Tapas and Avant-Garde Cooking Documentary at Avon

Put July 13 on your calendar if you like documentaries... and food!

I love both but am busy that day, but you should go and enjoy. The Avon is giving a sneak peek of the documentary El Bulli: Cooking in Progress, about one of the world's most exclusive restaurants. After the documentary, Barcelona is giving a free tapas tasting! I bet there will be wine, too, so I completely endorse this event. From the press release:

ABOUT THE FILM: El Bulli has been called the best restaurant in the world and Ferran Adrià, its creator, deemed a brilliant innovator, the father of molecular gastronomy, or sometimes just a crazy chef. The restaurant, located outside of Barcelona, closes each year for 6 months, as Adrià and staff sequester themselves to concentrate on creating the new culinary wonders that will become their next 30-course menu. (The restaurant accommodates only 50 for dinner, despite two million annual requests for reservations.)

This is cooking as avant-garde art: a cocktail composed of hazelnut oil, salt, and water or a dessert of freeze-dried peppermint and ice shavings. Surrounded by bizarre hi-tech equipment, elaborate containers, chopping blocks and knives, they experiment with making mushroom juice and sweet potato meringue. Gereon Wetzel's elegant, observational documentary captures the razor-sharp, science-fiction sensibility at work. Adrià exclaims: "The more bewilderment, the better."

The film is at 7:30. See the Avon's Special Events page for more detailed info. Click here to read more.

Recent Obsession: Sausage Egg and Cheese Sandwich

Last month I went on a big sausage egg and cheese sandwich (on a hard roll- only a hard roll is acceptable) kick. I started with the place I first became friends with the sandwich: Riverside Deli in Greenwich. That sandwich is standard but very, very good. My one complaint is that you have to order a DOUBLE egg to make the egg fill the sandwich, but then that's a teeny bit too much egg.

Vigilante's Deli on Hope St. solves the egg problem by using extra large eggs. They add a bit of an edge to their sandwich by using slightly spicy sausage. I really enjoyed their sandwich, but on a regular basis, I'd prefer to standard sausage of Riverside Deli. Still, Vigilante's is an excellent option.

Garden Catering on High Ridge Rd. in Stamford offers an OK sausage egg and cheese sandwich. The fact that I ate mine while driving (to Massachusetts) may have impacted my enjoyment of the sandwich, but I wasn't crazy over it. I'd have to try it again to identify what the problem was, but WHY would I try it again if I could get Vigilante's? Oh, right, because Vigilante's is closed on Sunday. Also, Garden Catering is really meant for fried chicken and those delicious potato cones. Best junk lunch ever.

However, I just learned of another place on Hope St. from my new favorite local blog, OMNOMCT. One of their posts tells me that Giacomo's Italian Deli has good breakfast sandwiches. They suggest putting it on the Arthur Ave bread that Jack imports from the Bronx, which goes against my hard roll love, but I'll try anything once.

One place I'll never try again is Bull's Head Diner. The sausage egg cheese sandwich I got there could not have been worse. I don't even want to talk about it.

My local Twiends recommend:
Fusaro's Market on High Ridge Rd. and Lakeside Diner Long Ridge Rd. (@kzone 8)
the breakfast burrito at Rosie's in New Canaan (@After_Words)
the Vegas at Nicholas Roberts in Norwalk (@CT_Bites)
Garden Catering, High Ridge Road - egg, chili and cheese (@HeyStamford)

@PhilippeKeb seconded Lakeside and @CT_Bites agreed with @After_Words about Rosie's breakfast burrito.

I'll probably try Fusaro's and Lakeside, because I'm all about an easy local breakfast! Click here to read more.

Local Blog Has Scoop on Volta!

I just found the blog OMNOMCT. It's done by a local couple and they review restaurants and gossip about food. I love gossip of any type. They have lots of info about food and food events in the area, so add it to your reader... I just did!

I was happy to learn from OMNOMCT that the new gelateria to be opened right next to Bar Rosso is run by... the SAME GUY THAT DOES CAPRICCIO! I love Capriccio for fast healthy delicious food as well as (OBVIOUSLY) their fantastic outdoor seating.

I quote OMNOMCT's post about Volta:
Apparently, much like Capriccio, there will be outdoor seating, with room for about 50 people. On the menu? Yep, you guessed it gelato and crepes, but it doesn’t stop there. They’ll also serve wine and beer along with lighter cafe fare like salads and sandwiches with a French twist.

We eat at the same places over and over (Capriccio, Coalhouse Pizza, Vinny's Backyard BBQ), so I'm excited to have a new option.

Thanks for the scoop, OMNOMCT! Click here to read more.

Bar Rosso Initial Thoughts

Bar Rosso is located in the old Bennett's Fish and Steakhouse. The inside is redone beautifully and it was very busy when we were there on Friday. We were the only people there with a kid; there were many couples on dates and several groups of friends. Bar Rosso is run by the same owners as Napa, which you KNOW I (and Robert DeNiro and Ron Howard) adore.

My initial thoughts are that the food at Bar Rosso was too heavily flavored. I love strong flavor, but the spaghetti with meatballs was very, very garlicky. The sausage that came with my chicken entree was coated in what I think was parmesan and it was just too much for me. Maybe it was because I filled up on delicious bread, though.

The husband got filet mignon and potatoes. He ate most of it (which for him is a very good sign) but said it was a bit dry. His garlicky potatoes were great.

Next time I go to Bar Rosso I'm going to try the salad and a pizza, although the buzz on twitter was that the pizza dough was a bit off. My Twiends also found the flat screen TVs annoying, but they also agreed that a new place needs time to sort itself out.

The good thing is that prices are much lower than Napa, so once Bar Rosso gets itself on track, I think it will be a great place to go. I am crazy about pizza, and to have a nice resto offer it makes my heart sing. There looked to be 24-30 outdoor seats, which should be a real boon to Bar Rosso.

My verdict is that Bar Rosso is definitely worth a visit. There is a lot on the menu and I need you to let me know what is awesome so I can try it, too.

Check out this informative write up at CT Bites:
--Behind The Scenes @ Bar Rosso's Stamford Opening

I also just found this write up at OMNOMCT which gives some suggestions for what to try and does note that they found the food to be a "bit too salty."
--Hallelujah! A feast worth waiting for. Click here to read more.

Nurse-In! Nurse-In!

I have always wanted to be a part of a nurse-in. There's one next Tuesday at the Trumbull Mall at 12:30, but I have to work, darn it!

Last week a woman at the Westfield Trumbull Mall was told by a security guard that she had to cover up while nursing. That's clearly a violation of CT State Law, which reads, "It shall be a discriminatory practice in violation of this section: for a place of public accommodation, resort or amusement to restrict or limit the right of a mother to breast-feed her child." Unfortunately the woman felt intimidated by the guard and left.

I would have pulled out the little card I have that has the CT State Law written on it, told to guard to get away from me, promptly contacted management, and then called every media outlet in the area. It's absurd that nursing moms have to be so aware of their civil rights, but the incident at Trumbull Mall shows why.

I find it tragic that many people find the healthiest way of feeding a child* to be indecent. I know it impacts women's motivation to breastfeed, because it's inconvenient and just plain not fun to go hide in a corner if you need to feed your child. The CT State Law is in the "Human Rights and Opportunities" section. It is a human right to breastfeed.

I almost can't blame the security guard; we see breastfeeding done in public so rarely (first of all, people usually don't even NOTICE you are breastfeeding), so it makes sense that he'd be uneducated about it. It's his employer's job to make sure he and all staff are aware of the rights of their patrons, so I'm curious who holds the most responsibility for the guard's mistake. Was he properly trained?

To many people, the idea of a cover makes sense. What those people don't know is that once the kid hits 5 months or so, he realizes that having a sheet over his head while he's trying to eat is uncomfortable. He then rips the cover off, waves it around, and punches you in the face with it. Meanwhile, the whole restaurant, or airport, or park is watching the action. At a certain point, a nursing cover is way more attention-getting than uncovering your boob for 1-2 seconds, latching the kid on, and just using your shirt to cover your boob.

Anyway, if you are a nursing mom or know one who's free on Tuesday, and if she's a bit of a hell-raiser like me, please tell her about the nurse-in!


*PS- Hey, Forest Park, Georgia- notice I say CHILD, not baby. Your law limiting public breastfeeding to children under age TWO is ridiculous, unfair, and discriminatory. As someone whose two year old still nurses, I take personal offense to this arbitrary law which shows your ignorance of breastfeeding, children, and biology in general. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I state, once again, that is a human right to breastfeed a child of any age, and I'm happy I live in a state that recognizes that.

(Georgia's law is similar to CT but says it's a woman's right to breastfeed her BABY. When does a "baby" become a "child?" Who should decide that? Certainly not a bunch of strangers who don't know your kid, and certainly not a bunch of dummies who apparently care nothing about breastfeeding and its health benefits.)

There is also a school in Georgia that BANNED BREASTFEEDING ON THE PREMISES. Can you believe that? The real story is actually worse than it sounds, so you should read it. Not only was the teacher who wanted her baby brought to her during the day told she could not breastfeed her baby at school, this means that the teen moms at the school are banned from breastfeeding.

HUMAN RIGHTS! HUMAN RIGHTS!!!

Many people also think women should just pump and use a bottle in public. Those people have probably never had cold plastic pulling at their nipples. They've probably never had to set a pump up, sit alone in a room for 10-15 minutes, break the pump down, store the milk, transport the milk, then wash all the parts and bottles that night and repack the parts in the morning. Also, decent breast pumps cost at least 200 bucks. Mine was 300. Pumping is not very fun, although I'm thankful to my pump for letting me keep nursing my kid full-time after I went back to work at ten months. Nursing your actual BABY, though, makes more milk, and is just way more comfortable. For that Georgia school to imply that breastfeeding is so dirty that it's banned on the premises... well, it makes me sick that breastfeeding moms are at the mercy of such morons. Click here to read more.

The Big C Filming at Greenwich High!

Excitingly, when I went to a meeting at Greenwich High School yesterday, the Big C was filming! Talk about dropping into my lap. My boring insurance meeting was RIGHT NEXT DOOR to the science classroom in which they were filming. I sidled up to some crew members, whispered/mouthed, “I’m just nosy,” and peeked in at the filming. Then I skedaddled, as I didn’t want to push my luck, plus I had to go listen to some really horribly boring information before rushing off to pick up the toddler.

On the way out of my meeting, I chatted up a crew guy and promised him I’d stalk them more this summer, when I only have a toddler to deal with as opposed to a toddler and a job.

Set-stalking is a real time investment; that's what you don't realize until you do it. I spent at least 6 hours stalking all over Stamford before it paid off in getting to watch DeNiro act at the train station.

I did receive other information from crew members, but since I did not identify myself as a blogger, I’m not going to blab anything.

I'll just say, I think it's totally awesome that Greenwich Schools was up for having Showtime film at GHS! SO COOL! Click here to read more.

Touch a Shark!

I really like the Norwalk Aquarium, and this sounds like a great event.

Visitor response was so positive to “Touch A Shark” in February that the special exhibit will return for an encore April 16-24 to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

The special exhibit’s return corresponds to most area schools’ spring break week.

As similarly offered in February, “Touch A Shark” will feature live nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum), a comparatively docile species that tolerates having their backs gently touched by human fingers.

“We had a great response to ‘Touch A Shark’ during the winter school break,” said Chris Loynd, the Aquarium’s marketing director. “Visitors were surprised at the feel of the sharks’ tough skin. And, importantly to us, they also learned that sharks aren’t the violent bloodthirsty beasts that they’re portrayed as in the media.”

Aquarium volunteers will be on-hand to make sure the shark-human interactions are safe for both parties.

Interpretative graphics will provide details about nurse sharks and how they hunt and eat their prey, and also about how sharks sense their world.

Plus, be sure to bring your camera to “Touch A Shark” for a shark dive-cage photo opportunity! A real diving cage, used for safe approaches to large sharks, will be positioned next to the Aquarium’s cast model of a 16-foot great white shark caught in the eastern end of Long Island Sound in the 1970s. Step inside the cage and pose to look like you’re having a real underwater encounter with the largest species of predatory shark – a species you don’t want to touch.

“Touch A Shark” will be free with Maritime Aquarium general admission: $12.95 for adults, $11.95 for seniors and $9.95 for children 2-12.

For more details, go online to www.maritimeaquarium.org or call (203) 852-0700. Click here to read more.

Filming The Big C...

On Summer St last Mon/Tues and maybe the previous weekend, too. The view from my dermatologist's office!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Click here to read more.

CHICKENS!!!!! at Audubon Greenwich, Sunday

I hate to cut and paste from a press release, but my pukey toddler will only be sleeping for a bit longer, and this event is too good to miss. You should really, really go, especially if you are a documentary lover like me. Melina Brown, who I interviewed a couple of years ago for a Stamford Times article, will be speaking! She is both kind and hilarious and totally worth meeting.

Press release:
Sunday, March 27
"Poultry for All" Event
With the film, 'Mad City Chickens'
2:00-4:30 pm, Audubon Greenwich

Raising chickens at home is getting more popular easier every year. Come be inspired to have your own coop and learn the basics of how to get started when Melina Brown, founder of the Southern CT/Westchester Backyard Poultry Meetup, and Derek Sasaki and Traci Torres, local experts and owners of Norwalk-based My Pet Chicken LLC, visit Audubon Greenwich to discuss the how-to of raising your own chickens and show some of the many unique breeds available. This event will include a presentation about what is involved with raising chickens in your backyard, a screening of the acclaimed film, 'Mad City Chickens', and ample time for Q&A.

Keep reading for more info about the film and how to RSVP.

Mad City Chickens is a sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical look at the people who keep urban chickens in their backyards. From chicken experts and authors to a rescued landfill hen or an inexperienced family that decides to take the poultry plunge—and even a mad professor and giant hen taking to the streets—it’s a humorous and heartfelt trip through the world of backyard chickendom.

Suitable for all ages. Tickets still available but RSVPs are greatly appreciated. $12/adult. Youth admitted free. National Audubon Society & Southern CT/Westchester Backyard Poultry Meetup members enjoy discounted admission ($8/adult). Audubon memberships will be available on the day of the event. To RSVP, contact Jeff Cordulack at jcordulack@audubon.org or leave a message at (203) 869-5272 x239. Click here to read more.

Bye-Bye Christmas Trees!

Yes! Trees are being collected!
Now I can truly feel like I have checked my tree of the "to do" list. Click here to read more.

Seen: Restaurant Week Steak, Big Meli-Melo, Bad Pink Lights, Christmas Trees!

I just noticed that Morton's is participating in this year's Restaurant Weeks! A $30.11 dinner is a GREAT deal and I recommend trying it if you haven't done so. The deals start Sunday the 27th and go through Sunday March 13.

I also noticed that the fabulous crepe and soup resto, Meli-Melo in Greenwich, has at least DOUBLED it's dining space! No longer will you have to stand outside or cram in beside strangers on stools to grab one of the coveted 20-24 seats... the renovated, enlarged space is brighter and more inviting. I highly recommend the carrot-ginger soup.

Something BAD I noticed today was a red truck with PINK headlights. It was very distracting. Is there a law about headlight color? Or can we put whatever color lights we want on our car to shine at other drivers? I just think that is obnoxious.

I also noticed many CHRISTMAS TREES on the roadsides... I hope Stamford will pick up trees before it snows again! Click here to read more.

Christmas Trees: Sticking Around Stamford

So, we put our tree out in mid-January to make sure we didn't miss the city's tree collection date. I read in the paper that they'd start collecting south of route 1 on January 18. I was sure the tree would be soon out of my life and I'd have one more item checked off my "to do" list. Then, snow happened. And more snow.

Now, it's February 4, and our tree is hidden under several feet of plowed and replowed snow. At the rate this weather's going, that tree will be here until April.

Did anyone's tree get removed? Click here to read more.

New Blog: Talk About Norwalk!

I am so happy to introduce you to a new blog about... NORWALK! Talk About Norwalk is written by a former coworker of mine who grew up in Norwalk and currently lives there with her family. Suzanna's posts so far are the perfect balance of interesting (busting on a restaurant!) and informative (recommendation for where to take stir-crazy kids). Please check it out and pass the link on to any one you know you lives in Norwalk. I am confident that Talk About Norwalk is going to be THE blog about Norwalk.

You can also follow Suzanna on twitter at @talknorwalk. And follow me as @stamfordtalk! Click here to read more.