City Steam Brewery Cafe

zabelle
zabelle
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
Photos
Editor Pick

City Steam

  • March 1, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by zabelle from Portland, Connecticut
City Steam

Located in the historic Cheney Building at 942 Main Street, City Steam is the perfect place to enjoy a pre- or post-theater libation. Designed by R.R. Richardson, this is one of the finest Romanesque building in the country. Previously the home to the prestigious department store Brown Thompson & Co.,

It now is home to an upscale brew pub and a weekend comedy club.

We choose to dine at the bar over its several dining rooms. It has a relaxed atmosphere, a bright wall mural,

big-screen TVs, and of course, copper brewing vats. The tables are all wood and the seats are bar stools.

You can begin by choosing one of their own brews, which I did, like The Naughty Nurse, or one of their specialty martinis, which the girls chose. The Naughty Nurse is amber ale, slightly bitter with a deep color and hearty aroma; it was also, I thought, slightly flat. It was good nonetheless, but perhaps it could be great. Kasey had a Strawberry Starburst Martini, which tastes like a very adult watermelon jolly rancher. Inez had a Lady Slipper, which is banana liquor, Godiva white, and a splash of hazelnut. They loved them. Irene had Bourbon on the rocks.

The menu offers plenty of appetizer choices, salads, sandwiches, their brew house specialty, and stone-baked pizza. We began with an appetizer of crackling calamari,

served with both tartar and marinara sauce. Their calamari is excellent here; the crust is light and the calamari tender, a superior rendition. Among their other offerings is a giant pretzel served with mustard and seared Ahi tuna, sliced and served over wasabi greens with a lemongrass dipping sauce.

For our dinner we all chose sandwiches, I chose the chipotle pulled pork, served with melted cheese and onion frizzles on a hard roll with coleslaw on the side.

A word here about their coleslaw: it is spectacular, it’s not like anything you get elsewhere, it is Asian-inspired and delicious. The pork has very good flavor and was tender; my only complaint was that it is served without any sauce, and there really isn’t any sauce on it. Again, it is good, but it could be great. It just falls a little short. Inez had the fresh turkey panini, and it looked wonderful; Irene had the vegetarian melt, which again looked great; and Kasey had the gorgonzola burger, slightly undercooked but delicious.

However, besides the drinks, what keeps us coming back is Lisa’s pie.

It is absolutely to die for – a mile-high coconut ice-cream pie with a layer of macaroons, an Oreo crust, and a fudge sauce base. I can’t begin to tell you how good this is, and next time, we aren't sharing!

From journal Hartford Ct. Home to Harriet, Hooker and Handguns

Compare Hartford Rates

1. Enter travel information

City

2. Select websites to compare rates

Each selected website will open a new window.

Hartford Travel Deals