Dishin’ It with Alexis: Hartford’s Restaurant Week- Hot Tomato’s Restaurant
1 Union Place Hartford, CT
The Taste of Hartford is the city’s restaurant week. Similar to Northampton, Boston, and New York’s popular restaurant weeks, Hartford’s is full of menu samples from the area’s best restaurants. There’s an assortment of cuisine represented in this week of food, wine, and exploration. If you been down to Hartford to enjoy some of the nightlife food scene this is a great time to do so. The Taste of Hartford offers a real deal for money conscious diners.
For only $20.09, you can enjoy a multi-course meal at some of the finest restaurants in Hartford. I think the restaurant scene is quite unique here because there’s a mix of casual dining options and also chic upscale eateries. You’ll also find included in Hartford’s Restaurant week many ethnic food spots like Costa Del Sol, Feng Asian Bistro, Kasmir, O’Porto and a number of other eclectic choices for the adventurous diner.
I’ve only tried one of the restaurants so far and that’s Hot Tomato’s located at 1Union Place in downtown Hartford. Hot Tomato’s serves up Italian food with a twist.
The establishment, stylish yet down to earth, is decorated with wallpaper from 1950’s comic stripes. The wallpaper showcases domestic life emphasizing the word “hot” and “tomato” intertwined throughout the different skits. It’s a bit weird in my opinion and kind of throws off the whole chic feel of the restaurant’s décor. When my friend and I arrived at the restaurant it was around 9:30pm. The kitchen at Hot Tomato’s closes at 10pm, but I think for this restaurant week they stayed open a bit later. When we walked in the door there was no one to greet us as we stood waiting to be seated, which was a bit off putting. We finally got the attention of one of the servers, who then sat us at a table in the center of the dining room.
The restaurant is setup like a green house. I know it sounds weird, but from the outside you may mistake this place for a green house because of the large bay windows that make up its circumference. The windows are angled in a funky oval shape that wraps around the indoor portion of this restaurant. There’s also an attractive outdoor patio area where people can enjoy their dinners.
It took ages for the waiter to finally come over to us, despite the fact there wasn’t really that many people in the restaurant. The waitress walked by our table three or four times without acknowledging us or telling us ‘I will be with you in a moment.’ I found that very rude and unacceptable. Initially I was so frustrated by the neglectful service that I told my friend maybe we should leave and try one of the other fabulous spots on the restaurant week guide. But my stomach was growling and it was getting late so we decided to wait it out. The waitress eventually came over to our table and I could tell she was pulling a heavy load with quite a few tables. She was relatively pleasant, so I decided to back down my venomous temper and give the woman a break. As many of my friends and family can tell you, when I’m hungry I can be quite a feisty young lady to say the least.
We ended up not ordering of the restaurant week menu. It was very limited and disappointing. There were only two courses versus three. The starters were salad and cheesy bread. The four entrees including a pork, chicken, and seafood dish that were part of the deal didn’t seem as appealing as those on the regular menu.
I ended up ordering the Chicken Giovanni, which is grilled chicken tossed with roasted peppers, broccoli, onions & garlic in a brandy gorgonzola sauce over linguine. I substituted the brandy gorgonzola sauce for their spicy chunky tomato sauce to create a lighter effect. My friend ordered the 10oz. top sirloin with a gorgonzola crust and a side of green beans that came a la carte. The beef, chicken, and fish entrees are a bit pricey and don’t include any sides, which can be daunting during these tough economic times. We choose the Maryland Crab cake and the cheesy bread as a starter.
The crab cake was super moist and plump. Lots of beautiful crab meat filling with only a thin layer of breading. Drizzled a top the crab cake was a creamy sweet garlic aioli, that complemented the crab meat exquisitely. The cheesy bread was pretty yummy as well. It reminded me of traditional garlic bread loaf with a mound of mozzarella cheese dumped on top of it and baked to a golden crisp. I asked for a side of marinara to go with the bread. The robust tomato sauce really helped bring out the cheese bread’s warm flavorful complexion. I was starting to really get full off of the appetizers, when our main dishes were brought out with more bread. Can we say a carb over load!
I started to regret my choice of a pasta dish at that moment. I looked down at my plate of pasta and saw huge red and green olives on top of my Chicken Giovanni. Now for all you olive lovers out there this may have looked like heaven on a plate to you, but for me who happens to be disturbed by the salty tart taste of olives, this was no pleasure for me. Apparently, the spicy tomato sauce comes with olives, which was unaware to me. Yet, I was not going to cause a fuss and send it back, so I decided just to eat around these small oval sized suckers.
My friend’s gorgonzola crusted steak was absolutely fabulous and flavorful despite being slightly over cooked. It tasted well marinated and had remnants of a charcoal grilled taste. The gorgonzola crust added to the salty robust texture and taste of this savory well done piece of meat. My pasta was chucky and spicy full of pieces of juicy grilled chicken and savory vegetables. The sauce was rich and peppery with a hint of garlic and basil infused into it. The pasta dish was very filling, so I had to take a doggy bag. My friend ate all the steak, the portion wasn’t very big. I was stuffed from all the carbs and decided to pass on dessert, which was fine because the options didn’t seem too appealing (no creme brulee nor cannolis, I would have made room for those).
All in all Hot Tomato’s was pretty tasty with rich savory pastas and well seasoned steaks. The prices were a bit high and the service was a bit chaotic, but the yummy food partially made up for its other flaws. I would recommend checking out Hot Tomato’s on your next visit to downtown Hartford. With Land, sea, and ample pasta options, you may find something on the menu that delights you. I look forward to checking out some other hot spot on Hartford’s restaurant week and of course keeping you guys posted along the way!
Until next time, remember food is life, food is love, and food is community. Bon Appetit!
Written by Alexis Miller
