My wife and I were at a distillery in Roxbury. We live in Danbury. I was looking for a quality food…read morespot in between and newtown came to mind. So, knowing that Sugo existed, I immediately routed us to their location, as this is a place that's been on my list of places to try.
Short view? Everything started great. But did not follow through.
The service was awesome. Our waitress, and forgive me as I cannot remember her name, was amazing. When we arrived we observed her interactions with her child and it automatically endeared her to us. And, as a server she was absolutely top notch. We understand from conversations, that she often works the bar. Either way she is awesome and the bright spot of our experience.
The ambiance of the place was beautiful. Super refined looking, albeit with uncomfortable chairs at the tables. But I'm not looking for "comfort" per se, I'm looking for beauty. And this spot hits the mark. The we began ordering.
Off the cocktail menu, I ordered their version of a pina colada and it was tasty af but definitely weak. My wife ordered a dirty martini with bleu cheese olives that she felt was weak. After those, we each ordered French martinis, that were super lacking in all flavor save for vodka. So strong, a bonus, but not good.
As an app, we ordered their calamari which I order everywhere we go. This one lived up to the standard. Nice, big, meaty pieces of squid. A good breading, and a decent (if not underwhelming) sauce.
I ordered their version carbonara as a main, and it was likewise, underwhelming. It was over buttered and over creamed. Which, if one knows anything about a traditional carbonara, it involves neither butter nor cream. I get that this is a gastropub and as such they will take liberty with ingredients and traditions; however, if I can make a better one at home... what's the point?
My wife ordered the seafood grill which included branzino and shrimp. The branzino was delicious (but slightly over), but the shrimp stopped everything. The shrimp was rotten. On the plate it smelled like an unclean barn.
I will say, we had to bring this issue to the attention of our server, and she kindly and appropriately comped our latter two drinks as a result. This made us happy as the drinks comped over the price of the plate, however, the smell is one that stays with us. Even at the time of this writing.
We finished up our meal. I took home most of my carbonara as I felt confident I could make it taste good at home, but that's not the point of dining out.
If and when I spend this type of money on food, I expect it to be right. This experience was not right. And if it weren't for the server, this review would be a 2 star.