Wednesday, May 19, 2010

5/15/10-Chinese Mirch, Stamford, CT

I was excited at the prospect of a new, buzzed-about restaurant to try while working in the city, so I stopped by to grab a takeout menu during the day. Their tagline is "Chinese Food, Indian Flavors", so I was definitely intrigued.

I called in my order--Chicken Hot Garlic (chicken in a crushed garlic & chili sauce). This was an a la carte item so it came just as it said, no rice or noodles to accompany it. The dish came in a plastic takeout container--for the listed price of $12.50, it was not worth the price. The portion did not match the price, the dish was not that hot and spicy (menu listed it at 3 out of 3 stars) and it was basically just diced chicken in a soupy orange colored sauce. They included a baggie of fried noodles and 3 sauce containers, but no utensils.

Understanding that this place is brand new, I understand they will have kinks to work out (the credit card machine was not working, forcing me to go to the ATM, take cash out, get charged a $4.25 withdrawl fee and then come back to only have their machine working--at least they gave me 25% off the bill). I would say that maybe in the future if a coworker wanted to try it, I'd tag along, but there are a ton of other restaurants in the Stamford area that deserve my attention.

www.chinesemirch.com

Monday, May 3, 2010

5/2/10-Time Out Taverne, Durham, CT

What a beautiful afternoon! Tom and I went out on the bike for a while and he decided to be spontaneous and stop here for dinner. We sat outside on the patio for dinner and it was a beautiful evening to be dining outside--I wish we could more often!

The menu had a large seafood selection, with all of the evenings specials being seafood based. The also had steaks ($19-$29), chicken and pastas. Tom decided on clams over linguine with a white wine garlic broth--his go-to seafood dish and he enjoyed it. My interested wasn't sparked by much on the menu (and I wasn't looking to spend that kind of money on a steak) so I went with the Cobb salad and it was actually the perfect decision. The creamy balsamic dressing over the greens with walnuts, bacon, grilled chicken and avocado really made for a light, refreshing meal.

In all, service was prompt and efficient but not exactly friendly (but Jay the bartender is awesome!). I think that the prices on some of the dishes was a bit high but there aren't many dining choices in this area. We both enjoyed our evening and if we're hungry in the area again, I'd say we'd come back.

timeouttaverne.com

5/1/10-Super Duper Weenie, Fairfield, CT

I love working in the opposite end of the state on Saturdays, if only for my eating adventures! Our schedule didn't allow us to get dinner until late, so I was very lucky that we got to Super Duper Weenie 5 minutes before they closed! I didn't feel rushed at all and if anything, the nice girl that helped me was sympathetic to my profession, which is always nice. I have always wanted to try this place out and I was very glad I did!

Although the menu implies hot dogs, they do more than that--burgers, chicken, sausage, french fries and soups! It is always nice to see a place that takes pride in what they make and does as much as they can from scratch instead of frozen--kudos to that! I knew that whatever I decided to get, I needed to bring home part of it for the hubby. I chose the Californian--Homemade Meat Chili, Freshly Chopped Onion, American Cheese & Hot Relish (so messy! but good--and the relish isn't that hot, really) and I also had the Cincinnattian--Cincinnati Style Chili, Cheddar Cheese & Chopped Onions (this was good also, but I wish the cheddar was melted on the dog instead of shredded). I also got a small order of french fries--she put them in their own bag--this was not a "small" portion by any means, but it was delicious! And of course, Tom enjoyed every bite of my leftovers--boy, is he spoiled! I hope to be back in the area soon to try something new!

www.superduperweenie.com