A new addition to Hartford’s restaurant scene aims to highlight “the taste of the city,” melding flavors in an eclectic blend of South American and Caribbean cuisines matched by a fashionable bar scene.
50 Elm, in the South Downtown (SoDo) neighborhood, opened in July, offering a wide range of spirits, tropical-inspired cocktails and a diverse mix of small plates and entrees. Menu items pull from a variety of influences: Colombian empanadas, Jamaican callaloo, Cuban black bean soup, Guyanese chow mein and Peruvian pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chicken.)
“It’s complex, the way that we pulled it together, but it’s not complicated. It’s simple food, really,” said general manager and partner Charles Davis.
50 Elm’s menu of “bites,” which serve the lounge atmosphere by partnering well with its drinks, are priced at $5 to $10. These include papas rellenas (beef-stuffed seasoned potato balls,) coconut shrimp with mango chutney, codfish cakes and spicy tropical wings, which are first braised before deep-fried and tossed with sauce. Larger plates ($14 to $18) also take a tour through several nations: Puerto Rican shrimp mofongo, Peruvian ceviche and jalea mixta (fried fish and seafood), Jamaican braised oxtail stew.
Davis, a longtime chef, is making a return to downtown Hartford. After working as a sous chef for Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill in New York City in years past, the Connecticut native spent time as the executive chef at the former Savannah restaurant on Main Street. He also owned a restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard. Settling back home in West Hartford, Davis said he was looking for something different, more exciting than what the suburb has to offer.
“This has been a real joy, coming back down here and seeing the real Hartford,” he said. “It seems like a more real village type of situation.”
Set up for maximum comfort and social interaction, 50 Elm passes up traditional chairs for movable leather banquettes, which shift easily for varied seating options. One corner space has been dubbed the “book nook” by guests on Yelp, with stacks of books glued into the walls serving as literary-themed décor. The configuration is ideal for guests who want to share small plates over drinks, Davis said.
50 Elm has fashioned itself as a “spirit house,” said bartender Michelle Stewart, who’s responsible for its exotic cocktails and wide selection of vodka, rum, tequila, gin, whiskey and cognac. The vacation-reminiscent drinks pull from as many cultural influences as the food menu – Peruvian pisco sours, caipirinhas with Brazilian cachaca, a mojito with two types of El Dorado Guyanese rum, and a “Tropical Storm 50,” the house interpretation of a classic Dark and Stormy rum and ginger beer concoction.
Though the bar serves a dozen pre-designed “libations” priced at $9 to $12, Stewart and her colleagues are at the ready to customize drinks with the array of liquors and fresh ingredients. “If you want something a little bit different, we always try to make it to your taste,” she said. “[The menu is] almost a reference point for us.”
Glass display cabinets house bottles of rare and often pricey spirits; Davis says he hopes to attract a new audience of enthusiasts with these offerings. “We do occasionally get people in who know some of the [rare] scotches; they’ll pay $30 for a shot,” he said. “They know what they’re buying. It’s been an interesting start but we know where we want to be.”
Davis says this is his “swan song” in the restaurant industry after a long career. “This is my last go around to do something that I love. So far it’s been pretty good,” he said. “…If Hartford can continue on what it’s doing … [with] new housing coming in. It’s promising. I’m glad to be part of it.”
>>50 Elm is at 50 Elm St. in Hartford. It’s open daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. 860-206-3322, 50elmhartford.com.
