🍸 Avon Gets new Restaurant

Good Morning Nutmegger!

Today and tomorrow are going to be a wet one.

We're talking rain and thunderstorms pretty much all day Tuesday and all of Wednesday.

But even with that going on, I still have an amazing list of things to do in the middle of the week to help stave off boredom.

We are about to lock up our second sponsor so look out for that and I have a question for you as you scroll down, please be sure to answer it as it will help make this digital publication better and better!

Anyways, let’s get into the fun…

In today’s edition of The Hartford Pour, we’ll get into:

— Chris M.
Local Whiskey Nerd, Husband, Dad, Entrepreneur (Fun fact: I used to be an IPA beer snob, and technically I still am, but nowadays, whiskey is my jam)

I want to learn more about you!

So, I’m planning the next series of posts and I want to make sure that they serve you and it would mean a lot if you took a few seconds to answer this poll: 

Thank you!

(You’ll see what I mean)

Now this place has mixed reviews online, so I tried it and wanted to give you an honest review.

When I say “mixed” reviews, I don’t mean all-out BAD reviews… because Haya Sushi gets a solid 4.3 out of 5 on Google Reviews.

But when I go to places like Feng Chophouse it can sometimes be hard to compare.

However, Haya Sushi lives up to the hype.

The sushi is downright delicious.

I tend to only mess with the “cooked” stuff when it comes to sushi, but I experiment with sashimi every now and then, too.

Regardless, I would definitely recommend them, but there are a couple things that I wish they did better.

First, the outside surroundings walking into the restaurant leave a lot to be desired. As a result, I feel people are a bit turned off before walking in. (IF they walk in)

With that said, if you are going to miss on anything, I’d rather it be the exterior decor rather than the food.

Second, the interior looks too much like a Denny’s. And that is appropriate because before it was Haya, it was a Denny’s.

So, not much has been changed on the inside from a layout standpoint.

But with the couple of negatives, the food is what holds this place up. Everything from the Crab Rangoons, to the sesame chicken, and Dragon Rolls are scrum-didily-uptious. (gotta check my spelling on that one)

Even the ginger and wasabi are on-point.

I would say, give this place a try instead and let them know “The Hartford Pour” sent you.

Check out the reviews on Haya Sushi and let me know what you think!

(Can’t wait to check it out!)

Since I live in Bloomfield, I find myself in the Avon/Canton area often.

The restaurant scene isn’t bad in that area by any means, but it’s nice to see a brand new brewery pop up!

With over 15 beers on tap, ranging from pilsners, IPAs, and stouts, I will be in heaven when I visit there later this week.

I’ll give you a fuller update next week on this place, but you can see from the menu in the image above that they have a Wagyu Hotdog… (a what???) Yeah, that is the first thing I’m going to try.

Some of my favorite things about Back East, Thomas Hooker, and Connecticut Valley, are the atmosphere and ambiance of the restaurant themselves.

Progression Brewery is a craft brewery from Massachusetts that JUST moved to CT and opened on July 17th.

They plan on having tastings, trivia nights, and live music.

Have you been there? If so let me know what I should get!

You can check them out here.

Since this is a brand new place. There aren't many reviews of them online yet, so this link goes to their Massachusetts location.

However, trust me, they are there, and the address is 300 West Main Street in Avon

They are open Wednesday and Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., and then Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

(Let’s cure your mid-week woes!)

Surprisingly, we are a few issues in, and we haven't even mentioned Elicit Brewing Company.

Well, that changes today because at 6:30pm tonight, Elicit Brewing is hosting their social dining and drink meet up on their outdoor patio in Manchester.

Elicit has one of the best full cocktail menus that I think I've ever seen, and it includes wine, house-brewed craft beers, and they always have food trucks with plenty of food options.

If you are not near Manchester and find yourself in West Hartford, Blue Back Square is doing something pretty amazing as well.

Be sure to check out the wine bar in the kitchen, which allows you to build your own 1 oz., 3 oz., or even 6 oz. wine flight across 80 different wines that they have available.

Yes, I did say 80, which is pretty insane

I’m always a sucker for a fun jazz band and Black-Eyed Sally’s delivers again.

They have a special feature called “Jazz Wednesday” where they feature a different artist and this week it’s Harvel Nakundi.

Now in case you didn’t know, Harvel is a talented drummer and producer living in Miami, but is making his way to Hartford.

Check him out on YouTube, there are some videos of him playing and it’s the classic jazz drummer that is very expressive and free.

The concert gets started at 7pm in downtown Hartford and it’s free. Can’t get better than that.

Black-Eyed Sally’s has a decent bar as well, so be sure to get a nice drink and mellow out to some smooth jazz.

Check out more of the details HERE.

We absolutely have to take advantage of the weather the way it is right now, because we're all going to be complaining about how cold it is in about two and a half months.

And there isn't a better way to do that than enjoying a concert out in the park.

The place to be on Thursday, July 30th is definitely the Great River Park Amphitheater located in East Hartford.

It's from 6:00 to 8:00. It's also free, but it's a riverfront outdoor concert featuring the Soul Sound Revue, which is a seven-piece modern soul and Motown-style vibe band.

Now it is supposed to rain on Wednesday, so chances are it's going to be moved to their rain venue, which is the East Hartford Community Cultural Center.

You're still going to be able to see the music concert regardless of if the weather cooperates or not.

Check out some of the other offerings here, just select the date

Do you know of an AWESOME restaurant or bar? Or something not included in this email you’d like to see?

REPLY to this email and let me know!