2/13/09-La Boca, Middletown, CT

Thankfully, with a little windfall and a coupon, we were able to head out to dinner after a long week. Fueling our love for Mexican food, we stopped off at La Boca and had a great time! Tom started with a Sam Adams and I had a margarita on the rocks with El Tesoro tequila--very good. Chips and salsa was brought to us and we'd say its one of the better salsas we've had--sweet in the beginning, a bit of heat at the end. For our entrees, Tom had the Camarones al Mojo de Ajo--shrimp sauteed with green onions, garlic, olive oil and mexican spices served over mexican rice--very tasty. I had the #1 La Boca Ultimate--beef chimichanga, cheese enchilada, potato empanada and a chicken tostada all served over mexican rice--definitely satisfied my cravings for mexican! We'll be back!

www.labocaonline.com

2/7/09-Vinny's Deli, Wallingford, CT

Tom and I stopped here for a quick lunch while doing errands today. They have approx. 50 sandwich creations and you can also make your own. They roast their own turkey and roast beef, both of which are very good. I had the #2 The Fonzi--Chicken breast topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato and honey mustard and Tom had the #12 Sophia Loren--Turkey with prosciutto, lettuce, tomato and mayo. The best part about this hometown deli is that everything they carry is Made in the USA--that's something to be proud of.

www.vinnysdeli.com

2/1/09-Neil's Donuts & Bakeshop, Wallingford, CT

We don't do this very often, but we gave into our sweet spot this morning--donuts from Neil's. This place is a little piece of heaven wrapped up in chocolate sprinkles. On any given day, he has about 30 different kinds, from old-fashioned cake donuts to cream and fruit filled (they actually make an incision and spread the filling inside) to my favorite--chocolate sprinkled. Now that I live near a place like this, I'll never get Dunkin Donuts again. They also have great breakfast sandwiches and bakery items (everything we've had is soooo good!).

No website--on Rt. 150 in the Yalesville section of Wallingford.

1/31/09-The Russell, Hartford, CT

Met here with a group of friends for my old roomate Lisette sisters birthday party. Our lovely hostess Lisette planned a menu for everyone to enjoy! We all started with The Russell salad--mixed baby greens, grilled pineapple, plum tomatoes, pink grapefruit and croutons tossed in a tropical fruit vinaigrette--the dressing was amazing! We then all dove into Coconut Shrimp served with an orange marmalade sauce and Jerk Chicken Wings served with a pineapple mango dip. For dessert, we were brough slices of chocolate cake and strawberry cheesecake. For drinks, I had the Caribbean Romance (jamaican rum, amaretto, pineapple/cranberry/orange juices) and I also had their Mango Mojito--both very good. What a wonderful party! Very cozy space with a dj spinning the best throwback R&B songs around. I would love to come back here another time! Thank you Lisette for a wonderful evening!

www.therussellct.com