*This is specifically for their brunch service*

For a brunch, it's VERY pricey ($95 per person plus any alcoholic drinks you order outside of the included mimosas) but I would say that it was all somehow worth the price. Plus, the views from the top of the Contemporary are simply amazing!

Before ordering your actual entree, there's a large self-serve area with a wide range of offerings that you could easily fill yourself up with. The standouts for me there were the deviled eggs and sushi selection. I had to keep reminding myself to not go up for thirds or fourths because I had an actual meal coming shortly.

After debating between several options, I went with the steak and eggs. It was pretty good but I was just so stuffed from the buffet area that I couldn't eat more than half of my meal. In hindsight, I wish I went with either the chicken chilaquiles or pineapple-coconut stuffed French toast as my entree, but I feel like I'll return for the brunch service again in the future.

The ambiance with the two-man group playing live music was a great addition to the brunch experience.

If you can swing spending almost $100 per person on brunch and are prepared to eat a lot of food, I'd definitely recommend California Grill!

I don't often re-review places, but after Spare Time's recent renovation, it's almost an entirely new place and is now a must-visit in Bristol!

Gone is the old layout of City Sports Grille which often drew a less-than-desirable clientele and atmosphere. In is a newer, sleeker, better dining experience that's less "loud, open sports bar" and more "intimate, modern bar/restaurant that also shows sports" which is a huge plus in my book. There's no longer an open space for live bands to play, and I'm totally okay with that.

City Sports is now much more a part of the larger Spare Time location. Previously, it was closed-off almost as a separate entity that just happened to be attached to a bowling alley. Now, it's more opened up to the alley and the also recently updated arcade/laser tag/gaming area that I believe does a much better job at attracting parties and crowds who want to do more than just bowl.

In a town with not a ton of entertainment, Spare Time & City Sports Grille is worth checking out!

TL;DR version - Firefly is fine, but it has been surpassed in recent years by the number of competitors that have opened up in the area.

I don't often write updates to my reviews, but I think a re-do on Firefly is warranted to better reflect where Firefly stands among the larger amount of breweries that have popped up in the Bristol/Southington/Plainville area in recent years.

Bottom-line - their beer is all pretty good, but I don't find myself ever really considering visiting Firefly for drinks. And the reason is largely due to the "brewery boom" in the area causing more competition that does what Firefly does better IMO.

Here are some comparisons:

*Better Half - Firefly is heads and shoulders above them in terms of beer quality, but Firefly doesn't make their own food in-house. Better Half's food isn't all that good, but it's there.

*Relic - probably the closest comparison to Firefly since neither make food, but Relic is now my preferred option due to their massive size expansion and new seating areas. Firefly is now small in crowded in comparison.

*Witchdoctor - see Relic, Witchdoctor is just SO much larger inside.

*Kinsmen - see Better Half, but make the beer and food 9347234 times better. There's a ton of room inside and the beer menu rotates through different styles better.

*Skygazer - this isn't a super fair comparison since Skygazer at the moment is only open for can sales, but I absolutely LOVE Skygazer's creative beer styles and I make it a point to go out of my way to go there when something new is released.

Skygazer is quickly establishing itself as one of the best breweries in the central Connecticut area by creating really unique and creative beers that keeps me excited for whatever they're going to churn out next.

At the moment, they are only open two days a week - Thursdays and Saturdays - for can purchases only. My hope is that they'll eventually get large enough and the demand for their beer will grow enough for Skygazer to add a taproom or at least being open more than two days a week, similar to how Treehouse's increasing success over the years led to the same.

Beer taste is totally subjective and they rotate through so many different varieties that it's pointless to mention any on here as by the time you actually visit, they lineup will be totally different, but what I can say is that every beer I've had from them so far has been anywhere from great to awesome to "this isn't a particular style of beer I like, but I recognize that this is a very good effort" so chances are you'll enjoy whatever you try.

Here's to hoping Skygazer keeps growing and expanding going forward!