I have some friends who went last weekend - an enthusiastic thumbs up. These are people familiar with the FL and Long Island outlets. Very classic Northern Italian favorites. It's on my list of places to check out.

Here are a couple of additional suggestions/recommendations:

--Bridge Market for picking up a sandwich or panini to go.

--Pho Mekong on Post Road close to the Southport line for Vietnamese/Thai - lunch specials are very reasonably priced.

--Border Cafe on Post Road for burritos. It's not CA, but for the area, these are pretty decent.

--Falafel Inn right over the Westport line in Norwalk on Westport Avenue. Chicken shwarma wrap is my favorite there.

--Right by Falafel Inn is Jordan's Restaurant. Family-owned Greek restaurant that has very good chicken souvlaki wraps and gyros.

Well, Fin II has officially made it into my lunch rotation! Great new addition for Japanese to downtown Stamford, on the same block as Market, Columbus Park, etc. - and a block away from Duo.

Fin II is going the more traditional route - so far, the rolls have been great, high quality, very fresh. Lunch specials (eat-in or takeout) are solid.

Around lunchtime, Fin II is more of an everyday place - compared to Duo, which seems to definitely be a better choice for business meeting/lunches.

Anyone else tried them out recently?

Try the chicken shawarma wrap there. My favorite! Been a fan since the place opened. The platter version is also good around dinnertime - comes with lentil rice, hummus, salad, etc.

The King and I in Bridgeport is consistently great Thai, though it's probably 30 min or so from Stamford.

A few additional inexpensive Norwalk recommendations....

1) Falafel Inn (Westport Ave. across from the Jeep dealership) - great chicken shwarma wraps, similar in style to Leyla's.

2) Jordan's (also on Westport Ave.) - for Greek food - chicken souvlaki, gyros, deep dish pizza, etc.

3) BJ Ryan's (Main St.) - burger and fries

Zest in Westport (near Main Street)

Checked out BJ Ryan's for lunch - great burgers, sandwiches, fries, etc. Great neighborhoody addition to the area. With the plasmas, imagine this would also be a good place to have some beers and watch a game. We'll be back......

My favorite pizza place in Westport these days is a relatively new place called SLICE - it's on Post Road, across the street from Stop & Shop. Crust is sweet, and the pies are on the thinner side, but I wouldn't exactly call them thin crust. Their pastas are also solid. Pretty much pick-up or delivery only.

It's actually behind the strip mall that faces directly onto Post Road, very easy to miss. There is a separate Westfair fish market that is right on Post Road. Westfair Fish & Chips is behind that building.

One of my local favorites in the area - the fried clams platter (whole belly) at Westfair Fish & Chips in Westport on Post Road. Outstanding!

Finally checked out the new Falafel Inn which opened up recently on Westport Ave. in Norwalk (just about across the street from the Jeep dealership). Chicken shawarma was great - lots of flavor. The place was full at lunchtime, nice varied Middle Eastern menu and priced very reasonably. Great addition to the area!

Sometimes, change is not for the best. At least, that's my initial take after checking out the new place (Bulldog Bar & Grill) in South Norwalk that used to be the venerable Donovan's. Yeah, the new place has been spiffed up (think JG Melon on the Upper East Side) with aproned waitstaff, a more open kitchen, etc. Translation......higher prices. In my opinion, the food was just OK/fair. Burgers were not bad, but definitely smaller and not nearly as tasty as the Donovan's variety. Sides (fries, etc.) were just flat out weak.

Thanks, all. We did check out Marra's on Friday night and had a very good meal there. Exactly what we were looking for! Appreciate the rec!

CT hounds are going to be in South Philly this Friday night with the kids. Looking for a recommendation for dinner. Specifically, the preference is Italian - a local place with great red sauce pasta, veal/chicken parm, fettucine alfredo - that sort of thing. Moderate/casual places will probably work best!

Any thoughts/ideas?

I am partial to the burgers at the Black Duck in Westport near the train station. Karen - that fits the dive category and it's completely kid friendly for lunch.

Donovan's in South Norwalk on Washington St. apparently just re-opened a week or so ago under a new name (Bulldog Bar & Grill). I'd be interested to hear if anyone has checked out the burgers there under the new ownership/management.

You're thinking about Bobby Q's, which is on Main St. in Westport.......(old Onion Alley space). Solid ribs.

Tried Remo's on Bedford St. today for lunch with some friends, as the place is officially open now. We opted for a few different types of the thin crust, coal oven pies. Pizza was decent, but not great. I had some high expectations going in based on the previous posts! I will chalk it up to them still figuring out their ovens, etc. given this place just opened a few days ago. I expected a zestier pie, and everything was kind of bland. Crust could have been charred a bit more (ours came out kind of light). Ingredients, though, were very fresh. They did a great job renovating the space - nice and inviting with a bunch of booths and tables. Very good sized lunch crowd. I will try it again once the kinks are worked out, but for me, the hot oil pie with pepperoni at Colony Grill is still King of Stamford.

Thai Village in Westport is gone and Pho Mekong (Vietnamese) is now in its place. The word is that the Thai dishes have stayed on the menu, though. Interested to hear if anyone has checked out their Vietnamese and also whether the Thai is still up to the same quality!

Does anyone know whether Bulldog opened up in the old Donovan's space? I have not been in South Norwalk in a bit. Curious to hear how it is, if it's open....

Good for funky drinks and for a bunch of people to share finger food-type appetizers. Have not ventured into the main courses.

If you want to stay in Westport and would prefer something a little trendier (as opposed to classic New England), give Zest Cafe a try - it's right next to the Y/Main Street.

In my opinion, Joseph's is just fair. I've heard that sentiment echoed by a number in my circle of friends. Sure, they've successfully replicated the Luger's steak sauce and the sliced tomatoes and onions, but the steaks weren't anything out of the ordinary.

I see that a new Mexican restaurant called Los Cabos recently opened up in Norwalk down the street from Stew Leonard's. Has any been or heard how it is?

Some suggestions of quality places in the area with private rooms to check out:

--Gaia (Greenwich)
--Thomas Henkelman/Homestead Inn (Greenwich)
--Valbella (Greenwich)
--Il Falco (Stamford)

Columbus Park (Stamford) has a new upstairs private room under construction at the moment, but I hear it won't be open for this holiday season (you may want to check with them).

Here are some thoughts:

Near Sono Aquarium, try the new Strada 18 on Washington St. for a funky pizza and/or salad. I would recommend Donovan's down the block (great burger place), but they are closed at the moment for renovations and are undergoing new ownership. If you're in the area during lunchtime, Jeff's Cuisine on North Main Street, also near the Aquarium, has good Louisiana/Southern style eats, like shrimp poboys. At Jeff's, there aren't any tables - just stools!

In Westport, Angelina's is fine, but probably worth it to check out something else! Some other casual thoughts are:

--Bobby Q's on Main St. (BBQ)
--Westfair Fish & Chips on Post Road (great fried clams, etc.; very small local place with only a few tables - better for lunch)
--Thai Village on Post Road

Also...a mile or so across the Westport/Norwalk line, in Norwalk, there's a solid casual Italian place called Via Sforza. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's tucked away in a strip mall on Westport Avenue. Might be a good dinner call if you don't opt for pizza or pasta over lunch! There is a new sister restaurant in Westport called Cantina Sforza but the original Norwalk location is probably more what you are looking for.

Good luck!

There's so much goodwill in the Donovan's name, I'm surprised that they want to change it. Sometimes change, though, is good. I guess we'll see.

For the area, Planet Pizza's cheesesteaks are actually pretty good (just need to order w/o peppers - I am more of a traditionalist).

In Fairfield, right off 95, there's the only d'Angelos located in the area. Since I was a kid, I have always been a fan of their steak & cheese (but not much else there).

Friends of mine just had brunch at Zest on Sunday morning and gave it a thumbs up. Early word on the street is that their dinner menu is solid as well. As you may have heard/read, it's the same owner as Da Pietro, so there are some high expectations.

As for BBQ, I hear mixed things about the Cookhouse - primarily that they seem to be a bit inconsistent. I tend to favor Bobby Q's and Ash Creek.

Has anyone recently been to either Viale, Cafe Tavolini or The Field in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport? Interested to hear if these places are worth checking out, and if so, what's good/recommended. Also, any other Black Rock restaurant suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!