This short article at first appeared in Connecticut Magazine.
Right here, in alphabetical buy, we sing the praises of our Ideal Dining places 2021 Experts’ Picks in the class of All round Excellence. These are the 15 Connecticut restaurants that we feel characterize the very most effective of the greatest dining in the state.
Metro Bis, Simsbury
Given that 1998, chef Chris Prosperi and his partner, Courtney Febbroriello, have been delighting regulars with bistro food stuff showcasing a broad array of culinary influences and local, seasonal substances. Due to the fact 2019 the cafe has occupied the rambling ground ground of a gorgeously renovated 1906 brownstone mansion. A person eating room, in a former analyze, boasts wood paneling, a carved mahogany fire mantel, and Artwork Nouveau mild fixtures salvaged from the Paris Métro.
The kitchen turns out fare to match the trendy setting. Starters attribute these artful novelties as cauliflower waffles, even though entrées favor the hearty: a peppery duck confit, or flat-iron steak paved with a crust of gorgonzola. There is certainly upscale comfort and ease food, these kinds of as jumbo shrimp atop cheddary grits and braised collard greens in a smoked bacon and tomatillo gravy. And then you will find the ultra-opulent Metro Bis meatloaf – ground tenderloin in an intensely flavored wine reduction with wild mushrooms – that Prosperi jokingly calls “the bane of my existence,” since he has to make these types of colossal amounts. Sometimes the chef’s bane is the customer’s blessing.
Prosperi notes that presently he serves the grandchildren of couples existing at Metro Bis’ beginning. “We’re a fixture in this article,” he states. “We are aspect of the city, and these shoppers are section of our spouse and children.” This is are not able to-pass up dining, place forth by a cafe continuing to operate at the peak of its ability. – RRC
860-651-1908 • metrobis.com • Instagram: @metro_bis_cafe
