12/07/08

Helped us in a time of need

by hwk455

We had a wonderful meal and service tonight. My wife and I had just experienced a "downer" event and the restaurant was extremely understanding and helpful. We both had salads that were excellent.

Anthony, the manager, was excellent in understanding our situation and was extremely helpful.

06/01/08

Evening saved by Olympia Dukakis at The Hartford Stage

by AAEK

This was maybe our sixth or seventh dinner at this restaurant in the last 2-3 years. WE WILL NOT RETURN ANY SOON!

First they have to fire the chef for the bland, bordering on tasteless food he sent out to 6 out of 7 diners, then the head waiter should get the boot for his staff delivering tepid warm food after waiting about 45 minutes for the main course (yes, it is difficult to bring out 7 hot dishes at the same time, but somehow good restaurants manage)

The Special of the Day main course, Vegetarian Paella - abominable!. That paella did not see a pan, a pinch of saffron and I doubt even the presence of olive oil - it was a tasteless watery stew of rice and vegetables in some even more tasteless broth. It was sent back to be replaced by a substandard Classic Cobb Salad. Why substandard you'd ask? How can you murder a salad? Well, the only cooked ingredient in it, a poor chicken's breast, was cold, rubbery, and bland (a few seconds on a hot grill with some smoke flavor would have saved the day for the poor salad). Luckily, the recepy called for raw vegetables, just cut and place on a plate; oh yes, the chopped hard boiled egg was fine too.

The (3 orders of) Beer Braised PotRoast was OK if you IGNORE the blandness of the meat and the cold mashed potatoes; I doubt the meat was marinated with spices before braising it. The carrots and celery were fine, but we wanted the meat and potatoes......

The (2 orders of) Grilled Halibut was graded a solemn & silent "Eeeeh, OK"; its strong fish aroma kept me from tasting it.

The only satisfied diner was the (1 order of) Baby Back Rib Platter, lucky b.....

Did not dare order deserts. And they had the gall to add 18% to the bill.

What happened to the previous elaborate menu? In retrospect, they are better off with the current abbreviated one, less chances of ruining dishes.

The 1Star rating is there just because the website forces me to rate at least one; none is too many in this case

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Food

03/10/08

Dining wait

by UCONNseasonticketholder

I had the opportunity to vist Hartford Steam in between games at the XL Centr for a meal with friends They were understaffed for some reason and had to turn away dozens of diners but that is not my main gripe. We had reservations and were quickly seated and provided with beverage.

We had simple requests, a burger and two chicken sandwiches. We waited for almost a half hour to be served and the food was next to cold and very dry as if the plates were sitting somewhere before the depleted wait staff was able to bring it to our table.

We will not be visiting Hartford Steam for our next dining experience and do not recommend this place for a pleasant dining experience.