1754 Hotel Restaurant Main Dining Room
The main dining room has a large brick fireplace and the night we dined at the restaurant, there was a roaring wood fire creating an intimate and cozy atmosphere. Watercolors by the Artist Brian Walsh, Chef Michael’s late father, graced the walls. Tables were widely spaced to meet Covid-19 guidelines, which was easily met in the large room, servers wore masks, as did guests except when seated at their tables. Interesting architectural sconces and ceiling lights along with votive candles on the dark wood tables softly illuminated the beamed ceiling room.
Chef/Owner Michael Bates-Walsh
The menu is both approachable and creative and consists of Small and Share Plates, Soups and Salads, Sandwiches, and Substantial Plates. There is something on the menu to appeal to diverse palates with comfort menu items like Braised Beef Shepard’s Pie and Cast-Iron Mac & Cheese, to more intriguing items for diners who prefer something different like their Exotic Mushroom Risotto or Cast-Iron Seared Tofu.
Chef Michael Bates-Walsh has an impressive resume of working at renowned resorts and restaurants and he brings his culinary passion and thoughtful amenities to 1754 House. Warm, sliced bread presented in a beautiful wood box accompanied by either plain butter or pumpkin herb butter in a glass jar was a lovely introduction to his style. In keeping with the history of the house, sea salt was presented in an attractive round covered olive wood box with silver salt spoon.
The restaurant has a strong tie to the community and has a nice selection of craft beers from the local artisanal breweries, there is a creative cocktail menu, and wines are available by the glass or bottle making it easy to pair wines with courses.
Grilled Oysters
We began our dining experience by sharing an order of Grilled Oysters with fennel and leek relish from the Small and Share Plates section of the menu. Four oysters were beautifully presented on beds of salt on a piece of slate. Delicately grilling the oysters and presenting them with the fennel leek relish was an inspired touch and they were delicious. We paired the oysters with a glass of Prima Perla Prosecco for an elegant start to our evening.
Sea-Salt Roasted Beets
We continued by sharing a selection from the Soups and Salads section, the Sea-Salt Roasted Beets with petite greens, figs, and fig honey. The salad was a lovely mélange of red and orange beets that paired especially well with the figs and fig honey that imparted a light touch of sweetness to the delectably earthy beets and the slightly bitter greens.
Pan-Seared Sea Scallops
For one of our main courses, we had the Pan-Seared Sea Scallops accompanied by sweet corn succotash, roasted red pepper, and herb vinaigrette, from the Substantial Plates section. This course was presented as 4 scallops with perfect golden crusts on a bed of succotash and red pepper, with artful herb vinaigrette ringing the presentation. The scallops were especially delicious and perfectly cooked.
New York Strip Steak
For our other main course, we had the special of the evening, a New York Strip Steak that was cut as a filet and presented on a large wood plank with mashed potatoes and parsnip puree with cubed butternut squash and leeks. Perfectly cooked to our request of medium rare, the steak was very tender and flavorful. The restaurant has special Hand Cut Fries tossed with duck fat and seasoned with sea-salt, and herbs, and we had an order of them to enjoy with the steak. The fries arrived in a small cast iron skillet accompanied by a generous portion of ketchup. For the steak, we paired it with a glass of Angeline, Mendocino County Pinot Noir, which was a nice complement to the beef.
Hand Cut Fries
The menu has a nice selection of desserts in the Sweets section of the menu. We ended the evening on a sweet note with 2 of the creative desserts, the Goat Cheese Cheesecake Jar with maple caramel apples, and the evening’s dessert special, Chocolate Pâté with Cranberry Gastrique. The goat cheese cheesecake was presented in a small glass jar topped with maple caramel apples and graham cracker dust. Rich, decadent, and delicious, it was deconstructed goat cheesecake with layers of flavor.
Goat Cheese Cheesecake
The Chocolate Pâté with Cranberry Gastrique was a chocolate-lovers fantasy of delectably rich dark and white chocolate paired with whipped cream. The mélange of flavors was a definite palate pleaser with the intense mix of dark and white chocolate, and the cranberry gastrique provided a slightly sweet tartness that beautifully complemented the chocolate.
Chocllate Pâté with Cranberry Gastrique
To ensure guests leave with sweet memories, our server brought us a small bag of freshly made and totally delicious, ginger molasses cookies at the end of our dining experience for us to enjoy in our room. From start to finish, 1754 House Restaurant exceeded our expectations both from the kitchen as well as from the service team.
In addition to the main dining room, meals are also served in the Tavern for guests preferring a more a casual dining ambience.
1754 Restaurant is open Tuesday – Sunday from 11:30 am to 9:00 pm, Sunday Brunch served 11:30 am to 2:00 pm, and closed Monday.
The Tavern is open Tuesday – Friday from 4:00 pm to close, Saturday – Sunday from 11:30 am to close, Sunday Brunch served from 11:30 am to close, and closed on Monday.
1754 House
506 Main Street South
Woodbury, Connecticut 06798
United States
Telephone: +1-203-405-3735
Email: info@1754house.com
Website: www.1754house.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/1754-House-Restaurant-Tavern
Instagram: @1754House
Until next time, Bon Appetit!
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