Christopher Martins Restaurant — Restaurant in New Haven

I have never written a bad review about a restaurant, but I felt compelled to write this so that no one else makes the same mistake that I did!! I have eaten at CM's on at least 5 prior occasions and have been pleased with the food quality and service. Believing that it would be the same this time, I decided to bring my family there for restaurant week and order off of that menu. This was a last minute reservation I called in approx 3 hours before arriving, and appreciated that they were willing to accommodate the request.

I ordered fried calamari, which was a "serving for two." Restaurant week menus include appetizer, dinner, and dessert. Because this was supposedly to serve 2, my father did not order an appetizer since we were going to share. To my dismay when the calamari arrived there was possibly 2 large spoonfulls worth, if that. I had about 5 pieces, my dad maybe 6, and that was our "serving for two." A little disappointed, I hoped that dinner would be a marked improvement.... wow was I wrong. Also note that complimentary salads were not provided, as they almost always are at any restaurant prior to entree.

Dinner: My choice was a sea scallop dish that was served over pasta. I received 3 scallops, and about 3 forkfulls worth of pasta. I would guess that the total amount of pasta I had was about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup, if that. It barely covered the bottom of my plate (my father also ordered the same meal). I asked the waitress to bring out some cheese and it took at least 10 minutes from when I made the request to the time she appeared at the table. By this time, my pasta was lukewarm. My mom ordered a chicken dish which was marginally more generous than the pasta, but all three of us were incredibly disappointed with the unacceptably small portions. I can understand if you don't want to include more than 3 scallops. But honestly, providing the diner with at least a cup of pasta literally costs a restaurant pennies, if that. We were all quite hungry, and the dessert was equally disappointing.

The dining room was full when we were there, which I believe really affected the level of service we received. While our waitress had a great personality and seemed quite pleasant, I really hoped that she would take the time to ask for our feedback regarding our dining experience. This never happened, which is part of the reason why I'm writing this review. Our check came to about $130 for 3 of us, and we all genuinely felt that it was outrageously high given the ridiculously small portion sizes. If you subtract amount spent on drinks, total cost for 3 dinners ended up being around $105 before tax.

I don't want to dissuade diners from going to CM's if you're looking to have some bar food and a few drinks. For that, it's great. However, this was a night out that both me and my family really looked forward to, and it was a considerable let down given the lack of attentive service and reasonable portion sizes. I dine out at least once-twice per week, and gladly pay (and tip) for great food and service. However, For $32 each person, there's absolutely no reason why they can't ensure that diners receive a quality experience with reasonable, dinner-sized portions to encourage repeat visits. Isn't that the point of...

Our son and his fiancé chose Christopher Martin's for their rehearsal dinner. We worked with Brian Virtue, one of the owners, and could not be more pleased with the outcome. Because of the size of our party (30 people), they closed their dining room for the evening and we had the place to ourselves. Brian worked with us to plan the perfect menu of hors d'oeurves, main course, and dessert. They even accommodated a couple of special menus because of allergies. On the evening of the dinner, the room was set up perfectly, menus were on the tables and they assigned two servers and a busboy to serve our needs. All went perfectly. Service was great, food was outstanding and everyone had a great relaxing time. They even accommodated us by allowing us to bring in a special birthday cake for our son. If anyone needs a place for a special occasion, be it two people or 30, think about Christopher Martins Restaurant. You will not be disappointed. Oh yes, their squash ravioli is the best I have eaten as is their...

Christopher Martins is an all around great restaurant and pub. One side is a pub, the other side a white-linen upscale dining room. You can order from either menu. All of the food, from sandwiches to dinner entrees, is fairly priced and reliably good and prepared from fresh, high-quality ingredients. The burger is excellent. Cajun chicken sandwich/wrap also popular. Dinner entrees and daily specials are available at a lower price for lunch - for example chicken saltimbocca for $11 and grilled honey-miso salmon for $13. A good rotating selection of draft beers. 3 large high-end TVs tuned to sports. A juke box and sound system playing adult alternative / rock radio when the juke box is not in use (the dining room is quiet). The regulars are a diverse crowd of age 30 and up professionals. The staff is kind and responsive. Kid friendly at all hours. Pub menu available until at least 11PM, and later on weekends. Free (and really good) happy hour food (no drink specials). Most lively/crowded for...