I love Esca, it's a great place to go on dates and even better in the summertime when you can sit outside! Â I am a huge fan of their martini menu. Â In fact I think this place should be renamed Esca MARTINI Bar and Restaurant because while the martinis are superb, the wine menu is lacking. Â Not as many choices as I'd expect from a place that calls itself a "wine" bar. Â The last time I went I think we asked for riesling (or some some other white) and our server only gave us 1 choice. Â Really?! Â Anyway order a martini and you can't go wrong (especially if the date you're on is going wrong ;)
P.S. As another reviewer said the food is good but not great. Â I'm more about the location and ambiance of this place....oh and did I mention the martinis?!?!?!?!?!
This is a review for my Wedding Dinner Rehearsal, and we have nothing but great things to say. Â The ONLY reason I'm not rating it a 5 is because the food was good, but not great....but the customer service totally wowed me!
We reserved the upstairs private room which included its own bathroom, bar, and dining area which was perfect for our private event. Â As soon as we arrived, appetizers were placed down and drinks were served at the open bar. We had the Calamari and Brushetta....it was good, but not great! Â I feel like they put a lot of salt on their food, which they could tone down a bit.
Esca had printed really nice menu's for us, based on the food items we previously selected, and as soon as we sat down, within seconds we were asked what we would like to order.  I had ordered my entrée without cheese, and as soon as they brought out the salads (which I had forgotten had cheese on them), the server said "I know you didn't want cheese on your entrée, and I assumed you didn't want it on your salad either"....she was absolutely correct, and I was so happy she was so thoughtful!  Additionally, all of our guests that had food allergies were well taken care of, which was very nice as well.  Our servers cleared plates and glasses promptly, and handled anything with professionalism and genuine care, which was so nice to see and so rare to find.
From the beginning of the night, to the end, we were treated so well and the servers were on the ball with everything. Â We couldn't have asked for a better place to have our dinner rehearsal, and are so happy we chose Esca for our event!
Jen and I went here for girl's night dinner and we had a lovely time! The space itself is beautiful--modern and elegant. A wine flight for me and a glass of red for Jen and we were off to a good start.
Our waitress was nice but a bit flighty. She seemed to forget us at times and there was a bit of a language barrier with her, but thankfully she had a backup with her who took care of us most of the evening. Also, we were not in a rush and had plenty to talk about, so we didn't mind.
To start, Jen had a small caprese salad and I went with sauteed calamari--my dish was a great portion for only $4, however, the broth it sat in did nothing for me. For entree, Jen had seared diver scallops and was able to sub in the wild mushroom polenta as her side instead of the risotto. Great choice! Nicely plated and perfectly cooked--polenta was amazing, as well. I had the Duck breast with  Pancetta, Shallots & Beluga Lentils, Cayenne & Maple Glazed Baby Carrots, Brown Butter Vinaigrette--the duck was nicely done, carrots were perfectly sweet and delicious and the brown butter sauce was a nice touch--not a fan of the lentils though! It made the dish very earthy, messy and didn't give the nicest presentation. For me, a polenta or a potato side would have gone better as a complement, instead of totally negating the sweetness the rest of the dish had.
For dessert, we split the warm chocolate lava cake. This would have been better if it was actually served warm. Alas, it was chocolate and ice cream, so it got eaten anyway.
Overall, a nice night with excellent company. It is a bit pricey, so be aware of that. Â I'd most likely come back, but not before giving a few other Middletown area hotspots a try.
I was there for the first time last week. Middle of the afternoon.. Seemed like no one was there at first and then saw a few peeps. Ordered some drinks from the waiter who also doubled as a bartender. Drinks were ok, Â so we decided to order a tuna tartar.. Boy ! was it a mistake.. It came looking pale white and tasted nothing more than lemon drenched with over ripe avocado and big chunks of pistachio.. May be it wasn't supossed to taste like that.. but in the end it ended up on my plate.. sorry.. would never order that again.. willing to give this place another try.. before I scratch it off my list.
Review Source:I've been curious about Esca for a while, so when a friend and I were casting about for a place to do a little end-of-the-week decompression, it seemed a natural.
Life intervened, of course, so when we actually made it on a completely different Friday evening, we had a few more weeks to decompress from.
Almost immediately the advantages of local knowledge became evident, since I know where the public parking lots are and my friend doesn't. It took a while for her to find a spot for her car. Just so I don't make that mistake with all of you, there's a handy lot that opens onto Broad Street, one block east of Main Street, and another one block west (toward the river). Street parking is usually pretty difficult to find.
The bar was pretty crowded, but the bartenders were attentive and got me a wine list pretty quickly. It's a wine bar, after all, and I they've got a nice selection of wines by the glass. The Mark West pinot noir I chose was exactly what I'd been hoping it would be.
When my friend arrived, we managed to snag a table in the bar area and our waitress paid us excellent attention. We ate relatively lightly from the antipasti menu, which were pretty substantial plates by themselves. My carpaccio of beef was good, arranged around an arugula salad. It also meant that we had room for dessert, and I really can't say quite enough about the caramel cheesecake. Wow.
It is not inexpensive. The happy hour bar bites are far more reasonable, and the fact they're available until 10 on Thursday means that fifth day of the week is pretty busy, according to the staff. It was hopping pretty well on a Friday, too. I'll certainly consider Esca for a special occasion in the future, and when I've got a free Thursday, see if I can find a little space at the bar.
I go here 8 or 9 times a year and I have no complaints about the food at all. Everything is reasonably priced, they have good specials, full bar and a great desert. This is my favorite food on Main St. That being said.....every single time (without fail) the server or the kitchen screw up some part of my order and either myself or wife end up eating at different times. I would give this restaurant 4 stars if I could enjoy my meal with who I go with. I don't ask for anything out of the ordinary. Tonight my wife asked for whole wheat pasta with her meal, we were t old that was not a problem and she would get penne instead of fettuccini. Her meal came out with white pasta...the server realized the issue and said 3 minutes and she would bring out what we ordered. 10 minutes later her. Meal came out and it was great! By that to e my meal was cold and we did not get to enjoy our entree together. I was bummed!
Review Source:This is a happy-hour only review.
Excellent drink specials during happy hour. Â $5 wines. Â $2 drafts and don't worry they don't serve Budweiser, bud light, miller lite, etc. Â Taps include Guinness, stella, blue moon, dog fish head ipa. Â
Food specials are not their strong-suit. Â $4 apps but at most 2 bites per app. Â Calamari is small and overly-fried with minimal meat. Â Duck dumplings are fried (appear nuked) and only 2 per order. Â Crab cakes also small and only 2 per order. Â
Do not go if you're interested in the bar bites. Â Never had a meal there but would rather order from normal menu next time. Â Drink specials are the way to go here.
I went to Esca to celebrate my father's 65th birthday this week! Â My mother chose Esca based on the recommendation from her foodie co-worker who is about my age, and the place was equidistant from my folks place in Guilford and my place in New Britain.
We went on a Thursday night and boy, the bar was bustling with 20 and 30 somethings. Â Why? Â Happy Hour extends until 10 on Thursday with inexpensive bites.
Though I enjoyed my C.A.B. tenderloin very much with broccoli rabe, I am still not convinced that it was worth $29, but luckily my mom was nice enough to pay for everyone. Â My brother had ordered a side of truffle parmesan fries, but there was barely enough truffle oil and parmesan cheese to notice.
I was impressed with the wine selection, though it is a wine bar too. Â Our waiter, Harris, was super nice and attentive and the decor was spectacular.
I would go there again, but only for their happy hour!
I originally clicked that fifth star... My party had a great time the other night, no doubt. The waiter was ultra nice, served us very professionally, and provided a free dessert for the birthday boy. But ultimately, this is a four-star restaurant.
There's a lot of glitz and glamour here, from the high-end service to the ultra-chic decor... but I've had better food at restaurants of this caliber. Not that the food here was bad by any means. In fact, I very much enjoyed my veal ravioli, as well as some of the other dishes presented at the table. But to me, it falls into the category of "very good," not "amazing," "earth shattering," or "Travel Channel worthy."
One thing does earn a five-star mark: that aforementioned free dessert. The white chocolate pistachio cheesecake may honestly be one of the best desserts I've had in a decade. A scintillating cacophony of flavors and textures, inducing heedless overuse of supercilious vocabulary words that no one uses in real life.
Big wine list, though kinda overpriced. Our $32 bottle retails for $12 (trust me, I've bought it at the store before). These prices are somewhat mitigated by the Thursday night happy hour, which offers $5 wine glasses till 10PM.
We'll be back, probably for happy hour though :).
Stopped into Esca during Middletown restaurant week and was not disappointed! The food was great, service was just ok. The sangria was delicious (both red and white), but they need to take notes from Tisane on how to make a proper key lime pie martini. The atmosphere was phenomenal. I will definitely be coming back!
Review Source:I've been to Esca a few times now, the most recent during Middletown Restaurant Week. Â It seems as though every time I've been the hostess hasn't been at the stand so you wait for someone to seat you. We were really excited to try the Pumpkin Ravioli appetizer. It came out very quickly. Â The portion was very small and it just didn't meet expectations. Â The pasta was a little thick for a ravioli and kind of overpowered the pumpkin filling and the sauce was very rich and buttery. Â For the entree course I ordered the North Atlantic Salmon. Â The salmon was charred to the point of being burned and the hash that accompanied it was just weird (kalamata olives, capers, and butternut squash) and didn't meld well. Â The baked apples were cold and not impressive.
Even though our Restaurant Week visit wasn't a success I'm still giving Esca three stars based on previous visits. Â Their mac and cheese with braised short ribs is phenomenal, but I believe only available during lunch. Â Also delicious is their Chilean sea bass dish. Â I suggest checking them out on a Monday when their bottles of wine are half price.
With the heavy pours on the wines by the glass and the solid appetizers, this would be an awesome place to get drinks and a bite after work. The interior is impressive, but I found the execution to be kind of lacking for the price. The menu is pretty ambitious in that it tries to do Italian food the right way: focusing on the quality of the ingredient and not a menu full of things slathered in red sauce. I just found the food to be pretty "meh." Maybe I was just there on an off night... If it wasn't so expensive, I'd give it another shot soon, but for Esca's prices, I can dine almost anywhere in the state.
Review Source:I stopped into Esca last week for the ultimate comforts: a martini, platter of oysters...and, oh, some foie gras with strawberry agrodolce, grilled brioche,
onion jam, crispy prosciutto, truffled pea tendrils, and pomegranate molasses - livin' in the lap of luxury.
I've been back a few times since my original happy hour experience and wanted to bump it up a star for the friendly service, tasty bites, and well-made drinks I've always received. I usually only opt for drinks and bar bites, so it was nice to order from the regular menu.
The tiramisu martini was the best I've ever had (shhh, don't tell my beloved Tisane!) and the oysters were fresh and delectable.
Next on my wishlist: dying to try the lavender martini on Alicia S's recommendation! And the foie gras mashed potatoes (I've been stalking the menu, can you tell?)
Anyway, wish Middletown was a bit closer but always glad to hit up Esca when I'm in the area.
Went for their extended happy hour last Thursday that goes until 10 pm. There are good drink values: $5 Sangria, $2 Small pint Beers, $5 wines, $7 martinis.
The $4 bar bites menu are une vraie arnaque. Two very small bar bites for $4. Really? We ordered the bruschetta. Two small pieces. Each one $2?! Â We orders the duck dumplings. Two small wonton shells with absolutely no filling. I actually could squish the dumplings flat, that's how empty they came out.
In hindsight we should have just sent the duck wontons back. Why pay $4 for air?
My recommendation: come for the drink menu. Avoid the bar bites. Order off the regular menu.
As far as happy hour in Middletown goes, our go-to has become ESCA! It is a great, warm place to meet friends for a light bite of their duck dumplings, calimari, crab cakes or the bruschetta. $2 drafts (Yes, Guinness is included in that draft list!) and $5 wines make this a no-brainer. They also have a very extensive list of creative cocktails (I love the lavender martini!).
I have never eaten in the dining room, but every time I come for happy hour there are people in there. The decor is beautiful and unique - makes me so happy that they seem like they're here to stay in our lovely Middletown!
The food is actually good here and they have a nice wine selection. My problem is that I went there on a  Sunday early evening and ordered a glass of wine which was delicious. I asked the server to bring me a menu which he did but never came back to take my order. I waited for 25 minutes for the server to take my order and I was one of only three other people in the entire place.  It was as if I was invisible.  At their prices, I expect better service.
Review Source:My husband and I stopped into Esca after a dinner date for wine and dessert. Â Esca has an upscale downtown city feel to it, a little misplaced in Middletown's home town scene. Â But it's exactly the type of place we were hoping for. Â The decor is modern with pretty white lights upstairs surrounding the dining area, very inviting. Â We sat down at the large stone bar which had big comfy leather bar chairs. Â The bartender was extremely friendly, handing us a dessert menu before we asked for one. Â The wine menu by the glass wasn't very large, but we were pleasantly surprised with the options for port, which my husband adores (and it was fantastic). Â The creme brulee was AMAZING, one of the best I've ever had. Â All in all, great place to stop in for a drink, and I'm sure the dinner menu is as delicious as it looked!
Review Source:I wanted to love it here. Dinner started out great: lovely wine, a dozen oysters, and a fabulous crab and artichoke fondue. Our dinner entrees were the lobster and crab fettuccine, and the NY strip. NY strip was ordered medium rare, and came out medium well. My dinner partner is not picky so he dealt with the overcooked steak and ate it. My fettuccine was delicious. When we were done with our entrees, busser came and wrapped the rest of my pasta. Server was no where to be found. Waited about 10 minutes and had to flag down another server. We had every intention of doing espresso and dessert, but this ruined that chance. The other server brought our check without asking if we wanted dessert or coffee (though that wasn't really her job, because she wasn't our server). We then waited another 10 minutes for our server to finally show up. We paid, and left, very disappointed. On the way home, my date and I both became sick to our stomachs, and spend the rest of the night vomiting. I will never go back, and really regret dropping $120 on the dinner.
Review Source:This is a really great restaurant - fine dining without having to leave Middletown. Â We had an excellent experience here. We were a bit early for our reservation, but seated immediately and on the balcony. Â We enjoyed our calamari appetizer, salads and entrees; the desserts were excellent as well. Â The wait staff was very nice; helpful, informative and attentive, but not aggressive. Â All in all, a five star experience. We will definitely return.
Review Source:Went here with a few good friends on new years. Â There was a live band that played that wasn't bad and a 7 course meal for new years. Â Service was a bit slow and it was sort of like they neglected us because we happened to be "that table" to them. Â OOPS sorry for being loud and having a good time...on New Years. Â Couple of times we had to ask other waiters for drinks, or the "party favors" which were just stupid hats and a glass of champagne for the new years toast*(which i mean, whatever, but a couple of mninutes before new years... u would figure they would of given us this crap early instead of waiting to the last possible second). Â
3 of the 5 people that ate there, including myself got sick, which isn't really a good sign. Â Though I had a good time I wouldn't credit the place for providing it. I wont prolly ever be going back, though im sure it was tough working there on new years, cuz in real life who REALLLLLy wants to be working that night. Â The bus boy was deffffinetttly miserable considering when asked a question he just shrugged his shoulders... not only once...but twice. So yeah, not a bad place but getting sick and bad service really turns the place off for me...........
if i get sick from your food, im sorry theres no justice in giving more than 2 stars... because i paid for it, and thats the whole point of a restaurant....only reason i didnt do 1 star was because the atmosphere i liked. thats all it realllly had going for it.
Really looks nice inside, seems like they spent a fortune. Too bad they are too cheap to pay a real chef. The food is horrible. Truly everything we ordered was just not good. The bar is great and the bartender that was at the old Sauce from Glastonbury is great, it was nice to see a friendly face. but seriously, if the food is not good, who would go back to eat?
Review Source:ZERO STARS:000000000000
So decided to see what all the hype is about. Walked in off the street and attempted to get a few drinks. Our party of four went to the left of the bar, nice open space. The actual bar seats were filled. We ( the four of us) waited and waited and waited...The bartender walked up to us and turned around at least three times, he had no intention to serving us. Really the 10 people at the bar were already served...He choose to turn us away..20 mins of waiting for a drink at a bar where the bartender saw you and turned around...In the meantime, maybe one of his high school friends spilled his martini all over me and my wife waiting at the bar. Obviously a major turnoff...Even the drunken promise of him dry cleaning my pants couldn't have helped. Honestly after that instance I would never go back..And neither should you..
My wife and I went to dinner at Esca for a date night last night. Â We were a bit early for our reservation but were seated right away at a very nice table on the balcony. Â Place looked great - very nice decor and a great place for a date.
We ordered a 2006 Peachy Canyon Zinfandel (red). Â Can't go wrong with a nice bottle of Zin. Â No sommelier or wine recommendations like the last time we were there.
We started with the poached pear salad and the caprese salad - both were excellent. Â Very good portion sizes for salads. Â Also, the bread (garlic or olive) was good - brought to the table piping hot.
My wife ordered the sea bass, which tasted very good - crunchy on the top and buttery/flaky. Â Very yummy. Â
I ordered the lamb osso bucco at the recommendation of the waitress. Â One small hiccup as it came out a bit cold. Â I sent it back (which I don't normally ever do) and they addressed it very quickly and must have apologized 5 times, which I appreciated. Â The lamb was extremely tender and fell of the bone. Â Combined with the gorgonzola polenta, the entree was a hit! Â Highly recommended! Â The broccoli rabe was OK, but I'm not generally a broccoli rabe fan.
For dessert, we wrapped it up with some strawberries and blueberries and cream (forget the exact name).
Service was a bit above average, waitress was very nice. Â Waitstaff was not overly attentive.
Overall, Esca hit on the main requirements. Â Excellent decor, great food, above average service. Â Would definitely go back again!
Went to Esca last week after having driven by it a few times, and thinking it looked interesting. I had read other reviews here regarding it, and decided to go and form my own opinion.
Me and the boyfriend went on a Monday night after discovering that Eli Cannon's was closed (okay, we were eventually going to go to Esca anyway, it just happened sooner than anticipated). We sat at the bar, because we always do, and were attending to pretty well, although I will say our bartender (male) paid a lot more attention to my boyfriend than he did to me. I'm not sure if this is because he assumed my boyfriend was paying, or what, but I found that to be a stitch annoying. Anyway...
The boyfriend and I both work in the industry, so we're pretty accustomed to drinking good wine. For a wine bar, their wine list is pretty amazing- it's definitely extensive. We ordered a bottle, which the bartender brought over and right before opening informed us that Monday nights all bottles are half off-- I think it might have been more appropriate for us to know that information up front, after having taken literally about ten minutes to decide on a bottle (it's a big list!). Of course the discount influenced our choice, and we were able to actually afford two really nice wines.
The food. Here's where things got disappointing. With a really great wine list, the food should match, but it doesn't. We started with the antipasto misto which was good, but sort of flat. It needed zing of some sort, which might have been as easy as a little drizzle of a balsamic reduction, or a splash of a vinaigrette. We also had escargot over a carrot risotto. The escargot were absolutely tasteless (I was so disappointed...) and the carrot risotto really seemed an odd choice as an accompaniment. I know everyone does escargot with butter and garlic and bread, but there's a reason- it's good!
Because we weren't quite full, we also ordered the fried calamari. I was actually surprised at the large portion, and I thought it was pretty light and crispy, but not overcooked. I also got the seafood platter as a surprise for the boyfriend. The oysters and clams were delicious, the mussels were teeny tiny, but were cooked in a flavorful broth. The menu states that the dish comes with lobster tail meat poached in butter, but it was actually claw. Not too big of a deal, but sell what you advertise.
Overall, the ambiance and wine list are just lovely, but the food is a real let-down. If you go, go on a Monday night, take advantage of the wine discount, and order carefully. The menu sounds great, but the food falls short of the advertisement.
Walking into a new restaurant is always a risk...it's a first date. Will this go well? Will we speak the same culinary language? Will I leave satiated or starved?
Going to Esca was like visiting a trusted friend. It was what I expected with an element of surprise.  The wine list is impressive and I expected this, but the suprise was the lively well rounded rosé carmenere served by the glass, served by Sarah (sincerely friendly and genuinely sweet) at the bar. I treated myself to a bowl of their butternut squash soup, glistening and silky, balanced and a little sweet...tender morsels of duck confit flirting with my palette. Pure bliss... A round taste in a square bowl!
I also tried the app of goat cheese, summer fig, carmelized onions and arugula on flat bread. Goat cheese and fig are the Romeo and Juliet of taste combinations for me...timeless, sweet and tender! I think the only thing that could have made it better is if the flat bread were first grilled in butter... but I have a weakness for well used butter. Bravo, Esca! I look forward to visiting again and exploring more of their menu in the future.
I have been to this restaurant twice. The first time was for appetizers and drinks with my sister. My mussels were OK, nothing great, and her pasta with mushrooms tasted so-so but looked awful, like a black mess with no garnish. I decided to give it one more try, with a group of 5 for dinner. All of us thought our meals were just passable - certainly not what I would expect considering the price. On the other hand, the service was good, the outdoor dining was fun though noisy, and the interior decor is lovely. None of that makes up for bad food though....
Review Source:The atmosphere is nice and the wine selection is amazing, but these two things do not make a restaurant good if the food is terrible.
I ordered the lobster fettuccine alfredo, which for $22 had neither a noticeable amount of lobster nor a large amount of fettuccine. The kicker with this dish however, was 1/2-1 cup of chopped sundried tomatoes, which drowned out the taste of anything else. I wouldn't have paid $5 for this dish if I knew ahead of time what it was going to be like.
The rabbit was amazing! The champagne cake is my absolute favorite dessert now too. Michael the wine steward is great for a chat. Fiance loved his rack of lamb. Can't wait to try either of the osso buco dishes. Not going to lie... the grilled calamari sat too long and wasn't great, and as for the grilled flat bread, we were told when the calamari came out it was no longer available. Later, I informed the waiter this where he can sneak in an up-sale and should have told us earlier so we could have made another selection. Dinners came out flawlessly, we had an awesome table upstairs overlooking the first floor bar.
Review Source:
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