ANYA — Restaurant in Thompson

What price can you put on a memory?

If you are like me, there is no way that I could place a price tag on any one of my dining excursions at Anya Restaurant. I am a regular customer who has until now, held back from writing a review.

Let me be the first to say, I am not one to write reviews. I consider myself a true foodie, but without the pretension that label usually carries. I love food and pride myself on possessing a very worldly palate, but I feel like any decent restaurant on any given day can deliver good food and service, so I don't usually bother writing reviews. But...when a restaurant consistently delivers great food, ambiance, AND a rich sensory experience?? Well, that's harder to achieve, and for that reason, I must say that I felt compelled at this point to write a review of Anya. Consistency and excellence this good begs for a review befitting a restaurant of this quality.

I could not put a price on any of my dining excursions at Anya. Every time that I have gone to Anya, I have created an insoluble memory that cannot be diluted by the passage of any amount of time.

For the extremely high quality of every one of its locally farm-sourced ingredients and the tantalizing dance each item does as it dances down your taste buds, the pricing is not only accessible, it's almost down right unreasonably fair! It isn't as simple as the nice atmosphere. I don't think I could attribute my love of this place to any singular item. Dining at Anya is touted as an experience, and it truly delivers one. A very memorable one, on all notes.

Every time that I have dined at Anya, every course was executed flawlessly. I'm not one to be effusive with praise, but the kitchen staff is exceptionally gifted. Andres, one of the main chefs in the kitchen who has been there from the restaurant's inception, has an extraordinary sense of flavor and balance, and it shows in every dish he touches.

If that were not enough, Evan Jones, the head bartender puts together a devastatingly delicious set of seasonal cocktails that reflect not only the tastes of the season, but he also clearly puts a lot of thought into the small nuances that have nearly been lost to bartending. The recipes for the craft cocktails are so intricate and thoughtful that watching the bartenders make each one in and of itself is a treat! Muddling and mixology are alive and well at Anya and as a result, the cocktails never disappoint. The Madame Butterfly, the Coco Monito, and the Anya Special Espresso Martini are among my personal favorites and wonderful exemplars of Evan's expertise.

Nestled in quiet Thompson, CT, this restaurant is the crown jewel of restaurants in NE CT and has earned not only my respect, but my sole designation as the only place worthy of a special occasion in my family( or regular everyday trip if I am really being honest)...I make excuses to go there at this point, lol.

If you are looking for a TRUE dining experience that delivers on all counts: service, cocktails, farm-to-table sourced cuisine that not only tastes as fresh as the season, but that is also wonderfully executed in a to-die-for atmosphere...look no further than Anya. It truly lives up to the meaning of its name: "Grace."

This place is a MUST visit. See for yourself and treat yourself to a feast for your senses and bring your family and friends! This is type of place that lasting...

Anya is a must visit place for brunch if you are in the area.

The food was excellent and good quality, and the chef uses seasonal ingredients. My omelette was fantastic, but I actually ended up liking my fiancees French toast even more - lucky for me, the portions were generous and she eats very light, but she still had to fight me off her leftovers! :) .

I am a big tea drinker also, so I have to give a shout out to the fact that they have their own "tea box" that the bring over, with little bottles for smelling each tea prior to making your selection. They had a very good spread of 9 very diverse teas. The scent had faded mostly from the bottles, but I was so impressed by the novelty that I didn't really mind.

We were too stuffed to order dessert, but I requested the menu anyways out of curiosity because I knew we'd be coming back. Seeing their desserts makes me want to leave room next time!

A few other factors that really made the experience for me:

-The structure in which the restaurant appears to be a renovated barn, with what seems to be a modified or reinforced hammer beam truss system of some sort. I love timber frames, so I really enjoyed the aesthetic. It combined very sophisticated dining elements with very practical and unpretentious design ones, which I found charming and very inviting.

-We went the week before Christmas, and there were decorations all over the place. They also had a table reserved for Santa, which my fiancee and I thought was adorable. These Christmas flourishes really came together well with the upscale farmhouse vibe, and made it feel even more special.

-Our waitress was very considerate, was precisely as attentive as we wanted without being annoying, and made solid recommendations. Professionalism was obviously important to them, and it showed. We were both very impressed with the level of service.

Dress code seemed to be snappy casual, although that's a very general observation. You can't possibly be overdressed here, but it's possible you could be underdressed, I think. Jeans seemed to be ok (I had them on with a sweatshirt, a few others had jeans and flanel shirts) but it is the kind of place that makes you want to put yourself together a little bit. If I rolled out of bed and went here, I would have felt embarrassed. I'll dress a little nicer next time myself.

Lastly, it was pretty affordable, as far as an upscale brunch goes. Figure about 30 bucks a head before tip for an appetizer, two entrees, and drinks, although YMMV. For the whole experience, I thought it was a fantastic price.

In conclusion, not only would I recommend this place to anyone I met that likes American brunch, you may end up seeing me there next time, because I know I'll be going back myself.

Merry Christmas everyone!...

Love this place! Definitely fine dining in a relaxing " casual" atmosphere. Beautiful space. This was our second experience here within a few months. Haven't had a dining experience in this caliber in a very long time. We really enjoyed the thought and preparation that goes into all these dishes and ingredients. Truly a tasteful delight. The chef definitely has a great palate and vision. Our first dining experience was just Truly magnificent, from the food, atmosphere and our server ( she was extremely tentative and bubbly). We both had the beef wellington, which was fantastic. Desserts were also delicious. We definitely couldn't wait to return.

This past weekend experience was to celebrate a daughters birthday. She also appreciates a good dining experience. Was definitely much busier than our first dine in, but it didn't impact the quality or care into the dishes. Slightly longer wait time, but we were enjoying togetherness in a beautiful atmosphere. All appetizers were fantastic. Tuna, oysters on half shell, carrot ginger soup, and brie tart... Mains were also fabulous... beef wellington, chateaubriand, rack of lamb and the Pace special... All cooked perfectly, lamb was scrumptious, and the Pace was delicately delicious. Beef wellington was consistent as the last dining experience.. and my dish was excellent as well ( given the fine dining element, I understand but expected the chateaubriand to have more peices given its usually a loin or double loin traditionally) was delicious non the less... Desserts were tasty. The chocolate mousse was light and airy, yet thick and velvety, chocolate ganache cake was good, and hubby's orange creme brulee was perfect.

Definitely a wonderful dining experience. Great for any type of celebration.

The only minor inconvenience we experienced was our server this time. He was pleasant enough and professional but was scarcely attentive. Didn't see him for most of the appetizers or main course( not a check-in either). Another team member got us coffee, etc, when he returned to ask if we wanted dessert or coffee ( which clearly was already served and on the table aready. We were thankful for all the other servers and wait staff who worked as wonderful team. They checked in, cleared table/ plates, refilled water, packed leftovers, brought coffee... Still didn't dissuade us from enjoying the meal. Definitely looking forward to another great dining experience in the future. I'd just possibly ask for our first server when making our next...