Restaurants: The Best of Bridgeport

Living in Fairfield, we are right next door to Connecticut's largest city, Bridgeport. Luckily for us, it has some fantastic eating destinations. If you're looking to liven up your weekend, head for the border and check out one of these great Bridgeport eateries!

In the past few years, several sections of Bridgeport have seen lots of positive development. The Black Rock Historic District has seen an influx of eateries in recent years, and has become downright (dare I say?) quaint. The section of downtown near the courthouse (Fairfield Avenue/Main Street) also has a slew of great restaurants, some new, some old, but all worth a visit.

In Black Rock, I recently ate at Dish Supper Club at 2889 Fairfield Avenue. It is by reservation only, and currently only open for dinner on Friday nights (although it serves breakfast on weekdays). It works more like a supper club than a restaurant, and you almost feel like you're part of a fabulous dinner party at someones home. The fixed price, set multi-course meal is served in a casual setting, at shared tables. During the summer months, the menu featured a New England Clambake---complete with wonderful clam chowder, mussels, clams, a whole lobster for each person, corn, potatoes, purple cabbage cole slaw and dessert (homemade ice cream sandwiches from Timothy's Ice Cream--YUM). It was really excellent...and I can't wait to go back in the fall to see what Janet, the chef/owner cooks up in her open kitchen. BTW, it is BYOB and will also open for private groups on other days of the week. This is a place NOT to be missed.

Other notable restaurants in the area are Cafe Tavolini (nice decor, nice Italian menu), Viale (classic, upscale Italian restaurant feel, very good food), and Home on the Range for breakfast (you'd pass it if you weren't looking---very small but a great breakfast!). Don't forget dessert---either at Timothy's Ice Cream (a mainstay---mentioned above) or the new Helado Vasquez for great, homemade gelato and sorbetto (all on Fairfield Avenue in the Black Rock section).

In downtown Bridgeport, Cafe Roma at 269 Fairfield Avenue is a relative newcomer to the scene (opened in 2006), and is owned by two Italian-born Fairfielders. The space is excellent---- two story ceilings, exposed brick, perfect lighting, and a friendly staff. The service is a little on the slow side, but it didn't seem incompetent---maybe just more of a laid-back European style. The food was really good, and the portion size perfect. Just the right amount so everyone leaves happy (not in a food coma). They even have an "economic stimulus plan" where if you pay in cash, you get a 10% discount!

Also in the same area of downtown Bridgeport is Ralph 'n Rich's (815 Main Street). It is a large, airy space with great energy and serves up excellent Italian food (in huge portions!). It's great for large groups too. Joseph's Steakhouse (360 Fairfield Avenue) has a traditional, old-school steakhouse feel to it, with excellent service and top-notch food (just keep the wine flowing so when the check comes, you don't have a heart attack). After eating at any of these great spots, head over to Two Boots for some live music (or go earlier for some great pizza).

What are you waiting for? Start eating out in Bridgeport! You'll be happy you did!

From the Farm: More Zucchini...for the Freezer

Not only have I been getting great zucchini from the farm stand, but now my neighbor is giving them to me. People with gardens are always growing more than they can eat, and usually end up begging you to take their surplus. No one needs to ask me twice---because I'll take all of it and use it to stock my freezer with all sorts of goodies. This way, long after zucchini are out of season, I'll still have plenty of reminders of the summer bounty.

Let round two of the zucchini bonanza begin! My first order of business was to use my food processor to shred the zucchini. This is, by far, the easiest way to shred or grate large quantities of food (veggies, cheese, etc). Just use the disc attachment that came with your processor...yes, those flat, round metal things with holes that you stashed in the back of the cabinet. They do in fact have a purpose!

Armed with a giant bowlful of gorgeous green and white goodness, I was ready to start cooking. As I gazed into my pantry, I wondered what I could create without having to go to the grocery store. I found a box of multi-grain baking mix (think Bisquick gone healthier), and figured that was an easy place to begin. The first experiment was the most simple... zucchini pancakes. I simply folded in 3/4 cup of the shredded zucchini into one batch of pancake batter, hauled out my over-sized electric griddle, and set to work. They were really yummy and moist, thanks to the zucchini. I liked them served with just a touch of butter, but my kids wanted to stick to what they knew and opted to eat them with maple syrup. I made enough for dinner (why not--they incorporate veggies!), and froze a dozen for another time.

While I had the baking mix out, I remembered the great drop biscuits my mom always made when I was a kid. By adding the shredded zucchini along with some cheddar cheese to a basic drop-biscuit recipe, I was on to something good. The result was a wonderfully savory biscuit, with a hit of sweetness. They were such a hit with my family, they were gobbled up pretty quickly. Needless to say, tonight I'm going to make a double batch for the freezer.
After the pancakes and the drop biscuits, I still had quite a bit of zucchini left over. I decided to revert to my standard zucchini bread recipe to finish it off, but decided to add 1/4 cup of Dutch process cocoa powder to the dry ingredients. The kids especially liked the chocolate version, since it seemed more like cake than bread.

Zucchini are available at the farm stand for a good part of the summer---so get it while it's good and bake a bunch for your freezer!

Zucchini-Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Makes 1 dozen biscuits

By using a store-bought baking mix, you save time on these delicious homemade biscuits. The zucchini give great texture, color and added moisture, and the sugar sprinkled on top right before baking make them a treat everyone will love! (photo top)

2 cups multi-grain baking mix (okay to substitute regular)

2/3 cups milk

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

3/4 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons sugar (I prefer Sugar in the Raw)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together the baking mix, milk and oil. Stir until just combined.

Gently fold in the zucchini, then the cheese.

Using a spoon or small ice-cream scoop, drop onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 tablespoons of dough per biscuit. Be sure to leave approximately 2 inches between each biscuit.

Sprinkle tops of unbaked biscuits with sugar.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until set and lightly golden.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Store completely cooled biscuits in an airtight container (or ziplock freezer bag) and freeze for up to 3 months.

From the Farm: Zucchini

After a few weeks of going to the Greenfield Hill Farmers Market to pick up my CSA share, I finally understand the drill. The Gazy Brothers Farm table is usually the most popular at the market, so asking lots of questions (as I'm prone to do) isn't always possible. For someone new to the whole CSA concept, it can be a little confusing. This week, a fellow CSA shareholder explained how to choose the goodies for my share: each vegetable share you purchased receives about six "items". For example, 3-4 tomatoes counts as one "item", 2 zucchini would be a second "item" and so on. Up to this point, I've just let one of the women behind the table fill up my bag. Armed with this new information, I'm excited to go back next week and have a little more control over what goes in my bag (not that I've been disappointed so far!).

In this week's bag I got fresh basil, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, and a few giant zucchini. The first several items were just what I needed for a cooking class this week, where I'll be teaching "Do-Ahead Summer Dishes", so those were spoken for. But the zucchini free and clear, so I created two really delicious recipes to feature them.

The first recipe is a wonderfully light summer pasta dish. I've been making a variation on this dish for more than fifteen years, dating back to my grad school days. I often boiled a pot of salted water for pasta, then tossed in zucchini and/or broccoli during the last few minutes of cooking time, drained it off, then hit it with some olive oil, freshly cracked pepper, and lots of Parmesan. Pasta simply dressed with black pepper and grated cheese is a classic Italian combination called Caccio e Pepe, but for my recipe, I wanted to liven it up a little. I decided to use a vegetable peeler to create long, pretty ribbons of zucchini, and paired it with lemon-pepper papparadelle pasta I found at Trader Joe's. The result was not only beautiful, but absolutely fresh and delicious!

The next day I grated up the remaining zucchini to make zucchini bread. Whenever I have lots of something good (like zucchini, blueberries, over-ripe bananas, etc), I love to make mini loaves of quick bread to store in my freezer. They are the perfect size to pull out if a friend pops over for coffee, or you just want a little something special for breakfast or a snack. This recipe is based on one I found ages ago, but unfortunately didn't copy down the source. However, over the years I've made enough changes and modifications that it really is something entirely different. The biggest change is that I don't use any fat in this recipe. I also use white whole wheat flour, which at the very least, makes me feel a little less guilty about indulging in an extra slice!

It's a good thing to find yourself with lots of zucchini!

Lemon-Pepper Papparadelle with Zucchini Ribbons

Serves 2

1 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into ribbons (using a vegetable peeler)

8 oz lemon-pepper papparadelle pasta

extra virgin olive oil

freshly cracked pepper
Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.

About two minutes before the pasta is done (and "al dente" in texture), add the zucchini ribbons to the pot.

Drain the pasta/zucchini thoroughly, and place in a large bowl.

Dress pasta with a good splash of olive oil, plenty of freshly cracked black pepper, and about three (or more!) tablespoons of grated cheese.

Mix to combine and serve hot.

Zucchini Quick Bread
Makes 5 mini loaves

2 cups sugar

2/3 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup applesauce

3 eggs

3 cups flour (I used white whole wheat)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups shredded zucchini

Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 5 mini loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine the sugar, brown sugar, applesauce, and eggs in a medium bowl. Mix to combine.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix to combine.

Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated.

Add the shredded zucchini and fold in.

Evenly divide the batter between loaf pans.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool pans on a rack for 5 minutes, then un-mold and continue to cool completely on rack.

Store on counter top that day, or wrap tightly in foil and place in freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

From the Farm: Tomatoes

Just like last week's summer strawberries, there is nothing like a fresh summer tomato right off the vine.

In my CSA share this week, there were two types of tomatoes. Nice big juicy ones perfect for slicing, and smaller cherry tomatoes just right for a summer salad. The minute I laid my eyes on those large tomatoes, I conjured up an image of the great BLT panini I was going to make for lunch the next day--also using the giant, crunchy bundle of romaine lettuce in my share (no, I still haven't grown tired of my panini maker). But I wanted to think more carefully before frittering away those beautiful smaller tomatoes.

My immediate thought was to use it for a cucumber and tomato Greek salad, or perhaps incorporate the basil also in my share and make a Caprese Salad. But when I peered into my refrigerator and saw a lonely, leftover piece of grilled wild salmon, and the adorable baby cucumbers I discovered at Trader Joe's, an Asian-inspired salad was in order. Okay, maybe tomatoes aren't exactly Asian, but when you taste this salad, you won't care! The bright colors are beautiful, and the flavors all come together in a refreshing, healthy, perfectly-packable summer salad. I made it and took it to the beach for dinner, and had passers-by commenting on how good it looked. Try making it yourself---- using fresh-from-the-farm ingredients where ever possible!

Wild Salmon Salad with Tomatoes

Serves 2

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

6-8 baby cucumbers, halved lengthwise and sliced (or 1/2 English cucumber)

8 oz cooked salmon fillet (opt for wild caught!)

1 scallion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

salt/pepper

Flake salmon into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl. Add tomatoes, cucumbers, and scallion and set aside.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together rice vinegar, canola oil, sesame oil and salt and pepper (to taste). Pour over salad and toss gently to combine.

Serve at room temperature.

From the Farm: Early Summer Bounty

Last weekend I picked up my first official CSA farm share of the summer growing season from the folks at Gazy Brothers Farm. Although they are located in Oxford, Connecticut, they attend the Saturday Farmers Market here in Fairfield, so it is easy and convenient for me to pick up my share. (For those of you not familiar with CSAs, read my blog post describing how it works)

I was given a large plastic bag (reusable each week), and the Gazys proceeded to fill it to capacity with all sorts of veggies. "Carrots or beets?" "Head lettuce or Romaine?" "Zucchini or Yellow Squash?" I ended up with a gorgeous variety of goods from the garden, including broccoli, scallions, tomatoes, fresh herbs, greens, and radishes. I also got a fruit share, which in June is strawberries, which barely made it home without me digging into the bag!

The first night cooking with my fresh veggies, I made a simple stir fry using the broccoli and carrots, plus a few leftover veggies I'd cut up for a crudites platter the day before. I tossed the vegetables with some rice noodles and a basic stir fry sauce from an old Williams-Sonoma cookbook I've used for years.

The next night I was grilling, so decided to also grill the zucchini and summer squash (they ended up giving me both varieties instead of making me choose!). By brushing the halved squash with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, they caramelize nicely on the cooking grates and also have great flavor. The green and yellow colors look fantastic together, and make a simple, no-fuss side dish which can be cooked right along side whatever else you're grilling.

The strawberries never made it into any sort of recipe, because my family devoured them just as nature intended----freshly picked and right off the stem. There is nothing like a just-picked summer strawberry. The thought of those massively sized, tasteless, white-under-the stem things that make their way to the grocery store in mid-winter don't even deserve to be called strawberries. These berries are the real deal.

I can't wait to see what awaits me from the farm next week !

Farmers Market Stir Fry

Serves 4

1- 14 oz package rice stick pasta

3 tablespoons canola oil (or vegetable oil)

1 bunch carrots (about 5 medium), sliced

1 medium bunch broccoli, crowns only

2 bell peppers (red, yellow or orange), sliced

8 oz sugar snap peas
1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1 scallion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon chili oil

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add rice sticks (I like my wide "everyday pan" like this one, but you can also use a wok). Cook approximately 8 minutes, or until soft. Drain pasta and set aside.

Return the pan to the stove and add 3 tablespoons of canola oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add carrots, broccoli, peppers and snap peas and stir frequently while cooking. Allow to cook for approximately five minutes, or until veggies are crisp-tender.

In a measuring cup, add minced garlic, ginger, scallion, soy sauce and chili oil. Stir to combine.

Add the cooked noodles to the pan with the veggies, and then add the stir fry sauce. Cook for about one minute, while tossing everything together.

Serve hot.

Restaurants: Boston Food Finds

Last weekend I had my annual reunion with a group of college girlfriends. This year's destination: Boston. Since we'd all already been on the Freedom Trail one too many times, we decided to make the focus of this visit shopping and, more importantly, eating!

First order of business when we arrived was lunch. We ducked into Croma on Newbury Street and had some delicious panini----chicken and avocado with basil mayonnaise, perfectly pressed and grilled, the real, Italian way (unlike some places that simply toast the bread). We were thinking of heading down the block to Johnny Cupcakes for dessert, which had a huge line outside, until we realized that it was a tee-shirt store and had nothing to do with confections. We still don't really understand the hoopla surrounding these tee-shirts, but I have a feeling if you're older than 20 it is something you just wouldn't get.

That evening we discovered a great sushi bar called Douzo (we're told it's pronounced "DOUGH-ZO") on Dartmouth Street. It was packed, but we were able to snag a high-top bar table in the elevated bar, which had a great view of the entire restaurant. The sushi was fantastic and fresh, and one of our favorites was the "Crazy Roll" which had too many ingredients to remember, but it was delicious. Paired with lots a couple bottles of wine, it was a great place for our first night in Boston.

The next morning we grabbed some coffee and a bagel and headed to Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall for some more shopping, with the intent of walking over to the North End (Boston's Italian neighborhood) for lunch. One of the salespeople in a store gave us a fantastic recommendation for her favorite North End spot, Antico Forno on Salem Street. The restaurant is small, and we almost walked right by it....but it is not to be missed. We realized after we sat down that they were only serving the dinner menu (it was Sunday afternoon), but since none of us were hungry enough for a huge meal, they were nice enough to let us split a few dinner entrees between our group. They arrived at our table with a basket of bread and a dish of olive oil with some plump kalamata olives floating within....and that alone was enough to make me return to this restaurant. The bread was amazing, definitely some of the best I've ever had. The risotto special with asparagus, mushrooms and truffle oil was wonderful----but the Rigatoni alla Bosciaola was easily the best pasta dish I've had in ages. It combined pasta with prosciutto, peas, and mushrooms, and was tossed in a special plum tomato & marscarpone sauce. YUM.

Naturally, while in the North End we had to stop for gelato. Since most of the gelato shops had a television, and it happened to be the quarter-finals of the World Cup (Italy vs. Spain), it was hard to actually get into one. People were spilling out over the sidewalks everywhere trying to watch the game. We finally managed to squeeze into Gelateria on Hanover Street. We all ordered something different, so I was able to taste several of the selections. Grapefruit, which is a flavor I probably wouldn't choose on my own, was surprisingly delicious and refreshing, as was the mango. My other favorite was mint chocolate chip, but I will say the chocolate left something to be desired (the texture was all off and ice crystals dominated).

Later that evening, we had a reservation at Tapeo on Newbury Street, a fun tapas bar with both indoor and outdoor seating. They'd advertised a "Three Tapas plus dessert for $35" special, but then claimed that they weren't actually offering it, even though according to the waiter, "tons of people kept coming in and asking about it". Hmmmm. Not off to a good start.

Because our waiter was so nice and helpful (and this false advertising was certainly not his doing), we decided to stay. Our group ordered a wide selection of tapas to go with our sangria (which was great), ranging from a traditional Spanish Tortilla with potato, to prunes stuffed with goat cheese (my favorite), to tender pork loin with mushrooms and a blue goat cheese sauce. We also liked the scallops in saffron cream sauce, the garlic shrimp, and the basil/tomato/goat cheese spread (there was a lot of goat cheese happening at our table!). We finished with an order of traditional "Churros y Chocolate" (Spanish fried dough with chocolate dipping sauce) and a decadent flourless chocolate cake with three sauces (pistachio, creme anglaise, and an amazing coffee-flavored sauce). We definitely needed to go for a post-dinner stroll to walk off this meal!

The last morning of our visit, we went to a great diner called Steve's Greek Cuisine on Newbury Street, which seemed appropriate since all of our husbands happen to share the name Steve (yes, very weird). So, in honor of them watching all the kids over the weekend, we ended our eating-vacation there. It was a great, no-frills diner, with excellent service.

Boston is a fantastic city----and now it has become one of my new favorite dining-destinations!

PS: My girlfriends had a late flight, and checked out JP Licks for ice cream after I left. Here's what they said: " We went to JP Licks (at the original location in Jamaica Plains, hence the JP) and it was amazing beyond belief. I had strawberry rhubarb ice cream that was to die for. Even though you weren't there personally, it's definitely worth blogging about - all homemade, all delicious. Mojito sorbet, cappuccino oreo chunk, oatmeal cookie, Myers rum raisin......I could go on!" There you have it.