2/20/11-York St. Noodle House, New Haven, CT

Just past Yale New Haven Hospital is this small place I've passed a few times while working in the city and I've always wondered if it was good--I am happy to report that it is fantastic!

While the majority of the clientele is the Yalies, anyone would feel comfortable joining the crowd. The Sunday lunch crowd was steady, keeping the staff moving and the smells coming from the kitchen was just intoxicating. We started with the fried dumplings, which had a different yet pleasant taste from the dumplings you'd get at your local chinese takeout joint. Shortly after, our dishes arrived--Tom had the spicy glass noodles served with house hot sauce, and they were not kidding. His dish was most definitely spicy but it wasn't completely uncomfortable--there was a ton of red pepper mixed in to the sauce with thai basil and a few celery pieces. I had the spicy wok basil, which was similar to having drunken noodles, but this dish definitely had more heat, with a bunch of sweet onions and bell peppers to balance it out. To cool off the bite a bit more, we decided to try bubble tea. I didn't know what to expect, so I went with the watermelon flavor--it came to the table in a hurricane glass, bright pink slushy mixture with large purple tapioca pearls on the bottom. It was an interesting concept, but I think I chose the wrong flavor to try--it was a bit odd, but I'd be willing to try a different flavor next time.

If you're driving through the Elm City, I'd definitely suggest giving this place a chance. Prices are beyond reasonable, portions excellent and the food is great!

www.yorkstnoodlehouse.com

2/15/11-Griff's Chicken Shack, Hamden, CT

Tom has been raving about this place that he got turned onto by his coworker, so when he had a surprise day off today, he suggested we go to lunch. The name of the place may have the word "shack" in the title, but it is nothing of the sort. Griff's is in a small plaza just down the street from Quinnipiac University on Whitney Ave. and it has a brightly painted walls adorned with crayon drawings from many of their patrons.

While they do have some sandwiches, salads and wraps on their menu, Tom tells me its the chicken fingers that we have to order, so we split a 5-finger basket with fries, coleslaw and 2 sauces topped off with a Foxon Park soda for Tom and a sweet tea for me. The chicken fingers are HUGE, juicy and tender and the dipping sauces we tried were delish--honey mustard (anyone who knows me knows this was an obvious choice), sweet thang and ranch. We had a great lunch for a cheap price in such a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere--that's a win in our book. We'll definitely be back!

http://www.griffschickenshack.com/Home_Page.html