Best Contemporary American Restaurants in Fairfield

Really happy to have found this place. The four of us got seated right on our reservation time which is always a good thing. Cocktails were very reasonably priced. $12 for a great old fashioned and $13 for specialty drinks. We had the Don Draper (classic OF), and the Walking with Spiders and some cool wines we liked. Also reasonable. Appetizers were the newly added frito miso with large prawns and the "corn ribs". Really great presentations. Half of us opted for the bucket of chicken which is presented nicely with lots of fun add-ons and also had the prime Smash burger and the fresh salmon. Again no sticker shock on the prices. Get the chocolate mousse after. They also offer boozy milkshakes. The ambiance is a small restaurant and bar vibe with great service. When they want a vibe change they turn on their vinyl stereo system. They are obviously into curating the experience. Well done.

All excellent but I have to say that $45 for a small piece of elegantly presented halibut felt very expensive.

Went to meet my longtime friend at Terrain in Westport Connecticut today. Upon entering, I thought I was walking into a terrarium of sorts. I didn’t even realize it was a restaurant.  walking past the beautiful decorations I saw lots of smiling faces; waiters and patrons.  I sat down and was offered a drink right away. The menu was clean and elegantly designed. I liked how it was not overwhelming, but still had a nice range of options. The prices were great considering how lavish the decor was. I don’t think there was anything over $30 But the average I would say was $15. My friend ordered the grilled cheese and I got a medium well burger with aïoli dressing, bacon on top and a side of fries. I was really impressed with the quality of the meat combined with the juiciness of the burger. You never know what you’re gonna get when you Order medium well. The waiters were always on hand and ready to serve, but never gave us the feeling they were trying to rush us out. But we were there after the lunch rush so I don’t know what it’s like during the busiest times. Couple of lattes and we were ready to go. Was excited to explore the other areas of the place. I felt like I was at the botanical gardens with a restaurant growing out of it. It would be a great place to eat when the weather would allow outdoor seating.  Besides our kind waitress, a hostess by the name of Teresa, came by to check on us. She appeared to be a nature-loving enthusiast with an artistic bent. She turned me on to a Portuguese author whom I’m interested in reading. Overall, my friend and I had a great time and now planning on returning the last Thursday of this month. There’s a lot more to experience there not only in food, but in shopping. I could easily drop $1000 at the store, considering all the unique things on display. No hesitation, offering up five stars for Terrain ! After you check it out, send me your comments. Would love to hear from you. @HEARTmyMIND

About 5 years ago, we first visited Cottage. We hadn’t been back simply because it was so noisy you couldn’t have a conversation. We don’t tecall what day of the eeek we were there. We were delighted in our visit today,Sunday, as the music was not too loud and diners did not have to shout to be heard across the table. The soft lighting was perfect and the service was terrific. The food was so good, we’ve decided to return sometime soon!

My wife and I had a lovely evening dining at South Bay for the first time. The food and drinks were outstanding, and the place has a fun vibe; upscale enough for a special occasion (there was a birthday, a first date, and parents visiting their college student around us) but relaxed enough for a spontaneous night out like ours was. We will definitely be back, with friends!