Norwalk Name your favorite joints including ethnic, hamburger and seafood please why how much and what is your favoite dish PLEASE!

Tacos Mexico - Enchiladas Verdes, Tacos, Pollo al Limon

Luncheria Valencia - Just about anything, with a butter and cheese arepa on the side

Letizia's Pizza

cardiak in Southern New England

Killington in June - Do restaurants shut down?

Thanks so much Chardonnay!

Our group had a blast at K'ya Street Fare in Anaheim California (http://www.kyastreetfare.com/assets/documents/KSF_Menu.pdf) which does small plates based on street food from around the world; so I think tapas at The Garlic will probably go over very well.

cardiak in Northern New England

Stamford CT Spanish and Burgers!!

Brasitas in Stamford and Norwalk is good pan-latin cuisine.

http://www.brasitas.com/

cardiak in Southern New England

Vermont- Killington, Rutland and Mendon

Hi VTers,

I'm heading up to the Killington area in June for a week with about a dozen friends. (we're renting a ski house off-season for a week)

I have heard that some places close down for the summer due to lack of skiers, I was hoping to get the skinny on some places that were open year round.

We're planning to do a lot cooking ourselves, but we will go out for a couple meals during the week. We have some foodies, but some non-adventurous eaters, and some budget-conscious folks as well.

Is there a summer farmer's market? One of my friends was doing some research and he recommended Hinterlands Market.

cardiak in Northern New England

Killington in June - Do restaurants shut down?

Thanks for the info guys! I'll check out Choices and the killington forum.

cardiak in Northern New England

Killington in June - Do restaurants shut down?

Hello fellow Chowhounders,

A group of us (12-13) are renting a house in Killington for a week in the summer; to get a great place to hang out at a reasonable price (basically it's a ski house we're renting off-season).

We're going to do a lot of cooking ourselves, but we will probably go out for a few meals during the week.

We're willing to make the drive to Rutland, where I've read about some spots; but we would probably go for at least one meal close to us there in Killington.

I've heard that some places shut down for the summer months since no one is on the mountain; do any of you guys have knowledge or experience with this?

I was considering making the suggestion to my group that we try The Garlic, figuring that the tapas-style thing might be best suited for a group of 12; though last time I was in Killington (years ago) I did have an okay meal at Sushi Yoshi with a big group doing hibachi, so there's that as well.

I just didn't know if either of those spots would be open in June; and/or if you guys had other suggestions.

Just to be clear, we have some foodies, and some non-adventurous eaters, and some of us would need to stay within a reasonable budget; so we would lean more towards the bistro/casual type places, or at least places with some more reasonable options on the menu, than a true fine dining spot.

I've looked around the boards a couple times and read about Roots, Table24, Cafe Provence, and Little Harry's, but I'd love to hear opinions on those and suggestions of other places as well!

Thanks guys!

cardiak in Northern New England

Looking for casual 4-5pm dinner Sat Night Last Minute

Thanks so much Tommy. That looks great for the adventurous among us; I'm not sure it would work for everyone.. but we may give it a shot.

Thanks again!

cardiak in Manhattan

Looking for casual 4-5pm dinner Sat Night Last Minute

Hi Guys,

I was hoping you all could help me salvage a botched planned evening.

There's going to be 4 or 5 of us, we're meeting a friend who's in town from Colorado.

This is tomorrow, so we won't have reservations, but we can go early to try and beat the crowds.

We had talked about looking for some approachable small plates/tapas but we're not tied to that. There are some adventurous eaters among us and some not as much.

Doesn't have to be super-cheap but an all-in cost of $40-50ish each or less would be good. We're not heavy drinkers.

We don't really want to go TOO far from Midtown, but a walk or subway ride wouldn't kill us.

Any suggestions you guys may have are much appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

cardiak in Manhattan

Greenwich - Will Morton's Rotisserie - Why empty on a Sat. Night?

Hello fellow SW CT chowhounders,

I did a search for this spot on this board, and didn't come up with much, so perhaps the 'word' isn't out about this place, but besides that issue, I have my other theories as to why they always seem to be nearly empty even on weekend evenings.

I think it comes down to:

- Location (both in it's slightly off-the-beaten path location and it's proximity to the more upscale China White and Crew)

- Name/Signage Confusion (the name and sign both make this look like a place that's a Boston Market knockoff)

- Social Herding Mentality (i.e. if it's empty then it must be bad)

I think it's important to note that 'food quality,' 'service,' and 'prices' are not among the things I think are wrong with this place!

I've been to Will Morton's a few times in the last year or so, both for takeout and to sit down, and I was impressed with the friendly management, waitstaff, and food quality.

Let me get the disclaimers out of the way; WM's is not a fancy spot to impress a discriminating person looking for 'an experience.' They do care about the decor, but the small space and things like soda fridges nearby do not help the ambiance, if that's important to you.

There's a reason why the parking lot in front of China White is filled with Greenwichites' luxury cars, and the lot across the street at the strip mall containing WM's is mostly empty with a couple hondas and toyotas.

That said; if you're looking for a more casual eatery with some good quality food at moderate but totally reasonable prices, well, you could definitely do a lot worse.

Will Morton's is called a Rotisserie because they smoke their own meats, and you certainly can get the kind of meat + sides combo meals you'd find at a lo+slo bbq joint. But I think it's very important to let folks know that they do a lot more than this, from great soups, to fresh salads, (had a great cobb salad with house smoked turkey there last night!) to interesting sandwiches and entrees. (my buddy had a kobe burger that he really enjoyed)

I really hope you guys give it a shot. I can't tell you guys how many times I drove by this place, thinking about going in, and then got cold feet after seeing the place nearly empty.

I think they're struggling a bit because I often see them closed on weeknights, but if you get the chance to go on a weekend, you really ought to give it a try.

On that note, I'd love to hear stories from other chowhounders who have been; maybe they were not as good before, and so people have stopped going? I really would love to get to the bottom of why a place like this is having such a tough time.

You all have pointed me in the direction of some great spots in the area, so I'm hoping to do my part here and maybe bring a couple of you the same joy of eats I have gotten from this board!

Will Morton's Rotisserie
http://www.willmortonsrotisserie.com/ordereze/Default.aspx

cardiak in Southern New England

lard source in Southern Fairfield County, CT-inexpensive

I've never had food from Los Portales, but I've often been curious, since I go right by there on my way to the delicious Tacos Mexico which is just a few stores down on Fort Point.

cardiak in Southern New England

Rizzuto's in Stamford now open

My folks had been to the one in Westport as well, thanks taboo and InderB.

$5 pizza is pretty awesome. I assume it's the sort of 10" artisan pie kind of thing, but still that's great. Maybe I'll see if my friends are interested in a sort of end of the week before the holidays happy hour thing.

cardiak in Southern New England

Rizzuto's in Stamford now open

Last time I hit up ShopRite in Commerce Park I saw that there was a 'now open' sign on the new Rizzuto's. (In the former route 22 spot)

I've heard good things about his other restaurants but have never been

Has anyone gone to give it a try? I'd love to hear opinions/experiences.

cardiak in Southern New England

Great Polish in Norwalk

I was confused at first when you gave the address. I think that section of Rt.1 is usually called Connecticut Ave. I don't think they start calling it Westport Ave until you get a little further up.

I used to work at 200 Connecticut Ave and I would occasionally walk to the Polish Deli and hit up their buffet for lunch, and it was awesome. Sausages, kraut, stuffed cabbage, everything was great.

I just stuck to the buffet each time, though I believe they will prepare some dishes as you say. I was tempted but never got up the nerve to ask them to make pierogies for me; pretty much every time I've gone in there, I was the only one speaking English, and that includes the folks working there.

cardiak in Southern New England

Jani in Norwalk bites the dust!

I can't share any insights, but I must say I'm intrigued by this.

I always thought that the proprietors of Jani either had an ownership stake in the property, or maybe they were locked into a long lease with a favorable rate. Having such a huge place that always seemed to be mostly empty just didn't add up for me.

Had lunch there a few times when I worked in Norwalk and was never really impressed with the food. I wonder what's going in there next.

cardiak in Southern New England

Finding Steak Tartare in CT

BJ Ryan's in Norwalk also has steak tartare. Our group didn't order it when we went last weekend but everything else we ordered was pretty good.

http://www.bjryanspub.com/?p=menu

cardiak in Southern New England

Lunch in Stamford, Ct

The chinese place in old greenwich might be 'oriental gourmet' which I've heard good things about. (it's right up the road from ReNapoli, which has some nice gourmet pizza and delicious Chicago-style Italian Beef sandwiches)

As for your Pho craving.. I can relate.. I'm having one myself. Indeed Pho Saigon in Bridgeport is very good, but it's far and it's not in the nicest of areas. I used to hit Pho Mekong in Fairfield regularly, but they closed down (I think Shake Shack is in their place now, though, so not a big loss :D)

There is another pho place in the Fairfield area, called Pho Garden. I haven't been yet, but chowhounders seem to put it on the same level as Pho Mekong, which is 'good but not great.'

If I'm still without power tomorrow, I'm probably going to take the time to go up there for lunch. Thanks Irene, over 100 hours of no power has been really swell.

cardiak in Southern New England

Casual dining in Greenwich

I second Sundown Saloon for a good casual spot.

Occasionally you will encounter families with loud kids, but the food is pretty good and reasonably priced.

They always have interesting specials, but my go-to has got to be the El Paso Chopped Salad with bbq balsamic dressing.

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Sundown Saloon
403 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich, CT 06830

cardiak in Southern New England

Good Mexican Food?

I've been going to TM for years. I'm very upset that I got laid off from my last job, and while I should be more upset about losing my source of livelihood, I'm almost equally upset to not be near TM anymore, which I would go to every Thursday.

Whenever I meet my buddies from my former job, Tacos Mexico is the place we go.

They used to be just that one little area where the cashier and soda machines are; but a few years ago they expanded and took over what used to be a laundromat next door, and installed all the new tables, the bar, etc.

I can't say enough about how friendly the people are there, and how great the food is, especially considering the prices.

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Tacos Mexico
82 Fort Point St, Norwalk, CT 06855

cardiak in Southern New England

Prime Dry Aged Beef In Fairfield County?

Greenwich Prime meats are the former Manero's guys; they know their stuff and the steaks I've gotten from them have always been awesome, but they're not cheap.

By the way, for those who remember the old Manero's meat shop days, the GPM guys do have a kitchen at their new location, and they still crank out a killer cheeseburger or steak wedge. (and their steak wedge is an actual steak on a wedge, not thinly sliced meat) Don't forget the fried onions and steak sauce!

cardiak in Southern New England

Rico's Pizza Stamford CT, a Kinder, Gentler Colony?

Oh boy. Now I really need to get my butt over to Rico's before the food police comes and shuts them down.

Seriously, I know pizza is a big deal in CT, and I think Colony's pizza is great. But when a place like that stalwartly refuses to cater to their customers time and again simply because they can; then I have to agree with the folks from the article that say 'this is America' and that competition is a good thing.

Regardless of whether the Martinez boys stole some proprietary pizza secrets from their former employers, if Colony didn't have all their issues with service, cash-only, no delivery, not answering their phone, etc, then people wouldn't be jumping ship to Rico's, they would be loyal to Colony and saying step off to Rico's.

This reminds me of the nuggets-and-fries war between Garden Catering and Chicken Joe's. I think there are enough hungry people to go around.

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Chicken Joe's
235 E Putnam Ave, Cos Cob, CT 06807

Garden Catering
185 1/2 Sound Beach Ave, Old Greenwich, CT 06870

cardiak in Southern New England

Pierangelo in Greenwich continues to be a favorite

Thank you for bringing this to my attention; I had forgotten about this place, but to be perfectly honest, it wasn't an accident. I've held a bit of an unfounded grudge, and I have your review to thank for opening my eyes and forcing me to see my own prejudice.

I shall explain for my own catharsis, and I don't expect anyone's sympathy or understanding, but if you'd like to know why at least one chowhounder hasn't been in there, feel free to read on.

I used to go to the restaurant in that space all the time when I was a kid, when the place was Benny's. My dad knew Benny and it was our go-to pizza place as well as a regular choice for the occasional family meal out. The food wasn't mind-blowing, it was just your basic red sauce family place, but it was good and familiar; and as I got a little older, it was one of the first places I took some of my friends to as a teenager, mostly because at the time, it was one of the only reasonably priced eateries around the Ave that wasn't dirty, a diner, or both.

When Benny's closed down, I mourned the loss of a piece of my childhood; and when I saw what replaced it, a much nicer place with much higher prices, I think it triggered part of a "what are they doing to my Ave" sort of malaise; the same sort of feeling I had when Woolworth's succumbed to Saks Fifth Avenue. When WW finally closed and Saks moved in, the Ave got nicer and ritzier, but I didn't cheer. My grandma ate at Woolworths every week and knew everyone that worked there by name.

I've lived in Greenwich all my life, and my family has been here for generations; I love it, it's my home. There are the folks that move here because they can afford it, and the people who are fortunate to live here because their families have owned land in town for years that they now could scarcely afford to buy.

Just as I've never been in Saks all these years, I similarly have never stepped foot in any of the restaurants that were in the old Benny's spot.

I checked Pierangelo's website, and most of the pastas are $25-30, and most of the entrees are $35-45. Now, I'm not saying it's too pricey without having eaten there, that's obviously not fair, but as a member of the 'lucky to live here since we've owned our land for years' set, it's not easy for me to go to a place like that on a whim. I've been burned before by high prices and mediocre food, from Greenwich to Stamford to NYC and beyond.

However, your heartfelt endorsement has me thinking that I need to swallow my anachronistic pride and give this place a shot.

Thanks.

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Pierangelo
355 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich, CT 06830

cardiak in Southern New England

Rico's Pizza Stamford CT, a Kinder, Gentler Colony?

http://www.ricospizzaonline.com/
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/297/1601433/restaurant/Ricos-Pizza-Stamford

I heard about this place from a friend who says that the owners are former Colony Grill employees, and the pizza is VERY similar, but unlike Colony, they take credit cards, have a larger menu, deliver, are cheaper, and overall is a better experience than the at-best quirky, oftentimes off-putting experience of Colony.

Obviously the pizza is of paramount importance; which is what keeps people coming back to Colony despite their idiosyncrasies.

Have any Chowhounders been there and have a report?

I'm going to try to make it there soon myself. I enjoy Colony but the hassle of getting it often turns me off.

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Colony Grill
172 Myrtle Ave, Stamford, CT 06902

cardiak in Southern New England

Chicago-style Italian Beef hits Connecticut

I've had the beef sandwich a couple times now, as well as a couple of slices of pizza (haven't gotten a full pie yet).

Very pleased with the beef sandwich; the only gripe I can see is that I did find one of the times I got the sandwich, that it may have been oversalted, but the other times it was fine.

And I agree with the comments on both the spiciness of the giardiniera and them holding back on the gravy dip.

After the first time, I noticed that they now ask everyone "are you sure" types of questions when they get the spicy giardineira.

I've got it Juicy the first time, and Soaked all the other times, and maybe it's the 5min ride home that's killing it, but even the Soaked ones are just wet, not dripping.

As for the pizza, when you go on their website, they talk big about their ingredients, oven temps, flour types, proofing methods, etc. Frankly, I was expecting to be a little more impressed by their pizza.

I still reserve final judgment since I've only gotten single slices there so far, and that's obviously not the pizza at its best, but still; they're charging a whole heckuva lot for their pizza, it better be damned good.

cardiak in Southern New England

Chicago-style Italian Beef hits Connecticut

I can't wait to try this. I saw they have an extensive pizza menu and they sound really serious about their pies, has anyone tried the pizza there?

cardiak in Southern New England

Penang Grill, Greenwich, Ct

I've been a big fan of Penang for years.

I get a bowl of their vegetarian hot & sour soup every time I go; mostly because it tastes great, but a bonus for me is that after you order the soup, your server (unless under a lot of duress) goes directly back to the kitchen and brings it out for you. I usually get my soup in about 40 seconds.

Their Crispy Wontons and Spring Rolls are awesome; very fresh veggie fillings (you'll get your tofu in there actually) and a killer spicy-sweet dipping sauce.

cardiak in Southern New England

Easter Brunch at the Hyatt Regency, Old Greenwich

Just a head's up cookies,

I have been to the brunch at the Hyatt multiple times, and depending on the occasion, there are two slightly different 'versions.

There is the normal Sunday brunch in Winfield's (the restaurant in the atrium) as well as the 'supersized' version where they take over the main ballroom for big holidays.

We've always done our eating "in" on Easter, so I'm not 100% sure that it would be the ballroom version, but I can tell you that when the brunch is in the ballroom, it is definitely more crowded and the noise level increases in proportion.

I've had a slightly better experience in the smaller restaurant version of the buffet, but that is more a testament to the nicer ambiance and quieter atmosphere in the atrium, than it is a major judgment on the food differences.

That said; if I recall correctly, there are more of the 'made to order' type stations that jenjen mentioned in the 'normal' version of the buffet; so in the big ballroom buffet you're going to be depending more on buffet trays... then again, when it's crowded, that means that the buffet is reinforced frequently, so there is less stagnation.

I've enjoyed myself thoroughly every time I've gone, but I'm a huge fan of being able to sample small amounts of many dishes, so I gravitate naturally to this kind of thing.

cardiak in Southern New England

PIEROGIS?

Has anyone ever had the Pierogis at the Polish Deli in Norwalk on Connecticut Ave (Rt.1)?

I've had lunch there once from their hot bar, and the food was good, but they didn't have pierogis on the hot bar (probably a good idea). They do have store-made pierogi in the refrigerated case there though.

I've been meaning to go back, but I don't work near there anymore, so I haven't had the chance. I need to hook up with a polish friend of mine, as it seemed to me that having someone who speaks polish might really help in there; the store looks to be there mostly to serve polish folks from the community, with aisles of polish food products, polish newspapers, etc.

cardiak in Southern New England

Best fried chicken in Connecticut?

Louuuu is right in that Garden Catering did get it's start as a fried chicken place; (I've been eating there since it was Garden Poultry back in the 80s) but will admit, I'm not a giant fan of their actual fried chicken pieces. It's crunchy and the chicken is cooked well, I just don't think the batter has much flavor to it (they will offer to put seasoned salt on it for you) and the chicken itself isn't special tastewise either.

Their nuggets, (and the endless specials that have evolved from them,) on the other hand, are awesome. Not sure of too many places that still hand-cut their chicken nuggets, but Garden definitely does, and they do them right. Back in the 80s, the nuggets were bigger chunks than they are today, but the recipe is the same and they are wonderful.

IMHO, a Garden Catering special of nuggets and fries in a foil bag with seasoning and bbq/honey mustard sauce is one of the great food pleasures of lower FFD county.

And in my opinion, the food at Garden Catering and Chicken Joe's (formerly Garden Catering in Cos Cob, who struck out on his own, and just opened a new store near Byram on Rt.1) is pretty much the same. They both use the same recipe; they've both transitioned from the old liquid shortening to trans-fat free oil for their fryers, and even their sauces are the same. (Although Chicken Joe's did experiment with a different Honey Mustard for a while, they're back to their old one)

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Chicken Joe's
235 E Putnam Ave, Cos Cob, CT 06807

Garden Catering
185 1/2 Sound Beach Ave, Old Greenwich, CT 06870

cardiak in Southern New England

Marco Polo Pizza in Riverside, CT

Anyone been to this place yet?

This is the latest in several pizza joints which have occupied the spot in the small strip mall near St. Catherine's and Balducci's, right next to Yangtzee Riverside.

It used to be Sabatiello's (after his exile from his failed Stamford restaurant which was featured on Kitchen Nightmares) then I believe it was renamed while keeping some of Sabatiello's old employees, then it was a whole other place (forget the name, it was something stereotypically italian like 'Pisano's' or something, which tried to break into the market with a sub-$10 large pizza) and now it's Marco Polo.

I'm especially interested since there's a Marco Polo Pizza place in New Haven, and while I haven't been there, I know New Haven has some pretty amazing pizza; so if the NH spot is good and this place is related... who knows?

My friend has been to the spot in Riverside for lunch a couple times, but he's only gone there for sandwiches, which he says were good.

Can anyone comment on the pizza?

cardiak in Southern New England