Context is important. A decent sushi meal in a rural part of the midwest where no other option for…read moresushi exists might deserve five stars, though in NYC, it might merit one. Mediocre popcorn chicken in Taiwan might earn five twinkles in NYC, where the competition is almost non-existent.
Sparrow (unrelated to The Sparrow in Brooklyn) is a clear five stars for the New Milford area, a wonderfully rural-ish part Connecticut that nonetheless supports a fairly vibrant restaurant scene. It's one of our favorite restaurants between Danbury and Kent, and if we were to pluck it up and drop it down somewhere in Manhattan, it would still merit at least four stars, probably five.
Chef Mike Sorensen's kitchen plays with, and tweaks, the menu often, though a few mainstays have been a steady presence since the beginning. Both new dishes and old are well designed and consistently well executed, while at the bar, cocktails are similarly well designed and competently mixed. Owner John Bourdeau always seems to be present, working alongside his friendly staff as part of a very well oiled operation.
On a recent visit, we tried the KFC BAO ($13; two buns, fried chicken, gochujang bbq, sesame slaw, pickles, scallion), a longtime bastion on the menu. These were made with juicy chicken tenders, coated in a remarkably crisp, but not overly thick, crust and a spicy, sweet, salty sauce. The acidity of pickles and slight crisp of slaw kept the gochujang sauce from being overwhelming. We've had plenty of fusion bao in other places involving similar ingredients, but Sparrow's version was unusually well executed.
YELLOWFIN TUNA POKE ($22; cucumber, avocado, sambal aioli, sweet soy, scallion, jasmine rice) was commendably fresh and well-cut, about even in quality to what a good mid-tier sushi establishment might serve. I don't love aioli with fish, but its presence was not excessive. The only weak point of this dish was the rice, which was too hard and dry to work with poke. A short- or at least medium-grain rice performs far better in this context. Perfectly ripe avocado, crisp, sliced radishes, and pickled jalepeno gave the dish a possibly Mexican-esque twist.
KALE CHOP ($14; local kale, olive oil vinaigrette, soppressata, mozzarella, pecorino, red onion, olive, tomato) included relatively tender kale and small amounts of each listed ingredient. I would've liked to have had more of the non-kale elements, but the salad was nicely dressed and in balance.
There was more of that incredibly crispy chicken in the CHICKEN MILANESE main ($26; salsa verde, tomato, arugula, lemon citronette, pecorino). I can't hold it against any kitchen for having an ingredient do double duty of course (the same way my poached chicken goes into both korma and enchilladas verde). But the primary consumer did note that he would have ordered something a little less samey had he known. I loved the transformative brightness of salsa verde with the chicken.
Since I'm horribly predictable, I again ordered the WILD STRIPED BASS ($32; potato + celery root salad, tarragon vinaigrette, pea shoots, lupine). The fish was presented with enough variation to keep things interesting, however. The basic preparation of the striped bass was the same (a thick pavé cut, lightly salted, pan fried), but with a lovely green tarragon vinaigrette instead of dill vinaigrette that absorbed winningly into the diced potato and celery root. The potato and celery root appeared virtually indistinguishable, so it was sort of fun to guess which root vegetable I was spearing with my fork, and the slightly sweeter, firmer flavor of the latter was especially enjoyable alongside the fish. Tender pea shoots replaced the sorrel used in the prior iteration.
Two of my convives chose to order pizza, each 12" and just the right size for a hungry adult. Both the SONGBIRD ($20; red sauce, mozz, soppressata, pecorino, crushed red pepper, honey) and the ASPIRATIONAL CLUTTER ($23; red sauce, mozz, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, sweet peppers, olives) came on sturdy sourdough crust, generously topped, with cheese and sauce in good balance.
The LEXINGTON ($16; Redemption Rye, Amaro Nonino, nutmeg, lemon, club soda, mint) -- likely a reference to the city of that name in KY, not MA -- was served in a mint julep cup and drank a lot like a mojito: light and refreshing. The Pardner had the SAN FRANCISCO ($16; chile infused rum, coconut cream, smoky pineapple, coconut + cinnamon), which was pleasantly smoky, not overly sweet, and charmingly served in a tiki mug.
Chef Sorenson does a wonderful job of fine tuning the menu based on what they are able to source locally and serving ingredients at their peak season. Even frequent diners won't be bored by the constantly evolving food.
More here: https://eatersdigestnyc8.wordpress.com/2026/07/27/sparrow-bar-and-restaurant-new-milford-connecticut/
