2 Hopewell Bistro & Bar — Restaurant in Glastonbury

Everything was delicious, fresh, just perfect! Monica was our very knowledgeable, friendly & attentive server (not intrusive). Started off with drinks... Georgia mule coctail (refreshing...love the copper mug it's served in) and a Cisco beer on draft (finally a draft at the right temperature!!!) For our appetizer we had the Wild gulf shrimp, croustini, red pepper & chipotle sauté. The chipotle was so good we requested some bread to soak up the rest of the sauce! We both had salads before our main course. The House Salad w/Balsamic reduction was very fresh. The cherry tomatoes sliced in half tasted as if they just picked them ripe off the vine before serving them on a bed of mixed greens and julienned veggies. So yummy! The Ceasar Salad was equally delicious w/ romaine hearts, croutons, anchovy, and a parmesan crisp. For our main course we chose the Seared Stonington Sea scallops with basil lemon cous cous, sweet pea puree, and julienned vegetables, and the Pan Seared Sea Bass on a bed of cream of local corn, chive & bacon risotto, roasted beet & carrot reduction & grilled asparagus. Both of our dinners were cooked to perfection! Not one place we've been to in the past 2 yrs knows how to "pan sear," like the chef at 2Hopwell Bistro did today. Scallops and the Sea Bass both seared to Perfection!! Both dishes were full of flavor, and plated & presented beautifully! We will definitely be returning to try out their other menu items, especially if today's meal is any indication of what we can expect for all their dishes. A perfect ending to our perfect meal was a great cup of coffee and a Deconstructed Peach Cobbler. I died and went to heaven! Very tasty (just wish there was some "peach sauce, " that the peaches were soak in, puddling under the yummy cake (hint...hint...). But seriously, What a gem to come across while out riding the motorcycle today. We've passed by many times, but never stop until today. So happy we did & even happier to not be disappointed (hard to find a place today that is 100% on the money from the drinks, the service, to the food)! We sat in the tavern downstairs. This area is definitely cozy & casual. It does get noisy when it fills up, but not enough to scare us away. Someone noticeably pays a lot of attention to the smallest details of the ambiance and decor right down to the mini oil lamps, the various potted plants throughout (upstairs & downstairs), and fresh flowers on every table. I love the big sunflowers! (See my photos) Can't wait to return. We'll...

The food was just ok, especially for the price and had a terrible experience. I went on a double date to this restaurant to celebrate my sister in laws anniversary. We were looking forward to live music, but was told that there was none. I ordered the braised beef and it wasn’t very flavorful. It just tasted like a bunch of meat. My wife didn’t like her meal, but we didn’t send it back. She didn’t eat hers and I figured I would box it and have it for lunch the following day. When the bill came our party of 4 asked for our bill to be split in 2 tipped 10% combined (20.00 total) on a $200 bill. After taking some pictures in the restaurant and starting to exit, I see our server approaching us in the lobby. This is after he whispers something to a women and I guess she gives him the green light, but I didn’t hear hear their conversation. He ask if we were happy with his service with a perplexed look on his face. I responded that we were and figured the conversation would end. He proceeded, right in the middle of the lobby, to continue the conversation that based on how low the tip we left him was he wondered if he could have done anything differently. My sister in law was mortified and I was annoyed. I felt like I was purposely being strong armed by our waiter trying to embarrass us into giving him a larger tip by making a scene. We’ll, his plan worked and after my wife and I left, my sister came back and tipped more money. My party is African American, I wonder if that conversation would have happened if we were all White. Probably not I imagine. I felt like I was being haggled in a 3rd World marketplace as opposed to eating at a “fine” dining restaurant. I called to speak to the manager immediately from my car and her response is what let me know that my speculations weren’t far off. I explained what happened and she said that the tip is the only way a server know his level of performance and that 10% is considered low. I countered with, that when he asked I told him everything was fine, so his question about performance had been answered. Him going on publicly about how low the tip was was distasteful and dampened the evening. She agreed, apologized and that was it. I’ve eaten at all levels of restaurants from Red Robin to the Addison, a Michelin starred restaurant in San Diego and I have never experienced anything ever like this. We will never return to this establishment or ever...

Although it doesn't top Millwrights, 2 Hopewell certainly makes the honor roll for one of the foodie destinations in the Hartford area. While we were relegated to the tavern because the dining area was reserved for a private event, it didn't turn out as bad as expected. There was no white linen tablecloth, but the decor and ambiance was simple and sophisticated, at least until we arrived.

While we were not starving, it seemed like a waste to drive all the way to South Glastonbury to order only a couple dishes. As such, we checked off quite a number of dishes from the menu. On the apps, we caught sight of the shrimp & grits, snake river farm kurabuta pork belly / scallop, calamari, stuffed crepe, and carpaccio. On the salad front, we took a chance with the pear & fig as well as the mixed beets. For the entrees, we had the lamb, scallops, and seared sea bass. For dessert, we had one of pretty much everything. For drinks, the table had several of pretty much everything.

I'd say the flavors of 2 Hopewell is very much traditional American. The flavor profiles were certainly more conservative, with a stronger focus on improving the experience of an existing or similar dish, rather than taking the risk of experimentation with bolder and bigger flavors. With that said, the food was generally very good. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the sea bass was buttery smooth. For dessert, the carrot cake and flourless chocolate something are must haves. The only constructive feedback would be to add more scallops to the appetizer dish - for a table of four, sharing one scallop meant two people were scallop-less.

Service was great as well - our waitress was attentive and stayed professional despite us overstaying our welcome and preventing her from beginning her 40 minute commute home. They were also kind enough to make a small notation on the dessert platter in honor of the Stars...