Cuvee

To our surprise, the website was wrong, Website Happy Hours (EVERYTHING is 50% off) are advertised as Tuesday to Friday from 5-7. Instead, we were surprised to find out that Happy Hour also included Saturdays from 5-7. So we took full advantage of that puppy and walked out with $90 worth of food and drink for half-price.

I had never been to Cuvee before. It's decor is mostly reds and blacks. The bar area features an open ceiling industrial look. The black cocktail dresses worn by the waitresses definitey gave the place a classy look. We were there too early to run into the fashonista issues mentioned by so many Yelpers, jeans and sneaks worked well for us.

Cuvee has a very impressive cocktail list - we started with 2 martinis - a Biscotti Martini (Stoli Vanilla vodka, amaretto, Frangelico) listed at $9.95 and a Glacial Pear martini (Grey Goose Pear vodka, St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, white cranberry, sparkling wine) listed at $10.95. They were both refreshing and very delicious, in my opinion the Biscotti narrowly outperformed the Pear. I also added a nice Sam Adamas Pilsner listed at $5.50.

We shared five plates - a Caprese Salad, Tuna Tartar, a Crab Cake, a West Hartford Roll, and a Maine Lobster Roll. Every plate was a winner - from the simple elegance of sliced fresh tomatoes in the Caprese to the sweet tuna mini cubes in the Tartar, to the fabulous crunch and sweet crabmeat in the Crab Cake, and to to the tender claw meat in the lobster roll.

And when our check arrived, all this was discounted down from $90 to a jaw-dropping $45.

In other words, run, don't walk to Cuvee for an amazing Happy Hour with delicious food in a gorgeus setting

I'd heard so much about the happy hour here, so I finally decided to try it out. I came a little after 5 on a Friday, so I was expecting it to be busy. It was actually less busy than I thought, although still very loud- the brick walls and layout don't help with that. It seemed very lively, though, and I was greeted in a friendly manner right away.

I had wanted to sit in the bar area, but was told there was nothing available (I saw some open tables, so they may have been reserved). Instead I got to sit in one of the comfy chairs in the back, which was quieter anyway. It worked out well.

I was excited to find everything on the menu was half off; even bottles of wine or champagne. I'm not really a champagne person, but I can see this being a really great place for one such individual. There was not a great selection of red wine, but I found a bottle of Tempranillo I was happy with, especially for the reduced price. For some context as to how small the red wine list is, this was the most expensive red wine on the menu, and it was listed as $55/bottle normally.

While everyone was friendly, I was shocked at how slow the service was. It was at least ten minutes to get water brought over, and then the bottle of wine we ordered took another ten minutes. The waitress was unsure of how to open the bottle and ended up breaking the cork in half. I didn't mind, and gave her advice on how to get the second piece of cork out (I may have extensive experience opening bottles of wine :) ). But I was then again surprised at how long it took to bring out a plate of cheese and a sushi roll, 2 cold items. It was almost 7 by the time we had finished those two plates, so we were just able to place a second order at half price before happy hour ended (and those actually did come out a bit faster).

While the food was good, I didn't find it to be amazing. We had the Playboy sushi roll, and I thought the flavors were a little unbalanced (the cucumber almost overpowered the seafood and cream cheese, which is something cucumber is rarely able to do). The cheese plate was OK, but not good enough that I would have paid full price for it--the cheeses tasted like they may have come from a grocery store cheese kiosk. The potato wedges were a tad undercooked, and the lobster a bit mayo-heavy (but still very tasty).

That said, for half price, the food was good enough to be a really good deal. If I had gone and paid full price, though, I would have been extremely disappointed.

Perhaps I need to stop by sometime and try some of the champagne cocktails I've heard so much about, and a few other menu items (the salads sounded pretty good).

Stopped by at 8pm on a Saturday night and I was surprised to see it so empty. We stood at the hostess stand for close to 5 minutes before someone told us to sit wherever we wanted. We have been sitting in the lounge for about a half hour and would have left except we haven't seen our waitress to bring our check. There are only 18 customers in the place and we have counted 7 staff. 4 behind the bar have done nothing but play on their phones.

No music playing. No cocktail napkins with the drinks. The staff seems more interested in talking to themselves or a couple of friends who dropped by than taking care of customers.

I overheard the bartender tell a story to his friend about a customer from the prior night. The story ended with him calling the customer a mother f----r. Yes, I heard that right. He told the story twice.

We ordered the lobster sliders and the meat and cheese platter. The sliders were good. The fries were cold. The meat platter was fine.

As I'm typing this, someone must have realized they forgot to turn the music on. 8:45 and its on now.

Despite the fact there are 4 bartenders behind the bar, the waitresses are making their own drinks while the bartenders stand around or play with their phones. One of them hasn't taken his nose out of his phone since we got here.

I came here about 2 years ago and it was totally different. I should have checked recent reviews before coming back. This place is a total disappointment. There are plenty of great options in Blue Back Square. This isn't one of them.

Under the new ownership, there have been some disappointing changes. The one positive is that they are doing a much-needed revamp of the interior of the bar. What used to be plush became pretty run-down over the last few years. I do hope the interior becomes more upscale. You can watch the transformation on the upcoming Real Housewives of NY season 8 because the owner is from that show. (Although by the time it airs, I assume the renovation will be complete.)

I used to like coming here for 50% off the entire menu during happy hour. That's no longer an option. Only certain dishes and drinks are available for happy hour now.

Also very disappointing is that this former "champagne room" no longer offers multiple choices of sparkling wine. That was my favorite thing ABOUT this place. The lack of offerings is surprising in a time that sparkling wine and champagne cocktails are increasing in popularity. They only had one prosecco which I find too sweet. It would be nice if they offered a dry Spanish cava.

My favorites when coming here are always the West Hartford roll and the Garden martini. The martini is vodka with strawberry puree and basil and lemon.

The online menu is not up to date. It still shows the old menu and states that happy hour is 50% off everything.

Cuvee has one of the most enticing happy hours in town: the whole menu is half off for 2 hours every day. Seriously, wow.

They are generous with their alcohol in the cocktails, so don't be worried about that. Definitely be critical about what's in the mix, though. The garden martini, for example, was too citrus-y. But the Italian Kiss and Lady Godiva were excellent.

Best bang for your buck food-wise were the sliders. The fries on the side alone were very substantive and delicious. The chicken pesto sliders were a little strange, not green at all. But it had some pesto essence and, again, was a great quantity for the price.

They get packed by 5:30 or 6. If you have a big enough party, definitely call and let them know, and you can get a stellar, comfy spot by the window.

If you can, get a seat looking toward the bathroom. Yes, that's weird, but the line will get long quickly, and it's great people watching.

Came here with some friends for a quick drink and it turned out to be all night kind of spot. We arrived right before the night life crowd and were fortunate enough to grab a few seats, the hostess reminded us that they were reserved after 11 am for bottle service, as politely as she could. We sat in this curtain enclosed room, the DJ began to play great music and the overall vibe was extremely sexy.

We had a very friendly server who offered my pregnant friend a pregatini that came out to be very delicious and in a very fancy glass. I ordered a pomegranate-tini which was supposed to be on the stronger end of the martinis but was not too impressed, a little too sweet for me. Everyone else stuck to vodka or beer and were completely happy.

We ordered a few appetizers, the fries with goat cheese, a flat bread pizza and the hummus. Everything was delicious, a bit small for the $12-ish a plate prices, but since this looks like a classy place, this was probably the cause of the mark up. I did wish they had more of an appetizer menu, there was very little selection for a place that serves food too.

What really stood out about the place was the great customer service. The hostess allowed us to stay in our table by asking the people that reserved it to move over, and the server kept asking to replace my drink because I said I didn't like it. I wish more businesses would take into account that although every customer will not like everything at your place, you can stand out by offering a great experience. If ever in this area, I would definitely return.

Laura F basically wrote the same exact review that I was going to write about Cuvée. The only time worth going is happy hour when everything is 50% off (from 5-7pm). The food is a good value when you get it at happy hour prices, but full price is just too high for the small portions. And honestly, it's not outstanding food...it's good, but nothing that I would ever go home raving about. The selection of fun drinks is a bit better. They are generally pretty tasty.

Two things I will note even about the happy hour:
1. I could be imagining things, but I think bartenders are deliberately slower during happy hour, even when the bar isn't crowded, in order to lessen the number of drinks you get at the happy hour prices.
2. You can only order one food item per person at a time during happy hour. S if you want sushi and a flatbread, you have to order the sushi, eat it, then get your flatbread. They are open about this and it's again, meant to limit what they are selling at half off prices. This seems silly.

Maybe it's me, but if you're going to have happy hour prices, then let people order normally. I WANT to spend more money...but you're making it harder? Plus they run the risk of having someone fill up on their first item and never order a second, when if they got both up front, it would have meant a bigger bill. Which means more tips. If they are losing money on happy hour to the point that they have to limit orders, then they might want to consider revising it so that people can order whatever they want.

Cuvée is a great spot for date night or fun girls night out. We had the hot wings which was very good and not too spicy; lobster Mac n cheese but they ran out of lobster lol so it was just a plain Mac n cheese still was delicious though. I also had some kind of champagne martini and I'll give that a thumbs up it was sooo good. Also after 10pm they have a DJ that plays house music but I would suggest that the DJ mix it up with a lil RnB overall great night at cuvée

Happy hour deals! Great drink selection. A fun spot for post work meet-ups!

Cuvée has the holy grail of happy hours - everything is 50% off until 7PM! Can you say OM NOM?! I personally enjoy the cucumber fizz, but you have an entire list of cocktails, wine, or draught beer to choose from.

Don't forget some food too! I always treat myself to the lobster mac 'n cheese entree during happy hour. It's a small serving, and your friends will not be able to resist stealing a bite or two if you let them!

Beware (or just a heads up depending on what kind of night you're having!) - Cuvée quickly turns into more of an evening scene once the clock strikes 7. A DJ sets up at the hostess station, and the crazy dance moves start from there.

Parking tip - use the garage across from whole foods.

This chic boutique lounge is West Hartford's hidden gem. They offer the best prices on wine, champagne and other confidence boosters hands down for this ritzy alcove.

The atmosphere is always top notch offering a unique environment. You have the bar side for more of the mixer crowd while the other half of the lounge is furnished in a comfortable modern environment for couples, groups and people who want to have a bite to eat.

The main attraction here is the DJ on Friday and Saturday night. He seems to spin such a nice set featuring house music, techno while throwing in a top 40 song here and there as well as some old school vibes.

While listening to the DJ spin I would recommend buying a full, not half bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rose for a mere $115.00! This bottles retails for $75.99 on wine.com and even more at your local liquor store. If you don't want some Veuve that's alright because Cuvée offers an extensive wine list.

I didn't want to write this review because cuvée is such a beautiful secret but I believe the classy should pay them a visit. You will not be disappointed.

P.s park in the garage directly behind the lounge not the whole foods lot across from the lounge as the police WILL tow your car.