2 Hopewell (named for its address) in South Glastonbury, CT.
Their Site:
http://www.2hopewell.com/Default.aspx
THE OVERALL RATINGS:
Food: Outstanding and creative; not "odd" or "pretentious". Have not had even a mediocre bite - everything has been really delicious. Cannot say that for most other CT restaurants.
Staff: Friendly, warm. Knew their menu well. Able and willing to make recommendations.
Ambience: Nicely decorated. Other conversations were easily over-hearable. The only real minus was the band in the basement had their bass amp a bit too high, vibrating the floors a bit. But I've been there enough to know that live music doesn't play every night.
THE EXPERIENCE:
The Approach: This restaurant is very near Route 2 and made the perfect post-Foxwoods stop when heading back north for home. Taking a quick left then a quick right, I am immediately thrust into a segmented parking lot. It is your typical CT winter night - quite cold. I am hoping to get parking that will allow my car some room - a difficult venture since the lot is almost full. When entering the restaurant, I see two other parties asking for a table and being told that there is a wait. Luckily, I made reservations!
Seating: We are led by a very friendly hostess to our table - a lovely table in a lovely room. Wood floors and lower than normal ceilings make it an intimate, quaint "New England" style restaurant. Our settings all have wine glasses and great care is obviously taken towards neatness and exactness of the setting.
Appetizers: The Beet Salad was outstanding. Dressing was light, sweet, and covered all leaves. Two different kinds of Beets were presented in the salad - quite sweet and obviously fresh. Goat cheese was less than I was expecting but it complemented the salad nicely. The overall portion was what I was expecting. My friend's Wedge Salad was great - a lovely, creamy dressing with bacon amongst the wedge. Salads/appetizers ranged from $ 6 - 9.
Main Course: Having had several of their entrees in the past, I tried the Black Bean and Veggie Corn Cake atop Sauteed Spinach for the very first time. The cake was delicate and perfectly spiced. The beans and vegetal protein was a major component of the cake but cooked enough to be soft to the palate. The cake was drizzled with what seemed to be a thin goat cheese based sauce which is the complement that the cake needed. The spinach underneath was delicately flavored and tender - fantastic. My friends had the Chilean Seabass (outstanding) which was tender and seared perfectly with a slightly sweet flavor. I have had the Beef Tenderloin Tips before, which come out like perfectly done pot roast. The beef is always super tender and you won't be needing your knife. I was also able to try the Filet Mignon which was predictably outstanding. Cooked to perfection with a great flavor from the baste. In the past I have greatly enjoyed their Risotto - tender and exploding with flavor. Main courses ranged from $ 17 - 33.
Desserts: I ordered the Sorbet Trio - how cool is this: One sorbet is partially made from red wine; another is a mango based sorbet, and the third is blood orange. All compatible, but yet different enough so that you can select your next choice of flavor, served in a tall martini glass. Obviously hand made and really delicious. I also tried the Pretzel Basket with White Chocolate Ganache. The ganache is what we all wished we'd be served when we saw the words "white chocolate" on any menu. The pretzel basket is an edible cup with some rock salt. Together, they're delicious. I also tried the Mocha Cheesecake (with real coffee grounds). Very creamy, but I was hoping for more coffee flavor in the cheesecake itself. The grounds were fun to taste amongst the cake. Desserts ranged from $ 5 - 9.
Prices: Considering the quality of the place and food, quite reasonable. You can impress your date OR relax here with your family and friends for less than the price of some of the fancier places in West Hartford or New Haven.
Dress Code: Although not mandated by the staff or any sign, most men were in button down shirts, khakis (at least, if not dress slacks) and sometimes a blazer. Women were usually wearing business casual clothing. You might feel out of place wearing any but the neatest ironed jeans. Definitely out of place with a t-shirt. But I get the sense the staff would still be friendly.
The Cons: There was live music in the basement (we were seated at the main level) and the bass amp was too high, allowing only the constant bassline to seep through the wood floor. It was easy to overhear the conversations of others. The parking lot can be difficult to enter or leave - the lane for cars is narrow, especially when the clientele all drive luxury SUVs. The wine menu was difficult to navigate; "Red" or "White" and then just the brand might work for wine-loving baby boomers, but not us younger eaters (especially when we know how different the reds or the whites can be; no categories like "Cabernet", "Merlot", "Pinot Noir," etc). But I get the sense that the wait staff could assist your selection, should you ask. (These aren't really big problems.)
Rating (out of 10): 9.5 (Outstanding). I have trouble remembering better food anywhere else in our state.
Recommendation: Go - immediately - when you're in the mood for sophisticated, delicious (but not pretentious) food for a great evening dining experience.
Blog-Wide Ratings Brackets:
9.25 - 10 - Outstanding; few issues if any. "10" might be impossible to achieve.
8.75 - 9.25 - Very Good; some small issues are present.
8 - 8.75 - Pretty Good; would still recommend you try it.
7 - 8 - Good; something might be lacking here.
5 - 7 - "OK" ; should the restaurant fix the issue, might be an underrated place.
1 - 5 - Not worth your time.
PLEASE NOTE:
Should the proprietor of any establishment wish that I remove an entry, contact me immediately.
Should the proprietor of any establishment wish that I comment on other dishes, invite me back! I am happy to bring my fiancee and try the full menu.
Contact me at apergiovanni@gmail.com with questions, comments, or suggestions.
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