The Charles Wethersfield

The Charles is always a great place to dine. It’s romantic for a date the food is prepared nicely, good quality which is important to me.

We arrived with great expectations, and sadly we were a bit disappointed. When we sat down, we immediately noticed that it was unusually loud for the soft lighting and seemingly intimate ambience they were seeking to achieve. The menu is fantastic and everything that we ordered tasted very good, but the preparation was very uneven. For instance, our cauliflower appetizer, which was delicious, Seemed to be microwaved because part of it was cold (as if it came out of the refrigerator) and part was room temperature. We’re not even sure whether the dish was intended to be served hot or cold… We had a “warm kale salad” that came to the table piping hot and steaming. That also seemed very odd. A final point of concern was that from the time we sat down to the time our entrées were cleared was only 45 minutes. Some people might see that as a benefit, but for a fine dining experience at this price point, we felt rushed. There was barely 3 minutes between the time our appetizers were cleared at our main courses arrived. We intentionally ordered tea and sat for an additional 20 minutes so we could feel like we had a full experience. As appealing as the menu is and as good as the food tasted, I’m not sure we will ever go back.

Delicious food, wonderful ambience. One of our favorite places to eat!

The food and drinks were wonderful. Both the service at the bar and at our table was top notch.

Wonderful food and service! One of my favorite restaurants in CT.