Date Night in Stamford: 10 Suggestions

The standard date option is dinner and a movie, but that gets old after a while. Here are 10 more unusual ideas:

1. One of the Avon Theatre’s special events, like the Pete Seeger documentary I saw this week, with a q&a afterwards with the director and Seeger’s grandson.
2. Karaoke at SBC on Thursday: good people watching.
3. Dunn’s Loft: great steak and pool table any night, live guitar Friday and Saturday.
4. Darts at Bradford’s or Rack and Roll
5. Trivia night at Tigin on Tuesday; need a few more people to do this.
6. Friday night- Observatory at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center* could be weird or awesome (* = I haven’t tried it)

Beyond Stamford:

7. Friday movies* at Greenwich library: free, so you can eat on the Avenue and not feel guilty. I’m currently liking Ginger Man and Meli-Melo for more affordable options on the Ave.
8. Bowling in Norwalk: I hate bowling, but other people seem to like it.
9. Pepe’s Pizza and a play at Yale Rep or Long Wharf in New Haven. The bakery next door to PP has good cannolis.

Way Beyond Stamford:

10. Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods Casino: If you have some extra cash and can stand 3 hours in the car, gambling can be fun, and there are some great restaurants and bars at Mohegan.


--If you want to do dinner, there are obviously a hundred great restaurants in the area, but here are ones whose food or location are more interesting: Melting Pot in Darien, my favorite Duo, Chocopologie for wine and dessert, Greenwich Hyatt for drinks in the atrium.

--If you NEED a date, you might want to look into:Stamford Singles powered by match.com, this directory, which lists “It’s Just Lunch” and the Singles Network, and Quality Singles' list of sites.

Quality-singles.com informs me that “With a wide range Stamford dating options, meeting Stamford, Connecticut singles is most likely easier than you think. Stamford has 117,083 residents, with 43,280 available singles. Breaking down this number, we find that there are 19,585 single men in Stamford and 23,695 single women in Stamford.” Well, that's great, but why can't we all manage to meet each other? Click here to read more.

Pete Seeger Documentary at the Avon

You missed it. This entry is just an excuse to talk about myself and tell you to pay better attention to the Avon Theatre's special events listing.

I like my alone time, but I'm so funny that it's a real shame no one is around to appreciate all of the cinematic moments that I generate on a regular basis. For example, Tuesday night, as I waiting for the Pete Seeger documentary to start, I was eating Sour Patch Kids while reading Eating Well magazine. Oh, the irony! I can only hope the people behind me noticed and had a chuckle at my expense.

I don't only use my friends as an audience, I use them as inspiration. If a friend had been at the movie with me, I would have had the moral support to shout something silly in the post-film discussion with the director.

When the director said, "We did a limited theater release so we could get it out on DVD, and get it viewed as much as possible before the election," my interest antennae went up. Before the election? Why? Was Pete's antiwar message going to encourage folks to vote for... Obama? I felt my face turn warm, and the urge grew to shout, "Who's Pete voting for?" If a friend had been with me, I would have yelled my question and gotten some laughs, and perhaps even an answer.

My friends inspire me to make bold, confident choices. If I'd had a friend with me at Meli-Melo today, I would have had the courage to order a second bowl of soup. But you know, we all have our travails in life, and I guess going alone to movies and cute French bistros is my cross to bear.

FYI Pete is a total badass. Like me, you probably didn't know that. It's too complicated for me to go into, so see the glowing New York Times review for a description of the movie that does Seeger justice.

Visit the Avon Theatre's site for a listing of future special events. Click here to read more.

Cozy Places to Eat Healthy in Stamford Area

In the winter, it's very important to get out of the house. When you do drag yourself out, it's important to find a cozy place to relax.

I was reminded of this yesterday as I was sitting in Meli-Melo in Greenwich eating carrot-ginger soup. It was gray out, and I was alone, but I was happy. MM's interior is a Provencale yellow, it was warm in by the kitchen, and the soup was-- well, let's just say, it's almost too painful to eat the soup, because eating it means I have to stop eating it, and it hurts to finish a bowl of soup that good and want more.

Capriccio in Stamford, pictured above, also matches the cozy bill: colorful, comfortable, delicious, light, affordable food-- and foreign language in the air.

In Capriccio on Saturday I heard the owner chatting in Italian to an impossibly beautiful couple with three kids. In Meli-Melo in Greenwich, I eavesdropped on a French woman musing for 5 minutes over which soups to get. After discussions with the owner, she eventually got 4 bowls of chicken noodle and 4 of zucchini/squash curry to go. She is returning this afternoon for 8 bowls of the asparagus soup, which they were making in a big pot on the stove right in the middle of the store. You so know I'll be stopping by to get that soup today so I can see what the big deal is.

I should have gotten a second bowl for lunch, but eating alone is a little awkward, and I didn’t want to look like a pig. Later on in the day, I realized I was being silly. If I want soup, I’m getting soup, so I returned and picked up two soups for dinner. The Mexican beef soup wasn’t bad, but the zucchini and squash curry was… like the carrot-ginger soup, way too good. It was real curry.

I'm adding "try all of Meli-Melo's twenty soups" to my list, a list which also includes "eat at every single Stamford restaurant."

Oh- one advantage Capriccio has over Meli-Melo? Capriccio has a FULL BAR. I just noticed that last weekend. I thought they only had beer and wine. I do wish Capriccio had better soups, at least in the winter. The two soups I’ve tried there have been mediocre, so really, go to MM for soup. Meli-Melo is on Greenwich Avenue and is open every day from 10-10. MM also has buckwheat crepes, in both salad/sandwich and dessert format. I recommend a dessert crepe with pumpkin ice cream, nutella, and whipped cream. However, Capriccio's lemon Torta della Nonna still wins out. Click here to read more.

Loads of Good Movies in February!

Our own little Avon Theatre is so cool. I just got an emergency email that Pete Seeger's grandson will be at the Pete Seeger documentary screening tonight. The email also gave dates for the big Academy Award Film Festival in February. Long story, but for ten bucks, you get to see 2 movies on a Saturday morning. I'm going to the Feb 16 screening of Sweeney Todd and Into the Wild... and they're having the nominated film shorts on Wed. Feb 20! See the Avon's site for more details.

"This just in...Associate producer Kitama Seeger Jackson, grandson of Pete Seeger, will be joining director Jim Brown tonight for a special Q&A after the screening of Pete Seeger: Power of Song, moderated by John Farr (editor, Best Movies By Farr).
Be there at 7:00pm tonight!

Also just announced...

2008 Academy Awards® Nominated Film Festival
Carte Blanche Members – Free / Members - $6 / Nonmembers - $10
All festival screenings are free for patrons of our Oscar gala!

Saturday, February 2
AWAY FROM HER - 9:30am
ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES - 11:30am

Saturday, February 9
EASTERN PROMISES - 9:30am
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH - 11:30am

Saturday, February 16
SWEENY TODD - 9:30am
INTO THE WILD - 11:30am

Wednesday, February 20
ACADEMY® NOMINATED SHORTS PROGRAM
ANIMATED SHORTS - 6:15pm
LIVE ACTION SHORTS - 8:00pm

Saturday, February 23
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL - 9:30am
I’M NOT THERE - 11:30am Click here to read more.

My Favorite Stuff in Other Towns

I'm very Stamford-centric these days, but there are places in surrounding towns that occasionally lure me up I-95.
Greenwich:
Meli-Melo (carrot ginger soup)
Femme Gems
Just Books
Diane’s Books
Greenwich Library
Darien:
Post Corner Pizza
Barrett Bookstore
Trader Joe’s

Norwalk:
American Apparel
Stepping Stones Museum for Kids
Maritime Aquarium
Beadworks
Chocopologie

New Caanan:
Pennyweights

Westport:
Acqua

Fairfield:
Las Vetas Lounge

New Haven: Pepe’s Pizza, IKEA

I'll end by giving props to my Stamford favorites: Capriccio, Cove Beach, H and M, Avon, Havana Jeans, Duo, my NYSC. Click here to read more.

FC Moms Online!

I just found a nice site for Moms in the FC, called Fairfield County Child. It's run by a Stamford resident, OF COURSE. This town is teeming with smart, energetic people who are taking the search for fun activities into their own hands!

Here's a little selection from the Advocate article:

The 31-year-old Stamford resident, whose daughter, Mia, was nearly a year old, had decided one day last year that "it was time to get her out of the house." But her search wasn't really that simple and took far longer than she had planned. She found herself scrolling through the pages of many area bookstores and libraries.

I wish I had kids so I could avail myself of this site. When it comes down to it, I just want to do fun stuff. I'm pretty opportunistic that about it. I'll sing, dance, read, and go to Kwanzaa fest, all in the name of making friends. If I had a kid, I'd be hitting playgroup after playgroup to try to meet other cool moms. I actually already have my domain name ready for when I have kids. My husband balked at buying it, asking why I needed to get it years ahead of time, but I pitched a big fit, and we got it. Click here to read more.

Funny Video: Where the Hell is Matt?

I stumbled across this joyful video when I was looking for other blogs in the area. The guy is from Fairfield...

...and his videos are so ridiculous and happy. Basically, he travels around the world and does a goofy dance in front of various monuments. I first watched the outtakes/bloopers, and was laughing my head off-- just me, by myself, laughing loudly. The final product is more artistic, but still great fun.

I'm not exactly a big crier, but I get emotional when I see image after image of stunning landscapes. I'll probably never see them, but I'm happy they are out there-- just sitting out there, while I'm here, at my desk. I'm not sad, I'm amazed, in a "hard to get my head around that" way.

Oh Lord, don't even let me watch the part where he dances with the kids in Rwanda. Don't ever read any books about the genocide in Rwanda, because they will destroy you. However, if you're interested, I recommend We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch and Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide by Samantha Powers. That one covers all the genocides of the 20th century won the Pulitzer for Non-fiction.

To end on an upbeat note, here's a cute spoof by a guy in London. The guy is lovably dorky, and it looks like he enjoys life in London.

I ADORE youtube. Current fave: "Sweetest Thing (Dollar Bill)" by Wyclef Jean. Click here to read more.

Stamford Restaurant: Dunn’s Loft... Steak!

I bring good steak news: we have an alternative to traditional, unadventurous Morton’s.* Dunn's Loft has soul-warming filet mignon, better prices, better atmosphere, and a better location: right across from the Summer Street movie theatre.

Dunn’s Loft is beautiful: tall ceiling, rich red walls and, smack in the middle of the room, an impressive pool table. The pool table is in great shape, maybe because Dunn’s Loft is very new and very upscale. Rather than sloppy young drunks in baseball caps, I picture nicely-dressed 30 year old couples- not married!- playing in a self-assured yet subtly flirtatious way. I picture it because that’s what I saw when I was there.

Robert Dunn, owner of Ocean 211 downstairs, opened this boutique steak house five months ago. Boutique sounds silly, but I’m sticking by my adjective. By boutique, I mean small, great-quality, a little expensive, and more personal service. It also means “the place that Patricia Brooks will be reviewing next.“ She’ll probably be there tomorrow, and the review will be published next week, and the place will be jammed forever after. This is pure conjecture, but at this point, I’m starting to know Patricia’s patterns.

If you don’t want steak, DL has other choices. I didn’t notice them because I knew I was getting the filet mignon. I was really hungry so I put the menu down as soon as I decided which sauce I wanted (horseradish peppercorn). I chose fries as my side; good call, because I got a big bowl of thin fries. I’m overjoyed to tell you the filet mignon is only 30 bucks, and big. You’ll pay that at a mediocre place, so you might as well go to DL. And, sides are free, unlike at Morton’s. Until we meet again, I’ll be thinking about Dunn’s Loft and the insanely flavorful seared surface of my steak.

Our waitress was really nice and gave us lots of insider info. The only part I’ll share is that there’s a guitar player on Friday and Saturday nights. He sets up right by the bar and pool table. Sounds like a damn good scene to me.

*Morton’s, nothing personal. I like you, and I had a good birthday dinner at you. Your molten chocolate cake is still awesome, and your bar is still filled with youngish men in suits. It would probably be a pretty obvious ploy for a single woman to go sit at the bar, but we only have one life, so... Click here to read more.

Whole Foods Mess Might Benefit Tawa

“Planned market is likely to create a mess for traffic” was the title of my November letter to the editor. I opposed the proposal to build a Whole Foods at the Bull’s Head intersection because I anticipated traffic problems. I’m big fan of some of the Bull’s Head businesses: Tawa, Grunberger Jewelers, Hawley-Lane shoes, Four Corners liquor store. Initially, I wanted to protect them by trashing the Whole Foods proposal. Now, I’m not so sure. Maybe a WF will help local businesses by bringing more “traffic”- uh, shoppers!- to the area. Besides the Super Stop and Shop, I can’t see what other businesses the WF complex would threaten.

My main concern was Tawa, home of the fantastic, spicy, well-priced lunch buffet. I viewed the Whole Foods prepared food section as a threat, but now I believe that WF parking hell will benefit Tawa.

Update 6/5/08: Whole Foods proposal was withdrawn.

Hungry people will drive toward Whole Foods, see traffic spilling out of the poorly-designed turn lanes, and think, What the @&!*?!? What kind of idiot designed this place? Then they’ll spot Tawa, and think, Indian food! I haven’t had Indian food in a while! A $9.95 buffet is worth a try! I think they’ll be pulled toward Tawa, where they can sit and eat with their co-workers. They will realize that a buffet is quick, too, and much more satisfying than eating bland food out of a plastic container.

I have not completely decided if I’m for or against WF, because I know cities need to change and grow. I’m going to the zoning board meeting tomorrow, because I’m pretty sure the proposal will go through, so I want to hear what plan the developers DO have for traffic flow. The meeting is at 7pm, tomorrow, Thursday Jan. 24, at our beloved yet misunderstood 888 Wash. Fourth floor. See the Smart Growth for Bull's Head website for more specific details on the plan.

Oh- for all you shameless Whole Foods proponents? Let me remind you, because all those organic cheese puffs may have gone to your head, that Whole Foods will be accompanied by a parking garage. I may be able to accept the garage IF parking is free. If I have to pay for parking, and that money goes to anyone besides the coffers of my beloved city, I will be a bitter woman. Not only will my evening ride home be fraught with traffic, traffic made up of aggressive people who want artisanal bread, I’ll know that someone who already has money is making more money with their ugly parking garage and irritating retail complex. Click here to read more.

NYSC Latin Groove: Dance Disaster

If you are thinking about taking the Latin Groove class at NYSC, good luck. You’ll need to take a couple of months of dance lessons before you try it. The class sounded like so much fun, but I ran out in tears.
Usually classes at a gym allow you to adjust the level of difficulty. You can kick a little lower in kickboxing, lift lighter weights in total-body conditioning, modify your warrior pose in yoga, use a smaller step in step class, put the bike on an easier level in spinning class. When you’re new to a class, you stand in the back where no one notices you.

Well, in Latin Groove, AKA Advanced Latin Dance Class, you can’t hide in the back, because when the class turns around in a sequence of complicated spins, they’re all facing you. There is no back. You can’t modify a complicated salsa sequence: step, turn, step back, turn, feet together, turn, big step, back to basic step, repeat all that right in a row. You also can’t really shimmy across the floor in a modified way. I tried grape-vining it, but I’m tall. When all those petite people turned around to shimmy my way, I could see in the mirror how ridiculous I looked.

I almost made it through class. I don’t mind looking a little silly, and I understand the concept of a learning curve. However, on the last song, I totally lost it. Not only was it a new sequence, it was a sequence every other person knew. It was basically like a chorus line. Every single person was doing the same choreography, and I stood there like a tall deer in headlights as 20 people did fancy footwork that repeatedly required them to turn, face me, and shimmy around.
I tried to fake it or modify it, but it was just pathetic. I paused, hung my head, grabbed my water bottle and towel, and ran out. I sniffled past the Nautilus and out to my car, thinking to myself in great sadness and disappointment, I never knew salsa dancing could make you cry.

I think the only thing that would have helped is if the teacher, a cute guy with an accent who was clearly a pro dance teacher, had said, "Don't worry, I can teach you some of the moves at the end of class, or come a little early next time," or, "Come stand here on the side while you're learning." A tiny woman who clearly had salsad since she was 8 tried to help me. "You're trying too hard. Here, like this- no- just- don't think about." It was hopeless.

To make it even worse, I don’t think I can ever try the class again, because all of those women saw me run off in a huff. I might be able to do it if Shape magazine hired me to write an article about it. Click here to read more.

New Stamford Restaurant Republic Grill, Movies at the Mall, Police Trust Us

On Saturday night, Stamford showed its true, non-cohesive self: a mish-mosh of food styles, social groups, unpredictable alliances, and small-town police antics.

On Bedford Street, the Avon marquee glowed, the white tree lights sparkled, the wholesome crowd at Lucky's smiled…. but Tigin was dead, Egane Korean BBQ patronless, and Bradford’s dart machines deserted. The trendy UMPs* were probably down near Market, Black Bear and the Summer St. Theatre, but I got coerced into seeing Cloverfield at the mall. I don’t LOVE seeing movies with hordes of scruffy teenagers, but I choose to view it as an adventure.

The Stamford Downtown Events Blog** tipped me off to new restaurant Republic Grill. Republic was almost empty, but it had tasty food for good prices, so I’m sure it will get busy soon. Finally, I have found a salad with quality green leaves…. for FOUR bucks!!! YES!!! Republic is five days old, and I liked it, which means Patricia Brooks will be sure to review it next week. Actually, she probably won’t, because it’s a sibling of the Tengdas in Greenwich, Darien, and Westport, and she already gave them the rare rating of excellent. If you go to Republic, ask for the white fish special roll with spicy sauce and tempura outside. Also, if you don't mind, try the watermelon mojito and let me know how it is.

On the way home from the movie, I saw a cop car illegally (!) parked outside McDonald’s with its lights flashing… and NO ONE IN IT. I rubbernecked the sidewalk: Ooh, was he cracking down on some loiterers, investigating an incident? Nope, he was inside, STANDING IN LINE. To some people, that looks like slacking. To me, that shows someone who’s in charge; he knows his audience, and he knows they won’t steal his cop car. If he trusts us enough to leave his car unattended, that shows us something about ourselves. He thinks we’re the kind of people who don’t steal cars, and that makes me proud of this city.

Even Stamford’s youths were mellow, behaving amiably and orderly from previews to credits. Thank you, high schoolers. Cloverfield kept you quiet with all of its pointless noise, and my fondness of you increased when you booed it at the end. I TOTALLY agreed***.


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*Upwardly Mobile Professional, term designed to replace outdated “Yuppies,” since these days, you don’t have to be young to be moving up in the world, at least in the FC.

**The blog rarely gets updated, so don't bother checking it. I'll let you know if anything interested gets posted.

*** Cloverfield was a predictable combo of all the action/horror/sci-fi movies I’ve ever seen: 28 Days Later, Blair Witch Project, Transformers, Spider-Man, etc. It echoed every other movie in which a city gets attacked by a scary creature and/or covered in ice (Day After Tomorrow with Jake Gyllenhall). If you think Cloverfield offered something new, please comment. Oh, and the creature looks exactly like Voldemort mixed with a dragon-ish character from some other film that blends in with all the others. Save your money, and Tivo the old episodes of Battlestar Galactica on the Sci-Fi Channel. How ‘bout those Cylons? Click here to read more.

My Singer-Songwriter Friend's New CD

My friend Beth January just released a great CD. She’s not a Stamford resident, but I met her in Stamford, and she’s part of the Stamford Talk inner circle. Beth sings and plays piano beautifully. Here’s her myspace page, which has song clips and her tour dates. Make sure to play 2 of my favorites, “Laugh” and “Happy Ending.”

Does anyone else totally hate their talented friends? Maybe 'hate' isn't accurate. Maybe I mean, 'disbelief that people can be so talented, gratitude that I know them, and slight jealousy.' Click here to read more.

Stamford's Single Women: Where Are You?

My friend Adam is a journalist from Fairfield, CT who covers the hip-hop scene. His latest post at Adam’s World is titled “Where the Ladies At?” and it's about how most underground hip-hop shows are 70% male. Why is this a problem? Well, because women have most of the buying power, and musicians want to sell records and have a following.

I’d also say it’s bad for the guys in general. We all know that men cannot survive without women. They can’t do their own laundry, they can’t eat healthily, and they can’t live emotionally fulfilling lives without us. Most guys at these hip-hop shows are probably single, or else they’d be home watching TV with their girlfriend. Men don’t need us to buy their CDs; men need us to talk to them, and then marry them.

Stamford also suffers from a woman-less scene. I’ve heard many guys say that it’s hard to meet women in Stamford, and the lack of ladies was one of Blog Stamford’s first posts. At the bar at Market on Wednesday night, there were two good-looking, nicely-dressed guys with no wedding rings. Any single women in sight? Nope. Look around at every bar, at every happy hour: men, standing around awkwardly. My heart breaks for them. They need a girlfriend. Women, this is your fault.

As a formerly-single Stamford resident, I can tell you that many of the women worth meeting are at home watching TV with their roommates, or they’re at the gym. The gym is the one place where men and women are together, and we all know that it is NOT appropriate for a man to talk to a woman who’s working out. You have to wait for her to talk to you. Basically, men, you are out of luck. You are at the mercy of women.

Plea to readers: ladies, get out there. Turn off the TV, hit stop on the elliptical, take a shower, and go out to a bar or concert. Guys, make an effort, too. Take your female friends out, because they make you look cool and approachable. Ladies, take your guy friends out, start talking to a girl, and introduce her to your guy friend. We’re all in this together. To keep Stamford happy, we need to be dating, we need to be flirting, we need to be having raucous, silly conversation.

Married folk, turn off your 42 inch plasma, go out with some friends, talk to strangers, talk to a female stranger, then talk to a male stranger, then try to get them talking. This requires effort and jovial laughter, but even married people need to act a little crazy sometimes. Click here to read more.