The first time we ate here, the food was really great. I really appreciate an inspired menu and you…read morecan tell that the staff have a passion for what they are doing. We couldn't wait to come back. Several months later on our second visit, we arrived well before their posted closing time - 9pm. It was around 7:45pm, the lights were on, but the door was locked and the staff seemed to be cleaning up. One of them looked up, saw us standing at the door and then went back to doing whatever they were doing without bothering to engage with us. It was incredibly frustrating having driven almost an hour with the expectation of getting some delicious food, only to be ignored by staff at a time when they were supposed to be open. Many months later (giving them the benefit of the doubt that the early closure on our last visit was a fluke) we made the trip up again. We arrived to find the place was locked up and dark - again during a time when they were supposed to be open. Today I was with some friends and we stopped to have lunch at Smokin' With Chris next door. During our meal, I mentioned my past experiences with The Lab, but also said how good the food was. So, we walked over to look at the menu and possibly pick up dinner for later that evening. It was around 1:30pm, the lights were off and the door was locked. I double-checked their website, and they were supposed to be open at 11:30am. While I was on my phone, an employee came up, unlocked the door, turned on the lights and began his shift - two full hours after they were supposed to be open! WTF?! Apparently, the owners of The Lab seem to believe that their food is so epic that they can just operate their business whenever they like regardless of their posted hours. This total lack of consideration for their customers is beyond insulting. It's really too bad because the food is good, but not good enough to offset the unprofessional manner the owners are running (or in this case, not running) this place. There are way too many other great dining options available nearby that actually adhere to their posted hours to put up with this nonsense.

We got the Grinder Shaved steak tossed in A-1 steak sauce. It also comes with caramelized onions…read moreand cheese with a Smokey garlic Gorgonzola drizzle all of it baked on a ciabatta bread. Also got a plain cheese quesadilla, Mac and cheese and a burger. The grinder was amazing. So flavorful, fresh and bold. The white cheddar Mac and cheese was pretty good. I do wish my fries were a bit crunchier and not as soft but overall everything we ordered was great. The chipotle aioli on my burger was a nice added bonus of flavor. Messy, dripping with flavor just like I like the food haha. The atmosphere is fun and cute, cool inside with art for sale. And outside you can sit and check out other stores around.

WING LOVERS... you might want to put this one on your list!…read more This time Good Eats In CT made a stop at Ideal Tavern in Southington, CT Before getting into the food, I had to give y'all a look around because I really liked the vibe in here. From the dining area to the bar, it definitely has that laid-back tavern feel where you can grab some drinks, catch a game and of course EAT! But let's get to why we're really here... THE WINGS! We went with two different flavors, and just LOOK at that sauce on those wings! Nice size, sauced up and served with the carrots and dipping sauce on the side. Sometimes you don't need anything fancy... just some good wings, a drink and a good atmosphere. Ideal Tavern | Southington, CT Have you been to Ideal Tavern before? And more importantly... what's your go-to wing flavor? Follow @GoodEatsInCT for more Connecticut food finds! #GoodEatsInCT #IdealTavern #SouthingtonCT #CTEats #CTFoodie

Popped in for a happy hour as it has been several years since I have been here. Bartender was…read moreawesome, drinks were on point. It was taco Tuesday with $3 tacos, we got four of them to try, carne asada, pork, chicken, shrimp . All really good. Guac and chips- for ne the guac could have used salt or acid but it was and easy fix by adding myself. Truffle fries, good fries, would rather an aioli as opposed to ketchup but to each their own. Arturo for dessert and a lava cake. Bothe really good. Well def be back for another happy hour

My husband and I wanted to stop for lunch & found this restaurant on Yelp close to I-84 on our way…read moreto NH. It was such a find! I had one of the nicest salads with perfectly grilled chicken and a cumin-citrus dressing. He had a terrific burger- one of the best. We couldn't eat everything, so we brought the rest with us for later. Service was great, atmosphere was nice, especially during FIFA World Cup in the air and on their TV's. Soon we were on the road again, but we now know the perfect place to stop on our next trip north!

A friend of mine and I went to Craft Kitchen for lunch on this Thursday…read more There was plenty of parking to the right of the restaurant, and the side entrance was right there. As I walked through the front doors, I noticed kegs alongside on the floor. This was kind of a turn off, kind of reminds me of a dive bar. So my mentality kicked in that we were going into a dive bar serving food. I kinda get the sketchy feeling. Once we were seated, and menus placed, we were served iced water A few minutes later, the server came back and took our order. My friend ordered a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and some string french fries. I ordered the 1/2 smoked chicken, which came with two sides. I chose the rattlesnake beans and the creamy macaroni and cheese. Also include included was cornbread I originally wanted the street corn, as a side, but it was not available. Our lunches came quick, and my friend only ate half the french fries and cheeseburger, as she wasn't really turned on by them. The smoked chicken was fairly dry, with a very interesting smoked flavor to it that I can't put my finger on. I eat about 1/3 of it. Left the rest on the plate. The creamy macaroni and cheese was out of bounds top-notch. I could've eaten this all day. The rattlesnake rice and beans were just OK. The rice was cooked pretty good, and was seasoned well. The beans had a weird taste. Now thinking of this side dish, I was hoping for raw onions to be on top, but they were nowhere to be found. It'll be nice if there was chopped raw onions to go with this. The cornbread was delicious. I ate about half of it. It was a generous slice. While the server was fairly attentive, as she only checked in to fill the water glasses and ask how lunch was. She didn't ask us if we wanted a desert or coffee. Being old folks this would've been a great up for us, but it didn't happen. I had to ask for the check. I'm not sure if I would come back. I think this might be a one and done. The vibe just didn't hit it for me. Restrooms were clean. The restaurant was clean; the silverware clean. I don't know. It just was like a funky type layout and those beer kegs kinda sent the wrong tone to me as a guest. Lunch for the two of us was $40 and change and I left a $10 tip. We didn't have any cocktails or mock tails, we didn't have coffee or dessert either. From what I understand, the owner was near the exit when we left, not even a smile or a thank you for coming in...

This place was amazing. The staff showed they cared. Roxy was amazing, she knew the drill - refills…read morewere on points, always checked on us with a smile and made us feel like a family. The food was out of this world, the chicken and waffles was amazing, it was worth the half hour out of the way to come. I think we found our new spot. Show this place some love!

I absolutely loved this place! The atmosphere alone made me feel like I was in Florida instead of…read moreConnecticut. It has such a great indoor/outdoor feel with the sliding doors, open-air setup, and that whole relaxed, warm-weather vibe. It's definitely different from the typical Connecticut farmhouse-style brunch spots. They also have a bunch of different mimosa flavors, which is honestly hard to find around here. I had to get the passion fruit, of course, and it did not disappoint! I ordered the chicken and waffles, and they were SO good. The bacon on top and their special sauce really took it to another level. It was packed, but for obvious reasons. The food, drinks, and atmosphere are definitely worth it. I'll absolutely be going back, and I definitely want to check out their Massachusetts location too!

This place has an amazing Salty Smash Burger. It has caramelized onions and pickles. The sweet…read morepotato fries are crispy and delicious. The servers are great! They have events here oftion like bingo, karaoke, bands, games, and new is Pokemon card Mondays haha. I don't know that's I'll be going for that but it's pretty cool they have these things. They have a little outdoor area for nice days as well as two areas inside for seating and a full bar.

First time coming to this bar and will have to say this is a hidden gem. Michaela was at the bar…read moreand she did an amazing job. She kept conversation going, was quick with the drinks and made sure we got our food order right before the kitchen closed. I came in not knowing the wings are on sale, so I opted in for the garlic Parmesan and the Nashville hot dry rub. These wings are definitely on my top 5 places to go for wings! They were full of meat, flavor and were very crispy! We also got the strawberry limeade which came with sour patch strawberries. I will definitely come back as the vibes were chill and the service was great

FLIPPING INCREDIBLE!!!! A+++++ service and food, absolutely incredible!! The atmosphere is also…read morevery appealing :)

I dropped in, and to my pleasant SURPRISE, a beautiful renovation was underway! The space is open,…read morewith high ceilings, an airy feel, and a modern aesthetic. It's FIRE!!! (as the kids say) It was crowded despite being early evening. The only available seats were at the bar area near the windows, which was fine because we were determined to experience the "new" place. We ordered the tuna tartare and lobstah rolls. The accompanying chips are homemade (slightly salty, but my taste buds are really close together). The host was attentive and gave us the royal treatment. We put this gem back on rotation and we are definitely returning!!!

First time here was awesome. A couple things unique to bbq spots are they had a full bar with…read moreseating, and an amazing salad! Fresh spring mix and nicely blacked chicken. I also got the kielbasa, it was just grilled not smoked, which was fine but nothing exceptional, I'd skip that next time and try a smoked meat. Pork belly burnt end were fall apart delicious. Looking forward to trying more options.

We had been curious about this place for a while but after ordering to go last night, we weren't…read morevery impressed. The Mac and cheese was like stick to your mouth goey, like velveeta type. The beef burnt tips had no flavor and even though the menu mentioned California bbq sauce, they put none on the plate. I did like the size of the country fried chicken and that the gravy was meaty but it still lacked a bit of flavor. The only item I was happy with were the collards. They were spicy and vinegary, different than what I'm used to but in a good way. We spent about $45 for two entrees and a side of onion rings, but again, just didn't hit.

Last night was our third time dining with Nataz and first time in the new location. They did a…read morenice job with the new space. It is way more spacious than their previous location and nicely decorated. We sat in a nice Modular Half Moon Restaurant Sofa in the back. Felt like I was looking down upon the rest of the guests having dinner. Nice table just felt a bit like we were on display however I still enjoyed as I love the style of these tables. Our waiter I think was new and definitely did not know wine. We asked for a bottle of the Merlot, which he pronounced back to us "Mer-LOT." I couldn't help but chuckle a bit when he left the table. Someone else came and opened the wine for us and when our main server came to check on us, he grazed the side of my glass and freaked, telling us the glasses are $500 each and if he breaks one, it comes out of his paycheck. Ummm what? This stuff we probably should not know! Again, I think he was new, probably not having much experience as a waiter. He definitely needs training on how to pronounce wine! Moving on to the cheese, they used to give you a cheese board with a few different cheeses. It's a bit different now. They give you whipped butter, a few pieces of cheese (last night was Cheddar), roasted red peppers, and whipped goat cheese with a touch of honey on top and some bread. Not sure if this changes/rotates at their new location. We chose not to do the raw bar or appetizer courses (fyi those are extra). For my salad, I chose the Signature Salad (forgot to take a picture of this course). This is where things went downhill for me. I asked for no apples. He said no problem. He did not tell us they ran out of the dried cranberries and caramelized nuts which to me make the whole salad. I used to love this salad at the old location. So, when telling us the specials he did say he "thinks" they had one salmon entree left, but had to check. Restaurants run out of things, and I get it, but take that salad off the menu if you're out of 2 ingredients and the customer asks for no apples. All that we got on our salads was lettuce, gorgonzola and fried potato skins. I feel like I had French fries on top of lettuce. It was awful. Also, I'm the only one that asked for no apples and my boyfriend got the same salad I got with only potato skins and lettuce and gorgonzola so clearly they were running out of things. We then saw other customers getting the same salad lacking main ingredients. For my entree, I got the Heavenly, which was supposed to have a lobster sauce. I couldn't put my finger on what the flavor of the sauce was. It was strange. It wasn't bad, it just didn't really go with the lobster. It had a brown tint to it. The manager came over after we ate and asked us how things were, and I told him about the salad and asked what the flavor in the sauce was. He told us a crab style sauce which made sense. Boyfriend had the filet. He said it wasn't Ruth's Chris good, but it was good. Mashed potatoes were very bland. Presentation was pretty bad. Dessert they get from a third party. I had the flourless chocolate cake which was the best part of the meal. Desserts are where they have improved with the new location. They used to give you petit fours style desserts, and now they give you full size desserts. It was delicious. I really want to like this place more because I like the concept of what they do. I guess on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays the chef creates whatever he'd like for guests for $25 a head. Mystery meals. The manager said that's where the name "Adventures in Eating" comes from. Again, we had come here previously, and I had a problem the last time with the Branzino where the waitress didn't tell me it came as the whole fish. Servers are friendly here, they just aren't top notch. Food is ok.

I was totally wowed by Nataz. We went to dinner with some friends on a Sunday night. We tried the…read moremenu they offer where the food served is the chef's choice. We were blown away by the quality of each dish!! We were served bread and cheese, oysters, tender meatballs, wedge salads, pea risotto with shrimp, and beef with mashed potatoes. I Everything was family style, except for the salads. We couldn't get over how good the food was!! We ordered desserts as well (not included) and they were crowd pleasers. For dessert, we had the flourless chocolate cake, coconut custard bar, and tiramisu. Everything was delicious and we left very full!! Service was friendly and the prices were more than fair. We all agreed that we will be returning to Nataz soon.

Food was great. Service was fantastic. We were there for my birthday and George was awesome…read more We ordered the spinach dip for an appetizer and then we ordered fish tacos and shrimp scampi. Both were gluten free due to Celiac needs. We ate outside and it was beautiful with a great view. Definitely would recommend this place to others. Thank you for a great birthday treat.

When my friend invited me to lunch here, I went. Oh no! It's a chain! A few of these franchises are…read moreclosing. So I had negative feelings walking into this location in Southington on West Street Walking in, we were greeted warmly and seated immediately, at a table in front of the kitchen, where we could watch the action going on At the check-in station, the hostess immediately asked us if we had any allergies to foods, which kind of was weird. It's almost like the place was woke. So cruising the menu, I ordered the 110 Cuban sandwich$16.00. My friend ordered the cheeseburger, 17. +. Each of the sandwiches came with an order of french fries, or a choice of any other sides. I think there was maybe three or four other ones. Quickly the the lunch has arrived. I noticed that my friend's cheeseburger was well done and on the small side, just a little bit bigger than a slider. My 110 Cuban sandwich consisted of pulled pork, which was more barbecued and smoky than Cuban, and ham, which I couldn't taste, and a very overpowering cheese. I couldn't taste the pickle either. This was all served on a smaller sized what looked like Texas toast. The french fries were a very small order, and for a side it was disappointing. For the money paid for the sandwich and a side they could've upped the quantity of the french fries Both lunches were disappointing I'm gonna give this place three stars because the service was really nice. Our server was so attentive, especially with filling the water glasses, and asking if we needed anything else. So, with all this said, this place, reminds me of a cross between a Friendly's where you can view the open kitchen, and a sports bar. I'm not feeling this place to frequent after work for cocktails. There aren't enough televisions. I only saw one. The bar did look interesting though. The restaurant itself was comfortable, I liked the high tables and seating. The food is chain style and it just doesn't taste fresh. I was completely turned off with the way. My friends cheeseburger looked, all overcooked and stuff when she asked for medium rare, I don't think that was an option. I think they just cooked it full-blown well done I saw that there were some other dinner menu items priced from $25 to a little bit over $40. I would pass on these as this wouldn't be the place I would drop $100 for dinner on with a date or otherwise. I don't think I would even want this to be a business men's lunch. With so many other choices for local restaurants, I can see why a lot of these franchises are closing. This place is also on the pricy side.

Let's get into some great eating guys! I ain't ever been to J Timothy's, but I was recommended…read morethis place at work when I mentioned to some co-workers I would be going to the AMC in town where I got to see the first two episodes of "Lion". Honestly, after reading the reviews, I wasn't too confident I would even be able to eke on in for dinner, but my God was I able to get in, and thank the LORD I was able to find a parking spot with such a full lot of cars! What started as a solo trip to J Timothy's became a welcome table event when fellow Yelper Angie showed up with her husband and invited me over to their table. I'm SO glad we were able to have that happen! It became one of the best post-event dinners I've had yet. It did take a bit of time to decide between the three of us, but we eventually split our checks, with me taking care of my order and Angie taking care of the rest. We had Kate as a waitress, and might I say, she was not only nice and efficient, but she was very knowledgeable of the menu and very helpful and accommodating. I immediately requested a take-out box and she delivered just like that. She was even knowledgeable on what foods and such were made in-house and what wasn't, which is honestly very impressive! Also note, we all got to have a taste of everything that came in tonight, so we got lots of food to get to! We did have the wings for our appetizers. I did the 10-wing Dirt Style Honey BBQ Gold for mine, and they got I wanna say 20(?) Buffalo wings. They were cooked to perfection, and I was able to twist the bones off the flats. Both flavors were good, but even though it could possibly be my bias talking, I did prefer my flavor of wings. I will say the Buffalo had that signature spice level there, but it didn't overpower the wing, which is awesome! Oh, and there were also the potato skins which was rated perfectly, and that tasted really good as well. For the entrees, this is why I immediately requested the box. My order was the full rack of ribs. Angie got the chicken pot pie. Usually, I don't eat pot pies, but the one Angie ordered was honestly very good. Flaky, buttery crust top, and savory filling or chicken, potatoes, peas, etc. As for my ribs, whenever I tried to cut them, all the meat kept falling off the bone! That's how you know it was cooked properly! And dear God were these ribs were delicious, succulent, and delicious! Did I mention they were delicious? The BBQ sauce was a symphony of bliss that helped make each bite of rib taste like I went to Cloud Nine! The coleslaw it came with was good, but it's not something I would say can compete with the South. But good all the same. Drinks were great too. I got the Dragon Fruit Martini(?), and that was sweet and relaxing to have after a long summer and a long drive to Plainville. Oh, and we also got dessert! Again we picked different things: Angie ordered the "Not Fried Chicken" while I went with the Key Lime Pie. Wherever these guys get their key lime pie from, keep them coming and let me know so I can get some more myself! The raspberry sauce was a great choice for accompaniment and complimented the pie nicely. And the slice was divine! The Not Fried Chicken is a very innovative idea, and it tasted good as well. I can see now why this place gets so much love. It's insane how good this place is in just about every aspect! The sink did take a bit to learn, but that was about my only criticism, other than that this place easily gets 5 stars from me, and I am so glad to have had this dinner with Angie and meet her husband. #KeepYelping

A friend of mine took me here for lunch after church during a recent visit to CT. The interior was…read morerustic, comfortable, and spacious with 2 levels. We chose booth seating on the 2nd floor, which was cozy, and boasted a cool view of the downstairs area. For my beverage, I chose the Cherry mocktail, which was oh so fizzy, refreshing, and a nice mix of sweet and tart. We shared the Chili Dirt Wings and Fried Calamari. The Wings were fried twice and generously sauced. They were satisfyingly crispy and full of bold flavor with a bit of a kick. The Fried Calamari was light and crunchy. I had a tough time selecting my entree, but finally went with Taverne Grilled Meatloaf. This dish consisted of beef and pork meatloaf, loaded mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. The Meatloaf was cooked perfectly on the char-broiler, giving it a slightly smoky taste and bit of caramelization, then smothered in a tomato glaze. Meatloaf was delightfully tender and well seasoned. Loaded Mashed Potatoes was mouthwatering, covered in melty cheese, bacon, and scallions. Veggies included carrots, zucchini, squash and had a great consistency, adding a fresh element to the dish. For dessert, I had to get one of my favorites: Sticky Toffee Pudding. Their version was a moist, dense sponge Bundt cake with caramel sauce. It was decent, but overly sticky sweet even for me. Service was solid. Our waitress was welcoming and knowledgeable about the menu. Everything came out in a timely manner. If I return, I would want to try the Shepherd's Pie, Boneless Braised Short Ribs, or Pierogies and Kielbasa.