This week, I was invited to attend a food tasting at Harlan Social in Stamford. Harlan Social is located in the Harbor Point section of Stamford, about a 15 minute walk from the train station and downtown. Chef Stephen Lewandowski opened Harlan Social in August of 2012 and named the gastropub after his son, Harlan. He now has three restaurants in the area, Harlan Public (in Norwalk) and Harlan Haus (in Bridgeport).
The last meal I had at Harlan Social was about two years ago, and I’m impressed with how the menu had a nice balance of new dishes and some old favorites, too. There is a large outdoor seating area. The entire restaurant is bright with tons of windwos throughout. Also, they have a reverse happy hour on the weekends from 9pm-close with great drink specials.
Three things to try at Harlan Social:
- The Red Tail
This cocktail is a complete game-changer. I can’t remember the last time I deviated from my usual glass of wine. This drink is made with peppered vodka, Thai chili, and passion-fruit purée. Each sip was heavenly- a bit of a kick followed by sweet, fruity flavors. In the last 24-hours, I’ve promised a half-dozen friends that we will be visiting Harlan Social exclusively for this cocktail.
2. Harlan Chips
This dish was recently put back on the menu. Crispy kettle chips topped with blue cheese and the thickest chunks of bacon I’ve ever seen. As most of you know, I stick to a dairy-free diet. The Harlan Chips were that irresistable that I even had a few.
3. Shellfish Bouillabaisse
This dish has me all sorts of excited for our trip to France at the end of the month. The broth was so flavorful! Similar situation as the one I mentioned above. I simply could not resist!
A big thank-you to Samantha and Christine from Catapult Marketing and Christine from @tallappetite for extending the invite to such a fun evening. Everyone who works at Harlan Social, you are top-notch! Our server, Kyah, was absolutely wonderful.
