6/28/08-Eli Canon's, Middletown, CT

Tom and I have been here a bunch of times and love the atmosphere and food (and for Tom, the beer!) at this restaurant. They specialize in non-commercial brews, which is excellent. Tom tried a blueberry beer and a beer called Circus, I believe, which was a hefeweizen--both he says were great. For dinner, we split cheese fries (had better) and buffalo wings and bbq quesadillas--appetizer night! The quesadilla was fantastic and the wings were good, but Archie's wings are better. The weather was lovely so we sat outside on the patio and had a wonderful evening :)

www.elicannons.com

6/27/08-Corey's Catsup and Mustard, Manchester, CT

Could not wait to try this place--been hearing great things about it--and they are all true! Excellent burger joint, both Tom and I absolutely loved it. Good size bar when you walk in the door and yellow tables with red seats around. Tom had the black n' blue burger (which is not on the menu anymore!!) with the garlic parmesan fries (and they come in a cute "fry basket" haha). I had the "turkey turkey gobble" (which also, is no longer on the menu! what the heck!) with the spicy cajun fries. Both were fresh and very very tasty. The fries are also served with three dipping sauces--blue cheese, honey mustard and kicked up catsup--all are excellent.

In all, loved this place and cannot wait to go back again to sample something off their new menu!

www.catsupandmustard.com

6/20/08-The Old Dublin, Wallingford, CT

it sucked.

(Tom's first review.)

6/14/08-SBC Brewery, Branford, CT

Tom and I had dinner at this Connecticut mini-chain restaurant this evening, best known for its beer. On the whole, the food is average. I had the rosemary pork loin with a demi-glace and mashed potatoes and Tom had a seafood pasta, both specials for the evening. Although our dishes were good, both of us found that we're not really fans of this restaurant. We've eaten here before and decided to give it another try and have found that if you're a beer drinker, then you will quite likely enjoy the brews they have to offer and should go here with the intention of trying a few.

www.southportbrewing.com

6/6/08-Marius, New Haven, CT

A great new place to try--as recommended by Ronnie--and he was right as usual. Very unique decor in Marius, which is named after a Roman statesman. Lots of Roman-esque decorations on the walls and these huge lion statues when you walk in the door. Our server, Brian, was great fun--ask for him if you go here, he made our meal quite the experience. The menu was a bit of everything--Tom had the Argentinian lamb ragout which was very tasty and I had the chicken stuffed with smoked mozzarella and procuitto. Dinner came with salads lightly dressed in a vinaigrette and a bread plate. For dessert we shared the tiramisu, which is one of the better that I've had in recent memory. This is a great place for wine, too--very large selection. Overall, great experience, definitely check it out.

No website--located next to Nikkita on Crown St.

5/30/08-On The Border, Rocky Hill, CT

Wait...can you guess? Yep. More mexican. Went out with Jill to dinner, started with the ultimate loaded queso (no refried beans, they creep me out). Then, we both had fajitas--mine was chicken and carnitas, she had the chicken chipotle. OTB has excellent salsa, and the margarita I had was great--Don Julio Blanco tequila with Patron liquer--I so deserved that margarita after this week! Margaritas still holds the top spot for drinks and Mexican food, but this is a decent alternative.

www.ontheborder.com

5/25/08-Plan B, West Hartford, CT

We were in the mood for burgers, so off to this place in West Hartford that I've been wanting to try. It was worth it. Comfortable restaurant with a modern feel (Tom said he felt a bit out of place, it felt a little bit too high-class for him, but I thought it was perfect!). The menu touts freshly ground meat, never frozen and you could tell. We started with the Kentucky Bourbon BBQ wings, which were sweet and tasty. I had "the squeeler" which is half-pork, half-beef burger with bacon, american cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard and mayo with fries on the side--very juicy and full of flavor. Tom had "the italian job" which was a chicken burger with mozzarella, pesto, roasted tomatoes and a roasted red pepper spread with fries--he felt that it was good, but said that he wasn't experiencing the flavors like he thought he would--tasted everything seperately, not an "explosion of flavor" together.

In all, definitely would come back again, just to try another burger creation :)

www.planbtavern.com -In West Hartford and Simsbury

5/1/08-The Cheesecake Factory, West Hartford, CT

My mom hadn't been to this restaurant, so after some shopping, I took her over to Blue Back Square for dinner. If you haven't been here, you really should go. The menu is amazing--if you can't find something here that you like, I'd be very surprised. And the cheesecake? To die for. I had the chicken costoletta with a lemon cream sauce, red mashed potatoes and asparagus. My mom had the crab cake sandwich with french fries. The portions were huge, so there was no room to eat dessert there, but we did get 5 slices of cheesecake to go! White chocolate macadamia nut for mom, Oreo for Lauren, Snickers for Dad, white chocolate raspberry swirl for me and fresh strawberry for Tom. The decor is very chic, the service is fantastic but the wait is something to be desired--go early if at all possible to avoid the rush.

You'll wanna check this one out-- www.cheesecakefactory.com

4/19/08-Aunt Chilada's, Hamden, CT

Are you noticing a pattern? We do heart our mexican food (and of course, our Mexico trip--coming up very soon!!). This place is decent, but it's no Margaritas--the food seemed much blander than other mexican restaurants I've been to. Usual crew on Saturday night--I had the "big e" (3 different enchiladas), Dan had grilled tuna steak burger, Tom had a NY strip (we're at a Mexican restaurant! ah well.) and Jill had a chimichanga combo plate. Salsa was ok, not that great. All of our dishes were decent, but we all agree--rather go to Margaritas for Mexican!! They did make a damn strong drink--my margarita with Patron was excellent--maybe I just felt like it was strong from the lack of food in my stomach or all the exertion from that afternoon? The perk here would be the outdoor patio in the warm weather, but as nice as it was outside, they were not serving on the patio.

No website, but you can find them on Whitney Ave. in Hamden.

4/11/08-Margarita's, East Hartford, CT

My mecca. I heart mexican food and margaritas. Out to dinner with the crew. This place has the best salsa (someday, I will perfect my salsa recipe like theirs). I got a Sauza Hornitos margarita, on the rocks with salt--just the way it should be. For dinner, I had the Margarita's taster, which is always excellent. Tom had the taquitos and then has the enchiladas muchacha, Dan had the taquitos, Jill and Cory had the tomato garlic nachos, then the enchiladas rancheras and a chicken fajita salad.

This is a great place for dinner or for just hanging out at the bar....fond memories of many nights here.

www.margs.com

4/6/08-J. Timothy's, Plainville, CT

Out to dinner with the crew before the usual weekend festivities of Wii. This place has got great wings, "dirt" style (fried, sauced, rinse and repeat), which we had an order of. Dan broke his diet and had teryaki wings, Cory had a burger (which must have been good, it was gone!), Jill had the skins, which looked excellent, I had the french dip sandwich, which was nothing exciting, and Tom had the salmon, which he said was dry. All in all, decent meal. I think I'd stick with the wings and appetizers :)

www.jtimothys.com

4/5/08-Humphrey's, Wallingford, CT

This small local chain restaurant opened a new location in Wallingford this week and Tom, Colleen and I tried it Saturday night. So not impressed. We were told that the wait was 15-20 minutes, which turned out to be more like 40 minutes. Small restaurant space, not a lot of tables. It was also very, very loud, making it hard to hold a conversation! The food was nothing impressive--Tom's burger was cooked too high, too fast, causing a charred exterior. My chicken sandwich, Gabriella's revenge, was decent and Col's chef salad was huge! But all in all, nothing exciting. Can't say that we'll be back.

3/28/08-Geronimo's, New Haven, CT

As Tom put his fork down after cleaning his plate, he looks up at me and says, "I think this is my new favorite restaurant." Ditto. Everything about Geronimo's was fantastic, from the lighting, decor and music, to the food and my personal favorite--100 varieties of tequila. I started my meal with an Apache Sky (Don Julio Blanco tequila) and Tom had the house margarita, both excellent. Southwestern cornbread and garlic bread were brought to the table, followed by our entrees-- Steak Frites Santa Fe for me and Oven Roasted Sea Bass for Tom. I don't even like seafood and I liked his dish! Although somewhat of a limited menu, listen closely to their specials--all sounded great. I highly recommend this restaurant, as it seems to be our new "favorite".

www.geronimonewhaven.com

3/22/08-Stonewell Restaurant, Farmington, CT

Went to dinner here with the parental units tonight. Been here a few times and the food was good, as usual. Veal Parmesan for me, Shellfish Provincial for Tom, Harbor Net Catch for Mom and the Fried Clams special for Dad. Moderately prices, large portions and a waitress who was quite a kick. On a side note, been to the Sunday Brunch here as well, just as good as dinner.

www.thestonewell.com

3/15/08-Archie Moore's, Wallingford, CT

Went for dinner with our buds, Jill and Dan. This is a chill local hangout, the bar scene is always hoppin here, its got a great, comfortable feel and a relaxed atmosphere. Tom got their buffalo wings, which they are famous for, and rightfully so. I got one of the specials--smoked chicken, fuji apples and cheddar on rye, and it was excellent. Jill got a wrap that looked great and we split potato skins. (Dan--save your appetite for next time!) I'd say, between this place and Westbrook, these are our places to go for a quick bite or for happy hour. Haven't had anything I didn't like here.

www.archiemoores.com

3/8/08-Glenwood Drive-In, Hamden, CT

Stopped here on our way back from getting my car worked on, been wanting to try this place. As soon as we walked in the door, the kid behind the counter asked us what we wanted. We ordered, as he put it "4 dogs, 1 french". They seem to have their own lingo here that works well--other customers were ordering their dogs to be "well" or "burn it"--ours were normal, thank you. Our order came quick and we put our condiments on and grabbed a table. I'm sure this place must be bustling in the summertime. Dogs were pretty good, though Tom and I agree that Guida's in Middlefield is better. After lunch, went next door to Kelly's Kone Konnection--good ice cream, nice texture. I'd say we'll be back here again.

www.glenwooddrivein.com

3/7/08-Ted's Montana Grill, South Windsor, CT

Went to Ted's Montana Grill at the Evergreen Walk in South Windsor tonight with Col and Dave. This place is pretty cool, great food. 3 of us had burgers ( mine was bison, Col and Dave had beef--hahah the naked SOB, right Dave?). Tom had the prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. Everything was fantastic and the drinks were pretty damn good, too. They don't disappoint with all the different variations on burgers, so many to choose from. Note: this place is eco-friendly and uses natural ingredients, yay.

(C&D--You guys pick next time!)



www.tedsmontanagrill.com

2/29/08-The Bidwell Tavern-Coventry, CT

I think this place is one of Tom's absolute favorites. We went to dinner tonight with a few of his friends from work, because this is such an exciting destination place for all of us. Right on Rt. 31 in quiet Coventry, this place has a great atmosphere. It's been around since 1822, and the main reason we go there is because they have about 30 different flavors of wings (and all the ones we've tried are excellent!). Wings and alcohol=a great combination after a week of work!

www.bidwelltavern.com

2/23/08-Buffalo Wild Wings-Milford, CT

Went to Stratford to visit a friend in the afternoon, and Tom suggested we head over to the post mall and get lunch, since I've never been there. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings, a national chain with only 2 locations in CT (we had previously been to one out in Indianapolis about 2 years ago). The big thing at this chain is the different sauces you can choose to have your wings in. We had an appetizer of boneless wings with 3 different sauces to dip in (garlic parmesan for Tom, asian zing for me and Caribbean jerk for the both of us)--all were excellent. Tom had a black&blue burger and I had pulled pork tossed in their honey bbq sauce. Lunch was very decently priced and we both left stuffed.

www.buffalowildwings.com

2/22/08-Applebee's-Wallingford, CT

Tom's pick. Now I don't necessarily advocate chain restaurants, but I do realize that they are hard to ignore, and some really aren't that bad. With that being said, dinner was decent. Both of us did the "3-Course Combo" promotion--mine being an appetizer of mozzarella sticks (served sorta cold), entree of Fiesta Lime chicken (which is very tasty) and a dessert shooter of a hot fudge sundae. Tom had an appetizer of boneless buffalo wings, entree of Cheddar Jack Mac 'n Cheese with Chicken and a dessert shooter of chocolate mousse. All in all, not too bad. I think the best part of the dinner was my drink--the apple margarita. It's not on the menu anymore, but definitely ask for it.

www.applebees.com