dinner. parker steaks & scotch

A family dinner out to a restaurant is a rare treat for our household, but we recently had a lucky evening this past Thursday where a late winter snow and a promise made eating out a perfect excuse.  My older daughter chose our destination, since the night out was promised to her.  She has wanted to go to Parker Steaks & Scotch ever since it opened in the fall of 2013.  (Like I said, we don't get out to eat locally very often.) The four of us zipped up our snow boots and headed into town on a snowy evening for a very tasty mal.

Parker Steaks & Scotch is the second of two restaurants owned by Trumbull, Connecticut native Patrick Fahy, who also owns the successful Parker Eatery and Bar in Stratford.  Back in the fall of 2013, the northwestern part of Trumbull Center part was revitalized and Fahy was happy to be a part of its second coming.  Local supermarket Poracelli's has been vacant for some time now, so 'revitalization' has come to a screeching halt, but parker Steaks & Scotch is a diamond in the rough.  Eighteen months since opening its doors, the restaurant still turns out great lunches and hearty meals.

Described by owner Fahy as having “an upscale but casual feel, " Parker's earth toned atmosphere is pleasant on the eye.  Seating includes padded benches and crisp white tablecloths.  The menu is heavy on beef but also contains fish, chicken and other options for those not inclined to give their arteries a work out.  I've been to Parker several times for lunch, but our visit with the family was my first for dinner.  Lunch and dinner are very similar, as Parker's lunch menu is really dinner 'light' (smaller versions of their dinner entrees) so I was very familiar with their offerings.  This was my family's first visit, though, and we were hungry.

We arrived pretty early in the evening, and were seated right away by Kevin, who was also our server for the evening.  He was incredibly friendly, efficient and accommodating.  Our food came out quickly and was pipping hot.  The hubs ordered fish tacos (which he ate too quickly for a photo!) and he enjoyed them.  The fish tacos come with a choice of fish - tilapia or tuna - and the hubs went for the tuna.  There were two tacos with cooked tuna and garnishes.  They were on the small side, but a good size for an app.  The girls ordered the fried calamari.  The kitchen was very flexible about keeping the pepper off the calamari for the kids.  The portion was generous and the sweet & sour dipping sauce added a good zing.  The girls normally skip any sauce that isn't ketchup, so it was a pleasant surprise for me to see them using the sauce and enjoying it!

Dinner came out quickly as well.  My big girl ordered the filet with french fries and asparagus.  The kitchen was very accommodating again about what side dishes she could order, allowing any substitutions she wanted, and they put the wine reduction on the side.  The fries were crispy and I love that they were shoestrings.  She ate every single morsel on the plate!   My little girl ordered the crab cakes.  They were a generous size and mostly crab.  The crab cakes come served over basic sauteed spinach and C opted for sweet potato fries.  The kitchen also put the remoulade sauce on the side for her.  This proved to be too much food for a seven year old, but it made for a perfect size lunch for me the next day!

The hubs ordered the duck.  It was perfectly cooked and served over a bed of risotto and a balsamic reduction sauce.  The risotto was delicious, but the balsamic reduction missed the mark for me, a bit to syrupy and overly sweet.  It also wasn't a very large plate and wasn't enough food to feed the hubs.  On Kevin's recommendation, I ordered the short ribs.  The presentation was beautiful, with the meat resting on top of the bones.  It was served with a side of roasted vegetables which included potatoes, asparagus and carrots.  The meat was very tender and the veggies were a perfect side dish.  There was a lot of food, so I could only eat half of the plate, but the hubs finished what I couldn't.  We all really enjoyed our dinners!

We also ordered dessert.  (I have pictures of half eaten desserts but didn't post them, nobody wanted to wait for me to grab my camera!)  We all shared the banana custard cream pie and the coconut carrot cake.  Both were outstanding.  We all agreed that Parker was a restaurant we would visit again for a special occasion.  The food, staff and atmosphere were terrific.  Trumbull is lucky to have a location such as Parker, for it works as a great place for a drink, an easy choice for a lunch and a restaurant that works as a casual weekly location as well as a special evening out.  The kitchen is really wonderful about exceptions to the menu, making it a good choice for families.  Check out their menu for yourself and visit them soon!