Materia - BANTAM

We had always heard great things about Materia, so my fiancé and I visited to celebrate one year until we’re married! The dining room was very chic, and the staff was all very professional and attentive. We had an amazing caprese salad to start with some of the best bufala mozzarella we’ve ever had, and then chose two dishes from the primi section. Truthfully we did intend these both to be our main meals, but decided to split the beef tenderloin special afterwards as we didn’t quite realize how small the portions were. Now that we know, we’ll make sure to order differently next time with less sharing and not being afraid to order multiple dishes as different courses. The flavors of the food really impressed us, and everything was very high-quality, including the desserts. I was grateful that we made a reservation because the dining room capacity is on the smaller side, and there was an influx of people between 7-8pm. We were so impressed by the food that we hope to come back after we’re married to celebrate our anniversaries or other special occasions. It’s easy to see why they won the award for best new restaurant from the Connecticut Restaurant Association in 2022!

I personally never leave reviews, although I felt it was warranted for my experience here. To be clear, the service and staff members’ knowledge was excellent. They all made my evening very enjoyable, especially Gio our server. There’s no doubt the chef and kitchen staff are extremely talented. The food was wonderful, but personally could have been better. The portions were to be expected, no issues there. I also must take into account I visited during a busy fixed menu night. We were only able to access a limited range of their culinary talents. That being said, some of the dishes were a tad outdated and left more to be desired. While other dishes were confused and incohesive. They lacked the synergy and spirit I look for in food prepared by establishments of this caliber. Each dishes components weren't as complimentary to each other as they could have been. Dull and not very interesting. Possibly forsomeone who doesn’t frequently have meals of this distinction, the food could have been more stimulating and exciting to them. They clearly have many solid reviews, one of the reasons I decided to visit.I don’t like to refer back to prices, but for the meal we were given there is far better within CT or especially NYC. There was no issue with the actual price, however the caliber of food just didn’t match. For reference, two fixed menu meals, a bottle of Nebbiolo, two cocktails, tax tip was within a rounding error of $450.00. The experience for my guest and I was unimpressive. Again it truly was good food, extraordinary service, and a wonderful wine menu. However, the overall evening could be summed up as slightly above average fine dining. The vast majority of reviews seem exaggerated. Overall worth giving a try!

Got there late, but were warmly received and served. Great staff and food. Beautiful location.

Had the most wonderful dinner experience at Materia last night. Essentially we went as we had been made aware that our favorite mixologist, Orlando (formerly of the Mayflower Inn) was now behind their bar. From beginning to end, we could not have had a better evening. Host was helpful, no one minded we wanted to spend some time at the bar before our meal so we would see Orlando. We were greeted with such warmth and Orlando even remembered our favorite champagne, and had it ready for us! After spending some time catching up, we went to dinner Dining room is gorgeous, quiet and soft music in the background. Menu was terrific, hard to decide what to get. Ultimately we enjoyed perfectly grilled calamari and octopus for starters and Monkfish and linguine with clams. Everything was fantastic. Service was attentive and polite. All in all, one of the best dining experiences we had all year!!! Can’t wait for our next trip!

Sit at the bar, order the Cynar sour, then the vongole with a glass of Grillo, and chat with Orlando the bartender. You’ll have a great night! I’d give it 5 stars if they had more interesting and unexpected dessert options. They only offer the usual suspects, and even though they are expertly prepared—the options are so predictable and common.