Culinary Mecca with impeccable service and a waterfront view that will likely keep this establishment a long lasting attraction. Fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining... As a pescetarian I can only eat a subset of the menu, but, it's a pleasure to eat delicious, unpretentious, seasonal farm to table food that's worth the $. Greatly looking forward to sommelier-led tastings, Vie for the Kids and live tavern music. Also, props on a good social media presence :) read more

Millwrights is one of the few restaurants that consistently provides spectacular food and service, not to mention a gorgeous ambiance in every season (even now, when the waterfall is completely frozen!). In the few years it's been open, I've only visited for dinner or tavern cocktails but finally made it out to brunch yesterday afternoon. The three course prix fixe menu is a great deal at $29 per person and includes an appetizer, entree, dessert, housemade breads (incredible corn biscuit and pumpkin bread) and basket of sausage, bacon and potatoes. My friend and I started with the kale caesar salad and seared scallop with farro and lemon vinaigrette, followed by the French toast with blackberry marscapone (HOLY CRAP, THIS WAS OUTRAGEOUSLY TASTY) and sumptuously buttery lobster hash with fennel, brussels sprouts and poached egg. Ending the meal on a sweet note, we sampled the German chocolate cake with pecan crumb, marshmallow and milk chocolate ice cream and left completely stuffed and absolutely content for a snowy start to March. Our service was, as always, impeccable, and the food is worth returning for time and time again. read more

See all

We were looking forward to our first visit to Millwright's last night when the restaurant called the couple we were to be joining to tell them the restaurant could not honor their reservation due to a "glitch in the reservation software." Very disappointing; I'm not sure we'll try again. read more

Stellar food as always. Hurts the wallet but your taste buds will forgive you. I wish it was a bit more affordable but such is life. Keep it up over there yahh! read more

Just celebrated my sister's birthday at Millwrights, and it was phenomenal. Our server, Melanie, was absolutely fantastic - personable, funny, and gave PERFECT recommendations for our meals. The food was SO delicious, from the cornbread to the tapioca custard, to our entrees and even on to dessert - Major kudos to Chef Tyler as well. Overall, such a wonderful night and special celebration for my family! Thank you! read more

First impressions: The building is interesting and they completely nailed the atmosphere. It's set on a waterfall. Service: The restaurant is well-staffed with friendly, well-trained, charismatic, and professional individuals who care about your experience. Wine: For a shorter list, the wine list is excellent, and pairs with the food nicely. They have a great list of spirits and cordials. Dessert: Playful, simple, and well executed. Food: I had the tasting menu. I was disappointed overall. Proteins were cooked well, especially fish dishes. However, I felt the dishes tried too hard to focus on achieving a "wow factor." Unusual pairings of foods and seasonings were often executed heavy-handedly, with odd vegetable or herbal flavor combinations. The best dishes were muted by shapes or textures that didn't compliment the flavor. Considering this is one of the more expensive restaurants in the area, I expected more from the food. read more

Warning: You are about to read about an in-depth, descriptive and highly enticing culinary adventure which began one fateful evening at a rustic mill by a waterfall. I'm not really sure where to begin here. The review is a little late, mostly because I'm far too overwhelmed by this place. I was waiting for the menu to be emailed, but Joe C. told me that might never happen, so I'm going to give it a stab (increased inspiration after our double brainpower-storming session over lunch at Village Cafe). Basically, my experience here during the SEVEN course beverage paired tasting dinner was absolutely the most outstanding culinary adventure I've ever been honored to have embarked on. It was straight from a movie--Joe C. was looking for a dinner companion and posted on Yelp, I rushed over after my work meeting, met him blindly and prepared to indulge. We had cocktails before the dinner (I really had no idea what I was getting myself into). The cocktail menu is a bit confusing (weird smash/bitter thing on the side, basically you choose your choice of alcohol and there are prices for the alcohol you choose on the side...saw some for an additional $24 on top of the $8 something for the cocktail itself, WOAH). I had a smash with ginger and rum, and it was great. Cocktails still in hand, we were led up on the elevator in the tavern by the sommelier Brent into the upstairs demo kitchen loft (original mill details still intact and beautiful). The ambiance here upstairs reminded me a lot of Still River Cafe. In the loft, there was one long communal table with thirty place settings and the Millwright chefs preparing our first course in the kitchen beside the table. What I think I love most about food (and about Yelp) is the camaraderie, fellowship and sense of community which develops around a love for good food, a sharing of culinary traditions (and a decent amount of alcohol). The conversation that ensues around good food among those who love food and dining is always passionate, robust and full of life. Millwrights knows this about people who love food, and happily places them all together at one table to enjoy and savor the experience together. This was equally my favorite part of this extraordinary dinner, alongside the most delicious food I've ever tasted. Joe C. and I chatted it up with some curiously interesting individuals about everything from WWII, local breweries, Anne of Green Gables to eyeglasses. New friends and food, what else could one ask for? Now, more on the actual meal. I must point out here that I wholeheartedly appreciate Millwright's emphasis on local and sustainable food (the chef made a point of explaining the source of nearly every dish). Seven courses (paired with six drinks....hell if I remember all of them. Sparkling wine, white wine, red wine, an IPA, etc etc etc....). This is in somewhat the correct order, my memory is a little rusty: 1) raw fluke wrapped in pea shoots, 2) brussel sprouts, pistashio oil and pistashios with local ricotta from Vermont paired with an IPA (THIS WAS MY FAVORITE), 3) pigeon (wish I had the menu so I could explain this better). Joe made a joke that it was from 54th and Broadway, and I giggled a little, 4) Maine shrimp in a chorizo broth, 5) fish (I need this menu) from the most sustainable fish farm in the world, in Spain. Apparently the water comes out cleaner than when it entered the farm, 6) Veal cheek wrapped in foie gras, quoting Joe C. "underneath a short rib thing" and for a decadent dessert to finish it all off (I finally remembered to take a photo of this one,) 7) chocolate terrine, hazelnut biscotti, espresso ice cream with a side of blood oranges. This dinner was absolutely, unbelievably, out-of-this-world (out of this UNIVERSE). Service was superb, Brent was hilarious, down-to-earth (despite his obvious expertise) and entertaining. Cheers to Brent, the chefs and the waiters who worked tirelessly to achieve the most outstanding dining experience I've ever had (and I've eaten quite a few meals abroad). Cheers also to Joe C. for generously bringing me on this rich and vast culinary escapade! I can't wait to come back here to try the tavern menu and another tasting dinner (they had a 44 person wait-list, so I felt honored to have this experience). These dinners are a way for the chefs to try out new dishes on people who love food (they won't release the menu ahead of time, so be prepared to eat anything and everything). They can try these out on me, anytime! Come here and savor it all! read more

Good creative food but a number of dishes were only warm, not hot. The excellent tasting corn chowder had lots of lobster but was only warm. The same was true of the ratatouille and lobster dish. Only my wife's salmon was hot. The view of the waterfall under the lights at night in the rain was spectacular. read more

We waited until after our second visit before putting up a review. Unfortunately, our experience on both visits reinforced the same result. The food overall is first rate, but the service, however is far below par. While Millwirghts attempts to convey in its presentation that its staff is highly experienced and attentive, both our visits proved otherwise. On our first visit, we would go 15-20 minutes at a time without having anyone check on our table or even refill water glasses. Even though we were very familiar with our primary waiter (we had known him from 3 other restaurants he had workerd in), it did not seem to help or make a difference. In short, as this was our visit and we wanted to try so many of the interetsing items, we ordered many of the dishes to share. When dinner arrived, all three of the side dishes we ordered did not arrive. When we finally were able to find our wiater to mention it to him, he said he would have it rectified. As no further food came, i guess the solution was his later whisper that he would take them off the bill. Gee really? I again will repeat that the quality of the food was wonderful which is why we waited 3-4 weeks beofre returning later for my Wife's birthday. The second act, unfortunately, was same as the first. Once again our service experience in a word was BAD. We were unatteneded for extended periods time after time. If the bar manager, who we knew from Fleming's had not stopped by to say Hello, we would have gone over 30 minutes without water or soda refills. This time, we even had our server argue with us. When one of the Duo of Beef we ordered as medium came out less than rare, she insisted it was the chef's cooking style and the meat was really more done then we thought. My father had to cut into his beef to show her it was less than rare through and through before she took it back. She then did not bring the empty side plate we requested so he could share some of our meals while we waited what turned out to be over 15 minutes to warm his meal. After spending over $400 on each visit, we were left with the sad realization that if or until they sort out there service issues, we will be finding other places to dine. While the food is far above average and the ambiance is lovely, the service issues are too bad to be tolerated or accepted. read more

The best guys. The family and i enjoy their food, the waterfall and their friendly attitude.

We typically dine at similar restaraunts around Farmington Valley and West Hartford such as Abial's, Max A Mia, Bricco and Grants so we were excited to try a highly reviewed restaurant in our own town. We went with another couple and sat in the Bar & Grill which is downstairs. For those who have not been there before they have an upstairs Dining Room and a downstairs Bar & Grill along with two separate menus. However if you sit downstairs then not only can you order from the lesser expensive Bar & Grill menu but you can also order from the Upstairs Menu. The ambiance was very nice. We were seated in the Waterfall Room where you have a perfect view of the waterfall. The service started to go downhill quickly. The waiter kept coming to our table asking us if we were ready to order. We were out with another couple on a Saturday night without our kids so we were not in any rush. However when he came the first time and we indicated that we needed another minute, he returned in exactly one minute and asked again. We told him that we needed another couple of minutes and he then returned promptly in about two minutes. We definitely felt rushed and it seemed like they were more concerned with turning over tables. The food was very good but not remarkable. Its basicay glorified meat and potatoes but with prices that are on par with Grants and Max Oyster Bar - two restaraunts that I think serve up higher quality and more imaginative cuisine. The final nail in the coffin was when we ordered desert and coffee. We waited about 10 minutes for the coffee and after about 20 minutes the waiter came back and asked if we were ready for the check. My wife told him that we were still waiting for the desert we ordered from him. He quickly said, "oh, thats right let me go get that for you" and then immediately walked over to the POS system and keyed in the desert order. He clearly forgot to put in the order. We then waited another 20 minutes durring which time he never returned to see if we were OK or if we wanted any addiitonal coffee. He finally delivered the deserts but never appologized or offered to comp any of the deserts. I complained to one of the "hosts" (i'm not exactly sure what his role was) who appologized but instead of offering a gift card or some type of comp, he gave me his card and told me to contact him before the next time I come in. I felt like he was just blowing me off and frankly there won't be a next time. Between Metro Bis, Abigails, Max A Mia and The Grist Mill there are plenty of alternatives that have better food and much better service. In fact, I get better service at First and Last. read more

Dinner 8/29/12 FOOD The food is outstanding, presentation outstanding the help is phenomenal and the atmosphere in this old mill bu idling along the river with a water falls is great. The price is high and the food portions are small, maybe miniature is a better word. I really hate to zing them, but they need to increase their portion size. There were 6 of us for dinner. 3 ordered a scallop dinner and 3 ordered a lobster dinner. You can't beat the flavor of the meals. Absolutely tops! But 3 scallops and 2 bites of lobster tail! When was the last time you were in a restaurant and served 3 scallops and 2 bites of lobster and that was the main course? The soup was a corn chowder with lobster. Again, absolutely outstanding! Martini's and Cosmos were served in what I would call an old fashion champagne glass. I don't know if this is the new thing or not, but I would prefer the traditional stemmed martini glass that is chilled. COST Cost for 6 people was approximately $423.00. This included 6 dinners, 1 appetizer, 4 soups, 2 martinis, 3 cosmos, 3 red wines and 1 bottle of Chablis ($37), tax and tip. Dinner entrees averaged $28-$31. ATMOSPHERE Old renovated mill. Nicely renovated. They are still working on a bar and a lighter menu (I hope they don't mean in weight). WOULD I RETURN Not right away. I need a little more food on my plate. The 4 STAR rating goes directly at the portions, Food quality is very high. I wish them all the best. It's a new restaurant in town and I hope they make it. read more

REVIEW #1 After one visit to the restaurant: Food 10 Selection 7 Atmosphere 10 Service 9 Price 8 Seating 6 Beautiful restoration. Simsbury is very lucky to finally have an establishment like this. Major negatives are small menu, small dining room size (hard to get a reservation and it took about 20 minutes past our reservation to seat) however both of these will probably change when the tavern opens up.... hoping for more beer selection and a pub menu with cheaper options. REVIEW #2 Given 2 more dining experiences and multiple tavern visits, there are a few more things to say about this place. BEST RESTAURANT IN TOWN and BEST BAR IN TOWN Tavern menu did not disappoint to say the least! I tried about half of the menu so far, and loved everything so much that it is my goal to try the rest of the menu by the end of October. Very affordable pricing on the tavern food. $14 for a huge burger and fries platter that will fill up almost anyone. Bigger beer selection with a great mix of lots of obscure beers to go hand in hand with trusted well known favorites. Top shelf liquors drive home the point they Millwrights is not messing around with concern for quality. The service in the tavern is less overbearing than in the dining room, more casual, and easier to get in touch with. Taking less than half the time that the dining room takes, it is much more realistic for a quick meal. I want to see a few things before I move in permanently: More draught beer selection- No other bar around can beat Innis, Southern Tier and Dogfish on draft, but how about seeing some Rogue, or more flavors of Innis? I suppose space could be a major limitation. One bar service issue I picked up on was inconsistent head size on two of the same beers served at the same time to me and the other who I dined with. Not really a make it or break it issue, but something to watch out for! Some small menu item portions... Too small to consist of a full meal. When something costs the same as the huge burger, I would expect it to come close in size. If it doesn't, I want to know about that before I place the order. It should be distinguished on the menu. Right now the tavern menu is just a list of items, it should be segregated by sizing or (the better option) make everything enormous! Happy hour- for the working class who needs to come to the tavern to relieve stress before going home to deal with more stress. This goes hand in hand with specials on food and drink. That's it for my suggestions, you guys are getting there for sure. Building up that loyal customer base is going to take no time with the quality oozing from every orifice of the joint. read more

I really wanted to love this place. There are very few upscale places in northern CT that I wanted to find a go-to place. The dining room was nice, flowers attractive and overall ambience was fine. Our server wasn't very transparent about the meals. When asked specifically about the serving size of the scallops, she didn't respond accurately and just said "they do a good job with the scallops." She should have said, it's a small portion and you get 4 scallops for $34. (Pictures on this site show 5, but we got 4???). They came on a horrible tasting green blob which I assume was the spaghetti squash with rosemary pesto. Everyone at the table tried it and commented on how bad it tasted. Side of Brussels was ok but nothing special. Two at our table had the chicken and were not impressed. A fourth person said the cod was ok. Two Appetizers ordered were gnocchi and the salmon. They tasted better than our meals but were not overly impressive. Salmon came to our table of 4 with three tiny crackers. Kind of musical chairs with salmon, but they brought us more on request. The bisquit that came with the meal was flaky and tasty. We tried two desserts and one was a blonde brownie with ice cream and caramel popcorn. Interesting combo but nothing special. Oh yeah, one of us ordered a martini and the server gave her the bums rush and took away the glass before she was finished. She was too embarrassed to say anything to the server. Overall, as much as I wanted to like it, I was unimpressed. Scallops were average and the green blobs were awful and almost inedible. Chicken was just chicken. Unremarkable. Desserts average. I guess if you go to an award winning restaurant and pay big bucks for a meal, it's embarrassing to say it was at best average, and I'll just call that the emperors new cloths phenomenon. Maybe we just picked the wrong entrees and should have guarded our drinks more forcefully. Thanks for the reply. But was the portion supposed to be 5 scallops like posted on yelp or the 4 that I received? read more

Service was exceptional; food was delicious, but beware, the portions are small. I worry when restaurants do this. I ordered the duo of prime beef, which was extremely tasty, but it consisted of maybe five or six small 1 inch squares of NY strip and one two inch square of a short rib. The twice baked potato was to laugh at it was so small. Again the food was great but I'm concerned about the portions. read more

Service and atmosphere impeccable, but some of the food too fussy for its own good and did not achieve the desired result.

My wife and I came for an impromptu Friday night dinner last week and we were very happy with this restaurant. The waitstaff and chef were very accommodating - they made their cauliflower "steak" without butter for me (vegan). We will definitely come back soon. Thank you! read more

Sunday brunch: The restaurant itself is beautiful, the value of the prix fixe menu is fantastic and the view incredible. I did get the sense however that Sunday brunch was a bit slap dash. As if the kitchen didn't take it very seriously. The menu was well crafted but too ambitious for the team in the kitchen. I had the Duck hash which was just a bit sloppy and over salted. The idea was there and the ingredients were fresh but I don't think the head chef was there to keep them buttoned up. read more

We ate at Millwrights last Saturday evening for the second and last time. It was a repeat of the first time. The service was terrible. The appetizer was forgotten and arrived after our meals were served. It was as though they were doing us a favor by serving it at all. There was no bread or water. We weren't offered refills on our beverages. We had to ask for silverware. The portions are minuscule. The pork entree was flavorless and undercooked. It was served with two roasted brussel sprouts that were cut in half on a swirl of parsnip puree. The brussel sprouts were identical to those that I make at home. The short rib entree was served with pasta and consisted mostly of pasta with very little meat. The pear crisp was served with a tablespoon of ice cream. The crisp was hard and tasted stale. We all went home hungry and disappointed. read more

My wife and I went to Millwright's Restaurant to celebrate out 19th anniversary. The menu had so many wonderful sounding options we went with the tasting menu with beverage pairing to have a little of everything. The food was beyond delicious. I hate beets and yogurt as a rule, but loved the pickled beets and yogurt the chef prepared. The room was packed, and on a Tuesday no less - but the staff and Jeff Mussman made it seem like we were the only ones there. We left with great memories, a hand printed list of wine pairings and a menu signed by the chef. Certainly not the least expensive dinner, but the food and memories are worth it. Thanks to the Millwright's staff! We'll be back. read more

This was our first time to Millwrights and we ate in the tavern. We've been meaning to try this place for quite some time now based on the glowing reviews. Perhaps we need to try the main restaurant as my husband and I were relatively unimpressed with our experience. The tavern menu was limited compared to comparable restaurants in the valley. My husband opted for the hamburger and fries. It was cooked to order but incredibly salty. Ask to hold the salt if we return for a second trip. I chose the grilled cheese and tomato soup. Grilled cheese was quite good. The soup was tasty...lukewarm at top and cold on bottom, not heated thoroughly in the microwave I suppose. Overall portion, quite small. For dessert, we opted to share the apple brown betty, which was delicious and nicely prepared. A tad on the pricey side of $9 and a small portion. A word of warning, if you do not drink alcoholic beverages, refills are NOT free. We had ice tea served in slim glasses with lots of ice to the tune of $4 a piece! Highway robbery if you ask me. The mark up must be incredible. The staff was helpful and nice, but not attentive. Anytime we needed something, we needed to call someone over. I'll attribute this to the fact that it was a Friday night, and they were very busy. On the positive side...the setting is lovely. read more

Excellent food from one of CT's best chef's. Tyler Anderson sources his ingredients from local farms, so it is delicious and fresh. We did brunch there one weekend and it was fantastic! Don't expect your run of the mill (no pun intended) brunch spot. This is nice. The large glass windows looking out to the mill's waterfall makes it the perfect atmosphere to boot. A Simsbury staple! read more

Dinner consisted of the Johnny Cake Biscuits and the Reuben with the Kale Salad as the accompanying side, while dessert was the Hazelnut Bombe. My drink of choice for the night was the "What's Up Doc?" The biscuits were well made, not too soft and just enough crunch. The honey sesame butter also had the right amount of sweetness to it and complimented the biscuits perfectly. My only gripe is that I paid $7 for biscuits. Bread and/or biscuits should really be an on the house item, just as most restaurants do. The drink was also a surprise and I found it to be right on the money. It had just the right amount of sweetness and tang with all the flavors coming together nicely. No one flavor overpowered the other. Was it worth $10? If you look at it as a very once in a while treat, then yes. As for the main course and dessert, well, that's an entirely different story altogether and are the reasons I docked three stars. The Reuben I was served wasn't just one of the worst Reuben's I had ever had, it was one of the worst meals I had ever consumed. The meat was almost nothing but fat, the flavors were almost nonexistent, and the bread was soaking wet from all the butter that it was cooked in. I managed to finish the sandwich, but that was due to feeling very hungry that night and because I don't think it's necessary to complain to the wait staff unless the dining experience is truly horrific. As for the kale salad, it was the best part of the main course. It didn't suffer from the usual problem of being doused in dressing like I see at many other restaurants, the vinaigrette had a smooth texture to it and wasn't overly bitter, and the kale had a nice crunch to it. Lastly, we have the Hazelnut Bombe. The presentation was spot on but that was about it. Again, I found the flavors to be bland and void of sweetness, and to make matters worse the cake was very, very dry. Although I did not enjoy most of my food, I found the layout and atmosphere of the restaurant to be wonderful, it's in a lovely spot in Simsbury, and the wait staff seems very pleasant. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll ever eat there again. The main course and dessert were both just so abysmal that I'm not sure I'm willing to give the food another shot. read more

Millwrights is an excellent experience. We have gone to both the restaurant for dinner as well as the tavern below for drinks and both have been marvelous experiences. The staff is VERY friendly; the food is high quality and the ambiance is charming. read more

My husband surprised me last night with a lovely dinner at Millwrights to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We were immediately impressed with our server, Ron, who was not only very personable but also incredibly knowledgeable about the food, history of the restaurant, chef and owners. We were completely caught off guard when he delivered a hand-written note to our table from the chef congratulating us on our special milestone. We decided to try the 7 course tasting menu and could not have been happier with our choice! My husband has said several times that he believes it is probably the best restaurant meal he's ever had, with a couple of plates being his favorites. Overall, we found the food and service to be very thoughtful and entirely enjoyable! We will definitely be returning with friends and loved ones to enjoy the dining experience again at Millwrights. As disappointed as we were to realize we accidentally left our lovely note behind, it is, as the saying goes...the thought that counts! We would recommend the terrific dining experience to anyone! read more

I've been stalking the Millwright's reviews while waiting for our friends to get their dates together to dine there. They are our most sophisticated diner friends, so we wanted to go with them. It's been interesting reading the reviews here and on OpenTable. Some consistent themes: excellent food, gorgeous space, mixed reviews on service, criticisms of portion size. So, I paid a lot of attention to the last two to see how our table felt about them. The space is indeed, gorgeous. Those of us who live in Simsbury know the location is magical, and the management has done a great job building on the great potential of the space. Add to this the almost professional icing-over of the waterfall and pond - breathtaking! Curiously in the building's entry foyer there is this nature "diorama". Very earthy and nature-y, but with this huge out-of-place white peacock in it. Do they have white peacocks in CT? It may be the landlord's doing, but our suggestion is to lose the bird! Inside, we were greeted very warmly. There are at least six tables near the window in the main dining room - our friends didn't request a window table, but that's okay. If I want to see the view I'll drive by, or visit again. So our two areas of focus - pretentious service and small portions - ???? NEITHER one of those were an issue! The servers were lovely, never overly attentive to the point of being intrusive, never overwhelming. From the reviews I thought we'd have a lot of that crumb-removal stuff going on - thankfully none of that (or, we are neat diners). I could tell we may have stumped them with questions once or twice but they were very sweet and gracious. The are clearly well-trained - even the way they carry themselves is professional. For the young servers, it was sweet! Being from town, we know a few of the servers and they are not just local kids there, they are so professional! The food was fabulous. My husband often likes quantity over quality, which I have tried to get him away from, without success. With a square of Millwright's biscuit (thank you for not leaving a basket on the table!), the Littleneck Clam appetizer (a deconstructed clam chowder, almost), and the Duo of Beef entree and shared dessert, he was totally sated. And the entrees were so beautifully plated. Artistic. Caring. I enjoyed the Beef Carpaccio appetizer - the aoili complemented the flavors brilliantly, and the dish was beautiful to look at. I'm not really a carnivore, but have always loved carpaccio since it was introduced in the US as a trendy dish in the 80s by super cute waiters in NYC. I wavered on the entree - I wanted fish. The server's description of skate, which I cannot recall ever having, was spot on - mild, white fish. I eat salmon, swordfish and scallops all the time. Ooooh it was so yummy - maybe a little too buttery for me as I am used to eating pretty light, but it had to be at least a 6-8 ounce serving, along with a spicy broccoli puree and tiny crushed fingerling potatoes beneath the fillet. Our friends had the excellent aragula and watercress salad, the lamb entree and the linguini with kale. Everyone happy. Cocktails and wine were served promptly. Loved the french press coffee - this is how I make my own. Friends had the honey semifreddo dessert and husband and I had the pear crumble. I had dropped my scarf at the table, and our server ran by us into the parking lot to return it. Really, sweet. Minor minor minor critiques - like the NYT reviewer, I am grasping here: 1. The menus do not need to be reprinted with a new date every day. That's not green. The menu we chose from was on the website at least a few days prior to our visit. We like recycling! 2. We were not told there was a ice cream menu at dessert and were jealous of our neighbor with three cute little cones. 3. The pear crumble - the crumble seemed a little undercooked, pale. 4. I know Millwright's sources locally. I would have loved to have seen the sources on the menu (that could be reason to print them daily). We support local farms and purveyors and it would have added yet another dimension to dining. We didn't think the price, for what we got, was too crazy. One of our friends actually had a salad and pasta, which without beverages and dessert would have come to only $22 and was a totally adequate amount of food. I do believe, if you are on a budget (who isn't?), you can dine well at Millwright's without breaking the bank. The view is free! So happy to have this destination dining establishment in my adopted home town now. We feel like we know everyone in town, and only saw one table we knew (which is nice, sometimes you don't want to get all chatty with the neighbors, right?). Clearly, Millwright's is drawing diners from all over. I hope the restaurant collaborates with the town's public relations efforts to bring revenues to many businesses here. They are that worth the trip! Cannot wait to return to celebrate good news. Pub visit is next! read more

Exquisite experience here on a date night with my husband. The service was so attentive and exceptional. We were seated next to the gorgeous waterfall and surrendered ourselves to the Chef's tasting experience which did not disappoint. Our server made some great wine recommendations for pairings. We began the night with a cocktail in the tavern downstairs where I noticed a more dressed down menu that I'd love to come back and try. Overall, five star first experience here. I'll be back! read more

This is a very special place, went for the first time tonight to treat my girlfriend for her birthday. We chose to enjoy the Tavern downstairs, and got a small cozy table right next to the fireplace. The service was outstanding! Food, beer quality and selection, and ambiance all just as impeccable as the service. Brian was our server and was amazing, along with every staff member we interacted with. Thanks for making our visit so special!! read more

We went for the outdoor brunch and had a fantastic experience. The outdoor seating area is shaded so make sure to bring a coat if you get cold easily. They do provide table top heat lamps which were effective and added to the fall feel. The fixed menu provided a good amount of variation and, while the plates may appear to be on the smaller side by sight, we left contentedly full. The price is a little high; however, we both had nothing we could think of that could have made the food better. The flavors were amazing and you could taste how fresh the ingredients were. Every course was just delicious. We had the smoked salmon, garden salad, duck confit hash, two eggs with sausage, bacon, and hash, almond cake, and the cheese bread. They also give you fresh muffins to start and I grabbed a coffee, which was in a personal sized french press. The high quality of the food and the beautiful outdoor seating area made this a wonderful experience. Will definitely be returning to try their main menu. read more

Out standing service and amazing food worth the price and beautiful setting with a rustic and classy look food was to die for the owner is a true gentleman il becoming back on a regular ! Can't say enough a bout it just loved it read more

Outstanding dinner start to finish. Tim the wine manager helped us select a great bottle of wine. Our main waiter Ron was wonderful as where all the suport staff and the food was outstanding. Their attention to detail is amazing. Great experience read more

Went back again as a last minute party of 5. The food was once again perfect. Everyone claimed they ordered the best meal and nothing was leftover. Can't wait to go back. read more

Decent place. Good service. My wife had beef that she found a little tough. Came with a bit of brisket that was the better part of her meal. I had a salmon meal with decent quinoa side. Fish was tender. Overall, the price was a bit high for the quality of food and wine served. Go with moderate expectations and you won't be disappointed. read more

It is basically by far the best restaurant in CT (minus fairfield county area which I can't speak on). There are some things you should understand before going here. First, the food portions are not enormous like joey garlics where you want to throw up after, the prices are higher (but in line with any fine dining restaurant which this without a doubt is). Then again, every ingredient in every dish is the highest possible quality prime grade A stuff. Each side and course is put together was completely fresh ingredients from local farms that day. The location is gorgeous. Old mill style place totally renovated and redone, right on a waterfall. The service is as good as high quality NYC, DC or las vegas restaurants. After we were done with all the courses, they invited us into the kitchen to see it and meet Tyler Anderson, the former chef at copper beach inn (which was my previous one of my favorites), and winner of chopped. Everyone was so nice and it was perfect. We will be going back next week for the tasting menu. If you want to go somewhere with buffet style huge portions and lower prices, don't bother, but if you want to go to a REAL fine dining style farm fresh place, I would go asap!! I wish I could compare another restaurant to this, but there really isn't one. I enjoy blueback square, but the quality is without a doubt a step below compared to millwrights. The Avon, Farmington, Canton, Simsbury has nothing close at all (as someone who has been everywhere at this point). I guess I am excited simply because we have been waiting for an actual real fine dining local place in central CT for a long time, and this fits perfectly. We saw most of the meals at other tables, but ended up getting the pork duo, and the fried chicken. The agnioliti (sp?) was amazing as a side. It is suggested that you get a side with your meal, and maybe one app to share. After a drink each I would rather spend 100 for super quality food, than 85 for something just ok for two people. They will have a tasting menu next week, that if its anything like Tyler's previous restaurant, will be a real treat. Basically its a must try. Remember to know what your getting into. It is not a buffet style place, and theres no 2 for 1 specials. This is the real deal fine dining establishment with great service in an amazing location. Enjoy! read more

Went with a group of 8 and had a very nice meal. Food was very good, service was very good, I see some complaints about portion size, and I'd have to say that depending on what you ordered, this could be an issue, but certainly not in all cases. I can't say for sure what everyone had, but will comment on what was eaten by me and those around me--the Kale and Watercress salad was delicious, though I can't say that I noticed any watercress in mine or my friends, but it was a good size and I was fine with just kale. Brussell Sprouts (side dish as an app) were also delicious, roasted, no sauce, but really good. My husband had the chicken and dumplings as an app and he liked it, dumplings were really gnocchi, as disclosed. Flounder dinner was very good, not a large portion, but not a small one either. Some had the swordfish, which though well cooked was a bit small. Linguine with kale was large and tasty, but the pasta was a little overcooked. Desserts were very good, honey semifreddo, some chocolate/hazelnut dish, someone had a pear crumble and liked it, though I did not taste it. Very nice atmosphere, we were in the tavern with a view of the water. Would definitely try it again. Not a cheap night, but reasonable given that we had cocktails and 3 course meals. read more

My wife's favorite restaurant in Simsbury for special occasions. More than a meal, an experience.

Really frustrating nite. Confirmed window table 3 times ( once them calling me 6 hours before reservation to confirm window table) and yet no window table available. Pretentious service, expensive food Certainly not worth the value of the bill read more

You will empty your wallet here but will have a 5 star dining experience. The service is impeccable and you feel like you are the only one in the restaurant. The food was very memorable. read more

My wife, kids and I returned to Millwrights to try the Tasting Menu. We were there on a Sunday, when they offered bottles of wine from the wine list for half price. My wife and I enjoyed a nice 2009 Willamette Valley Vineyards Tualatin Estate pinot noir for less than $50. I won't rehash the excellent review by Jason S., but would like to mention that one of our eight courses was the veal loin with sweetbreads, cauliflower and absinthe froth. Although the veal loin from my last visit was slightly overdone for my taste, this time, it was beautifully cooked. The only negative things I have to say are: 1) eight courses, however small, were too much for all of us; my wife said that we'll just order off of the menu the next time we're there; and 2) although the eight courses included two excellent sorbets, bartlett pear and black currant, they did not include any ice cream. Now I have to go back for ice cream! read more

Millwright's - Cauliflower, veal loin, sweetbreads and absinthe froth. - New American Near Me - Simsbury, Connecticut

The second week of May I booked my wedding dinner there for September 2. Today, I received a call from a young woman informing me that they had booked the restaurant completely and my reservation was cancelled. I was shocked that the owner didn't bother to call. He still hasn't bothered to call. She was flippant and simply repeated, sorry. Sorry. Now we have two weeks to find a venue. Completely unprofessional. I'm disgusted. read more