I always appreciate people who risk their livelihood to follow their dreams. So when I drove to Bridge Street Wienery in Stamford, I really wanted to love this place. And after eating a hot dog and hamburger I realized that sometimes people just want a basic hamburger or hot dog, looking for that Earl Scheib’s, “No ups; No extras.”

Bridge Street serves Sabrett hot dogs (6 to the pound) with more topping variations than I could ever eat, plus hamburgers, hot sausages, chicken sandwiches and steak and cheese sandwiches. The dogs are split and then grilled on a flattop. The burgers are 3-4 ounce (more to the former), also grilled on the flattop and served a la 5 guys, well done. The toppings are plentiful and are arranged in price groups on the menu. I saw a few people trying to figure out what their burger would cost. Me? Pretty simple, I ordered a dog with sauerkraut and relish plus a bacon cheeseburger.

If the owners, Steve and Mike, envisioned opening a burger and dog place to mimic a major league ballpark or a Sunday church BBQ event they absolutely succeeded. It is what it is, no ups; no extras. The dog was too small (I like 4 to the pound) to handle the toppings they generously place on top. When I saw them individually grill some onions, I was impressed. The burger was OK, nothing special, but a single is way too small for anyone over 12 years old. The bacon was flavorful but overpowered my single patty, it would probably be better with a double patty.

One item I did not like at all was the sexual double-entendres on some of the signs and posters. It’s a family place; I would not want to explain to my 10-12 year old what some of these inappropriate “jokes” meant. Focus on the food and leave the locker humor where it “belongs.”

Tacos Mexico is located in a small strip mall on Fort Point Street off East Avenue just south of I-95. I have been hearing good things from by buddies over at http://www.ctbites.com so I stopped by for a quick lunch and very much enjoyed almost the entire meal. I ordered the Chipotle Chicken Taco Lunch special ($6.49) and a single beef taco ($2.25).

Once I ordered my meal the server brought a basket of nacho chipss and two small bowls of red salsa. The salsas are almost identical except for a little difference in the heat and some of the ingredients in one were pureed. Both were delicious and I really liked the idea that they include little spoons. You can take a spoonful, place atop a chip and enjoy a good amount of salsa per chip.

The beef taco arrived first and it probably sat a bit before coming to the table as it was luke warm. The plate was much hotter than the food. The flavors were good but it needed the addition of the house green sauce for me to really enjoy. The chicken tacos arrived next. They were two rolled tacos filled with a creamy and delicious chicken. The beans and the rice that accompanied the dish were also delicious. This was a big winner for me.

So with the exception of the beef taco, I thoroughly enjoyed Tacos Mexico. BTW – Service is incredibly slow so if you are in a rush at lunch you should make mention of that when you order, maybe they can hurry the food from the kitchen.