Bobette's ~ Milford, CT

So I know I haven't blogged in a long time and yes, I have tried new places but a lot has been going on lately.  I wish I had more time to blog.  Plus, I'm the fattest I've ever been in my life.  I need to try to cut down on all of the eating.  That being said, I had to service my car today at Subaru on the Post Road in Milford.  DJ was taking me to go pick up my car when I spotted this little love.  I've always wanted to try but I never knew where exactly it was on the Post Road.  We drove past Bobette's.  On a side note, Bobette is a little pet name that my family has given me so that just made it all the better.

I have nothing but good things to say about Bobette's.  It's just the type of place I always dreamed of owning.  The specialize in soup but have many sandwiches, cold and hot, and salads as well.  I made a mention of the place to Deej and that little darling surprised me with some soup when I got home with my car.  I tried their award winning mussel chowder. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!  It was a creamy chowder broth with mussels.  The broth was so good.  Enough cream to make it taste good but not so thick that you could stand your spoon up in the middle of the cup.  The potatoes were diced in small chucks with the skin still on for a rustic feel.  The best was the mussels.  I love mussels.  I love all shellfish but mussels are my absolute favorite.  (And those happen to be the cheapest)  This soup had the whole mussel in the broth.  It wasn't chopped up or anything.  It looked like they picked it out of the shell and threw it in the soup.  Loved it!

DJ got the "Roast Beef with Heat."  It's your basic roast beef sub but with their own horseradish sauce.  He devoured it.  He said it was cute inside and the people were friendly.  There were no chairs/tables inside so it's only for takeout.  He did not note if there were picnic benches outside. That could possibly be the only holdup.  It's way out in Milford and it only is for takeout.  Oh well, if the soup is that good in the summer then it must be damn good soup in the winter.  A winner in my book!  They are open M-F 10am-6pm and Sat 11am-4pm.  Their website is bobettes.com - they also offer delivery for a min. $20.  Not sure how far they would be willing to drive.

I loved it!  It may be a while until I post about my next bite.  Until then!  Happy Eating! 

L'Orcio - New Haven, CT

This is probably the fastest review ever written (in relation to the time I left the restaurant, which was approximately 30 minutes ago)  I just couldn't resist.  There are so many things I want to comment on.  Okay so to start, my cousin, Gerry, gave us a gift certificate to this restaurant for our wedding.  He knows how much I love eating out and recommended this restaurant to us for a romantic evening.  We figured our anniversary would be a perfect occasion to do so.  I have been sick these past few weeks so we ended up celebrating our anniversary tonight (January 2nd).  We weren't sure how busy the place would be so we made reservations, as we usually do.  The reservations were for 6:15 p.m.  We arrived fairly quick and looked around the area for a parking space.  L'Orcio is an Italian restaurant located on State Street in New Haven.  The parking was a bit ridiculous, which is one of the few reasons why I only venture to New Haven sporadically.  There were no spaces on State Street in front of the restaurant, or across the street.  We went down a few of the pain in the ass side streets that only go one way to find another spot.  We were coming up Pearl Street when we saw a few open spaces on the street.  Now there were plenty of literal spots on State Street but all of those spots had signs that said "No Parking" or something along those lines.  On Pearl Street, however, we did not see such signs.  As we parked and started to get out, a sketchy hobo-type man walked by the car.  I told DJ to wait a second and pretended to look at something in my purse.  As the man crossed in front of our car we made direct eye contact, which kind of freaked me out but then I thought I might need to identify this man's face later on so take note.  He was white male.  I would say about 5'10" with blue eyes and a very long beard,  His hair was brown but his facial hair had a reddish tint to it.  I was thinking about holding DJ's hand after we stepped out of the car but then I remembered a scene from that movie- I believe it was called "Crash" and it had some stars in it.  I think Sandra Bullock and maybe Ludacris?  There was a scene with those two people and Sandra Bullock latches on to her husband's arm and Ludacris says something about race and how she saw two black guys and grabs on to her man and then they proceed to jump Sandra Bullock and her man.  So even though this guy wasn't black, I was like I'm not going to look like he scares me and I'm just going to walk out of this car like I own the place.  I do and there were no problems.... see me at the end of my review.

We walked into the restaurant which was in a building that looked like one of those typical New Haven homes.  There was a stoop, a front door with a foyer.  The waitress took our name and we were seated up stairs.  Like I said, it was just like you were in a home.  We walked up the stairs and were seated at a table for 2.  There really was no need for our reservation.  When we walked up stairs there was one other table for 2 and there was another group of 4 to 6 people, with one of those people wearing a Yale baseball cap.  The room was nice.  Very intimate, dark, and still had festive decorations.  We started off with drinks- I had a Prosecco and DJ had a Moretti.  (Italian beer)  It was very quiet in the restaurant and it was very easy to overhear the conversations around us.  Let me just say, I hated that Yale group.  It was so cliche.  There we were in a quaint New Haven restaurant with dim lighting, and this group of possibly parents with their Yale-attending son and his girlfriend talking about (no lie) vegans, the Michael Brown trial, and overturning the death penalty.  I was like what the hell is this? Who talks about this kind of stuff over dinner?  People who think they're better than everyone else but then try to act like they're so liberal and caring for everyone else.  Give me a break.  I was sickened by them.  So the menu is not too large and everything was separate.  I wasn't sure how I should order.  Should I get an app?  Should I order a salad?  Because it seemed as though nothing came with a salad.  They did not have any soups otherwise I would have certainly tried one.  They also had side dishes that you could order on the side.  I just wasn't sure so I ordered my main course and called it a day.  

I had the lamb.  Out of this world delicious!   It said that it was prepared in a white wine sauce.  I've never had lamb cooked that way and really wanted to try it, and I'm happy I did.  It was divine.  You were give two pieces of lamb on the bone which is equal to 4 chops.  So good but not quite enough food.  I never know with lamb.  I need to write in to "Ask Ina" to find out the proper etiquette for eating lamb in public.  There is so much of that delicious and juicy meat left on those bones that I don't think you're supposed to just pick up gnaw on.  I think you should be able to because that clean bone serves as a perfect little handle.  I'm not going to lie.  I did gnaw a little.  I wanted to disgust my vegan crowd from Yale.  I ordered the lamb medium-rare and man was it cooked to perfection.  I could've eaten 5 more chops.  It came with roasted potatoes (also very good) and Brussels sprouts with a balsamic reduction.  The sprouts were okay.  They have kind of have an odd taste.  I have tried to cook them before and thought that I was cooking them wrong because all of the celebrity chefs talk up Brussels sprouts, but this outing at L'Orcio confirmed that I have been cooking them correctly.  I guess I'm just not much of a fan.  The plating wasn't fancy or pretty.  Your meat was there along with a scoop of potatoes and a scoop of sprouts.  It looked very "rustic."  I liked my meal but could've gone for more lamb.  DJ had chicken .  I forget what it was officially called but it was basically chicken Florentine.  Egg battered chicken cooked with lemon, white wine and spinach.  He liked his.  I thought that too was a bit skimpy.  His was served with nothing other than the spinach.  Next time I will definitely get an appetizer or at least a salad.

Our plates were cleared and the waitress brought us another round of cocktails.  I was a little perturbed that she had a runner bring us our food.  The place was basically dead and there were only two of us, yet you needed a runner to bring out our food?  Before she brought us our second round of drinks she cleaned off the table linens with a sort of squeegee device, which I liked.  She brought us over the dessert menu and by this time some more people came in.  A couple came in and sat in the back.  The man was a loud talker and unfortunately, I could hear all the lines he was trying to use to sweep this girl home with him.  Then two ladies came in and then 4 older people on a double date.  One of the young ladies was using the light on her cell phone to read the menu.  Ridiculous!  I have horrible night vision but I mean come on!  You're in  a restaurant with dim lighting.  The menu was still clearly visible.  I was amazed by this woman an began taking notes from that point on.  I told DJ to look in to buying me a little pad and clicky pen that I can bring with me to these restaurants as I review them.  I felt like Ego from "Ratatouille."   The oldies behind me said something about how they had never eaten upstairs before.  So that answered my question as to whether or not there are tables downstairs.  I guess there are.  Perhaps there was a large party down there tonight.

We ordered our dessert and the waitress offered to hold off on putting in our desserts until we finished our cocktails.  That was a nice touch.  The lights oddly kept flickering. We finished our drinks and then our desserts were brought to us.  I'm usually not a dessert person but because I was still a little hungry, I ordered one.  I had the chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.  It was okay.  The chocolate was very rich.  It was more of a grown-up chocolate cake made with more cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate.  It would've been fine if the cake had been warm but it wasn't.  It was ice cold.  DJ had the Charlotte cake, which was a chocolate mousse cake with amaretto lady fingers.  He said he would give it a 6.5 out of 10 possible points.  We paid for our meal and then left.

On our way back to the car we notice something under DJ's wiper.  What was it?  A ticket of course!  That punk hobo must have called the cops!  Now there were no signs in this area which is why we parked there and the part that makes me really mad is if he lived in the building near there and knew we were parking in a reserved spot, why didn't he just say hey guys you can't park there unless you have a sticker or whatever.  He was just like the guy in the movie Crash.  I tried to act like I wasn't intimidated by his appearance and gave him the benefit of the doubt but he ended up just being an asshole anyway which is why people continue to make judgments based on your appearance.  Which I'm sure he also did as well.  I bet he saw us and figured we were two little rich Connecticut snobs and wanted to stick us one.  Well that's not the case.   I know it was that guy because as I said, there were no signs in the area, none of the other cars had tickets nor did they have permits to park there, and with all of the crime in New Haven, we are going to get a parking ticket for parking in a spot for an hour!?  I really hate this world some times.  There are times you bite your tongue because you don't want to be a jerk, you don't want to be insensitive, you want to be understanding and then have to sit in discomfort but then on the other hand there are times when people just have to straight up ruin your night.  Maybe they could be a little sensitive, understanding, and a bit nicer.  Maybe they shouldn't pass judgement.  Furious that we have to pay this ticket!

So I want to say that this restaurant was quite tasty.  Thank you, Gerry, for treating us to a delicious meal, lovely cocktails, dessert and cappuccino!  I loved my lamb.  It was probably the best lamb I ever had.  If you choose to try this restaurant I advise you to get an appetizer or order a salad with your meal.  I would skip out on the dessert.  I, on the other hand, probably will not go back there in the foreseeable future due to the lack of parking and my personal hate for New Haven.  I was hoping that this restaurant would change my opinion but not tonight my friends, not tonight.  If you know New Haven, live in New Haven, or know where to park on State Street then you'll love it.  If you do not frequent New Haven, go somewhere else or let someone else take care of the driving.  If you can order from this place on Silverspooon - do it.  I'm just so mad about this ticket that I can't think straight.  That jerk smoking his joint with his ugly beard and ratty hat.  I'm going to put a Sophia Petrillo Sicilian curse on him.  May he never eat good meal, may his beard get caught in his zipper every time he puts his jacket on, and may his socks always fall down in his shoes! ** 

Until my next bite!


**This review was written out of rage.  The restaurant was very good but that jerk who lives in the building on Pearl Street ruined my night!  I apologize for offending anyone with my rhetoric, including Gerry Giaimo who graciously gave us this gift certificate.

Doody's - North Branford, CT

I'm a little late with this post but I still want to get it in.  On the day after Christmas, I got together with Judy and Catherine.  I wish that more could have joined us but three members out of the core is still pretty good, and everyone knows I need to get my quality time in with Catt before she heads back up to Boston.  (I'm hoping to head up there soon and add a Boston edition to my bites...)  I picked up the girls and since I was already out in that portion of the state, we decided to go somewhere relatively close by.  We were considering Supreme Seafood but they were closed so our next option was Doody's.  It's located right on Route 80 and just kind of pops up out of nowhere.  We parked on the side and walked in through the back door.  The back door leads into the bar/lounge portion of the restaurant.  We chose to sit in the "restaurant" portion which is located at the front of the building.  The lounge looked okay, but it was noticeably darker and I just wasn't in the mood to sit in those high, long booths that places have in bars.  We were told that we could sit wherever we would like.  There were quite a few people there but there were plenty of available spots.

We sat down at a table that was kind of in the middle of the room.  There were two larger parties sitting at two large tables near the side of the room.  Judy informed us that the room we were sitting in used to be a dance floor and continuation of the bar back in the day.  You could see the wood floor where the dance floor used to be.  The waiter was okay.  Nice but a little too much in your face.  We all had a nice gingie to drink.  I want to comment that there was no actual host stand.  They had the menus piled up on a little table and the hosts were sitting at a regular restaurant table cleaning the menus.  A few things I'd like to point out- 1. They should have a host stand.  The menus looked messy where they were and looked out of place.  2. The hosts looked like random people playing around with the menus and 3. I applaud the fact that they were cleaning down the menus.  I've read that the dirtiest thing you touch in a restaurant is the menu.  I've never seen a restaurant cleaning their menus.  I think it's a great thing because next time you go to a restaurant, take a look at the menu.  I guarantee the pages will stick together due to syrup, or there will be a blob of ketchup or the back, or it might just be greasy.  Knowing that Doody's cleans their menus makes me feel like some things are going right in this world.

Moving on to what we ate...  We had considered getting some apps but after days of ridiculously overeating we thought we should just slightly overeat.  To start, I ordered a cup of New England clam chowder (creamy).  It was DELICIOUS!  I enjoy NE clam chowder but I believe I've posted before that I prefer Rhode Island (clear broth) because of the general taste, sometimes the NE can be too thick, and I can suffer from some lactose issues.  This chowder from Doody's was fan-tas-tic!  It tasted like Chuck's Steakhouse.  The real and original Chuck's Steakhouse.  It wasn't too thick, there were plenty of chunks of clams and potatoes, and it just tasted good.  It was nice and hot and just hit the spot.  I do have to mention about the busgirl.  I was eating my soup and I just put my spoon down for a moment so I could tell Judy and Catt an animated story and the girl just grabbed my soup bowl and then said, "Are you all set?"  So  I am surprised that I actually said something because some times I just let people say whatever without a rebuttal.  But I said, "uh no, actually, I'm not."  There were only about two more bites but hey- I wanted them!  And she should have asked me before just taking the bowl, not to mention that I had my elbows up on the table while I was talking and the bowl was in between them.  I just thought it was rude of her to just reach in there and try to grab my bowl.

For dinner we all decided to order something very different from what we had been eating.  Christmas Eve is filled with fish, macaroni, veggies, cake, cookies and then on Christmas day I made lasagna and eggplant parm, so I needed some meat.  Judy and I both had the steak teriyaki wrap which consisted of tender thin sliced of banger steak tossed in a light teriyaki sauce and wrapped with american cheese, lettuce, tomato, cheese, grilled onions, mushrooms and peppers. The steak was very tender and was cut in slices. It was not like a thin sandwich steak but it wasn't like a big hunk of meat. It reminded me of smaller slices from like a London broil. It was very good. It is served with your choice of regular or waffle fries or sweet potato for a little bit extra. Judy and I both had the waffle. Catt ordered the steak and cheese sandwich which read, tender thin slices of sirloin steak, topped with your choice of melted cheese, lettuce and tomato mushrooms and onions. Catt's steak and cheese was very large. It was served on a sub roll. She only ate half and saved the other for a rainy day in Boston. We all liked and were pleased with our meals. After we were really finished, the waiter showed us the dessert menu, which looked pretty good but they were out of all the tempting desserts. Catt and I just got a coffee so we could chat a little more but no more food. It wasn't too expensive and we had a nice way to end our Christmas season with each other. In that area, there aren't too many restaurants so I was happy that Doody's was there. It's not the best place I've ever eaten but certainly not the worst. It was a nice spot where we could re-hash our holiday events. Not too busy and the food was good. I'm not thrilled with their waitstaff but then again this is more of a pub and not a fine dining establishment. They were young and it was the day after Christmas so I'll let it slide. Overall, Doody's is a good place that I will definitely go to again, especially with my core due to its location. DJ and I plan to go out for our anniversary so I will be back to post with a new bite in the near future. We were also given a lovely amount of restaurant gift certificates for Christmas so I look forward to having new topics! Until my next bite...

The Melting Pot - Darien, CT

Last night DJ and I joined some friends at The Melting Pot to celebrate my cousin Nicole's birthday.  This was our first time there but not for some of the others we went with.  It's in Darien which, by the way, is my absolute new favorite town in Connecticut.  Now I realize that I will probably never be able to live in Darien, but it's a good goal to have.  Maybe if DJ writes the next Harry Potter.  Anyway, we took the Merritt to get there.  It wasn't a bad ride at all.  We got there a lot faster than I would've thought.  Darien has a train station, is close to Norwalk, is close to New York,  has a cute and quaint downtown, and is near the Trumbull mall.  Can't go wrong.  We went up with Josh and Mirissa.  The restaurant has a parking lot and is located near a bunch of little shops and cafe-type places.  I was surprised to see that all of them were closed because it was only around 5:00.  Who knows what these people do in these towns.  Either way, I can't wait to plan my next trip there.

We arrived a little early so we waited in the bar area.  It seemed dead at the bar but then when we walked into the actual restaurant portion, it was packed!  The configuration of the restaurant was odd.  It seemed like you had to walk down these weird hallways and none of the rooms were very big.  The owner did tell us that they want to expand and are hoping to open a new location soon.  Possibly near Buckland Hills Mall.  There were 10 of us and we were seated at one of those half booth - half tables.  It was a snug fit but wasn't too bad.  Naturally, Josh and DJ squashed into the booth while Mirissa and I sat across on the table side.  We were given our menus and our drink orders were taken.  I had the "deep south tea" which read as a southern twist to a Long Island tea.  It was delicious.  I checked with the waiter before ordering.  I don't quite remember which liquors were used in this cocktail but it looked really cool.  It was layered so it looked like green, white, and red from the bottom up.  Very good.  We were confused by the food menu and the whole fondue concept.  Marla tried to steer us in the right direction but we just went on our own; live and learn.

They offer a 4-course meal so that's what DJ, Mirissa, and I did.  Josh had to go it alone due to his allergy.  Let's just say he is much braver than I.  We ended up ordering the same thing.  So our 4 course thing was around $40.  This included a cheese fondue (we chose the bacon jalapeno) with bread, veggies, and apples, a salad of choice (out of 4 options), an individual meal, and a dessert fondue.

The cheese fondue was delicious.  They bring a pot over and mix up the fondue of your choice right in front of you.  DJ and I must have popped a whole bottle of Lactaid that night.  Which it may be TMI, but I did not have to use the bathroom at all that night!  Our table was very large so it had three "burners" for the pots.  We had the bacon jalapeno- fabulous and Nicole's pot had the classic alpine.  They give you the fondue forks and you can dip raw veggies, breads, and apple chunks.  It was very tasty.  After they clear your pots away, they bring out the salad.  I chose the Caprese (fresh mooz and tomato) while the others in my 4-course chose the house salad.  It was good but not the best choice.  I already had a pot of cheese fondue and then I added some fresh mooz to the mix.  Next time I'll get the house. And then came the part of the night I did not like...

They bring out whatever protein you chose for your main entree raw. Yes, raw.  Our option had chicken, shrimp, and steak.  I wasn't really a fan of having to handle these raw meats and having to worry about contaminating my food.  You choose a type of broth and they put that in the pots.  Our waiter told us that anything that walks would take 2 1/2 minutes to cook and anything that swims would take about a minute and a half.  Now I know this is wrong.  How could chicken take the same amount of time to cook as steak?  I'll answer that for you.  It doesn't.  Those meats did not cook within that time.  This also dragged out the time of the meal because you have to wait for your meal to cook about two pieces at a time.  Our broth was the coq au vin, which I thought would have been lovely but it just added to the confusion.  The red wine in the broth turned all of the meats purple so it was a challenge to know if it was cooked or not, so I was a nervous wreck with every bite of chicken.  I was not a fan of the entree portion of the meal.  It is cool, in a way, to cook your food in the fondue pot but you're essentially just boiling all of your meats.  Boiled dinners suck.  That's why people don't do them anymore.  The chicken freaked me out and the steak tasted a little too meaty for me.  I find when you have a high quality meat that it tastes too meaty.  I can't quite describe it.  It tastes like the smell of raw meat.  Just give me some "can be eaten by humans" taco bell meat and I'm set.  Kidding.  Well, sort of.  I do enjoy a taco bell and I don't always like those grass-fed organic beefs, but I still consider myself to be a bit of a food snob.  So I didn't eat all of my steak but I did go to town on the shrimp.  The shrimp were safely cooked and delicious!  They also give you about 6-8 different dipping sauces that you can dip your meats and veggies in.  My favorite was the teriyaki followed by the cocktail sauce.  Lots of horseradish.

After the entree, they brought out a dessert menu.  We chose the classic fondue- chocolate and peanut butter.  Marla and Joe had the turtle fondue and Nicole had the yin-yang.  I have to just say that I absolutely loved it!  I'm not a huge fan of dessert but for some reason I could not stop eating this.  They bring out a whole tray of dipping items- Rice Krispy Treats, blondies, brownies, pound cake, bananas, strawberries, pineapple, marshmallows, and I requested some apple slices.  The cup with the apple slices had a hair on it.  It grossed me out.... but I'm not going to lie, I ate them anyway.  The hair wasn't touching any of the apples and it was more of lash or loose eyebrow hair.  I could not stop.  If it wasn't getting late and the waitstaff were not rushing us out because they had a party of 20 coming in after us, I would've burned my tongue from licking the fondue pot clean.  It was good.

To sum up, I will definitely go back again.  I will either skip out on the entree and just order cheese, salad, and dessert, or I will only get shrimp.  No more chicken or steak for me.  I will continue to ask for extra apples, I will order the deep south tea again, and I will pack my Lactaid again just in case.  It's a great place to go if you are looking for an activity to do while you eat.  You are no longer just limited to hibachi.  I also love Darien so maybe I'll make a day out of it.  I definitely would not recommend going there in a large group because of the tight quarters or if you are on a tight schedule.  If you have the time and want to go out with a total of 4 or 6 people, then you're golden.  While we were there, there were some girls with their parents out for their birthday.  They were ridiculously loud and obnoxious.  I would say they were about 13 years old?  Once they left it was much nicer but overall, I had a great time.  I'm very happy to be have been introduced to this restaurant so thank you Nicole and Jim for doing so.  Check this place out!  Until my next bite..

West End for Breakfast

Sunday I met my friend, Chrissy, for breakfast.  We had a lot of catching up to do and were looking for somewhere to eat.  I had the idea of going to West End Bistro because although I've gone there twice before, I had never tried the breakfast.

The parking is not that great.  There's really no street parking and that lot is shared by several businesses, AND that Valero/Dunkin is a total death trap!  We walked in and were told to sit wherever we wanted.  There were quite a few people there but there were still plenty of open tables.  I really like what they have done with the place.  It's cute, cozy, and cleaner than it's ever been.  We took a look at the large menu and had a little trouble deciding what to order.  I wanted to order pancakes but I have such a hard time ordering them for the first time somewhere.  I consider myself to be a pancake snob.  I only pancakes a certain way and because I don't use syrup, they have to taste good.  I usually eat pancakes from Chips and Cracker Barrel.  I was feeling brave but then I didn't want my whole meal to be a bust if I didn't like them.  I'm also beginning to lose my taste for breakfast meats.  I was never a fan of breakfast sausage, I'm liking bacon less and less, and I need to take a couple years' break from ham.  I also don't like home fries because I'm not a huge fan of potatoes.  So if I ordered pancakes they would have to be good because there was no side dish that I could order as a "back up" meal.  I chickened out and didn't order them.  I thought about getting eggs Benedict but I mentioned my feelings on breakfast meats.  I didn't want to get an omelette or just eggs so after talking with Chrissy, I decided to get two poached eggs with corned beef hash.

I was very pleased with my decision.  The eggs were pretty big!  I saw them and began to fear that they would taste of vinegar like they did at The Plate but they were not.  They were delicious and perfectly cooked.  The eggs tasted great and the yolk just bled out as soon as you put your butter knife through it.  The corned beef hash was homemade and you could tell.  You could see the skins from the potatoes (so you could tell they weren't those gross little white cubes of potato in the can) and there were nice shreds of corned beef all throughout.  It was very flavorful and nicely cooked.  It was also served with homefries, which I felt like was overkill.  I already had the hash, I didn't need more potatoes.  I didn't taste them but they just looked like plain potatoes.  My mom would like that because she hates homefries with a lot of onion.  The best part was the bread!  I just said white toast but this was no Sunbeam slice.  This was a nice crusty piece of bread.  It was toasted properly and was loaded with melted butter.  Absolutely sinful!  I didn't use any jelly, just dipped a little in the egg yolk and mostly ate it plain.  That's when you know something tastes good - when you can just eat it plain.  So I'd say that my breakfast was a success!  I will definitely be back for breakfast.

Our waitress was very kind and attentive.  She frequently refilled our coffee and so did the other waitress working that morning.  The coffee was a little weak but I'd rather have the coffee be a little too weak than a little too strong.  Chrissy had eggs over medium with bacon and wheat toast.  She said she liked hers and that the eggs were cooked perfectly.  Chrissy and I have shared many a breakfast together and now that I'm thinking back as I type, I realize she has a very distinct way of eating her eggs.  She usually taps the top of the egg and leaves the broken yolk on the top of her eggs.  I can't quite recall but I don't think she dips the toast in the egg, she may just fork the egg and take a bite of toast.  Either way, she enjoyed her meal.

I have a mixed feeling about West End Bistro as far as lunch is concerned, but the breakfast is delicious.  I would like to go back there again in the near future.  I also want to try more of their dinner-type meals.  I'm not crazy for their sandwiches.  I think they're a little too over the top.  Almost like they are trying too hard to create something so unique and ridiculous.  Just cook simply and cook well.  That breakfast was simple and it was delicious!  The next time I return there I probably won't write another post.  I'm hoping to hit up some new restaurants over Christmas break.  The next time I grab a bite, I'll take some time to write.  Happy holiday eating!

Gigi's Wood Fired Pizza - Milford, CT

Today we went to get our Christmas tree.  After some debate over where to go, how to travel there, who will drive, what time, we ended up at our old faithful, Jones Tree Farm.  We decided to go there fairly early to beat the midday rush,  This year goes down in the record books as the easiest tree picking experience.  DJ, my brother and I were in charge of choosing and cutting (not me) down the tree.  We knew we both wanted a Blue Spruce and we both didn't feel like climbing up the mountain this year, so we started off by looking at the trees near the parking lot.  Lucky for us, we both ended up finding our trees within minutes.  After the trees were up, decorated, and the homes were cleaned, my brother offered to take us out to dinner.  We went to a pizza restaurant that he wanted us to try.  We went to Gigi's in Milford.  It is located down the Post Road just under the bridge for the Merritt in the former location of The BBQ.

We went very early considering it was a Saturday.  Good thing that we did because the place is not very big and was PACKED!  The restaurant is small and nice.  Very casual.  It's nothing fancy and there is another section of it which is just a bar.  Our waitress was nice and gave us these delicious rolls while we waited for our food.  They were fabulous.  They were just rolls, I guess garlic rolls but not your normal type of garlic bread.  They had like a garlic salt on the outside and they had olive oil and Parmesan cheese on the table.  Very good.  We ordered buffalo wings for an appetizer, which were also cooked in the fire wood oven.  The wings were crispy and spicy.  Nothing out of this world but still very good.  For dinner we ordered three large pizzas: 1 sausage and mushroom because that's all my dad ever gets, one half meatball half eggplant, and one duck.  My brother is actually the one who wanted to try the duck pizza.  It had duck, caramelized onion, fontina cheese, mozzarella, and a balsamic glaze. It certainly is not your typical pizza but it was very good.  The duck tasted almost like jerky and the balsamic reduction added a sweetness to it.  I wasn't crazy for the meatball but I'm not a huge meatball pizza fan.  The sausage and mushroom was good.  It had fresh mushrooms and not the canned ones.  The eggplant was fabulous. That is slowly becoming my new favorite pizza topping.  I'm keeping that one in my back pocket for when lent arrives.

Needless to say, we were stuffed!  No room for dessert, although they did offer to show us a menu.  I also feel like they have specialty coffees.  They also offer quite a few appetizers, dinners, wings, and specialty pizzas.  To sum up, it was a great experience.  The pizza was flavorful and it offered unique topping choices.  The wood fire oven gave a nice crunchiness and smokiness to the pizza.  And the pizza was also a thin crust.  The atmosphere is cozy and casual.  I would definitely go back again but make sure you time it right.  I couldn't believe how packed it was between 4:30 and 5.  I also saw people picking up to-go orders but it's too far for us to do take out.  I hope you check it out and have as good an experience as we did.  Hopefully, I'll have another update for you soon.  Until my next bite..

Re-visit of West End Bistro and The Place

Well, usually I feel like I post a positive blog but not quite this time.  On Friday I went with our group of friends for our second visit to The Place in Guilford, CT.  We went between 6:30-7 on a Friday.  There were plenty of tables open but it was difficult to get the tables together for a group of 15 people.  No one came over to us to seat us or ask us why we were all standing around.  Eventually we went up to a waitress and she told us we could move the tables and stumps so that we could all sit together.  Last time we went Michelle had an incident with bug bites so we made sure to bring bug spray and sprayed the area, our stumps, and legs quite well.

The Place is fun.  It's a good place to go if you want to sit outside and have a relaxed, laid back time without having to do the cooking or waiting on, or if you don't have a place of your own to host such an event.  The menu is short and simple and is posted on a wood board near the grills.  They offer roasted clams, mussels, steamers, shrimp, salmon, blue fish, catfish, bbq chicken, lobster, steak, veggie bobs, roasted corn, and a few desserts.  You can bring your own sides, drinks, etc.  The food was better last time but I don't think it's really that great.  It might have been fine, except the service was terrible.  After we finally pulled the tables together, it took a while for someone to come over to us.  They have a few sodas and water.  She only brought over one pitcher of water and plastic cups.  We all could've gone for a refill but it was hard to get someone's attention.  She took our orders.  We had quite a few steaks, a few shrimp, a salmon, a veggie bob and mussels for me, roasted clams, a blue fish and about 4 roasted corn.  It took a long time for us to get any food at all.  When we did, it was a few items at a time.  I realize we had a large order and the food had to be cooked at different temperatures and for different amounts of time, but I just think that is terrible when a portion of your party is eating while the other portion is accepting $50 bets to steal another customer's egg roll. (Seinfeld reference) My mussels were okay.  They were supposed to be in a white wine broth.  They did not taste like any other flavoring had been put on the mussels.  I do love a mussel so I ate them all but they lacked in flavor.  I even added salt to the broth.  They gave  me a cup of broth but nothing to dip in that flavorless broth.  All the steaks were cooked well-done regardless of the temperature requested.  The roasted corn came out 10 minutes after everyone finished eating their entree and the clams came out 20 minutes after.  The food was a little expensive.  Granted, the menu mostly consists of seafood but even the corn is $5.  I mean $5 can buy you 2 dozen corn if you time it correctly.  I mean maybe even more than that!

To sum up, The Place is fun to go to for the place.  The atmosphere is nice, the idea of it is pretty cool, but it's not a place to go to for great food.  Maybe this was a rough night but I mean a Friday night in July?  You should have your best staff on.  The waitresses are all teenagers.  Not that all teenagers are bad but these were teenagers with an attitude.  I get that it's Friday night during the summer and you don't want to be working, but unless your banking on starring on the 19th season of "16 and Pregnant" then you better do your job.  Last time we went I had ordered the lobster.  I thought it was very dry.  After watching a number of grilling cooking specials the Food Network, I've learned that you are supposed to parboil the lobster first and then put the lobster on the grill.  The guy on "The Kitchen" even cut the lobster in half lengthwise and then put it on the grill.  (PS- I recently boiled lobsters and they do not scream when you drop them in the water...)  I didn't actually see them cook the lobster at The Place but I feel as though they didn't boil it first or if they did, they boiled it hours ago.  Another note on the lobster, they do not have crackers so bring your own crackers.  They gave me a rock when I was not prepared.  I don't want any of my blog readers to look like dummies when they're out there trying my reviewed restaurants.

Now read on for my second re-visit.  This re-visit is of West End Bistro in West Haven.
Today I went to West End Bistro after a nice sweaty beach walk with Amy and CJ. It was in the afternoon- lunch time.  It was brutally hot and humid today.  We were hoping to go in and cool off but the restaurant was a little on the warm side as well.  We sat near the window.  Again, the restaurant was empty,  Two other people came in while we were there but at first, we were the only customers.  The waitress was very nice and accommodating.  We ordered the Reuben perogies for an appetizer.  Delicious. They weren't as doughy as I thought they would be but then again I am someone who had her first perogie two years ago.  They're not exactly my forte.

To eat, I ended up trying the "pigs in a blanket." I have to say I was disappointed.  First of all, it was a total mess to eat.  Yellow mustard was all over the top of it and while I ate it it looked like I had chicklets for teeth and my hands had mustard all over them.  Second of all, the hot dogs were not Hummel's.  I'm sorry but if you're a restaurant in West Haven, Connecticut, you need to serving Hummel's hot dogs.  It was an all-beef hot dog.  I just can't.  You take that bite and ugh it's just so dark and unappealing.  Third of all, the chili was not very good.  It didn't mix well with the sauerkraut and mustard.  I don't know which was really the worst part.. was it the mustard that tasted funny, or the chili, or the combination?  Either way, I only ended up eating half and the fries were different.  I loved the fries last time but this time they were completely different.  Are there two different chefs that prepare them differently, are they testing out different recipes, or are they buying frozen fries?  They were not as good and my hot dog was not very good either.  I'm surprised I even got the half that I ate down.  Amy ordered the chipotle chicken salad wrap.  She liked it.  She ate it.  But she also wasn't raving about it.  CJ didn't order anything he just looked cute and danced with me.

Because I was let down by the hot dog, I ordered a cupcake.  It was a raspberry lemon cupcake.  It was pretty good, though I mostly ate the cake and scraped off most of the frosting.

Overall, it was okay.  I wouldn't say, "You should never go there," but I don't think I would say, "You have to get there as soon as possible." The burger was good, the hot dog not so much.  I would like to go try it again but I'm also not in a rush.  I'm afraid that sometimes I write these glowing, positive reviews because I WANT a lot of these restaurants to be good but they're not.  West Haven needs to have some good restaurants.  The location that was once Frankie's for what seemed to be 100 years, should be a restaurant.  The old Friendly's building should be a Friendly's again, or something great.  What about a Joe's Crab Shack? I think these restaurants just need to have the classics.  I know places want to have fancy, exotic menu options to pull you in but that's not the best way to pull in customers.  The food you make should be fantastic, amazing, out of this world.  If you could just make a few classic dishes perfectly, you'd be all set.  I don't think there's a restaurant in the area that I absolutely LOVE.  There are places I like, places I go to frequently, but no where that I crave.

These most recent restaurant visits have been total letdowns.  Maybe you'll have a different experience.  A better one, hopefully.  I'll keep you posted on my future restaurant visits.  Until my next bite...