Blue Plate Kitchen, West Hartford, CT

Blue Plate Kitchen, West Hartford, CT

I am very fortunate to have a wonderful circle of friends from various facets in my life.  Recently Katie and I went out for dinner to celebrate my birthday.  We decided to try Blue Plate Kitchen restaurant in West Hartford as neither of us had eaten there yet, but we both had heard good things.

Blue Plate Kitchen restaurant is located in Bishops Corner, West Hartford.  It opened in January 2014 and is owned by the same person who also owns City Steam Brewery Café in Hartford, CT.  I would describe the restaurant as an upscale-style diner.

It was a beautiful day and we debated on whether to sit outside or inside.  The waitress gave us the best of both by seating us at an indoor booth at the large windows that face the outside dining area.  These windows open up completely, giving the restaurant an airy feel.  The restaurant’s décor reminded me of an industrial NYC loft, with high ceilings, an open kitchen, exposed brick and industrial fixtures and lighting.

Blue Plate Kitchen restaurant is located in West Hartford, CT

Blue Plate Kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The menu offers a selection of comfort food items with modern twists from the way mom/ grandma did.  Additionally the restaurant boasts locally grown, seasonal food with a sustainability focus, a philosophy that is becoming increasingly popular and one that I’m a big proponent for.

Blue Plate Kitchen has an upscale, modern diner atmosphere

After reviewing the menu and the blackboard specials, Katie and I decided to start our meal sharing the Cape Codder menu item, pan seared cod cakes, which we had heard great things about.  Unfortunately, the restaurant was out of that item for the day.  They must be that good.

We opted to skip the appetizer and order our main entrees.  I ordered the Israeli salad adding sliced chicken breast.  The salad featured chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, greens, watermelon radishes, feta cheese, kalamata olives with a lemon parsley vinaigrette.  It was very fresh and a good portion size.

Israeli salad with sliced chicken

Katie had the classic burger, which is served with crispy American cheese on an English muffin.  It is accompanied by fresh coleslaw and deli-style pickle.   It was cooked exactly as she ordered and featured fresh beef.

Classic burger with crispy, American cheese

As a special treat to our meal, we were each treated to a popover from the chef.  I haven’t had popovers in years and instantly I returned to my mom’s Sunday dinner table that often included these light hollow rolls.  The popover was fresh from the oven and delicious.  What a nice treat!

Popovers – an American classic!

We were full from our meals, so we opted to “be good” and skip dessert, but there were several yummy-sounding items.

Our waitress was very friendly and attentive.  The restaurant manager checked in on us several times as well as we had a visit from Chef Ben.

All in all we had a good time.  Katie and I enjoyed the time together catching up and taking time of out of our busy schedules to celebrate a special day.

 

Have you eaten at Blue Plate Kitchen in West Hartford?

What’s your favorite place for a special birthday celebration dinner with friends?