Back to Blogging

It feels nice to be back writing my blog.  I have a few reasons for not writing lately.  My wedding is approximately a year away and this has me watching my weight (Don't want to sound like Regina George but I want to lose five pounds), watching my spending, and has kept me close to home.  When I have gone out it's been to the same old places.  Now I did go somewhere recently that was terrible, but I can't seem to remember where it was.  I remember commenting on it when I was in the car getting ready to leave but cannot remember.  If I was with you, please leave a comment and share where we were.  In this blog, I will discuss a few things including- carnitas, Reno's, Pop's, and Thanksgiving.  Let's start with Reno's.

I don't believe I've blogged about Reno's before but if I did, oh well.  I had a delicious sandwich from Reno's last night.  I loved Reno's when it was located at the former site of Clark's Dairy and I still love it now in the plaza with Hawley Lane in Orange.  DJ and I were just driving up the Post Road looking for a place to eat.  We approached Reno's and I noticed no one was sitting inside the restaurant.  Their seating is limited, especially in comparison to their former location.  I was surprised that no one was dining inside.  It did worry me a bit but I was hungry and wanted to go somewhere I didn't have to wait for a table, so Reno's fit the bill.  Plenty of people were coming in and out to pick up to-go orders and the delivery man looked a bit ragged, so I figured we were safe.  We were free to pick whichever table and chose a nice booth/table.  I wasn't sure what I was in the mood for when I first sat down.  Reno's has a little bit of everything.  They have great pizza, a few dinners, sandwiches, salads, soups, and apps.  I'm not sure if they still do this, but I know they used to have all-you-can-eat pizza on Tuesday.  I think it was like 9 dollars and the waitress just brings out random topping pizzas and offers you a slice.  I love pizza so this is a perfect thing in my eyes.  It's great when you can sample other types of pizza.  For example, I never would have ordered a spaghetti and meatball pizza on my own.  Now I know I like it, so I may in the future.  Back to our order.  We decided to order fried dough bites for an appetizer.  Fabulous.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  Perfectly cooked fried dough balls, a cup of marinara, and some grated cheese.  My recommended way of eating is to pour some grated cheese on your plate.  Dip the ball in the sauce and then dip into the grated cheese.  Perfetto! (Kissing my fingers)  It reminded me of Dom in "Fatso" when he's upset at Sal's wake.  Then we decided we would get subs this time.  I went with Mark's special- a chicken cutlet, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a toasted sub.  FANTASTIC!  I know that sounds simple, but that was the most fresh chicken cutlet I've ever ordered from a restaurant.  It tasted like I just took it out of the pan.  I've been losing my taste for chicken lately.  It always seems that I get that chewy, fatty, gross piece that just turns you off from your whole meal.  Now I know the chicken from Reno's is safe and delicious.

DJ ordered the Philly Steak sub.  Steak, onions, cheese wiz.  We shared the subs half and half.  I love doing that because I'm so indecisive.  I'm happy I went with Mark's Special.  The steak sub was okay.  The wiz was good.  I would've liked mushrooms on it too, but we won't go there.  It might have been that the steak sub was good but the Mark was so much better that the steak only tasted mezza-mezz.  The owner and waitress were very nice and friendly.  I felt bad because the delivery guy apparently spilled an entire catering tray of chicken marsala all over the car so needless to say, the owner was pissed.  He came over and joked with us about it and went really easy on the delivery kid.  Reno's is great.  I wish it was closer to West Haven because that's where I'd go every night.  Is it just me or did WH pizza die out?  I usually go to Tom's and Pat's for convenience, Mike's is delicious but I hate parking on Campbell Ave., and Zuppardi's you need to be in the mood for and let's face it, near a bathroom.  But then I feel like that's it.  Lorenzo's has a terrible parking lot and is located in the hood.  Domenic's I don't like.  Where else is there?  That's it, right?  Maybe I should go into the pizza business...  So to sum up, Reno's is great.  Go there if you haven't.  And if anyone knows if they still do the all you can eat Tuesday, let me know!!!

Moving on.... tonight I made pork fajitas, which some may refer to as carnitas.  Absolutely delicious. I love pork.  Especially when it is seasoned well and slow cooked.  Although I don't like "pulled pork."  It's not the pork.  It's the bbq sauce.  It is probably my least favorite sauce in the world.  But I do love the bbq sauce from Bao's.  I could fill up a stein of that stuff and go to town.  Back to the carnitas.  I used a pork butt, rinsed it off, liberally added salt and pepper, oregano, rubbed a little bit of olive oil, freshly squeezed orange juice and the orange halves, a dash of cumin, onion slices, 4 garlic cloves, and a little bit of the fajita seasoning pack.  I added a small amount of water because I was afraid there wouldn't be enough liquid for the crock pot, but there was plenty.  I let that cook in the crock pot on low for about 8 hours.  After the 8 hours, I put the pork in a dish and shredded it with two forks.  Then I put a little bit of vegetable oil in a pan, let it get hot, and then added the pork, pressed it down and let it get crispy on one side.  Then it was time to eat.  We had tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, peppers, onions, black beans, and Spanish rice.  It was delicious!!  I love pork!  Next time I might add some beer because I think Cubans add beer but then what do I know?  I liked it.  We wanted to have something that did not resemble Thanksgiving dinner, and I think we succeeded.  I was going to comment on Thanksgiving and Pop's but I think I'll save that for another blog.  It has been a while since my last bite but I promise it won't be that long since my next bite...

Hard Rock Cafe - Foxwoods

On Friday I went with my cousin, Nicole, to Foxwoods.  We went to play the morning bingo.  It was such a great day even though it poured outside all day.  Bingo was fun, we didn't win, but we brought our snacks, drank the free drinks, and laughed all day.  What's better than that?  Although you can order food from inside the bingo hall, we opted to bring our own snacks and then eat at one of the restaurants after bingo.  We went to some of the shops, played the money wheel, played a few slots, and then it was time to eat.  By the way, Foxwoods will be opening up high-end outlet stores soon.  I prefer Foxwoods, but their dining situation needs to be fixed.  They really don't have any restaurants.  They're all never heard of places.  I feel like Foxwoods is more in touch with it's Indian roots, but then make a cool Indian restaurant that serves updated spins on native recipes.  The only independent restaurants that I've heard of that have a spot at Foxwoods are Juniors (never again) and Hard Rock Cafe.  We chose the Hard Rock.

Upon entering the restaurant, the hostess asked us if we were both over 21.  Now what was the purpose of that?  We didn't sit at the bar, people with kids ate there, I just don't understand the reasoning.  The only thing I could think of is we were seated on the left side of the restaurant and all of the people who had children with them sat on the right side.  Maybe it's a system they have worked out so the waitresses don't have to card people?  I don't know.  We both ordered beverages in souvenir glass.  I had the Singapore Sling and Nic had some tropical drink with a lot of banana in it.  Both were quite refreshing.  Especially after we were assaulted by some crazy man from China.  It was hysterical, though.  To eat, I had the California burger and Nicole had a salad.  My burger was served with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, avocado, monterey Jack cheese, and ranch dressing.  Delicious.  I ordered the burger medium.  It was a little under medium, which is fine with me.  Nicole had a salad with crispy chicken and tortilla strips on top.  She enjoyed her salad and I loved my burger.  It came with seasoned fries.  I love seasoned fries.  They are so much better than plain fries that you have to salt yourself.  It looked like they only gave me about 9 fries, but it was actually better that way.  It helped to control my appetite.  Delish.

Overall, a clean restaurant, a nice waitress, good drinks, good food.  Highly recommend!  Next time you decide to pop the cork and snap your fingers at Foxwoods, stop by the Hard Rock Cafe for a reasonably priced meal.  I'm trying to control myself this week but the next time I take a bite out, I'll keep you informed.

Burgerless at the Burger Joints

So this past week I went to two burger places for dinner.  The first place I checked out was Prime 16 in Orange.  It's in the former location of Jacob Marley's.  I went with my mom and Judy on a Wednesday night.  We had to wait for about 10 minutes but it wasn't too bad.  The waiting area is a little odd.  It's near the bar but not.  They have leather benches that you can sit while you wait.  It's weird.  It's like you're at a zoo- Just sitting on the outskirts watching the other people.  There were all kinds there.  Mostly an older crowd though.  Some loners at the bar, some double daters.  We were brought to a booth that was comfortable.  The restaurant is very dark.  Dark wood, black leather, dim lighting.  The menu was a decent size.  They mostly have burgers but they also have a few hot dogs, some salads, some wrap/sandwiches.  They also have a large list of beers on tap and other alcoholic choices.  It seemed to be good.

On that night, Judy ordered a simple cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato.  She said that hers was very good.  My mom ordered a mushroom burger with no bun.  She also said her burger was delicious.  I was a little full so I chose to not order a burger or hot dog.  I had the Vermont wrap.  It was also very good.  The wrap consisted of marinated chicken, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, apple slices, and sauteed onion with honey mustard.  I ordered a side of mixed greens instead of fries.  Our waitress was very nice.  I was pleased with my experience.  I say it's a keeper and I can't wait to go back to try a burger!

The next night we went out for a little celebration with DJ, Jessi, Paul, Dana, and Dan to Plan B.  I'm not particularly a fan of Plan B but I think I may have found something on the menu that I like.  I'm not sure what it is exactly about Plan B that makes me dislike it.  The meat tastes a little funny to me.  It's like when I bite into it, I feel like I smell raw meat.  Anyone who has made a meatloaf, meatballs, or homemade burgers knows that it takes quite a few washes to get that meat smell off of your hands.  It makes my stomach turn.  It also could be that I went one time and ordered the disco fries.  I'm a fan of going to the dinner and getting some fries with cheese and gravy on them, but the ones at Plan B felt like they we sitting like a rock pressing on my stomach.  When I say, "Plan B" I get nauseous.  But nowadays it seems like there's a burger craze.  There are burger restaurants popping up all over the place.  So anyway, we went to Plan B. 

I thought about what I was going to get before we went there.  I decided that it's the ground meat that bothers me.  Other than ordering a burger, your options are slim.  They have salads and a few meals and appetizers.  I would've loved to order a couple apps but they are so damn expensive that if you're going to do that, you might as well order a dinner.  In the end, I ordered a steak salad.  I have to say, that it was very good.  I ordered the steak medium rare and it was served over greens with tomatoes, cucumber, blue cheese crumbles, frizzled onions, and I'm not sure but there may have been other little things mixed in.  It's served with horseradish blue cheese dressing but I asked for it with the tomato vinaigrette instead.  Excellent choice.  If had the original dressing then what's the point of ordering a salad?  It also came with a triangle of garlic bread.  Very good.

Everyone else ordered a variation of a burger.  I know DJ and Paul had the bacon cheeseburger but I forget which ones everyone else had.  Possibly a California?  Everyone was pleased with their burger.  They sounded good, they looked good, but I just don't think I can do their burgers.  I can't do the burgers at Plan B Burger Bar or the chicken at Archie Moore's.  Go figure.  The salad was good, but it left me feeling full but not stuffed.  DJ and I decided order dessert.  I had the key lime cheesecake.  It was strange.  They served it parfait style in a glass.  I wasn't that crazy for it.  I wish I had skipped dessert and made DJ go through the Popeye's drive thru for the blackberry cream cheese cake they have.  Divine.  DJ had the funnybone.  Great in thought. Chocolate cake, peanut butter mousse, chocolate ganache.  I'm telling you, after the peanut butter thing at The Place, nothing can compare.

Overall, I'm not a huge burger person.  If I wanted to eat a burger, I would just go to Outback.  Their burgers are so underrated.  But seriously, in this Burger Battle, Prime 16 wins.  Both places are popular and are good, but in the world of Betsy's Bites, Plan B is not al dente.  Until my next bite....

Abate's/Libby's on Wooster Street

Tonight I went for a lovely dinner on Wooster Street.  I think I've said it before, but I just love Wooster Street.  Not so much the actual, physical street, but the idea of what pops in my head when I think of the street.  I think of (all in black and white of course) this close-knit neighborhood where everyone knew each other and owned their own business that featured their specialty.  I could always imagine a bunch of old people going to Libby's at night after a hard day's work for coffee and pastries.  Okay, out of the clouds and back to reality.

Tonight I went to Abate's with DJ, Nicole and Jim, and Josh and Mirissa.  2 out of the 3 couples were able to find parking right in the lot at Abate's.  That's really the main reason why I like to go there.  The parking lot is for customers of Abate's and Libby's.  Can't go wrong.  That's my idea of a perfect night.  We were seated at a nice large table in the center of the room.  The waitress was very nice.  We started with a nice adult beverage before we ordered.  There were a few menu items I was not too sure about.  I didn't know what tortellini alla panna was or fettucine cardinale.  Basically they are both dishes in which the mentioned pasta is in an alfredo sauce.  I can absolutely not do an alfredo sauce so both of those options were crossed out.  I ordered ravioli with a side of meatballs, DJ had chicken parm, Nicole had penne alla vodka, Josh had steak, Mirissa also had ravioli, and Jim had chicken marsala.  While we waited for our meals, we were given a tossed salad (family style) and some bread.  The bread was pretty good; it was served with butter.  Olive oil happened to be on the table but only because Josh has a food allergy and requested oil and vinegar for his salad.  The bread was very crunchy but not too bad.  The salad dressing was good.  I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Then our meals came out- all at the same time.  I think that is important when you go out to eat.  You can always tell the quality of the restaurant by how the food is delivered to you.  (*side track alert*) I remember when I went to Emeril's restaurant in Florida, 5 waiters came out at once and put our plates in front of us all at the same time.  Now that's what I call class.  Mirissa and I both thought the ravioli were okay but a bit bland.  The sauce didn't really have much flavor and neither did the ricotta filling.  I feel like the ravioli were previously frozen and not freshly made.  You could tell because there was an excess liquid in the plate.  I added some grated cheese and red pepper flakes but it was still bland.  The meatballs; however, were delicious.  I might even be so bold as to say they are the best meatballs I have ever tasted in a restaurant.  De-lish!  These had quite a bit of flavor.  It almost tasted like sausage meat was mixed with the ground beef.  Out of this world.  I wish I had just ordered the meatballs.  Nicole also said her penne were bland as well.  Maybe their salt jar was empty today and they didn't realize it.  Josh's steak was a tad overcooked but he said the seasoning was perfect.  DJ didn't really say much about his.  He did not wrap any leftovers.  Jim ate all of his minus the mushrooms so I take it that his was good.  The bathroom is a one-person in case you were wondering.  It was in good shape.

We received our bill and all were satisfied.  Josh ordered a cocktail and I believe it only cost $5 and some change.  In the words of Josh, "Next time we'll come back and just get drinks and meatballs."  I usually order the mussels over linguine but tonight I was trying to save some money so I just got the ravioli.  I like Abate on Wooster Street.  The food is decent, the prices are decent, there's a parking lot, and it's fairly comfortable inside.  I think it's the best place to go for a reasonably priced dinner on Wooster Street.  I will go back again.

After dinner we walked over to Libby's.  That's right people, back it up.  We are not leaving our parking spots yet.  I've never eaten inside Libby's.  Apparently it's a waiter service when you sit at the seats but that just completely intimidates me.  I just can't control myself when ordering things in a bakery.  You know that I don't have much of a sweet tooth but my eyes wish I did.  I ended up ordering a pound of cookies.  A mix of pink stars, tri color, and acorns.  Simple, delicious, perfect.  DJ had a root beer Italian ice, I had a lemon ice (DJ finished), I believe Josh and Mirissa had watermelon ice, and I'm not sure about Nicole and Jimmy.  I want to say blue raspberry.  Fabulous.  Libby's is one of my absolute favorite places to go.  I remember loving it ever since I was a little kid.  I don't remember who took me there the first time, probably Neil, but I just have this image in my head from when I was quite young and I loved it.  Something about it.  It's not a beautiful bakery or anything like that.  It looks exactly like it did since the first time I tried Italian ice. I thoroughly enjoyed myself tonight.  Good food, good company, good parking, good price.  Can't go wrong.  I absolutely recommend a night down on Wooster Street at Abate's and Libby's.  Until my next bite....

Bistro Mediterranean and Tapas Bar- East Haven

Another 6-8 weeks has come and gone.  Ever since the hurricane destroyed The Beachhead (again) we have been going to new restaurants.  This time we went to a restaurant we had heard good things about.  I was co-pilot to Baylis on this occasion.  It was fairly easy to get to.  It's on Main Street, though it doesn't look like it belongs right where it is.  The Bistro is a beautiful building but the neighboring buildings are not so hot.  We went in, had a little confusion with the reservations, but were seated in the back room at a large table.  Even though the though the Bistro is "Mediterranean", it's primarily Spanish, according to the waiter when asked for Italian dressing.  The waitstaff were friendly.  There was one wild busboy who should be a hibatchi cook that you may want to look out for.

As soon as everyone arrived, we ordered.  While we waited, the waiter came around with a basket of freshly baked bread. It was fabulous bread.  It was flaky, soft, and warm.  I would have preferred if the bread was left on the table, but it was good in a way.  It helped control me.  I couldn't continue to dig into the basket for more hunks of bread.  Oil was on the table- no butter.  A plus!  Some of my co-diners ordered tapas.  I tried an arugula salad with gorgonzola cheese and pears.  It was good.  I had never had arugula before.  It was a bit peppery tasting.  It reminded me of a radish.  The sweetness of the pear balanced the peppery flavor of the arugula.  Deb let me taste her fried mootz balls.  They did not taste like mozzarella, but they were delish.  A few other people ordered salads as well.  There were many repeats around the table tonight in main dish choice.  I don't know if I saw everyone's plate but I'll share what I saw.  Many people ordered the lobster ravioli which was served with a alla vodka sauce, there was a penne dish with chicken alla vodka, surf and turf (NY strip and shrimp), pappardelle with shrimp, scallops, and lobster, paella, rigatoni with sausage, mushroom ravioli with alla vodka (*upon request), and I ordered the lamb chops.  Everyone was highly satisfied with their meal.  My lamb was so tender and delicious.  I have to stop ordering lamb out at a restaurant.  I feel like I have to put up such a struggle to cut my meat off the bone.  I just want to hold the chop in my hand and go to town.  It was served with mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach.  The potatoes looked like they were piped onto the plate with a pastry bag.  The spinach tasted just like my mom's- sauteed in EVOO with garlic, s, and p.  I was very happy with my main dish.  I would actually like to try to head back there soon to try their scallops and risotto.  I almost ordered it because it's so "Hell's Kitchen" but then I backed out and ordered the lamb.  Maybe I should've ordered the skirt steak.  I don't know... it was very hard to make a decision.

After the meals were cleared away, we ordered dessert.  I tried this crepe with fresh fruit and vanilla ice cream.  Big mistake.  Bad note to end on.  I don't know what type of fruit was in the crepe.  It tasted and looked like nothing I could recognize.  I ended up eating the ice cream and the few pieces of fruit on the side that served as a garnish.  I felt like Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail."  I ate Amy's garnish as well.  A few ordered the molten chocolate lava cake, a few ordered the banana- was it caramelized or fried?  Either way, a banana dessert.  Everyone seemed to enjoy their dessert except for me.  It took a while for the bill to arrive but while we were waiting, the waiter came over with a complimentary glass of champagne for all of us!  That sealed the deal for me.  It was such a nice little surprise to get at the end of dinner. 

Overall, Bistro Mediterranean is a keeper.  Good food and even better prices. I was amazed at how cheap everything was.  The menu online does not include prices, so I assumed that it would be a fortune but I was pleasantly surprised.  My lamb was $21 and the skirt steak was only $16. The restaurant was clean, everything seemed new, the waitstaff was friendly, the bathroom need a little attention, and it was a lengthy meal, but as I said, a keeper.  If you like Mediterranean cuisine, although I really wouldn't call it Mediterranean because the only clear Spanish dish was paella, I recommend it!  I know that pasta and Italian dishes are Mediterranean, but a remark the waiter made to Nicole irked me a bit.  She asked for Italian dressing and he said, "This is Spanish.  We have balsamic."  You can serve ravioli, pappardelle, and penne but then make a comment when someone asks if you have Italian dressing.  Come on here people.  All in all, it was a good dinner.  Until my next bite..

The Corner (Milford) for Breakfast and The Place (Guilford) for Dinner

This was a busy eating day for me.  In the morning I went to breakfast with my lovely friend, Carrie.  She said that she wanted to try The Corner located in Milford center for breakfast.  I had been there once briefly with DJ.  I was unimpressed with it when I went but I thought maybe that was just a rough morning.  I'm just going to start off by saying that The Corner is not my cup of tea. I don't think Carrie disliked it as much as I, but this is my blog here.  haha.  First of all, we went on a Friday morning- like 9:45.  When you walk in, it looks like you walked into some old lady's house.  I guess they're going for a certain "at home" feel because all the plates and cups and whatnot mismatch.  It really does feel like you opened up somebody's cupboard and grabbed yourself some breakfast.  Some may find that cute but not me.  I think that's gross and dirty.  It reminded me of when I would babysit for non-relative children.  (Not all of the families, especially my fave 2 boys) It's a little creepy.  Just using someone else's stuff, not knowing where it's been, wondering the cleanliness of the things you're touching, trying to just go off the appearance of the house, or in this case, a restaurant.  It gave me that old feeling.  I feel like there was a cloud of gray just hanging in the air.  It was packed.  There were "two" large groups of special needs camp children and the rest of the tables were taken as well.  We stood there for maybe about 10 minutes.  No one looked at us.  They didn't say, "Hey it'll just be a few minutes," or "we'll be with you in a minute."  Nothing.  This was really pissing me off.  Carrie suggested that we just leave and I took her up on that offer.  When we walked out on the sidewalk we noticed that that new cupcake place that was in the paper had just opened.  Apparently, they won on cupcake wars.

The people at the cupcake place were very nice.  They had a limited selection of cupcakes.  I feel like they have more flavors at Julia's and they're a regular bakery, not a special cupcake shack.  We weren't sure if we would order cupcakes or not but we ended up ordering them.  At that time in the morning, there was no way I could handle chocolate or really sweet stuff. They had a blueberry cupcake.  It was basically a blueberry muffin with some blueberry frosting on top.  It was okay but as far as I'm concerned, it won no battle.  If that's what won on cupcake wars, then I guess I'm Genghis Khan.  I can make a better cupcake than that.  It tasted stale, yet they just opened for the day.  Carrie had the Ethel Mertz cupcake (yes folks, there are other Ethel Mertz and Lucy fans in the world).  It was chocolate and peanut butter.  Carrie said it was good but she didn't go crazy for it either.  After the quick cupcake and coffee snack we went back to The Corner.

Neither of us were very hungry but it's where we had set out to go.  We went back in.  Summer camp was gone, they were in the process of separating tables.  Still no eye contact, conversation, nada.  Eventually they seated us at this teeny tiny round table for two.  It was pushed up against a bookcase and a ledge of some sort.  There was a loud old man right on my keister and the ledge was right at eye level, bosom-level for Carrie.  The menu is very exotic.  Expensive too. What I mean by exotic is crap you normally wouldn't serve for breakfast- pulled pork breakfast wraps, crabcake scramble, caramelized onions, etc.  I wasn't that hungry so at first I was going to just get scrambled eggs and pumpernickel toast (the only plus) but then I decided I should give a real review.  I got, what was described as, "scrambled eggs with spinach, caramelized onions, and gruyere cheese on French flatbread.  I basically envisioned like an open-face breakfast sandwich.  Not at all the case.  What was served to me was scrambled eggs with spinach and onions with a crepe on top of that with hollandaise sauce on top of the crepe.  Didn't like it.  Too much onion, not enough bread, not enough egg, crap. Not for me.  Carrie ordered a crab cake benedict.  The crab cake took the place of the Canadian bacon.  She said it was good but again, not blown away.  The bill came and whatever- just get me the hell outta here!  I will never go there again.  This goes with that group of snooty people from Milford who think that Milford is something more than West Shore - extension.  Change the name of Ocean Ave.  I see it on a street sign West Shore Ext.  Eating eggs in some old bag's three season porch is not my idea of quaint New England living.  Skip the corner!  Especially if you have jury duty, you'll be there all damn day.

Carrie and I have some more travels ahead of us so stay tuned.  For now, on to The Place in Guilford.  Now Guilford, the better of the two -ford towns, has a lovely little place you should check out.  I had first seen The Place on the Travel Channel.  It's a place outdoors.  You sit on tree stumps, and all of the food is cooked on this huge grill nearby.  It's a very simple menu.  BBQ chicken, blue fish, catfish, salmon, steak, shrimp, lobster, clams, mussels, veggiebobs, and corn.  You are allowed to bring anything else you want.  Drinks, side dishes, desserts, sodas, tablecloths, glasses, flowers, whatever you want to make your meal more enjoyable.  I'm not sure what the story is when it rains so just make sure you check the weather forecast before setting out there.

I had a blast at the Place.  I went with DJ and a large group of friends.  There were 13 of us all together.  The best kind of get together.  We were lucky enough to get a table that could fit all of us.  Every couple brought a 6 pack and some type of side.  We brought a couple of bags of potato chips and dip, some brought chips and salsa, some made a tossed salad, some brought coleslaw and potato salad.  It was just perfect.  We weren't really sure what to do when we first arrived so we just passed around the sides and chatted until out waitress came over.  **THEY ONLY ACCEPT CASH OR CHECK**  That just popped in my head, sorry.  We had a nice variety go around the table.  DJ and few others ordered the BBQ chicken, Dan ordered the steak and some clams, Dana and Jessi ordered the shrimp, Fred had bluefish, I think Michelle had salmon, Not sure about Kevin, and I ordered the lobster.  I believe Chris also ordered the mussels.  I have so much to say, I don't know where to begin!

Let's start with the chicken.  It was good, everyone ate it, but the BBQ sauce was a bit on the Ketchup-y side.  If you know me by now, you know I don't like to order chicken when I eat out.  The bluefish and salmon were both a hit.  Shrimp was good but had the shells on it so it was kind of a pain in the rear.  Roasted clams were good.  Mussels were delicious and the lobster was good.  The lobster can either be boiled or roasted on the grill.  I chose to have it roasted because that's unique, but I may have liked it a touch more if it had been boiled. It was a little rubbery in texture, although I think that was due to the grill roasting.  The lobster caused quite a scene.  They don't have crackers there so if you need one, they give you a stone covered in tin foil.  I bashed the hell outta that little lobster.  It was easy to break apart.  I did get a little grossed out at one point though.  My mom taught me how to eat a lobster and she never eats the body, just the claws, tail, and some of the legs.  Well this group wasn't going to let it just stop there.  They had me eating the antennae, the roe, guts a galore!  I had fun though.  It was tasty.  I got my lobster-fill for the summer.  Everyone enjoyed their food.

All the plates were cleared away and then it was time for dessert.  I technically passed on dessert but ate half of DJ's.  He ordered this luscious chocolate peanut butter thing.  Oh my word!  Delicious!  It was the best dessert I ever had.  I would go back just for that!  I don't know when I'll be heading back to The Place but I was able to cross it off my summer bucket list, and I have a wonderful memory to go with it.  There was a moment when I was waiting for my lobster when I kind of just stepped back and took it all in.  Outside, summer time, the smell of the grill, a cool breeze, laughter, friends, food.  It was perfect in that sense.  I couldn't ask for anything else.  I was so happy I finally made it to The Place.  So thank you to everyone who joined me!!  Overall, I enjoyed the food.  For the types of food I thought it was accurately priced. The service was great.  I wasn't brave enough to check out the bathroom.  The cons- It's outdoors so that could be a problem, cash/check only, and from what one of my friends said, maybe wear capri pants or bermuda shorts.  Apparently her rump got some bug bites from sitting on the stump.  It happened to one person out of 13, so not bad odds, but be careful!  Next time it could be you, so dress appropriately!!  Or maybe bring a cushion.  Definitely recommend!  It's very different and pretty cool.  Until my next bite....

*apologies to any Milford residents that may be offended by this blog.  This is for humor and enjoyment so lighten up!

Ludal's - North Haven

A few nights ago, I went out to dinner with DJ, my Obi-Wan of teaching- Don, and his wife, Marla.  Don had suggested going to Ludal's in North Haven and of course I jumped at the opportunity.  Going to dinner is so nice.  Ludal's was a perfect spot for doing just that.  We had reservations for 6.  When we first arrived the restaurant wasn't busy at all but by time we left, the place was hopping.  If you plan on checking this restaurant out, I suggest going at 6 to be sure to get a table.  When I walked in the host station was in the center, the bar area was to the left, and the tables were to the right.  It was fairly dark inside.  Low lighting, dark walls, dark tables.  It was fine at the time when we went because it was still light outside but I wonder what it would be like if you were there at 9?  I have terrible night vision so that's why I mention it.

We were seated at a table right in front of the window.  It was a nice spot.  My only complaint is one of the air conditioning vents was on the floor right near my seat.  I couldn't quite sit where I wanted to because I would have either been tilted up on one side or had a little Marilyn Monroe action going on.  Our waiter was pretty good.  He was nice and attentive.  He was a bit odd as well though.  Before we ordered he kept coming back and asking us if we were ready and then he kept saying, "I'll give you more time to decide."  Then we all decided and he comes back and hits us with the specials.  Then he gave us some more time.  I think as soon as the drinks are brought to the table, the specials need to be told if they are not written on a special specials menu.  DJ and I started off with a Stella.  I would've liked it more if it was brought in the almost champagne looking glass. That makes the drink that much more enjoyable.  He finally came back and took our orders.  DJ and Don both ordered the Shrimp Florentine, Marla ordered gnocchi with sausage (but she substituted chicken for the sausage), and I ordered shrimp Gabriela.

The shrimp Florentine looked very good.  The shrimp was made the typical way for Florentine and the it looked like the shrimp was mixed in with angel hair.  I've never seen shrimp Florentine served over pasta but I thought that was great.  It should always be served over pasta.  Both of the guys said that it was very good and ate all of their food.  Marla also liked the gnocchi and was pleased that the restaurant was willing to substitute chicken for sausage.  The sauce was red with a touch of cream so more of a pink.  She did comment that the chicken was grilled and not a chicken cutlet.  I personally would have preferred the chicken cutlet myself.  Even though the chicken was grilled, the dish was still good.  Marla was happy with her choice, Don tasted to make sure, and I was told the leftovers were devoured by their awaiting hungry son.  My shrimp Gabriela was interesting.  It was the first time that I ever really had an issue with the plating.  On the left of my plate were mushrooms in the madeira sauce, lightly battered shrimp covered with the sauce and mozzarella.  On the right of my plate were spinach fettucine.  I feel as though the shrimp and mushrooms should have been over the pasta.  It was very good but the shrimp did have a taste to it.  I've eaten shrimp with this taste before.  It's not terrible, it doesn't taste fishy or bad or anything, but it tastes like tap water.  I didn't eat all of it because I was full.  It was tasty.  Maybe DJ thought so too because somehow I lost my doggie bag after I got out of DJ's car. 

I forgot to mention the bread in the beginning.  Bread should be served at every restaurant.  It was also served with like a garlic pesto type dipping sauce.  It was delicious.  Not good for a first date, but delicious.  I would go there again.  A good restaurant in the North Haven neck of the woods.  I had a great time catching up with Don and Marla.  Until my next bite...

Big Green Pizza Truck/ Pequot Cafe

This blog is long overdue.  I promised my dear cousin-in-law that I would blog about the Big Green Pizza truck.  I've eaten the Green Truck twice and both times it was fantastic.  My cousin ordered the truck for her son's first birthday party.  I think a pizza truck is a great concept.  They drive the truck to your place, open up the side of it, make the pizzas there, give you salad, dessert, and they clean up after themselves.  Can't go wrong.

When they start making pizzas, they just start making pizzas.  They crank out a ton of pizzas.  I'm not sure if there's an exact number or not, but they make whatever you want.  I always like things like this because then you can be adventurous and try things you wouldn't normally order when you're out for pizza.  They just make a bunch of different combinations.  You could also go up and ask them to make a specific kind and then they'll whip one up for you.  I'm thinking back to June here but I'm sure I tried quite a few types.  I know for sure I had this delicious one with shrimp.  I also had pepperoni, broccoli, clam, and I believe a meatball.  They bring all sorts of ingredients and toppings.  Some pizzas are white, most are red.  The crust is so thin and crispy.  I prefer thin crust and my pizza and this pizza definitely hits the spot.  They also had bowls of salad.  (That I didn't really care about)  It was a windy day and it was hard to keep the lettuce from blowing away so I stayed away from the salad really.  Great dressing.  After the pizzas are done, you can keep any leftovers, they serve dessert.  They have these personal size cups of gelato.  Delicious.  A nice way to cleanse your palate after all of that salty, cheesy, crispy, pizza.  I've tried the pistachio and lemon.  Both were delish.  I know they have chocolate and a coffee flavored one.  A few more flavors that I can't remember.  The pizza truck makes outside entertaining easy.  The pizza is delicious, the setup/cleanup is easy, and the price isn't too bad considering how much you would spend on food if you bought trays or made your own food.  You still have to spend a ton of money and there's no work to prepare or to clean up.  Highly recommend!
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PEQUOT CAFE

I went on a field trip this past year to the Pequot Museum at Foxwoods.  I fell in love with museum and became hooked on Native American history.  That was never my favorite time during history and I guess I was just close minded when it came to learning about Indians.  I mean if all those terrible things didn't happen, what would our lives be like?  Would we be who we are?  The world would be completely different if the settlers came here and said, "Oh people are already here.  Let's go back to Europe."  That being said, I am so fascinated by Native American cultures, beliefs, and way of life.  On the field trip we did not eat in the cafe or go to the gift shop, which was perfectly fine for a school field trip, but not for me.  DJ had a vacation day from work and because he's such a great guy, he took me back to visit the Pequots.  I just want to say right here that it has always been said that my great-great-great grandmother was an Indian from Canada.  I believe the Micmac tribe.  I feel in touch with my roots.  I love it.

We went back and I was able to really experience the museum at my own pace.  You could spend the entire day there if you did everything, read every sign, looked at every exhibit, watched every video.  Half of the museum I missed with my group the first time.  Apparently I missed the entire section after the European arrival-present day.  They have wax figures, life-like scenes, a farmstead, and videos about the Pequot War.  It is unbelievable to think that other tribes would ally with the colonists and help virtually destroy the Pequot tribe.  (Mohegans included)  I have always felt more of a connection with Foxwoods and now it is solidified.  Okay, I'm sorry.  Back to the food. 

They had some exotic menu items at the cafe- Antelope burgers and wild boar chili.  Both of which we tried.  The antelope burgers didn't seem to taste very different.  They did taste a bit different but more like, I don't know how to word this so I'll just say it out- a crappy burger.  It was very good though!  It just didn't taste like your top choice beef.  I put some Worchestershire sauce on it and I was set to go.  It had cheese on it, lettuce, tomato, onion.  It was almost hidden.  The wild boar chili was OUT OF THIS WORLD.  It was the best chili I ever had in my life.  The meat was ground, so it wasn't like a hunk of pig floating in my beans.  It didn't seem as dry as beef and it was incredibly flavorful.  The best chili I ever had.  I think their menu changes.  I don't think they always have the same things and I want to say that they change the menu by what is in season?  In the museum it said something about using the Pequot land to farm for the casino.  It was great. I wish people would use all of the animal like the Pequots and other tribes.  All of the organs, the bones, the fur.  On a side note, I bought these moccassins with rabbit fur.  So comfortable.  Love the museum, the cafe is odd because it's just an open room with tables.  You order at the counter.  The antelope burger was good and the chili was great.  They also had hunter's stew but I didn't try it. I'll just have to go back! 

Until my next bite.... Does anyone know where you can either buy venison to cook or a restaurant that serves it?  Or is anyone going hunting in the fall and needs a companion??

Summer Cookin' #1

Every summer I like to come up with some "bucket list" for the summer.  I have to say over the last 5 years I've done everything on my bucket lists.  My wish for this summer is to cook a new recipe once a week.  I couldn't begin last week because of 4th of July, so I decided to start now.  I turned to my favorite chef, Ina Garten, for a great way to kick off my summer cookin' list.  I made Ina's chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. Delish.  I thought it was very good and fairly simple to make.

First things first.  It calls for chicken pieces.  Unfortunately, there are no more real butchers in this world.  I hate that I can't go to the grocery store and get the 8 pieces that come from one chicken.  You have to either buy a value pack of 12 breasts or get one Dolly Parton for the same price.  By time you purchase the breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and wings, you could've gone out to dinner for no work at all.  I was faced with a dilemma.  What to do... I'll tell you what I did, I butchered my own chicken!!  I was so proud of myself.  It was a bit creepy but then when I got in that groove, my Micmac roots came out.  I used as much of the chicken as possible.  They say you can save like the backbone and whatnot to make a chicken stock, but it's the wrong season for that.  I did make a broth for soup from a turkey neck around Thanksgiving time.  Fabulous.

I followed the recipe with a few changes.  I didn't have quite 40 cloves.  More like 30.  The recipe calls for 2 chickens, I used one.  Once my chicken was cut apart, the rest was quite simple.  You put some butter and olive oil in a dutch oven.(Don't forget to get a little hot and heavy with the S and P)  Brown the chicken in batches, about 4 minutes per side.  Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan.  Add the garlic cloves, cook for about 10 minutes, lower the heat and add white wine and cognac.  (Lower the heat so the cognac doesn't ignite)  I was so afraid that a fire was going to start.  I had the cover ready to smother and gloves on just in case.  Let that cook together for a couple of minutes.  Bring to a boil, add the chicken back to the pot, add some fresh thyme, cover and let simmer for about 40 minutes so the chicken is fully cooked.  Then remove the chicken to a platter and cover.  Take some of the juice and 2 tbsp. flour mix together then whisk into the pot to make a gravy.  Then add 2 tbsp. heavy cream and 1 tbsp. of cognac.  Whisk together until it's a beautiful gravy.  S and P alert.  Pour over the chicken pieces and there you go.  Not too bad.  It would have been much easier if the pieces were already cut.  Has anyone been to that meat place in Branford?  I saw it on my way to La Luna.  I need a butcher desperately!  The meat place in Branford claims to be that.  I would go to Branford to stock up on some fresh meat.

Overall, my first recipe was successful!  I'm not sure what I'll try next week.  Maybe another Ina, maybe something Native American, not sure.  I'll keep you updated!

The NEW Pop's

Anyone who knows me knows I go to Pop's in Milford every weekend with my parents.  They've always been located on New Haven Ave in Milford across from Dunkin Donuts.  They started out as Pop's Donuts in one building.  Then they started serving breakfast and expanded.  Eventually, they took over three store fronts in that plaza.  Pop's is always booming with business.  Over the past few months they have been building their own free-standing restaurant.  Today was opening day.  I went there twice.  Yes, think what you want, but I am quite happy over here.

This morning I had to take my mom to the doctor so she treated me to breakfast as a thank you.  When we first pulled in, no parking spaces were to be found.  I was able to use some good old-fashioned parking lot stalking (thank you SCSU) and grabbed a spot.  There's a large waiting area when you first walk in and then the hostess stand is after the next door.  The restaurant is gorgeous.  Very modern, brand new, clean, wonderful.  It's open and quite inviting.  The check-out area is to the left and there is still a breakfast bar right next to the check out area.  There are booths in the first room and tables in the second room.  The booths are roomy and very comfortable.  We were seated in the first booth.  All of the family from the original Pop's were glowing.  We chatted with the daughters and the mother.  They are such nice people.  I'm happy that their business is continuing in their new location.  We were given the breakfast menu, now that they are open until 9 pm.  They have mostly the same things, a few of their specials are now regulars on the menu, and now there is a diet section on the menu.  I ordered a Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries and blueberries on top.  Delicious.  My mom ordered the low-cholesterol french toast.  It's made with wheat bread and egg whites and is served with a fresh fruit cup.  She loved her breakfast as well.  The coffee is great and now they even have fancier, cafe style coffees.  Breakfast was tasty, it filled us up, and was affordable.  It didn't look like prices changed.  Needless to say, I was stuffed the rest of the day.

It wasn't until dinner time that I started to have a rumble in my tummy.  My dad was upset that my mom and I went to "his" place without him.  I felt the only was to correct this was to go with my dad and brother to Pop's for dinner.  It was still pretty busy, but not nearly as busy as it was in the morning.  Some of the girls from breakfast were still there and so was Pop.  This time we sat in the second room.  There's a beautiful fire place and TV in that room.  The menu was fairly large.  All of the sandwiches that are offered during lunch, pannini, wraps, salads, and dinners.  They had meat dinners, diner classics, chicken, seafood, pasta, soups, and specials.  A perfect menu.  I was tempted to order the chicken salad melt- a lunch classic from Pop's but I wanted something really hot.  I ordered the chicken philly sub.  Delicious.  Cheese melting everywhere.  It was seasoned grilled chicken with mushrooms, cheese, and onion.  I could only eat half but it was a good half.  It came with fries, coleslaw, and a pickle.  Delish.  My dad had a hot, open-face turkey sandwich.  It was toast, turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce with mashed potatoes on the side.  It came with a soup.  He ordered the beef minestrone.  It looked fantastic.  You could see the fresh chunks of beef.  Looked great.  My brother had their Greek pannini.  Chicken, spinach, tomato, and tzatziki sauce.  He said his was delicious as well.

Overall, Pop's is fantastic.  I'm so happy they are now open for dinner.  Sometimes you just want a place to get a sandwich for dinner.  I hate places that are only open for lunch.  The majority of the world is working!  Not everyone can order from their place of work and are unable to go to these wonderful places.  Restaurants that are only open for dinner always feel the need to be fancy and have full course meals.  I can't wait to go back for dinner.  I know I'll be heading there with DJ, it will be a nice place to go when I go out for Girl's Night.  Just love it.  Full for now but until my next bite....

Brunch at La Luna

On Sunday I went to brunch with some of my favorite food companions.  I went with DJ, Chrissy, and Anthony to the 10:30 brunch seating at La Luna in Branford.  It's $21.95 per person for all you can eat.  Now typically, I don't like brunch because I'm against the idea of a buffet in general.  This brunch was decent considering it's a buffet.  Let's take this review from the top- the website says you must have a reservation to eat during brunch hours.  I assumed that the restaurant would be bustling with people but that wasn't the case.  We were seated in the middle of this room that was filled with a good number of circle tables.  Other than one very undressed couple with their unruly child, we were alone in this room.  A complimentary beverage comes with brunch.  You are given the choice of a mimosa, bloody Mary, or an orange juice.  Of course I chose the bloody.  Anthony and I had bloodys while DJ and Chrissy ordered the mimosa.  The bloody was delicious.  Very horseradish and peppery tasting.  Looking back on it, I don't think there was a celery stick in it.  That's a negative.  We all ordered coffees and were given these fancy, yet small coffee mugs.

After the beverages were brought we were told that brunch was ready and we could help ourselves.  The food area was set up in a somewhat organized way.  When you walked in the room the breakfast hot plate things were to the right.  They had sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, homefries, french toast, and eggs benedict.  Around the corner they had muffins, bagels, and danishes.  On the left was the omelet station and the waffle irons.  The website said that the waffles were made to order with a choice of toppings but that wasn't true.  The waffle irons were there but the people looked at me like I had 7 heads when I went up there to say I wanted a waffle.  Once you passed the omelet station, the lunch food began.  I thought that was backwards.  The breakfast should have been near the waffles and omelets, no?  The lunch stretched to the center of the room.  They had a few carving stations, some pasta, broccoli rabe and sausage, fried calamari and shrimp, mussels and clams, and some other meat items I can't quite remember.  Right in the center there was a table that was filled with salads, a cold antipasto, fruit salads, and veggies.  There was a wide variety of food but I don't know.  Brunches bother me a bit.  They should have food that could pass for breakfast or lunch.  They shouldn't have such clear cut items.  I mean who wants mussels and clams dripping on your eggs?

The food was okay.  We all went back to the buffet three times.  I started with eggs, eggs benedict, a strip of bacon and a sausage link.  The eggs benedict were no good.  Eggs benedict are supposed to be served with a poached egg on top.  These eggs were hard boiled.  Anthony did point out that the eggs probably continued to cook while in their little hot serving tray, which I agree with, but then don't put eggs benedict on the menu.  I've been watching a bit too much Gordon Ramsey.  I'm very snobby when it comes to eggs I guess.  The waffles were good, the fresh fruit was quite fresh, but the best were the mussels and clams.  I got "lunch" my third time up.  The fried fish was gross.  The fry got all soft and the piece of calamari was hard as a rock.  I felt like I was biting someone's finger.  Who knows... maybe the cook had an accident.  It was too early, for me, to try any of the pasta.  Chrissy had the pasta and she said it was good.  The mussels and clams were the best.  They were in this broth that had a nice mirepoix (aromatics- celery, carrots, onion).  I love mussels just love them.  I was watching the history channel- the 100 foods that changed America.  They said that the first settlers survived because of eating raw oysters.  Now I know this is a bit different, but I could imagine myself surviving off of mussels.  I could see myself as the Pequot girl taking all the mussels to the garbage area.  (My grade partners will understand this and now have a frightful mental picture.  My apologies.)

To sum up, La Luna is a good place to go for brunch.  They have it every Sunday at both locations.  (Branford and Mystic)  I'm not wild for brunch in general, but this was pretty good.  I thought it was reasonably priced.  The food was good for the most part and the waitstaff was attentive.  I believe my companions felt the same.  No one raved and went on and on how good it was, but no one spit food in their napkins either.  Until my next bite..

Vespucci's/Sonic

In an unsuccessful attempt to avoid the mayhem caused by the 3rd of July in West Haven, DJ and I ventured to Cheshire for dinner.  We had originally decided to go to Grand Apizza of Cheshire and then to Cheshire Coffee, but when we arrived to Grand Apizza we were shocked to see that all of the businesses in that small area were out of business.  I used my Yelp app to see what else was in the area.  Quite a few places came up but I had already prepared myself for Italian, so we decided to give Vespucci's a try.  I also wanted to try Rossini's but they were closed that day.  Vespucci's was a bit odd to me.  It was this tiny, cute building that stood alone behind the Stop and Shop plaza.  The pizza boxes were lined up, blocking the windows in back.  We walked in and to the left was the take-out area and to the right were booths and tables.  We were seated very close to the door so I really didn't get a good feel of what the main dining area was like.

Our waitress was nice and took our drink order while we decided what we were going to eat.  Pizza or a dinner?  It's always a tough decision for me.  I always like to look at the people around me to see what they are eating before I decide.  Unfortunately, everyone around me had just recently placed their order.  The menu had a few pasta dishes, chicken, beef, seafood, veal, and baked dishes.  Although that sounds like a lot of choices, it really wasn't.  Nothing really jumped out at me.  Everything was simple- eggplant parm, lasagna, linguini and clams, spaghetti and meatballs, shrimp fra diavolo, chicken francese, steak- you get it.  DJ wasn't going to order a dinner so I would have felt out of place if I did and he got a sub.  We both decided that we would get our own pizzas.  It really does upset me that we don't see eye to eye in the pizza world.

DJ ordered the Hawaiian pizza and I ordered one of the specialty pizzas.  I chose the pizza Romana.  It had shrimp, roasted red peppers, prosciutto, mozzarella, and a mild hot sauce.  Sounds delicious, right?  Not exactly.  I should know by now not to order pizza in towns too far from the center of West Haven.  The shrimp, first of all, were those teeny tiny shrimp that come out of a can.  That right there skeeved me out.  The prosciutto was a nice touch but my biggest complaint is with the lack of sauce.  This was not spicy at all.  There was no spicy sauce, no hot sauce, or tomato sauce.  This pizza was as dry as a scarecrow in Indian summer.  I ate a few slices (I have a weakness for pizza) but I was very disappointed with my choice.  Meanwhile the two booths across from us were served these dishes that looked divine.  One had scallops, one had steak.  It looked great.  DJ liked his but I mean when you order a pizza like that, obviously you don't have high standards.

I wouldn't quite yet put Vespucci's on the "never again list" but I will keep you posted.  I'd like to go back and try some of the dinners.  This is definitely on the list of "never order pizza".  It wasn't just the toppings that made me dislike it.  The crust was odd.  It was thin, but it wasn't.  It was so dry and tasteless.  Just terrible pizza.  Just terrible.

We then went to the movies in Wallingford and still needed to kill some time before we attempted to head back to WH.  DJ had the idea of going to Sonic for some ice cream.  We parked in the drive up section and had some shakes.  I had the peanut butter cookie shake and DJ had the Oreo.  Both were very good.  I was impressed by how many frozen treats Sonic offered.  I've eaten the regular food there before.  It's ok.  It's mediocre fast food.  When Sonic first opened, it was so difficult to get a spot to park.  I guess the food is what turned everyone away because otherwise, it's a cool place to visit.  Great limeades.  We left and easily made it to West Haven.  Once we actually arrived in the city, it must have taken me a half hour to get home.  We were constantly redirected by police. We had to do a complete roundabout and could only get near the beach from Savin Ave.  It was terrible.  The amount of people out on the streets was absurd.  I now have  a smaller radius in my house search.

To sum up- Skip Vespucci's, especially for pizza, Go to Sonic only if you're in the area, and the 3rd of July remains my least favorite day of the year.  Until my next bite...

Ann's Surprise Bash

On Sunday I went to a surprise party for my co-worker and friend, Ann.  The weather was stinky but the rain held out while I was there.  Amy and I arrived before Ann did.  It was funny at first because we walked into the backyard and did not recognize a soul.  No one seemed to even notice us but we felt like cookout crashers, so we went around to the front door.  Finally we found some Washington people!  As we sat there chatting, Ann's husband, Barry, was running all around.  He is a chef and certainly displayed his cooking skills at Ann's party.  Tray after tray was getting pumped out of the kitchen.  Ann arrived and we were able to dig into the food.

Barry made trays of chicken parm, eggplant rollatini, meatballs, sausage and peppers, penne alla vodka, salad, tuna macaroni salad, potato salad, and what some were calling "chicken marsala" but I don't think it was chicken marsala.  I think it was more of a chicken piccata because there were capers and it seemed to have a little coating on it.  I ate at 2:30 that day and did not eat again until the next morning.  The food was delicious.  My personal favorites were the chicken piccata, meatballs, and tuna macaroni salad.  Everything was tasty but those were especially noteworthy.  The meatballs were great - they blew Lorenzo's out of the water.  I would love it if Ann invited me to her house for meatball parm subs one night.

Ann informed me that Barry now has a food truck that will hopefully be up and running very soon.  The truck is going to be named WTF- Wrap That Food.  I can't wait for the truck to be up and running.  I hope that it is parked on Brown Street on Fridays so that finally we can get a treat.  Lunch time is always when I seem to miss Haley.  If Barry's WTF truck is as good as the food at Ann's surprise bash, he'll be the next person you see on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives!

Summer vacation is here and my goal is to go to a new restaurant every week.  Here's a list of places hope to soon try/return to are: The Guilford Mooring, The Place, Abbott's, Campania.  If any intrigue you, let me know and you can help me blog!  Until my next bite....

A Day on the Island

What better way to celebrate the first day of summer vacation than by heading over to Newport?  I went with Lindsey and Judy to my favorite destination spot.  We decided to get an early start and leave early on Saturday morning.  We grabbed a little DD on the way.  The day started off gray and a little misty.  We parked in the public parking garage that's kind of near Panera Bread.  We were praying that it wouldn't rain and thankfully, it did not.  As the day went on it started to get brighter and then the sun came out.  I just love Newport.  I think it's the perfect type of city.  It's a city with businesses blossoming but it is also so attractive.  No blight.  There are plenty of things to do, but no disgusting smells, trash bag ladies on the sidewalk, buses, exhaust.  It's wonderful.  It's where I would have put my summer cottage too if I had been alive during the Gilded Age.

We started off near Bowen's Wharf and went to a few stores.  The restaurants were filling the air with the smell of wonderful food.  Fudge shops, The Cookie Jar, seafood restaurants, burgers, steaks.  Wonderful.  That's a Yankee Candle they should make- Hot off the Grill.  If they can make a bacon candle why not one that smells like hamburgers and hotdogs?  The only problem with lunchtime in Newport is getting a seat somewhere.  I was really set on trying a new restaurant bur I ended up with an old faithful.  Bay had recommended The Smokehouse but Lindsey doesn't like it there so that was out, we thought about Diego's but Judy was not feeling Mexican, I wanted to try the Cooke House but the lack of seats and AC made me pass on that, we were going to go to the Wharf Pub (Lindsey's former place of employment) but they also lack an AC.  We also were hot and tired.  We could have walked up to the area by Nikolas pizza but I mean, who are you kidding?  There had to have been a decent restaurant near us, with AC, little to no wait, and reasonable prices for lunch.  Where did that lead us to?  The Red Parrot.

I love The Red Parrot.  I'm not as crazy about the food as I am about ambiance.  There was no wait, which was a huge surprise.  We were seated at a high top table in the front of the restaurant.  It was nice.  We ordered some cocktails to start.  Lindsey had a bloody, Judy had the raspberry colada, and I had a Narragansett.  I think I was the only one pleased with their choice of drink.  Sometimes you need to leave the fancy crap and just go by the standbys.  To eat, Linds and Judy both had a cheeseburger.  They both liked it very much and I must admit that it looked great.  I ordered something new.  I had the coconut shrimp wrap.  It had coconut shrimp, avocado, lettuce, pineapple, and mandarin oranges.  It came with tortilla chips and pineapple salsa.  The waiter even said, "Great choice" when I ordered.  That's the third time my order choice had been complimented on.  No dessert.  We had to move on.

We continued our trip on the opposite side of the street now.  We popped in a few more stores and decided to get our afternoon treat at Cupcake Charlie's.  They were winners on Cupcake Wars.  The cupcake was delicious.  I had the lemon drop, Judy had the chocolate mint, and Lindsey had a red velvet.  They have quite a few other flavors as well.  They have a website you can check out and apparently they ship nationwide.   Fabulous.  We continued our shopping spree back down to the parking garage.  We ended our day (half falling asleep) driving down Ocean Drive.  It was a great day overall.  I was in my favorite city with my favorite ladies on my first day of summer vacation.  Wonderful trip.

Duffy's Last Day o' School!

School is finally over for the year!  We went over to the best place to celebrate- Duffy's.  I was worried that we wouldn't have a table when we first got there but luckily the staff was very accommodating.  They pulled over two of their larger tables and we were all able to sit together.  I started off the day with a nice ice cold bloody.  It's just from a bottle but let me tell you, it's delicious.  A nice celery stalk, green olives, and lemon wedge.  We all toasted to the end of a great year and the hopes of great year ahead.

It's a tradition of many of the teachers to order a tuna melt on the last day.  The tuna melt is very good from Duffy's, but I'm yet to join in the tuna melt tradition.  It's served on an English muffin with a slice of tomato and melted cheese on top.  The fries at Duffy's are great.  I'm so happy that they changed them from the steak fries.  Most ordered the tuna melt, some ordered the lobster grilled cheese, and I ordered the French dip with melted cheese.  The lobster grilled cheese has havarti cheese and from what I'm told, is delicious.  I loved my French dip.  I wish there was a little more dip.  They give you a huge bulky sandwich and this dainty little cup in which to dip your sandwich.  It tastes great though.  We didn't order anything else.  I know I was a little stuffed from the pizza truck we had at school during the day.  Great tradition.

On another Duffy's note, I went there earlier in the week for dinner.  I ordered one of their specials- salmon with cucumber wasabi and avocado salsa.  It was delicious.  At first I didn't think that it worked well- two worlds colliding, but then it did.  It was very very good.  It came with soup or salad.  Of course, I ordered the soup (Rhode Island clam chowder).  It also came with a choice of side.  I ordered the baked potato because I'm trying to watch my intake of food.  The baked potato was as hard as your head so I didn't eat any of it.  The salmon itself was filling enough.  I was happy with my meal, but if you want to actually eat your side, don't order the baked potato.  DJ ordered the Godfather Melt.  I've had it before.  It is delicious.  A cheeseburger on toast with bacon and some other lovely things.  Duffy's is a favorite of mine.

Jazzed Up Shrimp

This is going to be a short post.  Like I said, I've been dining out less so there hasn't been a steady flow of posts.  I'm hoping to hit up some spots all over the state this summer.  So I already blogged once before about my shrimp and spinach scampi, but tonight I made something a little bit different.  Nothing drastic but absolutely delicious.

I started off with the olive oil and butter.   Let that bubble then add minced garlic.  Swirl it around a few times and add some red pepper flakes.  Then I added the shrimp.  I sprinkled the shrimp salt and pepper.  Once the shrimp is almost completely pink, Add some white wine to the mix.  Let that come up to a boil to cook away the alcohol.  I then added capers, marinated artichoke hearts, and green beans.  Let everything come up to temperature.  I added 2 ladles of pasta water and then added the pasta.  I used angel hair tonight because that's what I had.  You, obviously, can use whatever you like.  I have to say, I enjoy angel hair. I know not everyone does (particularly the people in my family) but I love it.  It's so light and delicate that it didn't take away from the shrimp, artichokes, and green beans.  I could not believe how great it tasted with a slight change of ingredients.

I also want to mention that I had planned to make a salad and put grilled shrimp on it.  When I got home from work; however, it was raining and my dad had the air conditioner blasting all day.  I had no desire to put my beautiful little shrimps (I know the plural is shrimp but because of "The Birdcage" I always say shrimps in the voice of Agador) on cold and wet salad.  I kept a little veg with artichoke and green beans.  I just can't help it.  I love shrimp over pasta.  I think it is my absolute favorite thing to eat.  Seafood and pasta is a fabulous combination.  I think the slight tang of the vinegar in the capers and artichoke marinade really made it taste all the better.  It was simple and quick to make on a Monday night.  By time the water was boiled and the pasta was cooked, we were ready to eat.  Highly recommend!!!

Jimmy's Apizza - Milford

Tonight was just not a good night for shopping.  I tried to buy a birthday gift, couldn't find what I wanted, had to go all around town, and then when I went to Momo for dinner, problems rose again.  There were two nice tables that could fit 4 people as soon as you walk in the door.  The waiter said we could sit in this corner booth, one of those booths that has multiple tables at it with chairs on the other side.  The other option was the sushi bar.  I don't know what came over me.  I just said "No.  I don't want to eat here."  I turned and left.  We proceeded down the post road calling out different places as we passed them.  I had mentioned going back to Milford for Jimmy's.  DJ was in agreement so that's where we headed.

We walked into Jimmy's and were met with the opposite of Momo.  The waitress said- sit wherever you'd like.  We perused through the menu and spotted this lovely specialty pizza.  Now DJ and I do not have similar tastes when it comes to pizza.  Some things we both like but lots of things only one of us likes.  Jimmy's has pizza, subs, apps, salads, and a few pasta dishes.  They have an extensive list of specialty pizzas.  The one that caught my eye was the chicken parmigiana pizza.  Normally, I wouldn't order a pizza with chicken on it... I don't know.  For some reason it doesn't seem right; however, I do love a good chicken parm.  I had some concerns that it would be grilled chicken but to my shock and surprise, it was a chicken cutlet.

This pizza was fab-u-lous.  The chicken was crispy and flavorful, the mozzarella was perfectly melted, and all of the flavors blended well together.  I added a little red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese to mine.  I loved it.  I still don't really believe in putting chicken on pizza, but check out this pizza from Jimmy's.  It's called the Hogan.  The two of us polished off the entire pizza.  I highly recommend!!  What a nice way to end the night.  Until my next bite...

Lenny and Joe's Fish Tale- New Haven

Tonight I went to Lenny and Joe's in New Haven for dinner.  I wanted to go there on Saturday but it was MOBBED.  (They have valet parking on the weekend ps)  So then I made some plans with DJ and some family.  It was fairly busy considering it was a Tuesday night.  First of all, it looks nothing like it did when it was Leon's or the Rusty Scupper.  When you first walk in you are hit with bright turquoise paint and shiny wood.  They have a large waiting area and a bunch of t-shirts and other little trinkets for sale.  The bar looked very cool.  Very typical style for a beach-themed restaurant.  It was so open and there were plenty of tables inside.  They had tables on the deck outside.  It was a beautiful night to sit on the deck but we didn't.  No biggie.

Our waitress was very nice and helpful.  She seemed proud of the restaurant and the food they make.  We were given the menu and a list of specials.  The menu consists mainly of fish but they do have some non-fish choices.  (burgers, beef, chicken, hot dogs)  We all ordered some form of seafood tonight.  After we placed our order the waitress brought us a loaf of bread and butter.  What a huge plus.  I think every restaurant should give you something to munch on while you're waiting for your food.  I didn't expect it from a place like this because it is so casual, but this was a nice touch.  The bread was almost a wheat.  It tasted homemade.  Very good.  DJ ordered the fried shrimp dinner which came with fries and coleslaw.  He also had fried zucchini.  I didn't really recall him ordering that but the next thing I knew fried zucchini was sitting next to me.  It didn't come with any dipping sauce which is a problem in my book.  My cousin had a lobster roll and fries.  The lobster roll was hot with melted butter.  The french fries were fat crinkle cuts.  (Those are my least favorite fries but commonly served with seafood for some reason)  Her boyfriend had the clam strip dinner with fries and coleslaw as well.  Everyone ate and enjoyed their meal.

Now here's what I ordered- I saw something on the menu that completely baffled me.  It was listed as an appetizer so I ordered a bowl of clam chowder and...... the fried lobster.  That's right.  Fried lobster.  The lobster was delicious and more filling than I had originally thought.  There were five decent sized pieces of lobster.  (2 looked like claws and the others must have been tail meat) The pieces of lobster were thick, meaty, and tasty.  They were lightly breaded and fried just enough.  It was served with a lemon wedge and cocktail sauce.  DE- licious.  The bowl of chowder was mezza-mezz.  It was full of potatoes and clams but I wasn't crazy for the broth.  Even the potatoes were cut in this microscopic chunks.  It was basically a clear broth but it had a drop or two of milk in it.  It wasn't creamy but it wasn't a beautiful clear broth either.  It was reminiscent of the LI sound water.  I thought it was also lacking some flavor.  Nothing that salt can't fix but I probably will never order it again.  I'm a soup snob and this did not meet my expectations.

Overall, it was a great time.  The restaurant was decorated brightly and with ocean/fisherman knick knacks.  The deck is beautiful, the bar looks great.  Looks like a great spot for happy hour.  Service was good, food was really good, and it was clean.  Next time your stuck on 95 by Long Wharf, consider jumping off the exit for a bite at Lenny and Joe's.  Until my next adventure...

Gabriele's 6-8

6-8 weeks have passed again.  This time our dinner group tried out Gabriele's in Orange.  I am proud to say that my previous Gabriele's review inspired 4 people to order steak.  I was tempted to order it as well but because I blog, I need to be the one to try new things.  9 of us went to dinner and there were 9 full and content bellies that night.

Let's take it from the top- Reservations were made and we were given this large table in sort of a nook within the restaurant.  It made us feel like we had our own private room.  We were seated in a comfortable area and had a great waitress.  (Catherine, I believe)  Menus and a list of the night's specials were placed at our seats upon arriving.  There were also baskets of bread, butter, and olive oil at the table. The bread is delicious.  I always think that's the most important thing.  If you have good bread then that says a lot.  Good bread means good subs, good stuffed breads, good pizza, good baked items.  It only took minutes for us to order. 

4 dishes were chosen that night among the 9 of us.  2 ordered a chicken dish which I believe was chicken velluto. (chicken breast sauteed in a vodka cream sauce with prosciutto and mushrooms over fettuccine) The chicken customers were very happy with their choice.  A large bowl/dish filled was filled to the top with all of components, not just pasta.  3 ordered the steak gabriele (based on my recommendation) which is NY strip sauteed in butter with mushrooms and artichoke hearts topped with mozzarella.  I had described this dish as tasting like butter that just melts in your mouth.  My dinner companions agreed.  Fabulous.  The other steak choice was the NY strip diavolo.  This was steak cooked with hot cherry peppers and mushrooms.  The diavolo was another success for Gabriele's.  Very, very hot.  Recommended for spicy-lovers only.  I ordered one of their frequent specials- the salmon.  The salmon was lightly seasoned and grilled served over a bed of spinach fettuccine with cherry tomatoes, onions, and capers in a white wine sauce.  Fabulous.  It tasted great, I felt somewhat healthy for ordering salmon, and I left with a doggy bag.  It wasn't fishy tasting but it wasn't overpowered by any other flavors.  The fettuccine was divine.  I love eating colored food.  Didn't taste like spinach at all, but it was worth it. 

All entrees were served with a salad and I was the only person who ordered a soup as well.  Granted it was 90 degrees that day, but I always love a good soup.  I was intrigued because tortellini soup is usually made with cheese tortellini, but Gabriele's makes it with meat tortellini.  I wasn't sure if I liked meat tortellini or not but I figured this would be a safe place to try it.  First of all, the soup was chock full of tortellini!  I would say it was a good cup of dry tortellini.  The meat- delish.  I was afraid they would taste more like mini wontons but they did not.  I didn't even really notice a meat flavor in particular.  Usually tortellini soup consists of 6 tortellini in chicken broth.  I was pleasantly surprised to see Gabriele's had a different take on soup.  It was well worth it.  Their house dressing or creamy garlic dressing is delicious.  I'm not really a fan of salad.  It's more of a solid object to soak up the dressing for me.

I didn't order any dessert- typical.  I ordered coffee while some of the others ate their dessert.  I'm not positive of what they ordered.  I believe there was a cheese cake, something really chocolatey, and maybe a tartufo?  This was when the conversation got juicy so I really didn't pay any attention to the dessert, other than the fact that no one complained.

To sum up, Gabriele's is a great place to get Italian food.  It is a nice restaurant with good linens and dim lighting.  Great place to go for a date, not after a walk on the beach.  I highly recommend all of the food eaten at this dinner.  I plan on heading to Lenny and Joe's Fish Tale this week so stay tuned.  Until then, happy eating!

Piada Italian Kitchen

So today I was driving down the Post Road with DJ doing some shopping when we started to get a little hungry.  I assumed we were going to get some sort of fast food but as we were driving by Piada Italian Kitchen, we decided to give it a whirl.  It is located in the former location of Village Bagels.  We walked in and it was quite different.  It doesn't look like Village Bagels at all.  It reminded me more of an Ikea creation.  The people working there were quite friendly.  They all seemed very chipper and proud of their business.  They were also helpful with ordering.  Piada is not your typical place.  It's kind of like Subway meets Sbarro meets Moe's.

You start off choosing what type of meal you want; you can order a piada wrap, a salad, or a pasta bowl.  Both DJ and I ordered a piada wrap.  Once you choose that, you then choose your protein.  I chose to get porchetta and DJ chose grilled chicken.  The other proteins they have are: steak, sausage, tofu, and salmon.  I think they also had meatballs today.  After you choose the protein, you choose a sauce/dressing.  I chose the tomato and DJ chose the alfredo.  The next step is to choose toppings.  My whole piada consisted of porchetta, spinach, tomato sauce, peppers and onions, sauteed mushrooms, olives, and fresh mozzarella pearls.  DJ had some crap.  I don't even know.  I think spinach and tomatoes or something.  He does not have his own food blog.  Never go by what he orders.

Then after your meal is complete you can get a side soup, salad, or dip and piada chips.  I chose to get nothing else.  They have these cool Italian sodas.  I don't know what makes them Italian, other than the fact that they are labeled "Romano's Italian Soda."  I had a cream, DJ had a peach.  They have other varieties of Italian soda, fountain soda, wine, beer, and juice.  I thought it had a nice selection.

We sat at a table near the window.  It was roomy in there.  I have to say my piada was delish.  I am a big fan of pork and this, was wonderful.  It was shredded, tender, and tasty.  I loved the combination of flavors I chose and that's what makes Piada a good place.  You can pretty much choose what you want to do.  It has every type of meat you could want, a pasta, a salad, or a wrap.  My piada was packed with food.  It was very messy though.  I wrote on the comment card that they should cut the piada in half.  The sauce makes it so drippy.  Despite the mess, I thought it was fabulous.  DJ said he liked his as well.  While we were eating a man, I'm assuming the owner, asked how we liked everything.  I thought that was great.  You could tell that the people in this place want it to be successful.  I even like the fact that they had comment cards on all of the tables.  I think I'll go back next week.  I highly recommend!  Until my next bite!

Outback Takeout

This morning I woke up with my eyes stuck together.  Apparently, I have pink eye in both of my eyes.  Just when you think things couldn't get any worse.  DJ and I had other plans tonight but my hideous eyes prevented us from going out anywhere.  Instead of getting normal takeout we decided to get something a little better.  Granted, in my last post I just said that Texas Roadhouse was better than Outback but in the world of takeout, Outback may just be a bit better.  I love Texas takeout but Outback is so convenient.

I ordered our stuff online.  So nice when you don't have to talk to people.  We ordered a couple of burgers tonight.  In this category, Outback wins.  I had the bloomin' burger which consisted of a seasoned burger, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, bloomin onion petals, and the sauce.  Fabulous!  The burger was cooked perfectly and tasted great!  Absolutely delicious.  Instead of French fries I had a side salad with the mustard vinaigrette dressing.  I like that you can choose another side for no additional charge.  I think the only side choice that has an additional is the grilled asparagus.  DJ ordered the classic cheeseburger- a burger with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mustard.  He got the fries.  Our burgers came with complimentary silverware and brown bread.

I didn't even tell you the best part yet.  If you haven't done Outback takeout, you're definitely missing out.  So I placed the order online, it gave us a pick up time within 20 minutes, and you have to give the model and color of the car.  When you arrive at Outback, they have special spaces reserved for takeout.  Within a few moments a waitress will come to your car, give you your food, and make change.  I think it's the best thing.  Go in your jammies, ugly sweats, slippers.  All you contacts wearers can wear your glasses without having to feel ashamed.  There is no leaving the car whatsoever.  When I've done this in the past, I have the waitress put the stuff in the backseat.  So convenient and so tasty!  I highly recommend!!!!!!  

Texas Roadhouse Catering

So this week that just passed was Teacher Appreciation Week.  On Thursday, my principal bought lunch for the Washington staff.  I wasn't sure what he was going to get; I assumed he would order pasta and meatballs but I was pleasantly surprised when I went to the staff room (and not by the extra people in the staff room).  He ordered a tray of their house salad (with ranch dressing), chicken caesar salad, pulled pork, and rolls.

Of course I had a little of everything.  I think it's wonderful that Texas Roadhouse caters.  I love TRH.  Some people don't like it but I think it is so much better than Outback, or any other chain steakhouse.  I like their salad.  It does have egg in it, so if you don't like hard boiled eggs, don't get it.  The chicken caesar salad was also very tasty.  The grilled strips of chicken were a nice size.  Some places have that gross chicken, like the perdue shortcuts, and some places barely have any chicken.  TRH has large pieces of chicken spread throughout.  The pulled pork was wonderful.  The pork was so flavorful and tender.  I suppose if you wanted to you could've put the pork on the rolls, but then you don't get to use the sweet butter.  Very very good.

That was the best lunch I've ever had at Washington.  The Roly Poly we had the next day was gross.  All veggies, little meat, and what meat there was was all slimey.  Next time you want to throw a party and don't know who you should have cater it... consider Texas Roadhouse.  Thanks, Mr. Lopes.  Until my next bite...

Denny's- Westbrook

On Sunday I did some heavy duty outlet shopping with my cousins.  We went to Westbrook first.  While shopping, we worked up quite an appetite.  We aren't too familiar with the area so we just decided to go to Denny's right near the outlet entrance.  The place was packed.  I was so surprised because it was 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon.  That would be a great spot to open up another restaurant.... maybe a healthier alternative.

We walked in and immediately the nose curled up.  It was your typical thought of Denny's.  Apparently, wherever you happen to be in this world, Denny's is Denny's.  It was too late to look for somewhere else to go, and we were starving.  They have this special bacon menu.  Everything you could imagine with bacon- brownies, sandwiches, ice cream, eggs, salads, pancakes, everything!  I think there were even shakes.  I didn't really look at that much because I'm not really a fan of breakfast meats.

The regular menu was decent.  They have a wide variety of choices.  I was also impressed by the fact that they had some healthy selections on the menu.  (Remember, planning a wedding over here.  Trying to watch what I eat)  We all started out getting the Cali something or other turkey burger, but then I ended up being the only one to actually order it.  The turkey burger had a salsa type thing (I want to say pico de gallo?) avocado, jalapenos, and some type of sauce.  It was good.  You are also given a choice of side- fries or fresh veggies and yes folks, I chose the veggies.  It was great!  A little cup of carrot sticks, celery sticks, and cucumbers were given with a tiny shot of ranch dressing.  I loved it.  I was full, but yet I wasn't bloated.  Very good.  Catherine ordered the grilled chicken avocado sandwich.  She enjoyed it. It was basically the same as my burger, except it was with a piece of grilled  chicken.  Lindsey and Judy both had a burger.  They both enjoyed.

The food was fine but the wait was terrible.  The waitress almost broke down in tears after we asked her how much longer on the food.  Eventually the food came.  For a trip at Denny's, it was fine.  I like that they have a handful of healthy options and I love the fresh veggie option.  If you are hungry, near the outlets, and don't know where to go, it's good enough.  If you're in a hurry or it's near Christmas time, don't go there.  You'll be there for the rest of the year. 

I've cut down on my bites because I'm trying to eat healthier but if anyone knows of a healthy place to eat out, let me know and I'll give it a try.  I believe there's a new restaurant, Piada Italian Kitchen, in Milford that I want to check out.  Until  my next bite...

Gusto's - Milford

Saturday night DJ and I went to dinner with our friends, Dan and Dana.  We wanted to splurge a little, go somewhere different, and have a good meal.  That brought us to Gusto's on the Post Road way out in Milford.  I assumed that it was going to be crowded so I had DJ make reservations.  I think it was completely unnecessary.  There were a few larger parties, but there were still plenty of tables available. They just recently added a new screened in patio which looked very nice.  It has glass walls, which may be able to be removed when the warmer weather arrives.  The restaurant is very nice.  Nice linens, clean atmosphere, bright.

The waitress we had was very odd.  She rubbed me the wrong way and she ended up being not-too-good. One of the collectors at my church is a waiter there.  I wish I had him.  Anyway, we decided to start with an app.  We had fried calamari.  It was very breaded.  Not like that light batter that's normally on fried calamari, more of bread crumb.  It was good.  It came with tartar sauce (yuck) and a very spicy, thick tomato sauce.  It was good but be ready for the spice.  A little too thick for me.  I like Gusto's but I have to be honest.  It was like tomato paste with red pepper flakes all throughout it.  For dinner I had the Orecchiette Provenciale: shrimp, asparagus, fresh tomatoes and capers in a white butter wine sauce. Orecchiette (pasta that looks like an ear or sometimes referred to as little hats) It was very good and very filling.  It came with 4 or 5 very large shrimp and a nice balance of asparagus and capers.  I would have liked it more if it was served over spaghetti or a stringy-type pasta, but it was still good.  Dana had Paglia e Fieno: prosciutto, lobster meat, peas in a lobster bisque sauce.  This was served over, what looked like, a tri colored angel hair.  That would have been way too rich for me, but Dana said that it was delicious.  It did look good.  Dan had Vitello Ortolano: scaloppini of veal with eggplant, prosciutto, mushroom in a red sauce topped with mozzarella.  He loved everything minus the mushrooms.  And now for DJ...

He ordered the filet mignon, but the waitress brought him veal chops.  She came over and said "Okay, veal chops."  She was met with confused, blank stares.  She began to get a little panicky.  DJ knew Dan had ordered veal so he thought that was what Dan ordered, but no.  He told her that he did not order veal chops.  She seemed surprised by this..  She said, "You didn't order the veal chops?"  DJ said, "No, I ordered the filet."  She said, "What?  Filet of what?" He said, "Filet Mignon."  She did apologize and the steak came out soon after, but how do you get veal chop out of filet Mignon?  And then when he said "filet" she said "filet of what?"  Sole.  I mean give me a break here.  And veal is not something that you can just tough it out with.  It's not like chicken.  It's a politically incorrect meat.

After the little hiccup was corrected, we continued to have a nice meal.  At dessert time, I was a little full.  I just ordered a coffee.  DJ and Dan both had the cannoli cake.  It looked delicious.  A layer of chocolate and then a layer of the cannoli filling.  It looked fabulous, but way way too rich for me.  This leads me to another thought- my old Haley lunch crew had a debate about cannoli.  I feel like a cannoli is supposed to have mini chocolate chips in it.  Some agreed (I think Joe) and others disagreed.  What do you think??  Please comment!

Overall, a good meal was had by all.  It wasn't the best meal I ever had but it was very good.  I think the waitress put a damper on my night.  I will definitely go back there again until I have a Lisiano moment.  (God forbid)  I'm thinking of it as a possible shower site.  Any thoughts??  Until my next bite.... (Which will be soon... tune in for a review of Denny's in Westbrook.)

Dinner at Brazi's / Lunch at Village Bistro

This has been a very busy week off.  That being said, I haven't been able to eat out as much as I would have liked.  Don't get me wrong, I have had a fabulous week but not so much for my Bites.  Last night I went to Brazi's with DJ.  We wanted to go out for a nice dinner just the two of us.  Before we left we visited with my aunt and uncle for a little while.  I wanted to go to dinner early because we didn't make reservations (I believe I overheard someone last night say that Brazi's doesn't take reservations) but because I wanted to see my uncle, we didn't leave as early as I would have liked.  When we got to Brazi's it was mobbed.  There was a private event in the front room, the lounge as filled, and the dining room was filled.  People were waiting all along the front hallway.  It was after 6 when we arrived.  We were told the wait would be 45 minutes.  We didn't mind, so we waited.  It was more like an hour wait, but the service was great when we were seated, so it was fine.

We sat at a table for 2 right outside that gazebo type thing in the middle of the dining room.  It wasn't the best place to sit but at that point I really didn't care.  I would rather be in the middle of the room than pushed in some corner where you can be forgotten.  The waitress we had was very nice.  For an appetizer we had shrimp casino.  This was a special of the night.  I had never heard of shrimp casino before.  Clams casino, yes.  Shrimp casino, no.  I didn't know what to expect.  In my mind I envisioned like a casserole almost.  Small shrimp with pepper and onions sprinkled with bacon and cheese.   That was not at all what it was like.  When it came, there were three large shrimp served tails up with all of the casino stuff on the shrimp.  Shells were still on.  If you're having trouble trying to imagine this appetizer, just think of the scene from Beetlejuice when they're singing Day-O.  The shells were on but split so it was easy to pull the shrimp out.  It was okay.  I didn't really like it too much.  The peppers were too raw tasting.  I ate it but I wouldn't choose it again.

Then we were given a choice of soup or salad with our meal.  Actually, we were served this before our appetizer.  The waitress said the kitchen was backed up so she brought that out first, which I thought was great.  I chose the soup, DJ chose the salad.  The soup that night was chicken escarole.  Oh was it delicious.  It was mostly escarole and carrots with a few tiny pieces of chicken.  I thought it was perfect.  It's just a little soup before you eat dinner.  I'm happy that it wasn't to filling and boy was it flavorful.  I just sprinkled a little grated cheese on top.  Perfection!  Do other people do that?  In my household grated cheese is put on the table when soup is served.  Do other people do that?  I think I've only seen my family members do that.  Please comment and let me know.  DJ had the salad and well, salad is salad.

For dinner I had the salmon San Marino.  Now that I have a wedding in the foreseeable future I need to watch what I eat.  It was delicious.  There were three pieces of salmon served on top of spinach with hot cherry peppers scattered around.  It was cooked in a white wine sauce.  The salmon was cooked perfectly and the spinach was delicious.  The peppers started to bother me a little bit, but good thing I keep Tums in pocketbook.  It also came with a side of pasta and vegetables.  I did not eat the pasta, only the vegetables.  They were a little plain but good for people watching their weight.  It was zucchini with carrots and onions.  DJ had the Pasta Bella which is fettucine with chicken and I think artichoke hearts and tomatoes and some other vegetables.  No cream sauce.  That's my one complaint about Brazi's.  Every single pasta dish that is not baked has a cream sauce.  I hate a cream sauce.  I don't like vodka sauce (way too over played).  I also hate pesto.  Just give me a nice tomato sauce.  He said it was very good.  Overall, a very nice meal.  We had to wait but I was pleased with service and the food.

I also just want to quickly mention Village Bistro.  I went there the other day with my mother and her cousin.  We wanted to go somewhere where you can just sit and have coffee and some nice little eats that's not Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks.  Places like that all close early.  It was only about 2 when we left but I believe Breugger's closes at 3.  So then where is there to go?  No where.  A restaurant or Cafe Atlantique are the only places that come to mind.  I thought about Village Bagels which has now moved up the street and has turned into Village Bistro.  I was impressed, at first.  It looks nice in there, very dark.  I thought it reminded me of a place from Spain but my mother and Honey insisted it was a middle eastern theme.  I wanted to get a pumpernickel bagel but they were out of them.  Honey got coffee and an apple muffin.  My mother got a tuna sandwich and then I ended up getting a Greek salad.  Now I'm not crazy for salad but normally I love a Greek salad.  This was not a good Greek salad.  Mostly lettuce, a few tomato chunks, a few feta chunks, a few kalamata olives, a few hot peppers and that was it.  The dressing was just oil and vinegar.  By my fourth bite, I wanted to numb my tongue.  Everything was OKAY but then when we went to pay we decided never again.  My Greek salad and snapple cost $11.  The salad didn't have any meat or anything.  It was pure crap.  Not to mention their menu said it was $6.50, so what was the Snapple?  $5?  I know I could've asked but I'm not confrontational.  They said that pretty soon they'll be open at night to serve wine, beer, and tapas.  Now that sounds pretty cool to me.  I wanted a place just like that but the only thing I had from there so far was crap.  I'm not sure if I'll get back there or not.  You've been warned but of course, the decision is yours.

That's all I've got for right now.  Until my next bite....