Michael's on the Hill — Restaurant in Waterbury

A wonderful experience.

My wife and I dined at Michael's on the Hill recently and loved every single thing about it. First off, the restaurant is a beautiful old New England style home that fits the area perfectly. The host was welcoming, and wait staff spectacular. The staff answered questions and were never pushy, something I appreciate. We ordered two glasses of wine, the fall salad (greens, apple, cucumber, radish, grainy mustard cider dressing), butter poached lobster, beef tenderloin, and an espresso martini to cap the evening. Everything was outstanding.

First, the salad. The ingredients on their own don't seems like anything special, but you could tell they were all fresh and perfect for a salad. That said, the star was the dressing. Absolute perfection for fall. Tangy, apple-y, fall spiced. It was a fresh start to the meal.

My wife ordered the herb butter poached lobster with creamed corn and fennel. The lobster was perfect, getting a very good sized portion. It was topped with a lobster butter to add more favor. The cremated corn and fennel was awesome as well. I think everyone knows creamed corn, but to add fennel, that is new and unique. I'm not a huge fennel fan but this was mellow and meshed well with the corn and lobster. Great dish

I ordered the beef tenderloin with au gratin potatoes and roasted carrots. The beef was very good. Cooked medium rare like I asked. Tender. Zero complaints. Tasty. Somehow, with a filet cooked perfectly, it was the third best thing on the plate. I've never had roasted carrots like these. They were what I would call lacquered with beef fat, spices, and roasted perfectly. The "ends" or bottom of the carrots were charred and crispy yet chewy and I never knew a carrot could get to such a point. Truly memorable. The potatoes were out of this world as well. Look at the top crust on them from my picture. Crisp, cheesy goodness. I tasted notes of sage and rosemary in the au gratin which was perfect for the season and paired well with the beef and touch of sweetness on the carrots. Finally, the sauce was a beef fat, butter, red wine reduction and just added more umami to bring everything home.

Truly a wonderful meal and evening. Go if you are ever...

Exquisite food, made to order, ready for pickup at the time agreed, and brought out to my car with only about a ten minute “curbside” wait. Everything was well-labeled as to which items were which (and which items met which of the dietary restrictions we had mentioned when ordering). And every bite was delicious. But a few things may have been missing. More about that at the end.

My spouse and I ordered a takeout dinner from Michael’s on the Hill to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. I called them a week in advance, and they said they’d be fine with an hour’s notice but if we really wanted to be certain we could call a day ahead. So I called a day ahead, told them about our dietary restrictions, learned more about their menu, and got off the phone to discuss our options. When I called back and placed the order, just as with the first and second calls, everything was easy.

And when I arrived in the parking lot (which, hey, it’s maybe a little confusing to a newcomer in the dark; you’re probably supposed to go around to the right and enter the parking area from behind the restaurant), and called in to let them know I was there, it was only about ten minutes before they came out and handed me the food.

What did we eat? Pumpkin soup, duck liver mousse, roasted beef tenderloin with gratin potatoes and roasted rainbow carrots, spice rubbed venison with chestnut spätzli and wine-braised cabbage, finished with a chocolate torte and a wine-poached pear.

Overall and in summary: very good. One star off for lack of signage in the driveway, the curbside wait, and… I think there might have been some things the kitchen chose to adjust about our order because of our dietary restrictions, but we didn’t hear about it, just found little things didn’t match the menu description (no ice cream with the torte, no crème fraîche on the side with the pumpkin soup). I’d take another star off for missing items, but my assumption is that these were purposefully removed to accommodate our needs. So mostly I just wish they’d said something about it. I’d give them 4.5...

Setting here was very nice. Service and hospitality were great. Very welcoming and the ordering/food delivery was paced just right. The wine list and selections by the glass are very impressive. Unfortunately, the food was not up to the level expected of a high end restaurant.

The first round of house bread was stale - a new batch requested was better. The small dish of olives was a nice touch. The calamari appetizer (which was split for us - a welcome surprise) was more a salad, but not advertised as such. Only a few pieces of over fried calamari came on the dish (quite a contrast from the photos online!). We weren't the only ones to notice. At the table next to us, we noticed a young adult with an older couple had ordered the calamari - he ate the few fried calamari and left the salad behind. Clearly not what he was expecting either.

For main courses, the sea bass was tasty, but the spaetzle that came with it was a bit dried out. Had spaetzle in Germany that was moist and tender, so this version was a disappointment. Lobster bouillabaisse was also disappointing. Seafood was on the dry side - especially the mussels and lobster tail. Half a tail and one claw, along with six mussels and two clams wasn't much given the dish was the most expensive on the menu. The sauce was also a bit dark, which showed promise of a deep flavor from being concentrated, but looks can be deceiving. The sauce lacked deep seafood flavor one would expect from a true bouillabaisse, which, by the way, should be more of a soup. We did not stay for dessert.

All in all, a less than average showing for a restaurant that is supposed to be a five-star experience. Unfortunately, this experience was sub-par. ...