The Shallows — Restaurant in Westerly

We often eat in Westerly and I’m amazed it took me a year to discover this hidden gem. We’ve been a couple of times. So far, we’ve tried the citrus and beet salad. It was crisp with mixed baby greens and the citrus was perfectly ripe. The beets were tender and delicious. A little goat cheese and very light dressing were perfect. Next we had the Stonington scallops over polenta. My husband ordered it and he isn’t usually a fan of corn meal dishes. But his eyes rolled back in his head after the first bite. Last night we went back and ordered the caramel, pulled pork sandwiches and chimichurri shoe string fries. O!M!G! The pork was perfect and whatever they do to it puts it over the top. Like, who would ever think to put caramel in your pork? Genius! The flavors blend magically and the bun has its own layer of flavor grilled in. The fries are hand cut and perfectly crispy and potatoey. The chimichurri is light and doesn’t weigh the fries down. There is also an aioli sauce that pairs well. But the very best thing about the Shallows is that they make everything, with the exception of their cheeses and breads, in house! Fresh, so fresh! They are on the river and the view is rare in this area. The atmosphere is great. It doesn’t feel like a bar and the music doesn’t dominate. The decor is warm yet modern and the staff are attentive and friendly. Another great addition to the...

I had no expectations for the place but due to its environment when we walked in and the insanely high prices for a very simple basic cheese burger ($16 with no sides), I ended up having high expectations with an open mind. The burger was well done, not even close to rare like we asked. Fries were actually really good but for the prices, should be included with the burger. Server was very nice but the drink we ordered was pretty much just a ton of sour mix for $11. Usually I am not so critical but I honestly think the quality of food and service do not match the location, the atmosphere or the expectations they put out. On social media they seem to portray themselves as a really nice restaurant but in reality its just an expensive bar with a tiny expensive menu in a really nice atmosphere. I truly believe The Shallows really needs a complete change of identity in order to succeed exponentially. Most likely will not be going back, Koi, Brazen Hen, Malted Barley, etc. all have much better food, happier employees, and even...

Honestly I wanted to like this place. We came for restaurant week and tried the whole menu. The food sounds good on paper, but in reality are over complicated dishes without understanding of how it's going to work together.

The food was a roller coaster of very bland to too much going on. They can't seem to get the right balance of flavors and spices.

The duck confit soup and pumpkin clam chowder were bland and underwhelming.

The caesar sprout salad was extremely bitter.

The boar ragu was too spicy for the other flavors to shrine through.

The shrimp and grits were a mixed bag, the grits were okay, but the shrimp was mediocre at best.

The best thing was the fig quinoa salad, but it was small and once the 3 small fig pieces were gone was rather bitter.

Drink selection is good but not great. The drinks were overpriced relative to the other places in...