All posts tagged: featured

Bests and Favorites: Food of 2017

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In no particular order other than jogging the old noggin, here are the dishes, drinks and food experiences I enjoyed the most in Fairfield County, CT, and beyond, in 2017.  Critera for inclusion: eaten in the last year. Samosas. Royal Guard in Norwalk makes crisp deep-fried samosas filled with spiced potatoes.  But that’s not all. The fish and chips are the best in Fairfield County. And the Pakistani chicken curry with warm, glistening naan makes up for the lack of atmosphere in this little hole in the wall. I reviewed Royal Guard for the Hartford Courant. Cochinita at Los Poblanos in Norwalk. I’ve written about Los Poblanos for the Hartford Courant and CT Bites. It’s a big favorite of  my friends, one of whom lived in Mexico. We refer to the restaurant as “Juan’s.” Juan is the chef-owner. He, his wife and children are lovely people. I love Mexican food. Could eat it every day. Here are a couple of my favorite dishes at Mexican places in Bridgeport. I wrote about my favorite ethnic restaurants in Bridgeport here. Carnitas with grilled jalapeno at La Mexicana, Bridgeport Carnitas tacos …

Chef’s Tasting Menu at Olea

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When guests visit for days, I often take them for a jaunt to New Haven. It’s about a half-hour drive from Fairfield, and offers the Yale University Art Galleries. New Haven also has great restaurants. I’m adding another to my list. The owners of Olea, a Spanish-Mediterranean restaurant, invited me to experience the chef’s tasting menu. Olea has a calming, contemporary atmosphere, that looks upscale, but soon transformed into a buzz. In the site of the former Ibiza, Olea shares a heritage with that acclaimed Spanish restaurant; the new chef/co-owner is the former chef of Ibiza, and worked at Meigas and Meson Galicia in Norwalk with chef Luis Bollo, when it was the best Spanish restaurant in the Northeast. Olea is now assuming that mantle.  The Mediterranean food reveals classic technique, with fun molecular gastronomy touches of foams and soils, bound in a love of craft and of cooking for restaurant guests. The meal began with a sampling of three tapas on a rectangular plate. A clear glass of pureed orange-hued gazpacho balanced sweetness and acidity (a quality in many of the dishes to follow). A codfish …

My Favorite Ethnic Restaurants in Bridgeport, CT

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It surprises people that even though I’m a restaurant reviewer, I really don’t go out that much. It’s rare for me to go to a restaurant more than twice, unless it’s work-related. But there are places that I’ve been to many times, the regular spots I go to with my husband. These are my favorite ethnic restaurant in Bridgeport. I’ve written about most of these places, for the Hartford Courant, CTBites and others. Click on the links to read the full reviews. Mexican   El Paraiso for lunch.  Hearty plates of enchiladas, chile rellenos, or weekend Sunday pozole. La Mexicana for lunch. Carnitas tacos and fresh melon drinks.  Vietnamese Pho Thom for Vietnamese pho and spring rolls. The link is to their Pho Thom’s FB page because my article in the Courant has disappeared. Where oh where did it go? Thai It isn’t easy to find good Thai food. The best place to find excellent Thai restaurants is Queens, N.Y.  So I was thrilled to discover RuuThai serves dishes you won’t find anywhere else in Connecticut. Mussels pancakes. Full-flavored curries. Desserts for the adventurous. Here’s a …

Best Apple Cake Ever

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My mother-in-law Renate is an excellent baker. One of the stars in her repertoire is apple cake. Whenever Renate visits she asks, “Shall I make a cake?” We always say yes and “How about the apple cake!” It’s not  a cake in the way you’d think, with flour and a leavener. It’s more like French clafoutis, with a bottom crust.Renate uses an unusual method with the dough (made with butter and an egg, giving it a more cookie-like rather than flakey structure). After it’s chilled, she slices the dough and presses the pieces into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a spring form cake pan. Then she adds a particularly German touch. She sprinkles unseasoned homemade breadcrumbs over the dough. The recipe comes from Chef Tell, one of her favorite chefs. He was a German chef who had a PBS program “In the Kitchen with Chef Tell” in the 70s and 80s. Renate scores apple halves, places them on the breadcrumbs, and pours a custard of eggs, sour cream, cream  and vanilla over the apples. After it bakes and cools, …