Such a gem!! Local…read moreitems, produce, dairy, eggs, apple sauce, pie Reasonable priced Dani was so helpful and kind! Love, love, love this store and you will too!!

River Ridge's shop is adorable! I love their rustic, industrial vibe (with some added holiday cheer…read moreduring our December visit). Their market is spacious and their produce is laid out well, so it's easy to move around while you browse. We love River Ridge for their wide variety of produce; everything is full of flavor and tastes better than anything we can find in the grocery stores. We're especially grateful that they always have some of our favorites that are usually hard to find: ginger, turmeric, and local garlic! We also really like their fermented black garlic. The real reason we are willing to drive 40+ minutes to shop here is because of the incredible River Ridge team. Dakota and Matt are two of the friendliest people who clearly love what they do. The staff at the store are just as welcoming and passionate. We get excited to visit and are enjoy supporting them!

Today was my first dining experience at Cantina Cafe in Middletown. Never knew of this restaurant…read moreup Until this weekend! Such a cute place! Felt like you were dining at your Italian families. It's in the basement and loved how it was decorated! When you see the Sopranos.. you already know! We had a family party , therefore it was a family style dinner, ( hard to get pictures). But, many dishes were ordered and passed such as Salad, fresh bread, Antipasto, pasta, calamari, Broccoli Rabe, eggplant parm, Chicken Parm, fish, potatoes! I might be missing something! But service was great , portions were huge. Everyone appeared to have been satisfied with their food. There's really no gluten free options labeled on the menu but they do have gluten pasta, and other options they can suggest as such as fish or chicken. I ordered a separate the Gemelli Cantina GF pasta dish (Chicken, spinach, sautéed with fresh garlic and olive oil). Very tasty! And all portions were huge! Restaurant does have a small lot in the back but fills up fast. Street parking or the public lot is the closest.

When our son visits from DC, he wants a family dinner. We have found the perfect place hidden in…read morethe basement of a building on Court St in Middletown. Down the stairs and through the door into the dark cavern of a cave in Italy. I swear, we traveled back in time. Checkered tablecloths and dim lighting created ambiance. Food is served "family style" here. That means that one entry will serve 3 people. We over ordered, of course. But the leftovers tasted just as good the next day. Authentic and delicious. See if you can find this hidden gem.

Great friendly family run environment. They provide top notch sandwiches, grinders and sweets.read more

The workers were extremely friendly and made the best most perfect sandwiches!! The ciabatta and…read morepremade meatball and mozzarella bread is SO yummy!!! Would highly recommend to anyone in the area!

For Small Business Saturday, I visited Gathering Board Charcuterie on the Berlin Turnpike as they…read moreopened on Saturday morning. I had seen content about GBC on Instagram before. Among other things, GBC creates charcuterie boxes, boards and grazing tables in certain sizes for retail and/or catering purposes. I believe they also host events and/or classes. I was hoping to get a charcuterie box for a small watch get together. I needed it Saturday morning and they were able to accommodate me even though they recommend on their website ordering 48 hours in advance. They were very nice to deal with and the shop was very nice. I was very happy with my small charcuterie box. It cost around $55, but the box felt heavy and was full of cured meats, cheeses, fruit, nuts, cucumbers and spreads. It was artfully displayed with different shapes and colors. They also provide a small box of crackers, which included the ones that look like thin slices from a fruit nut bread. Everything I tried was delicious and fresh. I highly recommend Gathering Board if you're looking for this type of food or service. They also had cheese, crackers, etc. available for purchase. 5 Stars

I would give more stars if possible. Classy, linen tablecloths, napkins, and an extensive menu at…read morereasonable prices. The garlic knots are delicious! The salad is no longer included but for seven dollars you get a large salad to share with your guest, separate plates. The waiters are knowledgable and friendly. The accomodate any changes and do so with a smile.The tiramisu is so great you will want to save room. Portions are enough to bring home for next meal. The eggplant is exceptional! The menu is varied and has something for everyone, the wild mushroom ravioli is unique and so worth it. Try Fiores, you will be coming back as everyone we have introduced. Sadly they are closed Mondays,so enjoy any of the other days! Again the wait staff in fantastic and so are the chefs!!!!!

We have dined there several times and the food has been good until this past Wednesday. Three out…read moreof our party of 6 got sick. My guess is the sauce was rancid. I sent a message to the restaurant because I did not want to leave a bad review. As they did not acknowledge my message I am now giving them one star and we will NEVER return!

I had high hopes for Stella Doro. After missing the chance to visit the day before. We went for…read morelunch and, while I expected a lively, bustling atmosphere, it was actually quite quiet during our visit. That didn't bother me--it gave me the chance to really take in the space. As a pescatarian, I was pleasantly surprised to have a few appealing options to choose from. I ended up ordering the sole Florentino, which was lemony and delicious, served with a side of pasta. The fish was cooked perfectly, though the pasta could have used a little something extra to elevate it. My husband ordered the scallop and shrimp fra diavolo. He enjoyed it and it satisfied what he was looking for. I can't forget to mention the bread--it was a standout. A large, toasted, crusty loaf that was a treat all on its own. The only downside to our visit were awkward moments when someone we believe was a manager was on speakerphone, seemingly arguing with a staff member. It was a bit distracting and took away from the otherwise pleasant experience. Overall, it was a good experience with some highlights, and I'd be open to giving it another try. Pricing was what I expected, not too expensive and good portion size.

2 words: PISTACHIO. CHEESECAKE. Order it. Thank me later!…read more We also had the burrata appetizer and steaks, which were delicious. Our steaks were perfectly cooked. Awesome martini. Cozy vibes. We'll be back!

I stopped by after I had the pleasure of meeting Ani when she catered an event I attended. The…read moresample Vietnamese coffee was delicious so I knew that I needed to make my way down to Rocky Hill especially since other Yelpers had mentioned to me how much they loved the marketplace irl. I definitely will be back to buy some pasta and sauce! The marketplace is so charming and has a lot to offer. We grabbed a Vietnamese coffee, a slice of the Basque cheesecake, and the Yuzu pineapple lemonade. Typically the lemonade also comes with coconut, but since they were out I added guava instead. It was so refreshing and perfect for this amazing weather that we've been having. We saved the cheesecake and coffee for the next morning, but the coffee was just as great as when I tried it and the cheesecake was so rich!

"Hey fellas, have you heard the news? You know that Annie's…read moreback in town" (Led Zeppelin) I had an early morning Board of Directors meeting in Rocky Hill and stopped at Ani's for a coffee and something to eat. I found it Inside an ordinary looking strip mall. The coffee choices are pretty impressive, and their website made me chuckle when I saw them ask viewers to "Drop the orange and pink branded cup ;-) - There is a better way to start your morning, power your day, and sip on a little sunshine". I passed on their lineup of Cappuccino, Lattes, Espressos, Americanos, Macchiato, Cold Brews, Vietnamese, Cuban, And Con Panna, because all I wanted was a regular coffee, I went with their Deep Roast version known as CAFÉ HABANA, an espresso bean blend from Guatemala, Brazil, and Nicaragua. It was excellent, a yummy dark roast coffee with plenty of taste to it. Now seriously, what is a morning coffee without an accompanying bakery treat. They had a tempting variety of empanadas, croissants, pastries, and it was a tough decision before I put my money down on a muffin-like asparagus cheese frittata. It was decadently great. While I was waiting for my order, I looked around and saw quite a bit of prepared food (all prepared from scratch in house) for take-out. They have a lunch menu and a great looking Italian themed catering menu with Manicotti, Hand Stuffed Shells, Beef Lasagna, Three Cheese Lasagna, Four Cheese Mac & Cheese, and Eggplant Torta. Your shopping and browsing experience will also include sightings of canned goods, assorted groceries and baked goods. For all of these reasons, I was very impressed with my stop at Ani's, and I bet you'll be too.

I went to Sicily on Saturday and Mon with different groups of people . I had the eggplant…read moreparmigiana pizza different but good we also tried the gelato and the lemon blueberry cake . Then we went to happy hour and had the cheese pizza the whipped ricotta with honey and the chicken dumplings over chili sauce. So good all that food for 30 dollars. The waitress was so nice gave great suggestions. They all loved the vibe Definitely a great gathering spot . A great variety to pick from Enjoy Chris M

I've come to Sicily on numerous occasions since they opened…read more The first couple of visits were decent and I had high hopes that Sicily would become a go-to spot, but it just never panned out. Over the past 2 years the service & food quality has been in steady decline. My most recent visit was inexcusable and I won't return. We decided to visit for "reverse happy hour" as an alternative from our usual thirsday night visit to Esca. We had Michael for our server and sat upstairs in the lounge. We were brought menus as we were sat and we ordered drinks to start, but weren't sure on food yet. Our server then proceeded to visit our table 4 times over the next 15 minutes to ask if we wanted to place a food order. It felt rushed. The vibe : awkward. The music was so loud I couldn't hear my server, my date or anything else besides the droning voice of Amy Grey. She had no spacial awareness and didn't know when to shut up. Incessantly talking over every song and not realizing that a bar gig is inherently different from the radio. The food : mediocre. We ordered steak frites from the happy hour menu which noted that the steak was "marinated". The 4 piece of tepid steak that came to our table were covered in this cloyingly sweet sauce that tainted the entire dish. Since the steak was served atop the fries, this sauce caused the fries (straight from the Sysco box) to become soggy and absorb the sauce which made the fries not so appetizing. We followed that up with a Cheese Pizza which was pretty good. The pizza here is their saving grace, and this place would do much better as just a slice shop. The drinks : abysmal. I started with a Skittles fruited sour from Transcend Brewery that Sicily had on tap. I was excited because it's rare to find their beer on tap outside of the brewery. It was served in the wrong glass. The F&B manager at Sicily needs to do a better job at making sure the bar is properly serving drinks. Teku glasses are essential for fruited sours. It didn't taste the same as it did in the brewery, however, for $6 I decided to just chalk it up to inexperience. I followed the beer with a Paloma, which was advertised as $5 for happy hour. When I ordered from my server I pointed at the menu showing the tequila listed for $5. As soon as I tasted the drink that was brought to me, i knew it was way off. I asked my server to ask the bartender what was in the drink because it didn't taste right. He told me that the bartender said "grapefruit juice", which is not the proper mixer for a Paloma. A Paloma only has 3 ingredients - Grapefruit Soda (Squirt or Jarritos are acceptable), Tequila & Lime Juice - it's a very simple cocktail. If you didn't have grapefruit soda, which is the main ingredient in the drink, just tell me that... I would have picked something else. The service : Impersonal & rushed. When i sent back the drink, the affect of our server visibly changed, almost as if he was angry or insulted that I would send back a drink that wasn't made properly. He asked if I would like something else, but my confidence in the bartender to make a proper drink had waned and I stuck with water for the rest of the night. My date continued with a 3rd glass of wine. About 10 minutes after this, my date got up to use the restroom, and our server came over and handed me a box for the remaining pizza, without asking if we would like anything else or if my date was done with her wine. He whisked away the half full glass and dropped our check effectively ending our visit. We weren't ready to leave. My date came back to the table and asked where the rest of her drink was and I explained the our server cleared the table and dropped the check. She said "I guess it's time to go". The nail in the coffin was when I picked up the check to see that I was charged for a $16 "Casamigos" cocktail. So i suppose if i had continued to drink the Paloma he would have been happy to charge me $16 for a $5 happy hour drink. The whole experience was off-putting and we didn't feel welcome. It felt as if our server was just trying to turn tables as fast as possible. I won't be returning and recommend others to stay far away.