Honestly, I didn't know this place existed until just a few hours ago. Typically, Harwinton is too…read morefar out of my way to go to because I tend not to go north of where I live unless I take a bus towards Hartford or I am going to Watertown. However, my mom had taken me to a renaissance fair in the area and as we left this was the first barbecue option I could find on Yelp. It helped that it was less than 10 minutes from the Ren, so it was a very quick drive. We opted for outdoor seating just because it was visible from where we parked in its plaza. I do like the Thomas Edison theme this restaurant has going on. The decor and the pictures help drive that theme home here which is a nice touch. I did overhear that this restaurant tends to pull people from Bristol and Thomaston which I can understand. They're both fairly close to Harwinton, especially Thomaston who borders this town to the south. The service here is on top of things as well. We had Chrissy who was very friendly, and always willing to answers we had about what we had (I did ask a few questions about the food brought out). While only one other outdoor table was in use upon arrival, about half of them were being served by the end of the meal. So let's start off with the drinks. Mom had the Mango Loco while I had the Campfire Old Fashioned. You also get refills of iced water from a glass jug. I did get to try mom's drink. At its best, it has a very fruity, sweet, refreshing flavor. However, as that drink went on, mom commented that the finish exposed how uneven the Mango Loco was. I took another sip of it at that and it confirmed her thoughts. That sweet mango taste was largely missing in its finish. A good stir after serving would probably help things along, but the taste should always be even if possible. As for my drink, this is where my first question was asked: what bourbon did they use? Turns out, it's made locally in Litchfield. It uses Litchfield Distillery Double Barrel, a 90-proof bourbon. A lot was definitely put on because I noticed a very strong flavor with this one even though I've cooked with much stronger bourbons. It wasn't subtle at all, but the overall drink was still a good drink. The toasted marshmallow was toasted to perfection. For the appetizer, 6-piece grilled chicken wings with their Blackberry BBQ Sauce. The sauce was very tangy, but like the bourbon it was not subtle. Mom did say the chicken was overcooked, but I didn't think so. It was able to come off the bone okay enough. These were good wings, but I think having the blue cheese dip was the star of the dish. The blue cheese dip went along with these wings perfectly, and they even included some celery here as well. For the entrees, mom had the fish and chips while I had the brisket with sides of coleslaw and Mac and cheese. I actually got to try everything here except for the tartar sauce. While mom like her fish, I'm glad she was the one that got it and not me. It was greasy on the bottom, and the bite I tried had some of the breading I couldn't chew from the rest. Like, does breading have bones or something? That's what it felt like from the bite I took. But it was still a juicy fish and the breading had a light crisp to it. Likewise, the fries were also a light crisp upon arrival. Were they the best fries I had ever had from a restaurant? No! But they were competent. Onto my brisket, it had some more of that BBQ sauce from earlier, but this time it complimented the food a fair bit better than it did with the chicken. The brisket was honestly the best food item of this bunch here. It was very tender, and soft. They did a great job with the presentation here I must say. It was as if they were truly locking in when making the brisket. Cole slaw was good, but could use a bit more mayo. The Mac and cheese was also good, the shells professionally cooked, and the cheese was good. If there was one criticism for the Mac and cheese, the cheese pull could be improved. When I went to another restaurant with a friend of mine a few months back, I was able to see an epic cheese pull from their bite. There wasn't much of a cheese pull here. Still the Mac and cheese was a great side dish and I'm glad I went with what I did. Overall, I would say that after averaging the food, the ambiance, and the service, I think a 4 is the appropriate rating for this restaurant. The food had some moments of greatness and was overall a good meal, but I did find with almost everything we were served that there are some improvements that could be made. The service and theming make up for those shortcomings. I wouldn't mind coming back to try other things though. It's a good place all-in-all.

This small town grill is perfect for a coffee flight, dinner or cocktails. The dining area is cozy…read morewith about 8 seats at the bar. We stopped by before our annual Christmas Lights drive for dinner and a holiday cocktail. Katie, our bartender made me a fantastic gin spritz. We started with the giant pretzel which was fantastic! I had the cauliflower risotto which was actually quite lovely.

Always look forward to a trip to Brinx! One of the best coffee shops i have ever discovered! A cute…read morelittle hole in the wall on Torrington's main street has some of the most delicious and unique food items ive had in town! Jess the owner and operator is such a sweet, selfless and generous individual and is very welcoming of all kinds of people and events within the community constantly giving back to those around her while always providing exceptional service to all. What a gem of a location with such a cozy atmosphere and phenomenal service, i will never want to go anywhere else again!

A cute place with a good selection of cafe eats for breakfast and lunch! We all enjoyed the Curry…read moreChicken Sandwich. There were some surprise grapes that gave the sandwich some appreciated sweetness. Only note is that it did take some time to get our food and drinks but there was a lot of traction during our visit and what looked to be one person manning the register/making drinks and someone else in the back on the food. Some of us tried their Chai Latte-all agreed that it was quite milky and needed some sugar so there's that. I had the melon cucumber drink, it was good-I think would be lovely in summer weather but not as cucumbery as I would have hoped! Overall would recommend!

Went for some drinks and live music. Jazz felt really authentic, staff was friendly, lots of drink…read moreoptions. The place had more of a coffee shop vibe than what I would expect from a cocktail bar, but that's simply a matter of personal taste. I'd go again.

This place is charming, the location is perfect for those who are in Winsted and the music is good…read moreand that is about it! The kitchen is open and does not have ventilation so we were stuck all night sitting in an environment with burnt food (probably toast) smell. The smoke was heavy and made eyes water. Anyone with a sense of providing comfort to the guests would have at least opened the door. You get what you pay for. The food was mediocre to say the best. Very strange to have such a lovely environment and serve such uninteresting food in a burning food smell environment. I was really shocked. Apparently, one of the owners is from NYC - they would shut the place down with the lack of ventilation. Pity! Could have been a super cool and lovely place. - Eyes still burning. Will never recommend or return. First time in my life that I write such a poor review.

My friend and I came in here for lunch a few weeks ago. It was not very busy but it was a cute…read morelittle spot in town. They have a front seating area and a bar area. We ordered the beer flights and a glass of wine. Their signature cocktails are premade. The staff was friendly as assisting with our orders. The side of fries were so crunchy and good. I ordered the Ruben, which was absolutely delicious. The corned beef and rye combo was delicious. It is defiantly a nice spot to stop at for lunch with a friend in this little town.

Popped in for lunch on a Friday and enjoyed a beautiful salad with a side of foccacia bread. I also…read morehad a watermelon mint mocktail. Service was super friendly, too! A great pub vibe.

Loved it! The rooftop space and bar are so fun! We visited with our daughter on a gorgeous…read moreafternoon and enjoyed cocktails and mocktails and light bites for a few hours while playing card games. The staff was super friendly and very attentive. I would totally come back here to hang out. Best addition to this area.

ORIGIN: Verdict opened in September 2024 as the rooftop bar…read moreat the Abner Hotel. The bar's name is in reference to the building's previous function as the county courthouse. LOCATION: The bar is accessible through the hotel's entrance behind West Street. Take the elevator to the third floor after walking along the paved path between West Street and the back entrance, or park and walk in the lot behind the hotel. ATMOSPHERE: The big draw is the rooftop location. There are numerous seating options to enjoy the sunset, surrounding landscape, and night sky during warm weather. The bar's design is elegant. BEVERAGES: No food is currently served at Verdict, but I did see some servers pass around some potato chips. The menu includes slight twists on popular cocktails, as well as dry cocktails. I tried the watermelon margarita ($16). Something about it did not seem as balanced as I had experienced elsewhere, but it was very attractive. TIPS: The bar is new, so it is likely that service and cocktails will steadily improve over time. The bar is not enclosed, so it is only open when weather permits each day between 3 and 10 PM. All are welcome to visit Verdict -- it is not just for hotel guests.

Tried this restaurant for the first time and absolutely loved both the food and the ambiance…read more I started with the Carmel Espresso Martini, which was delicious. The Brussels sprout salad was top-notch--packed with flavor and one of my favorite dishes of the night. The pasta was also excellent, with a perfectly balanced creamy sauce that wasn't too heavy. I especially liked how they presented all the dessert options, making it fun to choose. We ended up ordering the pistachio cake, but unfortunately, it wasn't my favorite. It tasted much saltier than expected rather than sweet. I'm not sure if it was due to the cream cheese or the pistachios themselves, but the flavor felt a bit off for a dessert. Overall, it was a great dining experience.

Photos from our most recent visit to the Manhattan, I have to say not only do they never…read moredisappoint! Everytime they get a new menu item it's unique, well executed and well cooked. They knock it out of the park one dish at a time! Excellent service from both our waitress and the manager, see you soon!!

Mom visited for lunch today and we took her here, never been before. Super nice staff, and the food…read morewas great. Got the smash burger, pasta alla vodka, and southwestern ranch salad with grilled chicken- quality food. We'll be back! The salad dressing was so good. So good.

I used to love it here.. not sure what happened…read more All the staff changed, the food went downhill. Sad this was an amazing place. Assuming owners/managers have changed. I waited 2 visits before this post as this was a weekly go to for us I wish people when they bought places would not mess with it. Service and food no longer good. Avoid this place at all costs.

The food was excellent. The decor was very nice. Actually this place is a wonderful date night…read moredining. They didn't rush the food out, or make us feel we needed to eat faster, very relaxed. The coconut sauce for the shrimp was absolutely delish. I forgot to ask about the oil dip that was brought to the table with the bread. I loved it, I believe it had fresh garlic in it, and I loved it. We also had the French onion soup, very tasty. The calamari appetizer was spot on, crispy and tender. We will return for sure. Just need not to be in a hurry to eat here.

My husband and I ate here last night to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary and everything was…read moregreat. They started us off with wonderful crusty bread with an out of this world seasoned olive oil. Although a garden salad comes with the meals, we chose to order a spinach salad to share and forgo the freebie garden salad and we're sure glad we did! The spinach salad with raspberry vinaigrette was soooo good. It had walnuts, dried cranberries, bacon and blue cheese. The drinks were also awesome (Manhattan & French Martini), and our water glasses were kept filled at all times. Service was spot on as well. My husband had the Surf & Turf. He likes his steak medium rare and his was cooked perfectly. I had the Veal Francese, and it melted in my mouth. Delicious! They offer a choice of baked potato, sweet potato, or rice. We each got a baked potato. On to the ambiance: HURRAY-NO TVs!!! Subtle lighting, soft music playing (Frank Sinatra, etc., really nice) and nice linen tablecloths and napkins. Do not let the unassuming exterior of this restaurant fool you--it's lovely inside. And don't worry about the attached bar--you don't hear a thing in the main dining room--it's as if it wasn't even there. In short, this is a little gem off the beaten path well worth a visit.