Local food, hot shot Chef Stephen Lewandowski from NYC, swanky new space in the new Harbor Point area, ginormous bar, craft beers–from the day we heard about Harlan Social it seemed to have exactly what it takes to be the go-to, happening new spot in Stamford. And, it was for that exact reason that we had to pounce on opening week to check it out for ourselves and see if it was the real deal.
We always try not to let the hype of a newly anticipated restaurant give us inflated expectations, so we walked in with open minds. The experience started off wonderfully. The host & hostesses greeted us with big smiles and lead us immediately to our seats. The space overall was nice: very large, modern, comfortable and warmly decorated. There were plenty of tables, some outside, and a huge, hip looking bar. Within minutes our waitress came over and asked us what we’d like to drink. Unfortunately, from this point forward everything sort of went downhill…
The pierogies in question…
Being huge supporters of Half Full Brewery in Stamford we heard they made a shipment to Harlan Social the day before, so of course we had to order it. The waitress looked at us as if we ordered in a foreign language. But this look was not one of confusion, but rather one of disgust and annoyance as we tried to explain to her what it was and what we had heard. Finally, we just nicely asked her to check with her manager if it was available yet. She huffed away and came back 10 minutes later asking us what we wanted to eat. We asked what she found out about Half Full, and it became quickly apparent that she had forgotten to ask, covering it up with an abrupt, “Yeah we don’t carry that.” Not wanting to push, we ordered different drinks and placed our food order.
We started off with some small plates which we asked to be brought out one at a time, but unfortunately they came out all at once:
Caramelized Onion Pierogies
The pierogies themselves were nicely crisped on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They came on top of a thick slathering of aoili that we can only liken to tartar sauce with a salty, relishy, olivey, capery flavor. It just didn’t seem to work with the pierogies. When we asked the manager walking by what the sauce was, he said he didn’t know but thought it was a Romesco before abruptly walking away saying he’ll find out. It was definitely not a Romesco which is red in color, made with tomatoes, red peppers, almonds, and more. And, he never found out for us either. Then we asked the waitress and she said she didn’t know but thought it had truffle in it. She made no offer to find out. Oh, and speaking of truffle, the mushrooms that came on the dish…yeah…they had dirt all over them, creating a very unpleasant crunch. Not a great start.
Chilled Organic Tomato Soup with Whipped Burrata
BEST dish, by far. Actually quite fantastic. The soup had just the right amount of acidity balanced with some basil and a spicy kick from red pepper. And the burrata, WOW, melt in your mouth. Highlight of the night.
Roasted Baby Beets Salad with Honey Crisp Apples, Almonds and Sherry Vinaigrette
A light and refreshing salad, but lacking in flavor beyond that of the beets and apples. Needed some oomph like goat cheese or more almonds. So, so.
Then onto the main dish and side dish:
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Parmesan Potato Puree
We’re big fans of small plates…as long as they are clearly called small plates and priced accordingly. While there was enough for us given all the dishes we ordered, this main dish was definitely sized as a small plate portion and priced (at $26) at a main dish price. The meat was cooked nicely and flaked off with a slight tug. The sauce was earthy with a nice bite from the onion. The puree was creamy and a good compliment to the meat, but we didn’t really taste the parmesan.
Macaroni and Cheese Au Gratin
The crumbs were nice and crispy on top, the pasta cooked al dente, the cheese not too thick and not too oily. They went pretty light on the cheese though, causing this to be kind of light for a mac and cheese. Definitely not the kind of mac and cheese your mom made, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Just different.
And lastly, the obligatory desserts:
Mango Panna Cotta with Strawberries, Yuzu and Thai Basil
We were kind of full, and that’s a good thing because this dessert was TINY! We’ve never seen a smaller panna cotta before. The flavor was fruity and refreshing, while the texture was airy.
Warm Cinnamon Donuts with Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce
We weren’t fans of this dish at all. Maybe we’re spoiled from the amazing donuts at Olio, but these were just very dry and hollowed out. They also came out luke warm. Disappointing.
Noming Overall
As you probably can see, we found the food to be generally decent overall, with some definite highlights (the chilled tomato soup) and some definite lowlights (the cinnamon donuts and dirty mushrooms), and the rest somewhere in between. It definitely didn’t live up to what we expected from such an experienced chef, but it wasn’t bad either. Also, the main entrees should be more accurately labeled (and priced) to reflect their smaller portion size.
We always try to tread lightly on restaurants in their first few weeks of opening because there are always a ton of kinks to work out and it’s hard work for them. If the service is slow, we excuse it. If the food is cold, we ignore it. All that aside, we were really turned off by the service. We left feeling as though our waitress could care less and the manager would rather spend time chatting with large groups of tables ordering bottles of fine wine than tell us what the sauce was in a dish. The service wasn’t outright rude, but it was most definitely not warm and friendly.
We might try Harlan Social again in the future to be sure this wasn’t a fluke experience, but we’re definitely going to wait a while. We’re just not that excited to return with many better (and cheaper) options in Stamford alone, let alone the rest of Fairfield County.
Harlan Social
Noms: 3 (Will need to revisit)
Cost: $$$
Address: 121 Towne Street (next to Fairway Market)
Stamford, CT
Phone: 203.883.8000
Hours: Lunch: 11:30am / Dinner: 5:30pm / Saturday & Sunday Brunch: 11:00am / Closed Mondays Thru Labor Day
Dan and Kristien Del Ferraro
OmNomCT 
My wife and I visited for the first time last night. After a round of drinks, delicious salads, we waited for our entrees — and waited and waited and waited. 45 minutes and nothing; only false promises that it was coming. We finally walked out — that’s only happened twice in my lifetime. Come on Harlan Social, GET IT TOGETHER.
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Hey Scott and Donna. Sorry to hear about the bad experience. At least the salads and drinks were good, though. :) Are you doing okay after the storm?
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I have no problem paying up for good food, service, and atmosphere / crowd – and do regularly – but I had the same reaction to the portions relative to price. I had the meatball sliders – delish, really, but I was truly shocked at the portion, even for a small plate. I thought the portion-to-price was ridiculous. I was actually offended. The mac and cheese was also delish, and a good size. Much more fairly priced. Interestingly, it’s a side dish rather than a small plate. After a few drinks I paid the check and was once again irritated. Despite being pleased with the food, I was left feeling ripped off rather than happy with the experience. Could have been back since – and I live right next to it in the Lofts – but I have chosen so far to take my business elsewhere due to unreasonable pricing relative to portion and value. Too bad. I really wanted to be a regular.
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First I’d like to say thanks for providing a thorough review. Everyone is certainly entitled to ther opinion so I decided to experience Harlan for myself instead of letting other’s opinions shape my own unlike other posters on this blog. I must say I was overwhelmed. Full disclosure here-I recently relocated to Stamford and part of my getting to know the area involves all the great local restaurants. I focus on three simple areas when hitting new restaurants: Service, Food quality and price. I visited on a Friday night solo and sat at the mazarrela bar area because it was pretty crowded, which I like because the energy was high. I chatted with the chefs first hand and then Stephen Lewandowski came up to me, introduced himself and thanked me for visiting that night. That does not happen very often in my world traveling experience and it felt pretty cool. I then ordered the Buffalo Mozzarella Classica which was very tasty followed by a main dish of the Braised Beef Short Ribs. The dish was very tender and flavorful. I had 2 Six Point pints, which I found out was a great local brew and my total bill with tip was just under $55. I felt the service was excellent, the meal was spot on and the price was reasonable. Give it a try…
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Glad you had a great experience! We know that’s what the food could be which is why we were disappointed.
People definitely need to look at both sides of reviews and decide for themselves, no doubt. Sometimes it’s tough because you get a review that makes a place seem awesome but when you get there it is horrible. Or, sometimes you get a review with negative comments, you go and it’s great.
It’s always hard to say why people write the review and what (if any) slant they take. You see horrible reviews of places but it could be a competitor or a person just angry at something really dumb. On the other side you get reviews from people who own their own restaurants or friends that are excessively glowing.
It is ultimately up to the buyer to figure out where to eat and who to trust. We hope that through our frankness that we have earned that trust… good review, bad review or mixed.
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By the way, Sixpoint beer is awesome!
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Just founds your site… look forward to reading more! I hope they work out these kinks… always appreciate an honest review and think it was fair!
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Glad that you found us Lindsay. :) We’ve got plenty more on the way, so we’ll keep you occupied. :P
Thanks for saying it was fair. That means a lot to us. :)
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We had a great experience last Saturday night — but I agree the portion sizes are a bit small. The wait staff was timely and friendly. The Korean friend chicken was amazing!
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We have to try that fried chicken! Glad you had a great time.
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While I subscribe to your blog and look forward to new articles, I honestly think you should give these new restaurants some time to work out the kinks of a new business before writing a review on them. I grew up in the restaurant industry and I know all to well that it takes time to find the winning equation in a new restaurant. It takes a few weeks/months to get the kitchen, staff, floor, etc., to a comfortable pace. I think early reviews of new restaurants that haven’t yet had the opportunity to work out their growing pains could hurt their chances of ever getting enough “traffic” to really get them off the ground. You could potentially really be hurting their business before they’ve had a chance to really get going. Just food for thought….
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Hey GG, thanks for subscribing. Here is part of the problem…there are two kind of reviews that you will see. First is the everything is amazing post when it really isn’t. Next is the honest and straight forward post. People are going to review new restaurants in the first few weeks. You see lots of taking no sides posts on new places so you come away thinking it will be great and to hit it up. You get there, shell out your money, and you find out the truth about what the food is like…good or bad.
We totally get what you are saying, we do. We are a lot easier on restaurants in their first few weeks. But, consumers and eaters have rights too, not just restaurants and owners. They have the right to have a great meal and leave satisfied. Consumers also should be treated with respect and care, not indifference or even annoyance. People work hard for their money, so to spend it on a bad experience or bad food isn’t great for them either.
So, maybe the truth on this is somewhere in between the owner and the consumer. Who deserves more?
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I am totally with you Dan – i am on ALL sides of the fence so to speak – HD, customer nad managed and invested in Restaurants – while i know that there are “players” in the review field (on both sides, for and against a place), it most refreshing to get some completely unbiased source (like you). I am glad i generally do not write reviews, because i am afraid it would be a very “dark” review as i know ALL the “dirt” (literally)!
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Thanks Whitemist. :). Dan and I don’t love writing negative reviews, and we certainly do not want to hurt people, but we do feel it is right to share our experience good or bad. You know, we would love to read a health inspection blog! You would dish out all the dirt. :p
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that, i am afraid, would frighten people into only eating at home! our best inspectors never eat in the same town they inspect!
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I don’t disagree with your point at all. I just think your reviews hold more “water” than the average Yelp reviewer so with that comes a degree of responsibility to all parties involved. I’m simply suggesting that maybe you wait a bit before writing about a new restaurant to give them a chance to get through their opening growing pains and in the meantime, if you visit them and have an issue that should really be addressed, take it up directly with management to give them an opportunity to address it before any other diners experience the same.
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So, we definitely see each other’s povs here. We get what you are saying and we have done that sometimes. There have also been times when we have gone in the first few weeks and things have been amazing, even at Olio when we went was before the solid opening. It was already run like a well oiled machine. Wonder why for some it is easy and some it is not? Staff?
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So disappointing to hear about the bad experiences. I was so looking forward to this place. I still want to check it out but will give it a while till the work out the kinks.
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We hear ya Grace. We were super excited too! We have been in touch with Stephen Lewandowski and he said that he’s aware of the comments that people have made…and the restaurant is actually working on them. That says something great about a chef/owner, you know? Listening and changing things up based on feedback. He really is a nice guy.
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That is the big difference between a cook and a chef/restauranteur. Taking the criticism and improving on it.
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Totally agree with you Grace. He has the right mind set.
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Thank you for this review! I think we’ll just stick to drinks for now :)
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We really want to go back to try things again!
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When you get tired of trying out all the new trendy eateries, check out an old favorite, City Limits Diner on Harvard Avenue at La Quinta Inn. It’s Stamford’s best-kept culinary secret and in my opinion, the best fish in town.
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i have eaten a number of times at city limts and have been underwelmed. i would not have written about it except for the cudos presented here. My friends do like it, but they also like Stamford’s IHOP….
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We’ve NEVER been able to get into that IHOP. It’s always too busy and there’s never a single spot. You can get the same food basically anywhere, so don’t understand why people are so crazy over IHOP. :)
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Hey Peter. We’ve actually been to City Limits a few times and it’s our go to diner when we’re picking up or dropping off our dog at Petsmart. The huevos rancheros are very good and we like the breakfast available, too. We’ve never gone for lunch or dinner though, so we’ll have to try.
We definitely like to hit up the big news spots, but we also love to blaze our own path and check out what interests us. Guess it all depends what we’re in the mood for. :)
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After 2 attempts Harlan Social is now on my avoid list. My first reaction to the space doesn’t match up with what many have mentioned – I think the space is very lacking. The furniture provided in the dining room (aside from the three large booths) are all very cold and hard – no real detail. The “wine wall” I was so excited about turned out to be nothing more than a 12 x 12 “hutch” with a few dozen bottles of wine on it – not the impression I was expecting. The bar area is the same, over crowded with TVs and hard, cold metal stools. Not really my kind of place.
The first time was just for some beers with friends to see the place. Nice beer list, no food experience until this past week:
Food was even more disappointing. A half(appetizer) order of pasta ran $19 and contain 2 TINY shrimp, they were honestly comparable to the shrimp you get from your local chinese take-out joint – maybe U24s? Where does a desolate place like this get-off on charging such an outrageous price for such a small and unsatisfying dish? Second the beef brisket as many mentioned left much to be desired. 6 OZ at best, it was cooked properly but not reheated properly as it was served to me with a cool center. Not really sure what the excuse was since the chef was standing at the dish out station the entire time and the restaurant was barely half-full.
In the end dinner cost me, a solo diner, just over $68 after having two beers, and leaving a tip. I don’t mind paying for good food – but to have to spend so much and leave so unsatisfied is not worth it.
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Hey there Robert, thanks for reading our review. :) We had a talk with a nice couple next to us and we asked them how they liked their food as they left. They said that things were good, but… Their gripe was the portion sizes, just like you. It’s said to only get two shrimp. They’ll be so lonely in your belly.
When they get that figured out, we think they’ll be headed in the right direction.
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Just tried the place again tonight for drinks at the bar with friends. Noticed the couple next to us ordered the same beef brisket I had the first time…the only thing is the price has now gone UP! After looking at the menu it appears Harlan is now charging $28. When I asked the bartender why his answer was “Well – we added vegetables!”
On top of that the tap beers clearly aren’t properly calibrated – beers were all flat, bartenders couldn’t pour a beer with any head on it and didn’t understand why I would complain about “having no foam in your beer”. Ignorance killed my experience this time – luckily I didn’t eat anything.
Just amazing.
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If you guys are ever in the LES and want to try out a FANTASTIC “Social” restaurant. Go to Stanton Social. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Make sure you make a reservation in advance.
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Noted and added to our, “Travel: To Eat List” :)
Thanks so much! :) How you been?
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And I had been thinking of going all week. Certainly a skip now.
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I went twice during their opening week–lunch during the week (work function) and then I took my husband there as an early birthday present that Saturday. The Wednesday experience was good, but it took them a while to get our meals ready (longer than I expected, at least) and my main criticism of my braised pork-belly ruben was that the slaw didn’t have enough of a vinegar bite. Michael got the Harlan Burger when we went for brunch, and it was absolutely delicious, albeit a little messy, and that alone sold him on the place. We did get some good recommendations on beer selections as they have yet to offer Half-Full on the menu, but I was happy with what I got and our server was mostly helpful.
You must go back to try the burger–I think the sandwiches are what will make me come back there in the future, and the burger is pretty outstanding. And the space is absolutely gorgeous.
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We had the opposite service experience when we went– our server was really very nice, and everything was smooth on that front. We had the meatball sliders (delicious, we both thought) and a selection of charcuterie to start. So far, so good. I had the Korean fied chicken, which I really liked. My wife had the crab cakes, which were good, but not life-changing. The donuts, as you point out in your review, are way better at Olio. I had a beer cocktail, which I also thought was good. The drink took a long time to come out, but the bar was packed, and that was a very minor ding on what was generally an enjoyable night. I’m surprised to see so many others had bad experiences– we must have been lucky!
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See Charles, we’ve seen some great reviews, too on Urbanspoon and their FB page. So, it’s hard to say. Opening week jitters, trying to get things figured out…just a few bad dishes for us..
We heard those sliders are awesome and will need to get them next time…and that Koren fried chicken. Oh yeah!
What was the beer cocktail? That sounds cool. We missed that one.
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It was the 3B’s– Beer, Honey Bourbon, and Red Bee Honeycomb. I had enjoyed two micheladas earlier in the week, so another beer cocktail soundedreally fun and summery.
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you guys give very thorough reviews and it seems you were not the only ones who had that experience! That is not good news for something that was suppose to be really something!
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Thanks Whitemist. We try to be as clear as we can, but also want to break down our experience as best as we can, too. Sometimes that’s tough because you realize you’re writing too much. So, it’s tightrope walk. :)
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All these “Social” places seem to be just ok. I know they’re not connected in any way, but maybe places need to drop this “Social” name, it seems to be a weird curse of some kind. Darien Social, underwhelming; Pine Social, out of business; Harlan Social, at least based on this review, just ok.
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Yes, the “Social” name does seem to have an unfortunate past. It’ll be awesome when Harlan Social breaks free from that and kicks it big time.
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Thanks for the review! This place definitely belongs to “avoid” list – small plates is one thing (bad, of course), but wait staff which doesn’t care – that cancels the reason to visit a restaurant…
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The service wasn’t helpful, yes, but we think that will get worked out. One thing that we didn’t mention is that they have a pretty nice wine list. We plan to head back and check things out again.
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A group of five of us went for lunch last week. Underwhelming at best. I had the gnocchi small portion which was okay, nothing remarkable. I also had the panzanella salad which was a huge disappointment. It was a bowl of very crisp croutons with olives and fava beans thrown in and some dressing splashed on top. (and not enough dressing to even soften the croutons). It’s too bad because the space is sleek and cool. I could see it being a great power lunch spot if the food were better (and provided you don’t mind staring at the Fairway Market during your meal. Also, I was with four men in suits and the napkins left white pills all over their dress pants. When we casually mentioned it to the manager that they should give out black napkins for this reason, he laughed and said that we should just take the rest of the afternoon off. Yeah, maybe if we hadn’t just spent $40 a person on lunch that would be an option!!
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That’s bad because, you’re right…it is an awesome place for a power lunch. They are probably going for a simple and refined stance on food, with not too much dressing or extras heaped onto things. But, they need to find the balance.
Was the manager joking with you or just trying to brush you off?
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The manager definitely didn’t take our request seriously. And he should…the only people spending those prices at lunch time are men and women in suits!!
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Well, that’s disappointing. If the other “social” referenced above is “Darien Social,” I think their service has improved. The bar area can be a scene, and there’s often quite a crush from 5:30-8ish, but when I was there last week, the waiter was apologetic when I order was slightly delayed and the manager stopped by several times to make sure everything was okay. Hopefully Harlan Social will work out their kinks soon.
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It was disappointing, but there was definitely some great redeeming qualities. :) We definitely plan to head back to check things out.
The other Social being referenced is Darien Social, yes. :) When we went, we had pretty good service, but it did fizzle out as time went on…but not bad.
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This sounds like a must-miss on my list. I can’t stand snooty service and if the staff isn’t even curious as to what’s on their own menu, then I won’t be rewarding them with my business.
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Wow – something about the “Social”
It sounds like the staff wasn’t trained properly. And the panna cotta looks like it was made in one of those froyo sample cups, judging by the pattern on the sides.
On a somewhat related note the other “Social” has been going back and forth with my husband via e-mail. Very snooty, saying he doesn’t appreciate negative comments on his hard work… Not an apology, of course. It’s our fault the service was non exsistent…
I stay home and eat :)
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We had the same experience Saturday night. Tiny portions…almost ridiculous. My partner thought it might be some kind of deal with Fairway Market. Diners leaving Harlan, might need to swing into Fairway to pick up something to supplement their dinner.
Waitstaff were less than attentive… It was my birthday, and I had awaited dinner eagerly….Sadly, the place just did not meet my expectations.
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Lisa, sorry our birthday dinner wasn’t the best. Interesting theory about Fairway. :P
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Haha, yeah at least you always know what you’re getting at home. :) We’re hoping that perhaps when the staff and the cooks get more training under their belt this place with shape up. Such a bummer. As for the other social, they keep getting consistent dings from people on the service, hope they listen to that feedback soon. : )
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