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!

Middletown Market

 This is a dream come true and a long time coming...1970 to 72 we were Peace Corps Volunteers in the Philippines. We were stationed in Balayan, Batangas with our two children [for the short time they accepted families with children]. I will always remember the food...pan de sal freshly baked and sold outside your door, banana ketchup, pancit noodles. They are all now available right here at the new  Middletown Market on Main Street. Just opening but ready to go!

The amount of merchandise, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and prepared foods is amazing. I was too early to get some pancit but bought a package of noodles to prepare something tonight. Nicest people ever and they seemed to understand my Tagalog which I haven't spoken for years. But it all came back in the midst of a plentitude of food. Welcome to the neighborhood and I will be back soon.

blognote: no phone or website yet

Picnic Basket

 Keep driving past the Picnic Basket but today I turned around a went in. Hadn't been here for a long while but remembered  some good food from here. Got the Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms to go and they are smashing especially when served with my added mashed potatoes and corn. It was very well prepared and so easy to heat up in the oven. Also got a good looking Beef Lasagne which I am looking forward to later this week. The chef in charge is so knowledgable and was helpful is showing me dinners that could be frozen. Close to home, delicious and well priced!

blognote: Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms and my added corn with mashed potatoes and Dixie coleslaw

The Blue Lobster

 The Blue Lobster saved me from culinary disaster tonight...great front of the house. I got lost in picking up a pizza at a new place [to be reviewed tomorrow]. So I didn't have any prepared food to take home and I was being waited for. I stopped at the first place I saw and it was the Blue Lobster. I have eaten here many times before and the food is good. Without waiting for a long time I was able to get two orders of Fish and Chips but didn't really want the chips part. Anyway it turns out that I loved the chips but the fish wasn't as crispy as I wanted but it was the travel and not the kitchen. We all got fed and enjoyed our late dinners. Hopefully I can learn how to read a map and/or figure out the GPS but sometimes mistakes turn out to be godsends.

O'Rourke's Diner

 On a freezing morning we needed the warmth of good diner food so headed to O'Rourke's Diner in Middletown. They were supposed to open at 7:30 but when we arrived at 7:15 the OPEN sign was on! Parking before 10am is free so all was well and the coffee that was immediately offered upped our spirits. Hate those iPhone menus but I found the Irish Delight to be my morning gift. Corned beef hash, two poached eggs and pratie oaten [a griddled ball of mashed potatoes and oatmeal] along with  a slice of griddled soda bread completed my plate. I did a good job of completing devouring it also. The morning was still freezing when we left but our hearts were warmed and our stomachs full.

MIZZU ASIAN BISTRO

Had a great lunch here with a friend who really knows the menu. That was good as the menu is so involved I get hungrier just reading it. Settled on the Lunch [bento] Box with Teriyaki Salmon which was delicious but a bit over-done. I was given insight by my eating partner to order the Mushroom Soup instead of the Miso. This was super. I substituted brown rice for white but found it a bit dry. The Shrimp Shumai was delicious as was the Fried Spring Roll. The salad was fresh and tasty with the best Ginger dressing. The two pieces of sushi where fine. Finished with an order of Chocolate Ice Cream which turned out to be a great portion of ice decorated with strawberries and whipped cream along with two chocolate twirl cookies. 

Story and Soil Coffee

 Story and Soil just opened in Middletown in the Wesleyan/Julia Bookstore. OMG! What a great breakfast there today [and through the week] for YELP Elite bloggers. I has the Spanish Latte which was a mugful of happiness dotted with cinnamon. The breakfast I chose was the Frittata Egg Sandwich with Chorizo [CEC]. It was a perfect package with the spicy chorizo waking me up for a busy day. Great staff with plenty of smiling faces. This will be my go to place as it is easy to access from my CLC home site.

Giulia's Pizza Restaurant

 Driving around town and hungry I passed a place I have wanted eat at. So Giulia's was it. Didn't realize the place was getting ready to close early on 4th of July eve. They took my order for eat in and produced a huge eggplant grinder. I decided to take it home to enjoy it at leisure and was very good. The bread looked overdone but was delicious and definitely made on site. The sauce was just right so I really enjoyed it. Will go back at noon one of  these days.

Cromwell Pizza and Pasta

 Beautiful sunny day when we started so sat under a big red umbrella for lunch at Cromwell Pizza and Pasta. Ordered a Katie's Favorite Panini to share and have had this one before with its grilled chicken, provolone, roasted red peppers with pesto and mayo. This is the best! Hungry so we also ordered a Margherita with its usual fresh basil, plum tomato and mozzarella...so good. By the time we finished, the rain had started and we were ready to go with full stomachs and happy earts!

Carbone's Prime

 Took my neighbor out to dinner at Carbone's Prime on Tuesday night to try to pay her back for the care she showed during my ongoing dealing with a fractured humerus. I chose Tuesday night because of their Prime Rib Special prix fixe dinner. She was enthralled with the dinner of a Caesar Salad, Prime Rib [one of her favorites], mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and roasted Brussel Sprouts. We shared a bottle of sparkling Perrier due to my daily doses of pain meds. It turned out that she was awarded the last prime rib cut of the night [be warned it goes quickly and rightly so]. This turned out well since I would not have been able to cut the meat with my 'useless' right hand/arm. I ordered the Bolognese over Gnocchi and it was wonderful. An extra side of Broccolini was fresh and added some more flavor to the dish. The Focacio with a toasted garlic sprinkle was all mine with its whipped butter in olive oil. The portion was very large and the leftovers sit well at home for later. Her prime rib got the same attention with another meal at the ready.

The real surprise was the included dessert labeled Cannoli Napoleon that turned out to be a real hit. It was actually a deconstructed cannoli of the highest degree. Layers of 'cookies' from cannoli dough sandwiched with the best almond cream filling. What a great way to end the meal.

Good Friday Lunch

 Stopped into the Blue Lobster for a Good Friday lunch of Fish and Chips. They were out one employee and the person in charge was doing an amazing job of taking orders on the phone and from the hungry crowd. Food was great with very little wait but as the time wore on there was a 45 minute wait. This did not deter most from waiting for their meal.

Pho and Grill

Had a traditional [they had two offerings] Bahn Mi at Pho & Grill in Cromwell. This little restaurant just opened for dining in and take out very near to me. I have been wanting some Vietnamese food in my neighborhood for a long while. This had the correct meat filling with the liver paste. The baguette was a bit crunchy for my taste but the vegetable were very fresh. Will be back to try Pho and other items from the menu.

blognote: no website yet

Taíno Smokehouse

Looking for somewhere to eat outside for lunch today wasn't getting enough choices until I called Taino Smokehouse. They were opening for the first time today for lunch in their great back pergola area. I ordered the Smokehouse Angus Burger [pink] which comes with Vermont Cheddar and Onion Strings on a terrific brioche bun. The platter also contained some good [tiny portion] of coleslaw, pickles and my upgrade to sweet potato fries. This was the lunch I had been dreaming of for a while. It's real close to home and now that I know it's open I will be back for some Pulled Pork and Collard Greens that my dining partner was reveling in. We each had a Corona. What a day!

SADLER'S ORDINARY

First time eating out during #rona times. Take-out locally has been wonderful but needed to have a dinner out. This was accomplished at Sadler's Ordinary in Marlborough. I have eaten here many times but never outside like late this afternoon. Met two friends there and masked we went to our reserved table. On this beautiful afternoon we dined under red umbrellas while respecting social distancing.

With real cutlery [a choice] I had the Bratwurst Dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, acorn squash, braised red cabbage and a variety of fresh green beans and carrots. The dessert was a Pecan Cheesecake Pie with whipped cream! I thought this adventure would be fraught with sanitary and personal problems but all was handled so well. We certainly enjoyed our day out.

Sans Souci

An old favorite of a friend of mine is Sans Souci. It has been here for years originally as a Howard Johnson's [1959] and later as the Black Dog Tavern. I hadn't really found anything reasonably enticing until today with its Lentin [sic] Lunch Special. We both enjoyed orders of Fried Cod with fries, coleslaw and tartar sauce. Beginning with good bread and butter and a tasty but different jicama on bruschetta. The lunch orders had a large piece of nicely fried cod on top of a bed of excellent fries. We enjoyed time together and I applauded her choice of restaurant.

blognote: I just think of the address as 'way down the Berlin Turnpike'

MIZZU

I have been waiting to try out this new Japanese restaurant, Mizzu, and was taken out to lunch here today. Very nice room and good service.

There were several lunch specials and I ended up having a mix of good tastes.

The ginger tea is very good and the hot water refills do not stop! An appetizer of Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Crumb, Peanuts, Shallots and Tamarind Dressing was delicious. I ordered the Sushi 2 piece special which came with Miso soup. My choice for the sushi was Eel Avocado and Spicy Tuna. The eel was full of taste and the spicy tuna could have been a lot spicier. The rice was not a typical rice that I am accustomed to but more of a moshi rice. There is the possibility of sushi without nori and using cucumber. The cucumber has a very delicate taste and needed to be sauced or with soya to complete the taste. A dish of chocolate ice cream ended the meal on a sweet note. One of the guests had the bento box lunch special and it looked very good. Next time!!!

Crispy Broccoli

Eel and Spicy Tuna Sushi

Cucumber Wrapped Sushi

Tuesday Lunch Special at Ruby Tuesday's

What's the Tuesday lunch special at Ruby Tuesday...that's an easy question to remember.  Today it was the Cheeseburger and Fries [or Tator Tots]. Quick, easy and inexpensive lunch. Not a gourmet treat but warm and inviting and sitting in the bar made it seem more people oriented. The addition of the onion, lettuce, tomato, pickle and American cheese 'beefed' up the product. The fries could have been a bit crispier but served the carb purpose. Unsweetened iced tea sweetened the meal and with a nice tip came to just over $10.

blognote: sign up for the emails on their website and get to know what the deal is for the next day's special Tuesday lunch

The Whey Stationary

What a remarkable little place the Whey Stationary is. I had previously eaten from the Whey Station truck and now there is a place to sit and enjoy the food at leisure. We started with a fantastic rendition of Buffalo Chicken dip served with potato chips. This could easily become an addiction! Most everything else on the menu is based on the grilled cheese sandwich. From this category I chose the 'Shorty' which is stuffed with braised short ribs and caramelized onions. My choice of side was the Tomato Bisque. What a great combination. This was a terrific meal and a family celebration [five men out of the town] for my 82nd birthday. I was gifted by the house of two scoops of ice cream from Grass Roots one of my favorite [but long ride] ice cream parlors. Super selection of beer and Avery sodas. Service was to the point and I will return soon.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Shorty Grilled Cheese & Tomato Bisque

blognote: closed Monday and Tuesday

BRIZO [reported closed]

Brizo is a relatively new restaurant in Rocky Hill and has recently started serving lunch. The room has a definite nautical look in crisp blue and white with light wood tables. We went there on a Tuesday night early but too late for Happy Hour. Chose from the Small Plates section of the menu and had a very nice early dinner.

Started with a glass of Provençal Rosé to complement the Baby Iceberg Salad. They use Arethusa Farms Bleu Cheese and serve with a Buttermilk Bleu Cheese dressing. It was excellent and since there were two little heads of lettuce, one came home for lunch the following day.

Then onto the Meats and Cheeses, a familiar charcuterie, with a nice selection arranged beautifully and enough for two. We finished this one.

I loved the Roasted Oysters, four to a serving, coated with breadcrumbs and sitting in a pond of Arugula Butter and some Bacon. My dining partner wanted a more 'oystery' taste to the dish so I got to eat three.



Desserts, though not made in the restaurant, were quite enticing. She chose the Chocolate Raspberry Bomb. This looked elegant and delicious but I didn't get a bite [probably my payback for the extra oyster!].

blognote: It is reported that this restaurant has closed [10/19]