(BISTRO 72 AND HOTEL INDIGO LOGOS PROVIDED VIA GOOGLE)
I am looking to do something a little different with this review. I am going to talk about two different businesses and experiences in the same review. I just felt that they went hand in hand not only because Bistro 72 is inside of Hotel Indigo, but because these two different experiences gave me one overall experience.
Last weekend, the wife and I went to Long Island Spirits (read the review here) for a tasting and checked into Hotel Indigo. We first experienced Hotel Indigo and Bistro 72 last year while wine tasting. We decided to give them another go around this year after a pleasant experience the first time around.
THE HOTEL
(ALL PHOTOS PROVIDED VIA GOOGLE)
When walking into Hotel Indigo, not only are you impressed with the beauty of the property but also the quick service of the staff in the lobby. Checking in is very easy and everything that you need to plan out your weekend is right there in front of you. They offer beer, wine and spirit tours if you are into tastings. These tours include $50 credit towards Bistro 72, an overnight stay for two and two passes to the breweries or vineyards for the package that you select. It is a great deal.
The room itself is clean and very comfortable. They give you a complimentary bottle of water and provide more information on the restaurants and activities in the area. Just make sure to ask for a room that is not joined. We had an adjoining room. Even with the door closed, my wife and I could still hear our neighbors every word. It was quite a distraction. We will be sure to ask for a regular room when we return. The room has a modern spa style bathroom stocked with Aveda products and free wifi.
Hotel Indigo offers plenty of amenities such as a pool, fitness center, spa with massage service, and live entertainment. Hotel Indigo is a destination on it's own.
THE RESTAURANT
(PHOTOS TAKEN BY JOHN BOCCELLARI)
I just want to start off by talking about Bistro 72's manager, he was the man. In fact since I do not know his name, I will call him The Man. See The Man would look at whichever staff member he was going to delegate something to and just look at them then do a cool hand motion and they would know exactly what he meant. This guy owned the room and he ran a tight ship. He was everywhere at once and lead the team successfully. I feel good managers don't always get enough credit and this one was outstanding. Thank you for your hospitality.
Now that I got that out of the way, let's talk about the experience. I had a fantastic Hendrick's Martini that I could have just kept drinking all night to be honest. I even asked for a few extra olives because they tasted so good. My wife and I started our meal the Sesame Encrusted Calamari. This calamari dish featured three sauces. I will write them in the order they are pictured above. They were the hoisin sauce, spicy peanut and sweet chili sauce. All were great compliments to the crispy calamari but the sweet chili was the best. The hoisin reminded me of chinese bbq ribs, that was a good thing in my opinion.
My Lamb Shank was really amazing. The dish featured the lamb shank with broccoli and carrots accompanied with mashed potatoes covered with delicious pan drippings as the gravy. Wow is the only word that really comes to mind. The lamb shank fell off the bone and was tender enough to feel like it melted in my mouth with every bite. The pan gravy and mashed potatoes were out of this world. I felt completely full half way through eating the dish and still ended up finishing it because I could not bare the thought of any of it going to waste. This is the dish to order if you ever dine with Bistro 72.
My wife ordered the Vegetable Ravioli. This is not pictured about. She sadly did not enjoy it. She did not realize that it was in fact a vegan ravioli even though the menu said vegetable ravioli. We realized later on that the item was marked vegan which my wife did not notice. This is something that she would not order again because she is not one for vegan food. Vegan's may very well enjoy it if they try it as the waitress recommended it to her.
LASTING IMPRESSIONS
We enjoyed our experience in both the hotel and the restaurant. We have decided to make this a yearly tradition based on the exceptional service of all involved from the quick and easy check in and check out to the outstanding service when eating dinner at Bistro 72. I give Hotel Indigo 4 out of stars and I will give Bistro 72 4 out of 5 stars to match. Bistro 72 deserves the 5th star, but I took it away due to the ravioli confusion. Thank you to both Hotel Indigo and Bistro 72 for a great experience.
Hotel Indigo and Bistro 72 are located at:
1830 West Main Street
Route 25
Riverhead, NY 11901
Hotel Indigo: (631) 369- 2200 Email: stay@indigoeastend.com indigoeastend.com
Bistro 72: (631) 369-3325 bistro-72.com
