My restaurant critic cohorts and I at RestaurantsCT.com travel the tortuous roads of the Nutmeg State to bring you intriguing eateries at which to dine. For the latest fruits of my travels, we turn to Ann Howard’s Apricots in Farmington.
At Apricots, guests can either dine more casually in the pub downstairs or more formally in the dining rooms upstairs.
Both alternatives are appealing, but the increased elevation of the formal dining room commands a better view of the Farmington River below. When spring arrives, it should be very pretty indeed.
My companions and I found Apricots’ wine list accessible and its Contemporary American menu enticing. We began our meal with an earthy wild mushroom bisque garnished with mushroom strudel.
We shared a generous baby spinach salad with sliced strawberry, Coach Farms goat cheese and caramelized walnut in a raspberry-balsamic vinaigrette. The walnut was plentiful and sweet.
Starters tended to include sweet elements, with salty ingredients sometimes providing balance. Others we tried included BBQ pulled pork sliders with an apricot BBQ sauce and crispy onion straws, seared foie gras topping a baked apple Tatin with caramel drizzle, and bacon-wrapped scallops served over blini with a roasted walnut-maple drizzle.
Entrées showed less of a tendency toward sweetness. One dining companion enjoyed a hefty slice of a quiche-like Belgian leek tart served over balsamic-dressed greens with sliced apple, proving that real men do eat quiche.
Another companion partook of cashew-crusted rack of New Zealand lamb served atop a parsnip purée with glazed baby carrots.
In the meantime, I made short work of sautéed fillet of Atlantic cod in a citrus butter sauce, the fish resting on a seaweed salad and stuffed with a crab soufflé.
For dessert, we shared a brownie sundae that could feed a village, a molten chocolate cake that should have been a little crustier, and a first-rate raisin bread pudding with a perfect crust.
During our meal, Ann Howard herself, a most gracious lady, stopped by our table to see how we were enjoying our meal. Very much, we told her truthfully.
Ann Howard’s Apricots, 1593 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, 860-673-5405
This restaurant is disgusting. The food is poorly made. I got food poisoning and had to go to the emergency room the next day. The owners are the most nastiest, disgusting scum like their employees. The waitresses are more interested in getting a tip than in providing good service. DON’T TRUST THEM!