Restaurant Reviews & Mentions

Arranged by zip code

Note: It’s just a tendency, but I’d rather take my time writing up dining experiences that gave me joy. One, it’s my time and I’d prefer not to dwell on the out-takes. And two, sometimes restaurants are understaffed or are having a bad day. (Several bad days is a different tale!) However, I also want to give honest perceptions from the meal or meals I’ve enjoyed in these places, so there are some negative reviews that cropped up and in, below. Anything at or over 3.5 stars is truly enjoyable… although with some ratings, it will depend on the dishes. AND, mind you, not everything can be a 5!!

You’ll notice I gravitate towards seafood, Asian, and diners. I credit childhood summers spent in Maine for the first. Seafood is Comfort Food, and up there, back then, it was cheap, and easy to come by. Indeed, when we were there, we came by and harvested a lot of it ourselves. The only thing that it wasn’t legal to do so, was lobster – and that was inexpensive if you talked directly to the fisherfolk, cutting out the middlemen.

Massachusetts

El Comalito, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002 (Mexican, Salvadorian). 3.75 stars.

Carms Restaurant, Chester Massachusetts 01011. (Diner: breakfast, lunch). 4.00 stars.

Munich Haus’s annual Wild Game Feast, Chicopee, Massachusetts (A German restaurant hosting a wild game event) 4.75 stars for the event.

Red Robin, Holyoke, Massachusetts, 10410. (Chain, high end burgers and similar). 3.75 stars.

India House, Northampton, Massachusetts (Indian, natch) 4.75 stars.

Alo Saigon, Westfield, Massachusetts, 01085. (Vietnamese) 4.25 stars.

Red Carpet Restaurant, Adams, Massachusetts, 01220. (small-scale diner, American, Fish & Chips) 4.25 stars.

Aroma Bar and Grill, Great Barrington, Massachusetts 01230. (Indian) 3.75 stars, 4.5 stars (two different visits).

Ozzie’s Steak and Eggs, Hinsdale Massachusetts 01235. (Diner: Breakfast, Lunch) 4.0 stars.

MJ Tuckers, Sandisfield, MA 01255. (Pizza, American, country with Southern sensibilities, tavern) 4.0 stars.

New Boston Inn, Sandisfield, MA 01255. It’s supposed to be one of the oldest inns in the country, which endears me to this Colonial American history buff, but I never seem to be able to get there when it’s open, or when I have time! (Got there once. The New England clam chowder was to die for, but not otherwise impressed. May try again. Camera had problems otherwise I’d have an actual review.)

Villa Mia, Sandisfield, MA 01255 (Armenian-owned, pizza, variety) 3.25 stars. OUT OF BUSINESS SPRING 2019. I loved their calamari salad, but over time their menu became hit or miss (and that salad was more and more unavailable), so I never did get to post a review. Their summer flower garden, however, was outstandingly beautiful to drive by.

Pera Mediterranean Bistro, Williamstown, MA 01267. (Mediterranean, Turkish) 4.25 stars.

The Gill Tavern, Gill, Massachusetts, 01354 (tavern style food) 4.75 stars.

Not Your Average Joe’s, Burlington, Massachusetts (chain) 3.75 stars.

The Causeway, Glouchester, Massachusetts (New England seafood) 4.5 stars

Opus, Salem, Massachusetts (fine dining) 5.0 stars.

Rockafellas, Salem, Massachusetts 3.5 stars.

Rhode Island

(Unfortunately, I lost a bunch of material intended to write up my reviews of many of the RI venues visited during a week in August 2016. But my ratings I stick by!)

Ballards, Block Island, RI, 02807. (New England seafood) 3.75 stars.

Captain Nicks, Block Island, RI 02807. (watering hole with a weekly sushi night) 4.0 stars.

Dead Eye Dick’s, Block Island, RI 02807. (New England seafood, and other) 5.0 stars.

The Small Axe Cafe, Charlestown, RI 02813. (Cafe food) 4.0 stars.

The Corner Cafe, Newport, RI 02840. (Cafe food) 3.5 stars.

Matanuck Oyster Bar, RI 02879. (New England Seafood) 4.5 stars.

Chaplin’s, Narragansett, RI 02882 (New England seafood) 4.75 stars.

George’s of Gallilee, Narragansett, RI 02882. (New England seafood) 4.75 stars.

Port Side Seafood, Narragansett, RI 02882. (New England seafood) 2.5 stars.

The Shuckin Truck, Point Judith, RI 02882. (oysters from a truck) 4 stars.

Spain of Narragansett, Narragansett, RI 02882. (Spanish food) 3.5 stars.

The Wheel House, Narragansett, RI 02882. (rated for breakfast, but open all day long) 4 stars.

Connecticut

Dog Watch BBQ, Stonington, CT 06378. 5.0 stars. Yes, New England can do BBQ. Just not very often. This missing review was a victim of the same problems that assailed the missing RI reviews. (Same trip.)

Ikea, New Haven, CT 06511. (rated for smoked salmon salad) 4.5 stars. But, seriously, nothing else on the menu looks remotely appealing to me. So take this for what it’s worth…

Claire’s Corner Copia, New Haven, CT 06513. (Vegetarian and vegan) 4.0 stars.

@ The Corner, Litchfield, CT 06759. (Farm to table) 3.8 stars.

The Green Granary, New Milford, CT 06776. (breakfast/brunch/lunch, farm to table) 4.5 stars.

Three Brothers Diner, New Milford, CT 06776. (rated for breakfast but all day long) 4.7 stars. Rating drops markedly for lunch/dinner.

Yokohama Japanese Restaurant, New Milford, CT 06776 (sushi/sashimi) 4.75 stars.

Community Table, New Preston, Connecticut (farm to table) 4.25 stars. (note: now closed.) REOPENED 2019. Different chef (and likely management) so I need to return to review again.

Bottega Kitchen and Bar, Bethel CT 06904. Italian and other). 4.0 stars. The salads were well-loved by my compatriots, and I enjoyed the Salmon BLT. No photos so no specific review.

Casa Oaxaca, Bethel, CT 06801. (Mexican, Oaxacan, Tex-Mex). 3.75 stars until I eat here again.

Housaku Asian Fusion, Brookfield, CT 06804. (Chinese-American, Japanese, Thai) 3.0 stars overall, but I know what’s safe & great to eat here! 2.75 stars with some great highlights in the 4’s.

J Ramen House, Brookfield CT 06804. (Japanese with a touch of Chinese – no sushi, no juggling hibachi chefs) 4.0 stars. EDIT 2019 – there’s now sushi! It’s good, and will update my review soon. EDIT 2021 – a terribly SAD victim of COVID-19. It is now gone.

Jesters Coffee Shop, Brookfield, CT 06804 (Breakfast, lunch, juices, kombucha, coffee. Rated for breakfast and juice.) 4.5 stars. Lunch is meh.

Kibberia, Danbury, Connecticut (Lebanese) 3.5 stars. Review upcoming.

Little Tokyo, Norwalk, Connecticut (sushi) 4.5 stars.