Tag Archives: Fairfield

“Poppin’ Tastes” @ Pop Shop Market in Fairfield!

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POP SHOP MARKET – Fairfield, CT

www.popshopmarket.com

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Yesterday, we went to the Pop Shop Market in Fairfield.  The Pop Shop Market is an outdoor market with crafts, food, art, jewelry, music, clothes and even dog biscuits. So there’s a little bit of everything for everyone in one small area.  This was the first one, and it was really fun and interesting.  We hope that they do it again VERY soon.

Here are a few of my favorites… starting with… the FOOD!

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The Local Meatball

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You don’t really think “meatballs for breakfast”, but our friends at our at The Local Meatball, have come up with a way that you can, and it’s called “The Breakfast Ball”, a meatball sandwich made of Sausage, Bacon, Cheese and Eggs served on a Bun with Maple Syrup!

It was very unique and tasty, lots of flavor!  They have many other types of meatballs – be sure to follow them on Twitter to find out where they will be next — you can’t miss them, because they have a shiny red Smart car with their meatball guy logo on the side.

IMG-20130601-01610FRYBORG

www.fryborg.com

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Fryborg is a food truck from New Haven… and their specialty is… as you might guess… French Fries!  They also make really good sandwiches and they serve amazing and exotic sodas.  I had the fries which were fresh-cut and really crispy.  They serve them with a choice of different sauces and ketchup – we tried the curry-ketchup.  They were awesome.

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But… that’s not all… dad and I split a Grilled FlufferNutter with Bacon served on Brioche!  A FlufferNutter is a Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Fluff sandwich.  Add bacon to it and grill it like a grilled cheese sandwich and it becomes all melty, gooey, sweet and salty — SO GOOD!

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Fryborg also serves Avery’s Sodas, which are made in New Britain, CT — Avery’s is really good, and if you like, they will bottle up your own creations – I wonder if we should create a Sunday Diners soda… maybe it could be Egg and Bacon flavored :)  But today we tried their Pumpkin Pie Soda — it was like drinking pie!!!!

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Pop Shop has great food… and it also has a great shopping…

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Late Greats

www.lategreats.com

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Late Greats make handmade, stuffed, dolls of great historical people like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Vincent Van Gogh.  Here are Pablo Picasso and his friend the fashion designer Coco Chanel…. and speaking of Coco…

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Blue Buffalo 

http://www.bluebuffalo.com

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Even my dog Coco would enjoy Pop Shop Market… why… because the nice girls from Blue Buffalo pet food, which is right near us in Wilton, gave us a big bag of treats for my pug Coco… doesn’t she look happy?

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PrintThanks to everyone from Pop Shop Market!  

We had a lot of fun and can not wait till the next one! 

Dishing Up Awesome Plates and Cups at Dish and Port Coffee House in Blackrock

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Dish 

Port Coffee House

2889 Fairfield Ave Bridgeport, CT 

www.dineatdish.com

www.portcoffeehouse.com

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Sorry we haven’t posted for so long.  I’ve been very busy with school, baseball and even took a vacation to Savannah, Georgia… which we will be blogging about next week but for today we’ll be telling you about one of our new favorite places… Dish!

As you all know, today is Cinco De Mayo, which put me in the mood for a Mexican-inspired breakfast.  We also wanted to try out Dish  – so we were really happy when we could do both!

Dish was started by Janet Habansky, she learned to be a chef by cooking for her family, on her website she calls this learning how to cook at ““School of Mom and Grandma”.  So we knew this was going to be good.

As soon as you walk in, you enter through the Port Coffee House, which is attached to Dish.  Here you are greeted and given a slip of paper which has all of the breakfast choices on it… you check off what you would like, order your drink, then you go through an archway next door to Dish which looks like a big open kitchen in someone’s house.  Then you give your order to the chefs who then make it fresh for you.  The tables are big, because you get to sit on the tables with other families and diners who you don’t even know  - which is fun.  It’s really popular with kids — there were a lot there today.

Now about the food — since it was Cinco de Mayo, I decided to have Huevos Rancheros!  Black Beans, “Fresh Chunky Salsa”, Fresh Guacamole, Eggs, Cheese and Sour Cream served on a Tortilla.  It was excellent.  I told the staff that there is a difference between gourmet and simply just amazing… and this was amazing!  I also had a side of Bacon — which was flavorful… and to drink… I had a Hot Chocolate which was also really good.  I tried my Dad’s French Toast, which is one of their specialties and some of their Homemade Sausage which was superb.

IMG-20130505-01394I spoke with Chef Dave and asked him, where Dish got their ingredients, and his favorite breakfast

He told me, “From a lot of places, we special order things, some things come from the market… some things even from BJ’s!” “I love Egg Whites and  love what you had, The Huevos Rancheros!”

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I also spoke with Jerry, at Port Coffee House and asked what the most popular baked good is.

He told me, “People love the Apricot Scones and our Gluten-Free breads!”

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Thanks to everyone at Port Coffee House and Dish for being so nice and for the delicious breakfast… we’ll definitely be back!

 Sunday Diner Rating 

FOOD * * * * * (Cinco)

SERVICE  * * * * * (Cinco) (Thanks Kate!)

LOOKS * * * * *   (Cinco)

BATHROOM * * * * *  (Cinco)

SUNDAY DINERS DOES LUNCH! FAIRFIELD’S BODEGA TACO BAR & NORWALK’S SWANKY FRANKS

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Today’s Sunday Diners is all about… LUNCH!  Yesterday, we went to Bodega Taco Bar in Fairfield, and today we ate at Swanky Franks, Norwalk’s famous spot for Hot Dogs!

Bodega Taco Bar 1700 Post Road, Fairfield, CT www.bodegatacobar.com

Bodega Taco Bar is owned by Chef Michael Young, who also owns Valencia, one of our favorite spots.  Chef Michael is a great chef and like Valencia, Bodega is very popular… so popular, that once we tried to eat there and it was a two-hour wait!  But yesterday, we were lucky to get a table really fast, which was really good, because we had our friends Adam and Tracey with us and they had to catch a train back to New York City.  Tracey is from New Zealand, but used to live in Mexico and LOVES Mexican food, so we thought that Bodega would be perfect!

We started off with “Tres Salsas y Chips”  which is their homemade Pico de Gallo Salsa, Black Bean Dip and Mango-Cucumber Salsa.  We also had their “Slapped Fresh” Bodega Original Guacamole and straight from the fryer chips!  The chips were excellent and so was everything else.  For lunch I had the  Americano Tacos which is made of seasoned ground beef, manchego cheese, salsa rusa, in a crispy taco shell – iMUY BUENO!  To drink I had a Pineapple Jarrito, which is a Mexican brand of soda – it was tasty!

For desert, our server Molly suggested that I try the Tres Leches – which is like pound cake soaked in three kinds of milk – it was great, but I was so full, I couldn’t finish it.  

One thing I tried, that you should be careful of, was a Pickled Jalapeño Pepper — I ate the whole thing — but IT WAS HOT!!!

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of Cinco)  

FOOD * * * * * (CINCO)

SERVICE  * * * * * (CINCO)

LOOKS * * * * *  (CINCO)

BATHROOM * * * * *  (CINCO)

Yesterday, was also Chef Michael’s Birthday!  So, Happy Birthday Chef Michael from your friends at Sunday Diners!

The Original Swanky Franks of Norwalk  182 Connecticut Avenue, Norwalk, CT www.theoriginalswankyfranks.com

Norwalk’s hottest spot for Hot Dogs is Swanky Franks!  Swanky Franks has been serving dogs since 1949 and they are good — I’ve been going there since I could eat hot dogs!

The hot dogs have a good crunch when you bite into them, and the buns are fluffy and toasted.  Today I had a Hot Dog, Onion Rings and a Black & White Shake.  It was excellent.  Swanky Frank’s is very popular with kids — in fact, the walls are covered with pictures of the children who have eaten there.

They started to serve breakfast recently, we’ll have to try them out soon!

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of Five)  

FOOD * * * * * (FIVE)

SERVICE  * * * * * (FIVE)

LOOKS * * *   (THREE)

BATHROOM * *  (TWO)

 

ISABELLE ET VINCENT… A LITTLE SLICE OF FRANCE IN FAIRFIELD!

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Isabelle et Vincent, 1903 Post Road, Fairfield CT www.isabelleetvincent.com

Today is the first day of fall, which got me thinking that two years ago in the fall, I visited Paris, France.  So today, we thought it would be fun to check out a real French baker, right here in Connecticut.

The minute you walk through the doors of Isabelle et Vincent, you feel like you stepped into France.  The air smells delicious, and there are amazing baked treats EVERYWHERE, and it’s even decorated just like a real French bakery and café.

The bakery is owned by Isabelle and Vincent Koenig, who came to Fairfield all the way from Strasbourg, France where they also had a bakery (which is called a pâtisserie there).  The moved here with their family to start a new life and to bring their great baking and pastry skills from France to America.  They started the bakery in 2007.  It took them 10 months to build it, because all of the baking equipment and ovens had to come from France.  What makes the bakery so good, is that everything is made fresh from the bread, to the chocolates that Monsieur Vincent makes himself.

Today dad and I split a few things… a Spinach Quiche, a Croque Monsieur (which is melted cheese and ham on bread), a Plain and a Chocolate Croissant.  To finish we split a Raspberry Beignet, which is a sort of a French Donut.  I also had the Hot Chocolate – which was really delicious.

Everything was très magnifique, especially the croissants which were very flaky… light and buttery — everything that a perfect croissant has to be!

I spoke with Madam Isabelle and Monsieur Vincent and asked, “What is THE French specialty that you think Americans should try that they may not have had before?

They said, “The Langhopf, is a Strasbourg speciality –  is like a brioche, with walnuts and raisins.  It is baked in a special mold, that comes from that part of France.”

I also asked the Koenig’s, “What time do you start baking in the morning?”

Monsieur Vincent told me, “I get here and start baking at 2 AM – usually when everybody is sleeping” Madam Isabelle, told me that she gets there at 5 AM!   That’s really early!  

 

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of CINQ)  

PETIT DÉJEUNER * * * * * (CINQ)

SERVICE  * * * * * (CINQ)

DÉCOR * * * * *  (CINQ)

TOILETTES — DID NOT GO!

Merci beacoup Isabelle et Vincent for the delicious baguette, the Langhopf and for bringing a little bit of France to our country!

PS: Here’s a picture of me in Paris, France from two years ago.

Get Fired Up With Breakfast At The Firehouse Deli In Fairfield!

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The Firehouse Deli, 22 Reef Road, Fairfield CT www.firehousedelifairfield.com

The Firehouse Deli is located in… you guessed it… An old firehouse that has been made into a deli.  The Old Firehouse, is a historic building that was built in the late 1800′s. It’s painted fire engine red on the outside and inside and is decorated with some cool firehouse artifacts, like an old ladder and extinguisher.

The Firehouse is across from the Town Green in Fairfield and has tables outside so you can sit outside and enjoy your food and the view.  It’s not only kid-friendly… but also dog-friendly.  Today there were lots of dogs and their owners… maybe I’ll come back someday with my dog, Coco *

Today I had the Sunshine Wrap — a Whole Wheat Flour Tortilla filled with Eggs, Monterrey Jack Cheese, Bacon and Salsa!  It was awesome.  I thought that it would be spicy, but it actually tasted sweet.  Since I was still hungry, I also had a homemade Cinnamon Muffin which was also good.  They do not make their own Chocolate Milk at the Firehouse, so I had Hood Milk Chocolate Milk.  which reminds me of a corny joke my dad tells me every time I have Hood Milk…

What do Baby Gangsters drink? 

Answer: Hood Milk! :)

I spoke with Caitlin our server  and asked, what she likes for breakfast. Caitlin loves the bacon egg and cheese sandwiches.

I also asked her what is her favorite Firehouse menu item of  them all. She said, “I love The Thanksgiving it’s roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry and mayo on a hard roll”

That sounds stuffing!

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * * (6)

SERVICE  * * * * *   (5)

LOOKS  * * * * *  (5)

BATHROOM: * * * * *  (5)

* Here’s  picture of my dog Coco

You’re Really Going To Flip For Chip’s New Home In Fairfield!

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Chip’s Family Restaurant,   525 Tunxis Hill Cutoff, Fairfield, CT www.chipsrest.com

When I heard that one of my favorite breakfast spots, Chip’s Family Restaurant was opening a new location in Fairfield, I knew I had to go there!  It’s been over two years since I’ve been to Chip’s, mainly because the original one is in Orange, CT which is about 40 minutes away.  Now that they are in Fairfield, I can go there more!

Chip’s is famous for their pancakes!  They have over 40 types for you to try – so there’s something for everyone.  And they even have cool syrups! There are six different types for you to try:  Maple, Pecan, Strawberry, Apricot, Coconut and even Boysenberry!

If you don’t want pancakes, they have all sorts of other food on the breakfast menu and are also open for lunch and dinner too.

Chip’s is SO awesome, they have their own mascot — Mr. Chip, The Pancake Prince! Their own SONG! And even a commercial on TV!

Check it out!

I had the M&M Pancakes — which were very fluffy and delicious — a side of bacon and a chocolate milk which was freshly made by our nice server Samantha!

I asked, Adam Kindilien, the manager of Chip’s,

“Why did Chip’s want to open in Fairfield?”

He said, “So many of our customers love Chip’s so much that they drove to Orange from all around — like Darien, Westport, Stamford and even Norwalk, so we thought it would be good to open in Fairfield, to be closer to them”

I also asked him,

“What’s the most popular pancake at Chips?”

He said, “The most popular is the German Apple Pancakes which is made of fresh sliced apples cooked inside five buttermilk pancakes, topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar. All served with a raspberry purée sauce!”

I’ll be trying that next time!

Chip’s is great for kids, they let you color the placemats and they will display your art on the wall — the new Chip’s is open now, and because they are so popular, the lines ARE HUGE! So get there early. The official grand opening is on September 9th.

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * * * (6) Thanks Samantha!

LOOKS  * * * * * (5)

BATHROOM: * * * * * (5)

So, if you’re near Orange or Fairfield Connecticut, come and Flip For Chip’s!

PS: Here’s a picture of the first time I went there and had the Black Forest Pancakes!