Explore Some More: 2013 Branford and New Haven Restaurant Weeks

Spring is here, so why not celebrate with some great food?   And, why not throw in some great deals and prixe fixed meals?   Yup, it’s everybody’s favorite time…restaurant week!   First off, why not enter to win a $25 gift card to some local Branford businesses and restaurants just by clicking here?  Once you’ve done that, you can check out special deals and prices during their Restaurant Week from April 14-20.   We’ve listed all the info for you (20% gratuity is added to restaurant week checks) and even have a special recco from our friend Edwin Williams Bartlett of the awesome CT Out and About about one of his favorite spots, Home:

“All home runs! I don’t like tomato soup in general, but Home’s is amazing. I either have the patty melt or the Cuban (not on the list) when I am there and it has the same pork flatiron as the special, and it is the best piece of pork on a plate in the state. Their mac & cheese is to die for…I was a guest for the new menu meeting for the staff back in October, so I am very familiar with the whole menu.  I was very impressed with the Artic Char, which I much prefer to salmon, and it’s even wild caught. The pan seared scallops and the duck breast really caught my attention, too.”

• Allegra’s $13 lunch or $25 for dinner
• Assaggio $29 for dinner
• Ballou’s Wine Bar Dinner for two, just $35
• Ben & Jerry’s $1 off any purchase of $3 or more
• Billy’s Pasta Cosi $16 lunch or $29 dinner
• Brandi’s Burgers Buy any speciality dog or burger, get a free small fry
• Campania Ristorante $16.44 (date of Branford’s founding) for lunch or $29 for dinner
• Chuck’s Margarita Grill $25 for dinner
• Darbar India $10.95 lunch or $20 dinner
• Dockside Seafood $13 lunch or $25 dinner
• Donovan’s Reef $10 lunch or $18 dinner
• Eli’s on the Hill $13 lunch or $25 dinner
• G-Zen  $25 for dinner (some of the best veg food)
• Home  $25 for dinner
• Jalapeno Heaven Buy two Karma margaritas, get free nachos or buy two full portion dinners and get a complimentary app.
• La Luna Ristorante $24 for dinner
• Lenny’s $13 lunch or $25 dinner
• Mango’s Bar and Grille $25 for dinner
• Nellie Green’s $13 lunch or $25 dinner
• Parthenon Diner 10% off lunch or 15% off dinner
• SBC $13 lunch or $25 dinner
• Su Casa Mexican Restaurant $25 for dinner
• U.S.S. Chowder Pot $13 lunch or $25 dinner

Bambou Asian Tapas + Bar: Not Your Typical Sushi Spot – Greenwich, CT

Chef’s Special Roll, Crispy Melt Goat Cheese Roll, and Crunchy Wasabi Tuna Roll

Perfect little dumplings

Basket of various fried sweet potatoes

The plate, the plate, the plate is on fire…

Crème brûlée and ginger/green tea ice cream

A few years ago, before we started our blog, we tried Bambou Asian Tapas & Bar in Greenwich and really enjoyed it. Now only minutes away from where we live, we decided to head back and see if things were as good as we remember.

Just looking at the menu, we were excited because of the variety of flavors and choices. The decor, too, is pretty simple and zen…relaxing. So, let’s take you through our meal and show you why Bambou just might be your next stop for unique tapas and creative sushi.

Basket of various fried sweet potatoes

Sweet Potato Tempura Fries with Honey Soy Dip

Awesome plating with a fry basket displaying the fries.  While the outside was crispy, the insides were raw and needed more cooking.  The dip added some sweetness and there was a slight tartness from the soy.  The darker fries were thicker and had a deeper kind of flavor. We probably wouldn’t get this again.

Perfect little dumplings

Veggie Dumplings

We got ours steamed, though you can get them fried if you’d like.  One of the things that we hate most about dumplings is how some Asian restaurants use a super thick, flour-y wrapper on the dumpling so all you taste is starch.  Well, they’ve got it down here at Bambou because they use nice, thin rice paper…just like they should.  Inside the dumpling were big chunks of veggies and the soy vinegar sauce for dipping was a bit tangy. Very good!

Nomworthy Bites of Connecticut Food News, Volume 2: Halloween Happenings, Drinks, Pink, and Breweries

There’s so much going on in Lower Fairfield County over the next few weeks that we needed to get our second volume of food news out to ya.  There are so many things, in fact, you’ll wish that you could clone yourself in order to attend all of these events.  We won’t repeat ourselves for your sake, so if we posted about it already, it won’t be on here.  :P  As always, if you have events, specials, or deals to share, hit us up on Twitter, FB, or e-mail.  

Bridgeport

Barnum Publick House:  Publick Thursdays now at Barnum Publick House!  From 9-11, get $4 drinks and hear DJ Schmidty spin the wheels of fire.  Also, on Halloween, check out their first annual Roaring 20′s Halloween Bash.  There’s no cover charge and you pay only $4 for pumpkin beers all night long.  And, DJ Schmidty is back for some more action, playing your faves.  

Darien

Darien Social has Oktoberfest Ginger Hop going on starting on 10/15.  All you can drink flights of 3 Oktoberfest beers and A Oh the Humanity Flaming Hindenberg Shot and your choice of snitzle, knockwurst, knackwurst, or bratwurst for just $25 per person.

Tokeneke Pumpkin Festival on 10/13 from 10 – 4 pm.  Check out the haunted house, fun rides and games, rock climbing, bouncy castles, and even some fun raffles.  There will also be some good food available from Upper Crust Bakery & Cafe, Heights Pizza, and Burgers, Shakes, & Fries.  The money made from this event will help fund enrichment programs for the Tokeneke Elementary School where the festival takes places.

Harlan Social: Hype or Happening? Stamford, CT

Local food, hot shot Chef Stephen Lewandowski from NYC, swanky new space in the new Harbor Point area, ginormous bar, craft beers–from the day we heard about Harlan Social it seemed to have exactly what it takes to be the go-to, happening new spot in Stamford. And, it was for that exact reason that we had to pounce on opening week to check it out for ourselves and see if it was the real deal.

We always try not to let the hype of a newly anticipated restaurant give us inflated expectations, so we walked in with open minds. The experience started off wonderfully. The host & hostesses greeted us with big smiles and lead us immediately to our seats. The space overall was nice: very large, modern, comfortable and warmly decorated. There were plenty of tables, some outside, and a huge, hip looking bar. Within minutes our waitress came over and asked us what we’d like to drink. Unfortunately, from this point forward everything sort of went downhill…

Smokin’ Hot Fun at 5th Annual Blues, Views, & BBQ Festival – Westport, CT

When we went to our first Blues, Views, & BBQ Festival last year, we had such an awesome time.  Not only did we get to check out some music, some cooking demos, and drink lotsa beer, but we also had the chance to judge in the Kansas City BBQ Society local backyard BBQ competition.  Well, this year seems like it will be even better and we’re judges again!  Check out the 5th Annual Blues, Views, & BBQ Festival from September 1 (11 am – 10 pm) to September 2 (11 am – 8 pm) and get your tickets online.  Pay close attention to the awesome deals such as a family early bird special, student prices, or buying tickets for both days.

Let’s give a breakdown of all the awesome things to expect on the grounds of the Levitt Pavilion and Westport Library:

Bourbon, Brews, and Burgers: all about the new Plan B Burger Bar in Stamford, CT

Back in March we told you about Plan B Burger Bar opening up a restaurant in the Stamford Town Center.  Then, you most likely sighed when you saw the opening was sometime in the fall of 2012.  Fall?  No summer without burgers, American craft beers, and bourbon?  Well, sigh no more.  Plan B Burger Bar will be open for business this Saturday, 8/4, starting at 2 pm!  

There are lots of things that we’re excited about in terms of Plan B Burger Bar opening up in Stamford.  First of all, the meat they use is never frozen and is ground in the restaurant every day.  Secondly, this beef is Certified Humane which means they are allowed to graze to their four-stomachs’ content, they aren’t fed junk, and they aren’t treated with antibiotics.  Plus, whenever they can, they get food, beer, and more locally.

Look at that beaut! From Press Release.

What else are we gushing over?  Their love, appreciation, and worship of drinks!  To be honest, we don’t know jack about bourbon, so we’re excited to learn more from the servers and bartenders at Plan B.  We do know a helluva lot about craft beer, though, and they’ll have a ton of the good stuff.  Did we mention that there are certified Cicerones (beer sommeliers) who can lead you to that perfect beer time after time?

Plan B Burger Bar isn’t just drinks and burgers, though.  They have a nice menu of American and bar classics that are kicked up a bit and fancy-fied.  You’ve got some organic portabella or truffle fries, lobster rolls or sliders, wings, a bourbon baked brie plate, Beef Wellington bites (Gordon Ramsay would approve), a soup of the day, and 8 different salads.

Now, in terms of looks, this place is gonna scorch it.  It’s right at Stamford Town Center, so they were able to go crazy because there was lots of room.  We’re talking 4,500 square feet!  There’s an outdoor patio, a large bar for those nights out, and of course the dining area that seats 185 people.  There’s also a lounge area if you feel like taking it easy and chilling with some friends with some cocktails, brews, or bourbon.  The lighting is also pretty freaking sick.  Above the bar you’ll find meat hooks that have lights attached to them.  There are tons of other fun touches around the restaurant like a metal bull head statue, a red neon sign that blinks on and off with “Eat, Meat.”  Finishing touch?  The M flickers on and off.  Sick.

So, we’re definitely excited to try out Plan B Burger Bar in Stamford and all they have to offer.  We know that Connecticut loves good burgers, so let’s see what they got.

What do you think?  Have you been to one of the other Plan B Burger Bars?  What did you enjoy or love about your visit?  Dish it out, we wanna know.

                                               Plan B Burger Bar Locations:

·          138 Park Road, West Hartford - (860) 231-1199

·          120 Hebron Avenue, Glastonbury - (860) 430-9737

·          4 Railroad Street, Simsbury - (860) 658-4477

·          1638 Post Road, Milford – (203) 713-8700

·          230 Tresser Boulevard, Stamford Town Center, Stamford – (203) 964-8353

·          Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, MA – opening Late August 2012

Down to Earth Farm to Table at Terrain – Westport, CT

Dan’s jotting down some notes, I’m taking the pics

Truly down to earth…

Take a seat inside if it’s too hot/cold for ya

How cute! Bread baked in a terra cotta planter!

Young lettuce, chevre, pumpkin seeds and an orange vinaigrette

Killer ricotta paired with Marcona almonds and more in the Baby Lettuce Salad

Another dish not to be missed

Perfect scallops with English peas, Terrain bacon, horseradish, and locally awesome red bee honey

A side of mushrooms, not to be missed…

Apple, jalapeno, cheddar…heaven in cornbread form.

Yummy salted caramel Budino

They even have a coffee and tea bar!

No need for those fake plastic receipt holders here

*Click a pic to check out the drool-worthy gallery*

We just can’t get enough of delicious farm-to-table restaurants, so when we heard about Terrain in Westport we were super excited to try it. But, to be completely honest, we weren’t really sure what to expect. On one hand, the kitchen’s headed up by Joe Wolfson, winner of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs 2011, so it has to be good.  But on the other hand, it is owned by the same company that owns Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People. Oh, don’t get me wrong, being a fashionista I LOVE those stores, but can they make good food? Good farm-to-table food at that? We were a little unsure…until we sat down and dug in.

From the minute we arrived we knew this wasn’t your typical farm-to-table experience. Well, first of all, for those of you that don’t know, it’s actually a 2 acre store and the restaurant (cafe to be exact) is only one part of that 2 acre space. If you come in through the outside area, you’ll walk around a large, really nice tree/plant nursery on your way to the outdoor seating. If you walk in through the inside you’ll walk through a jaw-dropping home and garden type store that is impossible to pass up. Either way you go, it’s a gorgeous experience leading up to an equally gorgeous, rustic, charming cafe area complete with butcher block table tops, weathered metal chairs, plants, waterfalls, trees, moss, flowers and more.

We were immediately seated and then greeted by our very charming (and single for all you single ladies) waiter, Jason. It wasn’t too long after chatting with Jason and a few other members of the staff that we realized Terrain was just a nice, laid back, down-to-earth, farm-to-table restaurant. That’s how they should all be, right? We also found out from the staff that most of their food is sourced within a 50 mile radius, including Glenn Mills, Holbrook Farm, Oakview, The Hickories, and Warrup’s Farm. Even much of the wine and beer selection is regional of which Danny had a Magic Hat Circus Boy, and I sampled a Jonathan Edwards Cabernet before settling on a bolder California red. But enough about all that, onto the food.

We started with some of their many appetizing small plates and side dishes, then shared an entree, then onto dessert of course. Here’s the plate by plate:

Bread

How cute! Bread baked in a terra cotta pot!

Yeah, we don’t usually write about the free bread, but we just HAD to this time. Why? Well, first of all because it comes in the terra cotta flower pot it was baked in. But second of all, it was HOLY CRAP delicious, soft and ooey gooey served with maple syrup butter that I seriously could’ve eaten with a spoon (and may have when no one was looking, just sayin’).

Roasted Beets: Young lettuce, chevre, pumpkin seeds and an orange vinaigrette

Oh wow, this was better than your average goat cheese salad (and believe me, I’ve tried them all). The dressing was light, flavorful and the perfect amount of acid to balance the red and yellow beets, goat cheese and pumpkin seeds, which seemed to be roasted and coated in some sort of yumminess.

Baby Lettuce: Marcona almonds, fennel, carrot, ricotta and a lemon vinaigrette

This was Danny’s salad. He claims it was a fancy party in his mouth. The fennel brought a nice kick, the Marcona almonds, a nice texture and saltiness, the Ricotta a creaminess and the vinaigrette a bright, light acid that brought the whole thing together.

Hanger Steak: Asparagus, new potato, mushroom, garlic fondue and red wine

Cooked PERFECTLY medium rare, juicy with a nice crusted outside. The mushroom fondue was layered on the plate beneath the steak and was out of this world. We made sure to dip each bite of steak and each perfectly tender potato in for a bite that was FULL of flavor.

Scallops:  Terrain bacon, English peas, horseradish, red bee honey

Scallops:  yeah, you’ve gotta order this

We honestly didn’t think the meal could good better, but it did.  The honey added a unique, sweet flavor to the scallops along with the sweetness of the peas while the horseradish really added a warmth.  And of course the rich, fatty bacon was the perfect balance with the scallops. Yeah, we concluded that honey and scallops are best friends that should never be separated ever again.

Roasted Mushrooms: Various mushrooms, garlic, shallots. 

Mmmm, lots of yummy types of fresh mushrooms cooked to perfection served over some sort of awesome garlic creaminess that added a wonderful punch of flavor to the earthiness of the mushrooms.

Cornbread: Apple, jalapeno, cheddar. Heaven.

Jason warned us of its awesomeness, but nothing could prepare us. OMG, this is seriously the BEST cornbread we’ve ever had. So incredibly moist, so buttery with just the right amount of cheddar and some nice sweet apple to balance out the kick from the jalapeno. We will dream of this cornbread regularly. In fact, I want some now, darnnit.

Chocolate Budino: Chocolate pudding, salted caramel sauce, peanut brittle

We wanted the homemade doughnuts (mmmm doughnuts) but they ran out so Jason suggested this instead. Although not my type of dessert (I’m not a pudding fan), this was quite yummy and Danny really enjoyed it! We both loved the saltiness of the caramel which served as a great balance to the sweetness of the pudding. And the peanut brittle was fantastic – not too hard or overly sugary where it hurts your teeth. JUST right.

We have to say, after just one dining experience we are HUGE fans of Terrain. The atmosphere was stunning, the service was absolutely perfect (ask for Jason, he rocks), the courses came out slowly letting us just relax, the vibe was chill and the food was just plain AMAZING. So now that dinner has been conquered, we must come back for brunch on a Saturday or Sunday and shop around for a while. I can definitely see us going back again and again, and so should you!

Terrain

Noms: 4.5

Cost: $$$

Address:  561 Post Road East
Westport, CT 06880

Phone:  (203) 226-2732

Lunch Monday-Friday: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Brunch Saturday & Sunday:  10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Dinner Tuesday -Saturday:  5 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/Terrain 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/ShopTerrain/

Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/shopterrain/

Site:  http://www.shopterrain.com/westport-restaurant

Does Rico’s pwn Colony or are they just n00bs? Rico’s Pizza – Stamford, CT

Pie 1 from Rico's

If you have been reading the local papers, you probably noticed that Colony Grill (our review here)  hasn’t been too happy with Rico’s Pizza.  According to an ad that Colony put out in the papers, Rico’s has stolen the Colony Grill recipe.  How did Rico’s get their hands on the recipe, you ask?  Jeff Morganteen from the Stamford Advocate wrote in a recent article, “The former employees, father and son Walter and Jonathan Martinez, worked in the Colony Grill kitchen and in June helped Stamford resident Rico Imbrogno open a new pizza place serving near-exact replicas of Colony’s thin-crust bar pies, complete with “stinger” hot peppers and its signature hot oil. Walter Martinez worked at Colony for more than a decade before being fired last year.”

Sausage, hot oil, stingers, cherry peppers, and onions at Colony Grill

Lines have been out the door at Rico’s, thanks to Colony Grill’s ads, claiming that Rico’s is nothing but a chump.  Really, was that a smart marketing move?  Draw more attention to your competition and make them more popular than a NASCAR hat at Walmart?  Well, Rico’s was already on our list of spots to try, but this definitely bumped it up on our priority list.  We tried to get delivery for three nights, but after an hour of continuous busy signals each night, we gave up and hoped for next time.  Well, lucky us, got through last week and got delivery.  Why was it so hard to get a call through?  A person on Urbanspoon actually saw a manager take the phone off the hook when it was too busy.  Maybe that’s why? :)  As if those days of trying wasn’t frustrating enough,our pizza took an hour and 50 minutes to reach our doorsteps. #FAIL

Now, to get the pwn vs. n00b comparison review, we ordered the same exact pizzas that we had at Colony.

Pie 1:  Sausage, hot oil, stingers, cherry peppers, and onions.

Pie 2:  Meatball, peppers, hot oil, and black olives.

Pie 2 from Rico's

The first thing that we noticed was that the cheese-to-sauce ratio was off. It was barely there, and what sauce was there was killed by all the cheese. In fact, the cheese was so loaded up on the pies it made weird pock-like lumps.  Colony had similar bubbles, but Rico’s are way more pronounced and solid. All in all, Colony’s pie had a better ratio with definitely more sauce and not too much cheese.

Meatball, pepper, hot oil, and black olive pie at Colony Grill in Stamford CT

Here too, pie 1 was our favorite because the spiciness of the hot oil and stingers kicked it up a few notches.  The sausage added a great contrast as well.  The ingredients were fresh and nicely cooked just like Colony,
but unlike Colony’s, the hot oil made the pizza soggy and floppy.  It’s kind of weird, but Colony’s pie was drowning in hot oil, yet stayed crisp.

Verdict

Rico’s is good, but not great.  You can’t go in here expecting a pie just like Colony because there are noticeable differences. We know that we don’t want to be pizza fascits (remember the signs?), but it was just okay.  Service, in terms of delivery and experience, was far below what anyone would expect from delivery.  They do get some extra points, though, for also having wedges, wraps, salads, and empanadas.  Empanadas?  Yeah, weird, we know.  We’d love to give it another go by stopping by and getting a pie right out of the oven, but for now we’d rather head to ZAZA, Remo’s, Capriccio, Colony, Tappo, or Coalhouse Pizza.

Noms: 3.25

Cost: $$

Address: 170 Selleck Street

Stamford, CT

Phone: (203) 674-8970

Site:  http://www.ricospizzaonline.com/index.html

Get drunk for cheap and eat some decent tacos too. Tacos Mexico- Norwalk, CT

Peppered rim? Sounds dirty.

We’re in a recession here and the experts say it ain’t gettin’ much better.  But, you know what?  Liquor sales remain steady and people are still going out, wining and dining.  Enter Tacos Mexico.  Good Mexican food, good margaritas, crazy ass good prices.  Let’s list all we got for 40 pesos. Ok not really pesos because I don’t know the conversion rate, but you get the point:

1) Tortilla chips with salsa verde, salsa, and pico de gallo (free)

 

Pico de Gallo nomworthy

Starting off, we got a plate of tortilla chips that were served with an amazing pico de gallo that boomed with cilantro.  It was fresh and just cried, “Summer.”  There was a nice spicy kick to it, also.  The salsa verde was good, but was maybe just a little too watery.  The salsa tasted similar to the pico de gallo, but was just not as chunky.

 

2) Humongo glob of guacamole

 

We got some guac with that and were surprised to see how much they gave.  Normally, you pay 6 bucks for a tiny cup, but you pay 4 for a giant ass cup.  The guac was definitely freshly made, but needed more bite from lime and salt.

 

3) Two margaritas, on the rocks, with Patron.  Yeah, Patron. 

 

Rim salted, and pepper flaked, the margaritas were good too, but could have been stronger.  They taste like they came from a mix rather than freshly squeezed.   Then again, at $8 a pop, we’re talking value.  Most places will charge ya at least $13 for a Patron margarita.

 

 

4) Three tacos with rice

 

Because we’re at Tacos Mexico, we figure, duh, try the tacos. All tacos were served with grilled onions on top and pickled veggies on the side. First was the carnitas taco.  Good deep flavor with lots of spice, but was a bit overcooked.  The chorizo taco was next and this was pretty tasty.  The meat was all crumbly and had a really fun kick of clove to it.  I saved that bite for last-loved it!  Last up was the al pastor taco.  This was great at Riviera Maya, and it’s great here too.  The flavors are all there, making the chicken dance, bold and beautiful.  

 

5) Enchiladas with a salad

 

 Kristien had these and they were ok. She agreed there was a nice balance of sauce, cheese, and chicken which lots of places tend to mess up, usually with way too much cheese and not enough sauce.  But, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the chicken was dry and the whole thing just lacked any real flavor. 

 

6) Side of rice and beans

 

The rice here was actually pretty good, but then again that’s because it was drenched in 20 pounds of butter. Which some people may hate, but we have a special place in our hearts for butter. Add some carrots, peas, and corn and you have a nice little side dish. 

Yeah, we feasted on the food here for cheap.  Granted, it was no Casa Villa and wasn’t amazing or excellent Mexican, but it’s good enough and the liquor ain’t expensive.  Worth it, yes, but you can’t go in expecting the world from this place.

Tacos Mexico

Noms: 3.25

Cost: $$

Address:  82 Fort Point St
Norwalk, CT 06855

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