Last night DJ and I joined some friends at The Melting Pot to celebrate my cousin Nicole's birthday. This was our first time there but not for some of the others we went with. It's in Darien which, by the way, is my absolute new favorite town in Connecticut. Now I realize that I will probably never be able to live in Darien, but it's a good goal to have. Maybe if DJ writes the next Harry Potter. Anyway, we took the Merritt to get there. It wasn't a bad ride at all. We got there a lot faster than I would've thought. Darien has a train station, is close to Norwalk, is close to New York, has a cute and quaint downtown, and is near the Trumbull mall. Can't go wrong. We went up with Josh and Mirissa. The restaurant has a parking lot and is located near a bunch of little shops and cafe-type places. I was surprised to see that all of them were closed because it was only around 5:00. Who knows what these people do in these towns. Either way, I can't wait to plan my next trip there.
We arrived a little early so we waited in the bar area. It seemed dead at the bar but then when we walked into the actual restaurant portion, it was packed! The configuration of the restaurant was odd. It seemed like you had to walk down these weird hallways and none of the rooms were very big. The owner did tell us that they want to expand and are hoping to open a new location soon. Possibly near Buckland Hills Mall. There were 10 of us and we were seated at one of those half booth - half tables. It was a snug fit but wasn't too bad. Naturally, Josh and DJ squashed into the booth while Mirissa and I sat across on the table side. We were given our menus and our drink orders were taken. I had the "deep south tea" which read as a southern twist to a Long Island tea. It was delicious. I checked with the waiter before ordering. I don't quite remember which liquors were used in this cocktail but it looked really cool. It was layered so it looked like green, white, and red from the bottom up. Very good. We were confused by the food menu and the whole fondue concept. Marla tried to steer us in the right direction but we just went on our own; live and learn.
They offer a 4-course meal so that's what DJ, Mirissa, and I did. Josh had to go it alone due to his allergy. Let's just say he is much braver than I. We ended up ordering the same thing. So our 4 course thing was around $40. This included a cheese fondue (we chose the bacon jalapeno) with bread, veggies, and apples, a salad of choice (out of 4 options), an individual meal, and a dessert fondue.
The cheese fondue was delicious. They bring a pot over and mix up the fondue of your choice right in front of you. DJ and I must have popped a whole bottle of Lactaid that night. Which it may be TMI, but I did not have to use the bathroom at all that night! Our table was very large so it had three "burners" for the pots. We had the bacon jalapeno- fabulous and Nicole's pot had the classic alpine. They give you the fondue forks and you can dip raw veggies, breads, and apple chunks. It was very tasty. After they clear your pots away, they bring out the salad. I chose the Caprese (fresh mooz and tomato) while the others in my 4-course chose the house salad. It was good but not the best choice. I already had a pot of cheese fondue and then I added some fresh mooz to the mix. Next time I'll get the house. And then came the part of the night I did not like...
They bring out whatever protein you chose for your main entree raw. Yes, raw. Our option had chicken, shrimp, and steak. I wasn't really a fan of having to handle these raw meats and having to worry about contaminating my food. You choose a type of broth and they put that in the pots. Our waiter told us that anything that walks would take 2 1/2 minutes to cook and anything that swims would take about a minute and a half. Now I know this is wrong. How could chicken take the same amount of time to cook as steak? I'll answer that for you. It doesn't. Those meats did not cook within that time. This also dragged out the time of the meal because you have to wait for your meal to cook about two pieces at a time. Our broth was the coq au vin, which I thought would have been lovely but it just added to the confusion. The red wine in the broth turned all of the meats purple so it was a challenge to know if it was cooked or not, so I was a nervous wreck with every bite of chicken. I was not a fan of the entree portion of the meal. It is cool, in a way, to cook your food in the fondue pot but you're essentially just boiling all of your meats. Boiled dinners suck. That's why people don't do them anymore. The chicken freaked me out and the steak tasted a little too meaty for me. I find when you have a high quality meat that it tastes too meaty. I can't quite describe it. It tastes like the smell of raw meat. Just give me some "can be eaten by humans" taco bell meat and I'm set. Kidding. Well, sort of. I do enjoy a taco bell and I don't always like those grass-fed organic beefs, but I still consider myself to be a bit of a food snob. So I didn't eat all of my steak but I did go to town on the shrimp. The shrimp were safely cooked and delicious! They also give you about 6-8 different dipping sauces that you can dip your meats and veggies in. My favorite was the teriyaki followed by the cocktail sauce. Lots of horseradish.
After the entree, they brought out a dessert menu. We chose the classic fondue- chocolate and peanut butter. Marla and Joe had the turtle fondue and Nicole had the yin-yang. I have to just say that I absolutely loved it! I'm not a huge fan of dessert but for some reason I could not stop eating this. They bring out a whole tray of dipping items- Rice Krispy Treats, blondies, brownies, pound cake, bananas, strawberries, pineapple, marshmallows, and I requested some apple slices. The cup with the apple slices had a hair on it. It grossed me out.... but I'm not going to lie, I ate them anyway. The hair wasn't touching any of the apples and it was more of lash or loose eyebrow hair. I could not stop. If it wasn't getting late and the waitstaff were not rushing us out because they had a party of 20 coming in after us, I would've burned my tongue from licking the fondue pot clean. It was good.
To sum up, I will definitely go back again. I will either skip out on the entree and just order cheese, salad, and dessert, or I will only get shrimp. No more chicken or steak for me. I will continue to ask for extra apples, I will order the deep south tea again, and I will pack my Lactaid again just in case. It's a great place to go if you are looking for an activity to do while you eat. You are no longer just limited to hibachi. I also love Darien so maybe I'll make a day out of it. I definitely would not recommend going there in a large group because of the tight quarters or if you are on a tight schedule. If you have the time and want to go out with a total of 4 or 6 people, then you're golden. While we were there, there were some girls with their parents out for their birthday. They were ridiculously loud and obnoxious. I would say they were about 13 years old? Once they left it was much nicer but overall, I had a great time. I'm very happy to be have been introduced to this restaurant so thank you Nicole and Jim for doing so. Check this place out! Until my next bite..
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Monday, December 14, 2015
West End for Breakfast
Sunday I met my friend, Chrissy, for breakfast. We had a lot of catching up to do and were looking for somewhere to eat. I had the idea of going to West End Bistro because although I've gone there twice before, I had never tried the breakfast.
The parking is not that great. There's really no street parking and that lot is shared by several businesses, AND that Valero/Dunkin is a total death trap! We walked in and were told to sit wherever we wanted. There were quite a few people there but there were still plenty of open tables. I really like what they have done with the place. It's cute, cozy, and cleaner than it's ever been. We took a look at the large menu and had a little trouble deciding what to order. I wanted to order pancakes but I have such a hard time ordering them for the first time somewhere. I consider myself to be a pancake snob. I only pancakes a certain way and because I don't use syrup, they have to taste good. I usually eat pancakes from Chips and Cracker Barrel. I was feeling brave but then I didn't want my whole meal to be a bust if I didn't like them. I'm also beginning to lose my taste for breakfast meats. I was never a fan of breakfast sausage, I'm liking bacon less and less, and I need to take a couple years' break from ham. I also don't like home fries because I'm not a huge fan of potatoes. So if I ordered pancakes they would have to be good because there was no side dish that I could order as a "back up" meal. I chickened out and didn't order them. I thought about getting eggs Benedict but I mentioned my feelings on breakfast meats. I didn't want to get an omelette or just eggs so after talking with Chrissy, I decided to get two poached eggs with corned beef hash.
I was very pleased with my decision. The eggs were pretty big! I saw them and began to fear that they would taste of vinegar like they did at The Plate but they were not. They were delicious and perfectly cooked. The eggs tasted great and the yolk just bled out as soon as you put your butter knife through it. The corned beef hash was homemade and you could tell. You could see the skins from the potatoes (so you could tell they weren't those gross little white cubes of potato in the can) and there were nice shreds of corned beef all throughout. It was very flavorful and nicely cooked. It was also served with homefries, which I felt like was overkill. I already had the hash, I didn't need more potatoes. I didn't taste them but they just looked like plain potatoes. My mom would like that because she hates homefries with a lot of onion. The best part was the bread! I just said white toast but this was no Sunbeam slice. This was a nice crusty piece of bread. It was toasted properly and was loaded with melted butter. Absolutely sinful! I didn't use any jelly, just dipped a little in the egg yolk and mostly ate it plain. That's when you know something tastes good - when you can just eat it plain. So I'd say that my breakfast was a success! I will definitely be back for breakfast.
Our waitress was very kind and attentive. She frequently refilled our coffee and so did the other waitress working that morning. The coffee was a little weak but I'd rather have the coffee be a little too weak than a little too strong. Chrissy had eggs over medium with bacon and wheat toast. She said she liked hers and that the eggs were cooked perfectly. Chrissy and I have shared many a breakfast together and now that I'm thinking back as I type, I realize she has a very distinct way of eating her eggs. She usually taps the top of the egg and leaves the broken yolk on the top of her eggs. I can't quite recall but I don't think she dips the toast in the egg, she may just fork the egg and take a bite of toast. Either way, she enjoyed her meal.
I have a mixed feeling about West End Bistro as far as lunch is concerned, but the breakfast is delicious. I would like to go back there again in the near future. I also want to try more of their dinner-type meals. I'm not crazy for their sandwiches. I think they're a little too over the top. Almost like they are trying too hard to create something so unique and ridiculous. Just cook simply and cook well. That breakfast was simple and it was delicious! The next time I return there I probably won't write another post. I'm hoping to hit up some new restaurants over Christmas break. The next time I grab a bite, I'll take some time to write. Happy holiday eating!
The parking is not that great. There's really no street parking and that lot is shared by several businesses, AND that Valero/Dunkin is a total death trap! We walked in and were told to sit wherever we wanted. There were quite a few people there but there were still plenty of open tables. I really like what they have done with the place. It's cute, cozy, and cleaner than it's ever been. We took a look at the large menu and had a little trouble deciding what to order. I wanted to order pancakes but I have such a hard time ordering them for the first time somewhere. I consider myself to be a pancake snob. I only pancakes a certain way and because I don't use syrup, they have to taste good. I usually eat pancakes from Chips and Cracker Barrel. I was feeling brave but then I didn't want my whole meal to be a bust if I didn't like them. I'm also beginning to lose my taste for breakfast meats. I was never a fan of breakfast sausage, I'm liking bacon less and less, and I need to take a couple years' break from ham. I also don't like home fries because I'm not a huge fan of potatoes. So if I ordered pancakes they would have to be good because there was no side dish that I could order as a "back up" meal. I chickened out and didn't order them. I thought about getting eggs Benedict but I mentioned my feelings on breakfast meats. I didn't want to get an omelette or just eggs so after talking with Chrissy, I decided to get two poached eggs with corned beef hash.
I was very pleased with my decision. The eggs were pretty big! I saw them and began to fear that they would taste of vinegar like they did at The Plate but they were not. They were delicious and perfectly cooked. The eggs tasted great and the yolk just bled out as soon as you put your butter knife through it. The corned beef hash was homemade and you could tell. You could see the skins from the potatoes (so you could tell they weren't those gross little white cubes of potato in the can) and there were nice shreds of corned beef all throughout. It was very flavorful and nicely cooked. It was also served with homefries, which I felt like was overkill. I already had the hash, I didn't need more potatoes. I didn't taste them but they just looked like plain potatoes. My mom would like that because she hates homefries with a lot of onion. The best part was the bread! I just said white toast but this was no Sunbeam slice. This was a nice crusty piece of bread. It was toasted properly and was loaded with melted butter. Absolutely sinful! I didn't use any jelly, just dipped a little in the egg yolk and mostly ate it plain. That's when you know something tastes good - when you can just eat it plain. So I'd say that my breakfast was a success! I will definitely be back for breakfast.
Our waitress was very kind and attentive. She frequently refilled our coffee and so did the other waitress working that morning. The coffee was a little weak but I'd rather have the coffee be a little too weak than a little too strong. Chrissy had eggs over medium with bacon and wheat toast. She said she liked hers and that the eggs were cooked perfectly. Chrissy and I have shared many a breakfast together and now that I'm thinking back as I type, I realize she has a very distinct way of eating her eggs. She usually taps the top of the egg and leaves the broken yolk on the top of her eggs. I can't quite recall but I don't think she dips the toast in the egg, she may just fork the egg and take a bite of toast. Either way, she enjoyed her meal.
I have a mixed feeling about West End Bistro as far as lunch is concerned, but the breakfast is delicious. I would like to go back there again in the near future. I also want to try more of their dinner-type meals. I'm not crazy for their sandwiches. I think they're a little too over the top. Almost like they are trying too hard to create something so unique and ridiculous. Just cook simply and cook well. That breakfast was simple and it was delicious! The next time I return there I probably won't write another post. I'm hoping to hit up some new restaurants over Christmas break. The next time I grab a bite, I'll take some time to write. Happy holiday eating!
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Gigi's Wood Fired Pizza - Milford, CT
Today we went to get our Christmas tree. After some debate over where to go, how to travel there, who will drive, what time, we ended up at our old faithful, Jones Tree Farm. We decided to go there fairly early to beat the midday rush, This year goes down in the record books as the easiest tree picking experience. DJ, my brother and I were in charge of choosing and cutting (not me) down the tree. We knew we both wanted a Blue Spruce and we both didn't feel like climbing up the mountain this year, so we started off by looking at the trees near the parking lot. Lucky for us, we both ended up finding our trees within minutes. After the trees were up, decorated, and the homes were cleaned, my brother offered to take us out to dinner. We went to a pizza restaurant that he wanted us to try. We went to Gigi's in Milford. It is located down the Post Road just under the bridge for the Merritt in the former location of The BBQ.
We went very early considering it was a Saturday. Good thing that we did because the place is not very big and was PACKED! The restaurant is small and nice. Very casual. It's nothing fancy and there is another section of it which is just a bar. Our waitress was nice and gave us these delicious rolls while we waited for our food. They were fabulous. They were just rolls, I guess garlic rolls but not your normal type of garlic bread. They had like a garlic salt on the outside and they had olive oil and Parmesan cheese on the table. Very good. We ordered buffalo wings for an appetizer, which were also cooked in the fire wood oven. The wings were crispy and spicy. Nothing out of this world but still very good. For dinner we ordered three large pizzas: 1 sausage and mushroom because that's all my dad ever gets, one half meatball half eggplant, and one duck. My brother is actually the one who wanted to try the duck pizza. It had duck, caramelized onion, fontina cheese, mozzarella, and a balsamic glaze. It certainly is not your typical pizza but it was very good. The duck tasted almost like jerky and the balsamic reduction added a sweetness to it. I wasn't crazy for the meatball but I'm not a huge meatball pizza fan. The sausage and mushroom was good. It had fresh mushrooms and not the canned ones. The eggplant was fabulous. That is slowly becoming my new favorite pizza topping. I'm keeping that one in my back pocket for when lent arrives.
Needless to say, we were stuffed! No room for dessert, although they did offer to show us a menu. I also feel like they have specialty coffees. They also offer quite a few appetizers, dinners, wings, and specialty pizzas. To sum up, it was a great experience. The pizza was flavorful and it offered unique topping choices. The wood fire oven gave a nice crunchiness and smokiness to the pizza. And the pizza was also a thin crust. The atmosphere is cozy and casual. I would definitely go back again but make sure you time it right. I couldn't believe how packed it was between 4:30 and 5. I also saw people picking up to-go orders but it's too far for us to do take out. I hope you check it out and have as good an experience as we did. Hopefully, I'll have another update for you soon. Until my next bite..
We went very early considering it was a Saturday. Good thing that we did because the place is not very big and was PACKED! The restaurant is small and nice. Very casual. It's nothing fancy and there is another section of it which is just a bar. Our waitress was nice and gave us these delicious rolls while we waited for our food. They were fabulous. They were just rolls, I guess garlic rolls but not your normal type of garlic bread. They had like a garlic salt on the outside and they had olive oil and Parmesan cheese on the table. Very good. We ordered buffalo wings for an appetizer, which were also cooked in the fire wood oven. The wings were crispy and spicy. Nothing out of this world but still very good. For dinner we ordered three large pizzas: 1 sausage and mushroom because that's all my dad ever gets, one half meatball half eggplant, and one duck. My brother is actually the one who wanted to try the duck pizza. It had duck, caramelized onion, fontina cheese, mozzarella, and a balsamic glaze. It certainly is not your typical pizza but it was very good. The duck tasted almost like jerky and the balsamic reduction added a sweetness to it. I wasn't crazy for the meatball but I'm not a huge meatball pizza fan. The sausage and mushroom was good. It had fresh mushrooms and not the canned ones. The eggplant was fabulous. That is slowly becoming my new favorite pizza topping. I'm keeping that one in my back pocket for when lent arrives.
Needless to say, we were stuffed! No room for dessert, although they did offer to show us a menu. I also feel like they have specialty coffees. They also offer quite a few appetizers, dinners, wings, and specialty pizzas. To sum up, it was a great experience. The pizza was flavorful and it offered unique topping choices. The wood fire oven gave a nice crunchiness and smokiness to the pizza. And the pizza was also a thin crust. The atmosphere is cozy and casual. I would definitely go back again but make sure you time it right. I couldn't believe how packed it was between 4:30 and 5. I also saw people picking up to-go orders but it's too far for us to do take out. I hope you check it out and have as good an experience as we did. Hopefully, I'll have another update for you soon. Until my next bite..
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