ErinB

I used to eat the "crunchy veggie" pocket at D'angelo's before they got rid of it. It was pretty good, with broccoli, carrots, onions, but i'm sure not very healthy with all of that cheese on it. As far as Pizza Chains go, Papa Gino's is above average. And, at least they hand stretch their dough, as compared to Domino's and Pizza Hut who don't.

So, I called Cafe Boulud and they will do a tasting menu with wine pairing. The menu there really appeals to me, as Boulud's style of cooking. I'm still not 100% decided, as I'm also still thinking about Chanterelle, and Fleur de Sel. I don't want to do Bouley, just because I've already been there twice and am being selfish and want to try a new place. Definitely don't want to do Oceana and don't want to do DB Bistro Moderne. Too many decisions. In terms of courses, I think it would be great if we could do a 5 course meal to get that whole experience. But, it's not essential.

Thanks for the post. I actually went to East Side pockets. While the falafel, was acceptable, I was completely alarmed by the "everything" orders which consisted of people ordering hummus, tahini, hot peppers, hot sauce and a whole bunch of other crap on their falafel. I'll probably try a few of the places and report back.

Ok, here's a more specific question. Has anyone had the tasting menu at Babbo? The pasta tasting menu and the wine are clearly extremely well thought out and perfectly paired. Is there any French that compares in that sense, aside from something like Per Se or ADNY?

From what I can tell DB Bistro Moderne does not have a tasting menu. But otherwise, would be great. Fleur de Sel seems like a possibility as well as Montrachet.

I'm going to take a friend out to dinner who's never been to a fancy restaurant. He's been to a few nice places ... but nothing fancy. So, I want to take him to French and to a place that he can get a tasting menu, because I think he'll like the mutiple course experience. It's also really important to me that we go to a place that does really well with their wine pairings and selections, so he can really get the importance of wine and food pairings. If I was taking him to a restaurant of my choice, I'd probably take him to ADNY of Per Se, but I think it would be a little over the top for someone who's never been to a restaurant like that. So, I'm looking for a suggestion for a French place that has an excellent tasting menu with wine pairings. I'm looking to spend around $75-$100 for the tasting menu (without the wine) but am flexible on price. I was thinking about Chanterelle.

Does anyone know anything about the ethnic option in Providence? Thai, Middle-Eastern, Greek, Etc?

Great list. Sort-of out of New Haven, but in Middletown, there's Middlesex Fruitery which has extremely high quality fruits and vegetables. A little pricey, but they don't let you touch anything, they pick everything for you. I'll check with a friend of mind who is muslim and may know about the halal butcher. I know she gets most of her meat in the Hartford/West Hartford area.

I ended up going to Bistro Zinc. I didn't find it to be snobby, but then again I am used to NYC and CT (which i think may be the home of snobby people.) Without going completely into my meal, I though the food was solid and there was good use of seasonal ingredients, but I also felt most dishes left something to be desired ... For instance, I had grouper with a corn and rhubarb "broth" and the corn was fresh, the grouper cooked perfectly, but it just needed something else. I also had a tart tatin, which I thought was weak, but my companion had a blueberry soup with mango and lemon sorbet which was excellent .. Our waitress gave us very good wine recs, and the wines were great. Our meal ended up being about $55 per person with one appetizer, entree, one glass of wine, and dessert. I probably won't be going back there, just because I don't think it was good enough to warrant me spending $55 on a meal there. (although I would go back the the bar area which is beautiful) The next time I go, I'll probably try Firefly, Church St Cafe, or Spigulina (sp?) ... and I'm expecting to go before the end of the summer ...

Just wanted to chime in and say, great thread. I'm interested in where to eat in Northhampton as well.

Does anyone have any Berkshire updates? I'm going in a few weeks and debating between Church St Cafe and Bistro Zinc. Hopefully I can get reservations. Does anyone know anything about Firefly, which is listed as a tapas restaurant?

We ended up just going to the 24 hour restauarant (the Veranda?) and got hamburgers which I figured was a pretty safe bet. It was fine. And not ridiculously overpriced (only slightly).

You know what sent me over the edge? I went into some coffee shop (possibly Cosi or something similar) where they don't serve bagels they serve Squagels (square bagels). That is ridiculous.

I'm going to Foxwoods. I've read from previous posts that the dining options at Mohegan are better, but, I'm still going to Foxwoods. So, is there anything halfway decent? I've eaten at the Chinese place, and that was pretty horrible, so I won't go back there. I also think I've eaten at the 24 hour place that serves generic american food, and that was pretty bad. Is there anything?

Ooooh. Shady Glen. Definitely. I'm going to respectfully disagree on Thai Gardens, just because I've had a few mediocre meals there, but maybe I didn't get the right thing.

I've tried the Pineapple Carpaccio and the Chocolate Pudding. The pineapple was great, very fresh and ripe with a sage and anise? flavored syrup, very light, but added a great flavor. The choclate pudding was very good as well. They use young coconut milk instead of the dairy that is usually used, and you could taste a slight coconut flavor, but it was still rich and creamy.

I'm not vegan, vegetarian or RAW foodist, but I appreciate any resturant that can highlight unique vegetables and use them well. I agree with Sarma about the restaurant creating foods that are not trying to taste like meat. Believe me, there are plenty of vegetarian places where you can go and order a hamburger and it actually is supposed to taste like one. I've had the squash pasta with truffles, and it in no way is trying to taste like pasta. It tastes like squash. I agree with Bruni, in that the squash pasta was lacking something, the fresh peas in were great, but the sauce needed something else.

Darbar is the best indian food in the New Haven area I've found. Peaches is in East Hartford.

I'm not looking for anything specifically. I just wanted to hear peoples' thoughts. The only criteria is the price range.

I've been to Queen of Sheba and had an excellent meal there. The prices are good, and at one point in time it was a "Critics Pick" in the $25 and under category from the New York Times. I haven't been to any of the other places to compare though.

Frank Bruni is really starting to get on my nerves. From the article: I essentially agree with a lot of what he says about Pure Food & Wine. But, he kind-of completely misses the point as well. I went to PF&W last night. I'll do a more substantial write up later. But, the thing that I appreciate most about the restaurant is the unique fruits & vegetables they use and the freshness and quality. If you order the "squash pasta" and expect it to really taste like pasta, you're missing the point.

I don't know exactly what the criteria we would use would be, but my thought is somewhere around $15 and under per person (not including alcohol)? Things that come immediately to mind are -Lenny and Joe's in Westbrook -Tapas in West Hartford

I think zebra is a kind of heirloom tomato.

I, for one, am very excited about this restaurant. As a former vegan, I always love having these experiences. Jeunefille, about how much was your meal per person? What is the attire? How formal/casual is it?

From about 2 pages back: Completely agreed. Actually, one of the reasons I chose to go to Bouley. I love the décor of the dining room, I find the colors warm and cozy. I thought it would be less expensive and less intimidating to my non-foodie relatives. I had dinner at Bouley on Thursday night. I should preface this with the fact that chopjwu12 knew we were coming, so we did get some special treatment. (Thanks!) Overall the dining experience was fabulous. I was in a party of 5, we didn’t get the tasting menu. The highlights for me were an appetizer of "Homemade Silk Tofu with Ponzu Jelly, Malibu Sea Urchin, Wild Trout Caviar and Yuzu Granité" (i think this is what i had or something similiar) and an outstanding amuse-bouche of clam, celery sorbet, and something else that was amazing. These dishes were very similar, but my favorites of the meal. The combinations of flavors and the different textures and temperatures just went perfectly together. Of the entrees that were ordered, the best was a squab dish. I was slightly disappointed with a lamb dish I ordered, not because of the preparation, I felt the quality of the lamb could have been a bit better, a bit more tender, a bit more flavorful. I didn't try all of the other entrees or appetizers. We didn’t order the tasting menu but we had about 4 amuse-bouches, one special appetizer (courtesy of chopjwu12). My grandmother didn’t order an appetizer, but they brought her out one, on the house, because everyone else ordered one. In terms of complimentary dishes, the service was outstanding (and a little over the top.) They brought out a lovely moscato d'asti after dinner that was lovely. I paid special attention to the service, because that was one of the main things the Bruni review criticized. It did seem like some of his complaints were valid. Some of the servers were bumping into each other (the space is a little cramped) and it also seemed like tensions were a little high. I don’t know if it was because of the recent review, but I was watching carefully and could tell. Personally, I prefer friendly service over formality, and I definitely got that both times I've been to Bouley. 3 of us at the table had a wine pairing with our meals, and the meal came to be about $115 per person including tax and tip at the end of the night. I'll be going to Per Se in a little over a month so it will be interesting to compare the two restaurants.