jimn01's Profile
O'tools New Britain
Must have been a bad night for the waitstaff. Service here is actually ver good, the best of anything at this location. The "fries" are homemade potato chips and are superb. Burgers are excellent, so is just about anything out of the smoker. Oyster P,Boy is maybe fervent. Perfectly fried plump oysters . I have been 5 times and have not been disappointed. By the way the name is. Tools , a play on the fact New Britains economy was largely based on the manufacturing of tools and machine tools.
If you are going to an event at Trinty On Main or Hole in the Wall Theater, tell your server and they will do there best to get you out on time.
Food Scars - Things you will never eat again.
Southern Comfort. Many decades back, over indulgence of that sickenly sweet beverage one Saturday night made for a very bad Sunday and indeed most of the following week. I can't even look at the stuff anymore. Not that I would really want to... But it also turned me off more palatable liqueurs like Drambuie. Sweet and cocktails just don't make it for me.
Gatorade. Since the discovery of some cancer a few years back, the colonoscopy has became an annual event. The thought of downing another cocktail of 1/2 gallon of Gatorade and Miralax is well enoguht to make me...well you get the idea. It's time again next month.
Lobster Boil
I can't give specifics on where to buy. Lobster at this time of the year will all be soft shell. They molt in mid summer. They are easier to eat but you have a smaller meat to shell ratio. Chix or lobsters upto 1 1/4 pounds will have very little meat other than the tail. Some claim the soft shell meat is sweeter. Personally freshness has the most do do with the sweetness.
Also lobster boil is kind of misnomer. You want to steam them. I use a large pot, with an inch of water for 2 or 3 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 lb lobsters. Use seawater if you can otherwise alt water with kosher or sea salt. 15 minutes at the mose in the pot. I find a propane fired turkey frier works great for steaming the lobster. Indeed mine has never seen a turkey.
Sides? My favs are all still corn on the cob. ( will still be in season in New England) and a simple rice pilaf. For festive occasions I often start with a big vat of steamers.
If your party is large make arrangements for the lobsters ahead of time and try to get nearly all the same size to make steaming easier. In the time it takes to cook a 2lb'r your 1 1/4 will be overdone and tough.
Cast Iron skillet problems - HELP!
Metal is no problem. Cleaning couldn't be simpler. After seasoning, wash in hot water, and if it needs it, use a stainless steel scrub pad ( not Brillo or SOS). It cleans up really well and doesn't affect the seasoning. As the pan ages, it will become nearly non- stick and cleanup will be even easier. If you are using it to brown/sear, you need to keep it clean. Any left over food will interfere with that process .
What makes a great red pasta sauce really great?
I wouldn't bother with POMI. I tried once (years ago mind you). It tasted like bad tomato soup. Stick with ones you like.
Family Reunion Venue
Wickham Park in East Hartford. No pool, but lots of large areas, sport fields etc. and pavilions for events. You can certainly have a DJ or Bounce house etc. Not sure about the "booze" regulations. Anytime I have been there, booze has been handled by a licensed caterer. Close I-84. Its run by the Town of East Hartford.
MYSTIC PIZZA
Never was very good. Lots of better places to eat in Mystic, including, possibly, a new pizza place (Pizzetta ) which actually looks interesting. (Didn't check out in person as I had just had breakfast at Kitchen Little but the next time I'm in town I will)
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Kitchen Little
135 Greenmanville Ave, Mystic, CT 06355
Tilapia- Why?
Back when it was farmed raised in South America (its native home) and in the US I ate Tilapia, and I like just about every variety fish known to mankind. A friend who built and ran a tilpia farm in Tennesee closed it last year. He couldn't compete with low priced tilapia from China where most of it is now raised. Catfish as well. I used to like both, but since the fish started coming from China, the quality of both has dropped to the nearly inedible. Occasionally I still see Tilapia from Ecuador and that is much better, but still not as good as it used to be.
Springfield, MA - group dinner
Student Prince, German and excellent. Good for a group. You will definitely need reservations.
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Student Prince Cafe
8 Fort St, Springfield, MA 01103
Abigail's Grille Simsbury Ct.
You won't be disappointed. I have eaten there twice, once at a table of 4 in the restaurant, and once with my wife at the bar. Both times the food was excellent, the staff friendly and above average wait staff for the Hartford area. The wine list has some excellent choices, although some can be pricey. This is so much better than the Chart House ever was. This is also not a "New England Inn" Yes, they have great oysters on the half from Point Judith RI and great seafood. But the food is so much more adventuresome. So far, the Duck, Beef, Fish and Pasta have all succeeded well in my book. Do check out their online menu, its pretty close to what you will find today. The atmosphere is definitely old New England (after all this was a Stage Coach stop way back in the 1700's.. young for your European friends, but pretty old for us tenderfoot New World denizens. Other fine dining potentials in Simsbury include Metro Bis featuring celebrated chef Chris Prosperi (and NY Times review) and Amelia's Grill. I would eat at any of the three in a heart beat.
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Metro Bis Restaurant
928 Hopmeadow St Ste 2, Simsbury, CT 06070
Abigails Grill & Wine Bar
4 Hartford Road, Simsbury, CT 06089
Recs near Hartford Convention Center
The walk is a few blocks from the Convention center, but there is a free shuttle that circulates every few minutes between the Convention Center and downtown. I eat in downtown Hartford everyday for lunch and I eat dinners at least twice a week. My favorites are Spris (Consitution Plaza about 4 blocks) Northern Italian. Servers are appropriate (read not huge) and they make some great personal pizza's. Price $5.00 apps to $30.00 entrees.
For high end you have Max Downtown, and Morton's Steak House, although Mortons will run you serious Money. With the exception of the Steaks. most Max entrees under 30.00. Trumbull Kitchen is another part of the Max empire. Noisy in the bar area around Happy Hour. Interesting use of common ingredients, some dishes incorporate a little Asian Flair. Vito's is a stand by traditional Italian fare, with some very good pizza, perhaps the best raw bar in Hartford, and a selection of really good antipasti... you choose the items. Dulce is a new restaurant with a Portugese theme (as well as good ol American Italian. I like this place a lot. Blacked Sally's serves up some good barbecue and cajun and southern inspired dishes. There are Blues and Jazz bands at night.
For generic, but decent eating I like Mayor Mikes. Solid food, easy place to go with a group as everyone should find something to their liking. Meatloaf, burgers, saiads, are all good.
Vaughns Public House servers up very good Pub fare.
Two new places I really like as well, Tamarind Grill on Pratt St serves very good Thai and southeast Asian , I had a crispy fish last February that was second to none., I have eaten lunch and dinner there several times working my way through the curries and noodles. Across the street from them is Tanuki, a Japanese Noodle restaurant. (Noodle bowls, rice bowls etc). Excellent food. Under 15.00.
I also vote for Feng, and Koji (Yakotri and other Japanese dishes, and decent Sake bar).
Have fun... there are lots of good eats and many of Hartford Restaurants are doing Prix Fixe specials.. whether these last till October, who knows.
Top Hartford kitchens
Local and seasonal.... is somewhat tough. We don't grow much in the winter. Max Downtown and Metro Bis (4 stars. high end) do use seasonal and local as much as possible.. but there are others as well.
Great wines can be had at many restaurants (Max's (any of the Max Empire) , Morton's, Spris, Bin 228, Grants, Bricco, Metro Bis, and a host of others. You aren't likely to find many Oregon Pinots though and when you do, it will likely be the "normal" choices. Wines from Argentinia, Chile, Australia, California, Italy and in higher end places, France are commonly found. Munich beer? You will likely need to head to the East Side Restaurant in New Britain (great German food and a large selection of German beer).
A good Cheeseburger is such a matter of personal taste. A lot of people and the press like Plan B. They are good but not worth the crowd for me. Shady Glen makes a decent burger where the cheesbuger gets fried onto the burger. Max Downtown makes a good burger and at happy hour at the bar its 1/2 price. Lots of pizza choices. You can start a war on that one.
Hartford really isn't a seafood haven.. The best lobster roll was from the late Sally's Fish Camp in Hartford. Meat from a whole lobster, butter and roll. Simplicity and yummy. I haven't tried Tinkers lobster roll so I can't speak to that. Vitos By the Park has raw bar, usually two or three kinds of oysters, littlenecks and cherry stones on the half and shrimp.
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Forget the Chowder Pot. Unless you like noisy crowds and fish swimming in oil/butter. The fried seafood is OK, but there is a lot better in Connecticut.
Good Mexican Food?
El Sarape in Hartford is good.. its a store front in the Park St Neighborhood... good food. Cayote Flaco on New Britain Ave in Hartford is excellent as is Monte Alban on Farmington Aveune are also excellent and are better places to sit. If you think Chilies is good Mexican don't bother with these, you won't like them. The moles at Monte Alban are particularly good. Agave in downtown Hartford has some bright spots, the simple corn tortilla (score points right there) enchillada's are very good as is the seviche. Other than a few items not really authentic but good. Guacamole is made tableside from fresh ingredients. You won't find mounds of cheese at any of these.
Best french fries in Hartford area?
Alas, before the passing of Pastis in Hartford a couple of years back, they were the hands down winner, carefully double fried,... perfection and when matched with the Muscles, YUMMM! Given that, 5 guys are certainly contenders for the best, although my arteries can only tolerate a trip per year! At risk of being strongly chastised, a good fresh McDonalds fry from a clean well run McD's (good luck finding one of those around Hartford) is still a pretty good fry.
Best Doughnuts in CT?
Still good but as you say, not quite as good as they used to be, but still a much better than average donut and worth the trip.
Looking for some help, softshell Clams
Finally someone gets this right. Steamers are a soft shell clam, which is different specie than the hard shells. (Soft shells don't grow into hard shells.. unlike the crab) . A great feast in New England is bushels of these steamed and served with butter and broth. However, the shell is really brittle, so I imagine they don't ship well. I live in Connecticut and there is a huge difference in the soft shell I get inland compared to that on the shore.. and 100 miles sway in Maine, the difference is even greater. These need to be fresh to be at their best.
Morton's in Downtown Hartford?
First and Last back in the old days in the south end of Hartford was wonderful. Yes you had to wait, but the huge brick oven in the middle of the place, created some wonderful pizza's and made it all worth it. After you gave your name at the door, you could walk up half a block and across the street and hang out at the bar at the 880 Jazz club,.. and maybe get some bonus music... then walk back to the First and Last and be in time for your number... just add 20 minutes to what ever they told you. But the food was great. I have never been satisfied with any of the satellities I have tried. Somehow waiting in line didn't seem so bad back then. With out the 880, waiting line for your res with a bunch of impatient uncontrolled rug rats (aka children) doesn't make the mediocre food worth it.
Morton's in Downtown Hartford?
Mortons is hugely expensive, but I have found the service exemplary and the steaks wonderful. When I am paying, I go to Max Downtown which also has great steaks and will cost you less money.
Sally's Fish Camp in Hartford
While I miss the old Pastis that was at this site, I do like Sally's. (Caveat, I do know the owners and managers). Pastis was wonderful, but it became confused. One of the two principals left the partnership and it sort of got dumbed down after that. Running a restaurant in Hartford is a tough business and the perceptions are everything whether they are true or not. Pastis was a french bistro.. or at least a valiant attempt at recreating one. A problem with French in CT is most are expensive (Cavey's in Manchester, Du Villages in Chester and Jean-Louis in Greenwhich) and therefore the perception continues. (i.e french=expensive , which Pastis was not, and the fact that most Americans can't read a french wine menu..... I want a Cabernet Sauvignon (Oh, you mean a Bordeaux (ok its got some merlot and cabernet franc in it as well) was a constant struggle for them. Sally's actually follows in this tradition well. It is a slightly upscale simple fish restaurant. As Pastis was simple french cooking (BTW, the wonderful hanger steak from Pastis survives on the menu at Sally's) , Sallys is simple fish prepared well.
I like the decor in Sally's. It is not over fishy.. and the whimsical painting over the bar brings a smile to my face every time I see it. The followup on the hallway to the lavaratories is a nice "Conclusion" . That being said, the raw bar is excellent. What this restaurant does is excel at the simple stuff. Fried seafood is excellent. The fish is fresh and the portions are reasonable (i.e. wont' feed a small army). I like the salads, and the lobster roll. The Connecticut lobster roll is bun, lobster and butter. If you want the Mayo, Maine is your destination., No, it is not a 1 1/4 lb lobster packed in a roll... but is yummy! If your want Cheesecake Factory portions, then you know where to head. If you want to eat three or four course meal, then come here. I have eaten my way around half the menu.
That being said, one meal didn't go so well. It was over a year ago. Four of us went to dinner. One ordered the special, three off the menu. One of us (me) ordered the whole fish of the night. I think that held up the meal. It took forever between the appetizers/salads and the main course. What is more striking, was the size difference between the entree's . My fish was huge, could have fed two (or maybe more). The special of the night, while elegant and excellent was small and out of proportion to my entre and certainly some of the others. This is not the only restaurant where the portion size perception is an issue.
Dish - Downtown Hartford
Sounds like the salad was perfect. My idea of a salad.. simple. Salads have just gotten too darned ornate. I think I will try the taco's. Most in this area suffer from lack of an interesting flavor, much less spice.
I had some apps in the bar one night. The place was mobbed and we were new but still got recognized and served promptly.. despite being in a dark corner. Most of our selections came from the raw bar and the oysters were properly servered, Maybe not the cleanest shucking, but not bad. They were briny and plump, both the east and west coast selections. The cherrystones were huge. The Saphire martini was excellent. I found the the price on the upside of downtown, but the place was doing a hugh business. I think it is a very worthy addition to downtown Hartford.
Sushi in the New Britain Area
Afraid not any Sushi in New Britain. Head to West Hartford.. a couple of good places there or Ginza's in Bloomfield, Feng in Hartford. Murasaki West Hartford, Toshi in Avon. As for fish.. bargain of the Century are the twin lobsters on Fridays and Saturdays at Angelico's in NB. Most of their other fish is decent. Occasionally cooked a little long, but that is the exception. Outside of that, the Cottage Restaurant in Plainville is superb on most things. Many specials, call ahead. Moving north, we have Grants and Max Oyster bar in West Hartford which do fish well, Sally's Fish Camp and Spris in Hartford also.
Japanese, Tibetan in Hartford area
Long past Christmas Eve.. How American Hibachi got confused with Japanese cooking I will never know. I once read about a fusion thing out of Hawaii. There is SakiMura in Simsbury which recently converted from a Japanese and Sushi Restaurant to a Hibachi room. Perhaps they do they do Hibachi well. . I haven't been back. Certainly before moving to Hibachi the Sushi bar and the Japanese menu were impeccable. It was on my top five restaurant lists in Hartford. If you have found ones you like, I would stay with them. Personally I find Hibachi cooking boring and unsatisfying. I would rather have better food sans sword play. I too like Ginza, but I stay away from the Hibachi. They have some excellent Sushi and Sashimi and the outpost in Downtown Hartford (Feng) is superb Asian/Japanese fusion. but no Hibachi
Cheese Shops in Connecticut
The off shoot of Say Cheese in West Hartford closed over a year ago. Sadly the original owner Say Cheese in Simsbury closed this fall but has reopened in a new location by new owners. The new shop is a cheese shop. Mostly cheese, some coffee and few other gourmet items. Cheese is it!
Max Fish - any early reviews?
My favorite Max is Max Downtown, followed by Trumbull Kitchen, and then Max's Oyster Bar. My least favorite have always been the suburban Max's.. more about the atmosphere and party and less about the food. Certainly Mr Rosenthal has a recipe and it works. None of his restaurants are bad, some like Max Amore and Max A Mia are certainly good, but like your impression of Max Fish.. there is nothing there to send you. Something is missing. Perhaps a product of expectation. Max Downtown is always reliable and it is excellent. Simple and good. Everything from then Hamburger, the chopped salad to the steaks and lobster. Trumbull Kitchen still has those wonderful stone pies (small pizzas) that the were trademark of the original Max on Main in Hartford.
Is There Very Good Mexican Food with a Mariachi Band?
New England is a very big place. Where in New England? So far this conversation is based in Hartford. In CT, I like Agave. Some of the dishes are more tex mex like, but the Enchiladas (filled corn tortillas in a simple sauce are very good and the seviche is excellent). The table made guacamole is very good. Even the tex mex stuff here is above average. You have to know the bar tender to get a Margarita without sour mix. The Hartford location is busy, small and probably not suited to your three hour feast.However, there are some decent non-tex mex mexican restaurants in and around Hartford. My favorite is Monte Alban on Farmington Ave in the West End of Hartford (just good food, some nice moles (read.. mole = chilli sauce, may or may not have any chocolate in it), and is nice place. No band here, just good food. This may be a good choice if you can ax the band from your requirements. You can probably work with them to create a nice feast. Cayote Flaco on New Britain avenue in Hartford also gets decent marks... I am sure no band here either. Forget Puerto Vallarta restaurants in the area. Not sure what this food is, but generally flavorless. And the Margaritas may have some tequilla in them, but I can't detect it.. mostly sour mix.
Food Franchises That Don't Suck
Ruth's Chris, Mortons, Smith and Wollensky come to mind immediately. After that, the pickins are few. Five Brothers Burgers and Fries.. in the east, the burgers are first rate, but somehow the French Fry recipe got lost when coming from the midwest (they are usually over done, or soggy). Au Bon Pain makes some decent, if small sandwiches, but their soups are great. Coffee isn't bad either.. bagels would embarrass any one from NYC (too big, no sign of ever hitting the boiling water). There used to be a chain of Mexican Restaurant around New England.. called North of the Border... if they still exist anywhere they were much better than other so called mexican chains.. still couldn't hold a candle to a decent Mexican restaurant. I may get flammed on this, but Starbucks coffee is an addiction and the pastries are above average. The new hot breakfast sandwiches at some Starbucks are pretty tasty.. (egg florentine). D'Angelos makes some decent sandwiches as well. After that, it is downhilll fast. The take em' out of the freezer or refrigerator bag and nuke em restaurants (i.e. Applebee's, TGIF, Chili's, Red Lobster, etc) are pathetic excuses for bland, salty, uninspired food. Oh, did I mention the fat content?. Outback.. tastes good enough..except everything tastes the same. An hour later, I need to drink a gallon of water to dilute the salt. I never step foot in a most chain restaurants in my local area and if on the road, I try to find a decent diner or pub serving food.. and I try to find on that is busy.. usually a good sign. After that, I hit Zagat.com and find my next restaurant there.
Taco Bell grilled taquitos?
While I plead guilty to occasionally eating TB's soft tacos, nothing here is appears anyway authentic. Most stuff is based on flour, and last I looked most (not all) mexican cuisine is based on corn. Why shouldn't the butcher the taquito as well?
