While taking a ride yesterday My husband and I happened upon this sweet little stone house surrounded by beautiful pots of summer flowers and water views......oh it was beautiful.
 It was early in the day and the place was closed and as I peaked in the window I decided that; that was where we would eat that evening!
I called and  left a message for  a reservation for that evening; when we arrived it was busy and the girls in front were friendly and sweet.
We made a reservation for the bar as we were not sure how the prices would be.
We were seated immediately and greeted by a lovely waitress.
I ordered scallops and my husband ordered a burger and we enjoyed every morsel.
The vibe in the place was young and friendly and happy; when I say young there were a good number of older people along with young people -but the vibe was young and carefree!!!
All seemed to be having a good time and we have already decided that next weekend we will be eating at the stonehouse again ; with another couple that we will be getting together with.
Thanks for a very nice dinner.
Cannot pretend to like anything at all about this place. Okay, the skirt steak was prepared nicely, rolled into a little tube and cooked to perfection, but, seriously, given a hot enough grill, who on planet earth can't pull that one off? When I was there last, the service was glacial, and the restrooms were insufferably filthy to the point that I complained to the staff (who at least apologized). I think the worst thing about The Stone House isn't the out of date menu, it's the wretched stuck-up clientele. People in Guilford are worse than an out of control yersinia pestis infection.
Review Source:We enjoyed a lovely dinner in the bar area on Saturday night. Â The place was packed and the earliest reservation we were offered was 8pm even though we called a day or two ahead. Â Patrons were mostly older folks - very different than the West Hartford dining scene (where I live and where my boyfriend, a Guilford native, lived for several years) even at some of the more upscale restaurants. Â As 30 something year-old's, we were among the youngest people there.
The bar scene was lively and energetic without being obnoxious and loud. Â We sat at a high table close to the bar. Â I get the whole thing about mood lighting, but the place was much too dim. Â I could barely read the menu and my boyfriend stated that he could barely see my face. Â Thankfully, that was about only complaint we had. Â The food was good, the ambience as a whole was nice, our server was competent. Â
My boyfriend had a nice glass of Malbec while I enjoyed an Allagash White that reminded me of why I order this beer whenever I can (proud Mainer over here). Â We shared the clams casino, he ordered the Kobe Burger, and I got the Seared Rare Tuna Sandwich. Â Everything was great. Â I recently had tuna in a similar preparation while on vacation and was slightly worried that I would be setting myself up for disappointment by ordering this but it was not the case at all. Â I would definitely come back for this! Â In fact, it was so good that I finished my leftovers at midnight.
I went to the Stone House for my birthday dinner. Â It appeared nice and I have eaten in the bar before once and had a great meal and service for lunch. Â We arrived on time for our 630 reservation and waited 10 minutes for anyone to seat us. Â Lots of lookers but no one came to help us. Â We ordered drinks from the bar that took at least 15 minutes to arrive at our table. Â The table was wobbly we had to ask someone to fix it. Â We ordered the main course and the salads were good. Â We would have tried dessert but after waiting for the server to take our order he announced that they did not have my selection for dessert, Â after another 10 minutes, he came back for my new selection and my husbands order. Â As my husband ordered his selection he kind of cringed . Â Apparently they didn't have that dessert either. Â We canceled my dessert and asked for the check. Â The service in the main dining room is inept. Could be on the top list for worst. Â Funny thing is they all don't seem to care. Â Have lunch in the bar, skip the rest.
Review Source:This review is for an event that I held (my wedding reception) at the Stone House a few weeks ago. Â We reserved the two back rooms of the restaurant for five hours and I can honestly say everything was WONDERFUL! Â And the price was extremely reasonable. Â I was a little concerned beforehand because I was not able to taste any of the items I picked for hors d'oevres, appetizers, etc, but all the food was incredible. Â Really - I was impressed! Â
The first hour of our reception was a cocktail hour and the staff put together some pre-made martinis as well as a full open bar for my guests. Â The martinis were so good - albeit a bit strong - I had to cut myself off after one. Â But all our guests were impressed with the drinks and with the food during the cocktail hour, as well as throughout the dinner.
Besides the wonderful food, the service was extremely friendly and attentive. Â The rooms were decorated beautifully with candles and the staff allowed us to bring in some additional decorations and music. Â Everyone just seemed like they wanted us to have the best experience possible - which we did. Â There was not a single thing I would change. Â If you are thinking about having your event at the Stone House, I would overwhelmingly recommend it. Â They really helped us make our wedding perfect!
We went as a family to use a gift certificate. We were seated right away last Sunday - and the restaurant felt as if we were in a freezer! Really - like 10 below zero. Luckily we all had jackets out in the car!
The waiter ignored us for 15 minutes until my husband shouted _" excuse me- we would love some water and the wine list!!!"
The wine list is great - and we ordered a 2009 Burgundy . The stem wear needs up dating , i would have loved a nice large wine glass.
We had the veal, and the bouillabaisse and the ribs - everything was great. The ribs are a dry rub - but very tasty.
We would have stayed for dessert but we had sat there for so so long waiting for service and for our drinks and then again for our meals - that we could not stand being in there one more minute!!
OH!! Â We ordered the stuffed clams- GROSS!! DO NOT ORDER THESE.
The clam itself was intact in the shell , with some stuffing on top. I will add the appetizing picture!!
Not a bad Restaurant but needs updating and they need to retrain the waitstaff!!
We forgot to use our gift certif - so we have to go back! We would order the bouillabaisse again and split it!!!
Took 12 minutes from being seated to having our server arrive. Â Sorry but that's a lifetime when you're with inlaws. Â Â Told us they were out of the veal as we ordered it rather than early on. Â That said , food was solid across the board. Â Try to train your staff to connect the guests to the establishment, the history, Â the specials, what makes it unique etc. Â and then this may be worth the prices.
Review Source:I've been going to the stone house for years and it really is consistently good food with a nice atmosphere. Â I've eaten in both the dining room and bar but now only opt for the bar- it's just more fun and relaxed, plus they have a great bar menu. It's really nice to go to in the summer because of the beautiful views of the water and boats but it's also great in the winter, especially with the wood fireplace located in the center of the bar. Â My favorites: fried scallops are to die for and the ahi tuna with sesame noodles (it's an appetizer on the dinner menu but they have never given me hard time with ordering it in the bar and for lunch) is fresh and tasty. Â I'd definintely recommend this to anyone for a great meal by the water.
Review Source:After having some people recommend this place, we headed down there for dinner. Â Its a nice place.
But once we started looking at the menu, we were a bit disappointed. Â First it looks like the menu is pulled from 1980 and trying to be upscale. Â It just was not very up to date. Â And don't even get me started on the kids menu. Â What a joke. Â 4 items for kids to choose from....Hot Dog, Grilled Cheese, Chicken Fingers, and plain pasta. Â Are you kidding me? Â (negative points just for that right there). Â And way way overpriced.
I will say though that what we ordered, was excellent. Â The food was really good. Â Had the veal and tuna dishes. Â Both were excellent. Â Ended up with crab cakes for the kids and they chowed them down.
Service was another low point for us. Â He took our order and I think we may have gotten 1 refills of drinks (at the end of our meal). Â just bad.
Not sure we will be back here soon.
COmpletely agree with the last below comments-we were somewhat frequent patrons of the bar area and love the little stonehouse for post-beach lunch. We showed up at stonehouse for the living social "brunch" at  11 thinking that was safe for "brunch" since times were posted no where on their website and a brunch menu could not be found anywhere! A waiter we asked didn't even know what time they opened and had to go inside to check for us. We waited an hour and returned at noon. We had the same experience as posted below.
We live very close by and usually try to stay local for restaurants and have been loving the living social or groupons that involve guilford merchants. After Ballou's was closed due to electrical issues and we could not use the groupon on a planned night-they honored it 1 month past its expiration without hesitation!
But unfortunately, the Stone House was not as accommodating to its customers has now lost a local patron.
Pathetic customer service! Â First the website had no times for lunch or dinner, I called as well and was given "we are open for lunch and dinner"recording again with no times. Â We showed up for "brunch" that is what we paid for with the Living Social coupon. Â So what if it is the last Sunday that the coupon is valid (that is why there in a beginning date and an end) Patrons should not get attitude from the owner's wife about this. Â Don't promote on Living Social then. Â Could it be that maybe you made some money here??
Brunch- hardly. Â Except for the Living Social coupon no where was Brunch mentioned, not the website, not the phone message and not the menu!!
No one should have to take rudeness, attitude and poor treatment. Â I used to like the Stone House. Â We went there when my daughter graduated, we went there for Mother's Day and I contributed to the fund for the workers when they were unemployed following the hurricane.
I have visited the Stone House for the last time. Â There is a lot of competition out there and attitude matters.
Open for business after storm and flood induced hiatus. Â
Wow! Â Had a very tasty bouillabaise (fra diavlo). Â Nice seafood content (except my personal favorite, squid), consistency like the San Francisco docks (Fisherman's Wharf) selections. Â This was the real deal. Â Add an order of garlic toasts for west coast experience - not sure why it was not included. Â Waiter was helpful and attentive.
Some businesses still think they can afford to say "your money's no good here" in 2012. There are a lot of local restaurants that can only wish they had the following "problem."
I just witnessed the pinnacle of bad customer service: on the last valid day of a Living Social deal, The Stone House was mobbed with brunch customers lining up to redeem their coupons. There were at least 100 people on the front lawn. The doors open at noon but the line barely moves, with folks (including many elderly) baking in the hot sun and 86-degree heat. After about 15 minutes, a staff member came outside and criticized everyone for procrastinating, basically telling us "it's your own fault," and said everyone without reservations will be turned away. As usual, it's not what you say, but how you say it; the tone of the announcement was so passive-aggressive and condescending, just dripping with resentment. A humble approach would have been so much more effective while still conveying the same underlying message. A real disappointment on all levels.
After perusing other Yelp reviews, it sounds like there's a pattern of difficulty handling high-volume scenarios such as this one (and holidays). Also - NOTHING on the website pertaining to brunch. Zero information. Nobody answering the phones until noon. Facebook page covered in cobwebs. These aren't heavy lifts, and they yield big returns. Get someone doing your PR!
Tom and I decided to have brunch today after I got up from my "nap" this morning--and what a beautiful day for it! The Stone House is in a great location, so we were hoping that the quality of the food was on par with the view.
For starters, I had a French cheese plate with a few sliced apples, crackers and a strawberry, all nicely presented. The plate came with four different types of cheeses, but unfortunately no explanation as to what the selection was. Tom had sliced tomato and mozzarella with drizzled basil oil over the top--his appetizer looked great, he appreciated the shaved parmesan that was atop the dish as well. For our meal, I had the French sausage and brie omelet, which came with potatoes and a small salad--I've never had French sausage, which I would describe as a thick salami almost, but the omelet itself was a nice portion and the brie made it super creamy. Tom went with the marinated skirt steak with scrambled eggs and potatoes--steak portion was small unfortunately but had a nice flavor to it, eggs were good and the potatoes were ok. For dessert, we both went with vanilla ice cream, served in a martini glass--2 small scoops but a nice finish to our meal.
Overall, we had a nice brunch but nothing to rush back down there for--we prefer the laid-back buffet style brunches. The staff was pleasant, but maybe slightly overwhelmed, as there were two private parties going on in the restaurant at the same time along with the brunch crowd. I'd give this place another shot--I could definitely see us coming back down here for a drink and a small bite at the bar, while enjoying the nice weather.
Brought my wife to The Stone House for Mother's Day on Sunday. It was one of the few places that had seating , even making reservations a week earlier.  We arrived 10 minutes early for the 12:30 seating and were one of the first people to check in. It was a beautiful day and we were told that we could wait outside and they would  call us. Shortly thereafter people starting arriving and soon the line was out the door. We waited about 20 minutes while I reassured my wife that we would be seated shortly. We finally decided to get in line and made it to the hostess desk, where they apologized for the wait.  We waited another five minutes before finally being seated.
The place was packed and very noisy, but we made the best of it. The decor was nice and there was a partial view of the water. Â They took our drink order and brought us some bread. The brunch menu didn't have any breakfast items, just dinner. Â You got an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert for $32. Â You had a choice from each of the categories. Â About 15 minutes later they took our order. Â
For an appetizer, I had pecan crusted tuna in a citrus ginger sauce which was really good. Â It was a small portion, but I figured it was an appetizer. My wife had tomato with mozzarella and basil, which was good albeit, only one slice of tomato.
The next was a garden salad with approximately one cup of lettuce, one small slice of cucumber and tomato. Â It was tasty, but the small portion didn't quite do it.
They then served the main entree. I had the NY strip steak, which was on the small side. When I looked up and saw my wife's meal, my mouth hit the table! She had a piece of chicken stuffed with, what we think was artichoke. Â It was so small you couldn't really tell. Â If you took a chicken breast and cut it into three pieces and them took the end piece and over cooked it to the point where it was hard...well you get the picture! Â My wife actually left some of it because it was do dried out. I encouraged her to send it back, but she didn't want to bother. My steak was tough and tasteless.
While we waited for dessert, we reviewed our meal to that point, and felt that the meal might be redeemed with dessert since the appetizers and salad were good, albeit small portions. Â Our waiter was attentive and made sure we were taken care of. Â Our Tiramisu finally arrived in martini glasses, and while very good, was about 1/8 of a cup in size!
We finished our coffee and dessert and waited a while before getting our check. My wife excused herself to visit the restroom and said she'd meet me outside. I continued to wait for our waiter to pickup our check and payment, to no avail. By this point my wife was already outside waiting for me. About 10 minutes later I was finally walking out the door. In my opinion, you can have the best meal and best service, but it you're made to wait endlessly for your check, it ruins the whole experience.
After talking about our experience, we remembered that we had visited The Stone House years earlier for one of our anniversaries. We both remembered leaving hungry!
The tab came to over $100. While we were eating, we noticed a number of people going to/from the restaurant across the street. Â They were dressed casually and all came out with smiles on their faces. Â We recommend going somewhere where you will get a good meal for a decent price, in a relaxed and less "stuffy" atmosphere.
Went there for brunch yesterday for the first time. The restaurant has a very relaxed atmosphere with great water views. The brunch was a list of about 10 appetizers, 8-10 entrees and 3 desserts. You pick 1 of each . The fried oysters were Delicious, but they only give you 6-7 oysters. I had a crab and avocado salad for my entree. It was the size of an ice cream scoop, and about 7 pieces of lettuce...tasted great, but I ate this in 30 seconds. Another entree served at my table were the fish n chips. 1 small strip of fish, and a handful of fries.
Most of the food was good, but nothing that would blow your socks off. Two of us used a living social coupon that cost $18 for the two of us, otherwise the cost is $19 per person. The waiter was very good, but the waitstaff was a little overwhelmed, which caused service to be slow....so.... 4 people, 4 brunches, 4 drinks(very good), 1 soda and 2 coffees came to $79 plus the tip. With the coupon, it was worth it, without the coupon, I would have been disappointed. Next time, I'll try the lunch or maybe a dinner, and add to this review.
This is my second time eating here and first time reviewing.
I wish I had read the views before coming back.
The only positive note of my experience was our server...attentive, informative and respectful.
Our food was lousy...Scallops, Swordfish and Tuna were all decent at best but not for $30 a plate. Â Drinks were cold but took too long to get. Â Appetizers were ok, should of had those and drinks and left.
I wasn't a fan and more than likely will not be back.
In a word: disappointing.
From the moment we walked in to Stone House, our service was lousy. On a not-very-crowded Saturday evening in late June, the hostess, who stood with her back to us for over a minute after we walked in, told us that the bar area (where we wanted to sit) was full (it wasn't) and that the only table she had was next to the kitchen. Only slightly disappointed, we took the table in the dining room, to which we were shown without a word from our increasingly rude hostess. She basically tossed menus on the table, muttered something about specials that we couldn't make out, and walked away. After a long wait in a half full dining room, our waiter took our drink order (two simple mixed drinks), which took another 10 minutes to get to us. When the waiter came back to ask if we were ready to order, we asked for the stuffed clam appetizer, but informed him that we would not be staying for dinner- we were already too turned off by the poor service to be in the mood for the overpriced entrees. From that point forward, our waiter did not make eye contact with either of us- he even walked off before we could finish the phrase "thank you" when he delivered the check. The bus boy delivered great service, but he was the only one. The clams were okay- probably worth the $10 we paid for them, and the food walking by us looked good, but we weren't willing to spend another 2 hours being ignored in order to taste it. We wound up at Eli's On The Hill in Branford- we found the bar atmosphere we had been looking for, great food, and fast friendly service. Skip The Stonehouse if you feel like enjoying the rest of your evening.
The main dining room is a little stuffy. Â The older crowd seems to like it quite a bit, but I find their seafood preparations mostly unexciting and overpriced. Â It's main competition in Guilford is the Whitfield Restaurant on the Green, and you should probably take your date there if you want to impress her (but don't feel like taking her all the way to New Haven...).
The bar area, on the other hand, is much more casual, serves the full dining room menu plus the more reasonably priced bar menu (burgers, fish sandwiches, lobster quesadilla, you get the picture), and draws a more 40-ish, less geriatric, crowd.
Neither one is a place I yearn to go to on a regular basis, but the bar area is, at least, worth the price.
I really enjoy this place and I have eaten there several times. Â Great atmosphere, very relaxing and it's on the water in the very lovely town of Guilford, CT.
The people are nice and the food is very good and reasonably priced. Â I always eat in the bar which affords a very nice view of the ocean.
We ordered the Crab-Avocado Roll and a Vegetarian Roll with Hoisin Vinaigrette and Wasabi for an appetizer, and it was not particularly very good. Lots of rice overpowering the flavor of the non-rice ingredients.
For dinner, I had the Pan Roasted Red Snapper, Spinach Gnocchi on Spinach, and it was just alright. While the fish was okay, the gnocchi was not particularly good. My dining companion had Seared Shrimp and Angel Hair Pasta, Sun Dried Tomato Romanesco Sauce and White Truffle Oil, and that was decent, but nothing particularly special.
For dessert, we had a chocolate raspberry tart that was pretty good, and our waitress made me a cappuccino with Bailey's and Frangelico that wasn't bad. Overall, though, it was meh.
Not inexpenisve for what they serve, but they have a sandwich/light meal place next door that's really nice in the summer.
We tried to go there a few times recently and the bar area was packed with no available tables, the restaurent area was nearly vacent! What does that tell you? well that the bar area is cozy and nice and could be expanded...
We came here on a Saturday night for my boyfriend's birthday. Â He wanted seafood and this place was recommended by friends from work.
I had the lobster martini and it had plenty of lobster... almost too much lobster... with not enough accessories to make the flavor pop. Â I also had the seared salmon which I found boring but well prepared.
We probably will say once was enough for this place as it was so loud and full of people who look like they would have tried to model for the J. Crew catalog if they weren't so old and gross.
For what we paid, the food and the service should have been much better than it was. I had the crab-stuffed cod and was pretty unimpressed. It had no flavor and was tough. We came over to this restaurant after escaping from The Mooring across the street .... so I will say - it was much better than that disaster, but I wouldn't return. If we're paying over $100.00 for a meal (especially in this economy), I expect much better.
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