Wood-N-Tap — Restaurant in Wallingford

Let me just start by saying that I am general an "anti-mid-range-food-chain" food guy. Just from past experience, it seems like if a place has say, 5 locations, there's usually not going to be much consistency there. That being said, I try to stick to places that have either 1, or more than 20 locations. I know that's not always the case, but again...just based on experience. I've been hurt too many times.

So when a trip to drop off a car for service took us to scenic Wallingford Ct last Friday, there were plenty of these type of restaurant options within about a 2 mile radius. We hard-passed on the first few we saw, but when we saw the sign from Wood N' Tap we remembered a couple not completely disappointing past experiences at the Southington location and decided to give it a shot.

It was about 5:30 on a Friday night, so we weren't really expecting a wait. Was a bit surprising when we were told it would be a 25 minute wait for the 2 of us. We were offered the option of finding space in the bar area, but it only took one look to know that was not going to happen. It looked like a cattle pen that was about 20 cows over capacity. We elected to wait, which was a good call because it ended up only being about 15 minutes.

We were seated in a really nice and comfortable booth spot off to the side. The place was pretty packed, but it didn't "feel" packed. Layout was roomy and the decor and lighting were comfortable. Overall for atmosphere, I'd give the dining room 4 stars.

Waiter arrived promptly and introduced himself and seemed like a generally nice guy that cared about his job, which I appreciated. We ordered drinks (one fancy beer and one fancy Old Fashioned) and put it for an appetizer as well, electing to give the "Tap Room Fries" a shot. Drinks and apps arrived quickly as did our entree orders. Overall for service, 4 stars again. Not perfect, but about as perfect as you'll get at a place like this.

Food-wise, listen...it's mid-range pub style restaurant, don't expect the food to change your life...trust me, it won't. But from our past experiences and this latest one, I will say that the food is super consistent and super delicious. Besides the Tap Room Fries (which are a MUST), we ordered burgers...mainly because we were in a burger mood. I went with the Buffalo Chicken and she went with the Bison. Again, both were delicious. Best burger ever? No. Worth every penny and semi-memorable? Yes! We also ordered an app of the Calamari to go for our son, and I can verify that it was possibly one of the best Calamari's I've ever had at this type of restaurant.

I'd call this a "30 minute" joint. If you get there, and the wait is 30 minutes or less, it'll be worth your while. If it's like 45 minutes, I'd consider one of the many other options in the area. I mean, unless you REALLLY want those fries....

My wife and I have been going to Wood-n-Tap for years and I've ordered take out from them many times since we moved to Wallingford. It's unfortunate I have to write this review, but the past few times I've ordered takeout have been frustrating to say the least.

With each of our takeout orders my wife and I have ordered drinks to go with our meals. Each time I've ordered I have come to pick up the orders, only to be told that there are either no lids or they have no cups at all. You cannot mention this when the order is placed? I would recommend that management do a better job stocking up the takeout cups if you run out at 6:30-7 on a Saturday.

We love the food, we just have a problem getting our orders done correctly. One time I ordered the Bison bites and instead I was given the Bar bites. I should have checked the order before I left (shame on me) and when I got home I was not happy. I drove back and complained about the wrong order. The staff offered no sort of compensation for my trouble. Our latest issue came with a Turkey burger for my wife. Her order is fairly simply, no tomato and no red onion. She hates the taste whole red onion. Before leaving with my food, I checked the order and of course there was no tomato...but a few slices of red onion (yikes). To make sure my wife wouldn't have an issue, I asked them to remake it without the red onion and instead they tried to pass off the same meal with the red onion taken off. I called them out on it and told them to remake it, which they did. I shouldn't have to do that.

The manager came out to talk to me and did not offer me anything as a longtime customer for the trouble. No to-go drinks and I waited to have a wrong order fixed while my food got cold. Clearly, our business is not appreciated so we'll be taking our business elsewhere.

Recommendation to the franchise owner: Hire...

What a pleasant surprise this place was. I live in Stamford, more than an hour away, so a pal and I were just passing through when he declared hunger. The wonderful time started with the hostess and the waitresses. I'm an old happily-married guy and certainly not in contention, but I felt like Burt Parks at the Miss America Pageant. (Yeah, I'm shallow and certainly not PC, but they were just a small part of the following wonderful dining experience.) I ordered the sirloin strip rare, and that's exactly how it came to me, with garlic mashed potatoes mixed with those crispy onion bits and a perfectly cooked side of braised asparagus. Menu price, $29.99, and I added the sauteed mushrooms and onions for an extra unbelievable $1.99 more. Delicious, the perfectly sauteed and plentiful mushrooms and onions on top of that delicious and tender sirloin strip made my day. And the drinks came in those rarely seen tall man-sized glasses, and they weren't stingy with the Tito's in my vodka tonic. An added bonus, the service was solicitous and constant. Meanwhile, my cranky hard-to-please pal ordered the fish and chips from the specials menu, and he-a never happy guy-was extremely satisfied with his dish. And here's the great kicker, our check for two with lunch and drinks came to $59.00. We had a wonderful Capital Grill type dining experience for roughly one third the price. And the portions were so substantial that I was still able to bring home a leftover meal for lunch tomorrow, and I'm already looking forward to it. I've reviewed many restaurants, but I've never written near this much about any of them and only once before have I given a place five stars. I don't know how they do it at the prices they charge with the beautiful service and great food they provide, but don't...