Carl S.
Yelp
Found the Roger Sherman Inn because I had to.
For approximately "ever", Southwestern Fairfield County had a cluster of really old-school, upscale restaurants, operating out of well-kept but ancient inns, that all followed a similar formula: Continental-influenced American cuisine, attentive yet unobtrusive service from a professional, liveried wait staff, a reliable if not overly exciting menu, pleasing but not quite opulent decor, with lots of wood, a big fireplace, and a relaxing, quiet ambiance. The Red Barn, The Three Bears, The Silvermine Tavern, and The Cobbs Mill Inn were some examples.
If you grew up around here, your parents and/or grandparents may have enjoyed these places. I know mine did. They were "special occasion" places, for birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Day, and so on.
Unfortunately, they all closed their doors, one by one. When the Red Barn went out last year, I lost my last "special occasion" dining spot and had to go in search of a new one.
I wanted to try Stonehenge, and I'd still like to, but I had some time constraints and I needed a place that started serving before 6:00, so I wound up at the Roger Sherman Inn a couple of nights ago.
When we walked in at 5:00, the place seemed deserted. The only staff member I could find was behind what looked like the "front desk" of the Inn. He didn't greet us so I greeted him and told him that we were two for dinner. He looked pointedly at the clock and repeated, "Dinner?" in a disbelieving tone. Before I could ask if there was some problem (their hours were 12:00-9:00), another employee came from around the corner and cheerfully asked if we preferred to sit outside or inside. The inside is elegantly decorated and clean, but the weather was perfect so we sat on the deck, which was beautifully maintained, covered, and complete with fans in case there isn't enough of a breeze.
We found a pleasing view with a manicured front lawn, plenty of mature landscaping, and modest traffic on Oenoke Ridge in front of the Inn. At that point I would have been fine just sipping cocktails and unwinding, but we were there for dinner, so we ordered up homemade gnocchi ($26), a Black Angus burger ($16), two strawberry daquiris ($12 each), onion soup ($9) and tomato bisque ($12).
Before our meal, we were brought one tiny dinner roll each, which were warmed but stale.
The onion soup was flavorful, with nicely roasted onions but very little cheese. The tomato bisque was a disappointment; bisque is supposed to contain cream and wine or cognac, and there was no taste of either. And if your menu boasts that your tomato bisque is served with "Grilled Cheese Crouton", there should be some food item resembling two slices of bread, cooked on a grill with a slice of cheese between them, because that's what "grilled cheese" means. Two comically-tiny pieces of bread with half a teaspoon of cheese on each as a garnish does not a grilled cheese make, doubly so if you're charging $12 for it.
The gnocchi with mushrooms, pancetta, baby spinach, and parmesan in what seemed like a garlic butter sauce, was excellent. The burger, ordered medium and "pink inside" was beautifully presented, with carmelized onions, bacon, cheddar, an impressive bakery-style roll and great truffle fries, but it was gray all the way through and dry as a bone.
The daquiris were not frozen or blended, which was a surprise. I guess I'll ask next time. The house water was perfect though; clear, cold and zero off-flavors. Service was very good; polite and discreet, with no squatting-next-to-the-table nonsense or referring to us as "you two", as in, "Are you two ready to order?", which always sets my teeth on edge.
Kinda pricey, especially for what you get. The venue itself is nice enough that we'll be back, but we'll have a better idea of what to skip next time.
