Bamboo Grill

After Hartford Stage's production of 'Chick, the Great Osram' we ate at Bamboo Grill in Canton, CT.

Two apps: Summer Roll [see pix] and Fried Roll; both delicious with different dipping sauces.

Soup: Lobster and Asparagus

Entrées: Banh Xeo Tom #46 Shrimp Rice Pancake, Banh Xeo Heo #45 Pork Rice Pancake and Bun Bo Xao #41 Sautéed Beef with Onions over Rice Noodles

Dessert: Banana Dumplings made with Sticky Rice, Bananas, Red Beans and Ice Cream

Shared a bottle of White Wine [BYOB]

bloginfo: Bamboo Grille is located 50 Albany Turnpike, Route 44, Canton, CT

telephone: 693-4144

blognote: CPTV coupon really helps!

joey garlic's pizzeria

Another birthday party! But tonight it was for brother-in-law.
Ate at Joey Garlic's Pizzeria in Farmington. Had to find out what all the buzz was about in the Hartford Courant.

Two beers: Long Trail and a Stone Mill [$3.75 each] and a Chocolate Strawberry/Cherry soda [$2.25]]. Then a large Clams Casino Pie [$19.95]. The beers were fine and the soda was enjoyed by the person who ordered it [I thought it was gross!] The pizza was good but not great; the tomatoes and basil were fresh, the bacon was good and the clams were very few. The crust was thin and well flavored. If this place were in my neighborhood, I would eat there again but wouldn't drive that distance for the pizza.

bloginfo: Located at 372 Scott Swamp Road in Farmington, CT. Telephone is 678,7231
blognotes: they bus and turn the tables very quickly, we had a 20 mintue wait but I could see that it might take longer on busy nights, the parking lot was filled and difficult to find a space

Forbidden City

Ate tonight at Forbidden City on Main Street in Middletown. Another great meal here.

Started with those fried rolls and flavored butter. And a nice bottle of white Spanish wine [I think it was Tres Rayas].

Four entrées:
Fried Shrimp with Melon Balls [I have had it before] enjoyed and finished.
Duck on Puffy Buns [I have had it before] and it was great [just remember to put the scallion in when you make those great little 'sandwiches'
Short Ribs with Baby Bok Choy [I haven't had that one yet!] looked good and nothing left at the end of the meal
I had the Pork Cutlet in Green Curry Noodles [special of the night] exquisite, my compliments to the chef. Just the right amount of kick and there is enough left over for another meal this week

No desserts but I had a pot of Chrysantheum Tea [from the Tea menu no less].

blognote: Mario was our waiter and he is really good.

GLAS [another birthday party...]

Celebrated [again] my birthday tonight and was taken to dinner at GLAS in Glastonbury. Great room; enough glass sculptures to make even Dale Chihuly jealous.


We both ordered exactly the same things from the menu [how cool is that?]:

A glass of Shiraz and a Greek Salad [just like I had in Mykonos with no lettuce, just all the other goodies].

Entrées were Steak 'Bambo' which is a Cuban hanging tenderloin/potato and manchego lasagne/wild mushroom mojo/red wine reduction [delicious].

Capuccinos and we split a Tiramisu.

Fantastic meal, good service and wonderful company. What a way to celebrate a birthday!

bloginfo: GLAS is located at 2935 Main Street in Glastonbury, CT
telephone: 860.657.GLAS

blognote: room can get a little noisy with the boomer mating calls in the bar but it makes a formal room more enjoyable

Uncas Grill at Mohegan Sun Casino

Had a nice lunch today at the Uncas Grill. Always do well here.

One entrée was Seafood Stuffed Mushroom Caps [actually from the Appetizer menu ($9.95)] that were loaded with seafood goodies and baked under a coating of cheese. They were served in a small frying pan; nice presentation and delicious.

My entrée was the Lobster Salad ($17.95) which was really a large Field Green salad adorned with 4 large scoops of Lobster with just a touch of mayo to bind it, flatbread, tomatoes and cucumber slices. Also a great presentation with a splendid dressing.

The service was great, the room is very chic with backlit birch trees and the company was charming!

AND I was given a free Birthday Cake at Granny Squannit's in the Food Court. I thought it would be a cupcake sized portion but it is a Chocalate Ganache covered good sized work of art ($24 on the menu). I will reveal the innards later as I am taking it untouched to a family gathering in Dover, MA tomorrow.

Breakfast in BCN

Every morning in Barcelona [BCN airport code] without fail I had either tostado or croissant and always a café con leche at DCafé. This little café opened at 7:30 every weekday morning, 9 on Saturdays and closed on Sunday. It was only open until 2 in the afternoon. It was strategically located three doors from my apartment. Camila was always the waitress whether we ate at a sidewalk table, inside table or at the bar [the cost decreasing in order of seating]. She was young and wild and charming and entranced all who came into her magic circle.

BCN Two Special Meals

The first special meal was my birthday party at Can Solé in the Barceloneta section on the water in Barcelona. It is at c/Sant Carles 4 and is not so easy to find. It is not one of the many seafood touristy restaurants lining the boardwalk. It is tucked into the neighborhood on a side street and well worth the search. It has been open since 1903 and the new 'jefa de la casa' at first a little intimidating is charming when you get to know her. Our meal consisted of, of course, paella as that is what the restaurant is famous for. The rice is crunchy and a little less cooked than what you usually find and the saffron taste a little stronger. We started with Chipirones, Croquettas and Escalivada [roasted eggplant and pepppers]. The wine my host chose was not available so waiter suggest a Tres Campanas which was delightful. The paella was overflowing with seafood goodies. For desssert we had the famous Crema Catalana [much creamier than a Crême Brulée] and coffees.


The second meal was the despedida [farewell party] for the first set of visitors. We had seen the restaurants at the Plaça Miquel off of c/Ferran [our shortcut from the Jaume I metro stop to the Ramblas]. They were very busy and no tables were available and they don't take reservations; so we opted to sit at the bar, drink wine and eat olives [not a bad way to pass time]. We did get the table here at Mi Burrito y Yo [sounds Mexican to me] and were very happy. The plaza is like something out of a movie with the lighting and guitar music. We had the Mixed Grill which was the speciality of the house and as we had watched the meat being cooked in an open fire oven while waiting for a table, we knew the quality [and quantity] of what we were about to eat. The bottle of red wine was from Casa Torres, a winery we had visited during the week. Great memory!

Catalan Food

Got a good dose of Catalan food at the Café at the Monserrat Monaastery. I had Espinacas [spinach] with piñoles, Butifarra with mongetes [grilled sausage with white beans] and Mel i Mato [honey over white cheese] for dessert.

At Tremoia, a sidewalk café on the corner of Passeig de Gracía and the Gran Vía [what better address than that], I had the best version of Pa amb Tomaquet [or Pan con Tomate (Spanish) which is bread rubbed with garlic, tomato and olive oil and sprinkled with salt].

La Hormiguita en Figueras

We took the Renfe [train] from the Passeig de Grácia station near the apartment to Figueras, a two hour ride north of the city for 9 Euro on a regional. It was a nice trip but as we were tired we returned on a BCE [semi-express], the upgrade cost us 1.10 Euro.

We found a Caféteria Gourmet on our walk up to the museum and stopped for a great lunch. We sat outside on the sidewalk and for 11.95 Euro [a little pricey for menú del día] had a very surprisingly great meal. We strarted with a Fresh Tomato Cocktail, I had the Ensalada con Salmon and the others had Pimientos Piquillos stuffed with salad [see pix] for first course, for second course we all had the Albondigas [see pix]. Dessert was a choice of a Pera natural [sliced pear] or Pastel de Almendres [almond cake - very good]. The meal came with bottled water [or wine] AND coffee. So it was a great bargain after all. The cutlery and china were very modern and the service was perfect.

BCN Restaurants

Tapas and Cava, the mainstays of life in Barcelona. [pix 1 and 2]

Els 4 Gats [the four cats] started in 1897 on c/Montsió 5 where Picasso and Miró frequented and Picasso did the sketch for the menu. We had the Supreme de Salmó [salmon] with a salsa crema de cava; Solomillo de Ibérico [pork] with apples and raisins; and my Confitado de Pato [confit of duck] with pears and goat cheese. Crema Catalana and Mousse Mandarina for desserts but I just had a Café Cortado. The room was beautiful and service was great; our waitress was Filipina and we reminisced about life in the Philippines. [pix 3]

Set Portes [yes, it does have seven doors] passeig de Isabel II 14 built in 1836. I had bread and olives to start, a 1/2 bottle of the Vino blanco, a medium bottle of Aqua con gaz, Pan con Tomate [the Barcelonin famous tomato bread], Crema de Langosta [lobster bisque], and Xato [a salad of chopped escarole with tuna and a Romesco sauce], a Pastel con Mandarinos and a Café Cortado. I was going to order the Veal cooked in Cava but the waitress said I had already ordered too much. 39 Euro. [pix 4]

Can Culleretes, the oldest restaurant in Barcelona, 1786. I ate here after Mass and was the only tourist in a restaurant filled with Catalan families. The best Gazpacho ever followed by Lechon Catalana [roast suckling pig with stewed dates, apricots prunes and piñoles]. My beverage of choice was a half bottle of Juvi y Camps Cava [yes, there is a big difference in cava qualities] with a Café Cortado to finish. [pix 5] 30.10 Euro

La Taberna del Cobre, c/Argenteria 53 in el Born between the Picasso Museum and the Sta. Ma. del Mar church. A beautiful outside café in a small plaza. We had a table full of tapas: Tostados con Bacalao [little sandwiches topped with sweet salt cod], Chistorras [spicy little fried sausages], Croquettes de Jamon, Patatas Bravas [Spanish version of french fries with spicy tomato sauce and garlicy aioli], Ensalada con Atún with a honey almond dressing and a pitcher of Sangria de Cava [white]. [pix 6]

Chipirones on the Moll @Maremagnum. The first time we had tapas: surtido of Jamones [ham plate], Manchego Cheese platter, Chipirones [fried 'popcorn' octopus] and the second time we had Paella [pix 7] both the rice and noodle types and both were excellent. This restaurant overlooks the Mediterranean and we watched the ferry leave for parts unknown.

wings, wings, wings......where?

Bon Voyage Party tonight so we went out for wings. I had read a review of the new wings restaurant started by the owners of the Elbow Room in West Hartford. Sounded great; nice room and a big beer menu with lots of different types of wings. So I googled it and found the menu. All set for a great night and off we go..........

Well, why did two places specializing in wings come up with practically identical names: Wings over West Hartford and West Wings Bar and Grill? AND they are both really on Prospect Avenue except that Wings Over... says it is on the Boulevard. It is on the Boulevard if you enter that part of the parking lot BUT it does face Prospect Avenue.

So anyway, we go waltizing into Wings Over... thinking that we are at West Wings and it's this teeny little takeout place with four minitables and six chairs. Starving [as usual] we decide to stay and it was a good choice. Will have to try out the 'other place' for its ambience but I bet no one can beat the wings here!

Ordering a Hangar 2 [food for two] with the 727 which is one and a half pounds of wings [25 of them] with the possibility of 5 sauces [we chose West Texas Mesquite, Sweet Onion, Lemon Pepper, Jamaican Jerk and something else...]. This comes with 2 soft drinks, fries and celery sticks with bleu cheese dressing. AND we ordered a large onion rings. Everything was delicious and we finished all but the fries.

bloginfo: our order came to just under $30 but takeout is the name of the game
blognote: google the menu and try to decide on what you want as it is mind boggling once you get there

Red Robin Burgers

Birthday burger tiime! Visited Red Robin Burgers in Manchester, CT because they sent me a birthday burger certificate. Honest, that is the only reason I went!
Spinach Artichoke Dip [$8.49], Ensalada Chicken Platter [$10.79] and my Guacamole Bacon Burger [$8.99] with unlimited Steak Fries [not all remarkable].
But they deducted the Chicken Platter from the check and didn't even sing to me!!!!! Now, that's a birthday party.

For lunch I was taken to the Aero Diner on the Boston Post Road, Route 6 in North Windham, CT. This is a real 1958 Bramson Diner. I had the Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad. What a day, what a day!

Las Palmas Restaurant

On our quest for tostones we went to Las Palmas for lunch. There were no tostones displayed at the counter which could be a good thing or not.

They offered to make up a bunch for us but said it would take a little time. So we ordered a small batch. While waiting for the tostones to be prepared we sampled an empanada, an empanadilla and an alcapurria [all filled with meat]. The crescent shaped pastry empanadilla was the better than the empanada meat pie. The alcapurria, meat filling encased in ground yautía. All were, of course, deep fried.

The tostones arrived with two cruets, one of oil and one of garlic infused oil. These were not the best tostones ever but they were fresh, hot and truly Puerto Rican. And all this with a diet Coke came to $7.50!

bloginfo: 375 Wethersfield Avenue, Hartford, CT and good parking
blognote: next time I will try some of the great looking rice and get a bacalaito

Masala Bar & Restaurant

Prix-fixe lunch at the Masala Restaurant [$12.95] was wonderful.

The appetizer choices were Beef Skewers and Crispy Vegetables. We both opted for the crispy vegetables. This was a mélange of minced veggies [some fried others raw] in a yougart sauce. Very tasty.

The first entrée choice was Subz aur Tofu ki Tarkari which was a vegetable and fried tofu dish in a masala sauce. My choice was the Gustava: fennel/ginger flavored meatballs in a brown gravy and it was super. The meal also included a basket of Chapati bread and a dish of Black Bean Daal. There was also a bowl of rice flavored with fennelgreek.

Dessert was one ball of Gulab-Jamun; the best I have ever had.


Masala calls itself "innovative cuisine" from India. If by innovative owners Vilpesh Patel and Navin Suvarna mean their kitchen somehow manages to extract the most gorgeous flavors from the vast Indian pantry (and, indeed, from the cooking styles of various regions of India) then, yes, Masala would have to qualify as innovative. Chef Melvin Tigga has created a menu that presents an unrelenting volley of flavors, textures and intensities that delight the palate and excite the senses - the culinary equivalent of falling in love. [from Greg Morago's July 12th review in the Hartford Courant]

bloginfo: Masala is at 391 Main Street [corner of Capitol Avenue] where Low Country and long ago Capitol Fish were located.
860.882.0900
blognote: the room is gorgeous

Arch Street Tavern [revisited]

What a difference a day makes....
Today's lunch was super and much better than the earlier review.
Stick with the daily specials is my new advice and so I did and I was rewarded:

Started with a cup of soup: Ham/Lentil and it was silky smooth, salty and tasty [$3.95]. All three of us had the Grilled Chicken Italian Sandwich: charcoal grilled juicy chicken breast with capicolla ham, roasted peppers and provolone cheese on a soft roll [$8.95]. Excellent!

After our 'driving tour' of Hartford we stopped at the Mozzicato Bakery on Franklin Avenue for Italian: Almond, Strawberry and Lemon. Great place, great atmosphere.

[earlier review from June 20th]

Four of us went to Arch Street Tavern for lunch todayl Had driven by there so many times but went for the first time today.

The four entrées were: Tuna Melt, Corned Beef on Rye, the Quiche and Salad of the day [Spinach] and a daily special. I, of course, ordered the special which was a Field Greens Salad with Fresh Mozarella and Blackened Shrimp [4 jumbo] and a Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing [$12.95]. This was excellent and the quiche looked good and was a good sized slice also.

For dessert there were two orders of 'a scoop of vanilla ice cream' [wimps] and the Snickers Pie. Well, the last piece of pie went out to someone else. I reordered the Chocolate Royale Cake. This was also excellent [$4.95]

bloginfo: Arch Street Tavern is at 85 Arch Street, Hartford, CT right downtown in the area behind City Hall.
Telephone: 860.246.7610

bloginfo: parking situation looked good; we walked over however
Allison waited our table and did a really nice job
Monday nights they have a Jazz Group
www.archstreettavern.com for menus and info

O'Porto

Ate at O'Porto this evening as part of the Taste of Hartford 2007 [dinners were $20.07 get it?]. I had eaten here for lunch once or twice and really enjoyed it. Tonight was even better. Excellent food, great service and an interesting room.


We started with a pitcher of White Sangría and they served us great Portuguese rolls with Olive Oil for dipping

For Appetizers we all had
Fillet de Sardinha Grelhada a Portuguésa
Fresh Boneless Grilled Fillets of Portuguese Imported Sardines, Sliced ripe Tomatoes, and Roasted Pepper.

For Entrées two of us had Bife à Portuguesa
Certified Angus Sirloin Steak with Traditional Portuguese Steak Sauce, Garnished with Prosciutto and Fried Egg, Served with Portuguese Fried Potatoes
and one had Linguado Grelhado
Grilled Fillet of Sole, Roasted Potato, sautéed Vegetables in a Lemon-Butter Sauce Wine Sauce

For Dessert two had Flan a O’Porto, Traditional Portuguese Flan Flavored with a 10-Year Fonseca Tawny Port Wine
and one had Arroz Doce, Rice pudding

bloginfo: O'Porto is at 2074 Park Street in Hartford - 860.233.3184
www.oportohartford.com
blognotes: the Steak entrée is $20 on the regular menu so the Taste of Hartford is well worth the $$$
Parking is free and plentiful to the left of the entrance

Fromager des Clarines

When I was in Miami last week, my neice, Johnson and Wales chef-to-be, brought some of this cheese to dinner. Well I did find it at Whole Foods today and we ate it last night. It is so creamy you can just about drink it with a straw. At $14.99, this is the start of an expensive addiction.


Fromager des Clarines is made from Mountain milk, yielding a smooth, very creamy cheese that is a must to serve as close to room temperature as possible, to release it's fresh white truffle butter flavors.

Fromager des Clarines is packed in a woodchip box like L'Edel de Cleron but is less pungent and more appealing to the less trained palette.

Serve it right inside the box, lifting off the edible top rind with a spoon. Scoop out the gourmet cheese with a crisp bread stick or onto your favorite water cracker or baguette.

Genji Express [revisited]

Genji Express at Whole Foods in West Hartford has an eat-in sushi bar.

And I visted there again alone today. I had the Grilled Salmon and Avocado Outside Roll. It was, of course, very fresh and it made a great 'dietetic' quick lunch. [$7.95]


Previous visit:

Nice meal there today with Green Tea, Miso Soup and an Avacado Roll. They make the sushi to order. Also have sashimi and nigiri. Very extensive menu. The take-out items looked great.

Whole meal came to $6.26; they include tax and tip. Also got a free sample of a piece of crunchy spicy tuna sushi.

bloginfo: Genji Express in located inside the West Hartford Whole Foods store on Raymond Road. The hours for eat-in are 11 to 2 and 4 to 7.
www.genjiweb.com

blognotes: the store is located at the very site of 44 Raymond Road where my grandmother, Cornelia Mary Shea Mills, lived and taught piano. She was a vaudevillian and played ragtime and boogie-woogie

Kashmir

Went to see 'The Namesake' at the Wadsworth Atheneum so decided to stay with the theme and eat Indian food. This is a charming gem of a restaurant. It is nicely decorated, the service is great and the food is inexpensive and delicious.



Had a Kingfisher beer and an order of puffy Poori Bread and a side of Mango Chutney.
Entrées were Lamb Masala [pepper and onion sauce] and Lamb Saag [spinach yoghurt sauce]. This came with Daal, Sautéed Cabbage and Basmati Rice. We ordered everything mildly spiced and it was [all except for the Onion condiment but he warned us of this].

bloginfo: 481 Wethersfield Ave, Hartford, CT 06114
(860) 296-9685
blognote: parking could be a bit difficult; there are spaces for 6 cars in front of the restaurant [over the sidewalk]
For veteran readers of this blog: this is a lot like the Chalé Ipanema fiasco where the fire hydrant became embedded in my rear door [no fire hydrant here though]!

See the accompanying movie review at www.turning70.blogspot.com

Angelico's Lake House [revisited]

Ate here in today's good weather; beautiful sunny day and great view of the lake.



Very good bread and an Garlic Olive Oil dip to start

Two entrées; Shrimp and Scallop Scampi [the sauce a little drab but the seafood excellent]
and my Portabella and Spinach Ravioli with Grilled Shrimp in a Pesto Cream Sauce which was very tasty!

Last year's review: 3/26/07

Can just imagine this place when the weather gets better; windows looking onto the lake and an outside bar terrace!

Shared a Fried Calamari appetizer [$8.95]. Good but with too many fried hot cherry peppers.

Two entrées: Cajun Rib Eye under a coating of Bleu Cheese with Garlic Mashed Potatoes [$23.95]. 'Early Bird': Beef Minestrone Soup, Focacia with oil/garlic dip and Roasted Vegetable Penne [eggplant, squash and portabello mushrooms].

bloginfo: Angelico's Lake House, 81 North Main Street, East Hampton, CT 06424
phone: 860.267.1276
blognotes: Laura was our server [good job]