In early November, Feng Asian Bistro in downtown Hartford threw a party to which I was fortunate enough to be invited.
I’m not sure whether the occasion was the return of former and current executive chef Jared Calderone, who went to work for Abigail’s in Simsbury for a stretch, but it certainly seemed to coincide with it. Here Calderone is shown to the right of general manager James Kehoe.
Anyone who has caught him on TV knows chef-partner John Chen is also very talented.
My wife and I received a warm welcome from the attractive ladies in the front of the house.
The bar area was packed,
and the rest of the restaurant was busy as well.
The staff was liberally lubricating the affair.
We began with lovely pomegranate martinis.
Things were definitely looking up.
Later, we progressed to sakes
from the sake station the restaurant had set up. The server’s movements were a blur.
For those who haven’t checked out the restaurant, Feng offers some of Connecticut’s finest sushi and nouveau Japanese cooking. Not having visited in a couple of years, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on the food. Not realizing how well the staff would take care of us, we ordered some wondrously fresh salmon and yellowtail nigiri sushi
from the sushi bar.
It was rapidly followed by an avalanche of sushi
and food from the kitchen.
Dessert was cookies and candies.
In addition to the great food and conversation, entertainment was provided in the form of this talented musician
and the musical duel initiated by these boisterous, if less talented, bagpipers.
Like our wonderful dinner, it was priceless.
Feng Asian Bistro, 93 Asylum Street, Hartford, 860-549-3364, www.fengrestaurant.com