So, after all of the hype, I finally tried Sonoma. I'm only reviewing the bar dining experience.
Sonoma is located on Main Street at the edge of downtown and the south end of Springfield.
I stopped in on a friday at around 5:3o. The place was pretty much empty. Surprising for what is heralded to be THE best restaurant in the city.
Which leads me to a topic for another day: Why is there a two-hour wait at 5:00 at restaurants in NoHo while the crickets have full run of places in Hampden County?
The host was at the door, ready to help. At the bar, I joined a couple of locals and a couple of out-of-towners who had been shepherded to Sonoma by the staff at one of the downtown hotels. The bartender, very friendly and helpful. The locals actually shared the TV clicker with me and told me to watch what I wanted. (A rare sight!) Point to the staff for turning on the closed captioning on the TV! (I'm always amazed at how many places let their bar TVs run silent without captions. What is the point?)
The space has a wide ceiling, modern decor, but for a new place, it already looked a little tired. Maybe it is the choice of materials? The bar was clean; the granite counter tops, spotless as were the bar stools and floor. Wooden Asian-inspired placemats were also clean and in good condition.
Sonoma is located on Main Street at the edge of downtown and the south end of Springfield.
I stopped in on a friday at around 5:3o. The place was pretty much empty. Surprising for what is heralded to be THE best restaurant in the city.
Which leads me to a topic for another day: Why is there a two-hour wait at 5:00 at restaurants in NoHo while the crickets have full run of places in Hampden County?
The host was at the door, ready to help. At the bar, I joined a couple of locals and a couple of out-of-towners who had been shepherded to Sonoma by the staff at one of the downtown hotels. The bartender, very friendly and helpful. The locals actually shared the TV clicker with me and told me to watch what I wanted. (A rare sight!) Point to the staff for turning on the closed captioning on the TV! (I'm always amazed at how many places let their bar TVs run silent without captions. What is the point?)
The space has a wide ceiling, modern decor, but for a new place, it already looked a little tired. Maybe it is the choice of materials? The bar was clean; the granite counter tops, spotless as were the bar stools and floor. Wooden Asian-inspired placemats were also clean and in good condition.
Sonoma
1123 Main Street
Springfield, Massachusetts
413-737-9463
