My fourth Taste of Hartford visit found me still on Sisson Avenue at Wood-n-Tap.
Although I had driven by the restaurant countless times, I had only visited the Farmington outlet of this restaurant group. Southington, Rocky Hill and Vernon remain unexplored.
Once inside, we were greeted by this good-looking youth, who identified himself as the host.
Wood-n-Tap’s bar area was packed,
and its many dining nooks held a substantial number of customers as well.
We headed for the quietest spot we could find—the very back room.
General manager Jon Aidukonis made us feel welcome,
while our waitress, Jane,
attended to us capably.
While some restaurants participating in this edition of the Taste of Hartford don’t seem to have fully embraced the opportunity it provides, Wood-n-Tap is to be lauded for pulling out all of the stops. Instead of putting together a three-course, prix-fixe menu, Wood-n-Tap went one better and offered four courses. With each course, there were several choices, eliminating another key area of complaint that I have had with some Hartford and New Haven Restaurant Week participants. In no way were any portions shrunk, addressing yet another concern I have expressed.
Like everyone familiar with the Wood-n-Tap restaurants, I knew I loved their sliders, but I was about to get the opportunity to try out some other menu items. Not the usual gooey tasteless Mozzarella sticks that I never ever order, fried whole milk Mozzarella , cooked golden brown and topped with a robust marinara sauce, was absolutely delightful. The portion was big enough to be a filling entrée, and I had to be restrained from completely doing in my appetite on it.
Ironically, we passed on the softies, a warm basket of big soft pretzels served with a spicy mustard, because they sounded too filling.
Although lighter fare, the seared ahi tuna appetizer with Asian slaw and a sweet sriracha sauce was also generous.
While the person who drew up the menu made certain that customers understood what they were getting when they ordered seared ahi tuna—sashimi style (raw) sesame crusted yellowfin tuna—he or she probably would have done better to highlight the sriracha sauce’s spiciness than its sweetness. But the sauce was off to the side, not slathered onto the fish, so customers could determine their own tolerances. And topping the generous mound of slaw completely unbilled were some of the nicest, sweetest, crispest, lightest, most greaseless onion rings I had enjoyed in some time.
The second course was a choice of soup or salad. The soup of the day proved to be three soups—New England clam chowder, potato leek or spicy red bean with sausage. We chose the last soup due to its unfamiliarity—curiosity calls this cat.
From a choice of Caesar or house salad, we decided to sample the house,
and it was generous enough to feed a house. From Wood-n-Tap’s homemade dressings, we tried the balsamic vinaigrette and the tomato vinaigrette.
On to the entrées! Again, we enjoyed everything and were greatly impressed by Wood-n-Tap’s largesse. A thick, eight-ounce top sirloin, center cut and scored by the grill, came with one’s choice of side. I chose garlic mashed potatoes, and didn’t mind one bit that they came topped with more of those wonderful onion rings.
Perhaps even more amazing was the spinach and artichoke pizza with a garlic cream sauce, accurately described as “not your ordinary pie.” Not only was it delicious but huge—a large oval that could easily feed two normal people. I tried to include a pen for scale, but camera lenses distort and my photo still doesn’t fully convey how generous this pizza was.
We didn’t get to try the Atlantic salmon served with dill tartar sauce, a rice medley and fresh vegetables, nor did we try the blackened chicken pasta served over linguini, but I imagine they were no less daunting.
If my experience is any indication, one’s sweet tooth deserts one a bit as one ages. Wood-n-Tap’s desserts were the sort that I could polish off like nothing when I was a young athlete and mountain climber, but these days I require assistance or wind up bringing the excess home. Middle age sucks, but the alternative sucks worse. Although only one dessert was listed—”our award-winning cheesecake”—there proved to be three. A large square of “apple cobbler” came topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Far richer than what I would call apple cobbler, this scrumptious dessert was laced with cinnamon and packed with nuts and caramel.
Even better was a wonderful, rich, Madagascar fudge nut brownie served with hot fudge and vanilla ice cream.
With portions like these, sharing back and forth is definitely to be recommended. Wood-n-Tap definitely lets it all hang out. Isn’t that what the Taste of Hartford is all about?
Wood-n-Tap, 99 Sisson Avenue, Hartford, 860- 232-8277