On Every Journalist’s Bucket List

I feel like a lame rookie for even getting excited about this, but whatever. It’s my first appearance on A1.

Naturally, the story is food-related. As a 122-year-old Bloomfield meat packer closes its doors, it also ends production of a legendary Connecticut food: the two-foot hot dog at Doogie’s in Newington. Grote & Weigel has made the proprietary frankfurter for Doogie’s since 1999.

Doogie’s monster dog has been featured on the Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food” and in Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine, so its demise is significant. Yesterday, I found myself at the restaurant during a line-out-the-door lunch rush, interviewing fans who’d come to say a final farewell to the big dog. That became a Business-section story in itself.

Naturally, I’ve been craving a hot dog ever since.

January 28th, 2012 | | 2 Comments »

BGR The Burger Joint, West Hartford

Southwest burger (NICK CAITO)

I think it’s safe to say West Hartford is overrun with burger places. So much so, that my blogger friend Steve Wood (of CT Museum Quest) is going through 48 of the town’s burgers in the next year as a blog project.

While reading Steve’s most recent results last night, I remembered that Nick Caito and I had visited one of the town’s newest spots, BGR Burger Joint, in early December. We had just sampled a $30 tea cocktail across the street at Treva (for work, really) and needed some food in our stomachs.

BGR is a cool place to grab a quick bite. A Virginia-based chain, the West Hartford restaurant is the first in Connecticut. The Farmington Avenue space is sort of music-themed, decorated with album covers and an early-90s soundtrack to boot (at least during the afternoon we visited.) It’s very casual. There’s no waiter service; you grab your order from the counter and choose a seat.

Burgers range from classic beef (“prime, dry-aged, all natural, hormone free, grain-fed” according to the website) to alternative proteins like turkey, lamb, ahi tuna and lobster.

Sides include fries (Yukon Gold; Idaho sweet potatoes); grilled asparagus spears or thick-cut, beer battered Vidalia onion rings. To drink: extra-thick milkshakes, fountain soda (West Hartford has one of those Coca-Cola “Freestyle” machines, with eleventeen billion flavor options) and beer and wine.

I wanted a beef burger, but I was holding steady with our week of vegetarian eating and I didn’t want to be the one who cheated. So I ordered the ahi tuna version, seemingly shocking the cashier when I asked for it to be cooked rare (how else would you eat it?)

Ahi tuna burger (NICK CAITO)

As you can see, it was a beautiful seven-ounce piece of fresh fish, seared lightly and topped with teriyaki sauce, grilled pineapple and BGR’s creamy, spicy “mojo” sauce. Like a maki roll on brioche instead of rolled in rice and nori. Probably one of the better tuna burgers I’ve had.

Nick went with the Southwestern burger, which the cashier described as less of a burger than the consistency of a packed Sloppy Joe. The meat was a bit loose, but contained plenty of flavor from chipotles, poblanos, onion and chilis, along with mojo, pepperjack cheese and black bean salsa.

I wasn’t crazy about the Yukon Gold fries (they were standard-cut and kind of bland) but I did love the array of condiments ready for the taking. Plenty of ketchup, mayonnaise, various mustards and my favorite fried-food enhancer: malt vinegar. And the fries can be topped with Parmesan, rosemary or roasted garlic for an upcharge, should you need a hit of flavor.

If you’re craving a burger in West Hartford, you can throw a rock and hit at least a dozen joints. Some are lackluster, some are wildly overpriced. BGR is in the middle; priced for a quick lunch or dinner but with plenty of quality offerings. Worth a visit.

BGR Burger Joint, 983 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford Center. 860-523-3152, bgrtheburgerjoint.com.

January 2nd, 2012 | | 2 Comments »

Ethiopian Cuisine at Abyssinian

If there’s one thing I love more than food in general, it’s trying new foods. Especially ethnic cuisines that I haven’t yet sampled. In the final days of 2011, I was able to check another one off my bucket list – Ethiopian.

I met several Hartford-area friends for lunch at Abyssinian today. Unfortunately, in the excitement of experiencing new things and catching up with my buddies, I took off my journalist hat. And that means I didn’t accurately note the proper names for our dishes. Apologies. I welcome intel from those familiar with the items!

If you’ve never had Ethiopian, prepare to get your hands dirty. Utensils disappear, to be replaced by trays of injera, a sour, spongy flatbread. You use pieces of the flatbread to scoop meat and vegetable stews. It takes some getting used to (and lots of napkins) but it’s a fun experience, particularly if you’re with a big group.

Appetizer: spicy collard greens cooked with cottage cheese (reminded me of spanakopita filling)

Ground beef balls, served with salad

An edible tray: injera with vegetables

Doro wat (see, I remembered mine!) - chicken stew with hardboiled egg

Spiced lamb bits

I’m looking forward to going back to Abyssinian and trying more delicacies. We tried to order sambusas (pastries filled with meat and vegetables) but were told the “sambusa guy was sick.” Next time, I may go for a beef or lamb dish – without utensils, it was difficult to pull the dark-meat chicken from the bone.

Abyssinian is at 533 Farmington Avenue in Hartford. 860-218-2231.

December 28th, 2011 | | No Comments »

Zinfandel Flight At Vito’s

There are good servers, who are friendly and attentive and remember all the details of your order. And then there are great servers, who are so obviously (and legitimately) enthusiastic about a menu item that you feel the need to try it for yourself.

I’d hoped to snag seats in the bar at Vito’s By The Water in Windsor during happy hour last night, but that’s near impossible at 6 p.m. for a restaurant within a few-mile radius of a dozen office parks. So while that meant no half-price raw bar deals, it meant a quiet dinner table away from the after-work crowd and two simultaneous office holiday parties in nearby private rooms.

Our server immediately recommended Vito’s new Zinfandel flight ($12), tasting pours of three XYZin selections. I almost tuned out, because Zin is not my favorite – and overly peppery ones take me back to last December in Sonoma when I missed lunch and didn’t pace myself. (Don’t do that, by the way. Ever.)

But her genuine excitement for this wine won me over, and I ordered the flight, representing XYZin’s “Vine Age Series.” Tasting notes from xyzinwines.com:

The first one, from 10-year vines: “A medium-bodied Zinfandel, XYZin 10 bursts with upfront fruit. The wine offers appealing aromas of raspberry, currant and plum with a hint of sandalwood and lavender. The flavors echo the aromatics with juicy cherry and baked strawberry pie married to attractive pomegranate fruit, rounded out by suggestions of nutmeg and cocoa.”

The second, from 50-year vines: “XYZin 50 offers beautiful briar and pomegranate fruit at its core followed by waves of sandalwood, mocha, and a light whiff of pepper on the finish.  The refined structure and polished spice are perfected through aging in French oak barrels and make the wine versatile enough to complement a variety of dishes.”

The third, and easily the most gorgeous, from 100-year vines: “Lovely cola nut and dark cherry fruit flavors are followed by strawberry jam and cappuccino. Firm, zesty acidity provides vibrancy and longevity and mingles with pleasing earthy accents of slate and chaparral. Aging in a blend of French, American and Eastern European oak imparts a sophisticated array of textures to complement the extensive depth and range of flavors present in the fruit.”

I don’t know if I picked up even half of that, but all I know is that the 100-year wine just smacked of refined beauty. The same “this is so amazing, I know it’s so expensive, I don’t want it to end, because I can’t afford a whole bottle” mixture of pleasure and pain I’ve experienced while tasting Opus One and Rodney Strong’s ridiculous Rockaway. But unlike those, it looks like this XY is retail-priced around $45. Not an everyday table wine, but not a break-the-bank bottle, either.

The 10-year, the lightest and fruitiest, seemed to be the most food-friendly and went nicely with my white ricotta-and-herb pizza. But I saved the “century” pour, trying to sip the two-ounce glass really slowly because I wanted it to last as long as possible.

And it’s all thanks to our server (whose name I didn’t catch, but our check said “Sara”) who took the time to point out this great find. It was a wonderful treat on a Tuesday night.

December 14th, 2011 | | 1 Comment »

Online Reviews And The Restaurateurs Who Don’t Love Them

My latest story for the Courant is about online-review sites like Yelp, Urbanspoon and OpenTable, and how restaurant owners and chefs respond to all the instantaneous feedback. It’s online here and runs in print Thursday. I got an incredible response for this one. Those on the receiving end of reviews had plenty to say about it, naturally.

And because I didn’t have the ability to link it online, here’s the Funny or Die “Yelpers” video I referenced in print.

November 29th, 2011 | | No Comments »
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