The Tavern at Keney Park: If you’ve done any exploring of Keney Park, you’ll have noticed in recent years a structure next to the golf course that looked like one of those sheltered picnic areas you might find in a State Park. According to the Hartford Preservation Alliance, this rustic Tudor style structure was a “1934 as a Great Depression project of the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA).” Relying heavily on recycled materials, the “[s]tone for the building came from the [then] recently-demolished US Post Office which stood immediately adjacent the Old State House downtown” and the building’s “[b]rick came from an old orphan asylum on Putnam Street.”
The Keney Park Golf Course Clubhouse has been transformed into The Tavern at Keney Park, a casual American restaurant with ample patio seating, in addition to the indoor space where a fireplace will be in use in colder months. This is operated by The DISH Restaurant Group, so you it’s tasty grub.
If you love golf, you probably already know about this spot which is still in its soft-opening phase as of publication. But, if you are like us and find golf to be “a good walk spoiled,” you can still enjoy The Tavern. What other public location in Hartford allows for dining where you can see flowering shrubs, lots of green, and thick forest without the interruption of highway noise? You’ll get sounds of birds chirping. This is the time of year when patios have the most appeal, but Keney Park is gorgeous year-round, especially in autumn. Get a hit of fall foliage without the long drive to Vermont!
It’s not unusual for a golf course to have this kind of set up, but most are off-limits to the public, or feel that way. This is not that. Arriving in attire that immediately shouted “not a golfer,” I was still seated and served promptly and with respect. It is a public golf course. Snobbery would not really work here.
Arriving via Windsor Avenue, the chances are good that you will pass a cricket game. Those unfamiliar with the park might wonder about that chaotic parking lot and number of cars illegally parked on the road and grass. That’s not golf course parking. Keep going. The lot affiliated with The Tavern is more-or-less directly across the park road from the restaurant and has more capacity. You can also access this via the Tower Avenue entrance, something I forgot about until leaving because that access point was closed for so long during construction. You can get dropped off at the gates by local bus service and walk into the park. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk from gates to The Tavern, something that should be no barrier for an able-bodied person since the walk is through a park, and time in nature is good. Need more of a walk? The Tavern is conveniently located in a park with nature trails.
more views and booze
The Flying Monkey Grill & Bar
You probably would not accidentally happen upon The Flying Monkey. It’s not Downtown, on a busy street, or in a residential area. Still, there are two things that make this place a draw. One is the live jazz two or three times each week. The other is having a view of planes taking off and landing without needing to pass through security first.
They serve brunch with a non-stop mimosa bar, lunch, and dinner. It’s satisfying food and the drinks are good. The one caution is that if coming with a larger group of friends, you might want to make a reservation — especially if this coincides with jazz. Service is not the fastest in town, but nowhere near the slowest either.
Here’s the tricky part: getting here without a car (or small plane) is a challenge. Coming here on foot from anywhere in Hartford feels awkward because the South Meadows area is inconsistent about having sidewalks and is not built to human-scale. It’s industrial and a bit desolate, but more doable if coming with friends. Depending on where you are coming from, taking the bus might mean getting from a stop to restaurant via a six-minute not-the-greatest walk, or, if you follow Google directions from points south, it could mean randomly and weirdly taking a bus across the river and walking in from the Charter Oak Bridge — a trip that will take you an hour and a half. In that scenario, walking — without any transit — is faster. Arriving by bike might be better than taking the bus or walking.
Chango Rosa
While not inside Bushnell Park, the patio offers views of the park and is close enough to where if there is a concert happening, you will be able to hear it while enjoying comfortable seating and access to comforts like running water.
Chango Rosa opened this month in Union Station with a bang. They dramatically changed the decor, bringing an edgy vibe to a space that seemed sleepy in recent years, even before the spot was vacated. By the patio is a new piece of art that pays tribute to some influential Hartfordites from history. The menu is a fusion of Latin American street foods and Bear’s BBQ.
Salute
Like Chango Rosa, Salute offers a view of Bushnell Park from outside the park. There’s a lot of dog-walking action in this spot. Another perk is that the tables are spaced out enough so it does not feel like you’re sitting in some stranger’s lap.
Salute also has consistently friendly service — if you’re tired of being ignored by waitstaff at a mediocre pub or being made to felt like a slob because you’re not dressed in suit and tie, get up and come here. Oh, and the food is delicious. Save room for tiramisu.
ON20
On the 20th floor of the Hartford Steam Boiler building, ON20 offers a view of downtown Hartford from above. This is damn fancy, but they do have a happy hour menu which brings prices down to moderate when it comes to cocktails.
This is at 400 Columbus Boulevard. There is some mystery about how to get inside, so here are the instructions, verbatim from ON20’s website: “Once in the building you will find the lobby located on the third floor housing two elevator banks. Please utilize the right most elevator bank, as they are the only ones that can access the 20th floor. To call the elevator please dial 20 on the keypad and the screen will designate which elevator will bring you to ON20.“
Chris
Great ideas for al fresco dining in Hartford!!! Thanks for sharing.
Richard
Great feel for this new series. Looking forward to what else you have up your sleeve.
Brendan
Keney Park continues to be the best park.