fchrisgrimm

... and I would most certainly avoid the 2002 Southern Rhone wines.

Interestingly, Oregon's Beaux Freres (co-owned by Robert Parker, winemaker and RP brother-in-law Mike Etzel, and Robert Roy) produced a 2001 Les Cousins release, exclusively for Robert Kacher. Oddly, this wine later turned up through alternative distribution sources at greatly discounted prices. I'm still curious what happened there. It was a solidly produced Pinot noir (you'd expect nothing less out of the Beaux Freres winery). I know that RP was unkind to the 2001 Oregon vintage, but I found it to be a little better than 2000 (better acids - like a mini-1999, whereas 2000 was like a mini-1998, and a little flatter).

$1.25 at Los Portales in Norwalk, CT (Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Squirt, Fanta, et. al.). Also a source for homemade tortilla chips!

Ibiza, together with sister-restaurant Meigas, have received extraordinary press, with the likes of Wine Spectator, Esquire, and the New York Times endorsing with statements such as "finest Spanish restaurant(s) in the country" and "finest restaurant(s) in Connecticut." I have yet to bother schlepping to Ibiza, preferring Meigas for it's proximity. But I would certainly expect a fine meal at Ibiza. (Though I have noted on other posts that I prefer the less-pretentious Mecca, around the corner from Meigas.) Barcelona also offers good tapas in both South Norwalk and Greenwich. While we don't tend to wander up to New Haven to dine, I would recommend a couple of places down in Fairfield County as amongst the finest... Paci in Southport (Italian regional cuisine in a remarkable location at the old Southport train station) Thali in New Canaan (Indian) Faifield seems to grow French restaurants like mushrooms. I'd love any thought on those.

Wondering about 'discrimination issues' certainly hints to a considerationlegal action. I'm certainly not a child hater, but child-free folks like myself are constantly asked to accomodate those who have children (trying to ignore the less-ruly ones in nice restaurants is the least of those accomodations). It's the whole Sex and the City Manolo Blahnik episode. It would be nice if people didn't constantly have to have it both ways, when others are subjected to dealing with the situation.

So on one hand you don't object to the policy, but on the other hand you were pondering a lawsuit. The fact that you weren't warned of the policy by the restaurant ahead of time was clearly unfortunate (and wrong), but the rest of the opining suggests a broader complaint about an honest free-market driven policy. As someone who is child-free, I am just as bothered by those who inflict their offspring on the rest of the world, whenever they see fit. I have no problem with a restaurant's policy, one way or the other - just let me know so I can also plan accordingly, depending of whether I am eating with other guests who are bringing children, or if I don't want want to be subjected to the typical behavior of children in tow at a nice restaurant. Alas, you'll say the policy is okay if forewarned, but opine about a lawsuit, discouraging the option of child-free (just like smoke free) establishments. Your kids surely are angels, but unfortunately those who are subjected to bad behavior have no recourse. When little Jenny or Johnny screams and cries through our anniversary dinner, will you pick up my tab? Maybe I should sue! And don't let all of your little ankle-biters pay for their coffee individually, while I am trying to get my day moving - keep things moving and don't slow the line, please!! (Only half-kidding.)

Depends on the restaurant layout I suppose. F2F works best in the middle of the room, but in our fav place, where the tables are angled to the wall, we sensibly sit at right angles, on either side of the corner against the wall. Makes service seemless and gives us both a view of the action. Good for mid-meal commiserations. But when there are two couples, what is the proper layout? SO's face to face? or, for instance, Boy-Girl-Boy-Girl?

Here in the wilds of Connecticut, there aren't a lot of good used bookshops (of which I am familiar). That said, if I know what I'm looking for, I use the Amazon used book links. If you have the ISBN, it is sometimes easier to track a used copy via Amazon than with the title or author. (For that matter - though I am likely saying nothing new here - when I want a new cookbook, knowing what I want, I go through the Amazon New & Used Link to eCookbooks/Jessica's Biscuit (hey, that's Boston-based, isn't it?). Their discount is always better than Amazon's own on new titles.) I've had good luck finding some odd cookbooks at Library used book sales. Everybody is looking around for the first editions in fiction, while nobody is looking at cookbooks. A very good source for 'cookbooks as cultural kitch' (like Jello cookbooks or Trader Vic's Cookbook), but nice things show up time and again, and they all generally cost under $5. I put together all of the older editions of Robert Parker's wine guides in two Southport Library book sales. Found a copy of 300 Years of Carolina Cooking (one of the old editions - from back in the days when Jr. League cookbooks were actually composed of recipes from Jr. League members) up here. Found a University of Minnesota Press book of recipes for cooking the fish of the Great Lakes! Love those library book sales!

How about Ruth and Jimmy's in Abbeville? It's a classic "meat and three" joint that is well worth the visit. Very close to Oxford.

(Clearly I shouldn't be spending all of my time on my 'home' New England page!) Coffee, as I don't generally eat anything in the morning (often skipping lunch, too) - otherwise I will be hungry all day. While some may scoff, it does allow for leisurely paced and filling dinners! Of course, if I had Percyn around cooking breakfast, I'm sure I'd be more keen on it!

So what did you choose? Did they like it? If I had seen this earlier, I would have suggested a Gewurtz or Pinot Gris - preferrably from Navarro Vineyards in the Anderson Valley. Perfect with the spicy flavors. Unreal bargains, too. Though going with Sparkling would have been the more festive choice.

Great idea re a Fairfield County gathering - count me in, Jeff. Here's the 12/30 Mecca report... We started with a couple of glasses of Cava. I ordered the 'Spanish Platter' appetizer - Serrano ham, Manchego cheese, sausage. Leslie had the always terrific pear salad. Both solidly mainstream Mecca dishes and very good. We took Jaime's suggestion in ordering a Vina Irazi Rioja. I've had this wine before and do agree with you that the mark-up is a bit high - but the wine was terrific, booming nose, very fragrant, big, New World-style Rioja. I guess the way I look at it is "was it a good $65 restaurant wine?" and the answer is yes. Would I have been happier with a $30 to $35 wine from my basement (plus corkage) - probably not. I had the pork roast in Medeira sauce, with braised greens, yams, and saffron rice. Not the most adventurous choice (I usually order from the specials, but had recently had the one I would have chosen, duck leg confit, scallops, and white beans - a great, hearty dish) but the nailed the pork and I couldn't have been happier with the preparation. For dessert, I had the rice pudding (I always get the rice pudding - is there any better comfort food?). Leslie had the orange flan - while I never order flan as 'flan is flan' and I am not usually a fan, I must say that this was splendid. The zippiness of the orange elevated it above the 'mouthful of custard' quality that doesn't usually do it for me. The meal was wrapped up with shots of green apple brandy brought to the table. I love the gesture and I really groove on the brandy - brought ice cold, it is the essense of green apple. You just want to keep your nose in the glass, because after the Cava and the wine, one sip is like getting clubbed on the back of the head. But going back to Leslie's dinner... this may be the first sub-par dish I recall in probably twenty trips to Mecca. While I will not back away from my solid belief that this is a source of first class food, I have to say we were a bit disappointed. Leslie had ordered her (and our) old standby - the seafood green risotto. Unfortunately, the risotto was a bit soupy at the bottom of the bowl (okay - maybe it was liquid from the mussels, but we hadn't run into this before). More troubling was that the shrimp did not seem completely fresh. 12/29 they would have been fine, but 12/30 they were slightly shrimp-y. I've never run into that kind of thing at Mecca, and it would have to happen again before I started to worry. But that one dish did disappoint. Nonetheless, the meal as a whole was a success. Great food (though we were rather pedestrian in our choices). And (referring to an earlier post that I made), prices top out at $24 for main courses). While I still consider Mecca a better restaurant (food for food's sake) than Meigas, I've never had a flawed dish at Meigas, so maybe the momentum is shifting the other way (but we are due for another trip to Meigas before we judge).

(Firing this off so we aren't late for my birthday dinner at Mecca) ... Whatcha bringing a bottle of Ferrari Carano to Mecca for? lol The eels are sauteed, and here is my precise guestimate as to how they are made... in a small sautee pan, heat some olive oil until very, very hot, toss in some chopped garlic, just as it is toasted in the oil, throw in the baby eels, remove the pan from the heat and bring immediately to the table. They are like a small dish of 2" angel hair pasta, you'd hardy notice that they are eels. Same texture as pasta, and you taste the garlic and oil, except... there is just the sublime essense of the sea, more in the aroma than anything else. Quite wonderful. Eat them fast while they're hot, before the rigor sets in (they firm up as they cool)! Alas the dish of, I don't know, a couple of hundred of these babies as an appetizer cost $69! Compared with main courses that top out at, what, $25 or $27? But I was glad I tried them once - ordered a couple of other times to share with friends.

Since we alluded to the subject in an unrelated chain, I thought best to start anew. Especially in Fairfield County, but let's say the southwest corner of CT in general, I'd love to hear other opinions on... Best BYO restaurants. Best restaurants with progressive corkage policies. Wine lists so good that corkage is unnecessary. Neanderthal approaches to wine. A few things come to mind... Paci's 'premium' wine-by-the-glass program is really terrific. While they have always had a fine Italian wine list, Dave Squires has taken them up a further notch - and this program is wonderful (in addition to five or so typically available wines by the glass, they have an additional, revolving number of choices for which one is charged one-quarter the cost of the bottle for a 187.5 ml glass). As I posted elsewhere, in what is otherwise a fav, at Carole Peck's Good News Cafe, they allow no BYO, corkage or no, and the list is not especially good. Great food, but the policy doesn't sit well. I love the thorough Spanish lists at both Meigas and Mecca - wouldn't dream of bringing a bottle to either. Nor Paci, above. Other thoughts?...

Julep's it was! Love the neighborhood (anyone have a report on Bob's Tiki?). We were a bit early, so I had, of course, a mint julep from the bar, while Leslie had a glass of NZ Sauv Blanc. We were shortly settled and into our dinner. I started with the Low Country Charcuterie - terrific start - and Les had the spinach salad. We shared a plate of fried green tomatoes - lightly breaded, really nice, and enjoyed the red onion salsa. For mains, I had a smoked duck breast with grits and succotach while Les had the cumin dusted pork roast with braised cabbage and fingerlings. We drank a 2001 Barboursville Octagan, which was good, not great, but I still like ordering local. Service was solid - unobtrusive, efficient, with good wine tips for local shopping. Had to call my own cab, but can't complain too much about that. In conclusion, while we thoroughly enjoyed it, I would say it falls short of the dearly departed Frog/Redneck. Very good, but not memorable, I guess. I liked the charcuterie (duck confit, wild boar and cranberry sausage, and country pâté) more than the duck.

Sorry you didn't enjoy Mecca - though that wouldn't have been my first choice from the menu. While I stand by my comments re the wine list (noting their especially reasonably priced offerings), your comment leads to another local concern... ...Corkage in general. While I will defend Mecca (unless you are bringing a bottle of Pingus - in which case $30 is nothing - order from their list, I'd say), corkage in Connecticut is a huge hassle. What did you take - just curious? Did you call ahead? But back to corkage... Carole Peck's Good News Cafe is one of our favorite places, but the wine list is pretty spare and they don't allow it at all. I wanted to bring a friend who is an Oregon winemaker (taking some of his wine) and they were absolutely firm in discouraging it. No BYO. The almost belligerent approach is especially disingenuous from a place which otherwise has a hug your farmer and kiss your pig (before you club it) approach to food. We still eat at GNC, but I remain annoyed, in a small corner of my heart. Back to Mecca/Meigas - Meigas is wonderful. I LOVE Meigas. I thoroughly enjoy the tiny dishes. But I love the complexity of flavors in the bigger dishes at Mecca. In a way, I think that the food at Mecca is more difficult to do well, without the large staff that can crank out tiny distinct plates at Meigas. I'm not slamming Meigas, which is a splendid place, I'm just saying that I believe Mecca is better. (And I seriously grooved on the baby eels. Where do you find those babies? I can't believe they are frozen, because they couldn't keep their form, being that small, could they? Can you cultivate 'em in a fishtank, like a home mushroon kit? I want to know!) And, per Jeff, the price/quality ratio at Mecca is way beyond what you find elsewhere - and especially Meigas.

Wilson! You heretofore unknown e-gullet'er! It's like a secret life! I will definitely check out Bon Ton. It was definitely easier to grab something at GCT on the way home, than it is to find the good stuff out here. Murray's is (obviously) a treasure. Though I was always hesitant to carry meat or fish on the train (at least in the summer!). I must say that the unspoken and over-riding vibe I'm picking up is that, in the case of meat, we're hard pressed to find any that doesn't arrive at the store in plastic.

Can anyone make some good recommendations - especially for anyone selling organic meats? Though I am primarily concerned about the lack of a variety of cuts available here. (The retirement of the Egg and I Pork Farm was a shame.) I tend to pay for either the over-priced meat at Balducci's nee Hay Day, or go to Wild Oats. Neither has an especially broad selection. (And getting anything organic is an enormous challenge.) A good Fairfield County fish market recommendation would also be valued. I've tended to be disappointed in the quality at Westfair fish. Swanson's is better - but not worth the longer trip for me (from Westport). I like the quality at Fjord Fisheries, but the selection is minimal. Produce is much less of a problem. I highly recommend joining the Fort Hill Farm (organic) Co-op, which had a Fairfield drop-off site this year. They also sell at the Wilton Farmer's Market (though New Canaan's market is even a better source - six months a year, at least).

I will stand corrected on the Wilton clarification - thanks! Give Mecca another try. I was faithfully going to Mecca for a year or two before I allowed myself to fall in a "is it just me or is this a truly remarkable place" frame of mind about the place. Last year around this time, we went to Meigas and Mecca on consecutive nights (my birthday and NYE) and, with those visits, finally shifted to the Mecca camp. Not because of any flaw in the meal at Meigas - but simply because Mecca is that good. I suppose there is a sense of cheering for the underdog because Meigas is so "hot" right now, nonetheless... Don't go expecting tiny dishes or a fancy-minimalist setting - take the place for what it is. I should add that they will prepare a tasting menu, if you ask a few days in advance - we had that last Spring for a family event, and were completely pleased. But it isn't what will bring back time and again. I apologize for the evangelical zeal, but while one great meal can represent a good place on a great night, well over a dozen (even twenty?) meals of breadth and consistency tell me that they are doing something right. Meigas remains the 'bigger' dining experience, for the bells and whistles. But haul me back to the area after a year in some other culinary wasteland, and my first local meal will be at Mecca. (Followed by the sometimes maligned Paci in Southport and Thali in New Canaan.)

Mecca, Spanish in Norwalk. (I suspect this should be moved to start a new thread). Meigas gets the press - and big press it is. It has the kinda hip small dishes that everyone loves. The setting is beautiful. The service is terrific. Meigas has been our special occasion restaurant of choice (okay - along with Southport's Paci) for a few years now, but it has now been definitively surpassed by Mecca in the most important category of all, food. (At the risk of sounding like a publicist, which I am not,...) Jaime Lopez was a partner in the group that owned Meson Galicia, now Meigas. I think he may have run their Wilton restaurant for a while. He struck out on his own with Mecca, first in Westport (so I am told) but in the current loc, around the corner from Meigas, for a few years. Mecca is a modest, but perfectly fine location, with a small but efficient staff. As with Meigas, the wine list is a splendid representation of even the most obscure Spanish regions (though they really hit home runs with their choices from Rioja, Ribera, and Priorat). The biggest difference in style between the two is Mecca's emphasis on one dish-style main courses, like stews (now is the season for the incomparable lamb stew), the duck confit, and the stunning seafood green risotto. Sure, you will (once in a while) find baby eels as an appetizer - Jaime can go that way if he wants. But this is (someone clarify what I'm saying here) Spanish style Bistro cuisine. What I most love about the food at Mecca is the complexity of flavor - these are 'simple' dishes but there is a remarkable depth to them all. In the last year, the most noticeable chance that I have found at Mecca is a greater emphasis on presentation. The food tastes as good as it always has, but now there is as much to please the eye as the palate, and attract the attention of those who, well, write the reviews. I can't say enough about the place - the meals I have had are comparable to those I've had at The Frog and the Redneck in Richmond (now closed), Anise in Montreal, and St. John in London. At each of these, while expense may have been spared on location, decore, and in size of service staff, the food reflects a singular vision of a remarkable chef (and in the case of Mecca, one nicest people who will ever welcome you to a restaurant). Don't get me wrong - I love Meigas. And I am hard pressed to think of a better place to go for Valentine's Day or New Years Eve. But for all of the "best Spanish restaurant in America" and "best restaurant in Connecticut" acclaim in the NYT, Esquire, and Wine Spectator, I have to laugh that it doesn't actually serve the best food in its own neighborhood! We've enjoyed every meal we've ever had at Miegas, but this year on the 31st, we'll be at Mecca.

Thanks for the continuing nods. You are absolutely right that (personally) I have no neighborhood concerns and get around trouble free. My concern is more with getting the annual meal that exemplifies (sp?) Richmond! Mamma Zu's sounds interesting - but I have a tough time getting excited about it, when I am an hour from New York - Mecca of, if nothing else, Italian food in the USA. (Oddly, in Norwalk, ten minutes away, is Pasta Nostra, which gets near-identical writes-up as Mamma Zu - and I haven't been there either, in ten years). So you see my mental block on the place. Julep's seems a little more upscale (and my wife likes the web-site - oy), but I do get a better food vibe from Comfort. Julep's seems akin to Acacia, which we've done (though certainly enjoyed). My one (odd) concern, as it were, is that Comfort doesn't have Virginia wine on their list. What's the deal with that? You have to support local wineries (unless you live up here in Connecticut - and even then...). A restaurant pushing local cuisine needs to be pushing Virginia wine (because there's enough good wine being made) - ought to be pouring by the glass, but that is another subject, altogether. That's what I especially liked about Pomegranate, when we ate there a few years ago - big time support (except by the glass) of local wine. Thoughts appreciated. Otherwise, were zeroing in pretty well. BTW - for budgetary reasons, we are staying at the Radisson, rather than the Jeff. Any comments? We tend to check in, go to dinner, go to bed, and get up and leave - so it seemed extravagant this year.

No, she studied under Julia Childs - that's someone else, altogether! Two brief stories... I was once in line at the Stop & Shop (here in Westport) behind Martha Stewart. Amongst the other grocs (that I, of course, carefully inventoried), she had a box of INSTANT grits. Now unless she was using these babies to spackle her ceiling, I'm guessing that she speaks to the masses who also like cheesy potatoes! And bloomin' onions! (The shame!) Had another friend of a friend who worked at Popeye's while in high school 25 years ago. (Eh, you can do far worse for fast food.) Friend 1 - How do you make that great Dirty Rice? FOF - Well, you make the rice and then you take a packet of the 'Dirty Rice Mix' and mix it in. Sounds like the cheesy potatoes! fcg

Thanks for the ongoing advice. Certainly leaning toward Comfort, as I like to get my fix of food of the South on the annual trip. Though we will continue to keep Mamma Zu's in mind - hard to think about Italian in Richmond with NYC right down the road! Enjoyed Lemaire a whole lot, but would rather not go to the same place twice, when we only stay one night a year! (Richmond is a perfect halfway point between our Connecticut home and Greenville, SC.) One brief (non Richmond or Southeast) digression (esp for Dscott) - while I certainly thought Flemings was a big cut above the usual "chain," I certainly wouldn't recommend it above the many fine restaurants (it's at the Hyatt La Jolla, so convenient for a business dinner, especially on an extended stay). If you are in San Diego, try WineSellar Brasserie (attached to a remarkable wine shop) or (one of my favorite restaurants anywhere) Milles Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe. Rainwaters is a terrific indy steak house downtown, but not always worth the trip, if staying in LaJolla.

Anise is remarkable - don't shy away. IMHO (as an eater, not a critic), the technique at Anise is all New French, but the dishes are informed by middle east spices. I've said it before, but after eating the "fusion" (hate the term) cuisine at Anise, it makes the omnipresent Asian Fusion that you find in the restaurants of, for instance, J-G Vong, to be absolutely ham-fisted in their approach, too much fun-house food, too cloying. Silly food - stick a lemongrass skewer in and call it modern. The dishes that I enjoyed at Anise were near-perfection. On the "food for food's sake" meter, this is a world class restaurant by ANY standard. Eat all of your bread, too! Need to drive to Hartford and hop a jet to Montreal for dinner! lol

Thanks for the link! Silly me, looking for Virginia in DelMarVa! lol Will look to try Comfort. Have included a relevant quote for the benefit of others who look here. Is the chain Fleming's (that got bashed) the West Coast steak chain? If so, I have always found them pretty good for that kind of thing. Not Morton's, but a terrific wine by the glass program (at least in La Jolla - though it all depends what is available in your State). fcg