4/13/10-Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Middletown, CT

Mid-week out to dinner treat! Tom had been talking about having burgers at some point this week so when he mentioned going out for dinner, I was happy to oblige his burger craving and his curiosity about this new chain. Very bright on the inside with the red and white theme playing through the whole space, accented with huge bags of potatoes by the entrance and boxes of peanuts for self-service.

We got in the line to order and we both ordered one burger and fries--mine were Cajun, his were regular fries. I found an open table and snagged it while Tom waited for our number to be called. Your food comes in a brown paper bag, regardless of whether or not you eat in or take out. Service was very quick and efficient. Burgers came as double patties, which we didn't expect, but it wasn't a bad surprise--unfortunately, they only cook the burgers well-done. I understand that is done for health reasons, but I do prefer mine pink in the middle. I would say that it is a better fast food burger than other national chains, but it was just as greasy and bad for me, I'm sure of that. In the bag was a cup that held our fries but there almost wasn't a point of even having a cup for them since the servers just took a handful and chucked it into the bag on top of filling the cup, leaving the grease from the fries to come right through the bag. We agreed that my cajun fries were good but it would have been nice if the seasoning was distributed more evenly.

I understand that they grind the meat fresh everyday and they use fresh cut potatoes, not frozen--while I applaud them for that, it translates to high prices for mediocre food (my stomach is not liking me this morning). It was a decent quick stop and I'm glad we gave it a shot but ultimately, I'll stick with the non-chain restaurants for our burger fixes.

www.fiveguys.com

4/10/10-Fu Ji Japanese-Chinese Restaurant, Stamford, CT

At work for a very long shift on Saturday, this place was recommended by a coworker when I said I could go for some Thai food. Hmmm. Needless to say, I didn't get Thai food, but my partner was more than happy with where we ended up! This place is small-ish but nice and clean looking. For a Saturday night, it was surprising that while we were there waiting for our takeout, not one other person came in.

I seem to always get General Tso's when trying out a new chinese place--I know it's over ordered but if it's done well, its great. The dish I got here was plentiful but uninspired. It was not "spicy" as designated on the menu, which I was looking forward to, but I did have a filling dinner! My partner ordered a few sushi rolls and gyoza, which he really seemed to enjoy. While I don't have any major complaints about this place, I am going to do more research on places to eat in the area, instead of taking my coworkers advice for a good "thai" restaurant in town :)

No website, located on Bedford St. in Stamford.

4/2/10-Bentara, New Haven, CT

I had the pleasure of working in the city on a beautiful day in April and one of my crew members wanted to go to Bentara for lunch, which was fine with me since I've been looking forward to trying this place! We arrived about 1130 and not a soul was in the place yet. It is a lovely space with minimalist decorations but with a cool modern-ish feel. If I was coming here for dinner, I would definitely want to look nice but we were just grabbing takeout for lunch, so my uniform was completely acceptable!

Never having been there, I felt somewhat daunted by their menu. Thankfully, a woman who works there was more than happy to point me in a direction of something I would enjoy. I had the Mee Hoon Goreng with chicken and it was fantastically different--such fresh flavors and what a nice portion for lunch! I ordered it at a medium heat level after hearing my coworker say that the heat was worse than thai but I did not find that to be true at all--the medium had a slight kick, but it was nothing to worry about, I would defintely get it "hot" next time. It was filled with noodles, chicken, sprouts, cabbage, carrots and had slices of tofu on top (I ignored those.....it just weirds me out). My coworkers both enjoyed the kerutuck--slices of beef/chicken or vegetables (tofu, chinese egg plants, carrots and slivered roasted red peppers) simmered in a mixture of spices (coriander, fennel seed, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and chilies) with potatoes and coconut milk reduction--it looked interesting, I wish I had a chance to try it! I did get the opportunity to try the Roti Chanai-griddle fried unleavened ghee (clarified butter) thin bread with curry sauce--it was so good!

I made sure to save half of my dish for Tom to try--now he wants to go there too! I do hope to get back there soon!

www.bentara.com

4/1/10-Thai Hut, Southington, CT

As if I need an excuse to eat Thai food, I met up with Beth and Gorski for dinner tonight--it was so nice to catch up with the both of them! Gorski suggested Southington's newest Thai restaurant and it was very quiet for 7pm on a Thursday night but our servers were nice and we had a great time!

It was Beth's first time having Thai food, so we helped her out the best we could and she selected the Pad See Ew, which she said she enjoyed. Gorski and I both ordered the drunken noodles-hot. For me, it wasn't as hot as I was expecting but it did the job. I am undecided if I liked Somewhere in Bangkok better or not. Thai Hut definitely had them beat in prices but for ambiance and decor, Somewhere in Bangkok wins that one. Anytime I can get a cheap, good dinner, I'm there! I'd say it's worth a try if you're in the area looking for Thai.

www.thaihutsouthington.com