Millwright's Restaurant — Restaurant in Simsbury

10/2023 - Nice experience in the main dining room for a birthday. Large chicken & dumplings app for 3, salmon, scallop and half roasted chicken mains were all delicious. We appreciated the complimentary champagne toast (one sparkling cider). The ice cream dessert chosen by the celebrant with sliced fruit and baked crisp crumb garnishes was a perfect meld.

6/29/23 - Hearing the bridge was closing for renovations, we rushed over to experience it again before it wasn't available. Scenery always beautiful, service exceptional and stellar food. This Chef's version of fish and chips wins the blue ribbon. A long piece of cod, beautifully browned and crunchy with a melt in your mouth interior of white flesh, it stands alone. One of the two least expensive mains, we thought we'd try them both tonight. My short rib melt sandwich was a good take on this favorite. We preferred the shrimp starter to the Chef's chicken & dumplings, a gnocchi dish which won TFN's "Chopped."

2022 - Attending a featured dinner that was not in the restaurant but on their lot from a food truck, I had to return for a meal within the actual place. My birthday, I reserved a table on the bridge that looked so inviting from our outdoor seats on the prior occasion. They gave us prime seats looking at the waterfall and autumn view. Love the flow of air while seated, the sound of the water and the privacy curtains between booths. A birthday card was on the table.

Our waiter who worked in the kitchen before serving tables, knew the menu and gave us knowledgeable advice. We chose still water and both had the "It's Not You, It's Yuzu" drinks. Nice. Also nice are the hot washcloths for our hands as in a sushi bar.

The cornbread that came with the meal was incredible. I say this as someone who made this my mission over years in SoCal and never could find the right recipe out of dozens tried. Too easy to digress here, so I'll pass, but will tell you whoever makes this cornbread is an impressive Chef. A house compound butter combined with honey and poppy seeds accompanied it.

Smoked duck drumettes were decent. A little dry but hard to find. Buffalo sauce works better with chicken. My regular menu beef tartare was superb. Thank you for keeping a classic dish like this alive and available. I've had this served many ways over the years both here in the U.S. and abroad.

Some restaurants serve it pre-mixed, some serve it with all optional components on the side of the beef to build your own, and here the tartare is a combination of mixed with a runny egg yolk on the side. Perhaps this is for people who don't want the egg at all and can bypass it. The dish is accompanied by sourdough slices and cornichon pickles.

The duck breast with spaetzle and the beef short rib on cavatelli were very good. The red seasoning on the duck was not distinguishable in taste and odd aesthetically. Looking at it again in my photos, it's maybe crushed berry or from the beet slaw? It needs salt and pepper. My partner liked the addition of fresh ricotta on his plate and the flavor of his beef. Our bottle of Barbera D'alba was smooth.

Dessert choices didn't rock my boat so we agreed on standard tiramisu. What was a surprise was that the Millwright version is not standard. Outstanding presentation and taste along with the candle and birthday icing message. Though not complimentary despite my birthday, it was worth the price. Enjoyed cappuccino and a snifter of Amaretto.

Lovely view of the waterfall and covered bridge from our outdoor seats over the brook in the daylight and as it later became dark.

This is a combined review with a food truck Ta Que which provided 4 of 5 courses. Millwright's provided the dessert. A notification posted an event for smoked out food. I thought this would be great for my partner since he loves barbecue. The problem was 3 of 5 courses had no meat. {See my Ta Que review}

As for Millwright's, all dining areas are lovely but also comfortable in terms of intimacy. Our waiter was personable. The chocolate cake with biscoff and raspberry jam...

This business has "restaurant" in its name, but good luck trying to eat here. Virtually everytime I come here to eat, someone gives me a very patronzing excuse as to why the so-called "restaurant" can't serve me food.

Make sure to view the owner's very rude response to my review of his restaurant below, as it will show how Tyler not only appropriately failed to address a valid complaint about his business, but was extremely condescending to a potential patron, even lowering himself to name calling. Of course, Tyler has coveniently removed that reference. He's now taken a new tact to defend his indefensible position: read below. Don't patronize this business. It's the best way to put a business like this OUT of business.

Keep spreading the word about this bad restaurant. The owner has attacked me, and never apologized for his actions, and he has never properly defended his poor customer service skills. The customer should always be put first, but this restaurant owner puts customers last. He is obviously a bad business owner. Don't patronize this business. Don't patronize any bad businesses. And pay particular attention to this owner's last response to my review of his attacks: "It will be okay, Ken." Simply because he doesn't agree with my review? Really? So patronizing. Additionally, the owner states that I "tried to visit the restaurant when it was not open." This is an outright lie. I'm really not in the habit of visiting businesses that are closed; it's counterproductive to my needs. On the few occasions I tried to visit his subpar establishment, it was definitely open, and the staff was simply incapable of serving me. It's amazing that not only does the owner defend his poor customer service skills, but also lies and deflects when attempting to defend against my responses. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Just a sign of the times in today's society. Also, this business owner suggests you review my other reviews as a means of defending his poor business practices. What do my other reviews have to do with his business? Nothing. This is a classic deflection tactic in an attempt to defend his lack of a defense for his actions.

Apparently, the food is lousy at this restaurant, too. But don't take my word for it, check out what others have said. One reviewer--whose post has been removed--even said the food he received was undercooked. So if you want to risk getting ptomaine poisoning, be my guest. Thank God I didn't actually get to eat at this restaurant. I value my health. There are also a few reviewers who said the food was overcooked and that the staff was "rude" and "stuffy." Make sure you read ALL the reviews. Don't simply read the reviews that say everything is great. That's a common ploy businesses use to try to come across as being the perfect place to visit. It's basically a modern advertising technique businesses use to lure unsuspecting patrons into their establishments. There's usually a good reason for those bad reviews. Take heed. Do your homework when reviewing a business. Be THOROUGH. As the old saying goes, "Never judge a book by its cover." And don't forget to bring lots of money to this restaurant for your diminutive fare, if you are foolish enough to dine here, because you will definitely be overpaying for anything...

When my husband and I were planning our wedding, we knew we wanted to keep it intimate, meaningful, and local. We’ve dined at Millwrights several times before and knew the food would both impress and satisfy our guests. From the second we entered their barn-like loft, we knew this was the spot. Overlooking the waterfalls, bridge, and beautiful dining room below, it was the perfect romantic setting for our January wedding of 50 guests. The staff took great care ensuring that all of our requests were met with ease. Kristi Rudolph, the event manager, especially went above and beyond to not only be present for our reception, but to ensure the flow of everything was perfect. She helped us design a menu to accommodate for gluten free and vegan guests and even opened the restaurant early so that my husband and I could take photos on the property and our family members could set up for the reception. Kristi was so dedicated to helping us have a wonderful experience and was hands-on during our event helping with everything from hanging twinkle lights to playing music from our playlists. Many of our GF + Vegan friends commented on how shocked they were that they could actually eat at a wedding. We even had several pregnant guests and the bartenders happily whipped up unique mocktails for the mother’s-to-be. Our guests devoured the LOBSTER ROLLS (SO AMAZING), bacon-wrapped dates, and the hummus was a hit with everyone. The cauliflower soup was to die for and the steaks, salmon, and cauliflower entrees were out of this world. No one ever waited for drinks, and the positive and fun vibes of the entire staff truly added to our whole night. Everyone warned me that I might not eat at my wedding — not at Millwrights. My husband and I were served first for every course, and I happily ate every bite! In a party of 50 guests, several with food allergies, there wasn’t a single meal sent back to the kitchen. It speaks to the quality of the overall restaurant and their vast experience in cooking for events. So many people commented afterward that is was hands-down the best food they’ve ever had at a wedding, and I couldn’t agree more. But it wasn’t just the food, it was the whole setting and positive environment and staff that created the the wedding of our dreams. We ate, we drank, we danced — and we can’t wait to return for dinner to relive our special day. Thank you for everything, Kristi, Vanessa, and...