By Karen Cortés/CTLatinoNews.com
Latin flavor has arrived in the Farmington Valley at the historic Amos Eno House on Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury.
Two longtime Hartford-area restauranteurs, Chris Riley, and Carlos Rodriguez are managing partners of Soma Grille, the newest addition to Simsbury’s already busy restaurant row. With a wrap-around bar, a 40-seat dining room, and a large lower level event space, its modern interior is a surprising juxtaposition to the Amos Eno House’s classic 1822 architecture, while the outdoor porch dining area maintains many original elements.
The menu combines American chophouse, and Mediterranean and Latin dishes, introducing new options to the Farmington Valley, where fewer than 4% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino.
“So far, every table in our dining room has ordered our paella, made with local seafood, chorizo, and house-made romesco,” said Riley. In the coming weeks, Soma will transition from soft opening to full service, adding lunch hours and a tavern menu that features Cuban sandwiches and lobster and chorizo tacos.
Soma Grille shares the Eno House with the Simsbury 1820 House, a 32-room inn whose guests from the U.S. and abroad have been among the first diners during the soft opening. “And we are already getting repeat customers from Simsbury,” says Riley.
Riley and Rodriguez met while employed at the Max Restaurant Group, and are veterans of Hartford’s Costa del Sol, the Spanish cuisine institution that announced its temporary closure in the spring of 2019.
The pair has already booked more than a dozen events and plans to expand beyond wedding receptions, showers, and business meetings. “Carlos and I have put on more than 50 quinceañeras,” says Riley, adding that the event space is the ideal size for most quinceañera celebrations.
Happy hour specials are served Monday through Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and dinner service begins at 5:00 p.m. A ribbon cutting with the Simsbury Main Street Partnership is scheduled for July 9 at 5:00 p.m.
Soma Grille, 731 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, Conn. , (860) 217-0937, www.SomaGrille.com
Sazón de Connecticut features Hispanic/Latino cuisine, eateries in Connecticut. If you would like your restaurant, personal story considered for a future Sazón segment…email us at Info@CTLatinoNews.com
