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...