When our family moved out of Eastern CT just about 5 years ago we loved to joke that we had been living in a "cultural desert" - well, wouldn't you know, right after we moved, Eastern CT culture exploded? I am very happy to report that Putnam CT has become the home to several trendy new restaurants. (Rockville, are you taking notes?)

Friends had a $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate for 85 Main in Putnam and we thought, "why not try it out?" Having been out of the area for several years, we were pleasantly surprised to recognize the setting and some of the faces from the former "Vine" Restaurant at the 85 Main location. They've obviously kicked it up a few notches with their raw/sushi bar addition as well as a second dining room and very large bar featuring several fine wines and martinis.

Self-described as "New American Fusion Cuisine" the menu items didn't jump out at me right away. A second and then third read and things started to sound better - to the point where it got hard to decide between entrees. 2 in our party had the Orange and Coriander 1/2 Chicken, 1 the Stuffed Haddock and I had Steak Tips with Wild Mushrooms. The Chicken folks were both very happy, but kept trying to steal bits of my Steak. The Fish guy felt that the Chicken was better and LOVED my Steak Tips - I guess the moral of the story is the food is always better on the next plate over. 85 Main obviously has a talented and creative chef with fabulous demi glaces and side dishes being some of the highlights of the meal.

I love to point out Neighborhood Gems that are cost-conscious and, unfortunately, 85 Main is a bit more than we spend these days. The average entree is about $23 without salad but the good news is the portions are large and a single side salad was big enough for 2 to split comfortably and could have been stretched to all 4. Desserts all looked delicious, we had the tiramisu - assuming it might be large like the salad - but it was really more geared toward a single serving for $8 - but it was fresh and flavorful. 3 folks had a glass of wine with their meals. The $25 off really helped and left us with about $67 per couple, tip included. Again, pricey for an average family in 2009 but still fantastic for a special occasion - so 85 Main makes HWO's Neighborhood Gems list. Overall, though, I'd like to say that the quality of the meal was like we've experienced at some very top-notch restaurants in Fairfiled County and my whining about cost shouldn't deter you from going - why not try it for lunch or a special occasion? Fans of the 3/50 Project can feel good about investing in a local CT business.

Putnam has added some outdoor dining space to several of their Main St. restaurants - so a warm weather trip is definitely in order and we will look forward to going back.

By Kate LaFrance

As the Publisher of Hartford Woman Online Kate is passionate about bridging the gap between the work-from-home and the office dwelling career woman in the Greater Hartford Area. She is open to new ideas and new friends from all of the towns and neighborhoods throughout CT.

Kate has 20 years of newspaper industry experience behind her doing everything but run the press! She's sold ads, designed ads, created ads, written editorial, taken photos, run departments, run managers and more. In the past 10 years, Kate has concentrated on becoming a marketing maven, Virtual Assistant business owner, internet marketing strategist and, now, online publisher.

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