The Lost Weekend, Part II

Well hello readers! We are back for round two of my Connecticut weekend of frivolity and I’m happy to serve it all to ya! In this second installment you may notice some slight changes on our little website, namely now you’ll be able to click directly on a restaurant’s name to get to that review. Revolutionary I know. But what’s behind my new proficiency in web design, you may ask? Well… I recently took a course at the Maine College of Art in web design and I learned a heck of a lot, namely how to use the great templates provided by Blogger better and faster. So enjoy the fruits of my colligate labor and the fresh, efficient new layout!

So, on to the review. Today we are highlighting a Stonington Borough, CT institution Noah’s.

Noah’s

113 Water Street
Stonington, CT 06378

http://noahsfinefood.com/new/

The Novice Fork gives this spot

4 Forks for its neighborhood feel,

great food, and chilled out atmosphere

The outside of Noah's, cute right?

On the sleep deprived last day of my weekend, desperately seeking a nap or a chocolate shake, my friend decided to take me and his main squeeze to Noah’s, in Stonington Borough. Established in 1979, Noah’s is the type of neighborhood spot reserved for and revered by the locals and tuned in tourists who know where to go. The first thing you may notice about this joint is that the entire restaurant is covered in art and colorful gimcracks one can only accumulate over many years. Plaques, paintings of the restaurant, costal Connecticut memorabilia and wood paneling adorn the walls, the bar is deep and comfy, and the tables are sunlit and well worn. This pleasant scene is continued when greeted with the very friendly and casual (while at times, a tad slow) service, especially at the bar where it seems everyone actually knows your name.

On any given Sunday they have a brunch, lunch and dinner menu and I’m sure whatever you order off of any of these menus would be delicious. Having had French toast earlier that day, I thought a salad would be a better fit for me so I ordered the garden salad. Smart move. Mine was composed of field greens, tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms and red onion, dressed in vinaigrette. Simple and classic. My friend ordered the bacon and onion quiche with a side arugula salad, and his girlfriend ordered the Asian noodle bowl which looked incredible and tasted good too, I had to test it of course. My cohorts enjoyed a beer or two and I couldn’t possibly, but several glasses of water were my drink of desperate choice. The prices arfe right here too, my salad was only $6 and just the right amount of food.   

All and all, the service, food and atmosphere here makes one understand Noah’s longevity and the reason locals and visitors keep coming back. Its only shortcoming could be that restrooms, past the kitchen (which is awkward), are so small you need to sit on the toilet to wash your hands. But if you’re an optimistic person, this only adds to the charm of this, well, charming little restaurant. 4 Forks it is, but just because you’re so damn cute, Noah’s. Eat here now!

Great, now we have the end of my time in CT. I’m as sad as you that my time there was so brief, but have no fear. I’ll be back soon and I know Mystic and its surrounding communities will be ready. (Or god I hope so)

Words for the day…

Only this. With so much negativity in the world currently, any break for you is well worth it. Take a lunch break from a hectic day, reconnect with an old friend, and enjoy any quiet moment you can. Don’t worry, be happy now. (Or eat chocolate.) Have a great one all!  

The Lost Weekend, Part I

Greetings readers! What a week it has been, with lots to report and many meals to dissect. But before I begin, I feel contractually obligated to share that our newest post comes at the beginning of Maine Restaurant Week, which I’m totally excited about! Already three days into the great event, the twice annual Restaurant Week lets Maine restaurants highlight what they do in a typically 3 course pre-fix menu and affords food lovers the rare opportunity to experience new places and dine and enjoy. Their website, http://www.mainerestaurantweek.com/, is loaded with useful information and gives a full list of restaurants participating, including my faves Cinque Terra and The Corner Room Kitchen and Bar in Portland!

Maine Restaurant Week

March 1- 12 2011

http://www.mainerestaurantweek.com/

Traditional 3 course, pre-selected menu at a decent price!

Go out and have a new food adventure.

So since I’ve given Maine Restaurant Week some love, let’s turn now to my recent trip to Mystic, Connecticut and Providence RI. As some of you readers may remember, Mystic was the site of my first posting and the quaint town still holds a certain cranny in my heart. Visiting a college roommate and close friend is never a bad idea either. The weekend flew by and with it I grabbed some great material for the blog!

The first restaurant on deck, however, doesn’t reside in the famous land of pizza and movies about pizza, but rather in Providence RI and on the storied, collegiate Thayer Street. With my friend in tow, I was very excited to visit the same street I spent so many afternoons escaping the Wheaton College grind. Thayer Street is Brown University’s answer to Harvard Square and it has a similar vibe, notorious for its hip restaurant and the hole in the wall clothing stores. I love it here! While wandering about we stumbled on a new sushi place. The obvious choice was, then, to step inside and check it out. And just so you know, Shark Restaurant ended up being fantastic.

Shark Restaurant
275 Thayer Street
Providence, RI 02906
http://sharkprovidence.com/

The Novice Fork gives this place

4 Forks for delicious sushi,

sexy atmosphere and great location

The outside of Shark Restaurant, full of Providence cool.

This restaurant has it all. A selective and easy to navigate sushi menu, a Hibachi grill, great music, full bar, and a stunning fish tank with a resident pet shark keeping a firm watch over his diners. We arrived without a reservation and for a Saturday night this can be tricky, but we were seated right away and were enjoying that tasty Japanese beer Sapporo within minutes.

For dinner I settled on the “Shark Delux” a sampler of 9 pieces of nigiri-sushi (fish over rice) and two different maki rolls. Served with a miso soup and an Asian inspired salad, the price isn’t cheap, at $24 bucks, but with all that food, and a beer, I was filled to the brim and happy. My friend got a similar combo platter of sushi and I only got rave reviews on his side of the table. (Thumbs up!)

The waitress we had was also great. With the entire restaurant inundated with guests and a mere several inches with which to move from table to cramped table, she was speedy, kind and attentive, always ready with water or a eel dipping sauce. (A general tip about dining out: Tell your server that you’ll be writing a review on that restaurant, your service will be on point… sneaky but it never fails). Overall, the experience was great, the sushi was great and you should eat there.  

But what happens when you want the good times to continue in Providence, the land of red clam chowder and Federal Hill Italian food and cultural district? Since I had no readily discernable answer, my friend and I decided to drive a bit and find a classy but laidback watering hole to continue the night. (In an attempt to become the cast of The Hangover, naturally.) After a parking search, we settled on Local 121. Again, this was a smart move.

Local 121
121 Washington Street
Providence RI, 02903
http://www.local121.com/home

The Novice Fork gives this local food spot

4 Forks for its beautiful bar, hip clientele

and attention to local food sourcing

Local 121, love the stained glass!

This place is beautiful. That’s the first thing you think when you walk into this large restaurant and cozy, wood paneled and fully stocked bar. The second thing you notice is that much of their food and drink selection comes from locally sourced vendors. Be it the beets on the spinach salad or the beer from a brewery down the road, the focus here is LOCAL, plain and simple. This is really cool because while I assume a city the size of Providence would have restaurants like this, it’s nice to see them in practice.

Unfortunately, I was still too stuffed from my sushi mere minutes before to even think about food, but the drinks, I can say, were top notch. I devoured two of my favorite Greyhounds (Grapefruit Juice and Vodka) and amazingly enough they were made with fresh grapefruit juice. My friend tried a local and organic beer, which got a resounding thumbs up.) And the prices were right, with my Greyhounds costing around $6 each and $5 for the pint of beer. (Not too shabby.)

At around 11 pm, this sleepy and upscale bar/restaurant turns into a wild, Urban Outfitters type dance extravaganza, where girls in stylish dresses and guys with ironic mustaches and glasses danced to a mash up of pop and electronica. Wild time. The dance floor was very small, but if you don’t mind bumping into a few people while shaking it to “Bille Jean” then go for it. It was a pretty fun and random way to top off the night.

Thank you Local 121 and Shark Restaurant for giving me a great night in Providence, RI, I’ll be back, so get the sushi and Grapefruit juice ready. And there you have it, part one in a two part review on my “Lost Weekend” to providence RI and Mystic, CT. I hope you enjoyed!  

Words for the day? As always, why do I ask this question every time? Not sure, so I’ll continue….

Since Maine Restaurant Week is underway, there is no excuse really not to go out and enjoy a lavish yet affordable meal at a restaurant you’ve never been to. Life’s an adventure and eating your way through it is the tastiest route. Eat, Drink and explore ya’ll!

The Long and Foodie Road, Part II

Chello readers! Sorry about my absence, I’m apparently a lousy Blogger or I would have a new post a bit more frequently than every month. This is a problem and I am addressing it. Due to a large combo pack of factors, namely an onslaught of job interviews, limited funds (damn you economy) and life in general disarray, I’ve neglected the very responsibility that improves my mood 99.9% of the time, clinically proven. But I’m reunited and it feels so good. (Love that tune..)

So I have been to a couple pretty good restaurants in the past few weeks, but haven’t had the time or energy to isolate them into reviews. However, I though today’s post could be a “short List,” where I will give quick reviews to several places I’ve recently been to and enjoyed. This way I can give you the info and I don’t feel guilty for withholding material of such vital importance. Sweet, right?

My gastronomical wanderings have led me to the wonderful towns Biddeford and Portland, ME and to two very different restaurants. To begin, we’ll start in lovely Biddeford Maine and Cancun Mexican Restaurant.

 Cancun Mexican Restaurant

11 Adams Street
Biddeford, ME 04005-2562
(207) 294-9111

The Novice Fork gives this place

A close 4 Forks for a swift, friendly staff,

Very authentic Mexican food,

fun cantina atmosphere

Its funny but I always seem to long for spicy, savory Mexican food when the weather is at its coldest in Maine. Most assuredly I want to displace the feeling of freezing my butt off, but I also have a strong bias to the flavors of Mexican cuisine, this time Cancun Mexican Restaurant. Can you think of anything more satisfying than a hot fajita or tacos smothered in salsa and ranchero sauce when its 10 degrees out? No, no you can’t.

When my party was seated 5 seconds after walking in the small and rustic restaurant, we were then automatically treated to delicious chips and salsa, per usual. Much like Hacienda Del Patron from weeks past, the salsa here is so good you can drink it. I might even say the condiment is a touch better at Cancun than that illustrious Lewiston establishment (Hacienda) can offer and I’ll stand by this claim.

On to the meal, I ordered the combo steak and chicken fajitas, which was hot, perfectly cooked and full of flavor. My friends got burritos and tacos, receptively and I didn’t have to taste each to know they were superb, but I did. Only in the name of research of course. The atmosphere is very casual and the staff super friendly, with our waiter calling us amigos all night. (I thought that was fun.)

All and all, the meal was cheap, $10 for my combo fajita with all the Mexican trimmings of guacamole, sour cream, cheese, refried beans, lettuce and rice, and a beer. What more can you ask for? So if you find yourself in Biddeford, possibly for a winter stroll along the sea or visiting the courthouse right next door to Cancun, (hopefully for only on a misdemeanor), do stop in and grab something to eat. This place is wicked good and that says it all. 4 Forks it is.

Next up we have the Public Market House in Portland’s Monument Square.

Public Market House

28 Monument Square
Portland, ME 04101

(207) 228-2056

http://publicmarkethouse.com/

The Novice Fork gives this hip, downtown market

4 Forks for its great, natural food selection,

Ample seating in a relaxed atmosphere,

and great people watching

The exterior of the market, from portlanddaily.com

While describing this public market, I can’t help but think back longingly at the original Portland Public Market, once located behind the Portland Public Library. (RIP) However, the reincarnation in Monument Square, while smaller, has a fun uniqueness all its own. And it hasn’t yet closed because of the seriously lacking foot traffic that plagued the old location (total bonus.)

With a wine shop, artisan cheese shop and Big Sky Breads selling sandwiches and bread on the first floor, it could be easy to miss the second floor, where Kamasouptra, Peanut butter Jelly Time (seriously?) and Pie in the Sky Pizza dwell.

If you make the effort to climb the stairs, or take the elevator because you’re lazy, you’ll be rewarded with Kamasouptra, a spot that just so happens to make some of the best chili I’ve ever had. It’s amazing.  With an ever-changing soup and chili selection and fresh whole-wheat rolls, eating here provides a simple and hearty lunch on a cold winter’s day. (How cozy)  Each time I go I must have the delicious smoked pork and black bean chili, which is perfectly sweet, spicy and savory, need I say more?

But which ever option you choose, be it soup, pizza or a hunk of cheddar from downstairs, do grab one of the mismatched chairs on the second floor and enjoy the sights and sounds of downtown Portland cool. The people watching is unparalleled here, with hip art kids, locals, and everyone in between mix, mingle and revel in eating and enjoying the best of Portland. This place is authentically Maine and once you go here you’ll understand what that means.

There you have it folks, two places I strongly suggest you check out. I hope you enjoy!

So… it’s that time… words for the day? Yes ma’am!

As the weeks go by, you may notice the temperature increasing, the several feet of oppressive snow beginning to melt, and finally people don’t look like they want to kill you. These are good things, so embrace the early promises of spring and get out of the house. (The groundhog did it and so can you).  And if a dinner out is involved, then all the better. So enjoy these fledgling days of spring, open a window and breathe deep. Later!

News Flash

*!!!News Flash!!!*
Well, we have done it everyone! Our little Dog and Pony show has officially reached over 1,000 views! I cannot believe this. When I started this blog, it was out of necessity when unemployed and without a creative outlet. Now it has become something much more. I feel like a proud father watching his son ride on two wheels for the first time (Cue hallmark music sequence here). Thank you very much readers and food enthusiasts for making us a part of the big leagues. A new post will be coming very soon, so stay tuned. This is only the beginning, and you were a part of it. Way to go!

-The Novice Fork