Located right across the street from the Civic Center this would be an ideal restaurant to choose if you are attending an event at the Center. We actually came here the night of the Christina Aguilera performance but we arrived at 7:30pm when all the ticket holders had already left, I called ahead and was told that after 7:30 we would not need a reservation.

The host remembered my call when the four of us arrived and took us back to a nice booth immediately.

Mayor Mike Peters the former mayor of Hartford opened this restaurant when he finished his term, it is now run by his son and I was very impressed with everything about this place.

The menu is diverse. It choices to fit everyone taste. I was also impressed with the prices which were very competitive considering you are in downtown Hartford in a primo location. With tip all of our dinners ran under $30 per person, granted we didn’t have alcoholic drinks but we did have desserts.

I love mussels and when I saw that they were offered here as an appetizer called Mayor’s Mussels "Sauteed With Shallots, Green Onions, Tomatoes & Roasted Garlic Sauce With A Touch Of Cream"

I decided to pair them up with a Blue Ice salad to make my entrée. It turn out to be a very good choice. The broth was so good that I asked for some bread to soak it up. They brought me a beautiful little hot loaf and I made short shift of it. The Blue Ice was perfect with a wedge of iceberg lettuce surrounded by cherry tomatoes, Gorgonzola cheese, red onion, and toasted pine nuts. The edge of the plate was drizzled with balsamic dressing.

Two of my friends had a chicken and black bean special. It made a very interesting and delicious plate. The other friend had a burger and it was a beauty and perfectly cooked.

Among the entrées we didn’t try was Firehouse pot roast and not your Mama’s Meatloaf, several pasta dishes including eggplant Parmesan, linguine pesce torre and penne vodka. Hanger steak, several chicken dishes, and port tenderloin round out the menu. There are also plenty of sandwiches including a veggie burger, a grilled portobelo sandwich, and also a grilled tuna sandwich..

We decided to finish up with coffee and dessert. My friend and I decided to split the fried caramel cheesecake, yes I said fried cheese cake. Wrapped in a crispy phylo shell the cheesecake just melted in our mouths. The plate had raspberry coulis for dipping in. This was a near perfect dessert. It is also offered in banana. Cindy opted for the key lime pie. It was tart and fresh.

Among the other offering is a chocolate cobbler which from the waitress’ description sounds like what I would call a volcano.