better experience. we arrived on a saturday evening at around 5:30pm and found the parking lot nearing capacity. we did not have a reservation, but were seated at a table for 2 in the main dining room. once again, neither of us was overly hungry so we decided to share a salad, entree and dessert. we received complimentary olives and warm bread while we reviewed the menu.
we chose the ensalada mediterranea - belgian endive, small squares of house made mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, olives, white beans, artichoke hearts and red balsamic vinaigrette. for an entree we chose paella mediterranea that contained a maine lobster that had segmented into two legs with claws plus a tail split into two. in addition, there were 4 mussels, 2 shrimp, farm raised scallops, squid and a copious amount of white fish. the broth used was not saffron based, but lobster that added little to the dish. we could have/should have stopped there but we were a little short of the value of my livingsocial certificate so we ordered a slice of tres leches cake and coffee. the tres leches was okay, but it was a bit dry indicating it could have soaked for longer in milk. there was a long time delay between ordering and receiving our entree that i attribute to the kitchen.
service was good though there was a glitch when we received our bill. earlier in the evening a table for four adjoining us was switched out for 2 tables for 2. thus we received the bill for table #3 when we started off as table #2. our waitress made the proper adjustments and apologized for this understandable error. overall, this was a very good dining experience.
-----24 sep, 2013-----
service issues again. we arrived on sunday afternoon a little past 2pm and found the parking lot largely empty. there was only one table of 9 occupied, but i was concerned because they were ordering as we were seated. i ordered a couple of glasses of a rioja wine and received our menus. our server, miguel, informed us that the restaurant had not received any napkins this weekend as he placed bar napkins before us. give me a break - go out and buy a case of vanity fair dinner napkins.
as we were presented our menus, miguel told us that couple of specials were not available - he has to be kidding. as we reviewed the menu, we munched on the complimentary dish of
olives. we were also served hot bread and some cheap olive oil.
we were not overly hungry so we ordered a salad and entree to share. our ensalada mediterranea and paella valenciana proved to be more than enough for us. the salad was beautifully plated and contained belgian endive, mozzarella, tomatoes, snow peas, black olives, artichoke hearts and red balsamic vinaigrette.
our paella arrived shortly after the other table was served so my initial concern proved to be unfounded. again, the paella, though not traditional, was very good and more than ample for us. after declining dessert, i requested the bill and discovered i was charged more for the wine than on the wine list.
miguel explained they were out of the one i ordered so he chose another one. i cannot understand him not informing us of the problem and allowing us to make our own choice since there were other options at the same price level as the one we ordered. he took the bill back and made the appropriate adjustment, but his demeanor changed and he (again) failed to serve us the complimentary glasses of muscatel. needless to say, his gratuity was adjusted downward. once again, service detracted from our otherwise enjoyable meal.
-----19 aug, 2013-----
overwhelmed. we arrived on sunday at around 2pm and we seated in the main dining room that had 2 tables already occupied – a family party of 8 and a table of 2. there were also dinners in the back room occupying 2 long tables celebrating another birthday and a few more diners on the patio. as best as i could tell there were only 2 waiters on duty including the owner. it took awhile but we were provided menus and the usual dish of olives. we also ordered glasses of the house read - $7.50 which was immediately served.
we settled on 2 appetizers from the days' specials zucchini with a seafood stuffing and baked figs wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with goat cheese which was accompanied by a marinara sauce. it was not long before we were served hot bread and then we waited for our appetizers to appear. after a long period of time, we were finally served. both dishes were pleasing to both the eye and palate.
we again waited an inordinate amount of time before receiving our entree – paella valenciana which included a noah's ark of seafood – 2 large shrimp, 2 clams, 3 mussels plus sliced chorizo and chicken. the promised scallops were mia. the dish was delicious thanks to an excellent seafood broth.
after another long wait, we were provided complimentary glasses of muscatel and the bill. this was the second visit in a row where the dining room and kitchen seemed to be overwhelmed thus detracting from anotherwise enjoyable meal.
-----25 apr, 2013-----
kitchen overwhelmed. we arrived early on a thursday evening with a livingsocial coupon only to discover the parking lot was almost entirely full. we were seated in the front dining room which was similarly busy. our servers brought us water, menus, bread, and a dish of olives. we ordered glasses of the house red wine plus the evening's special entree, squid ink paella. i inquired how long the paella would take and was told 20 minutes.
we also ordered 2 tapas, calamares a la plancha and chorizo espanol which were served with little delay. the former was lightly grilled squid with white beans, tomatoes, capers and rosemary sauce while the latter was sauteed spanish sausage with white beans, figs and a rioja reduction sauce. we felt both were just okay and are unlikely to order either in the future.
we then waited, waited and waited some more. an hour went by and we thought possibly our waiter forgot our entree, but when summoned he indicated a few more minutes wait. the almost black paella was initially pleasing to eye with the black rice and vibrantly green peas, but as we dove into this dish all the seafood was dyed a less eye appealing blackish by the squid ink. we both agreed that this was a dish we would not being ordering again.
we closed out the meal by sharing a very satisfying slice of tiramisu. we did not receive an appertif as we have in the past which was an oversight by our waiter because all the tables in view received them. as we prepared to exit, a couple seated at an adjoining table was complaining to the owner about the service and were told that the kitchen was overwhelmed (understaffed) by the number of diners with expiring livingsocial coupons.
-----04 mar, 2013-----
our favorite restaurant. bistro has rapidly become our favorite restaurant in ct after just 2 visits. on our recent recent visit the food was excellent, the pricing friendly and the service way above average. my wife and i started off by ordering 2 tapas, piquillos rellenos de cordero and berengena rellena de vegetables.
the former are spanish peppers stuffed with lamb and a port shallot reduction while the latter is a single baby eggplant stuffed with a mixture of vegetables. both were delicious. we also ordered paella valencia which contained 2 good sized shrimp, several small mussels, chicken, chorizo and calamari in a delicious seafood broth. though this dish was not prepared in the classic manner and had too much broth, it was also delicious “as is” and a bargain at only $16. we closed out the meal with a beautifully plated and perfect slice of flan and a complimentary glass of muscadet. as mentioned by other diners, the staff is very professional yet friendly.
-----08 sep, 2012-----
an oasis of fine dining. as we drove down main street, east haven, i was not expecting to find an oasis of fine dining. we parked in the lot in the back which was only one-third filled at 6:30pm last (friday) night. the restaurant is quite large with white table clothed tables spread between 2 good size rooms plus seating at the attractive bard and a patio located out front.
we were immediately greeted and shown a table for 2, provided menus and asked for our drink (iced tap water) orders. like most of the other diners this evening, we were planning on ordering off the tapas section of the menu though the full plate (platos principales) section looked very interesting as well.
we received an amuse bouche of olives along with some bread to sop up the delicious olive oil, garlic and assorted spices while we perused the menu. on entering i had noticed a table with mussels and french fries in the bar area so we made mejillones al vino blanco our first order. these are pei mussels cooked with slivers of garlic, small pieces of tomato, parsley in a light white wine sauce. the taste was truly excellent though the bellies were on the small size.
as the night progressed, tables rapidly filled all around us, but the service staff never skipped a beat, continuing to be both attentive and uniformly friendly. for a second order we chose the house salad with mixed greens and large piece of gorgonzola cheese with a light dressing plus crab cake mediterranean. this pair of cakes served with a red pepper coulee and some torn greens were delicious.
neither of us was hungry at this point, but we forced ourselves to look at the dessert menu finally opting for a crema catalina that by any other name, namely crème brulee, would have been so beautifully plated and equally as delicious.
shortly after receiving the bill, we received a small muscatel aperitif. in yet another gesture of friendliness by the staff, two different members shook my hand and thanked us for our patronage as we exited.
overall, we were highly impressed by the quality of the food, friendly pricing and service provided this evening. .