Connecticut
5 new restaurants to try in Greater Hartford
Across Connecticut and in Greater Hartford there are constant changes in the restaurant landscape as new eateries open and old favorites decide it’s time to try something new. To give readers a change of pace and sum up some of those changes, here are five new restaurants that have opened recently in the Hartford area.
Frankie B’s Tavern, Vernon
Eric Stavropoulos and his general manager, Heidi Adams, are going for the cozy, family-friendly feel in the Frankie B’s Tavern they opened in mid-April at 346 Kelly Rd.
Both dog lovers, Stavropoulos and Adams also both have a passion for food, atmosphere and making people happy.
The rustic look and feel of the restaurant fairs well with the cuisine – food with a “southern flair,” including lots of smoked meats and barbecue. They also feature seafood and “higher end steaks” brought in from a ranch in Kansas City.
The tavern also serve burgers, foot-long hot dogs, soups, salads and wings.
The menu also offers a variety of whiskeys and bourbons, and a smoker for the bourbons to bring out the flavor.
Birch Hill Tavern, Glastonbury
Birch Hill Tavern, 1320 Manchester Road, has been under new ownership since late January.
They still have a “scratch kitchen” and the popular items remain, such as hamburgers made with ground beef purchased from an area farm.
But owners Jessica Cote and longtime boyfriend Bob Nicholson, have added interesting new dishes and specials as well, such as blackened red snapper with with a spinach artichoke couscous in a preserved lemon vinaigrette, garnished with lobster and shrimp. Then there’s the lobster mac and cheese and braised pork with garlic broccoli rabe, sharp provolone and Italian hot peppers on a hoagie roll.
Cote said of dining at the tavern, “It can be as casual or upscale as you want.”
The bar at this cozy eatery is tended by award-winning mixologist, Geoff Smith, who hand saws ice cubes for specialty drinks into fresh, clear, 3-inch by 3-inch chunks so they keep the drink cold without watering it down.
Smith also puts love in the cocktails, Cote said.
1001 Mexican Restaurant & Bar, West Hartford
At this new eatery, 134 Park Road, general manager, Gregory Morales and chef Carlos Carranza Cardona consider themselves “artists.”
Morales’ specialty is craft cocktails made with fresh fruits like blueberries and raspberries, as well as herbs such as mint, sage, basil, thyme.
Cardona, a native of Honduras who became an expert in Mexican cuisine while working in California, has a gift for putting new twists on Mexican favorites.
His kitchen is all from scratch and even the guacamole is made to order.
They have all the usual Mexican favorites and a vegan menu as well that includes tacos filled with cauliflower, mushrooms, zucchini.
Americana Restaurant, West Hartford
At Americana Restaurant, Chef Enrique Rodriguez and his wife, Julie, serve American food, but that leaves the door wide open for dishes from around the world because, “You can put any influence on because
America is the melting pot,” Julie says.
Americana, 179 Park Road, is their first full-service restaurant, but couple also own six takeout places – with a heavy Mexican influence – including four in the Parkville Market and two in New Britain.
Enrique says he learned a lot watching his mother cook every day in his native Mexico, her specialties enchiladas and mole.
“I’m passionate about food,” Enrique says.
Julie is a graduate of Culinary Institute of America, but is focused more on “front of house” operations than cooking.
Hibachi Grill Buffet, Manchester
The popular Hibachi Grill Buffet offers an all-you-can-eat buffet of Chinese, Japanese and American cuisine including a hibachi grill for custom orders and a sushi station.
The 10,000 -square-foot restaurant in the former site of Hometown Buffet at 165 Slater St.
The owners of the restaurant formerly ran the popular Hibachi Grill Supreme Buffet in West Hartford, which closed when the lease was up.
A local immigration attorney warned Monday that undocumented Venezuelan immigrants in Connecticut have until April 7 to apply for Temporary Protected Status, which allows them to work legally.
Dennis Bradley said, “I really want the local Venezuelan community to know that temporary protected status is still available for them, that they should try to seek that form of relief, and for those who also qualify in our local Venezuelan community, asylum continues to be a form of relief for many folks who are seeking a permanent stay here in the United States.” He noted applications can be filed online.
For centuries, the Governor’s Guard has served Connecticut participating in parades, escorting state heads, helping out the community and stepping up in times of need.
On Sunday, the First Company Horse Guard welcomed seven recruits to join the approximately 20 troopers it already has. The recruits will undergo a 16 week-long training session where they learn how to ride and take care of a horse.
“You can’t find a place like this anywhere in the country,” said First Lieutenant Amanda Matava, who has been working with the horses in Avon for six years. “We serve the community; we instill a sense of pride and civic duty in people that see us.”
“Carrying on tradition and maintaining our history is so important,” said recruit trainer Lieutenant Kathryn LaCroix. “If we stop what we were doing, we lose all of that history.”
The faith of the Horse Guard is up for debate at the Capitol as legislators have introduced a bill which aims transition the Governor’s Guard from organized militia funded by the state to a private military force.
“Privatization is not feasible,” said Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard Lieutenant Barbara Mazzara at in opposition of the bill at a public hearing in January. “The cost, time requirements and facility management would be far too much for this all-volunteer unit. If this bill passes it would be the tragic end of something great.”
But supporters of the bill argued that it’s a way to modernize the Horse Guard.
“I don’t see why the state wouldn’t be able to allocate some funds towards that cause regardless of the status,” said Major Christopher Coutu of the Connecticut Army National Guard in support of the bill at that same hearing. “Because we do it all the time for non-profits and other entities that support our mission.”
The bill has been voted favorable and is tabled for the calendar.
A man has died after a motorcycle crash in New Haven on Saturday afternoon.
Police said the crash happened on Chapel Street around 4 p.m. and a 43-year-old man has died. His identity has not yet been released.
Chapel Street is closed between State Street and Olive Street while police investigate. The crash reconstruction unit has also been called to the crash. There is no estimate for the duration of the closure.
The other vehicle involved in the crash reportedly stayed at the scene.
The investigation is active and ongoing.
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