Yankee Brew News Archive

Pub Review: Sam's Grill

Originally Published: 03/95

By: Gregg Glaser

Fairfield County, Connecticut is, for the most part, rich, well-educated and "au courant." But the county is just beginning to catch on to the American beer renaissance. For a beer enthusiast, this has usually meant the same slim, boring and predictable selection of beers at local restaurants and bars. You could always find the offerings of the major national breweries and their "light" or "ice" versions, and you could usually find a few of the most popular imports. Now, don't get me wrong. These are well-made beers and if that's the style you enjoy, fine. However the serious beer enthusiast likes to try something different, and the experienced beer drinker prefers a different style of beer at different times of the day and with different foods. Sam's Grill in Ridgefield is one of the growing number of restaurants and bars in Fairfield County with a beer menu to put a smile on this beer enthusiast's face.

The beers available change a bit on a regular basis; some go out of distribution and new beers are always added, but Sam's tries to keep a stock of about fifty different bottled beers on hand. The range of styles is impressive: English and American Bitter Ales; Pale Ales; Brown Ales; Holiday Ales; Stouts; English Strong Ales; Old Ales; Barley Wines; Belgian Strong Ales; Trappist Ales; Lambic fruit beers; Bohemian, German and American Pilsners and Lagers; Bock beers; French Biere de Garde; chili beer; ciders and root beers.

Some of the world's most famous breweries and their best-known brands are represented in this list: Anchor, Ayinger, Chimay, DAB, Moortgat, Eldridge Pope, Fuller's, Newcastle, Pilsner Urquell, Samuel Smith, Sierra Nevada and Young's, among others.

Sam's offers one draft beer that changes each time a keg runs dry, unless customer demand requires that the same beer be kept flowing. Such is the case with the current draft selection, Wharf Rat Ale from Shipyard Brewing of Kennebunkport, Maine. This beer has remained on tap at Sam's for a couple of months. (Incidentally, Shipyard is rumored to be planning to build a second brewery in New London, Connecticut.)

Indoors Sam's has a bar and seventeen dining tables, plus six tables on an outdoor patio, for a total seating capacity of seventy-five. The wine list has about fifty different labels and the food menu ranges from burgers and pizzas to seafood, steaks and international specialties. The restaurant has been open since December 1991 and has held a number of special wine dinners. Starting in February 1994 they began hosting a series of beer dinners, as well, presided over by David Davis. Davis, an Englishman, has been in the restaurant business for many years, and currently owns The Pub and Restaurant in Norfolk, Connecticut, which carries over one hundred beers.

Sam's Grill is located on Big Shop Lane in Ridgefield, just behind the shops on Main Street. They're open for lunch, Monday to Friday, from noon to 2:30 p.m., and for dinner, Monday to Thursday, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday, from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Reservations are required for dinner parties of five or more (203-438-1946) and credit cards are accepted (American Express, Master Card and Visa). There is live music every Friday night starting at 10:00 p.m.

Whether going for just a beer, a light meal or a full dinner, Sam's is a quiet, cozy little spot. Just the right place for a beer enthusiast to visit when in Fairfield County.