WINTER 2010 TASTE OF HARTFORD—OUR EDITORIAL AWARDS

The best move the organizers of the Taste of Hartford ever made was in 2006, when it changed the event from a single-day tasting usually held in Constitution Plaza to a week-long and/or two-week-long event held at the restaurants themselves, adopting the template New York City implemented eighteen years ago.

This time around, to illustrate the depth of the Capital City food scene, I visited restaurants that I didn’t manage to get to during the Summer 2009 edition of the Taste of Hartford. All of the restaurants I visited were trying to put on a great show, and most were doing brisk business.

There were a couple of relatively minor awards I have offered in the past that I didn’t this time around. Best Porch or Patio Dining is an award I will only give out in warm weather when I can see facilities in use. No one wins Best Housemade Spirit this time around, because no restaurant I visited, to my knowledge, offered one. Other categories, like Best Side Vegetable, Best Use of Potato and Most Ubiquitous Ingredient, didn’t seem to be adding much to the dialog.

So let’s get to the important awards…

BEST OVERALL RESTAURANT—J RESTAURANT/BAR

First Runner-Up—Hot Tomato’s

Second Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café

This is our most important award category. While several restaurants gave strong performances, including Vivo Seasonal Trattoria and Wood-n-Tap, the three restaurants that took top honors were Tisane, Hot Tomato’s and J Restaurant/Bar. Tisane was second runner-up, Hot Tomato’s was first runner-up, and the winner of Best Overall Restaurant was J Restaurant/Bar.

Formerly Pizza Plus, J Restaurant/Bar is a relative newcomer to the Hartford scene in its present form. Owner Jordan Dikegoros modernized the restaurant begun by his parents while continuing to build on the good will they had generated. J Restaurant/Bar proved to be a most pleasant surprise for this writer who had never previously visited either incarnation of the establishment. J Restaurant/Bar’s combination of quality, consistency, good looks and warmth propelled it to the top of the restaurants we visited during this edition of the Taste of Hartford.

BEST NEWCOMER—LA FONDA BAR & RESTAURANT

Okay, of all the restaurants I visited, La Fonda was the only newcomer to the Taste of Hartford. But that should not cloud the fact that the restaurant stepped up to the plate and presented a broad assortment of Colombian dishes for those who wanted to try a less familiar cuisine. Let’s welcome La Fonda to the party!

BEST OVERALL VALUE—WOOD-N-TAP

First Runner-Up—J Restaurant/Bar

Second Runner-Up—Hot Tomato’s

This is another very important award category. Every time I cover a Restaurant Week somewhere in Connecticut, I underscore the importance of participating businesses putting their best feet forward. Two types of people visit one’s restaurant during one of these events—loyal customers taking the opportunity to return or potential new customers sating their curiosity. Either type should be considered of utmost importance (as should anyone who sets foot in one’s restaurant).

Each time around, I recommend that participating restaurants offer plenty of choice with each course, so that dining parties can sample broadly. I recommend that restaurants feature some of their more interesting items. I recommend that restaurants don’t shrink their portions. And each time, I go out of my way to applaud those restaurants who enter the event with the right attitude.

Most restaurants that I visited did a terrific job, but three restaurants offered four courses, not three. Second runner-up Hot Tomato’s provided four courses, leading off with its popular four-cheese garlic bread and ending with dessert. First runner-up J Restaurant/Bar was one of the restaurants that didn’t offer dessert, but offered a soup or salad and a pasta course in addition to an appetizer and entrée.

Winner Wood-n-Tap led off with an appetizer, followed it with a soup or salad, then an entrée, and finally, a dessert. The quality of the food was good and the portions were formidable. Furthermore, there was plenty of choice, the choices were exciting, and the dishes (e.g. an eight-ounce steak) weren’t necessarily ones with low food costs, either. Kudos to Wood-n-Tap for a job well done!

BEST MENU—J RESTAURANT/BAR

First Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café

Second Runner-Up—Wood-n-Tap

This award goes to the restaurant that puts forth the most appealing menu. Several restaurants published menus that I felt were incredibly tempting. J Restaurant/Bar’s menu, however, was the one I felt was the most irresistible (as illustrated by the above cheese ravioli in butter sauce with prosciutto, celery and apples). Although dessert wasn’t part of its grand plan, my mouth began to water as I read its offerings. I must confess that, before I perused its Restaurant Week menu, J Restaurant/Bar wasn’t even on my radar. Now it’s one of my favorite Hartford restaurants.

MOST EXOTIC MENU—TISANE EURO-ASIAN CAFÉ

First Runner-Up—La Fonda Bar & Restaurant

Second Runner-Up—J Restaurant/Bar

Sometimes one wants the comfortable and the familiar when one dines out, and sometimes one wants to be transported to another world. Those craving the exotic would have done well to seek out Tisane Euro-Asian Café. For the event, Tisane offered dueling Eastern and Western menus. One had to choose East or West, with no mixing or matching. Having sampled both menus, I can tell you that one couldn’t lose with either.

Its Eastern-themed menu showcased Chinese style spare ribs (shown above), sake-and-soy-braised short rib and a bruléed coconut-and-green-tea tapioca pudding. Its Western-themed menu featured a grilled heart of romaine salad with Gorgonzola dressing, housemade shrimp scampi ravioli, and a frozen mochachino dessert served with a miniature hot chocolate. One can only wonder what Tisane will come up with on the next go-around!

BEST BREAD & ACCOMPANIMENTS—HOT TOMATO’S

First Runner-Up—Vivo Seasonal Trattoria

Second Runner-Up—Mayor Mike’s Bistro

Mayor Mike’s featured nice Parmesan-and-olive-oil-grilled bread with a nice dip of olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and herbs. Vivo provided good crusty bread with a lovely spread of mascarpone cheese, cucumber, dill and lemon zest. But those familiar with the Hartford restaurant scene will be unsurprised to hear that our winner was Hot Tomato’s for its popular four-cheese garlic bread.

BEST SOUP—J RESTAURANT/BAR—spicy tomato soup with crispy grilled cheese

First Runner-Up—Mayor Mike’s Bistro—Tuscan bean soup

Second Runner-Up—Wood-n-Tap—spicy red bean and sausage soup

Soups were a popular item during this edition of the Taste of Hartford. Mayor Mike’s Tuscan bean soup and Wood-n-Tap’s spicy red bean and sausage soup were hearty and comforting, but our winner was J Restaurant/Bar for its elegant spicy tomato soup with an island of crispy grilled cheese in the center.

BEST SALAD—TISANE EURO-ASIAN CAFÉ—grilled heart of romaine salad

First Runner-Up—J Restaurant/Bar—baby arugula salad

There were two salads of note that I tasted. J Restaurant/Bar served a simple, beautiful, baby arugula salad with extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and shaved Parmesan. But the winning salad was Tisane’s grilled heart of romaine with focaccia croutons and Gorgonzola dressing.

BEST CHEESE PLATE OR DISH—BIN 228—Fontina fonduta

First Runner-Up—The Half Door—assorted cheeses and jams

Second Runner-Up—Wood-n-Tap—fried Mozzarella

Participants in this edition of the Taste of Hartford made very good use of cheese. Wood-n-Tap’s whole milk Mozzarella, cooked golden brown and topped with marinara sauce, was a vast improvement on the horrible frozen Mozzarella sticks found at many chain restaurants and sports bars. The Half Door’s platter of assorted cheeses and jams would have been a deserving winner. But if there were any doubt that Bin 228 would win for its lovely fondue, serving a three-ounce pour of Nino Franco Prosecco with it clearly sealed the victory.

BEST PASTA DISH—TISANE EURO-ASIAN CAFÉ—shrimp scampi ravioli

First Runner-Up—Hot Tomato’s—sweet potato ravioli

Second Runner-Up—J Restaurant/Bar—cheese ravioli

In my eyes, Best Pasta Dish is an important category, because it’s going to be difficult for a restaurant to win without making its own pasta. Restaurants that make their own pasta are already demonstrating a high level of commitment to quality and to their customers.

J Restaurant/Bar’s cheese ravioli in a butter sauce with prosciutto, celery and apple could easily have won, but took only third against extremely tough competition. I have long been a fan of runner-up Hot Tomato’s sweet potato ravioli in a sage cream sauce. But our winner was Tisane’s lovely shrimp scampi ravioli in a lemon chive butter with artichoke heart, baby spinach and grape tomato. Wow!

BEST SEAFOOD DISH—J RESTAURANT/BAR—seared sea scallops

First Runner-Up—Bin 228—mini crab cakes

Second Runner-Up—The Half Door—seared sea scallop

This was a highly competitive category, with easily a half dozen deserving entrants. It’s my job to split hairs and make tough decisions. The Half Door made a good showing with its seared sea scallop with kalamata olives and bacon dressing. Bin 228 produced superior mini crab cakes, and it certainly didn’t hurt that they came with a three-ounce pour of Terre Griffo white wine. But the winner was J Restaurant/Bar for its seared sea scallops flavored with lemon, rosemary and bay leaf and served with creamy polenta and grilled asparagus.

BEST POULTRY DISH—HOT TOMATO’S—“black” chicken

First Runner-Up—The Half Door—pan-fried chicken with biscuits and gravy

Second Runner-Up— La Fonda Bar & Restaurant—chicken empanada

This is a difficult category for me because I tend not to order chicken in this country, finding all but the best chicken rather flavorless. I also tend to avoid boneless chicken (contact with bone dramatically increases flavor). Nevertheless, some uses of chicken stood out.

La Fonda took second runner-up honors for its chicken empanada. The Half Door took a traditional path to first runner-up honors with pan-fried chicken with biscuits and gravy. But the winner was Hot Tomato’s for its “black” chicken, a name meant to communicate the use of dark, not white, meat. A Venezuelan recipe, boneless chicken thigh was lightly pan-fried in olive oil and brown sugar, then braised in tomato, garlic, onion, red bell pepper and red wine sauce, and served with Parmesan polenta and asparagus. Sound good, doesn’t it?

BEST MEAT DISH—J RESTAURANT/BAR—chili-marinated flank steak

First Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café—sake-and-soy-braised short rib

Second Runner-Up—Vivo Seasonal Trattoria—Caribbean-spiced pork loin

Best Meat Dish is always one of the most competitive categories. Many great dishes won’t even get mentioned. The second runner-up was Vivo’s Caribbean-spiced pork loin with apple and raisin compote, spiced sweet potato and haricots verts. First runner-up was Tisane’s heady sake-and-soy braised short rib in a hoisin demiglace served with green bamboo rice and stir-fried vegetables. But our winner was J Restaurant/Bar’s chili-marinated flank steak with fried potato wedges and sautéed spinach.

BEST PIECE OF MEAT—WOOD-N-TAP—eight-ounce top sirloin

First Runner-Up—J Restaurant/Bar—roasted rack of lamb

Second Runner-Up—Hook & Ladder—Sparky’s steak

Sometimes—the heck with gourmet—all one wants is a hunk of meat. Second runner-up Hook & Ladder’s steak with macaroni and cheese would do the trick. So would first runner-up J Restaurant/Bar’s roasted rack of lamb with a fava-Pecorino crust, creamy polenta and asparagus. But give me a straight thick steak like Wood-n-Tap’s eight-ounce center-cut top sirloin with mashed potatoes and crispy onion strings and I’m a happy carnivore.

HEARTIEST DISH—WOOD-N-TAP—spinach and artichoke pizza

First Runner-Up—La Fonda—combination entrée of grilled chicken breast, breaded tilapia fillet and churrasco steak

Second Runner-Up—The Half Door—steak and kidney pie

In the past, I have called this award Best Stick-To-Your-Ribs Dish, but I have reached the conclusion that may have been a little confusing. What I was getting at is the Heartiest Dish, the dish that most leaves one ready to collapse contentedly on the couch with one’s hands folded over one’s engorged belly. A rack of ribs could qualify, of course, and has in fact qualified in the past.

Second runner-up The Half Door’s delicious steak and kidney pie was one of those lights-out dishes. Even more challenging to finish was La Fonda’s combination entrée, which included a grilled chicken breast in a coconut and pineapple sauce, a breaded tilapia fillet, and its churrasco steak, a substantial piece of grilled top sirloin.

But amazingly, the most substantial dish of all contained no meat whatsoever. That dish was Wood-n-Tap’s spinach and artichoke pizza, easily large enough to feed two people. I would have been terribly impressed with anyone who managed to finish Wood-n-Tap’s entrée-sized fried Mozzarella appetizer, its substantial house salad, its spinach and artichoke pizza, and a slice of its cheesecake—an all-vegetarian meal. But I don’t think any such hombre exists.

BEST VEGETARIAN SELECTION—WOOD-N-TAP

First Runner-Up—Hot Tomato’s

Second Runner-Up—Mayor Mike’s Bistro

Only three of the ten restaurants I visited during this edition of the Taste of Hartford were what I would call vegetarian-friendly. I might never have guessed that Wood-n-Tap, best known for its terrific sliders, would offer the best vegetarian selection. Wood-n-Tap offered several viable choices. A vegetarian could have elected the fried Mozzarella or the softies (big pretzels served with spicy mustard), followed by a house salad or potato leek soup, followed by the aforementioned spinach and artichoke pizza, followed by dessert.

Hot Tomato’s was also quite vegetarian-friendly. A vegetarian could have chosen the four-cheese garlic bread, followed by the sweet potato ravioli, the eggplant rollatini and dessert. An honorable mention goes to Mayor Mike’s, where a vegetarian could have enjoyed a Tuscan bean soup or winter greens salad, followed by penne vodka or eggplant rollatini, then by dessert.

BEST VEGETARIAN DISH—HOT TOMATO’S—sweet potato ravioli

First Runner-Up—Vivo Seasonal Trattoria—grilled vegetable Napoleon

Second Runner-Up—Wood-n-Tap—spinach and artichoke pizza

The best vegetarian dishes are the ones where it doesn’t cross one’s mind that one isn’t eating meat. There’s no feeling of deprivation, no need to supplement. No need to stop at Wendy’s on the way home for a quick injection of artery-clogging cholesterol.

Although only three of the restaurants I visited offered a vegetarian path through all of the courses, there was no shortage of good vegetarian dishes. My favorite was Hot Tomato’s sweet potato ravioli in a sage cream sauce. First runner-up honors go to Vivo for its grilled vegetable Napoleon with a tomato basil relish, while second runner-up honors go to Wood-n-Tap for its spinach and artichoke pizza in a garlic cream sauce.

BEST DESSERT SELECTION—TISANE EURO-ASIAN CAFÉ

First Runner-Up—The Half Door

Second Runner-Up—Wood-n-Tap

Two restaurants I visited—J Restaurant/Bar and Bin 228—took the unusual step of not offering dessert. My sweet tooth having diminished with middle age, I was more than happy to make the exchange of four savory courses or three servings of wine, respectively.

However, I recognize that, for many people, the dessert is the exclamation point on a great meal out. The restaurant I thought had the best dessert selection was Tisane, with its bruléed coconut-and-green-tea tapioca pudding with sesame cookies (pictured above) and its frozen mochachino dessert with a mini hot chocolate. Both desserts were exquisite.

The Half Door also did a terrific job, offering a maple pecan crème brûlée, a Bailey’s cheesecake with raspberry sauce, and a terrific cheese and jam platter. And although its advance menu listed only one dessert, Wood-n-Tap also deserves praise for offering Restaurant Week visitors its award-winning cheesecake, its apple cobbler, and its delicious Madagascar fudge nut brownie.

BEST DESSERT—HOT TOMATO’S—tiramisù

First Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café—frozen mochachino dessert with a mini hot chocolate

Second Runner-Up—Wood-n-Tap—Madagascar fudge nut brownie

I have had so much tiramisù over the last twenty years that I probably wouldn’t miss it if I didn’t have another for the next twenty years. However, Hot Tomato’s serves a terrific tiramisù that takes first place dessert honors in this edition of the Taste of Hartford. Finishing second is Tisane’s lovely frozen mochachino dessert served with a mini hot chocolate. And third place goes to Wood-n-Tap’s sinful Madagascar fudge nut brownie.

BEST USE OF CHOCOLATE—WOOD-N-TAP—Madagascar fudge nut brownie

First Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café—frozen mochachino dessert with a mini hot chocolate

Second Runner-Up—Hook & Ladder—chocolate cake

For providing a pure chocolate rush, no dessert could beat Wood-n-Tap’s Madagascar fudge nut brownie. For a subtler approach to chocolate, Tisane’s lovely frozen mochachino dessert was served with an unbeatable mini hot chocolate. Hook & Ladder’s chocolate cake was also satisfying.

BEST OVERALL DISH—J RESTAURANT/BAR—chili-marinated flank steak

First Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café—housemade shrimp ravioli

Second Runner-Up—Bin 228—mini crab cakes

Best Overall Dish is understandably a much coveted award. Second runner-up Bin 228’s mini crab cakes may have been small in stature but they were as big in flavor as they were attractive. First runner-up Tisane’s housemade shrimp scampi ravioli in a lemon chive butter with artichoke heart, baby spinach and grape tomatoes were also fabulous. But in my opinion, the best dish of the winter 2010 edition of the Taste of Hartford was J Restaurant/Bar’s chili-marinated flank steak with fried potato wedges and sautéed spinach.

BEST WINE LIST—VIVO SEASONAL TRATTORIA

First Runner-Up—J Restaurant/Bar

Second Runner-Up—Hot Tomato’s

Several of the restaurants I visited had commendable wine lists. But Hot Tomato’s takes second runner-up honors and J Restaurant/Bar is first runner-up. Taking first place for its strong wine list is Vivo in the Marriott Hotel.

BEST USE OF WINE—BIN 228

While I’m not shy about weighing in with how I think restaurants should handle events like the Taste of Hartford, I applaud those who approach them with some originality. Bin 228 is to be specially commended for creating a three-course meal plus matching wines. To the good folks at Bin 228—Cheers!

BEST DRINK LIST—J RESTAURANT/BAR

First Runner-Up—Hot Tomato’s

Second Runner-Up—Wood-n-Tap

In our Best Drink List category, Wood-n-Tap takes second runner-up honors and Hot Tomato’s is first runner-up. But the restaurant that I felt had the most enticing drink list was J Restaurant/Bar.

BEST PLATING—J RESTAURANT/BAR

First Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café

Second Runner-Up—Hot Tomato’s

Best Plating is another coveted award category, because restaurateurs know it reflects greatly on their commitment to their customers as expressed in the expense invested in their dishware and in the quality of their food presentation. Those in the business know that handsome plate presentations require more skilled personnel and take significantly longer than just throwing food onto a plate. Second runner-up honors for Best Plating go to Hot Tomato’s. Tisane is our first runner-up. And taking top honors is J Restaurant/Bar.

TOP CHEF—J RESTAURANT/BAR—Jennifer Krascella

First Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café—Jim Wishneski

Second Runner-Up—Hot Tomato’s—David Belton

Our award for Top Chef is a major honor, and there were several chefs that deserve recognition. But we’re quite happy with the trio of chefs whom we have chosen to recognize. Second runner-up honors go to David Belton of Hot Tomato’s, who does a great job running a very busy kitchen. First runner-up honors go to talented Tisane’s Jim Wishneski. But it’s our great pleasure to shine a spotlight upon talented Jennifer Krascella of J Restaurant/Bar. She can cook for us any day!

BEST OVERALL SERVICE—VIVO SEASONAL TRATTORIA

First Runner-Up—Hot Tomato’s

Second Runner-Up—J Restaurant/Bar

Second runner-up J Restaurant/Bar seems to have handled the transition from Pizza Plus to fine dining seamlessly, if the quality of its service is any indication. First runner-up Hot Tomato’s also has a strong, service-oriented staff. But the best overall service that we witnessed was at Vivo in the Hartford Marriott.

BEST SERVER—VIVO SEASONAL TRATTORIA—Giancarlo Lendaro

First Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café—Mehdi

Second Runner-Up—The Half Door—Ally

I really enjoy shining a spotlight on top servers during Restaurant Weeks. These good people labor hard in the trenches, are the faces that restaurants present to the public, and can absolutely make or break a person’s dining experience. Of the various individuals that made our dining experiences memorable, I would like to recognize Ally of The Half Door, Mehdi of Tisane, and most especially, Giancarlo Lendaro of Vivo in the Hartford Marriott. As the saying goes, the suave Lendaro has forgotten more than most servers ever learn.

HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTESS—HOT TOMATO’S

First Runner-Up—Wood-n-Tap—Host With The Most

During this edition of the Taste of Hartford, my companions and I were able to get past the front entrance of a surprising number of restaurants without being properly greeted by someone. In a couple of cases, we were met by owners, who would be ineligible for this award. Restaurant Weeks are hectic and stressful events, and the dining public should be proportionally more understanding. We have chosen to recognize the two restaurants that did the best job of handling us at the door—Wood-n-Tap and Hot Tomato’s.

BEST FRONT-OF-THE-HOUSE PERSON—HOT TOMATO’S—Neil Fuentes (a.k.a. The Sensational Singing Chef)

First Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café—Paul Alcazar

Second Runner-Up—Mayor Mike’s Bistro—Sue Skiff

For Best Front-of-the-House Person, we single out for recognition individuals that seemed to be having a tremendous positive impact in their restaurants. Practically a member of the Peters family, long-time Mayor Mike’s employee Sue Skiff positively affected my recent dining experience, as she did the last time I was there, four years before. Paul Alcazar of Tisane handles the dining public in an enlightened manner. But our top choice is multitalented Neil Fuentes of Hot Tomato’s, who impacts both on the front of the house and the back.

BEST RESTAURANT OWNERS—MAYOR MIKE’S BISTRO

First Runner-Up—J Restaurant/Bar

Second Runner-Up—Wood-n-Tap

At RestaurantsCT.com, we really see ourselves as on the side of the “good guys.” One of the great joys of our work is to feel like we’re promoting deserving restaurants. Most (but not all) restaurant owners are sympathetic people who care about their customers. Our second runner-up for Best Restaurant Owners is Wood-n-Tap. First runner-up honors go to J Restaurant/Bar.

Taking top honors during this edition of the Taste of Hartford is the Peters family that runs Mayor Mike’s Bistro. Hartford lost a great and kind man when Mike Peters passed, but he would be proud of how the remainder of the family has carried on what he began.

BEST PARKING—TIE—J RESTAURANT/BAR—HOOK & LADDER

Second Runner-Up—Wood-n-Tap

Perhaps this isn’t considered a major award, but it’s a significant one to me. In parking-challenged Hartford (arguably, Connecticut’s worst city for parking), it’s frequently necessary to factor in extra time and/or money into one’s dining experience. Only semi-facetiously, I recommend car pooling.

Second runner-up honors for Best Parking go to Wood-n-Tap, which has a spacious lot, but using it requires crossing a busy street. We have a tie for first place between J Restaurant/Bar, which has its own lot, and Hook & Ladder, which can’t call the lot its own but has almost infinite space (see photograph).

BEST LOUNGE SPACE—HOOK & LADDER

First Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café

First runner-up Tisane is so comfortable that its entire public space might be considered a lounge. But the best lounge space I visited was Hook & Ladder’s, as the above photograph illustrates.

BEST BAR AREA—THE HALF DOOR

First Runner-Up—Wood-n-Tap

Second Runner-Up—Hook & Ladder

It was difficult to decide which restaurant had the best bar area, because almost every participating eatery that I visited had a good one. All three winning restaurants were very serious about giving customers in the bar area a rewarding experience. Second runner-up is Hook & Ladder, first runner-up is Wood-n-Tap, and our winner is The Half Door.

BEST FIREPLACE—HOOK & LADDER

First Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café

Second Runner-Up—J Restaurant/Bar

Second runner-up J Restaurant/Bar has an attractive fireplace, although it’s the first I have ever seen mounted over a stairs. First runner-up Tisane also has a nice fireplace. But the nicest fireplace at the restaurants I visited was the main fireplace at Hook & Ladder. Trust firemen to have a great fireplace. And just in case there was any doubt, the restaurant had a second “fireplace” and a “fireman” standing by ready to put it out.

BEST DÉCOR—VIVO SEASONAL TRATTORIA

First Runner-Up—J Restaurant/Bar

Second Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café

Second runner-up Tisane has one of the most comfortable restaurants I have visited in some time. And first runner-up J Restaurant/Bar’s décor is extremely handsome and comfortable. But Vivo’s dining room is spare-no-expense gorgeous, the clear winner of the restaurants I visited during the winter 2010 edition of the Taste of Hartford.

BEST AMBIANCE—TISANE EURO-ASIAN CAFÉ

First Runner-Up—J Restaurant/Bar

Second Runner-Up—Bin 228

What trumps décor is ambiance! Décor is the physical setting minus the people, while ambiance is the byproduct of how people interact with the physical setting. Second runner-up Bin 228 has a great atmosphere, as does first runner-up J Restaurant/Bar. But the restaurant I would most happily wile away many hours is Tisane.

MOST ROMANTIC—VIVO SEASONAL TRATTORIA

First Runner-Up—J Restaurant/Bar

Second Runner-Up—Tisane Euro-Asian Café

When one’s looking for romance, however, one’s looking for a certain sort of ambiance. One doesn’t want one’s surroundings to be too noisy. One wants the atmosphere to be attractive and upscale enough to be commemorative of the feelings one brings to the evening. And of course, the food better be good. Thus, Tisane takes second runner-up honors, J Restaurant/Bar takes first runner-up honors, and Vivo in the Hartford Marriott is our winner of Most Romantic.

CUTEST COUPLE

BEST GROUP

GALLERY OF SMILES

3 Responses to WINTER 2010 TASTE OF HARTFORD—OUR EDITORIAL AWARDS

  1. Sandy & Cindy says:

    Congratulations to Tisane and especially to Mehdi ~ we LOVE Tisane and everyone working there. Keep up the great work!

  2. Frank Cohen says:

    One has to concede that the word “one” might have been overused. One hopes you’ll be happy that I took a couple of them out.

  3. mefal says:

    Stop using the word “one”

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