GATHER55 at Hands on Hartford

 Today's lunch at Gather 55, the latest Hands on Hartford food experience, offered up a truly wonderful meal. The place was packed but the front of the house rep found us a perfect table against the rear wall with a view of the dining room. The gentleman who fixed/adjusted our table did a super job; hate those wobbly tables I always manage to find. The menus were clear and the ordering was super easy. The end product went way above our expectations. My dining partner ordered the Chicken Salad plate with a pasta side included. The chicken was fresh, tender and delicious [I stole a piece] and the penne pasta was just right. I had the Salmon Wrap with spinach, avocado and ginger vinaigrette. The wrap was huge and the salmon perfectly cooked while the added ingredients made the dish even better. The crowd was lively and the atmosphere was full of love. We will return! Want to try the breakfast.

blognote1: There are various level of payment possibilities. Check the website for info.

blognote2: Tyler Anderson will partner with Connecticut chefs in a prix-fixe monthly dinner. This is planned to start in October. Can't wait for this to happen!

BERTUCCI'S

 Took advantage of the 1980’s Anniversary Menu. This is all that’s left over from the 1980 priced menu ($3.25 Insalata, $5.25 Cheese Pizza, $2.25 Cannoli). Tonight is the last night!

STORY and SOIL COFFEE

Needed something to get my out of my pout! I was ghosted by a new tattoo artist in town and was riding around with nothing to do. Drove past Story and Soil in the Wesleyan Book Store on Main Street and decided that was the place. It is a quiet sanctuary with a view to the street or a view of thousands of interesting books. It took only the Spanish Latte to lift my spirits. Flavorful, sweet and a piece of culinary art. The baristas are rather nice also!

VAUGHAN'S PUBLIC HOUSE

Oh how many years has it been...but the place looks the same as then. Too hot to eat outside at Vaughan's Public House today so found a little niche for two inside. She had the Shepherd's Pie [beef not lamb] and declared it luscious. The Brown Bread detail was only a taste tempter. I had the Cod and Chips which were a little too fried but hot, crunchy and delicious with a huge side of Onion Rings with a honey mustard dip. Yummy! The Bloody Mary was strong and started off the meal on a bang. Need to go back and have the Lamb Stew which I should have ordered but didn't so just the right excuse to return. Good service and a nice crowd, reminds me of my time back HOME.

SAMBA'S CUISINE

 Know Good Food market of food trucks had its last opening on Bartholomew Street. The Carne Frita con Tostones was highlighted on the Samba's Cuisine menu board. I was starved so tried this. The tostones were great and there were five of these big babies right out of the fryer. The carne frita was, however, a different story. The meat was very irregular and real tough. The mayo/ketchup sauce helped but didn't finish [a new one for me]. 

Vito's Pizza To Go

Great to see Chef Rob Mafucci again in his new place near me, Zito's To Go. The Margarita Pizza was delicious and the crust was perfect. It brought back so many good memories. Now that I have found the place I will be a steady customer. Can't wait to hear about the new truck, The Rolling Stone. And by the way theTiramisu was out of this world.

Mitchell's on Main

Haven't been back here to Mitchell's on Main for so long a time and it's just down the street. Had a very early physical exam and needed some morning fortification so ended up here. Very good Breakfast Sandwich of egg and bacon on a hard roll. This was done just right and was just what I needed with lots of crispy bacon. Two cups of good coffee and I was out of there to take on the day. Nice friendly hometown service!

Update: This morning's Irish Benedict was one of the best ever! Everything was perfect: the Hollandaise sauce, the crispiness of the corned beef and potatoes, and the poached egg was cooked just the right way for me!

Lenny and Joe's Fish Tale

 My scale is writing this review note me! Took some family and a friend to lunch here at Fish Tale. Friday noon but the place was deserted! They now have table service which is nice because you don't have to stand in a crowd and wait for your order.

We started with an order of Calamari and Fried Pickles as appetizers. The calamari was good but not enough tentacles for me and the fried pickles are definitely an acquired taste. One Scallop dinner that looked good and plenty, one cod dinner with two slabs of fish that looked fine and two orders of Fried Oysters [one of which mine] were very good and fresh. The oysters were not inundated with a coating so the full oyster taste was evident BUT there was a large piece of shell in mine. Another reviewer felt it was expensive but the cost of seafood now is very high. The service was excellent so the change to table service was a pleasure.