Encore by Goodfellas — Restaurant in New Haven

We went to Goodfellas as my boyfriend had heard great things about it from his colleagues. We were able to get a reservation at the last minute on a Saturday night, so that was great. We arrived early but were seated right away. The decor was classy, and the classic movies on in the background was a nice, unique touch. The restaurant was very loud, and the table for two we were seated at was right next to the service station, so it was high traffic. The table was large, so it was hard to carry on a conversation without shouting.

I was immediately impressed with the small by-the-glass wine list, and we thoroughly enjoyed the wines we chose. Our appetizers (lobster bisque and burrata special) were excellent. As first timers, we didn't know we would also be given house salads and bruschetta in addition to bread as a part of the meal- which made me glad I didn't order the bruschetta off the menu as an appetizer!

We had the chicken rollatini which was very good, and the filet cognac. The filet cognac was good- the meat was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. It was served on top of a whole portabella mushroom. The lobster claws were overcooked, did not taste fresh, and were a little cold. I suspect my meal sat under a warming lamp for a few minutes too long before being delivered. I asked for the gorgonzola cream sauce on the side, as I'm not a huge fan of gorgonzola, but I actually enjoyed the sauce. The gorgonzola flavor was mild and complementary, not overbearing. As the signature dish, with such high quality ingredients, I expected a little more.

The complementary bruschetta was very good. I found the house salad to be a little "cheap," the salad dressing tasted like it came from a bottle from the grocery store, and it was served on tacky banquet hall glass plates. It was a simple green salad, but with all the other white-tablecloth touches, and the quality of the restaurant, I think it could be taken up a notch.

I have a feeling I would have been blown away by the pasta dishes- we'll definitely try it again, lured by the outstanding wine list and appetizers. The service was very good- I think our server was a little overworked, but the support staff made up for it with constant attention to our waterglasses and enough presence that it wasn't hard to get their attention when we had a question.

Parts of this meal were phenomenal, and others fell flat. If those little things can be cleaned up a bit, I think Goodfellas would deliver an overall unmatched high-end...

To start I said I was not going to do this, but I owe it to New Haven.

First I want to say that the hostess was very friendly he made us feel welcomed and even made us laugh. He then showed us to our seats on the first floor which I had to point out that I made a reservation for stage view. He quickly apologized and showed us to the second floor. The host on that floor also doubled as our server for the night. He was not pleasant at all very short with us and had an angry scowl the entire night and he refused to take our silverware for the next course but there was a wonderful busman that noticed and replaced right away we were appalled by that action it was in very poor taste and although I tipped him well it was because the job of a server is not easy. I think maybe management should speak with him regarding customer service and the importance of it,so diners return. We ordered from the ladies night menu great options and very affordable. I started with the calamari flavorless and lacked spice in the sauce. My sister had the mussels that was overly spicy but ok. Second course was salad it was as if the chef or sous chef just grabbed a handful of lettuce and plated. Great dressing but tsk tsk. In presentation and portion . Last course I had the sea bass and to say the less I had one full bite and pushed the plate away I’m a true foodie so I won’t even start on it 2/10 my sister was very excited for the Lobster ravioli she was so disappointed I felt awful as we were very eager to try encore the cream sauce was runny and there was not much flavor there either. During our visit we didn’t complain we simply waited for the waiter and ordered dessert. I had the carrot cake icing WAY to sweet but the cake itself was good I dissected it and ate the cake, my sister had the apple crisp it is safe to say the sugar that was in this dessert literally made our teeth hurt she ate the tiny scoop of ice cream and we enjoyed the so so band and the rest of our drink. Encores nice decor and atmosphere distracts patrons from the disappointment of its dishes I wish that they also would enforce the dress code more we felt over dress and converse and baseball caps should be a no no!! Will I be returning to encore?!?! Idk maybe in the summer time to check out the rooftop. I ended my night with peanut butter and jelly’s at home as I...

I came to Encore to have a nice date night with my boyfriend to conclude a very stressful week. We decided we would treat ourselves, and boy was it a treat. We had reservations for dinner and were greeted at the door with a very warm welcome. We were escorted to the second floor which is the main dining area. The first floor was a more casual bar area which in its own right was a lovely space. We were seated by the piano who had a wonderful pianist playing. We were very quickly brought our choice of tap, sparkling, or still water, bread, and dipping oil/vinegar. Our servers name was Mike and I cannot speak higher of him. He really helped to make the experience exquisite. He was kind, courteous, knowledgeable, and very attentive. I had ordered a mocktail that was absolutely to die for. I don’t recall the exact name, but it was grapefruit and lime with bubbles. It was so refreshing and definitely something I would order again. A staple in my boyfriend and my “dinner dates” has always been fried calamari as an appetizer. Needless to say we have tried it in may different places. This calamari hands down comes out on top. It was perfectly cooked, not even a little bit rubbery, and very obviously freshly made. Being an area Italian, I tend to be a bit of a calamari snob. This one blew my expectations out of the water. My boyfriend and I both opted for the chicken parmigiana, I subbed out the linguini for the rigatoni at the suggestion of Mike as I was torn between the rigatoni vodka or the parm. I am so glad I took his suggestion. The rigatoni was cooked perfectly al dente. The sauce was so light and creamy, yet so rich. The chicken was perfectly breaded and seasoned. The portion sizes were large enough that both my boyfriend and I will get a second meal out of them. Unfortunately we had to leave before getting dessert due to external circumstances, but had we had the time, we absolutely would have stayed for dessert. The atmosphere is so warm and so inviting that the time we spent there flew by. It is safe to say that not only will we be back, but this will definitely be our top spot for our “fancy dinner dates”! Complements to the chef for a fantastic dinner, to Mike for his phenomenal service, and to the establishment for really creating an environment that is modern yet classic. If I could give more than 5 stars I...