“OPA !”
This is what my wife calls Eos Restaurant because of two reasons: 1) we hear it exclaimed at least three times per night whenever we dine there (there is something about the flaming cheese, aka Saganaki, that makes people want to shout it out -- order it and see!) and 2) she has a lousy memory and can never seem to remember that it’s called Eos. So the discussion goes something like this:
“Hey honey, where do you want to eat tonight?”
“Um, I dunno, where do YOU want to eat tonight?”
“How about.....[face screwed up, trying to remember the name]……OPA!”
And scene.
We like Eos a lot. One whole side of their menu is devoted to Mezedes, which I believe are the Greek equivalent to Tapas, or small plates. The other side has soups, salads and entrees. We always stick to the Mezedes side of the menu, order a few different plates each and get a variety of tasty treats brought to the table. We change it up every time we go, and we haven’t had a bad meal yet.
Some of our favorite dishes include, but are not limited to:
Hummus (chick pea spread), Tzatziki (yogurt, cucumber & garlic dip), Dolmades (my personal favorite, rice-stuffed grape leaves), Loukaniko (citrus infused pork sausage), Kalamarakia (grilled calamari), Octapodi (grilled octopus) and Spanakopita (crispy phyllo dough triangles filled with spinach and feta cheese). I could go on and on. You get the picture.
One of the other great things about Eos is that their wine list includes a nice assortment of Greek wines, which are close to impossible to find in Connecticut. They serve several by the glass, so if you’re unsure about committing to a full bottle of some crazy-grape-named Greek wine you’ve never heard of before (Agiorgitiko? Moschofilero??), I’m sure the staff would be more than happy to give you a little taste first.
As always, I leave you here with a clip. I’ll bet you thought I was going to pick a scene from “My Big, Fat Greek Wedding” – didn’t you? Yeah, well, you’re right, I was. But then I found this one and thought it might get a bigger laugh. Enjoy !
Eos Greek Cuisine
490 Summer Street
Stamford, CT 06901
(203) 569-6250
www.eosgreekcuisine.com
View Larger Map
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Burger Bar and Bistro in Norwalk for Lunch
Word of caution: Cranky Review Ahead. Buckle up readers, you’re in for a bumpy ride.
We’re driving around Fairfield County one recent weekend afternoon, seeing the sights and getting a lay of the land. Stopped into not one, not two, but FIVE restaurants in the hopes of grabbing some lunch, and denied every time. Finally (FINALLY!) in South Norwalk we found a place that was open and still serving food, the Burger Bar and Bistro on North Main Street. Oh, how I wished we had just gone to the Subway we saw open next door…
Now let me just say, in defense of the BBB (for we shall not speak of its name again), we were tired, hungry and annoyed that no restaurants in Fairfield County seem to think anyone should be allowed to eat food between 3pm and 5pm on a Saturday afternoon. So we were unhappy before we even sat down. HOWEVER, the SUPORRIBLE (I just made that word up ! SUPER + HORRIBLE) service at BBB pushed us over the edge! To a point that, even now, days later, I’m thinking of emailing the manager over there and giving him a piece of my mind. Okay, taking a breath….
We sat at the bar. Usually one of our favorite places to sit, mostly because you’re in the thick of the action of the inner-workings of a restaurant, which we find fun, and – added bonus – you usually get served quicker. Operative word in that sentence: usually. Did I mention we’re not friends with the bartender? The reason I tell you this is because apparently that is the only way to get served at BBB. We watched her talk to her friends for at least ten minutes before she even walked over to hand us a menu. I almost poured myself my own beer, right from the tap, into my cupped hands. After ordering, we waited FOREVER to get our drinks, and an even longer time to actually receive our food. We had time to play ten rounds of Connect Four before our food appeared (BBB has board games all over the bar/restaurant, and I have to be honest and tell you that it got to a point where the checker chips were looking pretty darn appetizing to my growling stomach).
This is usually the part where I talk about the food. However, I will be pleading the 5th this time around, ladies and gentlemen. I am so upset about the service that I do not wish to review the food at this restaurant. Which is unfortunate, because BBB has a great take on the burger joint: grass-fed beef, gourmet toppings, great beer list, live music nightly. I just wish they could do something about the rotten service.
To cheer myself up, I am including this clip about waiters. See if you recognize anyone…
Burger Bar and Bistro
58 North Main Street
Norwalk, CT 06854-2716
(203) 853-2037
www.burgerbarsono.com
View Larger Map
We’re driving around Fairfield County one recent weekend afternoon, seeing the sights and getting a lay of the land. Stopped into not one, not two, but FIVE restaurants in the hopes of grabbing some lunch, and denied every time. Finally (FINALLY!) in South Norwalk we found a place that was open and still serving food, the Burger Bar and Bistro on North Main Street. Oh, how I wished we had just gone to the Subway we saw open next door…
Now let me just say, in defense of the BBB (for we shall not speak of its name again), we were tired, hungry and annoyed that no restaurants in Fairfield County seem to think anyone should be allowed to eat food between 3pm and 5pm on a Saturday afternoon. So we were unhappy before we even sat down. HOWEVER, the SUPORRIBLE (I just made that word up ! SUPER + HORRIBLE) service at BBB pushed us over the edge! To a point that, even now, days later, I’m thinking of emailing the manager over there and giving him a piece of my mind. Okay, taking a breath….
We sat at the bar. Usually one of our favorite places to sit, mostly because you’re in the thick of the action of the inner-workings of a restaurant, which we find fun, and – added bonus – you usually get served quicker. Operative word in that sentence: usually. Did I mention we’re not friends with the bartender? The reason I tell you this is because apparently that is the only way to get served at BBB. We watched her talk to her friends for at least ten minutes before she even walked over to hand us a menu. I almost poured myself my own beer, right from the tap, into my cupped hands. After ordering, we waited FOREVER to get our drinks, and an even longer time to actually receive our food. We had time to play ten rounds of Connect Four before our food appeared (BBB has board games all over the bar/restaurant, and I have to be honest and tell you that it got to a point where the checker chips were looking pretty darn appetizing to my growling stomach).
This is usually the part where I talk about the food. However, I will be pleading the 5th this time around, ladies and gentlemen. I am so upset about the service that I do not wish to review the food at this restaurant. Which is unfortunate, because BBB has a great take on the burger joint: grass-fed beef, gourmet toppings, great beer list, live music nightly. I just wish they could do something about the rotten service.
To cheer myself up, I am including this clip about waiters. See if you recognize anyone…
Burger Bar and Bistro
58 North Main Street
Norwalk, CT 06854-2716
(203) 853-2037
www.burgerbarsono.com
View Larger Map
Monday, April 19, 2010
Liz Sue Bagels in Stamford for Breakfast
A couple of months ago while I was walking around downtown Stamford on a Saturday morning I was stopped by a woman in an SUV looking for a bagel shop in Stamford. I told her that there were no bagel shops in Stamford and that her best bet would be a Dunkin' Donuts. Sorry Liz Sue Bagels. I wish I knew about Liz Sue earlier.
On the Saturday that we had lunch a Tabouli Grill, we discovered Liz Sue Bagels -- it is literally next door to Tabouli Grill. Liz Sue makes their own bagels on site and it shows in the quality of the bagels. Increasingly my wife and I have found that it is apparently difficult to make a good cup of coffee -- I am looking at you McDonalds by Exit 9 of I-95. Thankfully, Liz Sue is not one of the places that has a hard time making coffee. The coffee at Liz Sue is very good. In addition to traditional bagel and cream cheese, Liz Sue offers a variety of breakfast sandwiches. My wife had one and really liked it. We will definitely be back to Liz Sue for bagels. We were lucky to find it and won't forget about it.
For those that have no idea what a bagel is, hopefully this instructional video from Fairway Market will help.
Liz Sue Bagels
63 High Ridge Road
Stamford, CT 06905
(203) 323-4611
View Larger Map
On the Saturday that we had lunch a Tabouli Grill, we discovered Liz Sue Bagels -- it is literally next door to Tabouli Grill. Liz Sue makes their own bagels on site and it shows in the quality of the bagels. Increasingly my wife and I have found that it is apparently difficult to make a good cup of coffee -- I am looking at you McDonalds by Exit 9 of I-95. Thankfully, Liz Sue is not one of the places that has a hard time making coffee. The coffee at Liz Sue is very good. In addition to traditional bagel and cream cheese, Liz Sue offers a variety of breakfast sandwiches. My wife had one and really liked it. We will definitely be back to Liz Sue for bagels. We were lucky to find it and won't forget about it.
For those that have no idea what a bagel is, hopefully this instructional video from Fairway Market will help.
Liz Sue Bagels
63 High Ridge Road
Stamford, CT 06905
(203) 323-4611
View Larger Map
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sidecar in New York City for Dinner
Sticking with the subtitle theme, the subtitle for this post is You can't go home again. Sidecar occupies a special place in our lives: My wife and I had our first Valentine's Day date there, as well as our wedding reception. One of the last meals that we had in Manhattan before moving to Connecticut was at Sidecar. In addition, we had the opportunity to meet some really incredible people that used to work at Sidecar, like him, him and her (Meg, not the other woman). Many of them will be famous one day and we will be those annoying people that say "I knew them when."
Sidecar is a New York City steakhouse that is on the second floor of the original P.J. Clarke's in Manhattan. P.J. Clarke's has been around for literally over 100 years, however, Sidecar is a relatively new restaurant.
After having not visited the restaurant in over a year, we went back a few Saturdays ago for dinner with friends. As I said, you can't go home again. To start with, all of the waitstaff that we knew are no longer around. In addition, the menu has changed entirely. Sidecar was a steakhouse with an excellent raw bar. That was what differentiated it from the rest. Now, it is trying to be something more casual like P.J. Clarke's and it doesn't work. Also, P.J. Clarke's has its trademark red and white checkered tablecloths. Sidecar was always more formal and had white linen tablecloths. It looked like this:
Not any more -- the red and white checkered tablecloths from P.J. Clarke's have found their way upstairs to Sidecar. Why? This cheapens the whole Sidecar experience. Sidecar has also decided that mirroring the P.J. Clarke's menu is a good thing. (In essence, Sidecar has become a second dining room of P.J. Clarke's). I would not be as upset about this if the new menu at Sidecar was as good as the food at P.J. Clarke's. It isn't. Not even close. To add insult to injury, the prices at Sidecar have remained higher than the prices at P.J. Clarke's despite having THE SAME ITEMS ON BOTH MENUS.
I fear that I am coming across sounding like a cranky old man and I guess I am. I am generally okay with change provided that the change improves something. The changes to Sidecar have not improved a thing. In fact, they have ruined what made Sidecar so great. It is sad to see a once great restaurant lose its luster.
But, let's talk about the food. Let me say this again: Sidecar is a steakhouse. I ordered my steak medium-rare. I guess they changed the chef along with the menu and decor because this chef does not know what medium rare is. The steak was way over done. I admit that I share some blame for not sending the steak back and asking for it to be re-cooked. However, when you are at dinner with 5 other people, sending something back is a little too pretentious for me. Also, Sidecar used to have the best creamed spinach I had ever tasted. Not sure what happened to the recipe, but the creamed spinach that we were served was watery and gross. We could not eat it. Finally, I thought one of the things that they teach you in Restaurant Cooking 101 is that all the food for a table should come out of the kitchen at the same time. Well, the new chef at Sidecar should get a refund from his culinary school: Four entrees came out and everyone at the table waited a good three to five minutes before the last two entrees came to the table. (Another reason why I didn't send the steak back).
There is one bright spot -- the raw bar. Sidecar still has an excellent selection of fresh oysters.
If you find yourself in New York, I highly recommend a burger, a beer and fries at P.J. Clarke's -- the original on 55th and 3rd, not one of the new locations. I wish that I could also highly recommend Sidecar (like I used to), but I just can't.
At our wedding, we included a brief history of P.J. Clarke's and Sidecar on the menu. Johnny Mercer wrote One for My Baby at P.J. Clarke's bar on the back of a napkin. I leave you with the definitive version of this song.
Sidecar
205 East 55th Street
New York, NY 10022-4001
(212) 317-2044
www.pjclarkes.com
View Larger Map
Sidecar is a New York City steakhouse that is on the second floor of the original P.J. Clarke's in Manhattan. P.J. Clarke's has been around for literally over 100 years, however, Sidecar is a relatively new restaurant.
After having not visited the restaurant in over a year, we went back a few Saturdays ago for dinner with friends. As I said, you can't go home again. To start with, all of the waitstaff that we knew are no longer around. In addition, the menu has changed entirely. Sidecar was a steakhouse with an excellent raw bar. That was what differentiated it from the rest. Now, it is trying to be something more casual like P.J. Clarke's and it doesn't work. Also, P.J. Clarke's has its trademark red and white checkered tablecloths. Sidecar was always more formal and had white linen tablecloths. It looked like this:
Not any more -- the red and white checkered tablecloths from P.J. Clarke's have found their way upstairs to Sidecar. Why? This cheapens the whole Sidecar experience. Sidecar has also decided that mirroring the P.J. Clarke's menu is a good thing. (In essence, Sidecar has become a second dining room of P.J. Clarke's). I would not be as upset about this if the new menu at Sidecar was as good as the food at P.J. Clarke's. It isn't. Not even close. To add insult to injury, the prices at Sidecar have remained higher than the prices at P.J. Clarke's despite having THE SAME ITEMS ON BOTH MENUS. I fear that I am coming across sounding like a cranky old man and I guess I am. I am generally okay with change provided that the change improves something. The changes to Sidecar have not improved a thing. In fact, they have ruined what made Sidecar so great. It is sad to see a once great restaurant lose its luster.
But, let's talk about the food. Let me say this again: Sidecar is a steakhouse. I ordered my steak medium-rare. I guess they changed the chef along with the menu and decor because this chef does not know what medium rare is. The steak was way over done. I admit that I share some blame for not sending the steak back and asking for it to be re-cooked. However, when you are at dinner with 5 other people, sending something back is a little too pretentious for me. Also, Sidecar used to have the best creamed spinach I had ever tasted. Not sure what happened to the recipe, but the creamed spinach that we were served was watery and gross. We could not eat it. Finally, I thought one of the things that they teach you in Restaurant Cooking 101 is that all the food for a table should come out of the kitchen at the same time. Well, the new chef at Sidecar should get a refund from his culinary school: Four entrees came out and everyone at the table waited a good three to five minutes before the last two entrees came to the table. (Another reason why I didn't send the steak back).
There is one bright spot -- the raw bar. Sidecar still has an excellent selection of fresh oysters.
If you find yourself in New York, I highly recommend a burger, a beer and fries at P.J. Clarke's -- the original on 55th and 3rd, not one of the new locations. I wish that I could also highly recommend Sidecar (like I used to), but I just can't.
At our wedding, we included a brief history of P.J. Clarke's and Sidecar on the menu. Johnny Mercer wrote One for My Baby at P.J. Clarke's bar on the back of a napkin. I leave you with the definitive version of this song.
Sidecar
205 East 55th Street
New York, NY 10022-4001
(212) 317-2044
www.pjclarkes.com
View Larger Map
Monday, April 12, 2010
Martel Restaurant in Fairfield for Dinner
If this post has a subtitle it is I will gladly pay you Tuesday for dinner today. When my wife and I went to Martel, I left my wallet home. I only realized this after we ordered. As I began to run out the door to go home and get it, the waiter asked me what was wrong. I told him about the wallet and he kindly allowed us to eat dinner and call him when we got home with my credit card number. Unlike Wimpy, I didn't wait till Tuesday to settle the bill -- I phoned the restaurant the minute we walked in the door.
Martel Restaurant is a French bistro located on the border of Fairfield and Southport. The building that houses the restaurant is a quiant New England style building. When you enter the restaurant, the front half is occupied by the bar and a few bistro tables; the main dining room is in the back. The main dining room has wood paneling up half of the wall. The rest is painted antique yellow. It gives the impression that the restaurant has been there for a while. I am not sure that it has but it looks like it has.
For dinner, I started with the escargot, which was a special that night. Thankfully, Martel did not serve them in the fake snail shells. Instead, they were served with a little oil and garlic over a bed of greens. For dinner, I had the chicken riesling. The name is deceptive. I thought that it was more like a coq au vin made with chicken rather than rooster. It was excellent. It was served with potatoes, leeks, mushrooms and pearl onions. The vegetables complimented the taste of the chicken perfectly. My wife had the seared scallops, which were served with farro, mozzarella, roasted bell pepper and a beurre blanc sauce. It was excellent as well. We finished our meal with coffee and biscotti. Okay, I'll admit that biscotti is not very French and to be honest, we wanted the beignets, but we just didn't have room. (Many a dinner conversation has involved the beignet -- my wife is convinced that every culture has a fried dough-type substance. We are committed to finding and trying each and every one).
I could not embed a clip of Wimpy saying his classic line, however one can be seen here. Instead I leave you with a clip of Wimpy singing the Hamburger song. Enjoy.
Martel Restaurant
2316 Post Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
(203) 292-6916
www.martelrestaurant.com
View Larger Map
Martel Restaurant is a French bistro located on the border of Fairfield and Southport. The building that houses the restaurant is a quiant New England style building. When you enter the restaurant, the front half is occupied by the bar and a few bistro tables; the main dining room is in the back. The main dining room has wood paneling up half of the wall. The rest is painted antique yellow. It gives the impression that the restaurant has been there for a while. I am not sure that it has but it looks like it has.
For dinner, I started with the escargot, which was a special that night. Thankfully, Martel did not serve them in the fake snail shells. Instead, they were served with a little oil and garlic over a bed of greens. For dinner, I had the chicken riesling. The name is deceptive. I thought that it was more like a coq au vin made with chicken rather than rooster. It was excellent. It was served with potatoes, leeks, mushrooms and pearl onions. The vegetables complimented the taste of the chicken perfectly. My wife had the seared scallops, which were served with farro, mozzarella, roasted bell pepper and a beurre blanc sauce. It was excellent as well. We finished our meal with coffee and biscotti. Okay, I'll admit that biscotti is not very French and to be honest, we wanted the beignets, but we just didn't have room. (Many a dinner conversation has involved the beignet -- my wife is convinced that every culture has a fried dough-type substance. We are committed to finding and trying each and every one).
I could not embed a clip of Wimpy saying his classic line, however one can be seen here. Instead I leave you with a clip of Wimpy singing the Hamburger song. Enjoy.
Martel Restaurant
2316 Post Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
(203) 292-6916
www.martelrestaurant.com
View Larger Map
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