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.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
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.
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.
Monday, June 10, 2013
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!!!
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!!!
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
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...
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...
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
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...
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...
Sunday, June 2, 2013
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!
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!
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