When the weather’s fine, and there are a raft of restaurants with terrific outdoor spaces to enjoy, there’s no reason to wine and dine behind closed doors. Here are a few of our favorites.
The White Horse Country Pub
This bustling hangout in Marbledale has a deck and a patio that let you dine with a soundtrack and bird’s-eye view of the babbling Aspetuck River below, and the wooded riverbank beyond. Daytime finds the wrought-iron tables shaded with umbrellas, and by night the tiki torches glow for a little mood lighting.
The menu offers classic pub food (including great, juicy burgers; pot pies; and salads from Caesar to grilled salmon) and international fare (coconut shrimp, lamb kofta), and the variety and casual comfort of the place keeps everybody happy while the bar keeps the wines, beers, and cocktails flowing. Choosing a burger may depend on what kind of bread you like it sandwiched between—the Classic Pub Burger is on a Portuguese roll, while the spicy Red Knight Fire Burger is on toasted brioche, and flavorful additions like caramelized onions and roasted poblanos liven things up. Steamed mussels, whose white wine braising liquid is enhanced with fresh basil, seems made for eating while feeling the summer breeze on your face, and the Rum and Coke Baby Back Ribs can’t be beat for messy satisfaction. Hours: Open 7 days a week. Lunch and dinner 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Sunday Brunch 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The White Horse Country Pub & Restaurant
258 New Milford Turnpike (Route 202)
Marbledale/Washington
860.868.1496whitehorsecountrypub.com
Rooster Tail Inn
For a gently bucolic setting, try the Rooster Tail Inn. The L‑shaped slate patio of this pristine, six-suite colonial inn, overlooks a manicured expanse of rolling lawn and a pond. Firs and flowering trees border the property, giving you the feeling of being a world away. Inside there’s the dining room and the tavern, but the patio makes for an intimate setting, with its eight tables, nicely spaced, along with a handful of seating areas. There’s plenty of room to stretch and have a private conversation, or simply quietly enjoy the setting. The menu changes regularly and on a lovely June day it featured a delicate tempura-style softshell crab appetizer with a tasty rémoulade sauce followed by an actual medium-rare burger and fantastically crispy fries that seemed to be roughed up for extra crunch. Hours: Closed on Monday & Tuesday; Wednesday & Thursday, 4 – 9:30 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, noon – 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Rooster Tail Inn
11 Cornwall Road
Warren
860.868.3100
www.roostertailinn.com
Kingsley Tavern
Take a break while shopping in Kent and grab a seat on the cozy, window-box-lined front porch of the Kingsley Tavern on Main Street. After all that retail therapy, kick back and watch the world pass by while sipping the tavern’s house cocktail, Reforma (named after Mexico City’s main drag), a concoction of tequila, Poire Williams, and ginger syrup; or one of its craft beers (including Connecticut’s Two Roads Brewing Company’s Road to Ruin Double IPA).
Southwest U.S. and South Asian offerings dot the casual menu, with a Saigon sandwich (think Bahn Mi) of pork belly, grilled shrimp, or tofu, and a Southwest Salad with grilled shrimp and fried tortilla strips. Even the Roasted Beet Salad with oranges and citrus vinaigrette takes a Latino turn with toasted pepitas.
Friendly owner Anna Gowan and Chef Charles Dietrich, use locally sourced meat and vegetables to keep it simple with great ingredients, and the menu tells you exactly where, say, that burger comes from (Hurlburt Farms). Their supper menu includes a slightly more upscale Maple-Brined Pork Chop from TrueLove Farm and a spicy Shrimp-and-Bacon Mac and Cheese, along with the salads and sandwiches that are standard at lunch.
If the handful of sleek wooden tables on the front porch are filled, you can give the side patio a try. It isn’t as atmospheric as the perch up front, but on a glorious summer day, just being outside is where it’s at. Hours: Monday – Closed; Tuesday -Thursday dinner 5-9, bar 4:30-close; Friday dinner 5-9:30, bar 4:30 – close; Saturday brunch 11-3, dinner 5-9:30, bar 10:30-close; Sunday brunch 11-3, dinner 5-8:30, bar 11-close.
Kingsley Tavern
14 North Main Street
Kent
860.592.0261
[email protected]
kingsleytavern.com
John’s Café
If a culinary adventure is what you’re looking for, head to John’s Café. This popular restaurant, situated in historic Woodbury, the antiquing capital of Connecticut, features fresh, innovative New American dishes, some with a Mediterranean flair. Find yourself a table under the awning on John’s outdoor patio, surrounded by colorful hanging plants and colonial-style lanterns. The elegant white tablecloths suggest formal, but the dining experience is bistro-style. Have a taste of San Francisco’s crisply refreshing Anchor Summer Beer, an American Pale Wheat Ale, or go for a bottle of wine if you can settle on one from the extensive wine list. The Crispy Shoestring French Fries with White Truffle Oil and Parmigiano Cheese make a great starter, especially if you’re in sharing mode. The Mozzarella Bruschetta with Avocado, Pancetta, and Basil (with house-made mozzarella) is a light, savory appetizer, and the Steamed Prince Edward Island Mussels with Applewood-Smoked Bacon, Hot Cherry Peppers, Garlic, and White Wine give you a pitch-perfect combination of tastes, both land and sea. With three kinds of delectable pizzas, as well as New England clam chowder, authentic Italian pasta dishes, and tasty seasonal salads, John’s can please just about any crowd you round up. For dessert there is Key lime pie, crème brûlée, a fruit crisp with ice cream, and more. Whether you order family style, choose the prix fixe special (appetizer, entrée, and dessert), or go with two appetizers and dessert, the friendly staff will make sure you’re happy. And to end a lovely warm-weather meal al fresco, try the dynamite house-made Limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur—guaranteed to light up your night. Hours: Open every day of the week. Monday – Saturday: Lunch, 11:30am-2:30pm and Dinner, 5:30-9pm. Sunday, 4:30-8:30pm. Sunday and Monday: BYOB, no corkage fee.
John’s Café
693 Main Street South
(Route 6)
Woodbury
203.263.0188
www.johnscafe.com
G.W. Tavern
A favorite gathering place for locals and weekenders alike, the historic G.W. Tavern boasts a fireplace to cozy up to in winter, but in summer where you want to be is its sprawling covered flagstone patio. Or if you’re in the mood for an ultra-private meal, slip through the French doors in the bar area to one of the two balcony tables-for-two (make sure to book one of these sought-after seats in advance).
The bread basket of delicious jalapeño cornbread, biscuits, and fresh sliced baguette may tempt you to polish it off, but don’t. The portions at the G.W. are generous, from the customer fave, French Onion Soup, to easygoing burgers, fish and chips, and meatloaf to heftier comfort-food classics like the Peppercorn Filet Mignon and the Grilled Pork Chop. And what sweeter place to indulge in Sticky Toffee Pudding than in the light of the moon? Hours: Open 7 days, Lunch: 11:30 – 2:30, Lite Fare: 2:30 – 5:30, Dinner: 5:30 – 9:30, Fri & Sat till 10:30, Sunday 5:00-9:30, Brunch: Starting at 11:30, Saturday until 2:30 and Sun until 3:00.
G.W. Tavern
20 Bee Brook Road
Washington Depot
860.868.6633
[email protected]
www.gwtavern.com
Mamie’s
Bring your Sunday paper; bring your kids or your best friend or your sweetie; and bring your appetite to Mamie’s, and sit yourself at one of the picnic tables on the lawn or café tables on the patio for one of the most pleasant, casual breakfasts or brunches you’re likely to find in the Northwest corner.
The house-made corned beef hash, offered with poached eggs, is succulent and well seasoned. And if corned beef isn’t your thing, there’s a Roasted Summer Vegetable Hash (along with dishes like huevos rancheros, French toast, and maple cranberry granola). Lunch fare is simple and delicious as well, from burgers and salads (a refreshing arugula and citrus) to sandwiches of ham and brie, grilled vegetables, or a classic Reuben. Dinners, now only offered on Fridays and Saturdays, are created for each night, according to what’s at the market—you can call to find out what’s on the menu (and it’s BYOB). Be sure to take home some of Mamie’s baked goods when you leave. Hours: Closed Tuesdays. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: Breakfast & Lunch: 8am-3pm, Dinner: Friday & Saturday: 6-9pm, Saturday & Sunday Brunch: 8am-3pm.
Mamie’s
162 Baker Road
Roxbury
860.210.0618
mamiesrestaurant.com
