Taste of Hartford 2009 @Costa del Sol

Costa del Sol Restaurant is one place you always see and perhaps never visit. That is my story. We used to go there frequently years past but a disagreement kept me away for a long time. But I returned for Taste of Hartford.

Here is this year's menu:

Appetizer or Soup: Choose One
Pan Catalan – Catalan style bread with tomato, garlic herbed olive oil and topped w/ Serrano ham
Tortilla de patatas – Spanish potato and onion omelet
Empanada de pollo – Spanish savory pie filled with chicken, saffron onions and peppers
Gazpacho – Cold soup of pureed tomato and vegetables with a touch of aged sherry vinegar
Ensalada mixta – Mixed green salad with tomatoes, cucunbers, red onions, white asparagus, fire-roasted Piquillo pepper, and dressed with a special house vinaigrette

Entrée: Choose One
Salmon a la plancha – Grilled salmon with Spanish orange brandy glaze
Falda a la plancha con chimichurri – Grilled flank steak with mixed herb chimichurri
Pollo con Fusilli – Grilled chicken breast, chorizo, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and garlic tossed with Fusilli pasta
Paella de la casa – House paella with mussels, clams, shrimp, chorizo and chicken cooked in
saffron rice (minimum for 2)
Paella de pollo y chorizo – Chicken and chorizo cooked in saffron rice (minimum for 2)

Dessert: Choose One
Flan – Spanish caramel custard
Arroz con leche – Creamy rice pudding
Mousse de chocolate – Chocolate mousse

For appetizers we had the Tortilla de Patatas which was excellent [warm not cold as I am used to] and the Gazpacho [one of the best I have ever had either here or in Spain].
For the entrée we shared the Paella de la Casa which was very good and brimming in seafood.
For dessert the Chocolate Mousse was the winner with its orange undertaste; the Arroz con Leche was also very good and creamy.

This was a definite winner for Taste of Hartford.

bloginfo: 901 Wethersfield Ave
Hartford, CT 06114-3127 (860) 296-1714
blognote: Parking here usually sucks but someone pulled out and we had the closest space to the door. The restaurant was packed with most diners partaking of the Taste of Hartford menu.

Taste of Hartford 2009 @Mortons

Here's the Taste of Hartford menu for Morton's.
It's pretty classic just like the restaurant.

Choice of one:
Morton's Salad: Morton's Blue Cheese Dressing, Chopped Egg, and Anchovies
Caesar Salad: Classic Dressing

Choice of one:
Single Cut Filet Mignon w/ Bearnaise Sauce
Chicken Christopher w/ Garlic Beurre Blanc Sauce
Broiled Salmon Fillet w/ Chef ’s Beurre Blanc Sauce

Choice of one:
Steamed Fresh Broccoli w/ Hollandaise Sauce
Steamed Fresh Jumbo Asparagus w/ Hollandaise Sauce
Mashed Potatoes
Jumbo Baked Idaho Potato

Dessert: Double Chocolate Mousse

We had the Morton's Salad. I thought that it had been dressed much too early. The iceberg lettuce leaves [lots of white, not enough green] were quite soggy but it was tasty. Good loaf of oniony bread to start.

One diner had the Filet Mignon with Bernaise Sauce and reported it to be quite good.
The other two diners [me] had the Salmon with Beurre Blanc sauce. The two pieces of salmon were cooked perfectly; one medium and mine medium rare.

The asparagus were mediocre [the Hollandaise sauce was good] and the potatoes were large but not anything to write home about.
I skipped dessert but the other diners found it delicious.
Two cappuccinos @$5.95 ended the meal.
For the price [$20.09], it was a very good meal. Would I go back; no.

bloginfo: Morton’s – The Steakhouse – Hartford
852 Main St., Hartford
724-0044
blognote: The restaurant is dark and clubby and very noisy. The service was excellent.

Taste of Hartford 2009 ALERT!!!

The Taste of Hartford dates have been extended for a second week. Now you can dine for $20.09 until August 9th.

Pho Boston

Had a healthy dinner tonight at Pho Boston after the Concora Concert. The place was just about empty when we got there at 5:30 but very crowded by the time we left.

Started with two orders of Egg Roll [$4.25 for an order of two]. Freshly fried and very tasty!
Two Tiger beers and a Mango Bubble Tea [$3.75]. Bubble teas are the latest craze here. They add large pearl tapioca to a smoothie and then you suck it all up with a giant straw. I had one at York Noodle House in New Haven. They are fun to drink but don't think I will order another for a while [too much work].

My entree #48 was Chow Fun noodles with pork, beef, chicken and vegetable [$10.89]. This was what I had last time, two years ago. Need to venture into the menu; everyone else had interesting looking food.
Such as #111 and 112 Clay Hot Pots, one with spicy Catfish [too many bones for me] and the other with spicy Pork [$11.95] served with white rice and #72 Grilled Shrimp on Vermicelli [$8.50]. The servings were all a very good size, so arrive hungry.

bloginfo: check out the website
blognote: The day after our meal the clay hot spicy pork diner said he had a bad night of upset stomach. I thought too spicy; he thought too greasy.

Taste of Hartford 2009

Taste of Hartford starts on Monday, July 27th and goes through Sunday, August 2nd.

Don't miss out on great $20.09 fixed price three course menus at 30 different restaurants. The menus are all posted on the website [click above]. I can't figure which ones to go to this year. So many meals; so few days!

j.gilbert's

Birthday and Anniversary celebration on the same night with the same couple. What an excuse to go to j.gilbert's! Whereas one might look for a restaurant with a unique menu; here one can always find a superb meal.

We each had a Shrimp Cocktail for appetizer [$13.95 see blognote]. This is one of my favorite places to have this.

My entrée was Ivory King Salmon, a special for the night. The salmon was delicious and the presentation was very well done. The salmon rested on a bed of Spinach which rested on a Potato Gratin in a pool of Mustard Vinaigrette. This was all topped with a garland of Beet Microgreens. An excellent choice [$29.50]. The birthday entrée was the 18oz Ribeye Cowboy Steak bone-in [$35.95]with loads of Onion Straws. The anniversary [wife-side] entrée was the Filet Combo, a 4oz Filet and Scallops. Everyone enjoyed!

Desserts were the Almond Tuile Canolli [$7] and the Crême Brulée [$6]. I had a decaf Capuccino [$3.95].

bloginfo: We were at the Glastonbury j.gilbert's.
blognote: Our server [Tall Julie] recommended the original presentation of the Shrimp Cocktail as it had changed. She served it the 'old way' with the shrimp salted and peppered with a sheen of olive oil. Perfect!

Salvador Restaurant

Off to Manchester today. So headed down Burnside Avenue in East Hartford on the way home to choose one of the many ethnic restaurants for lunch.

Saw the Salvador Restaurant and decided to try it out. Good lunch at a good price in a Hispanic neighborhood. All of the diners were from this neighborhood, so it must be authentic.

All of the serving containers at the main counter were covered and there was no evident menu or meal listings. Having seen Pollo Frito painted in the front window, I ordered that. My lunch consisted of a hind quarter of a well spiced and nicely fried chicken. This came with rice and beans. Then appeared a small plate with three pupusas [see picture above]. This was the Salvadoreña touch to the meal. These tortilla-like creations are really not much to my liking as they are a little thick and mealy and probably containing cornmeal. I asked for some salsa and got two little containers: one of salsa verde [spicy] salsa roja [very spicy]. They softened up the pupusas but I didn't fininsh all three of them. For a refresco I ordered a Pepsi [not diet!!!] and the whole meal came to $10.

bloginfo: Salvador is located at 514 Burnside Avenue in East Hartford.
Telephone: 528.2442 and they are open every day from 11am to 10pm.
blognote: no parking lot, just park on the street but pull up onto the curb

Nutshell Café [for lunch]

Came back for a full lunch today after a very successful light lunch at the bar a week or so ago. Have been waiting to order Bitoque since June 3rd!

So here we are, the four of us, to celebrate an anniversary. Started with Sagres beers [$3.50]. Then two orders each of Bitoque [$10]: Grilled Steak covered with ham and a fried egg with brown gravy. This came with two sides and both of us got the potato crisps; then my rice and his salad. This was declared a 'real man's meal by one of the ladies.'

The other two entrées were a Fish Stew [special of the day for $10]. We were all surprised that it came with no sides until it arrived. A huge dish filled to overflowing with succulent seafood: calamari, shrimp, clams, mussels and swordfish with a little potato for good measure. It was declared 'yummy' by both diners and will be good meals for tomorrow.

We split one Flan for dessert which was homemade, creamy and cinnamon inspired.

bloginfo: Nutshell Café is located at White Street [see June 3rd review for details]
blognote: The Bitoque is on the dinner menu for more money but I don't see how it could get any bigger.

Cora Cora

Today's ACC Tour led us to Cora Cora. This is a Peruvian restaurant that I have been hearing about lately. My friends never steer me wrong; this was the right place to go to lunch.

We started out with the roasted corn and green sauce [sorry I don't know the name of it] that is used to spice up the roasted morsels. They make a good combination; salty, mealy and spicy. I added a Cuzqueña, Peruvian beer [$4], and we were off to a good start.

Both the entrées were delicious and of a size large enough to be tomorrow evening's dinner. My companion had the Cau Cau de Mariscos [$13] which is a mixture of seafood prepared in a stew of yellow peppers, diced potatoes, green peas and served with white rice. I also had a mixture of seafood; a Ceviche Mixto [$13.95]. This was a spicy [medio picoso] melange of the 'classical presentation of pieces of fish and seafood [shrimp, calamari, octopus and mussels] marinated with lemon and special Peruvian spice sauce'. All served with corn, boiled potato and sweet potato. Excellent!

bloginfo: Cora Cora is located at 162 Shield Street in West Hartford [just off New Britain Avenue], Telephone [free delivery] 860.953.2672
Their website is under construction.
blognote: I met two Peruvian friends there that I had not seen for a year or so. She approved of my order of Ceviche Mixto and said it was her favorite dish.

Pho 88

Ended up at Pho 88 on Park Street today for my Wednesday lunch tour. I had the names of one Thai and two Vietnamese restaurants on my list. I couldn't find two of them; I think the Thai restaurant moved. The culinary gods were with me; this little place rocks.

I wanted a Vietnamese pancake but couldn't find it on the menu. The waitress pointed it out to me under the appetizer section translated as 'Vietnamese Crepe.' It is number 9 [$8.95] on the front page and says Vietnamese Crepe: a traditional mixture of shrimp, pork, bean sprouts and a delicate sauce folded into a rice powder pancake. It was crispy plateful with the above mentioned pork and shrimp with an array of cucumber and greens the only one of which I could identify was lettuce. There was an accompanying bowl of clear dressing and shredded carrot. That sauce and a couple of squirts of a brown paste spiced it up. I did not use the red chili paste labeled HOT!
After ordering and requesting just water to drink, I noticed the Smoothie list. There was a large variety of smoothies available [they even had Durian but that is another Filipino story!]. I ordered one made of mango but they were out and I substituted avocado. One of the best smoothies I have ever had [$4].

bloginfo: Pho 88 is located at 1999 Park Street, telephone 233.1928
blognote: the waitress I had spoke very good English so you won't have trouble with the menu