Connected

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Person Behind the Restaurant

Troy Ummel opens his welcome simply: "At CONNECTED you're always treated like you know someone, someone very important." That philosophy is grounded in a career spanning 35 years under demanding independent restaurateurs, a diploma from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and stints that took him to Christinis in Orlando, to Los Angeles to cook for Jim Henson and associates, three years in the Hawaii Hyatt Hotels, and time spent cooking in the south of France. The result is a chef-owner who has seen a great deal of the world's dining rooms and distilled that experience into one intimate space on North Dries Lane.

The Atmosphere

Connected is known for its romantic, intimate setting — beautifully decorated, guests report, in a way that feels considered rather than showy. The room suits a business dinner as readily as a date night, and the bar program is taken seriously enough to match the kitchen. Wine Spectator recognized the cellar with its Award of Excellence in 2020, a reflection of the extensive list that also allows guests to bring their own bottle for a modest corkage fee.

What's on the Plate

The menu reads as Italian-American in the most precise sense: Italian technique and naming conventions applied to premium American ingredients. Cold appetizers include thinly sliced prime filet mignon carpaccio with Parmigiano-Reggiano and capers, and fresh homemade mozzarella caprese with 12-year-old balsamic vinegar. House-made pasta — cheese ravioli in a light cream tomato sauce, fettuccine Alfredo prepared in the true tradition — sits alongside seafood like pan-seared Chilean sea bass over shrimp risotto with lobster tarragon sauce.

The house specialties are where the kitchen shows its range most clearly. The Cinghiale — wild boar tenderloin, pepper-crusted and pan-roasted in an Indonesian lemon, ginger, and sweet soy sauce — draws repeat mentions from guests. The dry-aged prime ribeye (Del Monico) and a filet mignon in Barolo wine sauce with caramelized pearl onions round out a list that rewards both the adventurous and the classical diner. Creative cocktails, from the signature Lemon Basil Martini to a properly made Sazerac, complete the picture.

The Experience

Connected operates as a dinner-only destination, Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m., with a dress code of business casual and a strong preference for reservations. The scale is intentional — tables are limited, seatings are structured, and the kitchen closes roughly an hour after the last reservation. That restraint is part of what makes it work: every guest gets the attention the room was designed to provide, and the American cuisine here consistently earns the kind of loyalty that keeps tables booked days in advance.