On Stamford

Frascati Italian Restaurant

2011-12-04T19:13:00.004-05:00

Quick thing right off the bat - I don't particularly like Italian restaurants or Italian food, but we figured we should give our local place a try. (We can walk there.)

Quick synopsis:

Menu was uninteresting. Specials were more interesting, but not much sparked my interest. Same old fare mostly.

I liked the mushroom appetizer but suspect the mushrooms were from a can. Waiter had to go ask about it when I asked what was in it. They did have a nice tomato sauce.

Lemonade for the kids was from a Minute Maid can. Lots of nasty stuff in that. Yuck. They liked it, but older daughter is wise enough to know it has a lot bad things in it - sodium bicarbonate & HFCS. She also complained it was only 3% lemon juice. Can any place around here actual make something natural for lemonade! But didn't expect much here.

Steamed broccoli is simple and was for kid munching, but no seasoning? None at all? No salt? Nothing? Really?

Waiter attire was jeans and a white undershirt. Other female waitress had white shirt also, but was at least a normal shirt. Undershirt seems strange.

Waiter took our order. Kids ordered a small cheese pizza. They forgot it when they brought out the rest of our food. Kids had to wait until we were almost finished. Was not fun. And no apology or any acknowledgement of the mishap.

Older daughter's ziti and meatballs seems uninteresting. Sauce was a bit runny. Meatballs did not taste good. No seasoning. Not even salt? Were the meatballs premade?

Gnocchi bolognese was ok. Seems a little heavy. But goes back to me not liking "Family Style" Italian food. I was hoping there was a chance they were house made but doubt it.

Overall - was reasonable for a simple Sunday night dinner. Cost was reasonable. Might give them a 2nd chance to see about service issues. And Might try something else off the menu.

Best part was the beer - craft brew, amber. Was delicious.

Fairway in Stamford

2010-11-27T13:27:00.000-05:00

Made our first trip to Fairway Market in Stamford this afternoon.

- Like location. Very close to downtown. Only a short detour for a quick stop after work.
- Like free parking.
- Puzzled how they can afford to have all those people working there. Every lane was open but not too much traffic. Must be startup staffing.
- Like organic aisles separated from conventional aisles. We can just skip the conventional generally.
- Dislike so much selection. 25 kinds of balsamic vinegar. Can you just pick the really good brand and have a selection based on price?
- Dislike meat. Not too impressed. Looking for local, grass fed beef. Not sure why all the organic grass fed is from Australia?
- Dislike crowded and cramped hot foods area.
- Like all the European food - Nestle's KitKat. Maltesers. Nice.
- Like all the fresh pasta.
- Puzzled by produce sitting outside in the cold and direct sun. Seemed odd.
- Like the design and layout of the store generally. Modern. Nice atmosphere.
- Like the organic produce selections.
- Puzzled if they will make it. Seems like they are a bit ahead of the growth curve, but they should have a lot of business down there. I'm sure their other markets can support any loss lead on the Stamford location.

We'll have to make a few more trips back, but don't know if I can do without my Trader Joe's. And wife still a fan of Whole Foods local grass fed beef -- although I'm trying to cut down on meat generally.

Nice Facelift - NOT

2009-12-13T12:35:00.003-05:00

So the Burlington Coat Factory building downtown had scaffolding up around the facade for several months. They wrapped up all that construction work - not sure what they were doing, but assumed they were working on the facade.

Today I drive down Broad St and notices the molding above the doors was falling off the building.

Nice work on that facelift.

Don't Block the Box Madness

2009-12-13T12:33:00.000-05:00

So they passed a new law on blocking the box and somebody's got a great contract on white paint and brushes. Don't block boxes with criss cross diagonal lines seem to be popping up everywhere.

I have no problem with the law, but seems like a lot of paint. And the boxes really confuse me and I'm not even that old.

Take the interchange of Strawberry Hill Ave, Hoyt St, Grove St, and Prospect St. I travel south down Strawberry Hill to Grove every morning. The intersection is a mess and made worse by the morons who cut through Dunkin Donuts because they can't wait 30 seconds for the light. There were small guide lines in the intersection to keep too many people from making bad decisions.

Here's streetview prior to the attack of the white paint brushes.

View Larger Map

Now the intersection is a sea of criss crossing white lines inside a huge 5 sided "box".

My question is - how many ticket are they going to hand out. I'm all for writing some tickets for folks blocking the intersections, but I'm suspect about how all this paint is going to help. Seems to just make everyone more confused. I think we need to just step back and put down the paint brushes.

Oaklawn Ave Sidewalks

2009-11-18T20:45:00.000-05:00

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

2009-06-07T23:25:00.000-04:00

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

2009-05-26T23:10:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-23T23:01:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-17T22:13:00.002-04:00

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

2009-03-23T23:35:00.004-04:00

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

2009-02-21T22:23:00.000-05:00

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.

I gave them a break - I really did

2009-02-12T20:39:00.004-05:00

OK. I gave them a break. They were plowing the streets and taking care of the snow. And doing a great job by my measure. And, yes, the tree was buried under the snow for a few weeks.

But it's about time we picked up those Christmas trees including the one in front of my house.

I'd compost it, but I need a bigger chipper. Oh, might be a good excuse for an upgrade. Until then I can only hope they get around to the trees soon.

Still Broken?

2008-12-22T21:48:00.000-05:00

OK. Back to the School Radar Signs. Did we really pay for these? In the last week I drove by them at Stamford High, Dolan Middle, and then up near St. Cecilia. None of them are working. They all show speed for a moment, then blink 12, 23, 34, 45, etc...

It's like they are constantly faulting and rebooting or something. Very lame.

Really makes me grumpy that someone paid for this waste. How about a few speeding tickets. That would be so much more effective. And probably more reliable. And less of a joke.

Review: Royal Guard Fish and Chips

2008-11-29T23:22:00.002-05:00

We found this coupon in "The Buzz" coupon book for Royal Guard Fish and Chips. The reviews I found on Google were kinda strange. Seemed like one might have been fake. Not so sure. But we had a coupon!

We got in the car and drove down there. I recognized the place from seeing it before. The parking lot is really strange as there is another restaurant in the same building sharing the same lot. The side door where we entered was really scary looking. I let my wife and kids go in first.

The place was empty, but we were a little early - 5pm. It's really strange to walk into an empty restaurant. We ordered 2 fish and chips and 2 kids fish and chips. We got bottled drinks. The food was put on trays for us to carry to the tables. We had our choice of table so we sat in the corner.

The fries were packaged food service fare. (Sigh - will anyone cut up potatoes for us?) I saw them dump them out of a brown paper freezer bag into the fryer when they started our order. There were thin, small and greasy. Not what I'd expect for a proper English chip. No salt.

The fish was good. We each got a larger portion than we expected. The batter was good. I'm not sure what type of fish it was.

There were three people working behind the counter. I wondered how they paid the bills. But soon other customers arrived. One other couple sat down and ate. Seemed like a lot of people ordered take out.

We used our $3 coupon at the end and left a $5 tip. Not sure if we were supposed to clear our table, but we did not. The place seemed sorta fast-food like - but it seemed like there were enough people working there and not enough customers that they could have brought out the food for us. It was like it didn't need to be fast-food like but was anyway. I was confused.

I can't really complain about the meal but not sure we'd make a special trip there again. The fish was cooked well, but nothing proved to me that the fish was fresh. Maybe I should have been like a real foodie and asked. I was still a little scared by the place but might be from watching too much Gordon's Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America.

My kids love fish and chips and I do too, but I'm not sure how a restaurant that specialized in fish and chips survives in a place like Stamford. It seems like there's not enough market for it. I'm also unsure where people get fish - hopefully not from the polluted waters off our shores.

This place was ok but would love it if people would take the time to maybe explain where they get their fish or brag about how fresh it is - and maybe cut some fries from potatoes.

Not Stamford: Burgers Shakes and Fries

2008-11-25T21:26:00.000-05:00

They were right. Excellent burger. Good fries although I would prefer freshly cut. Excellent onion rings. Shakes were ok - but tasted of something artificial.

My burger had bacon, raw onions and mushrooms. No need for sauce - the toast is already covered with butter.

The place is very casual and only has tables along the wall counter and a couple bar stools. Not a romantic dinner, but tasty food.

I did not rate it for the official survey, but glad we went there tonight. Highly recommended although a bit of a drive from Stamford - especially if I95 is backed up.

The Neighborhood is Changing

2008-11-03T22:06:00.001-05:00

So I think my neighbor is losing their house. The neighborhood's going to change - either the bank will find another buyer or it will be boarded up and/or trashed. Not good. Not good for the bank. Not good for the neighborhood. And not good for the people living there. Not good for my neighbors.

It's a sad situation.

Slow News ....

2008-11-01T22:24:00.002-04:00

Been slow news days in Stamford lately. The one thing I noticed over the past few months as the economy went to hell is that people seemed to slow down, taking it easier, not as likely to honk their horn, not in a big hurry, not being so rude.

But lately I'm afraid the horror of the economic meltdown may be wearing off and people are slowly going back to their old ways. I was hoping that egotistical mindset had taking a fatal blow. Oh well. We'll see how that goes.

Otherwise not much going on. Not much to spot. Not been eating out. Not buying material things. And troubling because Stamford is losing things to do that don't involve eating or shopping. Stamford Center for the Arts goes bankrupt. The red barn's closing down. What's next? What's left?

The one thing we did the other day was stop at the playground at Mill River Park and I ran around with the kids. That was fun. Maybe it's time to focus more attention on things we can do without spending a lot of dough. Or just hunker down and hope for better times.

Beach House Cafe

2008-10-23T21:21:00.006-04:00

Am I getting crankier or just watching too much Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares now that I have BBC America? (-one of the few good things about AT&T U-Verse.)

So we have some friends over at the Greenwich Guide. They have a tasting party each year but this year decided to have a virtual tasting for the best burger in Greenwich. Each team was sent a review form and assigned a restaurant. We were assigned the Beach House Cafe. They also sent us money to pay for the burger. Nice!

Here's the review form I turned in - it's harsh - be prepared - I can't help it! It's Gordon's fault.

My favorite hamburger in Greenwich comes from: Whole Foods Ground Beef + red onion + thick cut uncured bacon + guacamole = HOMEMADE!

Rating:
1 = I think I am going to become a vegetarian.
2 = If I were hungry enough, I would eat another one "sometime".
3 = I would be willing to come back and order another burger.
4 = Can't wait to bring my friends.
5 = I better have a second one, right now!

I tried the burger at Beach House Cafe. My rating of the assigned burger is: 1

What garnish did you order on your burger?: Lettuce - seemed like the lettuce that would be in a deli case as garnish for the cold cuts, Tomato, Pickle - was sweet bread & butter pickle slices - YUCK

Additional Notes - as a critic of this restaurant:

[ oh boy, oh boy! Here comes Gordon! ]
Way Overpriced! Charcoal flavor seemed fake. Ordered medium but came out well. Soggy brioche roll. Commercial french fries - cost extra. Why can't they make hand cut. [my running french fry gripe - can anyone make simple hand cut fries! Come on people it's better and cheaper!] Person who cleans up dirty dishes also served us our food! Waiter doesn't know cheese choices for the burgers. Dry, old brownie in sundae. Overdone decor. HDTV's in the urinals in the men's room. [I don't even have an HDTV at home for crying out loud.] Avoid at all costs!

Ok, maybe I'm a bit harsh and should not complain about a free meal - but the burgers cost $12.95 + 95 cents for fries, poor fries, and another 75 cents for cheese. I think that gives us the right to complain.

Avoid at all costs.

Maybe we'll stick to Stamford. Special thanks to our friends at the Greenwich Guide.

Off Topic - Baby Jackets

2008-10-19T09:19:00.002-04:00

Off topic, but bought in Stamford. Ha!

Why must all baby jackets include ears?

Can't a baby boy wear a coat to keep warm without worrying about how silly he looks!

Spotted - School Radar

2008-09-10T22:04:00.002-04:00

How much money did we spend on those school zone radar signs. Who had that bright idea?

A while back, the one by Tully Health Center just blinked 98, 87, 76, 65, 54, 43, 32, 21 ... and reset. What do they run on? Windows? Lately I haven't seen it working. (That's true for about half of them I've seen - not working.)

The one on Tom's Road seems to be active on Saturday. Wonder if it's active on Monday? Do these things not have a way to sync up the calendar to tell what day of the week it is? How much does that cost in runnning costs?

I find the whole thing a giant waste of money. This is just yet another attempt to throw technology at a problem. I work in technology so I should know something about this. Technology never works and always costs too much. Technology is seen as a magic potion to sprinkle on any problem. How's that going to stop people from speeding in school zones? Does a flashing yellow light really slow down the person chatting away on their phone?

Would be simpler (and I bet cheaper, mabye even profitable) to setup some speed traps and put some police officers out there handing out tickets. I believe that would also be a better detterent. Although I can't every recall running into one of these ever in my time here in Stamford.

I bet that would be more effective than a sign flashing 98, 87, 76, 65... reboot.

The Gas Game

2008-09-10T21:57:00.001-04:00

I think I've read about stations and their hardships with these current gas prices. Seems they buy a tanker of gas at a price and have to then move that inventory through their pumps before they can lower their price. This is even worse with super grade because fewer people buy it. I probably shouldn't, but my owner's manual on my car recommends it. Of course I also think they will raise their price on gas they purchased by the tanker load at the lower price if the market price goes up, but anyway...

I really can't believe there is a 40 cents difference between the price at my neighborhood Mobil station down the street compared to the Shell station on ~~Bedford~~Summer St.

I really can't stand driving around - I got enough things to do and it wastes fuel - but 40 cents a gallon difference?

Of course this is nothing compared to heating oil - but that's another topic. We're all going to be broke this winter. Maybe we need to move back to Arizona.

Update for Sept 11, 2008 - wrong street.

The Stamford Mall Game

2008-08-24T21:12:00.000-04:00

I don't know about others, but one of the things that keeps me shopping in Norwalk is the need to spend money to park in order to spend money. This really bothers me. Maybe it's just some people came from a city background, but I grew up in the country. We had to drive 20 minutes to go shopping, but we didn't need to pay parking. We also didn't need to pay parking when we lived in Tucson. But this seems to be something that's just accepted around here.

It seems like the merchants or the mall owners would pay parking. I'm not sure why the city is in the business of building garages. Seems like if merchants and retail real estate owners wanted us to shop, they would build parking. Or maybe the city should pay for the parking structures through "invisible" sales taxes or some other hidden tax.

But ~~Stamford Mall~~ Stamford Town Center is the most fun. Yesterday we arrived for a early dinner at California Pizza Kitchen - kid friendly and decent food. We had 3 kids, ordered 3 nice kids meals and 3 99¢ ice cream sundaes which the 3 adults then proceeded to eat. "Three extra spoons please." But back to parking.

We always cruise up and down the parking aisles looking for meters with 2 1/2 hours left. Since they require a minimum 3 hour limit and about half the people are just "running in" for something, you can usually find a meter with 2 1/2 hours or at least a good start so you don't need to go rummaging through the car seats for find two quarters. And they stop checking the meters after 6 on Saturday so we only needed to find a meter with a hour.

This arrangement makes the mall parking garage a better deal than the other city garages where you can't pick up the parking meter droppings of the last person who parked in the spot.

Spotted - Cell phone!

2008-08-19T08:17:00.000-04:00

Yesterday. I'm leaving the parking garage.
I'm driving towards the exit and a woman in another car drives diagonally across the parking spaces towards the same exit. She's in a hurry.

We both slam on our brakes as we're about to collide.

She looks over at me with her cell phone in hand and waves me to go.

I try to wave that she should put down her cell phone. - how exactly should one do that? We need a standard "PUT DOWN YOUR CELL PHONE AND DRIVE" hand signal.

The hand signal did not register for her and she just looked at me, annoyed, and again motioned me to continue.

I thought it would be safer to be in front of her, so proceeded and tried to get away from her as quickly as possible.

It boggles the mind why someone who must have just left work needs to get in the car and immediately get on the cell phone. Guess she has minutes she needs to use up.

Spotted - In a hurry

2008-08-19T08:13:00.000-04:00

Yellow light heading south on Strawberry Hill Ave near the Tully Health Center.
I'm in the right lane and slow down to a stop as it turns red.
She's in the left lane and speeds up. She enters the intersection on the red and barrels her way through.

City of Stamford Police Car sitting at the light on the cross just watches her go by.

I hope he had something more important to attend to. But I can see why so many people run red lights in Stamford.

Gotta run that red light so you can get to the next red light sooner. Of course I met her again at the next signal.

Spotted - Need Directions

2008-08-18T08:38:00.000-04:00

Noticed this morning that someone had an introduction with the street sign for Pepper Ridge and Oaklawn. Looks like the sign lost. Hope it's back soon or our visitors will never be able to find us.

Crab Shell

2008-07-27T05:58:00.001-04:00

Pregnant wife and I had our last night out before the new baby arrives. We had the 'rents in town and were taking advantage of the free baby sitting.

She picked Crab Shell where we enjoyed another nice dinner.

We've visited several times in the past year - normally on a Sunday or weekday evening when the place is dead. Saturday night it was bursting with people which was new to us. Must be the summer? There was a wait to sit outside, but the pregnant one and I preferred the AC tonight.

Inside had the usual paper table coverings which are a bit strange but practical. The special menu is also posted up on the wall and not printed out. I guess that saves carbon and trees for the table coverings but it does give me a workout to try to read it from across the room.

The pregnant one had St. Peter's fish with shrimp, artichokes and roasted red peppers. (Why "St. Peter's Fish" and not Talapia? Maybe they are trying to make a cheap fish sound upscale? Or maybe it's an Italian thing? Wonder what St. Philip's fish would be?) I had cajun catfish with shrimp salsa. Seemed like a bit of a culture clash as the salsa might have gone nicely with some tortilla chips. The shrimp looked like they came out of a frozen bag from Costco.

But. as always, the food was very tasty. Pregnant one declared she's never had a bad meal at the Crab Shell and it is one of her favorite restaurants - and she doesn't really like fish? The do know how to prepare a good meal.

We also had some mozzarella sticks before the meal - why not, no kids, we could get away with it - and they were also very good along with their sauce. Just what you would expect. Very nice.

We did not order a table salad - but that's our favorite part of Crab Shell. You order a table salad for 2 and it could feed a family of 5. And the salad is really good. We'll get one next time, but need to bring more people.

Overall - you'd think by reading this review that this is a ho-hum place with average food -- but it's more than that. I think the issue is that whomever is working in the kitchen just knows how to cook. We'll be back.

Spotted

2008-07-22T22:21:00.000-04:00

On the way to work:

Woman walking her dog - leash in one hand, cigarette in the other. Oh what a great way to start the day. Poor dog.

The Poor State of Kid's Meals at City Limits

2008-07-21T18:47:00.001-04:00

Took the girls out for lunch Sunday while the pregnant one stayed at home to rest.

We went to City Limits (crummy website - too much Flash. Can't link to City Limits, Stamford) (135 Harvard Ave)

We sat down for a nice meal. I really like their grilled shrimp wrap platter with vegetable chips and small salad. The wrap was the usual - nicely done and tasty.

What bummed me out was the quality of the kid's meals. One girl ordered fish and chips - which is her favorite - and the other ordered her favorite - a hot dog and fries.

Now I know they are kids meals, but they could at least try and serve something worth eating. I mean the meals were 6.95 and 4.95 so they aren't free.

The fish in the fish an chips seemed like it was some soft of flattened from the freezer patty shaped like a fillet. It's like the fillet was sliced in two to make it thin and boring - not flaky. What would it take to put a piece of fresh fish in some batter and fry it? Seemed like it was bought from some lousy foodservice corporation before being dumped in the fryer.

The hot dog was decent, but placed on what seemed like a 2 day old commercial, nasty hod dog roll. They have a bakery in the diner that makes really nice bread. Couldn't they make a decent hot dog roll to go with the kid's meal? Looked like they bought it from the discount bin at the local grocery dump.

Both meals came with fries. The fries were also of the comercial foodservice variety, and not cooked well. There were many fries with soft dark spots on the ends - yuck! There were also some fries that seemed like they were poorly processed in the foodservice factory and contained no inside - only crispy grease.

The problem here (in my humble opinion) is that the restaurant is taking shortcuts and using foodservice, factory produced food when it would be cheaper and much nicer to actually make some hot dog rolls and cut some fries on a mandoline. I admit that City Grill is by no means alone in this regard, but they have a bakery and a nice kitchen staff. And they seem to be trying to be a little more upscale. Cut some fries people!

All I ask is that a restaurant that makes decent food for adults at least try to make a decent meal for the kids - especially if the kids meal is 4-6 dollars. My kids deserve better.

So I'm a bit down on them for now and will be looking around for some other choices in diners -- hopefully finding somone who serves good food for all ages.

In the mean time - back to Crab Shell for decent fish and chips - even for kids! and hot dogs? don't know yet.

AT&T - The Bad and the Good

2008-07-16T20:46:00.002-04:00

On Saturday we stopped at the AT&T store in the Stamford Mall (100 Greyrock Place). What a disaster! There were two people there who didn't look at anyone walking in. There was a signup sheet. I signed up. Waited 20 minutes. The two people kept helping people who looked the most annoyed and were standing up at the counter - ignoring the sign up sheet. Finally a 3rd person with a bad attitude slowly made his way out from break and helped someone else standing there.

I interrupted and ask if they were using the signup sheet. The man there said he didn't know, he just got back from break. When I asked why they had a sign up sheet, he just gave me a dirty look and asked if he could help me - ignoring the guy who he started helping. I suggested that I didn't want to stop him from helping someone but wondered why they had a signup sheet if they were just going to ignore it.

There's more, but I won't go into it further except to say I left and swear I'll never step foot in that store again. AT&T ought to roll some heads and/or shut down that store. What a disaster.

Then we went to the Apple store and had a great experience buying a new cover for my wife's phone. They even installed it. So professional and so classy.

So then we all got in the car and drove to the AT&T store in Ridgeway Plaza (2147 Summer St). What a huge difference!

We were immediately greeted by the manager, Karim K., and we talked about what we needed to do. He was extremely nice and helpful.

He then handed us over to his "tech specialist", Scott L., because we had a more involved request - switching home phone to old iPhone which needed activation. Scott was really incredible. He set things up, pulled some strings, and got us up and running with some extra features and a great price.

I was so pleased with the help we got at the Ridgeway store that I got some names and will be sending off this post in letter form to the head store manager and the corporate office of AT&T stores.

Hats off to the folks at the AT&T store in Ridgeway and shame on AT&T for the disgrace that greeted us at the Stamford Mall. If you must deal with AT&T (and you have to with the iPhone) go see the great guys at the Ridgeway AT&T store.

Day One Sucker

2008-07-11T21:37:00.001-04:00

So the itch finally got me and at 2:00 pm I made the walk over the Apple store. My boss wanted to be there also be he was stuck in NJ. He said "Go" so I headed out.

It sure is nice to have an Apple store in Stamford, especially if you are an Apple person.

The store looked jammed, but the line didn't look too long. There's a Stamford cop with fire arm at the door and they are not letting anyone in unless they are buying an iPhone.

Oops. That's just part of the line. The real line started down by Macys. "Are you going to have some when I get through the line?" "Yes, we have lots of them." OK, I decided to go for it. My wife had already tole me, "Don't come home without one."

I had a really pleasent experience in line. Met some nice folks who were also suckers. Amaizing how many of them were switching carriers for their new iPhone. We all remarked on how crazy we were to wait in line, but when it was reassuring that I'm not the only crazy. There's mall security staff moving the line along and keeping people straight. They also add, "yea, they have plenty of phones."

Apple is so classy. They were handing out water and Starbucks bottled coffee to everyone in line. They had people going through the line making sure you had what you needed and answering questions. They even went for more help when some folks asked some more difficult questions.

I twitted my way throug the line - anoying all my Apple hater followers. An hour passed. Finally at the store. Almost to the door. In the door - oh no, there queue goes into the store, but the lines moving a little.

Once in the store, they were handing each person off to their own Apple person for one on one care. I met Anthony with the crazy hair the orange shirt with the look of a person who's been "how ya doin" and smiling to everyone all day. He asked my name and introduced himself. We shook hands. This was supposed to be an experience.

He handed me off to a more tired looking woman who helped me through the process. It was quite painless at that point except for a screw up with AT&T on my account (no surprise). We called AT&T together and straightened that out.

And after the ringing of money being transferred from my credit card to Steve's vault, I'm off with my new int eh box phone to the front of the store. Another friendly guy opens my box, plugs in my phone and activates it. So much for my Apple out of the box experience. He acknowledged the itunes error dialog (haha) and we're done. See ya.

iPhone in hand - I'm victorious! Only 2 hours of my precious life gone.

I glare at the crowd in line - still back to Macy's - and wish them all success while I get outa there.

Boy, I'm glad (actually, continue to be glad) I'm an Apple stock holder. Enjoy my money, Steve. I'm at your mercy.

PS. Maybe we should pick up a new one for my wife also?

Newfield Green Going Upscale

2008-07-08T20:31:00.003-04:00

First came Starbucks, now comes a new sign. Newfield Green must be trying to move upscale.

Newfield Green is in walking distance of our house. The girls and I like to walk down to CVS and buy stuff we can't find at our normal shopping destinations (Costco, Trader Joe's, Stew's, Whole Foods Westport). We also take our bottles down to Grade-A to get some coins and occasionally buy some Ben and Jerry's for special a treat. I'm too scared to buy anything else at Grade-A.

My wife's commented that lately, during the day, she sees the caravan of strollers heading down to Starbucks for an morning pick me up. She stopped in last week. Mostly kids and mom's, a couple of young adult types on their laptop, and several very large individuals getting some giant caramel, chocolate, sugar, coffee drink. I don't know how people can stand that much sugar and calories. Not sure you can walk it all off either.

I'm sure most people drive and park in the lot for their coffee -- too bad there's no drive through -- but I bet that will change as the Mobil station on the corner continues to jack up the prices - $4.99 for super at the moment.

But the old plaza is getting a new sign. The old sign was quite dated. Maybe the new sign will have Starbuck's in lights. I'm sure Starbuck's is causing an uptick in traffic - both cars and strollers.

Update: OK. I take it all back. The new sign is uglier than the old sign. And the electrical box stuck on the side is just classic. What a mess.

Black Bear Burger

2008-07-07T22:44:00.003-04:00

On Sunday, the older girl and I had a post WALL-E dinner at Black Bear (boy I wish their web site did not have music - so tacky). Even with all the variety downtown and some persuasion from Dada she still said she wanted a burger and french fries. I was not thrilled. We were so close to Market! but I agreed that she should have the call since it was her special afternoon out.

Black Bear is one of those places I tend to avoid. Too much bar, not enough focus on food. But I might have been wrong.

We sat down outside on the corner. It was a pleasant evening. Sun was just setting.

We stuck with water since we just downed a ginormous soda at the theater.

The girl ordered off the kids menu. "Sliders" - two small burgers and fries. They looked good although the roll seemed like a boring commercial dinner roll. She enjoyed them and the fries were good.

I ordered the Guacamole Bacon Burger. Wow. It was most delicious. Burger tasted like beef and was not too fine a ground. Cooked correctly. Guacamole had just a bit of spice and was just the right amount. Bacon was awesome - thick and crisp with a nice smoky flavor and a bit of chew. The pickles were really nice. The looked like fresh cucumbers, but were in fact pickles with a nice vinegar twang. The roll was also classy and delicious with toasted insides and a nice egg white shiny top.

The burger came with sweet potato fries. They were also really good. Crispy shoestring cuts. Great sweet potato flavor without being mushy as I've had with other sweet potato fries attempts.

I have to admit that it was one really nice meal. So when I'm in a mood for a good burger, I think we'll visit again. But probably early to avoid too much of the bar crowd. The Sunday evening burger was really nice.

Best part - the price. $11.00 burger for me. $4.99 burgers for her. We got out of there cheap and had not problem leaving a nice tip and a note about the excellent meal.

Mitchell's Fish Market

2008-07-01T21:12:00.005-04:00

Went out to dinner w/o the kids (10 years, you know!) at Mitchell's Fish Market at Stamford Town Center.

Hmm. Was OK. Was sorta chain-y. Fish was OK, but didn't live up to the fresh off the boat thing they are trying to accomplish. Wife (land lover) had a steak which was not great.

Prices were moderately high.

Service was excellent and our server was trying to make the best of it. She was attentive and friendly although there was a bit of a wait for things.

Food brought out by someone else - a "runner".

Couple with a baby and toddler sat down at the table next to us with their giant, pricey Bugaboo, Talbot's bag and pricey children outfits. They were nice, but reminded me of why I shake my head at people who spend all their money on accessories. At least the Dad was attentive to the baby and held her before eating. (I hate people who confine their babies to the carrier the whole time - poor kid!)

I don't think we would go back when we have other choices that are more local and less boring.

Was not an excellent dinner, but I had a coupon. Oh well.

Maybe we'll do something more special for 11 years -- and when the wife's not 9 months pregnant.

No Mustard

2008-06-27T22:16:00.009-04:00

Ok, Match is not in Stamford, but it's one of my favorite dining places and I'm a big fan of Matt Storch.In the free Stamford Times (but not online?) paper this for June 29, 2008 the 20 Questions with your Local Chef feature asked him, "What is the one food you won't eat?"His answer - Mustard.I also don't like to eat mustard although I like almost all other foods. Funny, or coincidence! No wonder I love his food.

The Sky is Falling

2008-06-26T21:25:00.003-04:00

I drive near the big high-rise every day. It's always fun to see a big pile of lumber hanging halfway off the edge of the 35th floor looking like one false bump you cause it to tumble down onto the Target building.

We avoid it and avoid Target. Wonder if their sales are down.

The Silly Gas Cash Discount Bill

2008-06-10T23:47:00.004-04:00

Today's note to Senator McDonald:

Just a short note to let you know I'm not in favor of the silly cash gas bill that I'm hearing about in the news. The reasons:

Stations and oil companies will simply raise the price for creditpurchases. There will be no savings. We already know that from experience. - you cut gas taxes and stations simply raise the price to make up for it.
More cash transactions will mean more crime. I don't want more poorly paid gas station attendants getting robbed or worse to save 5 cents a gallon.
More cash will mean more wasted time, more wasted transportation costs, more security costs, more bank deposits, more carbon, more dead trees, etc...
I don't want to carry cash. Cash is over.

I'd much rather spend time investigating why gas is 40 cents higher in Stamford than in Trumbull and why it goes up 10 cents every week. I'd like to know how people are going to heat their homes this winter. Why are stations in Stamford and Greenwich running out of gas? Please
encourage the legislature to work on more pressing issues.

I hope we can avoid the silly logistical and legal mess that cash
discounts will bring.

Thank you,
Mark

----

We'll see what happens when/if they pass this bill and the station down the street raises prices by the discount amount --- although I told you so notes are fun also.

Welcome Starbuck's ... Trash

2008-06-08T22:27:00.001-04:00

So the Starbucks in Newfield Green shopping center opened and I just noticed empty iced coffee cups littered all over the greenspace at the end of Pepperidge and Oaklawn. Oh well, I guess you can't blame Starbucks, but they sure do contribute to a lot of waste.

Hyperlocal Rules

2008-06-07T13:11:00.005-04:00

In the past few months, I've been following a number of Stamford blogs. I think it points to something that will help today's society - hyperlocalism.

In today's era of global corporations, walmartism and big media, we're loosing the focus on localism and unique places, people and ideas.

It's also a time when you don't know your neighbor, many are afraid and shut-in, and others don't have any compassion or understanding for others.

I think blogs and other hyperlocal communication might help with this. Hopefully some sense of connection can start online and might even someday spill over to real personal relationship - new friends and new ideas.

Go hyperlocal!

Potholes

2008-06-06T20:46:00.001-04:00

So there are potholes. And there's the fine hard working City of Stamford folks who fix potholes.

When I was a kid, I used to drive the lawn tractor around in circles with an attached roller filled with water over the marble dust tennis court. It was simple and effective. The court was smooth, flat, and compact.

Everywhere else I've lived they fix a pothole by dumping some asphalt and using a roller to smooth it over and flatten it out. The roller is a nice machine that is either driven or some heavy drum dragged behind a small tractor.

But not in Stamford.

I drove down some street the other day and the find workers were dumping the asphalt. They smoothed it out the best they could. But when I came back later that day, there was a nice new lump in the pavement and asphalt gravel all around. Nice.

In Stamford, potholes turn into new asphalt lumps.

And don't get me started on Oaklawn's repaving job last year - that will have to be another post.

In the Beginning

2008-06-06T20:44:00.005-04:00

there was grumpy. Grumpy is not unpleasant or mean, but he tends to be grumpy. Then he moved to Stamford, CT. Since that time, he has his ups and downs. He has his likes and his dislikes, but he sometimes focuses in on his dislikes which can lead to grumpiness.

So he decided to start this journal to cleanse himself of some of this grumpy thoughts. He'll throw in a few happy things in here also if he remembers.

So here goes...