Putnam House Restaurant & Tap Room — Restaurant in Bethel

One of the worst experiences of my life! I went to hear the monthly Jazz group jam. I did not realize it was outside, but I saw when I got there that they had a plastic tent up with heaters placed all around the ceiling. The reality of this? Well... only three of the four walls were up -- leaving the fourth one down allowed for more seating to continue to overflow outside the tent. And the heaters were not on. And the longer I stayed, the colder I got. When I asked the waiter if they were planning to turn-on the heat... he said he would check. He came back in a few minutes and said they were not going to turn them on b/c all the tent walls were not up. I was very cold and my spine was starting to get sore, but even after the gentleman next to me lent me his jacket -- I was still cold and now in pain from my muscles clenching from the cold. Was it just me? I checked and the temperature was 56 degrees. I asked the waiter what they did for the next two jam sessions in November and December and he said they put up the fourth wall and turn-on the heat. Putnam House, you got my money for the food and the music was fabulous, but I was livid that you did not care enough about the comfort of your patrons to spend some of that money I gave you for my meal, to turn-on the heat. I am so very, very...

I never write reviews but after visiting here I felt people needed to know how good this restaurant was. I was visiting CT with my boyfriend and we were just driving around when we decided we had a craving for New England Clam Chowder on a cold day. I found this place nearby to us and saw they had that soup on their menu, we both got a bowl and it was by far the best New England Clam Chowder we have everrr eaten! Since we were there between lunch and dinner we decided to go for entrees and fill up now for the day. I had the penne alla vodka with grilled chicken and he had the steak with mushroom cognac gravy. They both came with salads-I loved their balasamic dressing and it came out as soon as we were done with our soups. My penne was delicious except the grilled chicken was a little dry (ok once it was sitting in the sauce for a bit). My boyfriend's steak was so good and perfectly cooked (and hes picky with the med-well that he orders). All in all it was a great meal, service could have been more attentive but it wasnt so bad that I wouldnt come back, also loved the Christmas decor in this cute old house.

PS- Be sure to visit Varano bakery a few stores down for dessert! Amazing cookies, and pastries, especially their cream puffs! Cant wait to visit Bethel again for...

I want this to be objective and honest. The restaurant from the outside is beautiful and the outdoor dining space is atmospheric. The night we went, we sat inside. The inside of the restaurant is like a sports pub which doesnt really fit the ethos of the restaurant. The service wasn't terrific. Our server might have been in training, as she was extremely, extremely quiet. I imagine she was nervous and I get it, but as a customer it's a bit off-putting and uncomfortable. More importantly, the food was hit or miss (mostly miss). The Philly cheese steak looked nice, but I didn't taste it. The pretzel appetizer is a joke. And that IS being objective. 12 dollars for 6 small pieces of average pretzel-- served with a cheese dip akin to movie theater nacho cheese. Very goopy, processed, and hideously orange. Horrible appetizer, honestly. The wings were good, fries average, burgers poor. This place has a lot of potential, I just hope they start to take a bit more pride in the...