Good Friends Restaurant — Restaurant in New Hartford

3/23 - One of the few places open on a Monday or after 3PM in our area, we are trying to find the dishes here that we'd order again or recommend. This visit we tried their wings. Nice sauce, good size, juicy, but only half warmed through. Pre-bought or pre-made there and reheated? Not sure. But they need to bake longer. The 8 oz. burger with cheddar and bacon had a nice smokey flavor and was cooked to order. The fries were really undercooked, so we brought them home and put them in the oven the next day (with a few of the wings) and they were fine. Out of beef barley, the chicken and rice soup the cook just made was good as was the turkey club on white that accompanied it. I asked if the liver and onions on the specials menu was calf liver and was told, yes, and that it was really popular and often sells out. Made with bacon, it comes with two sides. I chose mashed potato with gravy and mixed vegetables for a family member we were bringing this to who loves this dish. She said it was very good. Tender. Flavorful. The portion size was big enough to have more than one meal.

2/23 - Returning on a Friday to both eat here in person and to try Prime Rib night, it wasn't remarkable, but the eatery delivered in terms of providing adequate food. Remnants of the former Grey Area Tavern are visible in terms of the flooring and booths, but Good Friends smartly added needed corner booths that could seat more than four people. A large matted photo of the Barkhamsted Saville Dam hangs on the wall.

We brought a bottle of cabernet since they still don't have their liquor license. No one else at other occupied tables had wine or beer with them. Maybe people don't know they can BYOB, or it's because most guests looked to be seniors and did not care to drink.

We ordered two prime rib dinners and asked if the meat could be ordered to temperature. Being told yes, we ordered one medium rare, one end cut if available or medium well if not, and chose fingerling potatoes, asparagus and one mixed vegetables that was broccoli and carrots.

When served, the meat seemed to be the same in terms of how it was cooked. Medium. Seasoning needed to be added with the table salt and pepper. Au jus was ladled over each slice. Juicy. Tender. Warm. Not high end quality, but definitely what a diner should expect from a family restaurant for $24.99 a serving. Looking for a better cut, sides, presentation, or specific temperature will cost $10-$20 more dollars now.

Of the two vegetable sides, choose the broccoli and carrots. The asparagus was as hard as wood. We took this home to cook later. Salad comes with dinner. Service is decent. Atmosphere is fair. Definitely not for the happening crowd but great for families or people just looking for a mellow spot. The salad with salmon add-on take home dinner we bought was enjoyed. Breakfast might be the better choice here, but many items listed on the lunch/dinner menu could be tried to find a personal go-to choice when patronizing this establishment.

February 2023 - Noticing a new renter of the popular site here months ago, we figured it was a matter of time before we had to check it out. Initial reviews seemed varied with thumbs down or up so we weren't in a rush, honestly. My partner ran in once to get a cup of coffee. A few people were having breakfast and it was the usual mix of booths and tables.

We ended up ordering takeout here because our first try in New Hartford had no sausage on hand for a sausage grinder. (The week before no steak for the Philly cheese steak) I suggested we try this place as they offered a variety of grinders.

Staff taking my order for one sausage with green peppers, one veal parm plus a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato, added info about the size of the subs and chicken breast. She said 20 minutes and that's what it was in terms of quick turn out. Both grinders were satisfactory. The chicken sandwich was what it was with light mayo on the bun as requested. They were thoughtful enough to give extra mayo. Fries were so-so. We plan on eating there in...

I went here with my family on Saturday night and was very disappointed with the food. One family member got the ground beef enchiladas on the specials menu. The description was that it had a "verde" sauce which means "green." The plate served was floppy flour tacos sitting in brown sauce--enchiladas are supposesd to be rolled and baked! The cheese wasn't even melted. The rice was yellow and chicken flavored and the beans had a strange preparation mixed with vegetables--unlike any beans we've seen before. The ground beef had no seasoning and was the same exact meat as in the lasagna. The parsley on top had to be picked off as no one eats the decoration? Very odd to have to pull it out of the cheese. This should have been cilantro. This was not Mexican and very mediocre. Another family member got the lasagna which was very bland and the lasagna noodles were hard (harder than al dente). I got the baked stuffed sole and shrimp. The stuffing ratio was very out of proportion with massive amounts of stuffing on top of overdone, tough shrimp. The small sole (although three filets) was wrapped around massive amounts of stuffing. So disappointing as I had heard good reviews. Our server was excellent and very attentive--she is a real gem. I asked her if she could have the owner come speak with me. She said she asked but the owner said she was too busy cleaning. I was genuinely shocked. The restaurant was practically empty on a Saturday night. I've never had that happen and I'm surprised based on other owner responses here saying that you should ask to speak to them. I tried! It was also a bit insulting as I saw the owner speaking with another customer earlier during our dinner. It seemed she knew him. I think this restaurant is trying to do too much and offering things on their menu that aren't their strong suits. Positives: large portions (if you like what they serve) and the salads that came with dinner were good. I honestly can't recommend this place. My one thought is I suspect they are a good breakfast restaurant and might give them another chance for breakfast. But, three lousy dinners and an owner refusing to speak with a customer who politely asked for her? Not...

TL:DR there's a Panera five minutes up the road, in Canton.

The waitress showed up a couple times to our table, never asked how the food was. We had been waiting for five minutes after we finished. we piled our plates for her and everything. Five minutes for her to notice. They were not very busy. On to the food: The calamari was both undercooked and overcooked. Some of the rings had denatured collagen (CHEWY), others were mushy. Found some clam strips in them too... The salad tasted... Old. Like it was made this morning or yesterday. The lettuce wasn't washed well. Limp raw veggies are gross. The burger was a bubba's burger, you know, the one you buy at Costco, or BJ's. I mean... It came with grill marks already. It was pan fried. I ordered medium, look at the picture, it was well done, and super greasy. The stuffed shells were over cooked. Not sure how that gets messed up. It was the same quality as a microwave stuffed shells, no flavor. All in all, this is a diner trying to be a restaurant, and failing at both. I love diner food,...