Monthly Archives: March 2012

Good Lox Is Key At Gold’s Deli!

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Gold’s Delicatessen, 421 Post Road East  Westport, CT

www.goldsdelicatessen.com

Gold’s Delicatessen has been serving authentic New York Style deli food in Westport since 1958, that’s 54 years!  It is one of the best deli’s in all of Connecticut — they’re so good, they were even written about in the Sunday New York Times — now that’s good!

Even though Gold’s is mainly known for their lunches like Pastrami and Corned Beef sandwiches and Hebrew National hot dogs they also make great breakfasts.  Except, they don’t serve eggs or pancakes, because, the kitchen at Gold’s is too small for that.  But that’s OK, because they say they have the best lox in the state, and that’s what I came to try today.

What is lox?  It’s very thinly sliced smoked salmon — the type I had is called Nova, which is short for Nova Scotia,which is in Canada… but Gold’s gets their Nova Scotia Salmon from Norway.  I had Nova on a Bagel with Cream Cheese, and it was smoky and delicious!

Before I even had my Nova, Karen the server gave me some pickles which were also really good — I’ve never had pickles at breakfast, but I had to try them.

After breakfast I got to try their famous Erica’s Rugelach cookies — which come all the way from Brooklyn — we had the chocolate and apricot nut ones they were buttery and the chocolate ones had a little bit of orange and raisin in them — yum!

Mr Jim Eckl the owner of Gold's

I spoke to Jim Eckl the owner of Gold’s who told me:

“Mr. Gold started the deli in 1958, and I’ve owned it for 9 years”  “We’re very popular for lunch especially for our pastrami sandwiches and Hebrew National hot dogs”

I asked him what his favorite breakfast was and he said,

 “Definitely, the Nova on a bagel”

 He also told me that,”People love our marble rye bread which comes from Deep River, CT and our bagels from H&H Bagels in New York.

I also asked Karen, who has worked at Gold’s for 16 years, “What is her favorite thing that Gold’s makes?”

She said, “I love the chopped liver, it’s better than even my own”!

I’ll come back and try that sometime or maybe even a Tongue sandwich!!! :-P

Thanks Jim & Karen!

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * *  (5)

LOOKS  * * * *  (4)

BATHROOM: * * * * *  (5)

Christie’s Country Store… Doing Good For the Community… And Good Breakfasts!

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Christie’s Country Store, 161 Cross Highway, Westport, CT

christiescountrystore.com

Christie’s Country Store is located right next to one of my favorite ice-cream places in the world, The Frosty Bear.  So I thought it would probably be good for breakfast too!  And it is.  Like the name says, it’s a real country store that sells fresh made food like baked goods, salads, sandwiches and other food items.

The store has been there since 1926 and the owners, Renee and John Hooper are very kind and generous and like to help the community — today, they were making a BIG pasta lunch for the Senior Center. They also love to support the farmer’s market that they host in front of the country store on Sunday’s during the summer and use a lot of the produce in their cooking.

Today I had the Egg, Bacon & Cheese Sandwich on a toasted poppy-seed bagel — one thing I noticed was that the Egg Sandwiches were very popular, it seemed like every person coming in the store was ordering one — one guy actually came in and bought not one…not two… not three… four or five… BUT six of them!  I wonder if he ate them all himself!  I also had some home fries which were tasty and hot.

Before I had breakfast, I got to taste their homemade jams — not surprisingly they were great!  I loved the Strawberry Lemonade jam so much, that I asked my dad to buy some.  Tonight, I’m going to have it on some vanilla ice cream.

Renee Hooper the OwnerI spoke with Renee Hooper, who owns Christie’s with her husband John and who told me:

“All of our jams and grilling sauces are 100% natural, the first ingredient that you see on the jam label is the fruit.  We only use fruit from the farmer’s market or from local farms.  We are very committed to the Westport community”  “We also do fresh baking everyday and make muffins, cookies and other treats”

Mrs. Hooper also told me a little bit about the history of Christie’s. She told me that Christie’s had been a farm a long time ago and had been a market as well.  The Hooper’s have lived in Westport all of their lives, and her husband’s family had been in the area since the 1600′s!

I also asked her the most important question,

“When will the Frosty Bear open for the season?”

She said, ” The Frosty Bear will open up in May!”

I will definitely be coming back this May for that!

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * * * (6)

LOOKS  * * * * *  (5)

BATHROOM: Did Not Go!

We’ll be back!

Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro — Great for Parties & Breakfast!

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Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro, 75 Main Street, Norwalk CT

www.nicholasrobertsbistro.com

When we got to Nicholas Roberts today, the door was locked, but inside, you could see the chefs were hard at work in the open kitchen.  They were so busy, they didn’t notice that it was time to open the door because they were getting ready for the day.

Nicholas Roberts, is named after the father and son who both own it. The dad’s name is Nicholas and the son is Chef Robert.  But today, only Chef Robert was there.

Nicholas Roberts is not only a restaurant, but also a caterer — so they are very busy not only making great breakfasts, lunch and dinners –  and serving customers, but also cooking for big parties.  Today, they were getting ready for a big 1st birthday party.

I thought, that if they are so busy they must be really good — and they are!

For starters,  I had a Hot Chocolate, which Chef Robert made for me himself from scratch with milk, cocoa, sugar and even fresh whipped cream – it was creamy, light and tasty.  For breakfast I had the Apple Brioche French Toast which came with Maple Smoked Bacon and Fresh Fruit.  It was so good and big, that I could not finish it all.  Chef Robert thought that I didn’t like it, but I loved, it was just BIG!

I asked Chef Robert, “What is your favorite thing on the menu?”

He said “I love the NRG Eggs Benedict, which is Eggs Benedict served on a Crab Cake”

I also asked, “What is it like working with your dad?”

He said, “It’s a great pleasure working with my dad, because I learn a lot from him, I also like the way he talks with people, he deals with the clients very well”.

Thanks Chef Robert!!!

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * *   (5)

LOOKS  * * * * *  (5)

BATHROOM: * * * * * *  (6)