City Steam Brewery in Hartford closed its doors after a pipe burst this past winter.
Long-time guests had noticed the beer quality and food quality going downhill post-lockdown.
So this was their chance to reset.
They had a chance to get their food in order.
They didn’t.
Now that they have reopened, we are seeing lots of the same problems they showed in the past.
With their “new” food options, such as the meatballs and Fried chicken, shortcuts seem to be taken at every turn.
The meatballs were huge, and came with a garlic knot.
The marinara sauce, however, was barely a step above ketchup.
The meat was extra greay, and tasted like the color grey too.
The cheese is good, but that’s not enough.
Although after eating through it, the sauce grows on you a little.
Next up was the Chicken Coop.
It’s fried chicken with hot honey and fried.
Except THEY WERE GETTING RID OF THE FAMED SPIRAL FRIES!
Now rumor has it the spiral fries are coming back, but the fact that anyone there would even consider getting rid of them shows complete lack of understanding whoever is in charge of menus had.
The chicken itself was completely overcooked, dry even.
The hot honey was nice and made up for a lot, but it was still a bit disappointing.
There was a huge wasted opportunity to revamp the menu with City Steam’s temporary closure.
They didn’t take it up.
The old food is still disappointing, and some of the new things don’t work either.