Critics recall most recent reviews, from oysters to omelets
Dock 11 Cafe
11 Halls Road, Old Lyme
(860) 434-0011
For those times you want greasy spoon specialties without the grease, consider a trip to Dock 11 Café in Old Lyme.
Situated in the same building as the dearly departed Morning Glory Café, Dock 11 caters to the breakfast, lunch, and, more recently, dinner crowds with well-crafted and smartly sourced standbys like omelets, burgers, soups, and salads.
Tuna-melt fans take note: Dock 11’s ($9) is the one to beat, and the café’s pasta fagioli ($5) is a contender in a region with no shortage of good takes on the staple Italian stew.
During my initial research, dinner was set to launch the following week. A review of the menu revealed a nice array of Italian and American pub classics, including several pasta dishes, and beef, chicken, and seafood entrees. Based on my initial tasting experiences — including the friendly service — I will be sure to turn up for dinner soon. The food is fresh and flavorful and served in a cozy-chic setting in a beautiful location on the Lieutenant River. P.S. The dinner menu offers Barbecue Baby Back Ribs. ‘Nuff said.
— Marisa Nadolny
Woodfellas Wood-Fired Pizza & Wings
The Velvet Mill, 22 Bayview Ave., Stonington
(860) 715-9663
OK, this food is really good. Since discovering the place in August, we’ve been back quite a few times. Owner Robert Currier has been in the restaurant business for more than a decade — he’s the guy behind The Rolling Tomato — and folks in and around Stonington borough are thrilled he’s opened his latest shop in the Velvet Mill.
The menu is heavy on wood-fired pizzas, and the aroma of wood burning and dough cooking will suck you right up to his counter. The secret of his pies is in the dough, he says, which includes some of the next-door Beer’d Brewing company’s brew. Whatever it is he does, it’s pretty darn good, and he sells the pies half (most about $8.50) or whole ($15.)
Other Woodfella highlights are the salads — including their version of the famed Love Salad, originally made by the Devlin family at Hughie’s in New London. There’s also a very tasty Spinach & Gorgonzola Salad, and both salads sell for $8.95.
If you go, try the chicken wings. Both the boneless and bone-in come in a variety of flavors and sizes. They’re very good.
There are a couple tables at Woodfellas, but it’s predominantly takeout. That’s OK. Plan a visit to the Velvet Mill and check out all the cool places there, then pick up your food to go. You could even drive down to Stonington Point and have dinner with a view.
— Ann Baldelli
Thames Landing Oyster House
2 State St., New London
(860) 574-9232
Thames Landing Oyster House is the latest restaurant to occupy one of the most charming buildings in downtown New London. With views of the train station, Waterfront Park and Parade Plaza, and boasting a nice tavern area and relaxed but slightly-more-refined dining room, the House and its aqua/white motif is an instantly comfy spot. Throw in some fresh and well-prepared seafood and a limited but appealing menu and this may well be one of the restaurants that joins the established go-to spots in the city.
There are indeed fresh oysters available with a daily menu based on what's available and just off the boat. Beyond that, I recommend the Coconut Shrimp appetizer ($7.99) for it's large crustaceans and a thin, crisp batter wherein the coconut flecks provide flavor support rather than a dominating presence.
The Shrimp Basket ($15.99) is also a value. Eight neo-prawns, delicately fried and with a delightful POP when bitten, were very good and augmented with fries and a delicate, non-goopy slaw.
But my fave is the Taco Sampler ($19.99). It includes three flour-tortilla wrapped delicacies: Catch of the Day fish (flounder on my day); a subtly nuanced blackened salmon; and more shrimp. Shredded cabbage and a feisty but delicately apportione remoulade sauce completed the sorcery..
— Rick Koster
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