New Kid in Town
The town was buzzing today with news. Did you hear? Are you going? What time? I’ll meet you there. You’d think the excitement would be surrounding the Bruin’s game 7, but in this case what got us locals excited is that Trafford’s, the large waterfront restaurant on Water St., finally opened up tonight after much anticipation. I needed no excuse to do a little field investigation, for the blog of course, to find out what Trafford’s is all about.
I walked down Water St. to find a crew of young men in blue polo shirts valet parking cars at the entrance to the restaurant. Yeah, ya heard me. Valet. It is always such a nice touch; it makes me feel indulged.
The extremely friendly hostess greeted us immediately (something I take note of in restaurants) and gave us our choice of seating, inside or out. Inside was bright and sunny thanks to tall ceilings and an airy color scheme accentuated by blond woods and a few bold accent colors. Outside overlooked the water and a tent protected patrons from the sun. While my seat faced towards the town, I realized that I had a peaceful view as well with full lush trees shadowing over the historic homes of Water Street and the spire of the Warren Methodist Church poking through the canopy.
The menu is a pleasant surprise. If you have been to Marguerite’s, the other restaurant owned by the Kane family, you’ll find the offerings at Trafford’s to be a bit younger and fresher. The hostess told me they aim to use local products; the menu detailed these facts for me.
I had a red sangria and I deemed it delicious. If I wasn’t the type of person who can’t order the same thing all the time, the sangria would be my drink there. It was well-garnished; no worries about scurvy over here. And yay! Two maraschino cherries! The sangria was not cloyingly sweet like other sangria, it also was a cocktail that was worth the $8. Another one of those and this post would probably be a little inappropriate. My husband liked the beer selection. This is not an inane statement – he likes a decent beer, as do most people in Warren. He enjoyed a Brooklyn Summer Ale which was elegantly served in a stemmed beer glass.
We just ordered snacks and therefore weren’t able to give the menu a full work out. The oysters Trafford were one of those snacks, and they were mind-blowingly wonderful. Sorry for the hyperbole, but they were really that good. I can’t recall everything that was on the oysters, but they had an artichoke pesto, some greens, and a bread crumb topping then baked. There was a lemon flavor in there too that burst in your mouth and made the bitter, buttery, and saltiness all make sense together.
The rest of the menu was very appealing and I have placed it in the category of restaurants that will please everyone – your foodie friends and your traditional grandparents. I could see it being very romantic as well as a damn good time. At the very least, I look forward to many more cocktails outside watching the sunset. See you there!
It just got harder to get out of town…!!
I know! Today is so nice I have been contemplating another cocktail on the water there. It could be infatuation, but I don’t care.
Kristen, What were the dinner special like, price wise??? I am coming into town over the 4th of July week, and am interested in checking out something New 🙂
Laurie, I need to double check…I can’t remember exactly the price range but they did have sandwiches and salads as well as chicken, steak and seafood. I’ll get back to you soon!
FANtastic! Everything was absolutely perfect. The Kane family is in the right business!!
Went with great excitement last Thursday. Left with great disappointment. Slow service. Servers not particularly friendly. Small portions of calamari and sea scallops. Spoke with friends who also went that night and they had similar results. Overcooked cold chicken and small portion of shrimp scampi. The one plus is the design is spectacular and a great location. The bar area was crowded. One last comment: Do you really need valet parking in Warren? We’re not talking Federal Hill. I really hope they get their act together. But, they have a lot of work to do to come close to Marguerite’s in Westport.
While our service was not lightning fast, I didn’t mind as the ambience was great. I also kept in mind they had just opened up, that day. If you went on Thursday, you went the second night they had opened.Perhaps a do-over in a few weeks? How was the quality of your meal vs the portion size?
The shrimp scampi was enjoyed by my friend and the calamari was better than average. Otherwise, I think we would try other options in the future and inquire whether they had made any other changes since the opening (i.e. added servers, bartenders, kitchen help, etc. are far more essential than valet parking) before returning.
Thanks for the update, Mark! Good point about valet vs. inside staff. I wonder if it will be valet all the time, only for the summer, or just an opening month kind of thing.
We had a party of 6 last night. The food was very good took forever to get drinks and food. Had to ask for napkins, silverware, bread…salad plates were so small the lettuce fell off. We never got our waters filled. The managers had a terrible attitude. The customer does not come first here. On the way to the bathroom I almost killed myself. Who mops the floors on a Saturday night when diners are still eating…At least put up a wet floor sign. Of course they added a 20% tip on top of the worst service I ever had. I will never go back there.
We went last week for lunch.Liked the mussels. Tiny plates were served with them. Made it awkward to eat mussels. No common sense here. They were small, but had good flavor.
Husband had chicken sandwich…he loved it. I had fish sandwich. Tasted frozen. No flavor and dry. Liked side salad. Staff was friendly, but I agree the need additional training. Go to the Boathouse in Tiverton RI. Staff is casual, but have excellent training. I wish the restaurant well.
Went for dinner last night to this new spot. Loved it! Had great service, great food, great atmosphere! Will definitely go again.
I thought Traffords in Warren was fantastic. I went there on Thursday evening with my husband. The food was good and hot. The Calamari appetizer was enormous. Two people could not finish it. The White Sangri was great! The outdoor atmosphere was wonderful. The valet parking people were so nice. I would go again and again.
Sadly disappointed in the customer service. Would not recommend this place to anyone who feels that customer service and quality food is more important than a chic looking venue. I sincerely hope Trafford gets its act together soon as I have heard and read similar experiences to ours.
Back again.
We treated out daughter and son and law to an anniversary lunch at Trafford’s. Loved their appetizers’, meals, beer selection.
Last Sunday we invited another couple to Trafford’s for lunch. Our friends were impressed. Crab cake ordered by friend. SSSSOOO good. I tried a bite…will order next time. I had special tenderloin sandwich special….delicious!!!! Husband and other friend had chicken sandwich. My husband said it was really good, but not as good as the first time he had it. Drinks were excellent. Male waiter was spot on…forgot his name.
We are all from the Boston area. Spreading the word to all of our friends. Views are wonderful and so is the food.
Restaurant business is a lot of hard work. All the effort shows.