I had spotted cleverly named Kess’ Café in Plantsville while scouting Southington’s rapidly evolving dining scene a few months ago. And now, on a January day that nine inches of snow fell in my Hamden hometown, I drove carefully to Plantsville with two friends to dine at the quirky, eclectic café.
“Il fait froid, mes amis,” I said, as we crunched over the fresh snow to Kess’ front entrance.
But the table at which we were seated had a nice warm glow, thanks to this handsome fireplace.
Initially, there were few customers, and we wondered if the dubious driving conditions were keeping people home. I photographed the handsome but uninhabited bar area
as well as the dining space near the front entrance.
But before long, our rear dining room had grown full, seeming proof that people will venture out if the dining experience is compelling enough.
We began our meal with some starters. One friend ordered a refreshing salad of mixed greens, Feta cheese and cashews in a pesto vinaigrette,
another friend chose a crab, shrimp and avocado salad with cantaloupe, honeydew, citrus and extra virgin olive oil,
and I selected housemade lobster ravioli in a butter sauce.
For our entrées, one friend ordered the veal Marsala,
another friend chose the chef’s selected seafood risotto,
and I selected a surf and turf special which featured pacu (a South American freshwater fish) and terrific breaded pork in a mushroom sauce.
And finally, for the desserts, we shared a mud pie
and a Grand Marnier soufflé, a lovely and unexpected surprise from a wonderfully unpredictable restaurant.
“Magnifique!” we all agreed.
Kess’ Café, 11 West Main Street, Plantsville, 860-276-8551, www.kesscafe.com
Like you, I stopped in at Kess’s one sunday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised. The food was better than expected. Only disappointment was they were out of a few regular wines , no Merlot for one of the people in our group and couldn’t find a Chardonnay that was cold. All of that didnt matter once we tasted our meals- really loved it!