One of the rewarding things about summer is being able to relax outside after the brutal heat of the day has dissipated, eat dinner that has been prepared not in one’s own smoldering hot kitchen, and chat with friends. Reading about West Hartford’s decision to begin enforcing a ten p.m. curfew for outdoor dining made me proud to live in a city where no one feels the need to kick patrons off the patio before closing time. For this year’s Taste of Hartford, I propose selecting a restaurant that offers outdoor seating, and then enjoying every moment of the freedom that we have as adults to not have curfews imposed upon us.
O’Porto Restaurant and Salute both have outdoor tables, as do bin228, Black Bear Saloon, Damon’s Tavern, Dish, Tisane Euro-Asian Cafe, The Half Door, and Wood-n-Tap. Others with patio space: City Steam Brewery, Francesco’s, Trumbull Kitchen, J Restaurant, and the Sidewalk Cafe. The Firebox Restaurant, also with a patio, has joined Taste of Hartford mid-week.
Hartford’s Restaurant Week runs from July 26-August 8th. Participating restaurants are listed on the Greater Hartford Arts Council site.
Note: more information will be added to this post as additional participating restaurants are announced.
Richard
Betcha I would raise a big stink if I lived above or near loud mouths outside enjoying dinner when I had to get up at some un-godly hour and go to work the next morning. Sort of like coming into someone elses area and messing around with the folks who live there. Maybe a nice cold bucket of water dumped out the window on those who wish to “see and be seen,” or at the very least I would call the cops. Glad I don’t pack a BB gun as this old Annie Oakly just may be mad enough at the rudedees’ below to target shoot. Chase them all off the patio, yes sir. 10:00 is late enough for anyone to start dinner unless of course they are the idle rich or a person seeking to have stomach trouble.
Never could warm up to outside dinning for the smell of car exhaust, bugs and bees, dust in the wind and folks staring at my dinner doesn’t really do anything for me. Tried it and didn’t like it and that was in gay paree’ of all places.
Kerri Provost
I don’t know how many restaurants in WH are located in residential areas though. I wouldn’t want to hear the noise either, but most of the restaurants I know of are in the Center near stores that are closed for the night.
Richard
From the Courant yesterday.
“Activity has increased in the town center in the past 18 months, Gregory Tousignant, general manager of Grant’s, said Wednesday.
“When I check our receipts, I see customers from Springfield, Mass., Essex, Chester and the shoreline. And we’re more of a destination to a younger demographic now — the 20- and 30-year–olds.” (big noise makers ?)
Popularity can have a downside. Town officials heard some citizen complaints about too much downtown activity. So the polite curfew-reminder letters went out.
Oh that’s right I forgot. No one lives in the downtown area of WH except the folks on the corner of South Main and Farmington. Who cares about them anyway as they are probably low income or nearing it and that is really not the WH look that we care about. Another thing I forgot is that there really isn’t much real in the center except for Phauf’s hardware store. All else is as pretentious and phony as holding ones little finger out while sipping the latest fad drink, seeing and being seen by nobody’s looking at nobodies.
I can’t remember right but do think that the original complaints were about noise and were filed by folks to the North on the center behind Farmington Ave, Don’t really see how the clinking of ice cubes or Missy Princes shrieking laughter could awake even the dead from their sleep.
You all want to eat after 10? Get there at 9:45 and linger the hot humid night away, sipping your Blue Moon with the gentle breezes kicking up dust landing into your foie gras biscuit with sausage gravy and decorating your sushi with cute little black specks, take a whiff get high exhaust fumes are great for your health and the jury is still out about eating so late at night. Of course if you’re a cute little thing from Essex, the shoreline or Chester than you’ll more than likely go and dance it off and the rest of the night away. Just no matter where you are outside dining or dancing don’t disturb the natives.