Best Neighborhood Gem Restaurants in Brookfield

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!

This place is top rated for all the right reasons. The ambiance is beautiful and spacious, leaving enough room to have tables just the right distance apart to have private conversations. Our server was pleasant and gave a few suggestions on menu items to try. For appetizers we had the wedge salad and lamb meatballs. The wedge salad was good but had a little too much dressing for my liking. A little less goes a longer way. The lamb meatballs were fantastic. Perfectly crispy on the outside and a nice mixture of lamb, ricotta and other ingredients inside. I would recommend this. I saw a few other appetizer items that I wanted to try but wanted to leave room for my main course. For entree I had the striped bass. My spouse had the Delmonico steak. The fish was cooked well, had a nice crispy skin and flaky inside. We shared the Brussel sprouts to accompany our entree and neither of us loved it. It was slightly too charred for me, tasting more burnt than I’d like. It could’ve done with a tad less chili sauce. It needed more of a drizzle and less of a soaking. Overall though, the food and drinks were good. The general manager was very kind and gave us a gift card to return for a drink, as it was my husband’s birthday. Little things like this matter to me: great service, considerate staff, good food, beautiful ambiance. It all makes the experience more worthwhile. I look forward to dining at Prime again.

Go for the cacio et pepe pasta, prepared table side. Our group of 3 had pasta entrees after Caesar salad and tuna tartare. The carbonara was more pancetta than Rome's; get extra garlic for the linguini vongole. Stay for the zabaglione ---who else makes it. It's made tableside and just boozy enough. Nice and efficient staff; cozy and festive ambiance.

We love Cafe on the Green for gatherings with friends and families when we're in town (as we moved away from the area.) Owner Tracey Kydes goes out of his way to make everything right. His staff is hard working and friendly. Great food, food coupled with attentive service from the staff. Excellent team work from the front of the house back to the kitchen. Solid value prop and the dining room is spacious enough to enjoy conversation without it getting too loud. We visited on New Years Day 2025...very pleasant experience (as usual!)