Stamford Restaurant Notes: Aria, Crumbs, Egane Korean BBQ, Napa, Republic Grill, Duo

I know, that's a lotta restos, but it was one of those weeks. You know, where you need a mood lift in the form of someone else preparing fancy food for you?

I tried Aria last weekend, the new Italian place Wash Blvd. right by Curley's. I give it a mixed but mostly positive review. My risotto was not very risotto-y, but my eggplant parm rollup appetizer was good. Service was friendly and prompt, and the place has a nice feel to it. There were plenty of people dining there at 7 ish on a Friday; the place was over half-full. Louuuuu has an extensive review up on Chow; I just went and added my two cents if you want to read more.

I have not yet tried Crumbs, the new bakery in the High Ridge Shopping Center by Border's. I eat so much crap as it is, I can't justify driving out of my way to buy more calorie-laden stuff. The Advocate has an article that says that this is the same as the Crumb's in NYC. If anyone has been and has feedback, please comment!

On trips to Republic Grill and Capriccio this week, I noticed a sign that said something like "Try the new Egane and Clive's." Egane is the Korean BBQ place on Bedford that, when I pass it, is always empty. I went once a couple of years ago, and got a beef entree for 20 bucks that was a miniscule amount of food. That didn't appeal to me, so I have not been back. The gossip on Chow is that the Egane owners decided to join up with a place called Clive's that I've never heard of and add burgers to the menu. I'm intrigued, and am going to try that place next time I go out. Someone on Chow said the Guinness burger is great.

Speaking of burgers, I had burger cravings last week and wanted to get a good one, so we popped into Napa early on a Saturday evening and got a table (with the alert that they'd need the table back by 8- no problem). The burgers were a teeny bit overcooked, and not as nivana-ish as I remembered, but I think that was because my burger, tragically, did not have enough gouda on it. My husband's was less well-done and he said it was good, which, for him, can be considered a ringing endorsement. At $24 bucks though, I expect an amazing burger. On the plus side, the fries totally rocked, and Napa is a really pretty resto.

Republic Grill on Bedford is a great place to go if you want sushi but the person you're with doesn't. RG has sushi and a bunch of Thai dishes. Last Wed., my girlfriends got pad thai and sushi, and I got spicy mango chicken that was very good. The resto is upscale but I think prices are reasonable.

I almost forgot. My husband and I hit Duo on Friday to celebrate surviving the work week. The beef entree was out of this world as usual, and my green tea pasta entree (angel hair with calamari and crab-stuffed tortellini) was super-delish. I love Duo, and have loved it from the first moment I ate there a year ago. I love it so much I feel like crying.