I have never seen the Fox show “Kitchen Nightmares”, but I had to watch most of this episode to see them rehabilitate a local Italian steakhouse Sabatiello’s..

I personally have never eaten there, but from watching the show, it seems like the food was pretty lousy, with 3-day-old soup, microwaved frozen lasagna, and cheap cuts of meat.

This is where host Chef Ramsey stepped in, and wrestled with the hot-headed owner who was not all that amiable to criticism.

Long story short, Ramsey schools the restaurant on how to make better food and hopefully its all better now blah blah.

If anyone has any before and after opinions, leave a comment!

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: “Kitchen Nightmares” Puts Stamford’s Sabatiello’s Back On Track

Be sure to add your favorites in the comments, even if it’s not in Greenwich proper.

1. Sushi

Kira Sushi II menu – Directions
4 Lewis Ct
Greenwich, CT 06830
(203) 422-2990

Kira Sushi is my kind of sushi bar – small, unpretentious, good service, great sushi. I am not a fan of their Robata or other non-sushi dishes, but their sushi is great. A couple of my favorites include a Spicy Tuna Hand Roll (not technically on the menu but any sushi place will make one for you – try scallops instead of tuna also), their White Tuna albacore and yellowtail nigiri are also very good. I can never remember their specialty rolls by name by they are all good.

As for on-site dining, although its popular we never wait for a table there, and the dining room is cozy and service prompt and excellent, with both tables and sushi bar.

(Photo is of a Spicy Tuna Hand Roll by gabrielletilley on Flickr, and is not a photo of an actual Kira Sushi hand roll – ed.)

2. Italian/Pizza

Arcuri’s Pizza & Salads menu – directions
226 E Putnam Ave
Cos Cob, CT 06807
(203) 869-6999

Arcuri’s has a very extensive menu of pizza and Italian fare are good prices, and their delivery is super-fast. I know this because I order from them all the time. However, nothing on their menu really stands out for me, except their specialty ‘Bullet Pizza’, which is great – but everything else is good too. They do a nice steak bomb also (make sure you ask if you want mushrooms and/or mayonnaise), and my wife likes the gorgonzola salad.

Arcuri’s is not really a sit-down place, with just a couple of cramped tables.

3. Thai

Little Thai Kitchen menu - directions
21 Saint Roch Ave
Greenwich, CT
(203) 622-2972‎

Little Thai Kitchen is a Thai restaurant which, which, like Kira Sushi, covers all the bases of their cuisine well. My favorite Thai dish is drunken noodles with beef, but their yellow curry chicken is a favorite in our house as well (order extra white rice though – they don’t pack much). Make sure you get some shrimp summer rolls and Tom Ka Gai soup for appetizers.

The one downside of LTK is that their delivery is VERY slow – however, some of this is due to the fact that my house is a little hard to find and on the opposite side of town from them.

As for onsite dining, it should really be called ‘Little Thai Dining Room’ – it is lilliputian inside, although clean and cozy. Service is good. Seems like it was carved out of a multifamily home.

4. Chinese

Hunan Gourmet menu - directions
68 E Putnam Ave
Greenwich, CT 06830
(203) 869-1940‎

Again, Hunan Gourmet is just a solid Chinese restaurant that gets all the basics right. The Szechuan Dumplings are a peanuty fat treat. The fried rice is very good, and they also have cold noodles, which is one of my favorites which a lot of restaurants don’t offer. I usually get some beef Lo Mein or beef Chow Fun, or some General’s Chicken – my wife likes the Moo Shu Pork with extra pancakes.

Hunan Gourmet has very fast delivery in my experience, and the dining room is surprisingly elegant.

5. Indian

Tandoori, Taste of India (Port Chester) menu - directions
163 N Main St
Port Chester, NY 10573
(914) 937-2727‎

I hesitate to add these guys to the list because technically they are in Port Chester (they had a Riverside location which has closed), however they have delivered to me in Greenwich in the past. We have eaten in the dining room there also, which is a great prelude to a movie at the Port Chester cinemas.

When I worked in Silicon Valley as a programmer, I would up eating a LOT of Indian food. The reason for this is that when you get a bunch of programmers going out for lunch, at least one or two are going to be both Indian and vegetarian. Silicon Valley has some great Indian buffets to take care of them, and I never minded them at all – especially if they had soft-serve mango ice cream!

In my opinion, Tandoori Taste of India is better than most Indian restaurants in terms of taste and menu.

I usually get the Lamb Vindaloo and my wife likes the Chicken Tiki Masala or Chicken Korma, with the Uthappam to share as an appetizer. Sometimes I will get a mango lasse.

The dining room at Tandoori is a little dated but fine, service is good but like some asian restaurants sometimes certain dishes can take longer than others.

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: 5 Great Casual Restaurants For Delivery in Greenwich

Having lived in Northern California for 11 years, its hard for me to express how comforting it is to see a taco truck. In Santa Rosa, there were at least 6 of them, as well as couple dozen taquerias and a half-dozen upscale Mexican restaurants.

Out there, Mexican is *the* ‘fast food’ -  I would venture to guess most Northern Californians eat Mexican at least twice a week, and most more than that. Its cheap, ubiquitous, and very delicious.

Our favorite place was right near our house – Jalisco’s Taqueria. As far as my wife and I are concerned, they are the best burritto on the planet, and make the best carnitas as well. Everytime we go back, we look forward to a Jalisco’s Carnitas Burritto – mmmmm.

Since moving to Fairfield County, we have been very pessimistic about our options for Mexican. We really don’t have much interest in the upscale Mexican restaurants like Boxcar Cantina and Avenida - they lack ‘down-hominess’ and are overpriced. El Tio in Port Chester is probably the closest we’ve come to what we’re looking for.

So when a comment on Stamford Talk recommended the El Charrito taco truck on Richmond Hill Ave, I had to check it out – the next day! I was really excited, as the comments on Chow were very good as well.

When I arrived on this glorious Friday at around 1, there were probably a dozen hispanic laborers waiting in line – a good sign. There was also a businessman at the end of the line named Chris, who had never tried the place before either, and we discussed what we were going to order.

I noted that the huarache was highly recommended on Chow, but that I had to try their Carnitas Burrito. Chris opted for some tacos. Chris pointed out to me that the truck was set up directly across the street from Beemer’s strip club, which I hadnt noticed.

Wow – what a great Friday lunch location – that’s a swell one-two punch, I thought.

We then kidded that the Taco truck also served as an excellent alibi for Beemer’s fans: “Oh, my husband loves that taco truck! I see him parked next to it every day!”

When I finally got my turn I was served by the lovely Alexandra, whom someone on Chow said was a stateside-born Puerto Rican. Alexandra is a very nice and friendly person, as is her husband, Carlos, who makes the food.

I ordered a carne asada huarache and a carnitas super burrito. (In Santa Rosa, ‘super’ is the code word that you want sour cream and guacamole in the burrito – unfortunately neither is available on an El Charrito burrito).

When I got my order, I was very excited to try it out – I would say ‘cautiously optimistic’. Although it would have been nice to sit in the park and eat, I wanted to get home and be dead serious about my burrito.

This is the part of the review I have kind of been dreading, because I *really* like Alexandra and Carlos, and I *really* wanted to like their food. I even considered just not writing the review, but decided just to be specific about what I didn’t like, and point out that a LOT of people LOVE El Charrito – so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

First, there was some things about the burrito I didn’t like just because it wasn’t my style. The tortilla had a deliberate char on it, they used black beans instead of pinto, and the beans came with some excess water. This is mostly a matter of preference.

However, the carnitas was an issue for me. The seasoning was solid, but the pork was VERY fatty, and kind of ‘cubed’ (some have complained about the ‘cubiness’ – a ‘processed’ look to their chicken on a quesadilla as well). By the time I had gotten to the end of my first half of the burrito, it seemed I was eating more fat than meat, and it was not a pleasurable experience.

I will admit that I have never had a huarache before, but its standard Mexican food. I enjoyed it more than the Burrito, although I felt the beef was subpar as well. It wasn’t bad though – although I am not a big fan of the huarache now, it was solid taco truck fare.

On a final note -a  lot of people like to argue about ‘authenticity’ – I roll my eyes thinking about the lecture the waiter at Avenidas gave me when I tried to order a soft taco. I don’t really care about authenticity, I care about having Santa Rosa-style taqueria food. I really couldn’t care less what degree of authenticity is there – how does it taste? My only real gripe with the food at El Charrito is that it isn’t the ‘style’ I prefer, and I do have legitimate issues with the quality of the carnitas.

However, because it does have so much good word I urge people try it for themselves, and meet Alexandra and Carlos – because, as I said, they are really nice people, everyone should get their tacos from a truck at least once, and who knows – maybe something they make is just right for you!

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: El Charrito Taco Truck Review

About a month ago my sister-in-law stopped by our house and dropped off a pizza. She said she had driven up to Stamford because she wanted some pizza from Colony Grill and grabbed us one too.

You don’t order ‘a pizza’ from Colony Grill, you order ‘a stack of pizzas’ - everyone gets their own!

I thought that was very nice of her, but I had to ask – why drive to Stamford for pizza – from Hoboken, New Jersey!?

She told me I should try the pizza.

I did, and now I understand.

Colony Grill is not your typical thin-crust pizza. It has its own very special flavor, thanks to an amazing crust and some unique toppings which I recommend you try in order to get the real Colony Grill experience.

You cannot compare a Colony Grill pizza directly with Italian, Greek, Gourmet Californian or ‘New York Slice’ style pizzas. It’s its own animal, so when you have the hankering for Colony Grill pizza, there is only one place you can get it – Stamford.

Now, lets move on to the toppings which make this pizza so special.

The most important topping is Hot Oil. It isn’t all that hot, and I don’t know exactly what kind of oil it is, but it goes with every topping and turns any pizza into some sort of crack-like substance you cant stop eating.

The next most important topping are the cherry peppers. These are not like any cherry peppers I have had on a pizza before. They aren’t really hot, but they have a vinegar-like zest that really compliments the hot oil.

The sausage topping is made right across the street at Deyulio’s Sausage Company, so you know its fresh – but it also happens to be delicious. (The sausage chunks are also very generously sized!)

Last but certainly not least is the Stinger.

The Stinger is a HOT pepper topping – do not make the mistake I did and confuse the Stinger with the Cherry Peppers – they are NOT the same! The Stinger is only for the hot pepper aficionado, its not a topping to be taken lightly. That said, I did like my one Stinger pizza experience.

If you want to try a Stinger without eating a whole Stinger pizza, thats not a problem. A Stinger or two in the center of each hot oil pizza is the indicator of whether the pizza has already had the hot oil applied. As a result, every once in a while you will find yourself unexpectedly eating a Stinger. Its a fun surprise, and part of the colony grill experience. (This raises the question of what secret code they use on a pizza that is supposed to have both hot oil and stingers)…

The atmosphere of Colony Grill is – well, its a large, cozy, neighborhood bar, nothing more or less. You will see few bars with so many kids sitting at the tables though, because families love Colony Grill. The parking lot is always packed, but there is a lot of on-street parking as well.

Located less than a mile north from the Stamford Metro-North Station, Colony is a popular commuter take-out joint that will make anyone a hero upon arrival home. Just remember to call well before your eta, cause it can get busy around dinnertime.

Coincidentally, my sister-in-law stopped by again yesterday with a friend to ask if we wanted to join them at Colony Grill. We had other plans, but I mentioned that I would be reviewing them in my blog.

Suddenly, her friend expressed alarm – evidentially, he noted, I did not know the first rule of Colony Grill.

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: Colony Grill – Stamford’s Worst-Kept Secret

I dunno about you, but when I’m at Grand Central and need to grab something to eat, my first priority is that it is fast and wont stink up the train car.

However, for some people, and it seems largely for business travelers, the Oyster Bar is an incredibly convenient and appropriate place for a nice sit-down dinner meeting with visitors from out of town. It also has a little take-out window that serves the impatient like me, serving somewhat infamous seafood sandwiches and soups.

However, I have never had the opportunity to enjoy their cuisine, opting usually for a Jamaican Jerk pocket or a sandwich accompanied by one of those enormous cans of beer wrapped in a paper bag (well, on the ride *home*, at least).

Chowhound.com, which has an excellent reputation for keeping tabs on NYC’s culinary hotspots, has a forum discussion of opinions of The Oyster Bar from people who *have* been there, which you may find interesting if you are contemplating their particular flavor of Grand Central dining.

The consensus – fantastic NYC atmosphere and a great place to enjoy a few oysters and a beer – but the rest of the menu doesnt live up to the prices…

via Chowhound.com

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: Chowhound.com Users Speak Out About Grand Central Oyster Bar