A Connecticut Restaurant Week Visit To Mill On The River In South Windsor

Another restaurant that offered enough appearance of value and an intriguing enough menu to draw me out during Connecticut Restaurant Week was Mill on the River in South Windsor. One of these days, I’ll visit this restaurant during broad daylight, and properly enjoy its surroundings. Still, judicious use of lights illuminates its mill waterfall,

its patio seating overlooking the water,

and its fountain.

We proceeded into the entrance,

crossing its covered pedestrian bridge

and passing a sign advertising its popular Sunday Brunch.

We confirmed our reservation with this young lady,

and we were told it would just be a couple of minutes. Soon, this other young lady asked us to follow her,

and I teased, “anywhere.”

Our polished Montenegrin waiter, Allmir, took great care of us throughout the meal.

Soon we had nice warm dinner rolls

and a lively olive oil dip in front of us.

We took advantage of a $3.75 wine special to get glasses of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mill on the River’s emphasis on wine was unmistakable.

Mill on the River elected the $20.10 price point for its three-course, prix-fixe menu. The four appetizer choices included an arugula and beet salad with roasted red and golden heirloom beets, Feta cheese crumbles, caramelized walnut, sliced native apple and a truffle oil and extra virgin olive oil dressing; a butternut squash bisque with nutmeg-infused crème fraîche and spiced almonds; a savory ricotta and pear tart with Bartlett pear, caramelized acorn squash, ricotta cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds; and finally, a harvest squash risotto with maple-smoked bacon, acorn squash and fried sage. My friend elected the risotto,

while I chose the savory ricotta and pear tart.

The five entrée choices included a Berkshire pork ossobuco of slow-braised pork shank in a tomato-infused demi-glace atop a wild mushroom risotto with baby leaf spinach; New Bedford day scallops over linguine with diced asparagus and tomato in a garlic scampi sauce; a capon filled with a roasted chestnut and sun-dried cranberry stuffing served with mashed turnip and brown sugar-glazed acorn squash; sliced Black Angus Châteaubriand with bordelaise sauce, roasted fingerling potatoes and harvest vegetables; and finally, prosciutto-wrapped sea bass served over a bed of roasted corn, asparagus spears and butternut squash spaetzle with a lemon beurre blanc sauce. My friend elected the capon,

while I chose the Châteaubriand ($5 supplement).

Of the three available desserts, we didn’t get to try the maple praline cheesecake, instead ordering a molten chocolate soufflé

and a Viennese apple strudel in a vanilla Bourbon sauce.

We certainly weren’t alone in enjoying Mill on the River’s Connecticut Restaurant Week menu. There were people waiting cheerfully by the door.

The dining areas were packed,

as was the lounge.

For responding so well to the Connecticut Restaurant Week challenge, Mill on the River’s hard-working owner, Helmar Wolf, should take a well-deserved bow.

Mill On The River, 989 Ellington Road, South Windsor, 860-289-7929
www.themillontheriver.com