Ms. Deproto does nice things with other seafood as well. Her Rhode Island calamari was one of the best renditions of the shoreline favorite I’ve tasted. The squid was exquisitely tender, and served with a duet of chipotle and lemon aiolis. (Be sure to eat the breaded lemon slice.) All the elements of her Portuguese seafood stew — mussels, clams, cod and tiny shrimp — were fresh and tender, though the tomato base lacked seasoning. We also enjoyed her shrimp tostada. The shrimp, marinated in cumin, crushed red chilies, lime and a smidgen of honey, topped a crisp tostada loaded with ripe avocado chunks, chick peas, arugula, cherry tomatoes and red bell pepper strips, the whole thing drizzled with chipotle aioli.

Finally, there was this:

With enormous portions and modest prices, Red Hen’s unpretentious interpretation of American bistro cuisine is a welcome addition in Old Saybrook. As one of my guests put it: “It’s home cooking the way you wish your mother could cook.”

Read the entire New York Times review here.

Info about one of the best restaurants in Old Saybrook

Red Hen Restaurant in located in downtown Old Saybrook at 286 Main Street. Reserve your table today by calling 860-388-8818. Or email us at dine@redhenrestaurant.com.

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We started with a heartwarming bowl of potato soup, laced with crispy cuts of applewood bacon and shreds of Parmesan cheese. It was good to the last drop. Deep-fried calamari arrived tossed with chopped cherry peppers and a whipped, lemony garlic aioli. We munched our way through every morsel.

Read the entire article Little touches help set The Red Hen apart.

Photo credit: Joan Gordon/For The Bulletin

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Red Hen Restaurant Old Saybrook was honored to be featured in the March 28th edition of the Hartford Courant:

While most of us are saying “enough already!” to this snowy winter, chef Shelley DeProto is looking forward to spring for another reason.

“I’m dying for spring,” says the chef/owner of the Red Hen Restaurant, which opened in November on Main Street in Old Saybrook. “I don’t want to see another roasted root vegetable. Kale and I are finished for the year,” she says, laughing.

As soon as spring vegetables meet her discerning standards, DeProto will begin to adapt her menu to the warmer weather. She has her sights set on the summer growing season with its promise of “tomatoes, corn and all of the wonderful things we can get.”

Starters such as arancini and Portuguese Fisherman’s Stew come from Mediterranean countries, but the chef also offers crisp shrimp dumplings, a roasted asparagus salad, and housemade fries with chipotle garlic aioli. Entrees include grilled pork porterhouse with mustard glaze, collard greens and maple walnut sweet potato puree; a grilled Angus strip steak with herbed house fries, salsa verde and cherry tomato salad, and a roasted vegetable and goat cheese terrine with tomato pepper broth and olive tapenade. On Sunday evenings, DeProto and her kitchen crew serve a Southern American specialty: crispy fried chicken with slow-cooked collard greens, smashed Red Bliss potatoes and light brown gravy. (Children under 12 eat for free on Sundays.)

Read the entire article: Little Plates, Big Adventure At Red Hen Restaurant.

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We worked on this recipe for weeks before getting it just right. And after a couple batches and a lot of taste tests we think you’ll agree there nothing quite like Red Hen Restaurant’s Southern Fried Chicken.

Available each night (in limited quantities!), our Southern Fried Chicken’s light, golden batter holds in the meat’s juices.

On the side are slow cooked collard greens — juicy and sweet but with just the right sharpness.

Completing the plate is a generous helping of creamy Red Bliss potatoes with a light brown gravy.

Our Southern Fried Chicken goes great with either a glass of Pinot Grigio or Brooklyn Lager.

Enjoy!

The image is of the character Minny Jackson played by actress Octavia Spencer in the 2011 film “The Help“. The movie was based on Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 book of the same name.

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– Minny Jackson, “The Help” appeared first on Red Hen Restaurant Old Saybrook CT.

Early each afternoon we arrive at the restaurant to prepare for that evening’s guests. Seafood is selected from the latest catch. Vegetables are plucked from the finest sources. Our sauces are brought to a slow simmer.

You’ll find no salad dressings from a bottle or frozen boxes of chicken strips at Red Hen.

When you dine with us you receive a hand-crafted meal made from the very best ingredients available and prepared by some of the finest chefs on the Connecticut Shoreline.

Our menu items are recognizable and accessible culinary favorites prepared with an artful twist — making them delicious and memorable.

We wouldn’t have it any other way. And neither should you. Join us tonight for the best meal you’ve had in a while.

Call us at (860) 388-8818 to reserve your table or email us at dining@redhenrestaurant.com.

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– George Bernard Shaw appeared first on Red Hen Restaurant Old Saybrook CT.

The post “Martinis are the only American invention as perfect as a sonnet.”
— H.L. Mencken appeared first on Red Hen Restaurant Old Saybrook CT.

The scallops are nestled in a bed of warm, creamy polenta sprinkled with crispy pieces of pancetta.

On the side is a helping of arugula with shitakes drizzled with a warm cherry tomato vinaigrette.

Our Stonington Sea Scallops dish goes great with either a glass of sparkling Cremant Rose or Anchor Steam beer.

Enjoy!

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“Wine is bottled poetry.”
– Robert Louis Stevenson

Our wine selection has been thoughtfully chosen to accompany our menu selections.

Try a glass of Argyle’s Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Aged in French oak barrels for up to nine months, this full-bodied wine with firm fruit tannins is the perfect complement to our strip steak or pork porterhouse meat dishes.

Celebrate just a bit with a glass of the Cremant Rosé from Domaine St. Michelle and our house salad with tomatoes, olives and reggiano cheese.

After dinner try a glass of the Zonin Prosecco.

Whatever your dining preference, you’ll find one of our fifty wine labels to suite your palate.

Join us tonight.

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Beer Advocate gives this lager a score of 87 out of 100.

Draft Magazine awards it an 89 out of 100, noting it “is one of the most refreshing Vienna lagers [they] sampled.”

Pair Brooklyn Lager with our Grilled Free Range Chicken or our Southern Fried Chicken.

For the full list of draught and bottled beers, click here.

And be sure to join us on Thursday for half-price draught beers.

Enjoy!

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Roasted with a combination of fennel, orange zest and red chili flavors, our olives are great by themselves or placed atop of piece of warm bread.

No matter how you eat them, enjoy them with a glass of Zonin Prosecco or Connnecticut’s own Ten Penny Ale.

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