Reviewed By A Galpal - Ten Twenty Post Oyster Bar-Bistro
Monday, October 27, 2008
Below you'll find SuzySaid Darien's very first galpal review of Ten Twenty Post, the newest restaurant in town.
Here's what loyal subscriber Sarah had to say:
This fantastic brand new restaurant offers simple & fresh straightforward seafood and comfort food in a cozy old world setting. The décor spares no detail with dark oak posts and paneling and big soft red leather booths, coffered ceilings and low lighting reminiscent of a Parisian brasserie. There are three distinct seating areas: a high table in the center of the front dining room which nicely separates the bar area from the formal dining room and creates an interesting contour to the large front room, the formal dining room surrounding the bar and high table, and a smaller dining area in the back of the restaurant open to the kitchen.
The bathrooms are clean, chic and playful with efficient use of space and high end hardware.
There is a daily selection of east and west coast oysters for $2.75/piece. The appetizers, seafood starters and salads range from $10 - $20 (except for the large seafood platters which are $40 or $75 for an enormous 2-tier presentation of fresh delicacies from the sea) and the entrées from $21 - $30.
Desserts range from $3 to $8 and can be purchased 4 for $21. The menu is bifurcated with seafood and appetizers on the left and bistro selections on the right.
The selections range from the traditional to new and creative. Our meal started out with Kumamoto oysters, baked tomato and three-cheese fondue with crostini, and mussels with spicy tomato sauce. The oysters were incredibly fresh served with three home-made sauces (all of the sauces at the restaurant are made fresh on premise), the delicious fondue was creamy and rich with three cheeses melted in the center of a pool of baked tomato sauce. The mussels, also very fresh and cooked to perfection (with no detectible grittiness) were in a thin tomato broth with just a hint of pepper – more delicate than a Diablo but tasty and left our taste buds ready for the main course.
Our entrees were roast duck confit with root vegetable hash, and braised short ribs with mashed potato and natural jus, and a side order of spinach sauté. The duck is served as two substantial duck legs with an herbed coating, cooked through yet moist and flavorful. The root hash complimented the duck very well and was a welcome departure from the standard potato or other starchy side. The short ribs were extremely tender to the point where they could be cut with the side of your fork and served with a rich beef gravy and gently mashed (not completely pureed) potato. The spinach side was fresh, not the least bit bitter and served simply with just enough butter so as to let the fresh spinach flavor stand out – this simple side was tasty and remarkably refreshing. Entrée portions are generous but not wasteful, with fewer appetizers we might have finished our entrees, but we chose to sample more appetizers and take home a doggie bag. Next time we look forward to having something from their "Simply Fish" section which offers a variety of fish with your choice of preparation – Grilled or Pan seared and served with french fries and haricot-verts.
For our final course we chose "a bite of crème brulee" and "a scoop of mint chocolate chip iced cream with a brownie sundae". The deserts are smaller than those served at most restaurants, but more than enough to satisfy your sweet tooth after a hearty dinner and at a very reasonable price without the intimidation of finishing an over-sized portion. The selection of after dinner drinks goes well beyond the cognacs, ports, scotches and dessert wines on the dessert menu to the exhaustive selection behind the bar.
The service was on all counts delightful and more than adequate. The waiters were polite, attentive and extremely knowledgeable of the menu, ingredients and preparations. All wait staff wear blue jeans, white collar button-down shirts and brown aprons which underscores the casual elegance surrounding every aspect of the restaurant.
The restaurant is family friendly with high-chairs on hand (a family with an 8-month baby was eating a few tables over) and a reasonable noise level throughout, but if you are looking for a quieter conversational environment just ask for a table in the back. There is a very active bar scene complete with flat screen televisions, plenty of seating for those who wish to dine and an extensive menu with something for everyone. We look forward to returning soon to taste more of the menu selections and enjoy the lively atmosphere.
Ten Twenty Post is the new hot spot in Fairfield County for those who appreciate fine food, libation and fun. Be sure to make a reservation if you wish to dine as the word is spreading fast and the restaurant books days in advance of weekend nights.
Ten Twenty Post Oyster Bar-Bistro
1020 Post Road
Darien
655-1020
Here's what loyal subscriber Sarah had to say:
This fantastic brand new restaurant offers simple & fresh straightforward seafood and comfort food in a cozy old world setting. The décor spares no detail with dark oak posts and paneling and big soft red leather booths, coffered ceilings and low lighting reminiscent of a Parisian brasserie. There are three distinct seating areas: a high table in the center of the front dining room which nicely separates the bar area from the formal dining room and creates an interesting contour to the large front room, the formal dining room surrounding the bar and high table, and a smaller dining area in the back of the restaurant open to the kitchen.
The bathrooms are clean, chic and playful with efficient use of space and high end hardware.
There is a daily selection of east and west coast oysters for $2.75/piece. The appetizers, seafood starters and salads range from $10 - $20 (except for the large seafood platters which are $40 or $75 for an enormous 2-tier presentation of fresh delicacies from the sea) and the entrées from $21 - $30.
Desserts range from $3 to $8 and can be purchased 4 for $21. The menu is bifurcated with seafood and appetizers on the left and bistro selections on the right.
The selections range from the traditional to new and creative. Our meal started out with Kumamoto oysters, baked tomato and three-cheese fondue with crostini, and mussels with spicy tomato sauce. The oysters were incredibly fresh served with three home-made sauces (all of the sauces at the restaurant are made fresh on premise), the delicious fondue was creamy and rich with three cheeses melted in the center of a pool of baked tomato sauce. The mussels, also very fresh and cooked to perfection (with no detectible grittiness) were in a thin tomato broth with just a hint of pepper – more delicate than a Diablo but tasty and left our taste buds ready for the main course.
Our entrees were roast duck confit with root vegetable hash, and braised short ribs with mashed potato and natural jus, and a side order of spinach sauté. The duck is served as two substantial duck legs with an herbed coating, cooked through yet moist and flavorful. The root hash complimented the duck very well and was a welcome departure from the standard potato or other starchy side. The short ribs were extremely tender to the point where they could be cut with the side of your fork and served with a rich beef gravy and gently mashed (not completely pureed) potato. The spinach side was fresh, not the least bit bitter and served simply with just enough butter so as to let the fresh spinach flavor stand out – this simple side was tasty and remarkably refreshing. Entrée portions are generous but not wasteful, with fewer appetizers we might have finished our entrees, but we chose to sample more appetizers and take home a doggie bag. Next time we look forward to having something from their "Simply Fish" section which offers a variety of fish with your choice of preparation – Grilled or Pan seared and served with french fries and haricot-verts.
For our final course we chose "a bite of crème brulee" and "a scoop of mint chocolate chip iced cream with a brownie sundae". The deserts are smaller than those served at most restaurants, but more than enough to satisfy your sweet tooth after a hearty dinner and at a very reasonable price without the intimidation of finishing an over-sized portion. The selection of after dinner drinks goes well beyond the cognacs, ports, scotches and dessert wines on the dessert menu to the exhaustive selection behind the bar.
The service was on all counts delightful and more than adequate. The waiters were polite, attentive and extremely knowledgeable of the menu, ingredients and preparations. All wait staff wear blue jeans, white collar button-down shirts and brown aprons which underscores the casual elegance surrounding every aspect of the restaurant.
The restaurant is family friendly with high-chairs on hand (a family with an 8-month baby was eating a few tables over) and a reasonable noise level throughout, but if you are looking for a quieter conversational environment just ask for a table in the back. There is a very active bar scene complete with flat screen televisions, plenty of seating for those who wish to dine and an extensive menu with something for everyone. We look forward to returning soon to taste more of the menu selections and enjoy the lively atmosphere.
Ten Twenty Post is the new hot spot in Fairfield County for those who appreciate fine food, libation and fun. Be sure to make a reservation if you wish to dine as the word is spreading fast and the restaurant books days in advance of weekend nights.
Ten Twenty Post Oyster Bar-Bistro
1020 Post Road
Darien
655-1020
