Big Bubba's BBQ

Had a 'light' lunch here today at the Mohegan Sun Casino.

Three of us all ordering off the appetizer menu: one order of Trash Ribs [$8.95], one order of Slo Smoked BBQ Wings [$$9.95] and an order of BBQ Sliders [$9.95]. We supplemented with an order of Onion Rings [$6.95]. Well the Trash Ribs were great, the Wings were probably from eagles not chickens they were so big and the Sliders [two - one each of pulled pork and one of brisket] were a bit dry. The rings were also gigantic [get the theme here]. The server, Billy S, really wanted us to get the Lunch All-You-Can-Eat Special for $19.95; they probably serve this in a wheelbarrow. Oh, and sodas are $3.50 [free refills].

Needless to say, there was a pretty big doggy bag leaving that place.

blognote: Vanna White was again not too nice to me on the Wheel of Fortune machine. Guess I need a break from Mohegan Sun. Wonder what the restaurants are like at Foxwoods??!!

J Restaurant|Bar

                                  
Check out the website for J Restaurant|Bar here and pick out something good to eat! There were two winners, a very good and a 'not a winner' today.

The Tuscan Panino with sliced prosciutto, grilled portabella mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette [$14] was not the winner and a Salad of mixed baby greens, grilled asparagus, grilled onions, gorgonzola cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette [$9] with grilled chicken [+$4] was pronounced good.


My Clam Chowder [$4 soup of the day] was excellent; loaded with clams, some potatoes and a very creamy well spiced chowder 'broth.' The Salmon BLT [$14] is one of my favorites at J's. The large piece of salmon was perfectly grilled and the bacon was thick and crispy with roasted tomatoes and herb aioli.


bloginfo: J's is open at most all hours. Parking is ample and secure.
blognote: The Frites on the two sandwiches had to be sent back as they had sat 'under the light' too long, the replacements were perfect.

John Harvard's Brew House

Stopped here for a quick supper. Hadn't been here for quite a while.

Both ordered Sliders: BLT with pancetta, lettuce and tomato [$8.99] and Steak Bomb with shaved steak, sautéed onions and American cheese [$9.99]. Each served with addictive Kettle Fries.

bloginfo: Menu has all locations so need to put in the nearest as there are different menus depending on site.
blognote: The Sliders didn't appear on the website menu. New?

ON20 Chef Dinner

Chef’s Demonstration Dinner Thursday, March 25, 2010

Executive Chef Noel Jones

Featuring

Chef Billy Grant of Grants and Bricco

Chef Lynn Mansel of Mohegan Sun Casino

English Pea Soup with Mint

Smoked Bacon Lardons, Brioche Croutons

by Chef Noel Jones

• •• •

Madagascar Prawn

Gazpacho Salad, Spring Herbs, Lemon Fluid Gel

by Chef Noel Jones
and served with a Manifesto Sauvignon Blanc

• •• •

Chickpea Ravioli

Crispy Chickpea, Fava Beans, Truffle Burro, Castlemagno Cheese

by Chef Billy Grant
and served with a Domaine Roger Perrin Côte du Rhone Blanc

• •• •

Colorado Lamb “Crepinette”

Roasted Carrot Purée, Asparagus, Pan Fried Potatoes, Lamb Jus Lié

by Chef Noel Jones
and served with a Norton Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 

• •• •

Raspberry Sablé

Vanilla Bean Cream, Crème Fraîche Ice Cream

by Chef Lynn Mansel
and served with a Tannot dessert wine Vinedo de los Vientos Alcyone


bloginfo: A wonderful evening of culinary excellence and Irish, Italian and Welsh wit! Check out the website for menus and upcoming events.
blognote: Check out the Chef Noel Jones interview in today's Java column in the Hartford Courant

Fire and Spice Restaurant

I had the pleasure of eating at the Fire and Spice Restaurant today. This is a super little place in Hartford where good, fresh food is served. It is a Vegan restaurant and it was my first opportunity to partake of this wonderful cuisine.

Their menu is online [along with a 25% coupon which I used] so I had some ideas on what to order. It all looked so good but with a dinner invite this evening, I ordered only a Salad Wrap. This wrap was chock full of veggies and my favorite, avocado. This was also plated with a side salad which contained another favorite, beets.

bloginfo: Park on the street near the corner on Farmington Avenue

blognote: Also took home a Ackee Pattie just hot from the oven. Will try that later. And I will be back to try out more food especially the Quinoa and French Lentils.

Sonny's Sandwiches

Inside the Main Street Creamery you can find Sonny's Sandwiches. For those of you who remember Ruby's on Main Street in Middletown, this is the same!!!

Read the New York Times review here.

Went here today, four of us, and performed a Corned Beef/Pastrami taste test. I split an order of a small sandwich [$8 for 1/4 lb of meat] and had half a corned beef and half a pastrami both on rye with mustard [complements of my neighbor].

Guess what! The pastrami won. Chef came over and inquired if the pastrami was moist enough; it was succulent. The corned beef was very good but the pastrami was just better. They each came with a pickle and a choice of chips, potato salad or coleslaw. I had the coleslaw and forget it. The potato salad was considered very good. It had a pink tinge to the mayonnaise [paprika?].

Then I partook of the creamery side of the business with a small cup [$3] of Reese's Nightmare. This was very good.

bloginfo: Park on the street as the back lot has only two spaces [private?].
blognote: Next time I will have a whole large [1/2 lb of meat] pastrami on seeded rye and another of the many flavors of ice cream.

Little Taste of Texas

Recession Fighter Menu! Little did I know that you could get the real stuff at such good prices.

Ate lunch today at Danny's Little Taste of Texas in South Windsor.

We each had the Texas Size Spud [$6.99 on the recession fighter menu] and it was sure 'texas sized' and filled with pulled pork, butter, cheese, sour cream and chives. It was delicious. Chips and salsa on the table beforehand and a real treat.

I also had a Hosmer Mountain Sarsaparilla Soda [from a list of many flavors] which is bottled in Connecticut. The other beverage was a texas sized fresh cup of coffee.

bloginfo: The restaurant is just a bit past Evergreen Walk; turn right at the intersection with the big white church.
blognote: The recession is not limited to lunch; check out the $10 dinner plates.

Frank Pepe's @Mohegan Sun

Same sign, same pizza! I do have to admit that I never made it to Pepe's in New Haven. But today I succumbed at the casino.

Great pie, great crust, fresh clams; we split a White Clam Mozzarella small pie [$14.80] and a House Salad [$4.95]. We finished the salad and took home two pieces of pizza. The seltzer [$2.50] was naked as they don't stock lemons.

blognote: Vanna White was greedy today even though it was St. Patrick's Day and I am Irish!

Slice of Heaven

Slice of Heaven Pizza has been in Cromwell for a while. I have always wanted to try it out. Today I had the chance. It wasn't really up to the 'heaven' level but it was good.

We tried the Meat Lover's pizza [$14.75 for a medium] which was loaded with sausage, bacon, pepperoni, hamburger and ham. The crust was excellent. Next time, however, I will go for a slice and something a littler simpler.

blognote: They deliver to Cromwell!

diet wars...

In my search for the ultimate 'diet' sandwich take-out lunch there are [at the moment] two contenders: SUBWAY and QUIZNOS.

I tried the 6" Veggie/Cheese Subway and a small Veggie/Cheese Quiznos. The winner is the Quiznos. The toasty roll with two kinds of cheese, mushrooms, tomato and black olives meet the lettuce, guacamole and banana peppers for a $5 yummy lunch.

blognote: I will continue to research this meaty [meatless] subject.

Jerk Fish

Ate lunch here today. This is a nice neighborhood place; clean and friendly. Unfortunately they were out of a lot of things we wanted to try.

Both of us settled on the Curry Chicken [$5.50 for a small order] which came with two sides. We had the Plantains and Rice and Peas. Food was fresh and served hot. There was a 'bonus' on the plate of some Jerk Pork. The pork and chicken were just the right amount of spicy for me. My lunch partner, however, added some hot sauce.

bloginfo: great website with menu and directions here
blognote: I also got a Beef Pattie [$1.75] and will report on it later