Fair Haven Oyster Co. absolutely lived up to the hype…read more The restaurant is small, intimate, and has a beautiful deck overlooking the water that makes for the perfect date night. The service was outstanding from the moment we arrived - friendly, attentive, and never overbearing. The food was the real star. I ordered the skate wing which came in a buttery piccata-style sauce with capers and a few blistered tomatoes, and it was honestly some of the best fish pI've ever had. It was perfectly cooked, incredibly tender, and the sauce was so good I wanted to soak up every last drop. They served it bone-in and de-boned it table-side, which I loved. My husband had the whole fried dorade and couldn't stop talking about how good it was. We finished with the pot de crème, which was everything you want in a dessert - rich, silky, and absolutely delicious. From the setting to the service to every bite of food, this was a perfect meal from start to finish. Highly recommend!

We went to Fair Haven Oyster for my birthday. The service was phenomenal and right on the mark--the…read morestaff was incredibly attentive and always there when we needed a drink. The view from the deck was also excellent, and the cocktails themselves were delicious. A lot of the appetizers were very good. The tuna tartare and the mussel curry were both inspired dishes; the mussels in the sauce had great flavor, though the portion sizes overall felt small. The blistered snap peas with preserved lemon were also delicious. That said, for a place with "oyster" in the name, we expected a wider or higher-quality selection, perhaps including some from Canada, rather than the fairly standard options from CT and MA. Unfortunately, the main dishes missed the mark for us and didn't offer enough food. The sea bass was overcooked. the accompanying lima beans weren't cooked all the way through, and the dish lacked depth of flavor. The shrimp main also fell short, with the shrimp having a very odd, mushy bland flavor. To finish, the pot de crème had so much cream and so little actual chocolate that there was almost no chocolate flavor. On a separate note, navigating the QR code menu was pretty obnoxious. Restaurants should really just offer traditional paper menus; people stare at screens all day and come out to engage with each other, not look at a phone again, and constantly have it on the table. While I appreciate Fair Haven Oyster's creative concepts, their tinned fish with pickled sides, and their great starters, the execution on the mains and the portion sizes left something to be desired, especially at these price points. This was probably our sixth time going to Fairhaven Oyster. We've been going over the past few years and my overall takeaway is that I will definitely return for the drinks, the great atmosphere, and some appetizers, but will not be ordering mains.

10/10! I've been…read morehere a few times now and it's always consistent! The popcorn is seriously addicting! The Korean short ribs were nice, saucy and tender. The filet tacos were full of meat and tender. The carpaccio was nice and light! They also whip up some excellent espresso martinis! The service is always great and the bar is always full!

Pre Valentine's dinner. Jeanette, our waitress was attentive but not overly…read more My favorite burger was cooked perfectly; so much better than last time. The French Onion soup wasn't the best, tasted very commercial. I was expecting a deeper, rich flavor. The broth was thin. Didn't have enough onions for me. First scoop was deceiving. Definitely had lots of cheese. Would be nice if served with a piece of bread. A one and done for me here.

Service is great! Everyone is always so friendly! Love the vibe inside! Graffiti on the walls and a…read morevery chill atmosphere. They really cater to your own personal taste. We were 2 adults, and 2 kids. Food came out very fast! Everyone was happy with their meal. I went with the snow crab legs with corn and potato, with the special blend, spicy. It's delicious! That sauce is so so good! We love coming here. Can't wait for our next visit! The staff could not be nicer!

Ordered a hot lobster roll on Uber Eats. Once I removed the filler lettuce and tomato (that was not…read moreadvertised) this is how much lobster they gave me. Lobster meat felt like rubber, it was completely dried out. I'll be surprised if I don't get sick. Pretty unacceptable to serve something this small and low quality.

Service was impeccable, got 6 whole branzinos and they were fresh. I like how they filet and clean…read morethem . Recommend !

Watch them like a hawk told me they will filet a one pound fish only for me to find out he gave me…read more172 gms of a filet. The other time he gave me 10 scallops and Charged me for 12. You can ignore one mistake not multiple. Never going back

happy easter everyone! first time at South Bay for me, my partner's been before…read more let's start with the positives: the food? incredible. no notes. the food runner and busser absolutely carried the experience and were the highlight of our night. now... the service. from the moment we were seated, it went downhill. as the host brought us to our table and introduced us to our server, she muttered "me mata" (spanish for "kill me") under her breath upon seeing us in her section. not exactly a warm welcome. little did she know i am trilingual in Portuguese and Spanish! throughout the night, she'd walk by, throw out a question, and keep moving without waiting for an answer or actually checking in. then, when it was time to order our mains, my partner placed her order and the server literally laughed while her facetime call was on speaker in her pocket. she giggled and made the whole interaction uncomfortable and honestly just unprofessional, and before anyone says "maybe they were busy" they weren't. there were fewer than 20 covers the entire time we were there. meanwhile, she had no problem giving attentive service to her other tables. so yes, no tip. actions have consequences. all that said, we loved the food, the music, and we didn't let her attitude ruin our night. just unfortunate that such a great spot is let down by service like that.

We got the lobster bisque, grilled hanger steak, truffle Mac-n-cheese, prosciutto crisp, seared…read morescallops, crispy mushroom risotto tater tots, and Brussels sprout salad with rice cake, and fried Sicilian calamari. Lobster bisque was hot though pretty liquid-y. The Brussels sprout salad was by no means a salad. More of a rice cake with Brussels shavings on too but really good. Calamari was okay. Mac and cheese was eh, really liquidy as well. I did really like the crispy mushroom risotto tater tots. They tasted just like tater tots. As we were getting to our last bites and still eating, at least three different staff members within a matter of a minute asked if we're were done and could take our plates away. I would have given this place four stars had we not been bombarded at the end of our dinner. It felt like we were being rushed out even though there were tons of tables and seats still available. Left a bad taste in my mouth.

Food was horrible, never again. It was picked up, and…read moreservice mediocre. Ambience very quiet.

This review is not the easiest for me to write. I have been coming to the Little Columbian…read morerestaurant since 2015. I loved this place, their food was fantastic and the quality was super consistent; an excellent spot to get together with friends or a date. So much attention to detail was paid, house made dressing, salsa, all ingredients were super fresh, the meats were always cooked excellently, and the staff was friendly. I hadn't been to the restaurant in a while but at some point in the last few years the Little Columbian restaurant became My little Columbian restaurant. My friends and I went there for dinner at the end of October, there was one couple that was leaving the restaurant but we were the only ones there when we first walked in. The vibe of the restaurant has changed because they changed how they decorated the interior of the restaurant. I prefer their older vibe but no big deal. Our waitress was nice and very attentive all night and the staff in general was quite friendly. Here's my issue, the food quality is not as good as it was in the past. And if they are going to charge along the same lines as what they have, always been on the pricier side, then the quality should still be at the same level. There were a bunch of little things that added up. To start, the salad I ordered didn't have the same quality of greens (I think they used a spring mix in the past), there were some small bits of core in the salad. More to my disappointment the Salad dressing was no longer the house dressing they used to make it was Ken's balsamic dressing, which generally tastes like diabetes syrup. Maybe it was an off night for the salad and I could live with that but the lack of the old house dressing was disappointing. Speaking of cutting corners, the chimichuri used to be super fresh and of good quality ingredients. The chimichuri this time around had a lower quality olive oil and the parsley was dried instead of fresh. My friend ordered some empanadas, which were partially burnt and again the slasa wasn't the same quality as they used to make with the empanadas. For an entree, I ordered Bandeja Columbiana. The chicharon was a bit overdone but ok enough. The chorizo was probably the best part but you have to try to mess up chorizo. The maduro was kind of dry and somewhat bland. The chicken was a touch rubbery and the steak was fine; nothing to write home about. As I had mentioned before the food wasn't terrible, it was fine enough but it was not worth the price it cost. Much worse is the fact that the quality in general just isn't the same as it had been prior, maybe they just had an off night but something tells me this is how it is now. It's too bad this restaurant isn't quite what it was; it used to be one of my favorites.

Ordered three types of empanadas: pollo de aji, ground beef, and roast chicken…read more I give them a solid "C." Dough was overly sweet. Fillings were at best "meh." The empanadas were large and underwhelming. There is a lot of variety in empanadas across Latin America, but these were just middling at best and completely lacking in flavor. The ground beef had a good amount of underwhelming filling. However, the two with chicken in them were more dough than anything else and pretty insipid.

Just what I needed after a long study week. The lomo Saltado was so flavorful, and very filling…read more The sauce was the perfect amount of savory, not too salty. Service was quick and the server was very friendly.

I usually take the time to drone on about meals that I've had…read more I simply wanna say the service was impeccable. Our server was polite, informative very helpful. Our drinks were exactly as described on the cocktail menu and obviously mixed by a professional The ambience is welcoming, classic comfortable. The restaurant stays quiet, even with many people in it. It's a very cozy family orientation, intimate environment. The food was impeccable. I did not have much experience with dishes serve family style, but we were a table of 10. We completely enjoyed her meals having the ability to taste a little bit of each one of the many dishes that were brought out was a culinary treat. These dishes were not only well prepared and well seasoned and well presented, but they easy to enjoy their easy on the pallet. No one dish was over seasoned or overcooked. The ingredients were obviously fresh. Nothing was overcooked. Nothing was tough. Nothing was harsh and the pallet this was excellent food. Cannot wait to go back this is a must go restaurant

BRING BACK CHEFS with ATTITUDE. I had the pleasure of dining at The Luke Brasserie today. Totally…read moreunplanned. I was searching for something that could match up to Maison Bar Vins back home. First off can we talk about the bones of the place. The Taft building which once was a hotel now sits and houses a very charming French restaurant with a chef who could care less who you are or if your camera is permanently to your hand. I sat at the bar and the chef seated me. I opted out for their three course pre fix bar menu. Chef and owner Vincent who had trained under ICONS in the culinary world met me with this good old fashion old school attitude that today's foodie influencers could never understand. Serious poised stern energy that I love so much about old world cooking boh lore. The food was great. The playlist was upbeat, the kitchen had energy. This place should be the hardest reservation to get in New Haven.

I visited IL Gabbiano for a Passive House event, and it was absolutely fantastic! They served a…read morepre-set menu featuring squash blossoms, meatballs, and eggplant parmesan, alongside a great variety of cocktails, beer, wine, and delicious mocktails. All the food was packed with flavor, perfectly seasoned, and served in huge portions. I never even knew I could like eggplant parmesan as much as I did here! The ambiance is upscale American-Italian--nice, clean, and located right on a beautiful waterfront. The indoor seating features massive windows overlooking the port and ocean, and they have great outdoor seating options as well. The staff was super friendly, attentive, and completely on the ball, accommodating everyone's requests with a smile. The service was top-notch, the drinks were excellent, and the views were stunning. I will definitely come back here every time I'm in New Haven.

We reserved a table for a party of 23 for Yale's graduation weekend. Seemed like there were several…read morelarge parties there. Dining space is huge and they also have outside water front patio dining. Food was delicious and large portions. For a large party, they gave us an option of a pre-set menu or ordering off the menu for our size. Pasta was delicious, steak was great, salads are huge. Definitely recommend for large groups.

Came here on a weekday as a party of 6 and we really enjoyed the variety of flavors and textures…read morethroughout the meal. The following are what we ordered to share for the entire table: Tuna tartar: this was a refreshing start as the yellowfin tuna with tomato, ginger, soy, sesame, and aioli, served with crispy wonton for some much needed crunch. The combination of savory, creamy, and fresh worked really well. Pulpo: the octopus was nicely grilled, with a tender texture and a subtle char, paired with potato foam, sweet piquillo pepper, tomato, capers, and paprika. The flavors were well balanced without feeling overly heavy. Grilled salmon: was cooked perfectly making it tender and moist. It was also paired with sweet potato, carrots, soybeans, poppy seeds, lemon confit vinaigrette, balsamic, and basil. The sweet and tangy elements gave the salmon plenty of flavor while still letting the fish shine. Cornish hen: comforting and hearty, served with potato confit, pickled brown beech mushrooms, tomato confit, and a garlic-lemon sauce. The pickled mushrooms were a particularly nice contrast to the richness of the chicken and potatoes. Duck confit: The flavors were balanced by parsnip purée, green apple, apple paste, fennel, lavender, and citrus gastrique, with brioche adding another layer of texture. However, the meat was a little dry and probably one of our least favorite dish of the night. Cochinillo: the highlight of our meal. It was rich and satisfying dish. The roasted boneless suckling pig was tender with beautifully developed flavor, paired with lemon, thyme, honey-port sauce, Parmesan dauphinoise potatoes, and a light mesclun salad. The acidity from the lemon and salad helped cut through the richness. The skin was also very crispy giving a satisfying crunch. Overall, Olea does a nice job balancing richness with acidity, sweetness with savory flavors, and soft textures with crunch. The dishes feel thoughtfully composed without being overly complicated, and there was something different and interesting about each course. The portions are also very generous. Our server was friendly and attentive. The restaurant was also spacious and comfortable. This was a really enjoyable dinner in New Haven we would definitely return when we are back in town.

Another amazing meal. We have been coming to Olea since it's opening…read more It was and has remained our absolutely favorite restaurant in New Haven! We always celebrate our anniversary and birthdays here. We have always had amazing meals and wonderful service. We prefer the tasting menu which offers smaller portions of multiple dishes allowing us to enjoy the great variety of chef Manuel Romero's wonderful creations. Each time we come the experience is amazing. Over the years we have enjoyed each new dish as it is presented beautifully. Flavors meld creating real enjoyment. There is nowhere I would prefer to dine. Service is attentive without hovering. So glad we discovered this gem all those years ago and so happy to have been able to be there as the menu has continued to be varied and always delicious. Thanks to all of the staff for the wonderful experience over the years