Jean Louis left the restaurant biz to become Vice President of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont. He still offers catering in the Greenwich area, though I have no idea how he manages that from Vermont.

I highly recommend Douro--Portuguese/Mediterranean tapas and more. Fabulous food, and unusual choices. It's on Greenwich Ave., good for walking and gawking, and for dessert you can make it a perfect evening by walking over to Daniella's (on the same street) for gelato. I think Terra has seen better days, and the trouble with going to Port Chester is that if you care for an after dinner stroll, there's nowhere you'd want to walk.

stuki, this is a very old thread, hence the reference to Il Falco, which has been closed for several years, and the lack of any mention of some of the newer spots in the city.

if you aren't 100% wedded to the Japanese idea, The Melting Pot in Darien is a perfect choice for a bunch of teens. I'm not wild about it myself, but the younger set seems to adore it, and the experience lends itself to a party atmosphere.

In Stamford, Chocopologie, 213 Main St., open until midnight or Volta Gelateria Creperia, 30 Spring St., open until 11.

I should add that any of those stores should be willing to do a special order for you even if they don't have Blavod in stock--it's not a big deal since they have already a relationship with the distributor. Happy Halloween!

I can tell you that the CT wholesaler for Blavod is Ace Distributing in Plainview. Maybe if you call, they'll be able to tell you what liquor stores buy it from them.

Coalhouse Pizza in Stamford (a lot more casual than Melting Pot, but not a dive) has live music, including jazz , a few times a week--their website has the schedule of upcoming performances.

Well, it's open, claims to be "pan-asian"--anyone try it yet? I find the name annoying, sounds like it was a failed attempt at translating something.

Hmm, apparently it's run by the same people who run The Melting Pot in Darien, home of overpriced mediocrity. Doesn't bode well.

I read CT Bites to find out what's new, then come here and to OmnomCt to get the real story.

Wondering where you heard about this. Stamford is not on their website's "opening soon" list, and the building still has a for lease sign on it. The parking seems really inadequate for a food store. I was hoping for something more interesting in that location. We sure don't need more supermarkets, and personally I've never shared the love for Trader Joe's.

I'll second this, but didn't love the place when it opened either. H and I and another couple tried Napa about six months into its run. All of us thought the food (four different entrees, four different appetizers) was ordinary, the service poor, the atmosphere lacking, and the prices excessive. I was somewhat embarrassed because I had pushed everyone into trying it. I attribute Napa's overblown reputation to the very astute PR abilities of the owners and the "emperor's new clothes" effect--when everyone is gabbing about how great a restaurant is, no one wants to seem like a rube with no taste by critiquing it. Meanwhile, its fame means that it is THE place to do corporate entertaining in the area, which allows for the high prices.

No, not a joke, and yes, I'm complaining about the portions being too big! After all, I'm paying for all that food I can't eat. Is it really odd to want to order and pay for a normal human portion of food? Even when I can go right home, I don't want to take a bunch of miscellaneous leftovers that may or may not get picked at for the next few days--neither H not I want to eat the same food a day or two later because we like variety in our diet, so most restaurant leftovers get tossed after a few days. As for sharing, that doesn't work when there are two diners who don't like the same food, so I think it's a ridiculous way to structure a restaurant. Had we known about the portion sizes (and I assure you no one advised us that the entrees were meant to be shared), we would simply have eaten elsewhere, because I don't know of any way to plan around that kind of service unless you poll the people you plan to eat with in advance and make sure there are at least two willing to share each entree. I realize there are those that are impressed by massive quantities of food, but I'm not one of them. In fact, there's nothing that kills my appetite faster than some monstrous chunk of meat or mound of pasta overhanging the plate--makes me feel like a farm animal at the trough. I guess this is just Capital Grille's shtick, but I find it totally unappealing.

juli5122, there are a lot of folks who hate licorice flavor, but I've never come across anyone else who hated licorice flavor, cherry flavor other than fresh, AND green peppers! Nice to meet ya! I don't mind rosemary--but it would have been too darn spooky if that was on my list, too. On the other hand, I can't stand soft boiled eggs, which apparently aren't a problem for you. (My kids used to joke that they would make me a mothers day breakfast of soft boiled eggs, with a saute of green peppers and fennel on the side, and a nice cherry danish.) The worst part of being anti-licorice is that fennel has become so chic in recent years--there's a dish on every restaurant menu that flaunts its fennel. Can't wait for that fad to pass.

We ate at Spice Affaire tonight, using a "one entree free" coupon to give the place a tryout. It was a major disappointment, easily the weakest Indian restaurant in the area. To start out, they have no idea how to present the place. There's no sign on the exterior of the building, and you have to enter the hotel's main restaurant, Shelleys, to get there. Once inside, you realize that the two eateries basically overlap--we sat at what appeared to be the Indian portion, but were given menus for both. Very off-putting.

The ambiance is bland hotel-style, with no Indian influence other than the recorded music. Service was just adequate. The food was mediocre to poor. The paratha was entirely tasteless--I usually can't keep my hands off Indian breads, but only had a bite of this. H's chicken saag arrived as lamb saag. It had taken so long between appetizers and mains that we couldn't wait for a redo and he just ate the lamb--five tiny cubes. (The waiter offered a free dessert with his apology, but we had no desire to try any more of their cooking and declined.) My chicken biryani was dry and tasteless (I had to salt it--the first time I'd ever needed to use salt in an Indian restaurant--and douse it heavily with raita to make it palatable), and of the fruits and nuts that are basic to this dish, I was able to locate exactly 2 raisins and one half-cashew. In general, there was just no depth of flavor and inadequate use of spices in all the dishes (ironic in light of the place's name).

There was hardly anyone in Spice Affaire at prime dining time (and during a week when all the hotels in town were filled with power outage refugees). Given their lackluster food, out-of-the-way location and poor marketing (most people in town don't even know it exists), I give the place another few months before they have to throw in the towel. There are several good Indian options in Stamford and surrounding towns--there's no reason to dine at Spice Affaire

Ate there Sat. nite and while the food and service were was very good, the portion sizes were absolutely ridiculous. H ordered the chicken and was served an ENTIRE chicken--insanity. (Good thing he didn't order turkey.) I managed to down 3 of 5 huge stuffed shrimp. A side order of lobster mac 'n cheese was enough to serve two as a main course. The restaurant is not cheap, so it's particularly annoying to pay for food we couldn't hope to eat. And since we were without power due to the storm, we couldn't take any home. Such wretched excess. We won't be back unless we can agree in advance to share entrees, which I'm sure would not make them happy.

I realize OP's visit is long past, but I wanted to post because we were at both Faidley's and Miss Shirley's last weekend and others might benefit from my thoughts. As much as we all loved our meals there, I wouldn't bring young kids to Miss Shirley's--the wait is usually long, and it's a leisurely meal, so unless your kids have unusual patience, not a great choice. If you are child-free, try one of their signature cocktails, they're great. At Faidley's, be sure to order the more expensive lump crabcakes--fabulous--and have a side of the delicious cucumber salad, which cuts the greasiness of the fried stuff nicely. Then for dessert go to one of Lexington Market's bakery stalls for Berger cookies. You could die happy after that meal.

S has lived in Baltimore for several years and says none of the restaurants in Little Italy are as good as what we have at home in southwestern CT. I guess if you live in an area with a substantial Italian population, you won't be impressed, but if authentic (non-chain) Italian fare is not available to you at home, Little Italy might be worth visiting

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Miss Shirley's Cafe
513 W Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21210

Lexington Market
400 W Lexington St, Baltimore, MD 21201

Stopping back to let you know that all we were very pleased with our experience at Bistro D'oc. All three of us had the duck confit and loved it. Desserts were great, too--a peach brioche bread pudding, a homemade gelato-like ice cream, and crepes Suzette. I was a bit disappointed in my Caesar salad--I thought the Romaine was torn in pieces that were too small, and there was too much dressing, though H liked it fine. (I think given the richness of the duck, the plain house salad would have been a smarter choice in any case.) Service was attentive without being cloying, and the 6:00 reservation the restaurant recommended for a 7:30 curtain allowed us to eat in a leisurely fashion and still get into our seats with time to spare. All in all, a terrific choice--many thanks to those who directed us to Bistro D'oc!

Thanks all! How nice to log back in a see several great ideas. H practically salivated at the mere thought of duck confit (well, so did I), so we'll try Bistro D'Oc. He is also the type who worries about getting places on time, so being right across the street from the theater will be a plus for him. I've had my eye on Zaytinia for a while, but it we'll have to wait for another trip (D is a college student in DC, so we'll be there a few more times before she graduates). We have one of the excellent Barcelona restaurants in our town, so the idea of tapas doesn't excite so much, but I'll also file away Jaleo.

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Bistro D'Oc
518 10th St NW, Washington, DC 20004

Looking for somewhere interesting to dine before the show this weekend, nice if it were very close to the theater (it's at 10th between E and F). We are adventurous eaters.

Agreed. CT Bites seems to be just a PR outlet for selected local restaurants and food retailers. I'd be interested to know how the site is funded and how they choose their reviews. Pretty photos, though.

Fried oysters are not really a New England seafood restaurant thing. I've had some great ones at local Japanese restaurants, though.

And it's on!

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/...

These are both chain restaurants. Kona is more informal, and if the weather is nice there will be a large bar crowd outside. If there are children in your group, it would have the more suitable menu of the two. My D likes their sushi, and I can always find something decent to eat there. Mitchells does a nice job cooking a large variety of fish, but it's expensive. If you are adventurous, I suggest you try Navaratna, a vegetarian Indian restaurant that is also downtown (certified Kosher, if that's relevant):
http://www.navaratnact.com/

Glad you liked the duck.. I get a kick out of the decor, too. The owners appear to be obsessed with lighting. I once counted 12 or 15 different styles of light fixtures in the place (not in any way compatible with one another), and it's usually bright enough to do brain surgery. The waitstaff is the typical range for Chinese restaurants--from sweet and helpful young women with virtually no English, to older men and women who are so surly they don't talk enough for you to figure out whether they speak English or not. All in all, not a really engaging dining-in experience, so I mainly do takeout there.

A "decent" Peking duck is served at Pearl East on Summer St. Not extraordinary, not NYC level, and sometimes a bit dry, but it'll do when the craving hits.

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Pearl East
2720 Summer St, Stamford, CT 06905

I've been going there about once a month, just to vary the weekly shopping experience or because I want an item I can't find at my usual store, but the thrill is definitely gone. The layout makes me (and everyone else I know) nuts and wastes a lot of time--e.g., I know what brand of canned tomatoes I like, but I honestly don't know if they are considered organic or not, so I have to check both sections. The clerks go overboard trying to be helpful, but they don't know the stock that well and have more than once led me on a wild goose chase through the store as they look for an item in multiple locations--just tell me you don't know, and I'll move on! There is a very limited selection of non-food items--cleaning products and the like--and they often don't carry my favorites. I think the bagels are mediocre and the I buy the bialys not because they're so great but because they are hard to find anywhere else. I buy my fish at Stamford Fish and Seafood where the quality is great and the owners are accommodating (and can eyeball the proper cuts for the weight I want), so haven't had any need or desire to try Fairway's fish.

On the plus side, I appreciate that there are never long lines to check out and I can find oddball items.

Has anyone tried the wine/liquor store? It looks lovely, but I'm always there on a Sunday so can only press my nose against the glass. (And apparently the CT legislature won't be voting on Sunday openings this session--the liquor store owners trade association must donate some big bucks, because they influence-wise are the NRA of CT .)

I grew up in the Fall River/New Bedford area in the sixties, and all the Rhode Island foods and beverages were common in the South Coast part of Mass. too, so I guess you can't say they're unique to RI. I can confirm that a cabinet (and a frappe--that term as also used back in the day) is what the rest of the world calls a milk shake, and that a milk shake in RI and southwestern Mass. is milk and syrup frothed up in a milk shake blender (as opposed to a mere chocolate milk or coffee milk, where the syrup is just stirred in.) I have no idea if cabinets and shakes are still sold in the same place--we got them in luncheonettes and diners--I'd try there.

You might find this blog, which focuses on dining in south western MA. ,RI, and CT, of interest: http://www.newenglandbites.com/

If you want a recipe that was used by home cooks all the time, as opposed to restaurant fare, make a Chocolate Dump Cake (recipe easy to find online). I guarantee It was served in the 60's--I was there, eating it.

I did my first real full weekly shop at Fairway last Thursday (two other visits were more in the nature of sightseeing). On Saturday I had to return a half gallon of milk that had soured (desite a January sell-by date), and Today I went to use a container of Campari tomatoes for a salad, only to find that were all squishy soft and unuseable.--so that means another trip back for a return. In that same grocery order I had picked up a package of pre-cut butternut squash. When I went to cook it, I found that the pieces were all different sizes (with little chunks hidden under the big ones), making it difficult to cook it at all at the same time. I do appreciate the myriad choices at the store, as well as he pleasant service and short lines, but if the quality control for basics like milk and raw vegetables doesn't improve, I'll only be back for specialty items.