All posts filed under: Restaurants

Harlan Publick

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Mention SoNo and the first thing is people complain about parking. Complain no more. Harlan Publick is steps away from a public lot, and they validate parking. I dined there recently at the invitation of Max Ex, the restaurant marketing firm.  Harlan Publick is one of three Harlan restaurants in Fairfield County, CT, started by chef Stephen Lewandowski. Each is an expression of the new American theme, with seasonal menus. I wrote about Harlan Social in Harbor Point recently for Stamford Magazine. Harlan Haus, a beer hall in downtown Bridgeport, is calling my name, and I hope to get there soon. Harlan Publick has a courtyard with an outdoor fireplace and bar, which draws a buzzing crowd of young people who look like they just left the office. As the evening cooled, they moved inside, creating a lively bar scene. The dining room was quiet and emptier. Which presents an opportunity; chef Kamal Rose has introduced his fall menu and he’s not afraid of flavor. The meal began with one of the best salads I’ve …

Prime: American Kitchen and Bar

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The location is prime. Right on the water in Stamford, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a harbor filled with pleasure boats. Comfortable, contemporary, and sophisticated, Prime serves an updated American surf and turf menu. Start with sushi, and end with steak. That’s what we did. Prime, which opened 2 years ago, wasn’t on my radar, until I was invited to dinner there by Carolyn Izzo of CIIS.  It’s one of the 8 restaurants in the Bohlsen Restaurant Group, which runs another Prime across Long Island Sound in Huntington, N.Y. The intriguing avocado-wrapped Green Lotus revealed an interior of spicy tuna, lump crab, and Asian pear. The Stamford Landing roll wrapped tuna over shrimp tempura and avocado. For those who avoid sushi, a starter of prosciutto and caramelized figs, with almonds and goat cheese, drizzled with balsamic glaze, was sweet and salty. Prime lived up to its name with this 21-day aged USA Prime porterhouse steak for two. It had a good char on the outside, and was pink, well-marbled, tender and full of beefy flavor.  It …

Top Three Pizza Places in Fairfield County

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Connecticut’s reputation as a pizza state rests firmly in New Haven, where Pepe’s, Sally’s and Modern play out a long rivalry. New Haven pizza’s roots are Italian immigrants who arrived in the early 1900s. Today, New Haven-style thin-crust pizzas are being blistered in ovens ovens all over Fairfield County. Pepe’s opened its first outpost in Fairfield more than 10 years ago, and it still can’t shake mutterings “It’s not as good as New Haven,” because how can an old seasoned oven compete with one that’s been firing only a dozen years?  (Take that, futurists and technocrats!) I have enjoyed pizzas at Pepe’s in Fairfield. We met friends who were driving back to New Jersey from a Connecticut casino. They didn’t know that pizza was a Connecticut Thing. The long  lines at Pepe’s, the anticipation, seemed to be a sign it was worth waiting for. Getting a table felt like an honor, followed by the rush of ordering. Our friends loved the pizzas, and packed up half to take home to their kids. When the check came, we were glad they’d done so well …