Millwright Millwrights Tyler Anderson Millwright's

Millwright's

77 West St. (Rte. 10)
Simsbury, CT 06070
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Cuisine: American / Contemporary
Chef Tyler Anderson's cuisine is anything but run of the mill, even though it's made with New England ingredients and time-honored techniques and served inside a historic 17th-century mill.
Openings: Dinner Wed.-Sun.

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Millwright's, Simsbury, CT


Millwright's Restaurant Review:


In as classic a New England setting as you’ll find in the Hartford area --- a 300-year-old mill overlooking a waterfall --- chef/owner Tyler Anderson is doing edgy things with familiar foods. It’s not his cooking techniques that are newfangled. Nor his raw materials, which are predominantly raised, harvested and foraged nearby. What’s earning him a widening following is his ability to meld comfort and complexity, to make foodies feel like youngsters introducing their tastebuds to favorite flavors for the first time. Even in the casual 1680 Tavern downstairs, with its wood beams and stone walls and creative cocktails (we like the summery Violet Femme made with vodka, Creme Yvette, lemon and rosemary), BLTs are built with smoked pork belly and heirloom tomatoes; pierogies filled with salt cod, chorizo jam and scallions. Upstairs, where coveted window tables overlook Hop Brook as it tumbles over the dam, there’s a more formal air beneath the vaulted, barn-like wood ceiling. Anderson’s seasonally shifting menu is constantly breaking new ground. Starters might include clam chowder-flavored tapioca custard; entrées, pork porterhouse topped with rhubarb compote. Portions sometimes underwhelm: Anderson is focused on finesse, not excess. If your dining companions are all game, opt for the seven-course tasting menu with paired beverages from the global wine list. Yes, that’s toasted fluff --- another spin on a New England standard --- alongside peanut butter roulade, house-made milk chocolate ice cream and bananas brûlée. Dessert doesn’t have to be “goodnight.” Retire to the Tavern to sip coffee, fine spirits or hard cider.