Business & Tech

Newtown's Foundry Kitchen and Tavern Impresses

What do you think of the restaurant — its food, service and atmosphere?

This article was written by Gary Jeanfaivre. 

I'm a steak-and-potatoes kind of guy, but occasionally I'll venture into the sea in search of something a bit more sensible but equally delicious.

My decision to deviate from habit proved to be a satisfying move Saturday night. My wife and I — lucky to score a last-minute babysitter (thanks, Mom!) — decided to check out Foundry Kitchen and Tavern, a restaurant that opened in Sandy Hook a few months ago (Patch interviewed owner Chris Bruno at that time).

It was an exceptionally beautiful summer evening and the Foundry's patio was packed, so we decided to forego the 45-minute wait to sit outside and found a nice two-person table in the bar area.

I immediately took a liking to the decor, which I suppose could be described as rustic chique (at least that's the vibe I got from the aged wood table tops and silver tin ceiling). It's simple, with an air of sophistication, in an atmosphere that is casual yet classy. 

"Wow, you guys did a beautiful job in here," one woman said Monday afternoon while I was back, this time enjoying lunch (pulled pork sandwich and fries).

Once you soak in the scene, you can then turn your attention to the thing that likely drew you here in the first place — the food.

The menu offers a healthy number of options that are sure to please all palettes, and there's a pretty extensive wine and beer list to match, too. I opted for an Angry Orchard hard cider, which was crisp and refreshing.

Bread came wrapped in a little brown bag in a basket, and was nice and fresh. We dipped it in the olive oil with roasted garlic. I love garlic so the three small cloves weren't enough for me and my wife, but they were nicely roasted and spread easily on our bread.

Our server was knowledgeable and friendly, and we never felt neglected despite the fact that it was a busy Saturday night. The wait staff didn't hover, either.

The tuna tartar came first, and the presentation was eye-catching (check out the picture to see what I mean). All of the ingredients, including the tuna, were fresh.

My two critiques of this appetizer are that it was not served with enough chips and salsa (which was refreshing with pineapple).

The main course brought the chicken ferrara for my wife and a house salad with chicken for me.

The ferrara combines chicken, roasted peppers, mushrooms and penne in a cream sauce, and is served in a handle-less frying pan atop a slice of wood plate (look at the picture of the tartar to see what I mean). It's an interesting vessel for the food, but beware because the pan can be hot. 

The ferrara was good, but lacked salt in my opinion. My wife smartly asked for grated cheese, which added that salt in the tastiest of ways, a la cheese.

Because I had the tuna tartar to myself, I figured the salad with chicken was a light and healthy addition to top off my meal. It was nicely dressed and the chicken was properly cooked. Overall, it was a good salad; nothing mind-blowing or earth-shattering about it. (They do have a few other salads on the menu that sound quite interesting, including a Mediterranean one.)

The dessert menu was tempting — my wife had her eyes on the crepes — but we passed. 

In all, our meal with tip ran us about $63. I'd say that's on the higher end of the price spectrum for local restaurants; it's certainly not the least or most expensive, though.

Taken together, it was a satisfying meal in an inviting restaurant with a lovely setting along the river. I left impressed with the Foundry, and think it's a nice addition to Sandy Hook.

What Do You Think?

A cool element of the Foundry is that they bring your bill to the table in a small book, where customers can share their opinions and read what others have to say (I took a pic of a page, so check out the photo gallery for a visual).

Let's pretend this is a digital rendition of that book:

How was your food and service, and what do you think of the atmosphere and The Foundry in general?


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