The history of Rosy Tomorrow’s is an inspiration to all. In the early 1900s a young orphan named Rosy was taken in by a local merchants to help with household chores. The head cook of the family took a liking to Rosy and together they started catering numerous local parties. Rosy learned the power of food.

At the Great Danbury Fair in 1915 she opened a booth next to the beer hall and sales of her food specialties were spectacular, and patrons returned year after year. She later organized women to compile baskets of food for returning soldiers as they disembarked at railway stations. Over 65 years later, in 1981, the Fair ended and Rosy’s booth was no more, but Rosy Tomorrow was opened. Thirty five years later, as it approaches the 100^th anniversary of Rosy opening her stand at the Great Danbury Fair, Rosy Tomorrow stands as a tribute to the great woman, who started with nothing and gave everything to her love of food and her country.

Today, the restaurant stands in a red planked building reminiscent of a rail car with a garden room off the back. The interior with its soaring ceilings is filled with an eclectic collection of woods, lights, high top tables, and items from all walks of life. The menu continues this eclectic focus.

The appetizers include a Mucho​ Nacho Platter, Caribbean Fried Coconut Shrimp, Spicy Buffalo Style Calamari and California Mesquite Chicken Quesadilla, Rosy’s signature Fisherman’s Chowder, Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna, Bangkok Beef Salad, Lobster Cobb Salad, Kantang Chicken Salad, Thai Chicken Salad, ​​​​​​​and a South of the Border Cobb Salad.

There are plenty of burger combinations to choose from including a classic Bacon Cheeseburger, Swiss ‘n Portobello, Stuffed Blue Cheese and Bacon Burger, The Famous Garbage Burger (with sautéed mushrooms and onions, smoked bacon, cheese, Bermuda onion, tomato, lettuce and pickle), Maui Wowie Burger (fresh mozzarella, smoked bacon, pineapple, roasted red peppers, ranch dressing, lettuce, tomato and onion), and a Vegetable “Save the Earth” Burger.

Sandwiches are equally varied and range from a French Dip with a choice of sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and melted cheese, a Cuban Pork Dip Sandwich, Grilled Pastrami or Chicken, a gluten free Portobello Mushroom Panini to a Spicy Buffalo Chicken Panini.

For the hungrier appetite, Rosy’s Tomorrow offers a Maple Cider Chicken and Squash Kabobs, a Barolo Braised Short Ribs​​​, Atlantic Salmon, Baked Asian Atlantic Cod, Fish & Chips, and the daily Prime Rib of Beef au jus, while it lasts.

After 100 years of as a mainstay in Danbury, Rosy’s Tomorrow is a tribute to that young orphaned who knew the power of food and the love of the community.

When you think back on memorable meals, my recent meal at Le Languedoc qualifies as a perfect event. From the décor, the ambiance, the service and the food, each component was a perfect 10.

Located in downtown Nantucket, this French restaurant has several rooms and our group was seated in the rear room. The server asked for drink orders and described the additions to the menu for the evening. Included on our night was an appetizer of tomatoes and Burrata plus a lamb dish for the entrées. She mentioned the prices of each at the end of the presentation (which was perfect) and then allowed the table to decide from the regular menu or the specials.

For my appetizer I ordered the Tomato and Burrata Special and the Grilled Quail for my entrée.

The tomato and Burrata arrived and is was a generous portion, this was not the beginning of a small plate dining experience. The tomatoes were thickly sliced, sweet and delicious, and the Burrata was as creamy as any I have eaten. Basil leaves, plus a few drops of basil oil and extra virgin olive oil complemented the dish perfectly. The kitchen also added a few other greens, which were delicious but unnecessary.

My entrée arrived and I was pleasantly surprised that two full quail were included. Quail are usually very difficult to cut so I asked for a steak knife and when I made the first incision it was boneless, a fantastic way to serve. The quail was perfectly seasoned with a good amount of salt and pepper and cooked to retain all of its fantastic flavor and maintain its juiciness. The sides that accompanied the dish were a great balance of earthiness plus crunchiness that allowed the delicious quails to shine. We passed on dessert since we planned on ice cream at the Juice Bar down the street.

Overall this was an outstanding meal and our weekend in Nantucket.

I highly recommend Languedoc on any visit.

Two of us decided to give Heyday a try and I am really glad that I did.

Located on the southwest corner of 27^th and Lyndale, the restaurant is separated into two room. The first room contains a large bar, with several tables and the rear room overlooks the open kitchen. Adorning the walls are large paintings, the triple-pig swirl was a great painting for a restaurant.

The server walked us through the menu and was spot on in his service throughout the meal, major kudos to him. We decided to order three appetizers and three entrées and share.

The first appetizer was the Chicken Liver Tart ($9), which was topped with several varieties of pickled vegetables and green tomato jam. The liver was smooth and delivered rich flavors that were beautifully complemented by the toppings. The second dish, the Lamb Tartare ($10) was delightful, delivering rich flavor without any gaminess. It was served with two thick slices of toast. The toast was sweet and a great canvas for the richness of the tartare. The third appetizer was the corn panna cotta. The panna cotta was topped with a gelee and passion fruit. The varying flavors did not work together and the textures were off-putting. When eaten by itself, the panna cotta was outstanding.

Our entrées began with my favorite dish of the night, the Grilled Durade ($14) topped with slices of avocado, et. al. The filets were perfectly prepared and the spices were perfect and when combined with the toppings created an incredibly delicious dish. Close behind as the favorite of the evening was the Black Cod ($16) served atop baby corn. The fillet was cooked to medium rare, maintaining its gelatinous structure and the corn and sauce created an unbelievable flavor combination. The biggest disappointment of the evening was the Lamb Belly ($11). Simply prepared and served with sugar snap peas the three slices of belly lacked the bold and vibrant flavors of the other dishes.

Four of the dishes were outstanding, some of the best in the area. It is interesting of the other two one was too complex, which created an issue and the other was very underdeveloped. Overall I cannot wait to return to Heyday.

With all the positive reviews and posts about Pontos Taverna we decided to have dinner after a movie at the Garden Cinema. Our impression was quite different from all the positive accolades.

After a movie expect to wait for a table but ours was well within the 20 minute estimate the young lady mentioned when we left our name with her. Both she and all of the staff were incredibly pleasant throughout the evening, many restaurant should send secret shoppers to Pontos to learn from them. The interior is a cross between a cafeteria and a beer hall. No ambience whatsoever, no music at all, just the loud din of other guests…the ambient noise is deafening.

We decided to order a couple of appetizers while we looked through the menu. As I looked for an entrée I saw several marked “MP”…I would like to know the prices, but they were all reasonable when asked.

The Tzatziki was very good and offered a bright refreshing start to the meal. The Melitzanosalata included too much garlic, which overpowered the eggplant. I liked the Dolmades, which were mild and not overwhelmed by lemon.

I asked our server what she would recommend and with her reply “everything” I ordered the sampler plate, which included a lamb chop, a Beeftkia beef patty, a chicken Souvlaki skewer and gyro meat, served with Tzatziki. My wife ordered one of the specials of the evening, the sautéed Bronzini. The server forewarned us that the fish was served with no sides, but we still had appetizers on the table so it was fine.

The sampler was a hefty dish. The basic comment is that everything on this dish was overcooked. The miniature lamb chop was served well done. My two bites indicated that it was perfectly seasoned, but lost all its juiciness from the preparation. The beef patty was crispy on the exterior and firm on the interior. The pillowy interior I was looking for was not present. The chicken was the best of the dish, it still maintained a modicum of juiciness but was more dried out than juicy. The gyro meat was inedible, incinerated and no amount of Tzatziki could bring it to back to life. My wife’s fish was very tasty and cooked to the correct doneness but was smothered in oil, eating both filets was not possible.

It was obviously a different experience for us than many others. The front of the house was excellent but the kitchen was not up to the hype that others have mentioned.

My buddies at www.ctbites.com and other food bloggers have been all over me to try Fortina in Armonk. Comment after comment have been positive (a reference to the Luigi Blanco pizza is usually included), so on a quiet afternoon I wondered to Armonk for a meeting with some NY bloggers to see why everyone was so extraordinarily positive about Fortina.

As I entered about 15 minutes before the start of my meeting, I run into two other bloggers (Food Dude and Fairfield County Foodie) hanging out and waiting for their dishes. They insisted I join them and when the food arrived, they arm-twisted me into having a couple of bites. My introduction began with the “fried potatoes” ($8) that were served with Parmesan and rosemary. The potatoes were first baked, smashed and then deep fried. They were pretty good, nothing over the top. But the pizza arrived and the Luigi Blanco was placed inches from my face, atop an empty San Marzano can…but more on that pie later.

My colleagues arrived so I thanked my buds and wandered to my table. Since the others at my table were regulars I became a willing participant as they looked through the menu and narrowed the choices. For starters they ordered the “caprese” ($15) and the “fried meatballs” ($13). Some other items were ordered but I did not sample.

The “caprese’ included heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. It was a great combination of flavors, especially this time of year when the tomatoes are just crossing into sweet and this year’s bounty might be the best in many years. It was refreshing and the large croutons added the required crunch. On the other hand the “fried meatballs” did not live up to the press. They were served with a tomato ragu and Parmesan cheese. The crispy exterior delivered great texture but I was looking for a contrasting soft interior…and the interior of these meatballs were very dense. The major drawback, for me, was that I found them extremely salty.

The empty San Marzano tomato cans arrived, signaling that the pizzas were leaving the oven and were about to arrive. The table ordered three, “The Luigi Bianco” ($21), the “tenderoni” ($15), and the “san genarro” ($16).

Two of these were over the top brilliant. My favorite was the “The Luigi Bianco,” topped with Burrata, robiolona, Parmesan, and a few swaths of black truffle ($21). Resembling a zebra with its stark whiteness accented with 2-3 stripes of pureed truffle, this ranks as one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten. The crust was perfect, light, airy, with a buttery quality not found in any other crust in the area. And the black truffle was beyond delicious. The other pizza extravaganza was the “tenderoni,” that starts with a simple rendition of tomatoes, spicy sopressata, and Mozzarella cheese, but Fortina takes this creation in a different direction with the addition of a little chili oil and honey. The key to this pie was the honey…the interplay of the spiciness of the sopressata versus the sweetness of the honey was brilliant. The “san gennaro” was really good with a simple combination of sweet sausage, peppers, onion, and sesame.

Overall I found the pizzas at Fortina some of the best I have ever eaten and easily top 3 if compared to those in southern Fairfield County.

I heard a lot about Lago Tacos and decided to give the new Lyndale location a try. Located on Lyndale South the restaurant has plenty of seating surrounding two large bars plus tables surrounding the bars as well as the back room.

The menu is divided into several sections.

I ordered the “Sweet Corn Cakes with Grilled Shrimp” to eat while I looked through the entrées.

This was one of the best dishes I have eaten in a long time. Three perfectly fried corn cakes, each topped with diced sweet tomatoes and red onion, a swath of crema, a thin slice of avocado and a grilled shrimp, all sitting in a pool of salsa verde. The corn cake was sweet with a slight crunch. The shrimp were dusted with pepper and then perfectly cooked, the diced tomato was sweet while the crema and avocado delivered a smoothing aspect. The latter was required since the salsa verde delivered a good level of spiciness. Together this was outstanding.

I asked the bartender if could order a combination platter of tacos and he said I could but it was a little more expensive. I ordered a Walleye, a steak ad a chicken tiki with a side of black beans.

My expectations were high given the appetizer. Unfortunately the tacos were not in the same league as the corn cakes. My basic criticism was the tortillas. I found their taste was bitter and fought with the fillings. Likewise I found the filling delivered differing textures, but the flavors were lacking.

The Walleye was the best of the three. What made this taco better than the other two was the fish. It was lightly crusted and fried. It was topped with a little spicy sauce, red onion, lettuce, tomato. The twin tortillas were filled to the brim. Nothing in the toppings was memorable. The Chicken Tiki included the same toppings as the Walleye minus the spicy sauce. In addition to the lack of flavor in the toppings, the texture of the chicken was between shredded and mashed, very weird and unpleasant texture. Likewise it was dry. If not for the added sauce this might have been inedibly dry. It again was filled to the top of the tortillas. My least favorite was the steak taco. It was barely half filled and was served with raw onion, cilantro, a slice of avocado and a little Queso cheese. The steak contained just a hint of spice and was served well-done. With only half the tortilla filled the overwhelming flavor, unfortunately was the ill-flavored tortillas.

I went to Lago Tacos expecting a wonderful Mexican experience. The corn cakes with shrimp met that expectation, but the tacos fell significantly short of delicious.

World of Beer opened in Stamford and is marketed as a dream for people who love beers. The chain now stretches from Reston, VA to this newest location and by offering a tremendous selection of beers, wines, cocktails and bar food, plus numerous TVs and live entertainment this could be a great way to spend time with friends and family. There are fifty beers on tap plus over 500 more in bottles, from local CT brews to those rare batches from the far reaches. For a different choice, they also offer Artisan cocktails. Two examples include a Gin Jam comprised of gin, simple syrup, berry jam and freshly macerated berries. For a change of pace they offer a beer-cocktail that combines the best of both worlds, such as their MargarIPA, a traditional margarita topped with a touch of IPA and then a squeeze of lime.

While the sheer volume of beers may be overwhelming, World of beer offers patrons I-Pad menus…technology meets brew master as each allows for searching, sorting and selection by numerous functions. Not sure which beer to order, opt for a 4-flight for $10 that include varying choices from Drink Local, Spring Seasonal, Intro to Hops and one that I hope they delete after the World Cup results, a Tour of Belgium.

Food options are limiting and described as Tavern Fare, “a celebration of the senses that enhances the flavors of our craft beers and craft spirits…a contemporary interpretation of classic comfort food, bar traditions, and innovative culinary trends.” Ranging from an enormous pretzel to rings, wings, sandwiches, tots and salads, very basic companions to the main event.

As Harbor Point continues to expand and attract other restaurants, it will be interesting to see how this beer-focused institution fits in. Will it be the pre-event for Paloma and Fortina or a successful stand-alone go-to spot to hang with friends? For the beer connoisseur this will be the destination spot in Stamford.

Thanks to my buddies at http://www.ctbites.com for breaking this news at:

http://www.ctbites.com/home/2014/3/14/restaurant-scene-explodes-stamfords-harbor-point.html