WUJI Food Ain’t Nuthin to F@$k With – Review, Greenwich

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Yeah, so, we referenced WuTang lyrics, we couldn’t help ourselves, it was too easy. But seriously, WUJI in Greenwich was full of surprises that truly did make it “nuthin to f@$k with.”

The first surprise is we went there on a Tuesday night and the dining room was packed. Random? Or was it because the food is really that good? We were about to find out . . .

Second surprise: At a Chinese restaurant it’s rare to get a free starter (like bread) to snack on at the table while you peruse the menu, but imagine our delight when out came some crispy and flaky fried noodles with your choice of duck sauce, mustard, or soy dipping sauces. Yum!

Gettin’ our authentic Mexican on at Rincón Taqueria

We don’t know who invented this Taco Tuesday crap, but we think pretty much EVERY day is a perfect day for tacos. Like, say, a few Saturdays ago when we finally hit up Rincon Taqueria in Norwalk after seeing, oh, we don’t know, pretty much ALL of our friends rave about it on Facebook and Instagram. See, we’re kind of taco fanatics, so it seemed a little ridiculous we hadn’t gotten to this authentic Mexican spot sooner.

The long and the short of it is, it totally lives up to the hype we’ve been seeing. Here’s why . . .

Teff Stamford: A Hands-on Review of Ethiopian and Eritrean Cuisine

Have you ever gone to another country, sat down at a nice restaurant, then realize you have no idea what the hell is on the menu because it’s not in English? And at this point you’re all excited because this is what you wanted, a legit cultural experience (no English menus with pictures for you, no way), but at the same time you’re terrified you might order the fried beetles or something like that? Yeah, that’s how we felt when we sat down to eat with our friends Kirk and Nicole at Teff, an Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant that recently opened in Stamford.

Sure, we’ve tried a lot of different foods in our day, but we had never had Ethiopian before, so we weren’t entirely sure what to expect. What we did know from a little pre-research is that instead of utensils, you rip off bits of special injera (crepe-like, spongy, and gluten-free made from the teff grain) and use them to scoop up your food. Aside from that, we really knew nothing, and that kind of excited us.

Immediately, we were put at ease by our waiter who took us through the menu and answered all of our questions. Speaking of the menu, it’s very interesting and so unlike any other type of restaurant. There are just two injera-based appetizers on the menu, the rest are portions of meat, veggies, stews, and sautees that come in platters on top of the injera. Most of the dishes are cooking for hours before you even get there at a pre-determined spice level, but if you order a “Tibs” dish, which are made to order, you get the option of mild, medium, or spicy (which actually isn’t too spicy at all). And, even with less options than we’re used to at other restaurants, there is sure to be something that appeals to you, even if you’re gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, or vegan.

Dan went with the Siga Altecha and the Dorho Wat for his meat entrees, and the Shiro, Dinich, and Ful as his three sides for ordering the meat tasting. What are those, you might ask? Read on Omnomivores, read on . . .

Siga Altecha: tender pieces of beef simmered in a mild sauce of Ethiopian curry powder, clarified spiced butter seasoned with garlic, rosemary, ginger and jalapenos (mild)

The steak was amazingly fragrant and had a nice undertone of butter and spices. There was a mild heat going on here, too, which made the meat even better. Some of the pieces were a bit closer to well-done rather than rare (most other cultures cook their meat more than us bloody steak loving Americans), but overall a great choice.

Dorho Wat: tender pieces of chicken leg and thigh slow-simmered in a spicy sauce seasoned with spices and herbs.

This is where it was at! Man, that chicken just fell right off the bone with a simple tug of the fork. And, in terms of flavor, awesome. It was rich, decadent, and had a nice spice level to it.

Shiro: pureed split peas cooked with red onions and garlic (mild.)

So silky smooth. Great by itself with some injera, or it was also nice to add with some of the steak or chicken. Cross pollination all the way.

Dinich: potatoes and cabbage simmered in a spicy sauce seasoned with spices and herbs (medium.)

Probably Dan’s least favorite. It was good, but needed some more flavor and salt. Still, it was good to mix it up with the other dishes.

Ful: fava beans slow-simmered with garlic and cumin topped with a colorful medley of red onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos, tossed with olive oil.

This was a great choice and had a burst of flavors like tangy, spicy, starchy, and acidic.

Kristien ordered the Bey’geh Tibs (spicy) and picked the Ingudai Tibs (medium) and Kik Aletcha as her two vegan sides.

Bey’geh Tibs: cubed lamb marinated and sauteed with berbere, clarified spiced butter, onions, garlic, jalapeños, fresh tomato, herbs and spiced 

The lamb was nice and tender as it should be and the sauce was well-balanced with acidity from the tomato, a kick from the jalapeño, and a richness from the butter. And it had just the right amount of spices to give the dish a unique and distinct taste, without overpowering. Very delicious.

Ingudai Tibs: portobello mushrooms marinated and sautéed with red onions, garlic, jalapeño pepper, fresh tomato, herbs and spices 

This was a great complement to the lamb, bringing a nice earthiness that was, again, rounded out with the tomatoes and jalapeños. Here, too, the spices were perfectly done.

Kik Aletcha: yellow split peas simmered in a mild and flavorful onion and herb sauce

This ended up serving as a great sort of condiment (like the consistency of hummus) to bring the two other parts of this dish together. With every piece of injeri, Kristien would grab a bit of this mild, rich, and creamy dish and then add the meat and veggies on top. It worked REALLY well.

Final Thoughts

Eating at Teff was a fun, interactive, and nomworthy experience that we definitely recommend. The food was excellent, the service was fantastic, prices were affordable ($120 for four people!) and the free BYOB experience can’t be beat. But, you best bring in all your bottles soon if that’s your style because they’ll soon have craft cocktails, world wines, and African beer starting on 3/30. Even still, BYOB will continue, but there will be a corkage fee of $25. All in, we are super excited to go back to try more dishes. You should most definitely dig on in, too!

Teff

Noms: 4.25

Cost: $$-$$$

Hours:  5-10, Wednesday-Sunday

Delivery and pick-up available

Address: 113 West Main Street

                  Stamford, CT 06902

Phone: (203) 998-7474

You’ll Definitely Wanna Come Back to Back 40 Kitchen – Greenwich (Review)

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Back 40 Farm, Dancing Dog Farm, Gaia’s Breath, Hemlock Hill, Red Barn Bakery, Blooming Hill Farm, Marcia Tucker, Western CT Craftsmen, Jaw Workshop, Farming 101, Shearwater Coffee Roasters, Red Bee Honey, Sea to Table, Blue Moon Acres, Ridberg+, Chaljeri Farm, Beltane Farm, Cato Corner Farm, Social Comments, Deidre Mannix, and Mountain Rose Herbs.

This is the impressive list of suppliers that are proudly displayed at Back 40 Kitchen, a new rustic, quaint farm-to-table spot in Greenwich. Yup, this list lets you know that when it comes to the farm part of farm-to-table, Back 40 Kitchen ain’t messin’ around. They take their ingredients very seriously, and without giving too much away, it shows . . . BIG TIME!

And, speaking of ingredients, you could say that they are very careful about not only what gets into their kitchen, but what comes out on your plate . . . or in your glass, for that matter. The majority of their food comes from local sources, whether it’s CT or NY. Then, Chef George DeMarsico transforms those ingredients into something greater, making apps and entrees from scratch without even a single whisper of gluten. The same approach can be found behind the bar, as Jennifer DeMarsico (Manager and cocktail curator) creates the drinks and ingredients inside of them from “scratch” like her cherry syrup that we mention in the next section.

OmNomCT Reviews Relic Brewing’s Demiana on Beer411 for 12 Beers of Christmas Series

Since 2009, Tony and Kaytee (two beer-loving cousins) have been fermenting awesomeness on their blog, Beer411. If ya drank it, chances are, they drank it . . . and they’ve written about it, too. Not only that, but they also offer up plenty of beer news, info, and general insights into the #Beer411 life. Just a couple of weeks ago, Tony reached out to us and asked if we wanted to be a part of his 12 Beers of Christmas guest-posting brouhaha. Um, duh! Of course we were in! So, we thought long and hard about which beer to pick and the answer came when we saw a beautiful bottle of Relic Brewing’s Demiana, a dark saison, sitting on the shelf, calling our names softly: Dan, Kristien, take me home with you, I want to put myself inside of you.”

Okay, too far? Sorry. Check out the start of this post then click through to see the rest. 

We’ve had saisons. We’d had plenty of saisons. But, we can’t say that we’ve had dark saisons, well, until recently when we tried Relic Brewing’s Demiana. Then again, saisons have been brewed, traditionally, in unique ways. Made as beers that would be cold and refreshing for farm workers, they were brewed with whatever local ingredients and spices were on the farm or nearby. So, it was very well possible to have a saison at one farm, while 1 mile away you could have a very different tasting saison.

Kickin’ It (Latin) Root Down at Tierra in Westport: CT Restaurant Review

Here’s Tierra’s version of the margarita…excellent.

Make sure to add the egg…it’s sooo necessary!

Beautifully prepared and contrasted

Make sure to ask what the season ceviche is when you’re ordering.

Abstract art never looked so damn good

When we hear about new restaurants, we get excited. When we hear about new Latin restaurants, like Tierra in Old Town Hall in Westport, we get really excited. Tierra (which opened in mid-June) is a bit hard to find at first, located to the right side of Spruce at 90 Post Road, close by Urban Outfitters, and by the parking lot off of Jesup Road.

Like good ‘ole Americans, we went there with our friend Christine on the Fourth of July (woo hoo South ‘Murica). Looking around, the bar to the left was warm, classic, and comfy with a huge loungy couch behind it. In the back there’s a private room with a nice wine rack wall and a fancy, shimmering chandelier. The main dining room features the same kind of vibe with a few tables and a side area with a view of the open kitchen.

Speaking of the kitchen, a husband and wife team run the kitchen and own it along with Chad Whited (and Laura Luce) who was there that night to help out. We first met CIA grad Chef Sue Torres, who is half Italian and Puerto Rican. She’s had an amazing amount of experience with Nuevo Mexicano fare including working at her own Suenos, Arizona 206, Rocking Horse Cafe, and Hell’s Kitchen.  We met her during our dinner as she went around from table to table to see how everyone was enjoying the food. Next was chef Darren Carbone, who comes from Columbia with an Italian-American upbringing. His impressive resume includes a CIA degree like his wife, and heading the kitchens at Super Linda, Rosa Mexicano, La Verdad, El Vez, and Alma de Cuba.  Ok, ok, you’re probably getting anxious to know about the food, so vamos, vamos.

A Peer into World of Beer – Harbor Point Area of Stamford, CT

Yes, that IS Dogfish 90 Minute that you see…along with 49 other selections…

After a beautiful day of running (and who are we kidding, walking) the Half Full 5k, we settled down and did what any healthy people would do: eat food from Vanchetta, Melt Mobile, and Lobstercraft, and drink our fair share of Peach Wheat, Toasted Ambers, IPAs and Bright Ales. Yeeeeah, and, what better way to celebrate an arduous 5-hour day of drinking and eating than having more beer at World of Beer, which conveniently happened to open for the first time JUST as the Half Full 5k beer fest ended?!

Now, we’re not normally a fan of chains, but our love of beer wins out on this one. Just like the rest of Fairfield County, we’ve been anticipating the opening since we broke the news in late September.  So when we finally had our chance, we beelined through the door for a seat right by the bar and tap list (smart!), and the TVs so we could enjoy the Greece vs. Costa Rica game. Speaking of games, there are helluva lot of TVs, so this just might turn into your new favorite place to watch a game. And, they will regularly have live music, which we got to enjoy after the game from Mark Zelenz, of Short Bus with his own band, The Easy.

Cooking up a steamy French Italian romance: Barrique – Stamford

Huge desserts here at Barrique…

Just one of 5 different mussel varieties up for munching

Is it weird to order tentacles?

This is one dish not to skirt around…

Bread, goat cheese, prosciutto…can ya really go wrong?

As long as we’ve been in Stamford, Chez Jean-Pierre was an instution on Bedford Street.  There was rarely a day when the bistro wasn’t packed and never a beautiful day the front doors weren’t open to let the fresh air in.  A collective sigh rose up, though, when Chez Jean Pierre closed last year.  But then, like a beacon of hope, soon after, there was a sign up: Coming soon, Barrique Bistro & Wine Bar. When we inquired (like good food bloggers do) we found out that the brand new part French, part Italian spot was being opened by owner and Executive Chef Louis Barresi who also has Doppio Greenwich, Huntington, and West Village.

Refining the Craft of American Comfort Food @ Craft 260 in Fairfield, CT

The whole restaurant speaks to the word CRAFT, even the decor

Craft 260 has been on our to-eat list since it opened on February 13 of this year, but sometimes we’re bad bloggers and get too lazy to haul our asses up to Fairfield. It’s not that we don’t love Fairfield…we do.  In fact, it use to be our old stomping grounds. It’s just that we get sidetracked by all the nomworthy places in between here and there…like food blogger A.D.D. But, our good friends Kevin and Aly recently moved up that way, so we knew it was about time…

We weren’t sure where exactly Craft 260 was, but quickly figured out it was in that little shopping center/strip mall with Michael Gennaro’s Steakhouse, Giove’s Pizza Kitchen (No Name Pizza all day!), and a vodka bar that’s coming soon. An odd location for sure, but we weren’t going to let that deter us.

Adorably delicious brunch with Alex from Sunday Diners! Volta, Stamford

If you haven’t been following the exciting eating adventures of Alex from Sunday Diners, you’re seriously missing out. Oh, did we mention that he’s just 10 years old?  Yep! He and his dad, James, hit up Connecticut diners and breakfast spots and write about the food, the people,  the experience, and, oh, the bathrooms…but more on that later. Always a fun read, we love seeing where “the boys” (James is a kid at heart) have gone. And, lucky ducky us got to sit in on one of their dining extravanganzas at Volta in Stamford with mom / wife Ann who runs the increasingly popular Fairfieldista. Here’s our adventure…and here’s his on Sunday Diners.

BOW BEFORE ALEX, HOLDER OF BACON!

We got settled in to our table and enjoyed some nice Sunday morning conversation about the weather, places we’ve traveled, and restaurants we want to try. But soon we moved on from  the small talk and got down to the real business of the day: getting our grub on with some delicious crepes! For Alex, ordering was easy:  the Nutella crepe.   He had already been drinking up a healthy and freshly made juice concoction of carrots, apple, and ginger.  How cool is Alex drinking all his fruits and veggies…a 10 year old food blogger who is more adventurous with food than most adults.   He took out his notepad in preparation for the food arriving, then took a quick look around as if he was looking for something.   For Alex, his Dad explained, it’s not all about the food… it’s also about the bathroom! You’ll learn why soon.