A Record Year for Serving Up Excellence
As featured in the New York Times, By PATRICIA BROOKS
Published: January 5, 2003
SUMMARIZING last year's notable dining experiences is a pleasure in itself, giving me the chance to savor them again in memory, without the caloric intake.Recalling the culinary triumphs at the Spanish restaurant Meigas (formerly Meson Galicia) in Norwalk (10 Wall Street; 203-866-8800) is the next best thing to being there.
I can still evoke memories of the grilled octopus with bacon in a garlic-sherry vinegar sauce; the duck breast with mango, Granja white beans and toasted pine nuts; sweetbreads on a cake of braised cuttlefish and caramelized onions; and the fork-tender veal short ribs.
Then there are the ethereal desserts, led by the ambrosial almond-covered chocolate croquettes with lemon and coconut foam.
Memories of the herb-battered, sautéed soft-shell crabs in a lime, thyme and garlic sauce at Rosemary and Sage in Old Saybrook (1080 Boston Post Road; 860-388-1166) make me long for spring, when this dish may be on the menu again.
Meanwhile, you can enjoy firecracker calamari or Rachel's pollo chicken breast stuffed with spinach, feta cheese and pine nuts, wrapped in bacon, served in a white wine-sage sauce, among many impeccable delights at this charming little cafe.
I also cherish memories of Tuscany, the savvy restaurant at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville (1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard; 860-862-3238). Thoughts of the brick-oven roasted oysters with creamy mascarpone and radicchio; veal agnolotti in a devilishly luscious black truffle burro fusso; the oh-so-tender osso buco; and the salmon with artichoke crust in a piquant tomato-mint vinaigrette, all stimulate me to schedule a return visit soon.
A return in late December to Zanghi on Summer Street in Stamford (201 Summer Street; 203-327-3663) brought new experiences and old memories. They included roasted quail stuffed with dates, saffron couscous and pomegranates; it was as perfect as I recalled from a visit in March. Other gems were the free-range veal with assorted wild mushrooms, pearl onions and potatoes au gratin, plus a parade of remarkable desserts, led by a vintage cheddar-crusted apple tart with honey créme fraîche ice cream.
These four restaurants mentioned represent for me a record annual ''high'' number of Excellents. (For perspective, note that in 2001, there was only one.)
During the last year, I discovered 11 restaurants in the ''Very Good'' category. Two in Asian fusion style were as close to a trend as 2002 produced. One was the smart, stylized Asiana Cafe in Greenwich (130 East Putnam Avenue; 203-622-6833), with creative dishes like green papaya salad with grilled beef and panko-crusted shrimp-crab cake.
The bustling Tengda Asian Bistro in Westport (1330 Post Road East; 203-255-6115) boasts a sushi bar with a huge selection of sushi roll combinations; memorable shrimp and vegetable tempuras; Asian spiced glazed duck; and several Thai specialties.
Marbella Restaurant & Tapas Bar in Stratford (1479 Barnum Avenue; 203-378-6702) was a welcome addition to the state's Spanish restaurants. A simple décor and smooth service set the stage for many winsome dishes. These included tomato-chick pea puréed soup, steamed octopus, paella Valenciana and the house-made ravioli with roasted lamb. An agreeable bonus: modest prices.
The Ginger Man in Greenwich (64 Greenwich Avenue; 203-861-6400) combines a noisy pub atmosphere with a lively, fairly inexpensive (for Greenwich) New American-style menu. Featured are appealing dishes like roasted eggplant-fennel soup; spiced maple baby ribs; grilled free-range Cornish hen; chocolate soufflé and pear strudel.
Dalton's in North Branford (2429 Foxon Road; 203-481-4711) is a contemporary dining room with a stylish American menu. Standout dishes in my memory were jumbo shrimp with fresh asparagus, fresh mozzarella and red pepper-stuffed sea scallops and three scrumptious desserts: pecan-walnut pie, bread pudding and chocolate cake.
There is also Boom in Westbrook (Brewer's Pilots Point Marina, 63 Pilots Point Lane; 860-399-2322), a more spacious offshoot of the original Boom in Stonington. The new Westbrook Boom scored high marks with its pan-seared Stonington scallops in mango beurre blanc; an exceptional sweet potato and walnut ravioli; and delicious desserts like tres leches cake and Key lime tart.
Harbor Lights in East Norwalk (82 Seaview Avenue; 203-866-3364) is notable for its water views and creative, well-prepared seafood dishes at moderate prices. Salmon osso buco; shrimp and scallop Mykonos; and lobster Santorini are three among many dishes I recall with pleasure.
The rest of the Very Good choices are older restaurants that I revisited in 2002 and found as delightful as ever -- in several cases, even more so.
Voila in Fairfield (70 Reef Road; 203-254-2070), for instance, changed owners but still offers authentic bistro-style French cooking and reliably professional service. Prizes are the mussels; cream of asparagus soup; calf's liver; soft-shell crabs meunière; and a superlative cheese soufflé. Desserts are a special strength, including several soufflés and a cloudlike floating island.
West Main Restaurant, now in Lakeville (8 Holley Street; 860-435-1450), has profited from its move from Sharon, with a sophisticated new backdrop in a renovated Revolutionary War arsenal. As a result, its ''Good'' rating has risen to ''Very Good.''
West Main now serves more original and authoritative food, with several Asian-influenced dishes, like spicy Shandong noodles and grilled Szechuan peppercorn-and teriyaki-marinated salmon.
There were also revisits to Bistro Bonne Nuit in New Canaan (14 Forest Street; 203-966-5303), with its well-done French-Italian riffs, such as roasted beet carpaccio salad and tournedos de saumon. Other returns were to Bangkok Gardens in New Haven (172 York Street; 203-789-8684), with such Thai exotica as ''cupid wings'' (stuffed chicken wings with two sauces) and ''golden bag'' (fried tofu pouches with a straw mushroom-scallion stuffing). Both restaurants improved, earning upgrades from previous reviews.
In addition, there are three ''Very Good'' restaurants I reviewed in years past.
Carol Peck's Good News Cafe in Woodbury (694 Main Street South; 860-266-4663) and Cavey's in Manchester (45 East Center Street; 860-643-2751) were as pleasing as ever. A third, Roomba in New Haven (1044 Chapel Street; 203-562-7666), danced upward from ''Good'' to ''Very Good.''
All in all, it was a pretty good culinary year. No, strike that. A Very Good year, and yes, in four instances even an Excellent one.
Mickey's Group, LLC. 2006-2007 2323 Whitney Ave, Hamden, CT 06518, Tel: 203.288.4700 Fax: 203.288.4727