Urgent Re: Turkey

I liked the urgent, imperative, slightly aggressive sign at Mrs. Green's Natural Market.

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Dangerous Intersection at Train Station

There's an interesting discussion on the Advocate 411 blog about a car striking a pedestrian near the train station. Evidently the pedestrian was starting to cross the entrance ramp to 95, but was in a spot where there is no sidewalk OR crosswalk, and a car hit him. The pedestrian did not have the light to cross and was issued a ticket (after sustaining a severe head injury). What's clear from the discussion is that even if the pedestrian had had the light, it's still risky to cross there, because people are trying to zip onto the highway ramp.

I do not understand why there's even a crosswalk there. Why don't the pedestrians just cross at the light that's right in front of RBS? See photo above of that crosswalk, and click on the image to see it larger. Yeah, it's less convenient, but it's safer for everyone. In the photo, the I-95 entrance ramp is just past the tree.

An inconvenient crosswalk, though, does encourage jaywalking. I see that all over Stamford, actually, and I saw it at the intersection by the train station last Tuesday, which was a grey, rainy day. I watched a pedestrian (in a suit) dash across the road (not at a crosswalk), and thought to myself, "These people are NOT as visible as they think they are!" I'm not really sure what the solution is, but I'm sure Stamford has someone on staff who IS supposed to figure that stuff out.

It's human nature to rush around, often unaware of others, and that's why accidents happen. My husband has talked about riding his bike to the train station and I have told him, "Absolutely not." I add, "When I no longer care if you live or die, I'll let you know. Then you can ride your bike to the train station." Click here to read more.

Alpen Pantry's Candy Cigarettes: Totally Uncool

I snapped this photo last summer at Alpen Pantry, a great little deli in Old Greenwich. I was pretty horrified to realize that candy cigarettes are legal. I mean, they're just candy- how do you ban candy- but I think it's in poor taste to sell them. Cigarettes are a very unhealthy habit, and any thing that makes it easier for kids to play at smoking is just- well, yuck. I doubt adults are buying these candy cigarettes.

So listen- candy cigarettes exist. Alpen Pantry, that doesn't mean you should sell them.

Sure, I had candy cigarettes when I was younger, but I feel like with we as a society should know better now. Click here to read more.

Quattro Pazzi on Bedford: Very Good!

A friend posted on my wall yesterday that he saw me and my husband on a rerun Kitchen Nightmares, Stamford edition. That episode was filmed over two and half years ago at the since bankrupted Sabatiello’s on Bedford… geez, time flies!

When the husband and I were brainstorming places to eat dinner tonight, and he suggested “the place that used to be Sabatiello’s,” I said sure, even though I had no idea what restaurant it now was. “Whatever it is, I can blog about it,” I said.

We tossed the kid in the car and parked behind Bedford Street. We strolled up and I said, “Oh! Quattro Pazzi! This should be good.” We’d been to the Quattro Pazzi in Fairfield a few years ago, and it was a nice, simple Italian place with quality food.
“Are you sure?” the husband said. “This place looks kind of nice. You sure he (the kid) will be ok?”
“Yeah! If he’s terrible, we’ll leave.”

The Stamford branch of Quattro Pazzi lived up to my expectations from the very beginning, when the host and hostess didn’t look pissed that we were bringing a toddler into the restaurant. Actually, several people greeted us enthusiastically, which made me feel kind of like a celebrity, but I think I’m used to mediocre service. So many restaurants almost seem annoyed that you’re there (even if you’re not toting a toddler/baby). We truly had excellent service all evening. The downstairs was full by 6:45, and there was a big birthday party upstairs. It seems that Quattro Pazzi might be a great place for that big corner building on Bedford.

We placed our order right away, just in case the kid went crazy. Our salads were delish- Caesar for the husband, arugula with roasted beets and a goat cheese croquette for me- and the entrees were good as well. The husband got steak with gnocchi in a gorgonzola cream sauce. I got orechiette with meatballs, mostly so I could share with the kid. He devoured the meatballs. The food came out at perfect intervals: not too fast, not too slow.

While we were eating our salads, a lady who was leaving stopped by our table to compliment us on how cute and well-mannered our kid was. That made me feel good, because we always make an enormous effort to keep our kid happy and therefore quiet. The fact that others notice makes me realize that all of my frantic entertaining and redirecting is worth the effort.

Related Posts:

--February 20, 2008-- Gordon Ramsey, Cleavage, Me, and a Kitchen Nightmare in Stamford

--November 16, 2008-- Sabatiello's Kitchen Nightmares DeBriefing

--December 10, 2008--Sabatiello's is Closed: What Should Replace It?

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Harvest Festival: Room for Improvement

I think the Stamford Museum and Nature Center is the best place for kids in Stamford, but I was disappointed in the Harvest Festival.
By the time I got there at 2:30, they were out of cider and cider donuts, which were pretty much the only reason I went. On top of that, I had to pay 5 bucks for the event (for non-members it was $10). The kid and I didn't do anything except look at the animals. I wasn't interested in face-painting, food or story-telling.
I am taking this as a learning experience to get there EARLY next year. It started at 11. I'll be in the parking lot at 10:45 at the LATEST! I was trying to avoid the crowd, and full parking lots, but now I realize that you have to leap into the fray if you expect to get anything good in Fairfield County. Lesson learned.
Still, I hope next year the planners will recognize that at a family event, some people will arrive later because of nap schedules, and perhaps reserve some of the goodies for the later shift!

At least it was a beautiful day, the kid was well-behaved, and I ran into like 6 of my friends (who also missed out on cider and donuts).

They also ran out of popcorn, which I didn't notice, but my friend's kid was not happy about that. Click here to read more.

Last Meal at Bennett's

Wow, just read on Lunch Break Chronicles that Bennett's is closing. The husband and ate there a month ago during Bedford Arts and Crafts. My cosmo was AWESOME. One of our steaks was overdone and one was underdone, but after the cosmo, and because my parents and sister were babysittng the kid, I totally didn't care. My husband and I traded and I ate the overdone one (with delicious sauce). The appetizer and dessert were good.

Anyway, bye, Bennett's, place where the Dalai Lama once ate! Click here to read more.