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)
I usually have “The Beach Burger” which is an all-natural beef patty served with cheese, red onion, lettuce and tomato on a potato roll! They are juicy and delicious. There are two sizes – small and large — I had the LARGE one. The fries are also excellent. Beach Burger is also famous for their Shakes – which are great on a hot day and they make all kinds of great combos! I had the Strawberry Cheesecake Shake which is made with Vanilla Ice Cream, Strawberry Jam and REAL Cheesecake! It was thick… and so rich… I couldn’t finish it.
