Hartford Has It

As a chef, the restaurants I prefer share a passion for our craft. That usually means sourcing local and fresh: no shortcuts and scratch kitchens. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does need to be soul-satisfying. I want food that is bold, simple, thoughtprovoking, and unlike what I cook every day.

Chefs often aren’t the healthiest people around, either – long hours, lots of stress, and our job requires us to eat far more than

we should. For the past year and a half, I have been on a personal journey to lose weight and get healthy. I’ve learned on my low-carb, high-protein diet that I don’t need to eat at “health food” restaurants all the time, but I can make better choices in almost any restaurant setting.

When compiling my Hartford restaurant recommendations, it was tempting to come up with a rousing list that covered all the City’s neighborhoods and trendy spots; Hartford has all of these and then some. But at the end of the day, I’ve chosen the restaurants I actually eat in – often.

Monte Alban Restaurant

531 Farmington Ave. Right down the street from where I live in the West End, Monte Alban is small, brightly-colored, and fun. Its food is as bold as the building’s vibrant, yellow exterior. Authentic Oaxacan Mexican, the menu covers all the bases from seafood to steak as well as great renditions of tacos, burritos, and chimichangas. Also, they offer one of the finest and most attention-grabbing brunches around on Saturdays and Sundays. Prices are more than reasonable and portions ample. The pollo al pipian verde (chicken with green pumpkin seed sauce) is my favorite dish on the menu so far.

Abyssinian Ethiopian Restaurant

535 Farmington Ave. This gem – right next door to Monte Alban – is easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. I fell in love with Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine when I was 13 years old on a trip to Washington, D.C.; since then, I am always on the lookout for it. Abyssinian can be deceptive: I’ve never seen it crowded, but the food is continuously fresh. The staff and owners could not be friendlier and happier to serve you. This is the kind of place that you want to go with a couple of friends, order a variety of items, and enjoy family-style. Ethiopian/Eritrean food is characterized by fermented sourdough flatbread that serves as your utensils as you eat a mixture of wellspiced vegetables, meat, and fish. The food can run from mild to very spicy, depending on your preference. The yebeg wot (lamb simmered in red pepper sauce with ginger root, garlic, green pepper, and cardamom) and yassa wot (salmon in a mild, red sauce with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots, served with lentils and split peas) are both standouts.

Han Restaurant specializes in Szechuan hot pot, and is the sister restaurant to Shu (156 Shield St., West Hartford). For those unacquainted, hot pot is a style of food found throughout Asian traditions. A simmering pot of flavorful broth is set on the table accompanied by an array of raw proteins (meats, poultry, fish, and tofu), vegetables, and noodles. (There’s also an opportunity to custom mix dipping sauces.) You then cook the raw ingredients in the simmering broth; when each component is cooked to your liking, enjoy! Eating this way is fun, communal, and delicious. The staff is very helpful to newbies and the options for proteins and ingredients are plentiful. On a recent visit, I had the Chengdu hot and spicy broth combo style which gave me chicken, beef, shrimp, and tons of veggies. The meal was filling, tasty, and cost-conscious.

GoldBurgers on Capitol

399 Capitol Ave. When I first heard that GoldBurgers was opening an outpost of their Newington flagship in Hartford on Capitol Ave. next to Little River Restoratives (a Prohibition-Era cocktail joint featured in CT Food and Farm Magazine’s Summer 2016 issue), I thought to myself, “do we really need another burger concept in the area?” The answer is yes. Their signature GoldBurger is topped with lettuce, onion, pickles, American cheese, potato chips, and GoldBurger sauce – served only on a Martini’s Potato Roll. It is flawless: juicy, delicious, balanced, and properly seasoned with an impeccable bun-to-meat ratio. You can venture out with hot dogs, chicken or veggie burgers, and creative daily specials, as well.

Seoul BBQ & Sushi

593 Hartford Rd., New Britain

This is kind of cheating since it’s not really in Hartford, but it’s less than a 10-minute drive from my house and it is so good that I can’t resist. I adore Korean food and this place is dead-on: salty, sweet, sour, spicy, and umami in textbook balance combined with Korean cuisine’s signature fermented flavor. (Think great pickling but funkier.) Whether you choose a traditional Korean BBQ dish such as beef bulgogi or a classic rice option like bibimbap, you really can’t go wrong. Seoul BBQ & Sushi has tons of authentic items on the menu including soups, stews, seafood, vegetarian selections, and outstanding meat. My favorites include the kimchi jeon appetizer (kimchi pancake), ojing-o bokum (wok-fried spicy calamari), and daegu maeuntang (spicy codfish soup). Traditional BBQ dishes are served with up to eight side dishes or appetizers – the ultimate tasting menu of amuse-bouches. From kimchi to crispy baby caramel shrimp and everything in between, no need to ask; just enjoy.

The Bears Trifecta

Bear’s Smokehouse Barbecue: 25 Front St.The Blind Pig Pizza Co.: 89 Arch St.Chango Rosa: 1 Union Place

BEAR’S BBQ SMOKEHOUSE (with outposts in Windsor, South Windsor, and Dunkin Donuts Park, among others) is the flagship featuring authentic Kansas City-style BBQ that simply rocks. While rightfully-famous for brisket and burnt ends, the pork, turkey, and half-chickens are not to be missed. When I need big flavor that still works with my diet, I opt for the smoked turkey breast or a half-chicken over a crisp, abundant salad or with a double-side of collard greens (flavored with turkey bacon) – no guilt and seriously satiating. (I leave the mac n cheese, bbq beans, cornbread, and peach cobbler for my friends).

THE BLIND PIG PIZZA CO. on Arch Street is a hip, speak-easy-meets-your-local-pizza-joint kind of a place with a serious foodie chef calling the shots and using signature BBQ smoked meats from Bear’s across the street. The Forge, the stunning, massive pizza oven that turns out textbook pies in about 90 seconds and cooks at over 900°F, is truly something to behold. The crust-saucecheese ratio is spot-on in addition to their well-curated line-up of toppings, ranging from the classics (pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms) to the divine (smoked tomato sauce, nduja, soppressata, and black garlic oil) to smoky Q (pulled pork, burnt ends, and “moink” balls – smoked meatballs wrapped in bacon) – and it all works. But here, it’s not just about pizza. The pork belly steam buns rock, their wings are my favorite in Greater Hartford, and I can’t stop dreaming about their arugula salad (warm mushrooms and onions, fresh mozzarella, and lemon chili vinaigrette). Ask for the special book (an encyclopedia, really) of cocktails, available only at the bar. This is one of the most comfortable and unpretentious, serious craft mixology bars I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying.

The third and youngest addition to the Bear’s empire is CHANGO ROSA, a unique and fun take on Latin American street food using Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ-smoked meats as inspiration. Located in the former Hot Tomato’s at Union Place, this restaurant is big, bold, and seriously badass. Tacos, arepas, pupusas, pinchos, empanadas, and tamales – all scratch-made. While the flavors, concepts, and execution are all authentic, the chef is never held hostage by tradition and brings together flavors that sing: kimchi, smoky beets, and various fruit salsas and sauces.

When eating lighter, my favorites are easy: the octopus carpaccio is perfection; the microgreens salad (watermelon and quinoa) is a refreshing winner and the skewered pinchos (Latin American

tapas) deliver a high-protein, low-carb flavor punch of which I never tire. Among the tacos, the crispy calamari, fish of the day (especially when it is shark), and tri-tip steak are my top picks – and I can’t seem to get out of there without a smoked brisket pupusa. Note well: serious desserts, serious tequila, and serious cocktails abound here, as well. If you are there to indulge, don’t skip out.

From farmers’ markets increasing in quality to serious farm-to-table fine dining and everything in between, our capital eateries keep getting better; I love living in a growing food scene.

BY BEN DUBOW

PHOTOS BY CHEYNEY BARRIEAU, WINTER CAPLANSON, CHRISTOPHER FOX, LISA NICHOLS, AND LAURA STONE.