5/19/09-Marlborough Tavern, Marlborough, CT

After a fabulous consultation with the florist for the wedding (It's So Ranunculus in Marlborough--support her business! She's wonderful!) we walked over to the Marlborough Tavern for dinner. We were the first and only dining room patrons at 530pm (another party arrived as we were settling our check) and the entire feel of the place was cemented in their history, from the wooden floors to the paintings and fireplaces. After starting with nice warm bread with an olive oil/balsamic vinegar dip, we moved on to our entrees--Tom had the Roasted Half Duck, semi-boned with a cranberry-orange sauce--he said the duck itself was nice and tender, but felt that the sauce was a bit bland. I had the Veal Picatta with a lemon-butter and caper sauce, which was well-executed and was a decent portion size even though it was their "light fare" menu selection.

While this restaurant may be a nice choice to take parents to, for example, I would say that I would stop here if we were in town or had another dining offer as we did tonight but wouldn't go out of my way to dine here.


themarlboroughtavern.com

5/9/09-New Britain Diner, New Britain, CT

I am a big fan of this diner--have been coming here sporadically for years. The food is always good, fresh and plentiful. After quite the adventure in participating at the CT Race in the Park (what a turnout! Thousands of people participated in the race against breast cancer!) Kirstin, her younger sister and I went to the diner to grab lunch. I got their honey mustard grilled chicken wrap with cheese, lettuce, tomato and steak fries--probably one of my favorite things to get! Kirstin agreed I was onto something and had the honey mustard chicken sandwich--it was huge! Kirstin's sister had a bacon cheeseburger with fries. We all had a great meal, and a really good time after such a productive day!

No website, located on Corbin Ave. in New Britain.

5/6/09-Gold Burger, Newington, CT

Our apologies for the lack of posting as of late--Tom had back surgery, so things have been a bit difficult around here. Hopefully we will be posting more soon. (Suggestions, anyone?)

I had to go up to Newington for a training session so I met up with my buddy Dan for dinner beforehand. Right in the center of Newington is Gold Burger--relatively new and definitely needed in this town! The owner was right at the counter, ready to help us out--very friendly! GoldBurger was surprisingly fresh, juicy and very nicely done. You can order your burger by a number of patties with quite the list of toppings--they also offer burger creations, hot dogs, onion rings and fries. I ordered a single burger with mayo, lettuce, cheddar, bacon and their "goldburger sauce" (which reminded me of the McDonald's Big Mac sauce) and a side of fries. They have fresh ground beef everyday, and nicely done fresh cut french fries perfectly seasoned with kosher salt. Everything was served straight-up in a bag--no frills. Dan and I grabbed our orders and ate "al fresca" out on the sidewalk outside the storefront.

I would definitely return--a way better option than any fast food joint.

No website, located on Main St. in Newington.