Oaklawn Ave Sidewalks

So we have some sidewalks on Oaklawn Ave, but where do they go? They start in the middle of nowhere and end before High Ridge? Or are they not done yet?

I will admit that they aren't as bad as I thought they would look. Seems so odd they could not pour concrete for real sidewalks, but the asphalt doesn't look too bad. Still a shame.

And what gives with the new sidewalks and blacktop on 5th Street? Why did they get such nice improvements?

In the end, I don't think I'm brave enough to walk down Oaklawn to High Ridge. Would be nice to walk down there with my kids, but afraid some car would zoom around the corner and hit us.

Napa and Company - Return for the Burger

We were back to Napa and Company last Thursday. We had to try the burger. Sounds like we were not the only ones.

We both had the burger and bordeaux combo. The wine was nice, but the burger was something incredible. I've never had Wagyu beef before but I think I can understand its reputation.

The burger was rich. The texture was crumbly but then just melted in your mouth. It could be called greasy but it was good grease. The roll stood up to the burger but did not get in the way. The red onions were spot on along with the mayo. I don't like cheese burgers, but the cheese was not the normal yellow crap. The gouda was more complex and tasty but did not overpower the burger in any way. It also had some crisped edges that were really nice.

The burger was on a little wooden plate. Actually wish there was more room to spread out. There were some fries with it - not 100% sure they were hand cut, but they were really nice. The had rosemary and salt - perfectly twice cooked. The salad on the side was also nice - endive lettuce with some blue cheese and a slice of bacon. Even my wife who's not a fan of blue cheese ate it all up. Was a fresh clean accompaniment to the burger.

We had to almost struggle to finish our plates - not because the burger was huge but because it was just so rich. It also took us some time as we ate slowly and each bite was so savory.

We both finished with some coffee and then needed to walk.

After finishing the burger I felt like I didn't need to eat red meat for about a week.

My only negative is that I don't think I'd order it again. It was just too much for me - I'm trying to cut down on red meat. There are also so many interesting things on the menu. I would say that everyone should try it at least once. It's an experience.

Mary Ann's Mexican

The family ventured to Mary Ann's Mexican in Stamford, CT yesterday evening. (We've been painting the kitchen, or should I say I've been painting the kitchen - so lots of meals out.)

Mary Ann's was a nice dose of authentic tasting Mexican food. We had a good meal.

The surroundings seem a bit new car smell - new construction. Not very inviting yet. There were also lots of people working there - lots of busy looking people but not serving very many customers.

The chips are salsa are always a nice start and keep everyone happy while we wait for the food. The chips were made on the site - the way they should be. The salsa was very mild and reminded me a bit of Rosa's salsa we used to have in Tucson - sort like pizza sauce but not in a bad way. The kids loved it because it was not spicy. We went through two bowls of chips.

We had a long wait for out food - but I expect that was a new restaurant problem. It was a long wait for squirmy kids.

While we waited, I was entertained by waiting to see if someone would fill my empty water glass. It took a long time to fill it. There were so many people walking around looking busy but no water refill. There was also a wait person who walked by with two pitchers of water, but still no water. I twitted about it which made me feel better, but would have preferred some more water.

The food finally arrived after a long wait, but it was worth our visit.

The dish I ordered included a Guacamole taco - something I've not seen on a menu since Tucson - and oh so good, a chicken enchilada which had sauce that tastes very authentic and not from a jar, and a chili cheese relleno. I wasn't thrilled about the chili since it was still a little crunchy - not something I'd expect from a chili relleno, and it tasted more like a jalapeno chili rather than an Anaheim chili as I'd expect. 

The girls shared an entree of chicken taquitos - which seemed more like flautas to me, but they like flautas better anyway - and a beef taco. They had to share an adult portion because they had no kids menu. The waiter said they were still working out the menu - but seemed strange to not have a kids menu. (And please not chicken nuggets and grilled cheese - errr.. one of my pet peaves - the poor quality of kids menus. We'll see what they some up with. Hopefully it's Mexican!) 

The beef taco was different, but very tasty. The beef was slow cooked in an adobo sauce. My youngest loved the beef - although she ate it all out of the taco. The taco shell was also prepared fresh on site. I had to do my duty and eat the shell since the girls didn't finish it. The sauce was so good.

We've been to several Mexican places in the area and this might be our new favorite.

One final thing - the price is right! All of our entrees were well priced especially for food which seemed to be so well prepared. We'll be back with the whole family. Hopefully they will work out some of their new restaurant issues.

Napa and Company

Finally got the babysitting arranged so Momma and I could have a nice, quiet, peaceful dinner out. We went to Napa and Company in Stamford.

I've heard so many good things about it so I had high expectations. I was not disappointed.

The best part? The food was interesting. It excited my taste buds. It wasn't the same old stuff - it invited my to try something new. It filled me up without making me feel like I would explode.

We both had a nice time.

When we arrived, we discovered that one of the wait staff was our next door neighbor's son. He was very nice and almost immediately brought us over some complimentary champagne from the maitre de. Nice touch. Said it was for us since it was our first visit.

We were going to order cocktails, but enjoyed the champagne instead. We need to drink more champagne. I was a very nice start.

The menu took some time to read. Lots of interesting things. But first a snack...

The small plate of bread and olive oil was great. The olive oil was so tasty - peppery and fresh.

We both ordered a toast based starters. I had whipped ricotta. The red salt on top brightened the cheese. I also loved the olives with the little pieces of toast.

My entree was sea bass. The accompanying white and green asparagus, mushrooms and cabbage was almost better than the fish. The fish was prepared perfectly and the skin was delicious.

For wine novice types like us, it was really nice that they list a recommendation for wine right next the the entree. My wife also asked the waiter for a recommendation and got an Alexander Valley cabernet that was really nice. It was very complex tasting. I should have gotten that but stuck to white with my fish.

In homage to the French we followed our meal with a cheese course. That was the most interesting part of the dinner. We just picked 3 types off the list. This was quite fun. Such a variety of new and complex flavors.

We completed our meal with a hazelnut caramel custard. Loved the dulce de leche, hazelnuts and candied sugar on top. One very nice cup of espresso for me and a little mini pot of decaf to the nursing Momma.

The atmosphere was nice. The waitperson was nice - but they also left us alone and let us take our time.

Finally there is the matter of the price. It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't out of the ballpark either. We got away with a very nice 4 course meal for two for about $150. I would not want to be feeding a family of five but was reasonable for the two of us.

Verdict - we'll be back. Now if only we can schedule the babysitter again.

PS. $150 + $45 for babysitting. Babysitters for 3 ain't cheap. We need to find some more families and start a co-op.

PFChanges -Still Not Happy

We used to live in Tucson. PF Chang's is a Phoenix based chain and has a nice restaurant in Tucson. We used to really enjoy eating there after church. 

When PF Chang's opened here in Stamford, we were excited. Our first few visits seemed plagued by new restaurant opening issues. Confused servers. Poor food. But I gave them the benefit of the doubt.

We visited today for lunch. Hmmm. Something is still wrong. 

The place has a lot of people working there, but our food still took forever. Our server also seemed very busy for some reason. Our experience showed that they still have a slow kitchen. The frustrating part was that both tables on either side of us placed their orders after us, yet received their food first. That's not good. No explanation or apology either, but that's because our server didn't deliver the food. 

As with other chains, PF Changs has the annoying policy of having some food runner bring us our food instead of our waitperson. I don't understand this policy. The food runner has no idea who placed what order. We've never seen them before. When we finally got our order today, we got all our dishes, but no rice. The food runner seemed annoyed when we asked for rice. How could he possibly deliver our food without rice? - all the dishes come with rice. He also, of course, had no idea what type of rice we had ordered because he didn't take our order.

He went back to the kitchen, and after still more waiting, we received our rice - two bowls - but no spoons or anything to portion out the rice to the diners. Sigh.

So the verdict - the food is ok. It's chain food so I'm not expecting much. But the service still has issues. 

I think we'll be much happier going to Kits Thai Kitchen or somewhere else and not bother with PF Changs. It's a shame.

Layla's Falafel Downtown

Sunday the family visited Layla's Falafel downtown Stamford for lunch after church.

The place was totally dead. It was 12:30PM Sunday - lunch time. We ordered two platters.

The choice of drinks was rather sparse, but we ended up with a can of Coke and a can of orange soda. Was rather depressing. Was hoping for something authentic or to at least be offered some water. The waiter didn't offer us any water.

They had us sit at a table in the back. The tables are all hidden in the back so you can't sit and watch out the window. It's cramped.

There was a giant TV playing some sort of music videos with the music blasting too loud. It was very distracting for the kids.

There was no high chair available. That was really strange. So Baby had to sit on my lap - which wasn't too fun.

Our two platters arrived and four small plates. The two kids decided they didn't want to try anything which was really frustrating, but not the restaurant's fault.

The food was ok. Humus was very good. Pita bread tasted packaged - not sure if you can make that, but it was obviously not made on site. Not sure why it was whole wheat. Meat was ok, but some was really dry. The meat also didn't have much flavor or seasoning which seemed odd. The rice was good. The salad had the same problem as the last time we tried Layla's on High Ridge - tomatoes just aren't in season, so they tend to ruin the salad.

Wondering how they will last if they are so dead on the weekend. It would be nice if the environment was more hospitable to a family outing. I guess they are targeting the business lunch and single condo dwelling crowd.

I'd hoped for better.

Let's all go to Trader Joe's

We do about 80-90% of all of our grocery shopping at Trader Joe's in Darien. It's unfortunate, but to Darien we must venture because I can't stand any of the grocery stores in Stamford. Traditional stores (i.e. Grade A) just scare me. (I used to work in the industry, so maybe I just know too much.)

When I made my weekly visit to Trader Joe's in Darien last week, they asked for my zip code. You know what that means - they are doing a study!

I need everyone in Stamford to visit the Darien Trader Joe's and mention 06905. Thanks.