Señor Pancho's

CLOSED! CLOSED! CLOSED! CLOSED AT THIS LOCATION!!!

Flood Tide Restaurant

Brunch [$27] here today. New kitchen, new menu.
Started with a complimentary Mimosa [me] or Bloody Mary.

Omelette station [bacon, mushroom, cheddar omelette for me] and a beautiful carved slow-roasted Prime Rib.
Oysters and shrimp; Nova and its usual trappings; fresh fruit platter
Breakfast items: Eggs Benedict, Waffles, Sausage and bacon, Croissant
Entrée items: Chicken Tuscany, Steak, Crab stuffed Filet of Sole, Shrimp and Pasta
Dessert table: German Chocolate cake, mini-Cannolli, Raspberry squares and Bread Pudding in a Caramel Sauce.

bloginfo: see info for the restaurant and inn here.
blognote: Jody [owner] picked up the check!

Franklin Giant Grinders

Got two Combination Grinders [hoagies, subs, heros, ?] here this afternoon. They were a combination of ham, sweet capicola and Genoa salami with lettuce, tomato, roasted peppers, oil/vinegar dressing. Costing $17 [yes, each] and weighing about 3 pounds , they are definitely the BEST grinders in Connecticut [for the money and/or the taste].

bloginfo: Located at 464 Franklin Ave., Hartford, CT 06114
near the intersection of Franklin and Brown
(860) 296-6574

Ann Howard @the Bond Ballroom

Wedding reception after a beautiful afternoon ceremony in Hartford. Walked to the reception from the church led by a bagpiper!

Hors d'oeuvre station: Huge block of cheddar cheese, Baked brie with pecans and maple syrup, Vegetables and fruit with dip.
Passed hors d'oeuvre: Spinach/Crab Phyllo, Crabcakes with remoulade, Bacon-wrapped Scallops, Lamb cubes with apple chutney

Baby spinach salad with strawberries

Entrées: Artichoke Chicken in white wine/caper sauce or Black Angus Sirloin served with scalloped potato tower and Sauté of peppers and squash

Dessert: Chocolate-dipped strawberries, Lemon cookies and the inevitable Wedding Cake [filled with chocolate mousse].

bloginfo: Ann Howard's site here. I have had several successful dinners at her Apricot's restaurant in Farmington.
bloginfo: The groom is my nephew and they were off to Ireland for their honeymoon!

Luce

Dined here last evening for a birthday celebration [no, not mine!]. Had a very enjoyable meal. Have not eaten here for a long time [and that was a couple of lunches].

Good bread and herbed oil to start.
Both couples split a Signature Salad [$8.50]: field greens, buffalo mozzarella and warm polenta croutons with a creamy dressing.

Entrées: Black Bass special [$25.95], Long Island Duck 2 Ways [$22 with rave review], Porcini Mushroom Ravioli in a White Truffle Sauce [$18.95] and an evening's special of Lobster Ravioli in a Saffron Sauce [$20.95 my choice, excellent].

We all split a serving of Mascarpone Ricotta Cheesecake [$6] which was light and moist.

Some coffees and a couple of glasses of wine [Belmondo Pinot Grigio @$6.25 and a house Merlot @$5.50].

bloginfo: look at the website here.
blognote: Good service, restaurant crowded, tables in our section rather close together. Another time I would request a specific table when making the reservation.

Ruby Tuesday

I know it's Saturday but couldn't find a Ruby Saturday.

Started with the Asian Dumpling appetizer [$7.69] and there were five potstickers with a peanut sauce. Very good!

One entrée [not mine] was the Shrimp Scampi/Steak Combo [$14.99] which contained a nicely turned steak with shrimp over rice. My entrée was the MiniBurger Trio. I had seen the commercial and fell for it; it was well worth it! The three miniburgers were crab cake, turkey and cheeseburger. This came with good fries.

One dessert [not mine] was the Blondie [$4.99] a butterscotch brownie with 'perfect' vanilla ice cream. I sampled a bite [or two] and it was rich and full of calories.

David Glass cheesecakes...

Went to the tasting today at the David Glass cheesecake factory in Bloomfield. Always lots of good things to try especially of new products. David, himself, was manning the cashbox.

I bought a Triple Chocolate Mousse cake [$10], a Crystallized Ginger cake [$8] and two 6" Chocolate Truffle cakes [$10 for 2]. This will keep my freezer stocked for entertaining and 'host/hostess' gifts [sure makes one popular!]

bloginfo: check out the website here for tastings, email info and directions.
blognote: I didn't buy the Pumpkin cheesecake pictured above but I did taste it.