We were a few bikers on a long ride and one of us suggested this nice, old style diner…read more The staff were very nice and we got the food on time. The egg on my cheeseburger was a nice addition. Good spot for those of who like diner like experience.

We was greeted right away , waitress took care of us was very fast and respectful!…read more Prime rib wasn't the greatest, not your traditional prime rib was very chewy and tough , no flavor 3/10 It came with a chicken soup , its was like a traditional chicken noodle soup it was good 7.5/10 The other side was loaded mashed potatoes with real bacon that was really good 8.5/10 Would recommend!

my first time here. ordered western omelet with hone fries and toast, ordered a side of sausage…read more everything was cooked to perfection, and huge portions, 3 meals for me. . i also ordered to go the stack of buttermilk pancakes with the homefries and sausage (extra). the staff was very friendly and attentive. I think my only negative is that they do not deliver but other than that I am looking forward to my next visit there..

Stopped here on the way home and my daughter said "I wish they had a place like this around where…read morewe live" She ordered the pumpkin pancakes. My other daughter ordered Nutella pancakes. They both loved the hot chocolate. Next time Im in town, I'll definitely visit again.

Came here all the way from California a couple summers ago with my pals and now we're fans for…read morelife. A true hole in the wall, local joint that you never forget. Unparalleled service and incredible bang for buck. Hoping to pay another visit this summer!

Went for breakfast this morning! Got there around 9 and grabbed a table right away. Service was…read moregreat! I didn't catch our waitresses name but she was as so so sweet! There are only three booths, a four top and two top table and about 8 counter stools so come early or be prepared to wait! We ordered biscuits and gravy with poached eggs, country fried steak and a pancake to split. I will say the pancake was awesome (and huge), fluffy but also substantial and great flavor! The gravy was a bit runny/loose but the biscuits were good and my poached eggs were cooked well! Overall I'd definitely come back and try other things on the menu!

Great breakfast in a unassuming place, friendly people, good service!…read more Would return without hesitation.

Came on Thursday morning to meet some friends for breakfast (they ate regulars)…read more The server was fabulous, the food was delicious and abundant (hats off to the chef), and the owner was more than gracious. Will be back for sure.!

I first saw advertisement on Facebook, and I'm always looking for a really good pancake. Well, I…read morefound one. Not just a really good pancake, but a yummy pancake... I enjoyed everything about my breakfast, as I got the big breakfast and it came with eggs and a meat , i also got a side order of potatoes they were cooked perfectly... I want to give a shout out to the waitress, her name is Tammy" and she was so incredibly helpful and personable with me as it being my first time there I wasn't sure what to order.. I am looking forward to working my way through the menu because everything looks delicious, and it is wonderful to know that they actually deliver. I am going to utilize that service as well.... The prices are not any higher than you will find anywhere else, and I don't mind paying a slightly higher price as long as the food is delicious like Rick's nutmeg grille is. give it a try, you will also be amazed at the serving size too.

Good place good service good food. Liked it well enough, and great price…read more Definitely worth going again.

"And so please help (To teach your children) Them with your…read moreyouth (What you believe in) They seek the truth Teach your children well" (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) When was the last time you ate a meal in a high school? Maybe it was at an award dinner for a high school sports team, or at a Boy or Cub Scout dinner? Or maybe it was way back in the day between your history and algebra classes? Well, we had a unique lunch at Oliver's Restaurant. Why unique? It was unique because the restaurant is located within the Oliver Wolcott Technical High School in Torrington, and it is staffed by students. You see, the school's Culinary Arts program trains their students for experience in the food service industry. It's an ambitious program that uses a public restaurant to provide 1,775 hours of learning and training in all phases of restaurant business - from the public facing front of the house to the back-of-house. If the students decide to enter the food service workforce, they leave Oliver's with a fantastic skill set. The teacher is Chef Michael McDowell, and he had a crew of 25 High School Juniors operating in two rooms preparing the salads and sandwiches, grilling the chicken and salmon and steaks, baking the meatballs, preparing the soups, slicing the complimentary bread, waiting the tables, and every possible activity they will see when the food service workforce. Chef Michael was fantastic as he oversaw the operation, offering nonstop commentary and tips to his young staff - "did you offer ketchup with those fries?", "too much oil in that pan", "check on your customers and get off your phones", "where's the dressing on the side?", "put the dressing in a takeout container for the takeout orders, and a ramekin for the diners", etc., etc. Oliver's has a real dining room with an open kitchen, so you can see and hear the entire class. There was a steady stream of takeout orders, and three parents popped in to say hi to their kids. The freshman and sophs in the Culinary Arts program start with the basics -how to sauté things, make salads, and the like. Today's class was all juniors, and that's when they actually start to operate the restaurant under the Chef's guidance. We chatted with Chef Michael, and he said that when they become Seniors, they really run Olivers by themselves. Our lunch was a $3 cup of clam chowder, a $9 turkey BLT, a $14 Salmon Caesar Salad, and a $4 Apple Crostata. The food was very good, check out the generous portion of turkey on the BLT and the half pound slab of perfectly cooked salmon on my salad. And we were amazed when Chef Michael called us at home to get our feedback on the meal and service. What a wonderful experience! We really enjoyed watching the Chef train his staff and watching them execute his instructions. I hope whoever is reading this, goes to the school and supports these young restaurant workers of the future. I know you'll enjoy this unique experience as much as we did. PRO TIP Olivers is open to the public Wednesday to Friday from 10:45 to 12:05, and they ask you to call 860-496-5369 to make a reservation.

Honestly, I didn't know this place existed until just a few hours ago. Typically, Harwinton is too…read morefar out of my way to go to because I tend not to go north of where I live unless I take a bus towards Hartford or I am going to Watertown. However, my mom had taken me to a renaissance fair in the area and as we left this was the first barbecue option I could find on Yelp. It helped that it was less than 10 minutes from the Ren, so it was a very quick drive. We opted for outdoor seating just because it was visible from where we parked in its plaza. I do like the Thomas Edison theme this restaurant has going on. The decor and the pictures help drive that theme home here which is a nice touch. I did overhear that this restaurant tends to pull people from Bristol and Thomaston which I can understand. They're both fairly close to Harwinton, especially Thomaston who borders this town to the south. The service here is on top of things as well. We had Chrissy who was very friendly, and always willing to answers we had about what we had (I did ask a few questions about the food brought out). While only one other outdoor table was in use upon arrival, about half of them were being served by the end of the meal. So let's start off with the drinks. Mom had the Mango Loco while I had the Campfire Old Fashioned. You also get refills of iced water from a glass jug. I did get to try mom's drink. At its best, it has a very fruity, sweet, refreshing flavor. However, as that drink went on, mom commented that the finish exposed how uneven the Mango Loco was. I took another sip of it at that and it confirmed her thoughts. That sweet mango taste was largely missing in its finish. A good stir after serving would probably help things along, but the taste should always be even if possible. As for my drink, this is where my first question was asked: what bourbon did they use? Turns out, it's made locally in Litchfield. It uses Litchfield Distillery Double Barrel, a 90-proof bourbon. A lot was definitely put on because I noticed a very strong flavor with this one even though I've cooked with much stronger bourbons. It wasn't subtle at all, but the overall drink was still a good drink. The toasted marshmallow was toasted to perfection. For the appetizer, 6-piece grilled chicken wings with their Blackberry BBQ Sauce. The sauce was very tangy, but like the bourbon it was not subtle. Mom did say the chicken was overcooked, but I didn't think so. It was able to come off the bone okay enough. These were good wings, but I think having the blue cheese dip was the star of the dish. The blue cheese dip went along with these wings perfectly, and they even included some celery here as well. For the entrees, mom had the fish and chips while I had the brisket with sides of coleslaw and Mac and cheese. I actually got to try everything here except for the tartar sauce. While mom like her fish, I'm glad she was the one that got it and not me. It was greasy on the bottom, and the bite I tried had some of the breading I couldn't chew from the rest. Like, does breading have bones or something? That's what it felt like from the bite I took. But it was still a juicy fish and the breading had a light crisp to it. Likewise, the fries were also a light crisp upon arrival. Were they the best fries I had ever had from a restaurant? No! But they were competent. Onto my brisket, it had some more of that BBQ sauce from earlier, but this time it complimented the food a fair bit better than it did with the chicken. The brisket was honestly the best food item of this bunch here. It was very tender, and soft. They did a great job with the presentation here I must say. It was as if they were truly locking in when making the brisket. Cole slaw was good, but could use a bit more mayo. The Mac and cheese was also good, the shells professionally cooked, and the cheese was good. If there was one criticism for the Mac and cheese, the cheese pull could be improved. When I went to another restaurant with a friend of mine a few months back, I was able to see an epic cheese pull from their bite. There wasn't much of a cheese pull here. Still the Mac and cheese was a great side dish and I'm glad I went with what I did. Overall, I would say that after averaging the food, the ambiance, and the service, I think a 4 is the appropriate rating for this restaurant. The food had some moments of greatness and was overall a good meal, but I did find with almost everything we were served that there are some improvements that could be made. The service and theming make up for those shortcomings. I wouldn't mind coming back to try other things though. It's a good place all-in-all.

This small town grill is perfect for a coffee flight, dinner or cocktails. The dining area is cozy…read morewith about 8 seats at the bar. We stopped by before our annual Christmas Lights drive for dinner and a holiday cocktail. Katie, our bartender made me a fantastic gin spritz. We started with the giant pretzel which was fantastic! I had the cauliflower risotto which was actually quite lovely.

Sawyers has stayed on a side street of Torrington for years, so they're doing something right to…read moresurvive. They do have a parking lot on the side, and tables/chairs for the warm weather. We were greeted by two lion statues. The interior seating are high tops and booths. There are single restrooms, with the toilet very close to your nose. You should stand straight up. The garlic parm chicken tenders were delicious, and the breading stayed strong even after being coated. The burger was definitely warm and juicy, it went with the overall bar.

A few areas of opportunity for Sawyers. Thursday night vibes were comforting, intimate crowd and…read moreplenty of patrons, but didn't get the attention I was hoping for. Took a solid ten minutes to get noticed, but no real waitstaff. Bartender was running all over, back and forth, serving tables and tending the bar. Felt really bad for her. But then long periods of nothing happening. Took about 20 minutes to get our burgers. Food was served, but no silverware on the table, had to get up and ask for them at the bar. The food: not sure I love the herbs on the fries. It said truffle fries but I didn't get any truffle flavor whatsoever. Burger was a little too well done for a medium, but the quality of the meat was good. The burger bun on top felt cold, while the insides were toasty. That was odd. Bacon felt like it was prepped much earlier in the day, so it was more like beef jerky, and didn't have a soft freshly cooked texture. Overall, good experience, but I was hoping that this was the "IT" burger place for me, when I get the hankering for a burger. My buddy had a Salmon burger. He said it was excellent, but also complained the "truffle fries' were not truffle fries at all. Next time I will try something different. I really like the vibe here and the doors being open wide gave it a very NYC/Brooklyn small neighborhood vibe.