My expectations aren't super high, but I think the "ska club," "night at the Roxbury" music playing…read more that didn't fit the vibe might have something to do w/ it. There were 6 other people at the bar, a couple in the corner & a table if 6 behind me. The manager came out to talk to the couple in the corner about their experience, which is not a great sign, but we'll see. He saw that I was writing a review & never went back in the kitchen after that, unless it was for a brief moment. He involved himself in pouring drinks & barely left my side. He made small talk & I learned that he had been open for 4 years. It was difficult for me to eat, take pictures of the food or write the review with his constant engaging presence. He was pleasant & made sure to pick up the bartenders slack. For instance, a coaster under the drinks, offering me a glass, or putting down a placemats under the food or supplying silverware, none of which she did. I ordered a Modelo, but when she grabbed it out of the cooler, i saw that it was Especial not Negra, so i asked do you have the dark? She said no & w/ out hesitation opened it, not giving me a chance to ask for something different. Not a big deal, but she seemed indifferent & with no affect. None of this is a deal breaker, just an observation. The food, that was a deal breaker. I ordered the (smoked BBQ sandwich) & opted for the brisket. It came with a side & I chose onion rings. They were pre-salted, almost too much, but they were good. No complaints there. The sandwich however was impossible to eat. The meat was very tough & stringy. It was impossible to tear, bite or cut. The roll was soft, untoasted & soggy, causing it to fall apart making a mess. I gave up, turning to fork & knife to cut what resembled a tangled bunch of hair in both in taste & texture. There was something on the meat, but it was more of a marinade than BBQ as we know it. The same goes for the cheese. I did not see any caramelized onions, but there were two jalapeños. The owner asked how the meal was & I said eh. He said only ok? so I elaborated. He said he would relay the information to the kitchen & I thanked him. After that he never came back into the dining area until after I had left. I do feel bad writing this review because he was so overly involved in my experience & he was a nice gentleman that I would like to succeed, but I do not think I would want to return there after my experience with that sandwich, especially for the price. The meal alone was bad enough. Maybe a change in staff would help, unless they were related. I felt bad writing this review because the owner made it a point to be overly engaging with me once he saw that i was writing a review, but the better way to handle things is to make sure that you guest's experience is top notch. I felt like he tried to keep me engaged, so i wouldnt be rough on him, but it is supposed to be about the customers experience, not my empathy for the friendly owner. I wish him the best of luck.

It wasn't wine that I had too much of It was a double shot…read moreof my baby's love" (The Swinging Medallions) We had a Double Shot of fun at Smoke last night when we enjoyed a Dumpling Making/Prosecco Tasting Experience followed by a terrific dinner. Shout out to Smoke's owner Rich who dreamed up the Dumpling/Prosecco Experience for a dozen regulars and social media followers. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by Rich and a small split of Maschio Prosecco. After all the participants arrived, Rich's wife Claire and Claire's mom (the star of the show) walked us through the process of making homemade dumplings. Claire and her mom made the simple dough using just two ingredients -water and all-purpose flour. We watched our instructors mix the dough, stretch and roll into a thin rope, snap it off into small chunks, squish it into a disk, use a mini-rolling pin to flatten it out into a small circle, fill it from a pre-made bowl of Ground Beef and Cabbage, then fold and pinch it into shape. Then our dozen attendees tried their hand at replicating all of those steps. Our mother and daughter team's dumplings looked as though they came off a 3D printer- just perfect and uniform. Mine looked like rejected factory seconds. The mother didn't speak English, but I had a blast watching and copying her little tricks on folding in the corners and squeezing the wrappers together. Once the dumplings were folded and squeezed together, they went into a pot of water, and we all enjoyed them before dinner. Dinner was a real pleasure. I loved the vibe at Smoke. If you want to cool it hip and chic I won't argue. I loved all the paintings on the wall. There is a large painting of a ghostly looking, red-lipped female blowing out a puff of smoke. I told Rich what a cool painting it was, and he modestly said he had painted it. So not only is Rich a fun and engaging personality, and a talented painter, but the food at his restaurant is great. Our friend ordered a $15 Spicy Smoked Philly Cheesesteak with American Cheese, Peppers, Onions on a Grinder Roll with fries. I sampled a small slice, and it was terrific, and yeah -it was spicy. My wife ordered a $11 Shrimp and Roasted Corn Bisque served with pita chips, She loved it. I ordered a $10 Smoked Beef Brisket Chili served with tortilla chips. It was a big portion, full of flavorful chunks of beef, and packed just enough heat to make it perfect to my taste. Smoke offers a Sunday Brunch from 11-3 and a Happy Hour Mon-Sat 4pm-7pm. Their pricing is excellent, the vibe is super fun, the food is delicious, and the service from Rich and his staff is excellent. What a fun evening!

Such a great place. Wonderful And attentive service,…read moreconsistently great food. Love this spot!

Thankful Morán is close by cause it's my one stop for delicious mexican/salvadorian food. The moran…read moretaco platter is great price for the amount if you like a wide variety of proteins. This place has some of the sweetest, juiciest, ripest plantains around. Churros are sweet, crispy, not overly oily, filled with a delicious dulce filling. I've eaten there a long time ago and remember the experience as pleasurable, as I get strictly take out now.

The service is good, the ambiance is nice, drinks are pretty good, but, lord, the food is…read moredisappointing. We have eaten here twice now, and both times every dish we got was poorly executed. Flatbread could have been from the freezer, burger was a bit dry and unappealing, buffalo shrimp special was overly breaded and soggy, and the shrimp tough and overcooked, definitely overpriced for what it was. We'll stick with just drinks going forward.

J Rego's is an absolute gem to have in the neighborhood! Great food, people, & prices -- this…read morefamily-owned restaurant has been our go-to date night spot since they opened. Where do I start?! One thing I love about J Rego's is the quality of their menu; meals are always unique and truly make J Rego's stand FAR apart from other food spots in this part of CT. Yes, they offer the very best of your favorite restaurant classics, but they also add high-end, high-quality options that you cannot find anywhere else in the area. They do weekly specials (check their Instagram or call!) that always blow my mind. I literally stalk their social media each week waiting for their new options! Having J Rego's so close to home is a hazard for my self control!! And the Espresso Martinis?! Don't get me started! Delicious, high-class, and absolutely addicting. One VERY notable details about J Rego's: -- They have a FANTASTIC outdoor dining area. We enjoy it frequently in the summer, and they also set up a tent & space heaters for the colder months. Check their IG for live music on the weekends! Today, I sent my parents to J Rego's for a lunch date. They were BLOWN AWAY! It was definitely a home run recommendation. J Rego's -- thank you for being here and doing what you do! You make our community a better place & we love you for it.

Ta-Que, how do I love thee... let me count the ways.. 1…read more The hot honey chicken taco special. It sang of fresh, real honey, with a back hit of heat. I honestly could have ate 13 of those chicken tendies on there. They paired it with pickle and their fresh, crunchy slaw and it was a slam dunk for me. 2. Vampiro, oh sweet, toasty, cheesy, beefy beautiful taco.. it's folded over and cheesy and crispy and I haven't even got to the brisket yet. These boys were smoking it right. Delicate and flavorful and everything you'd want 3. Fish taco, that malt powder turns this taco into a memorable bite. Perfectly crispy and fresh. 4. Sausage was really good I just would've rather had it on side. 6. Gringo taco.. almost perfect. It's like everything you want a Standard taco to be. It sent me into a fat girl shimmy that rivals all fat girl shimmies. 5. Street corn. It's one of my fav things and it's done correctly here. Smothered in sauce and flavor 6. The drinks.. margarita and agua Fresca. It was so bright and fresh w the perfect effervescence. 7. Service.. unmatched. They let the hubs peek at smoker and we even had a group hug to celebrate our delicious meal with a gentleman with an excellent dread of hair! Gal at counter was super friendly and noticed my husbands brisket and chill shirt and shaded him for not getting the brisket taco lol. We both laughed then added on the brisket taco. It was my second fav taco too. 8. Ambiance.. so cute, waterfall, brook, cute tiki umbrellas. I'm devastated I finally got to this place on the last week of their season. I'll be counting down the days until their next season.. until then, I love you Ta-Que

Mexican food truck that's menu is designed by the chef of Millwrights…read more The truck is set up right next to Millwrights, and their are a good amount of outdoor picnic tables for seating that are right on the water You place your order at the truck, and then take your number to your seat My GF and I each got a margarita, and I got 3 tacos (one chicken, mushroom, and fish). Everything was delicious

The legendary Willibrew! This is one of the best spots for a drink in the area, and I'm constantly…read morerecommending it to people for both food and drinks when they need a spot to try in this neck of the woods. This is one of my favorite places to come for a celebration or just a regular day. The decor is always quirky and fun (giant paper machete figures high up - I assume from their Boombox Parade floats?), service is usually warm, friendly, and down to earth (the owner even came by to ask how everything was, which is a big deal in a building as massivee as this on a weekend night!) Their tap list is huge and I love to get a flight here to sample a little of everything - they offer both brews made in house and lots of local and not so local options to choose from. This day, I got the Willibrew Triptych Fruit Punch Sour, which went down easy and was fun to drink, the perfect amount of fruitiness while still having that sour tart punch. I tried my friend's Willibrew Choccy Stoot Chocolate Stout, which was a little more acidic than I would have preferred and a bit too light on the chocolate flavor for me, but still pretty in line with similar types of stouts. For food, I got the build your own burger with the vegetarian chicken patty, lettuce/tomato, pickles, cheddar, and their wonderful pesto aioli. I love that they've added so many more vegetarian options to the menu in the past few years - before that I did struggle a little bit and the Black Bean Dip appetizer was my go-to, but was not filling enough for a meal. The bun was fluffy and buttery and added to the sandwich instead of just being dry slop (which is what I think of most buns lol). This aioli is awesome and I want to dip absolutely everything in it, although the pesto notes were a little light on this day. For a side, I could choose from fries, mashed potatoes, or cole slaw, and went cole slaw to try to be healthy. I'm picky with cole slaw and actually really like this one - it's more savory instead of how a lot of cole slaws weirdly lean to the sweet side. It was crunchy and not too creamy or watery, just right honestly! I always love coming here and always try a new beer that I typically end up enjoying, since they offer such a wide variety and a good amount of sours (my favorite), stouts, seasonal items, unusual fruity items, and so on. I really should stop gassing it up so much because it does already get quite busy on some days, but I can't help myself - it's unique and unlike anything in the area. The lore, the history in the old post office building itself, the pinball machines and chalkboard in the bathroom filled with weird quotes, the funky artwork - they just all add to its character and the legend. Shout out to Barry if he still works at the bar and his awesome playlists - he gave the BEST service to my friends and I when we used to go hang out at the bar side regularly, he's the best and always made me feel at home.

We came together here to remember a special lady who was a blessing. This place offered a place to…read moreshare our memories experience comfort among family and friends with good food great surroundings and wonderful people thank you

Love it! great music, lots of space, looks like a great…read moreplace for bands Service was friendly and fun. food filled me up SO fast...I need a bigger tank.

Went in today to have dinner w/family it was 5 of us. They tell me that there's a cover charge of…read more$15. Like what? I've been here countless times since it's opened. Mind you every time we go it's $180 or so not including tip. It's 2 adults and 3 teenagers. We always get their rocking nachos and sometimes fried calamari. Their food is good the majority of the time. There's been a few times there nacho's been stale but I noticed last time that the portion was way smaller. I noticed since it's 5 of us and I asked them about it and they admitted that they made the portion smaller due to whatever I don't even remember what their excuse was but whatever. My kids don't like any of their bbq menu or sauces they really don't like the smokiness or the taste. My son likes to order their steak frites which is $35. Usually there's 2 or 3 of us that have that. Lately though I've change my order to chicken alfredo which I really like. They're sauce is nice and thick and hot unlike some places I've been to. Anyways when we went there today HUNGRY and wanting to get some food they told me there's a cover charge of $15. I told them we were there to eat dinner and my bill was gonna be over $150 but they said it still applied. So I chose to leave and walked out. I could've paid the $15 but I was making a point. Why should I pay extra $15 cover charge when that $15 can go towards a waiter/waitress tip?It was annoying to know that we already there hungry and ready to sit down and eat and their charging an extra $15 like there was an event or something. There was nothing going on. Who knows, I feel maybe bcuz I'm Puerto Rican they wanted to charge me extra. For as long as I've gone there the owner never has acknowledged us as regular customers. I don't want to give them an extra $15. Everything is expensive everywhere we go. Gas, groceries, everything. I could've cooked at home but I decided to treat my family out to dinner and they ask me for a cover charge. I don't think so. So I walked out and went to Maggie McFly's and paid about $172 w/tip. So I'm writing this review to say that they weren't going to get an extra cent out of me. Another person probably would've just paid it but there's been plenty of times that customers just go there to line dance or play bingo an are just not ordering anything close to the amount of money I'm paying. They're probably getting a burger and a drink so for them to ask for a cover charge when there are 5 of us for dinner is ridiculous and greedy of them.. I don't think I will be going back for in person eating

Service was great and atmosphere was fun with the Halloween decorations up already ! Sat at the…read morebar for happy hour and had a great experience with Peter. Hubby and I Ordered 3 things from the happy hour menu to share - pickles, kegs and a burger. Kegs were our favorite, then burger, then pickles. love the sauce that came with the Reuben kegs - no notes ! The burger should have pickle or lettuce or something else to add crunch - the roll is fire - so fresh. Next time want to try the feta Cini martini !

ate here 3 times in less than 1 month, i think it's safe to say i like it here!…read more food is good, got the seasonal dill pickle sandwich, side of mac, mom's chili, buffalo chicken dip, and seasonal key lime pie (aka the way to my heart). drinks are bomb here too, they were sadly out of the seasonal cojito syrup this last time we went so i went with the tropical sunset, was soooo tasty! can't even be upset about missing out on the other drink, this one was so good. service is always good here too! they're always nice, and we went around 5/6 pm and got seated immediately! i'm excited for the fall/winter drinks to come back as i had a cider based drink here years ago that i can't get out of my mind. excited to visit more for family dinners!

We were regulars here and food was always good but lately the service has been very slow and the…read morerestaurant too busy for 2 servers , we couldn't get two words out when they turned away and leave . The appetizers kept us content even after asking to microwave it after serving it lukewarm but waiting Over an hour for the main course to come out just to be under cooked, im not waiting an hr again to get another meal. Pack it up and finish cooking it at home. And the attitude was not good, either you hire more ppl or your business is going to decline.

I stopped by for dinner with my husband and daughter on a Wednesday evening. We started off with…read morethe potato skins, which were big and very cheesy. My husband had the Smokehouse Burger, I had the BBQ Chicken Pizza, and my daughter had Spaghetti with marinara. The pizza was very good, the slices were huge so we had leftovers for 2 days. My husband liked his burger, but raved about the onion rings. Based on the mess my daughter had on her shirt, I think she liked her pasta. We will definitely be back again!