Coromandel: A Visual Guide to Authentic Indian Cuisine

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As an expatriate, I am always on the lookout for good Indian Restaurants – places where I can get a proper Indian comfort food fix. Unfortunately, in this part of the world this is no easy task. Rarely do you come across a gem like Coromandel – offering inspired authentic Indian cuisine, very reasonable prices, and a restaurant experience that delivers in terms of ambience and service. 

The Coromandel group has a monopoly on good "home cooked" Indian food in Fairfield County. And while there is ongoing debate over the "best" location, mine is SONO. Manager, Gopi Nair, is very proud about what sets Coromandel apart. Their dishes are based on traditional recipes sourced from master chefs and regional culinary pundits in India. Their local chefs are then trained to cook the ‘Coromandel Way.’ 

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Shout Out: Best Italian Restaurants in Fairfield County?

If you live in the tri-state area, you eat Italian. The power of pasta is epic. With the breadth of regional Italian cooking, and the celebrity chefs who have elevated it to dizzying heights, you are likely to have a favorite spot where you seek the Italian comfort food you crave.

Where do you go for great Italian - where the ravioli melts in your mouth, the osso bucco is succulent, and the risotto is cooked to perfection? 

What are the best Italian Restaurants in Fairfield County? 

The Winner of the Pine Social Cocktail Contest is...

Selecting a cocktail name for this month's contest was no easy task but Pine Social has declared a winner for their Cocktail Naming Contest. 

Congratulations to Stephen H from Stamford for his submission...drumroll please..."Social Butterfly." He will receive a FREE lunch for 2 @ Pine Social in New Canaan CT. 

Thank you to everyone who submitted creative and inspired names. 

Stay tuned for our next Cocktail Contest from Match Restaurant in Sono.

Friday Froth: The Beginnings Of Spring

I absolutely adore Greek mythology. The creatures were probably the first aspect to grab my limited attention, but the imperfection and compellingly human nature of the gods, the odd sense of justice, the creativity and cleverness of classical civilization have never ceased to captivate me. "I, my, me" - isn't this supposed to be about beer? It will be, but first let me tell you about a youth named Narcissus. 

Born to a river god and a water nymph, the boy was impossibly beautiful from birth, and he knew it. Men and women alike threw themselves at Narcissus and all were rejected. Ovid writes: "Thereupon one of the scorned raised his hands to heaven and cried: 'So may he himself fall in love, so may he not be able to possess his beloved!' and Nemesis heard it." One hot day, Narcissus bowed down at a spring to drink and unwittingly fell in love with his own reflection. Unable to grab the object of his desire and unwilling to leave it, he wasted away to death by that spring, and in his place grew a yellow flower botanists call by his name. The rest of us call it a daffodil, and I noticed a bunch of them beginning to push up through the frosty ground this week. Spring is beginning, and with spring comes spring beers.

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Skinny Pines Pizza @ The Westport Farmer's Market

Since we last reviewed Skinny Pines, Jeff Borofsky has been tweaking his dough and wooing the folks who frequent the Westport Farmers Market with his weekly appearances. I went back recently and was so taken with the Bianca and his latest crust, I had to share the experience on Slice.

And about that dough:

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Win Free Tea! Bigelow Tea Sweepstakes

It's tea time! The new Bigelow Tea Sweepstakes is on from  March 1^st through March 15^th, 2011.

One lucky winner will receive a $200 Bigelow Tea gift certificate and an additional five (5) winners will each receive a $75 Bigelow Tea gift certificate good for shopping from our catalog or website.

You must be at least 18 years of age and reside in the United States and Canada in order to participate. Go to http://www.bigelowtea.com to complete the online registration. For additional information, please refer to the Official Rules.

If you want to know more about Bigelow Tea, please visit their website, www.BigelowTea.com, or their blog, www.BigelowTeaBlog.com.

Good luck!

Bereket Turkish Restaurant "2" Opens in Bridgeport

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Last spring we told you about Bereket, an tiny authentic Turkish eatery tucked behind a gas station in Bridgeport.  This fortuitous find primarily offered takeout, but if you were lucky enough to get one of the 3 small tables, you were served food worthy of an Ottoman emperor. While we loved hiding out behind the Citgo station, we were pleased to hear that owner Selahattin Cinar had moved his very reasonably priced menu and talented cooks to a much larger space in Blackrock (the old Helados Vazquez). With an upgraded interior worthy of the excellent fare, Selahattin can now focus on the customer experience...and a more gracious host you've never seen. Warm up your car for a quick departure to Bridgeport. 

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Guinness Milkshakes @ Filling Station Co.

Beer + ice cream = Filling Station's March milkshake. Yup...they've done it again. Last month we enjoyed the sweet crunchy nostalgia of the Cap'N. March brings a taste of the Irish with their (non-alcoholic) Guinness Chocolate Milkshake. And what better to accompany your extra stout frozen dessert than a Buffalo Wing Burger? 

Ok mates...drink up and report back. Here is the full report from our own jfood:

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Fat Cat Pie Co.'s Butterscotch Pudding

Chef Robert Herlihy, Chef at Fat Cat Pie Co., puts out a darn fine thin crust pizza, but if you've never tasted his Butterscotch Pudding, you are missing out. This dessert has garnered a cult-like following amongst those in the know. Personally, the obsession stems from a subtle saltiness hiding under the smooth sweet pudding. I thank Chef Herlihy for sharing this recipe with us. If you sample this dish at Fat Cat Pie Co. or in the comfort of your home, let us know what you think. 

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Behind the Net Pizza @ The Darien Ice Rink

An affinity for hockey or a hot tip was the only way you’d discover Behind the Net, a concession stand in Darien’s ice rink that is serving up slices of New Haven style apizza heaven—until now.

Behind the Net opened on September 1, 2010 in the concession space adjacent to the busy suburban ice rink just beyond Darien’s Post Road.  Home to dozens of youth hockey games and practices, the rink also welcomes open skate nights and is teeming with families, practically guaranteeing a hungry audience. Thankfully for us, word soon spread that mere steps from the ice was purportedly some real-deal New Haven pizza—a pizza style characterized by an adherence to a thin crispy crust, decent charring from a super hot oven, fresh San Marzano tomato-based sauce, and mozzarella.

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