

STALWART COMPANION AWARD

Great credit is due to my faithful friend, Robert Bailin, who endured two relentless weeks of gourmet dining, helping me at every turn. Thank you so much!

EXTREME DINING AWARD

Readers know I follow nobody’s script. However unseemly it might seem, the recipient of the “extreme dining” award is, well—me!

My participation in this event was so draining that my regular dining companion, Robert, correctly termed it a stunt. I know that following the Taste of Hartford probably sounds like fun, but not night after night after night. The humorous photograph above, which shows me standing on an industrial scale, best summarizes the experience.

While there were countless moments of genuine pleasure, traveling 40 minutes from home to dine 14 nights in a row, spending money on gas, parking and valets, shooting 879 photographs, taking copious notes, interviewing numerous restaurateurs, editing and sizing hundreds of photographs, penning 15 articles, uploading each article and its accompanying photographs, and turning each article around within 24 hours or so was incredibly strenuous.

Even dining out and trying so much food for two weeks in a row proved to be a great strain, as my friend Robert, who reached his top weight ever, can attest. Although I dine out most nights, I’m usually able to eat more lightly. My health suffered noticeably, and my wife became concerned. For the first time in my life, I gained weight while hiking two to three times per week, and like Robert, I reached my top weight ever. Due, undoubtedly, to the overall stress of the undertaking, I suffered sleepless nights, stomach distress, acid reflux, sties in my eye and an infection requiring a trip to the doctor.

The first night after the Taste of Hartford had ended, Robert and I dined at Mamoun’s in New Haven, the absolute antidote to such extended rich dining, ordering a vegetarian platter of falafel, hummus and baba ghanoush. So I only hope that my foray into “extreme dining” succeeds in bringing to readers’ attention some worthy Hartford restaurants.