A Pit Stop at the Dew Drop!

Today a few brave souls ventured to the Dew Drop Inn for lunch.  The Dew Drop Inn is located in Derby and is a "biker bar."  I've seen and read many things on Facebook about how wonderful the food and especially, the wings, are.  I tried to go a few months ago with D.J. but we were intimidated by the ambiance and the row of motorcycles parked in front of the building, which looked like a literal hole in the wall.  I told some of my fellow dinner companions about this experience.  Two of these companions had sisters who had been there and loved it, and others had heard about the delicious wings.  We had decided that we should go together; strength in numbers.  I felt as though a quick lunch would be better than going at night for dinner.  A Monday at 12:30 seemed like a safe time to go.

We met outside the bar near the street.  The parking situation isn't that great unless you have a motorcycle.  There are some spaces but they were all full.  We parked on the street and in the vacant lot across the street.  From the outside, it does not appear very attractive.  The bottom of the building is brick while the top has bluish siding.  There are two doors that you can walk in and once you do, the bar is right in front of you.  It is a large L or U shaped bar.  I can't remember if it had two sides or not.  To the right there are some high-top tables.  Luckily they had a few tables that could accommodate a larger group.  There were 6 of us who made it to this pit stop.  Of course we generated some question marks in the minds of the "regular" Dew Droppers but hey, there we were.  It was dark inside- the walls looked like dark wood, the lighting was dim, and there were a few pictures on the wall.  It was a clean place and the staff were very nice.

Monday is half price wing day- who knew!?  So we took advantage of this and ordered 6 wings.  We ordered two of the hot buffalo wings, teriyaki, cajun butter, honey bbq, and taco.  I'm a classic buffalo wing kind of girl so naturally, the hot wings were my favorite.  Although they weren't very hot.  You're talking to a group of women who ate the ghost pepper salsa.  We can do hot.  So maybe we'll try the kick-ass wings.  I liked the buffalo the best, the cajun, the teriyaki, the taco and then the bbq.  I'm not much of a fan of bbq sauce in general.  We ate the 6 wings, Bay had buffalo tenders, we frips (cross between a fry and chip), fried green beans, and curly fries.  Delicious!!!!  Everything was great!!

There we were- 6 "preppy" ladies COVERED in sauce.  We were licking our fingers, passing wings, dipping in blue cheese- Just fabulous.  5 alcoholic beverages and the total was $20 a person.  Not bad at all!  Of course we ordered 6 wings because it was half price, but I think it was a steal either way.  We stayed and chatted for a while and just had an all around good experience!  Our waitress was very nice and even took a picture for us.  When we left some more of the "rough" customers started to come in.  I would still be a bit weary about going in the evening but at least I can say I was there and I loved it!  And if I ever go there some day and don't want to stay there, I'll place my order.  They have about two dozen different types of wings, apps, burgers, sandwiches, and salads.  Full bar - many different beers on tap - and very cute mason jar glasses and bottled water.

It was my first time to a "biker bar" and I loved it!  I would recommend to go during lunch hours and if you decide to go during the evening, maybe wear black and a bandana.  Don't wear anything from the Loft, the Gap, or J Crew.  It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go back!  Until my next bite....

A-1 Diner - West Haven, CT

So tonight my dad took us to try the A-1 Diner for dinner.  It was a nice treat to go out with my family.  A-1 Diner is where Friendly's used to be on Sawmill Road.  It took quite a bit of time to finally open but now that it is, I'm quite happy.  I can't quite understand how Friendly's ever went out of business in the first place.  Either way, I'm happy something is open in that spot.  Between the highway and the train station, Sawmill Road should be booming with restaurants and businesses.  Let's just keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't crap up quickly.

First of all, the inside is beautiful.  You would never guess that it is in a former Friendly's.  The doors were opened tonight by one of the waitstaff.  When you walk in, there's a breakfast bar and a few booths to the left, a dessert case to the front, and a number of booths and tables to the right.  There's also the typical diner-style cash out counter.  We were seated by the window and waited on by a lovely woman who knows my mom from when she worked at Savin Rock and also used to work at Sandy's.  It was quite nice to see her again.  Breakfast is served all day.  There are also you're typical diner items - sandwiches, clubs, wraps, Greek specialties, and entrees.  I wanted to try a roast beef sandwich called "The Balboa."  It was roast beef, sauteed onions, swiss cheese, I think mushrooms on a garlic roll.  I decided not to get it because I also wanted a cup of soup.  Now I have to mention this.  I loved the waitress; however, she made a big mistake in my book.  She said the soups of the night were: Chicken noodle and Lentil.  I said to myself, oh good.  I'll get the lentil and a cheeseburger.  Well, my friends, it was not lentil soup.  I don't know what the hell happened, but all I know was that I was served beef flippin barley.  Beef barley is quite different from lentil soup!  I didn't question it or ask the waitress about it because I didn't want to upset her or cause a scene or get her in trouble.  As a side note, I don't particularly care for beef barley soup.  This soup was good.  It tasted homemade but was not lentil.

My mom had a turkey melt - turkey, cheese, and tomato.  It looked good.  Like a Friendly's classic.  I swear I will not mention Friendly's again.  My brother had the "New Orleans Panini."  A panini with cajun grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese, tomato, bacon, and some type of sauce or mayo.  He liked it.  It looked good and smelled good.  My dad had the open-faced rib eye sandwich with fries and onion rings.  It looked good and he ate it all.  Other than the soup issue, everyone enjoyed their meal.  It was good.  It wasn't out of this world, but it wasn't bad either.  A typical diner.  The owners(?) came over a few times to chat with us and ask how our meal was.  I think that's a nice touch.  You can tell they want to succeed.  I had a cheeseburger.  It was tasty.  They use the orange cheese.  There was a slice on the bottom and a slice on the top.  A great touch.

All in all, I enjoyed it.  I plan on going there again next week for girl's night.  I also would like to go back for breakfast.  I think there's definitely a lack of breakfast places in this world.  I also REFUSE to go to Georgie's.  It's so expensive there and for what?  Crap.  That's what.  I'll let you know if I try the breakfast and how next week goes.  I always like to try a new restaurant two times before I make my final judgement.  When a new place opens, they need to work out all the kinks and problems and then try it again.  I'm afraid, though, that I'm watching Kitchen Nightmares too much.  I think I can tell when the food has the taste of a kitchen you would see on that show.  I think A-1 is good.  For example, Lisiano's and Jimmies ... they are kitchen nightmares.  That's another day though... Until my next bite!

6-8 Antonio's Restaurant - Woodbridge, CT

Well it's been quite a bit longer than 6-8 weeks but we definitely made up for it with a great night!  This night I wanted to move the location away from the Q Bridge.  I had originally wanted to go to the Twisted Vine in Derby but they are closed on Monday so then we had to go to plan b.  Not literally Plan B, but to a second option.  I chose Antonio's in Woodbridge.  When I interned at Beecher we had ordered food from there and I remembered it being good and I thought it was still close to my friends that live in Orange and the Valley.  Excellent choice.  Their website is not a good reference.  First of all, it says that they are closed on Mondays but they are obviously not, and the menu online did not match the menu in the restaurant.  The website does not do the food justice.  It was fabulous! I highly recommend it!!  It's right on Amity Road.  Other than I drove by it the first time, it's very convenient to get to.

When we first walked in, bread, olives, hot peppers, and humus were on the table.  They also had butter and olive oil on the table- always a plus!  A delicious little pre-meal treat.  Some ordered appetizers.  The waitress was very nice and so was the bus boy.  He reminded me of the long-haired brother in "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" who was also in "Adventures in Babysitting" he played the brother.  Bay tried the mozzarella en carozza, Amy had bruschetta, and I'm not sure if the opposite end of the table ordered anything.  I tried the mozzarella - which is basically a grilled cheese with mooz and sauce on top.  Phenomenal!  Even the sauce was delicious!  Amy enjoyed the bruschetta but I did not try it.  I'm not too much a fan of raw tomatoes.

For our meal choices- Many chose the ravioli in a penne alla vodka sauce, others chose this chicken dish with prosciutto and mooz.  I forget what it was called but it was not on the website menu.  I was torn and asked the waitress for assistance.  I ended up getting the Salmon.  Oh my word was it good.  It was breaded and pan seared.  A sauce of some type was on the top and it was served on top of a sweet pea risotto.  That was my first experience with risotto.  It was like butta.  Melted in my mouth.  I even took home the leftover because it was so good, I couldn't see it go in the garbage.  They also served mashed potatoes and vegetables family style for the table.  No one ordered dessert but most of us ordered  a hot beverage of some type.  I had a cappuccino.  Also fabulous.  We left around 9 o'clock and had a great time!  A lot of laughs and a lot of good food.  I would love to go there again some time soon.  I highly recommend it to anyone!  They also serve pizza - just fyi.  Our next stop will bring another blog- The Dew Drop Inn.  Stay tuned!  Until my next bite...

P.S.- Crown Fried Chicken on Main Street across from Valero is quite good.

The NEW Julia's Bakery

Today was the second time I've been to the new Julia's Bakery.  It recently relocated to the plaza near Trader Joe's and Weight Watchers.  At first I thought that this was a bad move because although the parking in their old location was terrible, it was closer.  It is a little further down the road but well worth it, I think.  You walk into the bakery door and just see a bright, bustling, clean bakery.  The smell of delicious sweets hits you in the face.  In front of you stand about 5 or 6 young girls with their red Julia's tshirts on ready to serve you.  To the right is the cashier's post, and more baked goods.  To the left, are a few tables and the sandwich station.  I went in today to get some Italian bread for dinner tonight, Irish Soda bread for dinner on Monday, and perhaps a sandwich.

Let me just start off by saying - I love it there!!!!  I love bakeries.  I really wish there were more decent ones. *If any employee at Duffy's is reading this post- consider using Julia's for Irish soda bread and the crescia bread- we all miss it!!*  Emerald Bakery is not that great.  I love their bread, hard rolls, and scones, but anything out of that realm is really pretty crappy.  Anyway- back to Julia's.  I am so so so happy they put tables in there.  If Libby's weren't located in the un-parkable hood, I would go there every week for coffee and pastries, but it is, so Julia's could quite possibly fit that bill.  There were plenty of people in the bakery but there was a large number of workers there as well.  I was helped right away.  I ordered my two breads and had them sliced.  Such a nice service to slice the bread.  While she was slicing, I noticed the Crescia bread and all of the other breads they offer.  I love fresh bread.  I wish that I could live that life where you go here and there to pick up your fresh foods instead of having to go to one grocery store.  I could get my bread at Julia's, fresh produce from Treat's or Bishop's, and my meat from... well there are no butchers but that's what I would love to be able to do. I realize it's too chaotic and expensive to do so but the thought is always there.  Maybe in the summer.  I wish I could live my summer life everyday.  I would love to just sit there one day and look at all of the different types of baked goods they have there.  I always feel on the spot when I have to order.  I really want to look long and hard at all the cases.

While I was getting the breads, DJ went and ordered me a sandwich.  They used to sell sandwiches there a while ago but they stopped for a bit.  But hey- now they're back!  I ordered the Indian River sandwich on a hard roll which is turkey breast, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and cranberry sauce.  Oh my word!  It's fabulous.  The turkey is just cold cut turkey but so thin and so fresh!  The rolls are out of this world and together it makes a perfect sandwich.  The sandwich also came with a pickle and a finger-sized brownie.  I was thrilled!  It was the best lunch I've had in a long time.  If that could be packed in my lunch bag everyday I think I would be a much nicer person. (wink, wink, Deej).  While I ate a sandwich, Mr. Sweets ate a huge slice of bungalow cake.  It was a huge slice and you could see the slice of banana on it.  It wasn't sliced into little discs, it was sliced down the middle long-ways. (Like a hot dog)  The cake looked delicious and it was covered with whipped cream.  I also noticed a sign with breakfast sandwiches and specials.  They have a few selected breakfast items that you can get with a medium coffee for $3.  Items like a bagel, a roll with butter, a scone, cinnamon buns, coffee rolls, muffin, etc.  They also make some flavored coffees.  I've also had their sweet poppy horns.  Very good.  Not as good as Rocco's but again, since that's in the hood, Julia's will do.  The Italian bread (they offer both the round loaf and long loaf) was fantastic.  The Irish soda bread is also very good.  I did not eat the loaf I purchased today yet, but I've had it in the past and it's good.  It has caraway seeds and is loaded with raisins.  I love Julia's whipped cream rolls, especially the lemon.  They have wonderful coffee cake, cupcakes, tarts, cookies, everything!  I'm not even a sweet lover!

To sum up, I absolutely love, love, love Julia's Bakery!  The new location is bigger, brighter, more accessible.  It's just absolutely wonderful.  I recommend it for any of your baked goods needs.  Please go and support Julia's.  I don't want to see another wonderful Mom and Pop place go out of business.  Grab a sandwich, a coffee, and dessert for later.  You can't go wrong!  I'm feeling very full now... until my next bite!

Cabin Fever Festival - Mystic, CT

Today DJ and I went to the Cabin Fever Festival in Mystic Village.  It was a whim decision to go after I read about it in the New Haven Register.  It is a "festival" that consists of various events geared toward children on the Green and at the Meeting House and a chowder cook-off.  Restaurants in the area brought their chowder to be sampled at the shops all throughout the village.  Tickets were $1 per tasting or 12 tickets for $10.  I went with the $10.  I thought and still think, it's worth it.  The festival is from 12:00-5:00, so if you read it close to the time I post it, you may still be able to check it out.  We arrived at the village at 11, which was a smart decision.  We headed right to one of our favorite spots- Mystic Beanery.  Since it was before the soup came out and I still hadn't had a coffee yet, we went right there.  I love it inside there.  It's a  cute little shop.  They have some baked goods such as, cinnamon buns, bagels, muffins, pastries, etc.  They also have coffee, fancier coffees, and specialty coffees.  They may even do some breakfast sandwiches.  I just had a medium latte today- I needed to save room for the chowder.  DJ had an Asiago bagel toasted with butter and a Shamrock Latte.  He happily ate and drank all of it.  I had a plain latte but let me tell you, it was delish.  It hit the spot and was made fairly fast.  They also sell little Coca-Cola trinkets in there.  It started to get crowded in there and the chowder people came to set up their stand so we sat outside.  I'm so happy that we were able to sit outside in February without freezing.  We went into a few stores while we waited for the cook-off to begin!

I was so happy to go to this chowder cook-off.  It's exactly what I wish I could get paid to do with my life.  I felt like one of the judges on "The Taste."  When you went up you gave you ticket and then were given a 3oz. Styrofoam cup with chowder.  Now I know that that doesn't sound like a lot of chowder, but it was perfect.  You could get about 3 or 4 spoonfuls of soup.  I'm not positive of the places I tried.  I will refer to my ballot to try to fill in the gaps.  I just want to say - I wasn't crazy for any of them.  There was no chowder that I felt like using a second ticket and going back for more.  None of these chowders were as good as Chandler's Tavern at Yankee Candle.    The chowders I tried were from, I believe, Soundings Lounge at Mystic Hilton, Casa Della Luce, Ocean Blue Catering at Mystic Aquarium, Stonington Stop and Shop, StoneRidge Retirement Center, and Flanagan's at Best Western.

My favorite chowder, though it was hard to pick one, would have to be Flanagan's or Casa Della Luce - if that was the one from Westerly, Rhode Island.  It was so odd that they were all so different.  One was a lobster chowder, which was pretty tasty but I felt like it wasn't really fair.  I mean lobster vs. clam?  We know the winner.  Sounding Lounge brought two types of chowder.  One was a seafood chowder (which was lacking in the seafood) and the other was a buffalo chicken and corn chowder.  DJ tried the chicken and I tried the seafood.  Well, we both tried both but he took the chicken and I took the seafood.  The seafood broth was okay but there wasn't anything really in my scoop.  The chicken was exactly what you would expect- chicken, buffalo sauce, corn in a soup form.  Interesting.  Points for creativity but not much.  I think one of the places, though I might not have mentioned where it was from because it was so awful, was like a pulled pork.  What the hell is that?  I saw a red broth and was getting my palate set for Manhattan chowder and it was a BBQ pulled pork!  Terrible. I just didn't see how it fit and pulled pork is not my favorite thing anyway.  Why put it in a soup?  Flanagan's was the only clear-broth, Rhode Island chowder.  I give that my favorite because I prefer clear over creamy.  My favorite creamy was from Casa Della Luce.  It was milky more than creamy.  It had a nice flavor and was oddly white but hey- I liked it.  Oh no wait- the Westerly Rhode Island place I think had clam fritters in it, which was interesting.  There was one right on the top to garnish but then there were more little fritter pieces in it.  Odd and not my favorite.

Flanagan's was the last chowder I had.  I think I ended it on a positive note.  I also grabbed some delicious cinnamon sugar roasted pecan nuts from the General Store. I also went into Bestemors - the Scandinavian store.  I tried some Swedish "Christmas Soda".  It wasn't what I expected at all.  It tasted like some sort of berry but I can't name which one.  Then it just started to get ridiculously crowded.  People had their dogs everywhere, their children on leashes, and every Sasquatch in the tri state area was there.  I overheard a woman tell her son, "Remember we talked about our 'listening ears' this morning."  Oh go you know what.  "Listening ears?"  I feel like she said it louder so people would look at her and think she was a wonderful parent.  What happened to "If you don't listen you won't have ears at all"?  At that point I just needed to go to the bathroom and go home, so that's what we did.

To sum up, it was a good day.  I had cabin fever and it was nice to go outside and try some chowders.  I wish it wasn't as crowded as it was but my recommendation is to go early and leave a soon as possible.  I would have liked to see the owl demonstration but there were just too many people.  I saw the ducks.  That was nice.  I won't go again but at least I could say I tried it out.  Until my next bite...

Red Fish Grill -Orange, CT

Today, on a whim, Carrie and I decided to cure our boredom with an afternoon stop at Red Fish Grill.  Neither of us were really hungry, but we were both bored and in need to get out of our homes.  We went at an odd time - I think it was around 2:45.  Red Fish Grill is located on the Post Road in the building that was home to Lushe's Diner, the Orange Family Diner, and Red River Grill before that.  It was setup inside pretty much the same way when it was Lushe's.  The counter was right near the door, the bar was in the smaller room to the right and the dining area was in the middle and to the left side of the restaurant.  The decor was different.  More modern, more earthy.  We were seated in the room the farthest to the left.  It looked nice, it was very clean, and nice and cozy.  My number one complaint when I went to Lushe's was how cold it was, so obviously it wasn't the building.

Our waitress was very nice and attentive.  The menu isn't too big.  If you don't like fish- don't go there.  There are 4 dishes that are not fish.  2 chicken and 2 beef.  There may be a burger or something but I really didn't check out the sandwiches.  There were only about 5 sandwich options total.  We decided to order a few things and just try them all.  The waitress was very nice about it.  Some restaurants give you "sharing" charges, or just give you shit about sharing, but this waitress did not.  We ordered the corn and crab chowder, the beet and goat cheese salad, and the fried oyster dinner.  At first, the waitress brought us NE clam chowder.  She then saw the ticket, realized her mistake, and brought us the correct soup.  We were going to try the clam but luckily she brought the crab at the right time.  The NE chowder looked good.  Very thick, very white.  To people have issues with overly creamy things like I do, excuse my French, it looked like a total shit fest.  It looked thick like a bucket of paint.  The crab was okay.  It had a decent flavor.  A little buttery but tasty.  There were very few pieces of crab and only a few kernels.  The corn crab at Jimmie's is a million times better.

The beet and goat cheese salad was refreshing, but not really what I expected.  When I hear "beet salad" I assume that it's going to consist primarily of beets.  This was not the case.  It was a regular tossed salad with 6 beet slices lining the circumference of the plate with globs of goat cheese.  It wasn't gross or untasty, it just wan't a "beet salad."  The goat cheese was quite good.  There was a light dressing on it as well that complimented it nicely.  Carrie also did not care for the soup and thought that salad was okay.  The fried oysters were my favorite part.  The oyster were huge and tasty.  They weren't overly cooked- just perfect. The batter tasted on point and the oyster burst when you took a bite.  It was served with crinkle-cut fries (a plus in Carrie's eyes) and coleslaw.  I didn't try a fry.  I'm not a fan of the crinkle cut but I didn't want to fill myself up considering my mom was planning on serving dinner between 5:30 and 6.  I think I'm going to give up fries for lent.  Okay- sidetrack.

We ate what we could and wrapped what we couldn't finish.  We drank several glasses of ginger ale.  Foxon Park beverages are served there.  In bottle and tap form.  They don't have any good Foxon Parks on tap.  Only cola, lemon-lime, and ginger ale.  Red Fish Grill gets a mezza-mezz rating from me.  I would like to go back and try one of their fish dinners.  The red fish, for instance, is something I've never had.  I've also never had Chilean sea bass or trout.  I think I'll skip the trout.  Whenever I think of trout, I always think of the scene from the Hailey Mills version of "The Parent Trap" when they go camping with the father and his fiance. Carrie seemed to have a "middle of the road" opinion about Red Fish as well, though she would also like to go back for a dinner.  If we embark on that trip I will be sure to let you know about it.  We also want to try The Twisted Vine in Derby, the bottom-less bloody bar in Bridgeport, and Joey C's in Milford. I also need to check out a few restaurants in Fairfield.  Let me know if I should add any other places to the list.  Until my next bite...

Valentine's Day alla Campania

Yesterday was probably the best Valentine's Day I've had.  Although I was disappointed about the snow, it's always nice having the day off.  I spent the morning with my Linds, the afternoon having pizza with Jessi, and then ending the day with a beautiful dinner at Campania with DJ.  Wonderful!  

So quickly, I'll just let you know I went to Jimmy's Apizza in Milford with Jessi for lunch.  The waitress was a doll. I don't know if she's an owner but she's an older lady and was very nice.  I had some lovely birch beer to drink and then Jessi and I split a medium sausage pizza with mooz.  It was divine.  If I didn't know I was going out to dinner that night I would've eaten the entire pizza by myself.  It was fabulous!  I think Jimmy's might be my favorite place.

Now for the dinner.  DJ made reservations for us at 6 at Campania in Branford.  I had been there a while ago once before and I thought it would be the ideal setting for a romantic dinner.  It's right off of exit 55 on that main road there.  It's a small place and might be hard to spot.  There are some condos right behind it which causes an issue with parking but we were able to find a space.  It looks like a little house on the outside.  It's very cute.  I believe they have outdoor seating in the warmer weather.  When you walk in you're right at the bar.  It's a cozy room with a bustling bar.  There are a few tables along the outskirts but most of the seating is down the short staircase.  At first I was worried because they seated us at one of those half tables /half booth in the middle of two other couples.  The waitress had to squeeze in between the tables to take our order and when she was speaking with the other two tables her ass (in red pants) was right at the level of our plates.  Although DJ probably didn't mind, I wasn't too pleased about it.  The tables were quite close and I could hear everything the other people said.  For example, I know that our waitress is the owner's daughter who is now taking the business over with her brothers after seven years.  One brother is the cook, the other the bartender, she was 24 and single.  The people to my right asked her all of these questions.  They also sent back a cosmopolitan because there was too much cranberry juice.  You might be thinking that this ruined my night, but no.  It was so cute and cozy in there that I didn't mind.  The service was quick but I didn't feel rushed.  

When we were seated the busboy brought over some bread, a carafe of water, black olives, Parmesan cheese, and some herbs which I believe were oregano.  I dipped the bread in olive oil with hot pepper and Parmesan sprinkled in the oil.  Fabulous.  The bread was very good and fresh.  I ordered the "Elizabeth Taylor" - prosecco with St. Germain and floating berries.  Ditto fabulous!  We ordered and then were given salads.  The salad wasn't that great, though I don't really love salad.  It was just lettuce with some dressing.  No other vegetables.  I ate some of the olives that were already on the table, but really?  The place is pricey.  They could've at least thrown in a shred of carrot and a cherry tomato.  I ordered the "Gamberi Scamponi" which is shrimp, mushrooms, capers, fresh tomatoes, shallots, marsala over fettucine. It was a hearty portion.  A huge bowl came out with the mushrooms and fettucine and all the other goodies with 5 enormous shrimp on top of them.  I cut the shrimp into bite sized pieces- about three each.  Again I was faced with the issued of the shelled tail.  I hate that.  I really wish I could know why people leave that tail on.  I understand with a cocktail because you have to hold the shrimp with your hand, but in a sauce?  No reason.  DJ ordered chicken florentine which he said was very good.  It must have been good because he cleaned off his plate- spinach and all.  The food was very good.  It was nice to also have a change of scenery.

After dinner we had dessert.  I ordered the affogato.  Which is ice cream with espresso poured over it.  I have to say, it's better at Gabriele's in Orange.  At Gabriele's they have biscotti involved.  This place just gave you ice cream and espresso.  I should've ordered the oysters for an appetizer instead of dessert but oh well.  DJ ordered the tiramisu - which he totally ate and said was good.  He paid the bill and then we left.  All in all, it was a good place.  It is a bit pricey, so save it for special occasions.  It has a certain charm to it and the food is good.  I hope to go back again in the near future.  A lovely, love-filled Valentine's Day!

Until my next bite...

The Family Restaurant

So here we are on a snowy Saturday night.  I'd like to pretend that I did something amazing tonight but if I did, I wouldn't be here typing this blog.  The day started off great because Eco was cancelled.  I like Eco but this was a stressful week.  I needed to sleep in today.  I woke up and saw no snow- even better!  I had a great morning- went to Pop's for breakfast, completed all my errands, made some chocolate chip cookies, and was just heading out to church when it began snowing.  I was hoping to go out to dinner tonight but DJ wimped out, so I went out with my family instead.  The roads were a bit slick while it was snowing.  We didn't want to drive far for a crummy little dinner so we decided to go to The Family restaurant, formerly Eats and Sweets, in that Savin Rock plaza.  We've gone there for breakfast a couple of times.  It's pretty good.  Your basic diner-type place.

When we walked in, an older couple was just paying.  After they left, the place was empty.  I didn't really expect it to be crowded because it was snowing and it's never really busy, but I thought maybe some other church-goers would be there.  I was curious about the dinner foods.  They leave a menu on the table at all times of the day.  I've been curious because they apparently deliver.  They sell pizza and calzones.  Who would've thought?  It's so close to where I live and work, I should think of it more often.  If anyone reading this works at City Hall- give them a call and see if they'll deliver a lunch order.  I would suggest it to my Washington co-workers but unfortunately, we never order out.  (Thinking of Haley.. sniff sniff)  Their menu is pretty basic; they have sandwiches, club sandwiches, wraps, salads subs, some diner-type entrees, pasta dishes, pizza, and calzones.  A nice array of food if you ask me.  They had a few specials tonight.  My mom and I ordered the tuna melt which came with either a cup of soup or fries.  We both ordered a cup of chicken and rice soup.  The soup was piping hot- just the way I like it!  It was good.  It wasn't overly flavorful but nothing that a little s and p couldn't cure.  There were a few chunks of white meat chicken, white rice, carrots, and celery.  I enjoyed it.  The tuna melt was also good.  The tuna salad tasted good.  It was served on rye bread, which I don't really care for, but that was a minor detail.  My mother, who loves rye bread, loved her melt and soup.  My dad got the cheeseburger club with fries and a cup of the chicken and rice soup.  He ate all of his dinner and said that he liked the club.  My brother had a cheeseburger and fries.  He said the fries were excellent and his burger was juicy.  We ordered a couple of sodas and we were done.

It was a simple meal and it fit the bill.  It cost us $35, which I thought was pretty good.  When I went to Chip's with my mom and brother on the snow day I believe it cost the same amount.  The booths look old and it's somewhat dark in there, but I think it's very clean.  I could see the cook sweeping the kitchen floor while we were there.  That made me feel good.  I mean no one was there.  He could have just sat there and no one would know,but he didn't.  I really want to try the pizza.  I think I've complained about the lack of pizza places in a previous post.  It's not just pizza places.  It's the lack of restaurants.  I mean what has happened to all of the nice restaurants that used to be around?  We are being overrun by chains!  I can't take it!  There are no more independent steakhouses.  Let's just think... Food and Beverage- long gone.  Captain's Galley- gone.  Chuck's- burnt.  The Gathering- gone.  Lorenzo's and Biagetti's are good if you're in the mood for Italian, but other than those two, what is a nice restaurant in West Haven?  Jimmies is good, but rundown, I feel.  I love their salad and let's face it, it's the only fish restaurant in West Haven.  And don't even say Turk's.  I love Turk's just as much as the next Westie, but they don't have a tank of lobsters.  They don't have crab.  The only fish dishes they have are either deep fried or it's broiled stuffed sole.  I wish I had more money and more business knowledge because I would love to open my own restaurant.  I don't know if it would be a fish place but it would be nice.  Sorry, just went on a tangent.  

To sum up, The Family Restaurant in the Savin Rock plaza may just be a hidden little treasure.  If you're looking for a breakfast place, a local diner, a place to get affordable food, give it a try.  I didn't try the pizza yet but if I do, I will be sure to write about it.  A small pizza with cheese was $5.95.  Can't go wrong.  And now here I am, sitting here at 8:30, bored, and thinking about food.  That might be the end of me fitting in my dress.  Until my next bite.....  well, probably not my very next bite because that might be sooner than we both think, but until my next restaurant bite...

Sausage and Peppers

Sausage and peppers is the perfect dish for any event.  I like it like a sandwich, in sauce on a sub, and over pasta.  Just delicious.  Even though it's a simple thing to make, it can easily be ruined.  First, you must start off with a good quality sausage.  I'm never really fussy over brands except when it comes to a few things: sausage, hot dogs, and canned Italian tomatoes.  If you want to have delicious hot dog, Hummel's is the only way to go.  Canned Italian tomatoes can make or break your sauce.  I always like to pick a brand that has tomatoes imported from Italy.  There will be a sticker on the can.  We usually use Cento, Sclafani, or if in a pinch, Luigi Vitelli.  Sausage MUST be Longhini.  There is no other sausage that can compare.  Lamberti's is okay if that's all that's available, but always try for Longhini.  Certain things in life you can skimp on.  You can get a store-brand box of cereal or a store-brand can of vegetables, but certain things you must pay attention to the brand.  It makes all of the difference in the world.

So here's the way to make fantastic sausage and peppers.  Get a big, rectangle pan that is somewhat deep.  Cut up an onion in slivers.  I would've said slices but I don't mean the circular slices that you put on a burger.  Strips, I guess.  Throw the onion in the pan.  Cut up the peppers into strips.  I know the red peppers are more expensive but they are the ones that add the flavor.  Even if you have less red peppers in ratio to your green peppers, that's okay.  You just want to have some mixed in.  Sometimes red peppers go on sale for like $1.99 a pound.  Whenever you see that in the grocery add, plan on making sausage and peppers.  I like to use red peppers and cubanelle peppers (those are the smaller, light green peppers).  I'm not a fan of a green bell pepper.  They have no flavor and contribute nothing to any dish.  It's nice to use orange and yellow peppers when you want to get fancy for a party, but those peppers are usually quite expensive, so save those for special occasions only.  Mix in your pepper strips.  Then I like to cut my sausage links in half so they cook thoroughly.  This is very important in my book.  First of all, sausage is made from pork.  I know that now the cooking shows tell you you can have pink pork now, but certain things I still like cooked all the way through.  A pork chop with a little pink doesn't bother me, but a pink sausage certainly does.  Not only does the pinkness weird me out, but so does the texture of the sausage.  If it's not cooked enough, then you can really taste and feel the casing chomping around in your mouth.  I don't want to spend 20 minutes chewing my sausage. Sometimes I use chicken sausage.  Longhini makes the MOST DELICIOUS Italian chicken sausage in the world.  I think I may like it better than regular pork sausage sometimes.  Most recently, I used 2 packages of chicken sausage with 1 package of pork sausage.  So in that case, you really need to make sure that it's cooked through.  Nothing worse in life than pink poultry.  Put the sausage in the pan.  Drizzle some olive oil on the top, sprinkle salt and pepper, and sprinkle just a bit of oregano.  Mix everything together with your hands and spread to flatten out the top.  Put in the oven at 350 or 375 degrees uncovered for a good hour or hour and a half.  Make sure that you stir it every so often so that it cooks evenly.  When you're done you should see beautifully browned sausage, tender peppers, and plenty of flavorful juice on the bottom of your pan.  My favorite thing to do is to buy some bakery hard rolls, put a spoonful of juice on the bottom of the roll, cut the sausage so that it's butterflied, and top with peppers.  Take  a bite and let the juice dribble down your chin!  That, my friends, is how you make sausage and peppers.  I've had sausage and peppers in the past that just taste like they're sitting in water.  It baffles me that something so simple could be so easily ruined.  Try it that way and tell me you can't notice the difference.

When I make sausage and peppers over spaghetti it has to be slightly changed.  I suppose you could use the oven but I think it's just easier to cook the sausage and peppers in a frying pan.  I don't like to cook the sausage with the peppers.  It takes longer for the sausage to cook through than it does to soften the peppers.  The peppers over the spaghetti will have more crunch than the baked ones.  I would cook all of my sausage with onions and then remove them from the pan.  Then add the pepper strips (you may need more oil, you may want to add more onions or onion salt, depending on your preference).  Let the peppers get soft, add back in the sausage.  Blend up your tomatoes, pour them over the sausage and peppers, add salt, pepper, basil, a twirl of wine, and a splash or two of red pepper flakes.  That's it.  I don't like overly herby sauces.  Sometimes people feel like they need to overdo it and add all crappy spices and sugar!  Good sauce does not need much.  Just give her some time to simmer on the stove and you're all set.  In my regular sauce I don't use onion, just garlic.  Onion in meat sauce, garlic in all others.  If you want to you can add a dash of garlic powder to the sausage and peppers sauce but that's all about preference.  Just remember Oil, garlic, tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, and wine.  Perfetto! Spaghetti is my favorite stringy macaroni.  Let all of the sausage, peppers, and sauce cook and bubble together for a while.  Boil up your ronies and then add them right to the pan with the sauce.  Mix it all up yummy and good and just dig in!

This week I plan on making "Ina's Perfect Roast Chicken," carnitas, and salmon.  As for the other nights, I'm not sure.  If I happen to eat something/somewhere I haven't blogged about yet, I will be sure to let you know.  Until my next bite!

Subzero Soups

The cold weather has inspired me to write a little about my favorite food - soup.  There's a little trivia for you- my favorite food is soup.  I am yet to meet a soup I didn't like.  I say soup is my favorite food because I have a hard time saying no to soup.  When I go out to eat at a restaurant, I'm always choosing the soup over the salad.  I made soup for dinner tonight, which I will share with you, but I think I'll also use this blog to discuss good restaurants to find soup and good recipes for various kinds of soup.

Tonight I made a recipe from one of my favorites- Ina Garten.  I made her version of lentil vegetable soup.  Absolutely delicious!!  I love lentil soup.  Pop's Restaurant in Milford makes a mean lentil soup.  I believe their soup had beef in it as well.  I've tried the Progresso sausage and lentil soup and that was just terrible.  I want to like soup from a can but so far the only kinds I actually like are Progresso's Chickerina and Campbell's Tomato soup.  The traditional chicken noodle soups in cans are gross.  Where do they get that disgusting little pink cube aka the chicken?  Back to my lentil.  It was a very simple recipe and I have a tip that made it that much easier to make.  My dad will never ever eat anything with lentils involved, so I knew if I wanted to try this soup, I'd have to make it on a weeknight.  Then I started to worry that I wouldn't have enough time to chop, put together, and let cook all on a Monday night.  So Sunday I cut up all the vegetables, put them in a large Ziplock bag, and cut my time in the kitchen!  The recipe calls for 3 large onions, 2 leeks, 3 garlic cloves, 8 stalks of celery, and 6 carrots.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find any leeks at Stop and Shop or Adam's, so I improvised.  A leek looks like a large scallion and gives off an oniony-type flavor and because of this, I chopped 3 scallions (the white and light green part).  I also decided to chop up 2 parsnips as well.  I suppose you could add or subtract any vegetables you'd like.  Be careful, though, the pot does get quite full.

First you brown the onions, scallions/leeks, and garlic- about 20 min. with salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and cumin.  Then add the carrots, celery, and parsnips.  Let that cook for a bit.  Then add a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste- mix together.  Add 3 quarts of chicken stock and the lentils.  Before adding the lentils, put in a bowl with a strainer and cover with boiling water.  Let sit in the water for 20 minutes.  Once everything is combined, cover and let the stock come to a boil, uncover and reduce to a simmer.  Let an hour go by and HEY! Now it's time for some lentil soup.  Delicious!  There is nothing quite like hot soup on a cold, damp night.  This soup was flavorful, filling, healthy, and piping hot!  Just the way should be!  As the winter continues, I'll be sure to put up some other soup recipes that I have or try out.

Homemade soup, of course, is the best, but here are some wonderful soups to check out when you're eating out.  As I have mentioned, the lentil soup from Pop's is dynamite.  As a matter of fact, all of the soups I have tried from Pop's are divine.  Chicken orzo, beef barley, Manhattan clam chowder to name a few.  I love a good wonton soup.  There's nothing worse than biting into a wonton and getting this al dente, ball of death in your mouth.  The best wonton soups are from Bao's (you can tell when a different cook makes it so it's not always good) and China Pavilion.  I've had the hot and sour soup from China Pavilion as well.  That soup wasn't really my cup of tea but if it was the only soup left on Earth, I wouldn't complain.  Let's talk chowda now.  There are three types- New England (creamy), Rhode Island (clear), and Manhattan (red).  The best New England clam chowder used to be from the old Chuck's Steakhouse in West Haven.  I can taste it right now just thinking of it. I guess that's another soup I'll never have again. *Side track alert* The Chuck's chowder and Gianotti's pancakes are the only two restaurant foods that I can recall the taste of and will never be matched.  Whatever happened to Gianotti's?  Remember it?  Tiny little breakfast place that used to be where Dive Bar is now.  Suddenly, I hear Barbara Streisand in my head.  Back on track... the New England clam chowder from Chandler's Tavern (at Yankee Candle in Mass.) is, hands downs, the BEST currently bubbling NE chowder.  Perfect balance of flavor and not so creamy that you're gagging while you're trying to swallow it.  Stowe's had good NE chowder too.  NE is not my favorite of the three.  My favorite is Rhode Island.  That's real soup.  All of the flavorful clam broth!  I just love it.  West Haven is home to many great RI chowders.  Turk's is my favorite, though that can depend on the cook as well.  Sometimes it is chock full of clams and potatoes and vegetables.  Other times, you get 4 hard pieces of potato and 1 little inappropriate piece of clam.  When the good cook is on- Turk's is the best.  Jimmie's has great RI clam chowder as well, though I'm upset that you can't order RI chowder as your soup choice with your meal. You get the choice of chicken or corn crab chowder.  If you order the clam, you have to pay extra.  Let's not be ridiculous here people!  The joke is on them though because the crab is fantastic!  Duffy's also has fabulous RI clam chowder.  I have a hard time choosing any other type of soup when I eat at Duffy's.  Savin Rock Roasting has pretty good chowder as well.  There's only one type of RI chowder that I don't like- and that would be one that has very tiny cubes of potatoes and a lot of bacon flavor.  It's not supposed to taste like bacon.  It's just used for a little smokiness and bite, it's not supposed to be a bacon challenge for that "fat-ass versus food."

This is turning into a long post so I'll just list some good soup/restaurant combos.  Pasa -te (can't spell) from Biagetti's, Tortellini soup from Lisiano's (I know- I will never go there again- but good soup), Meat tortellini soup from Gabriele's, Chicken and Rice soup and French Onion soup from Turk's, Asparagus Soup from Roly Poly, Various soups from liquid lunch, Chicken and Beef barley soup from Water's Edge, and believe it or not, every soup from Duchess fast food restaurant is delicious.  It's the only fast food place I know of that makes soup.  So nice to go through a drive-through and get soup.  Duchess Diner in WH and the Athenian Diner in Milford has great soup.  I can't seem to think of any others right now, but this will be soup season, so I plan on keeping you informed of where you can find the best soups around.  

Until my next slurp .... (Insert Mrs. White and Professor Plum from "Clue")