I went to Trumbull Kitchen for my first visit last week with someone who had been to it previously and believed that I would enjoy it very much so! Although there were details that wouldn't necessarily qualify this as a 5 star affair, my meal was tasty with out-of-control portions. Unfortunately for my dinner date, his meal was bland with little difference in taste from every dish on his plate. I was disappointed that his wasn't enjoyable, but lucky for him I let him eat my leftovers!
Trumbull Kitchen is conveniently located next to a parking ramp and offers Valet Parking, which I find very helpful since it was a Friday night in downtown Hartford and it was raining (aka. I was not walking). As we walked in the doors, the atmosphere was very chic, with the vibe of a young-professionals hot spot with appropriate mood lighting. I noticed it was very busy and will attribute that to the lack of host at the greeting podium. I felt bad when the host approached me after returning before another couple who were clearly ahead of us though, and directed her attention to that couple so that my guilt of being attended to first wasn't lurking during my appetizer.
We had a reservation for two that we made earlier that day without problem for a later evening dinner knowing that because of our failure to make a reservation earlier would be our only option. She had a hard time finding our name since it was severely misspelled, but no problem, our reservation was found!
We were guiding through the restaurant to the back part of the dining/bar area which is basically all blended into one. This is an advantage here because it makes the restaurant look more open, but a disadvantage to guests who like to hold conversations without talking very loud across the table. We were directed to a booth (excellent!) in the corner where we had to sit next to one another staring at other tables across from us (bummer...). We made the best of it and sat closer so we could talk over the packed guests.
We were greeted in a timely fashion by our server who asked us if we'd like a beverage from the bar, both of us ordered beers and water. She didn't read off any specials which is much to my dismay because upon first glance on the menu I saw a majority of fish and seafood, both of which I am allergic to. When she came back with our beverages and I asked her what the specials were, if any. She rattled through them so quickly I had no idea what any of them were or what came with them. She seemed so rushed I didn't bother to ask her to repeat them and just investigated into the menu in more depth.
We came to the conclusion we would start with Grilled Fillet Mignon, which were topped with a crisp tater tot in a flavorful bleu cheese sauce spread out on the plate. They were very flavorful, and I wish there were more since the portion was rather small (including the size of the fillet pieces) with only 6 pieces. I noticed later how large the other appetizer portions were when the table next to ours order some and our appetizer was the priciest. Still overall very pleased with it.
When we received our appetizer, we also received a bread basket filled with warm bread lightly dusted in flour and large potato crisps. Bread was nothing special, potato crisps were disgustingly salty (and I like my salt). I had a few bites and I drank my entire glass of water.
When our food arrived, about 30 minutes after finishing our appetizer, the presentation was very visually appealing and portion sizes were huge. To many guests, the size of the portion is a huge part of their restaurant experience and with my Herb Cured Brick Pressed Chicken they would have hit the jackpot. It was served with lemon garlic sauce that had the perfect amount of garlic, garlic whipped potatoes, and fall vegetables. The chicken was cooked to a 'T' with seasoning, and was the most enjoyable part of my meal. The garlic mashed was nothing special and I think the chicken would have been more accommodating with a sweet potato or a starch that would intrigue the palate more than the consistency of garlic chicken AND garlic potatoes. The fall vegetables... couldn't even tell you what they were. They were chopped so finely that I had no clue what anything was, except the carrots... they were orange. Since they were all covered in the garlic sauce I had no way of using my taste buds to identify any of them. I ate them, but did not know what I was attempting to enjoy. I took more than half of my meal home (not a HUGE eater) and had absolutely no room for dessert.
I would recommend Trumbull Kitchen but during the weekday where the atmosphere is not as loud, the servers not a bustling, and the ability to choose your seating arrangements. Do not order the Lamb Shank, and be prepared for large portions to share or take home! read more