Enzo's Place

Update: Now closed as of October 2013

A new cafe opened in Hamden a few weeks ago on Whitney Avenue, Enzo's Place, right across the street from Dunkin Donuts. 

They offer breakfast sandwiches, paninis, hot subs, salads, stuffed breads, pizza, and the list goes on.

On Saturday afternoon when I stopped in, it was Enzo in the back cooking and preparing food, fresh potato salads awaiting, and his two sons behind the counter. They are all super friendly, inviting , and helpful, describing each sandwhich for us and giving recommendations.

Everything sounds and looks so good, its hard to make a choice. My personal favorite right now is the chicken cutlet with eggplant and the california panini, and I have them add mozzerella cheese to it, and its devine.

That Saturday I tried the California panini, which is turkey, bacon, roasted red peppers and avocado, as shown in my photo below.

Here is the Chicken cutlet panini with their homemade pesto, which is amazing.

I couldn't help myself and had to get the m&m brownie and it was totally worth it!

Stop by Enzo's Place and visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Enzos-Place-Cafe-Catering/220668004725595?ref=ts&fref=ts

Dusitra (North Haven, CT)

Update: Now closed as of August 2013. A new Thai Restaurant opened in it's place and I was hoping it would be the same, but unfortunately it was not. I ordered take out and ordered two entrees, when I got home there was no rice for the entrees and the food was over salted. I miss Dusitra.

Just a little outside of Hamden, we found Dusitra in North Haven on Washington Street which serves Thai.

We went late in the afternoon on a Saturday and it was just the two of us. We were greeted by a friendly waiter.

The menu is large and has many choices. Each item on the menu has a detailed explanation and small chili peppers next to the hot and spicy items. But all dishes can be made spicy or not spicy.

For appetizers we ordered crab rangoon, which I cannot find a place in Connecticut that makes them homemade, most places I visit are bright yellow and you can tell they were bought frozen,  but this place definitely makes them and we ordered satay chicken which came with peanut sauce and cucumber relish.

For drinks we both ordered Thai iced teas, which are non-alcoholic, they came with roses made out of straw, and they were delicious. If you don't know Thai iced tea is black tea, orange blossom water, sugar, and it is mixed with condensed milk, which gives it a beautiful ombre.

For entrees I ordered Thai Fried Rice with chicken, and it is mixed with onions, scallions, green peas, tomatoes, and egg. And my partner ordered the Hot Basil, which is stir-fried with onions, mushrooms, peppers, basil and spicy Thai sauce.

The waiter indicated that at this establishment they have 5 level of spice, and my partner decided to go with a level 4, we like it hot.

Everything we tried tasted fresh and delicious and Dusitra has quickly become my favorite place to dine.

If I haven't mentioned this yet, I should mention I am a bit finicky. I expect good service, a clean establishment, and that the food taste amazing, fresh and light. And this place has met my expectations each time. I have glanced in the kitchen and have found the floors and tables immaculately clean. Additionally, I have a bit of a weak stomach, if food is too greasy, to oily, not cooked well, or not fresh, I get sick right away.

And like most people, I also have a MSG sensitivity. My reaction to MSG is immediate,  I can't breathe very well, my face becomes bright red, my blood pressure rises, and a list of other things. And I can proudly say that never happens here.

Since our first visit, we have returned many times, and we try something new each time, I have tried the Drunken Noodles,  Ramada, Cashew Nuts, Gra-Pow, and the Sizzling (Chef's Special) and each time we have not been disappointed, but glad we found a place we can always go back to.

For dessert we have tried their Fried Bananas and Fried Ice Cream. Both can be shared with someone else. The Fried Ice Cream comes in Vanilla or Chocolate, and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Both delicious.

You must try Dusitra.

Located:

369 Washington Ave.

North Haven, CT. 06473

Tel (203) 239-2232

http://www.dusitra.net/ 

Froyo World and the Land of Self-Serving

I have a sweet tooth, so don't be surprised if every other post on something to do in Hamden will involve a sweet treat some way or another. You would be surprised how many ice cream shops, bakeries, cafes, cake shops we have in town.

I love ice cream and when Frozen Yogurt places started popping up again about a year an half ago, I wasn't quick to try it, I admit I liked my old-fashion ice cream served to me by a person, tell them my favorite toppings and wait in delight as they created my personal treat.

But, eventually, I was convinced that I just had to try the new self-serve frozen yogurt craze. I have had frozen yogurt before, TCBY was the ultimate frozen yogurt place when I was growing up. 

I was a bit intimidated to go into Froyo World, I guess I thought it was just for the younger folk, the pastel colors, music, and bright lights, I almost ran out of there. But the half-hearted smile and the "Welcome to Froyo World" that is yelled at everyone that walks in pulled me back in, surprisingly.

I picked up my pink cup, there are two sizes: large and x-large (yellow cup) and looked through all the options, and there are quite a few flavors and types, you have the traditional frozen yogurt and tart, and then many flavors to choose from. I am a chocolate and vanilla type of gal, so that's what I went for. I pulled the lever down and out poured my treat.You decide how much you put in, and it is hard not serve yourself a lot.

Next, my favorite part, toppings, there are a variety of toppings, you have cut up fruit like strawberries, mango, kiwi, or blueberries, the traditional sprinkles, nuts, and then candy toppings like m&ms, snickers, peanut butter cups, oreos, and the list goes on.

After you finish putting the toppings on, its time to pay. Place the cup on the scale and you pay by the weight, about $.49 an ounce. I paid for two very full cups and it was about $9.50, so about 4.75 each, so compared to most places, that's about right, or even less expensive. It all depends on how much yogurt and toppings you serve yourself.

So, why the craze? Now that I am part of the craze, I know, I am disappointed in myself too, but it's hard not to stop, I go about once a week and I thought about why I went, the obvious reason is that it tastes good, the light taste of frozen yogurt mixed with my personally selected treats.

But there are other reasons too:

1. I like that I don't have to scream across a long line my toppings and flavors. When I go to the traditional places, I find myself rushed to choose a flavor, and I don't feel like giving them a list of all the toppings I desire, so I end up always choosing one, but with the self-serve craze, I get to indulge in any flavor and any topping I want, because no one is watching me or asking me any questions.

2.  Self-Serve, you see it in the market, I used to see it at the post-office (I miss that Kiosk so much), there is a small sense of accomplishment knowing you did it all by yourself. I think it's a part of who we are, we don't need someone to serve it to us, we can do it ourselves, it's faster and we know how we like it.

3. Lastly, aren't we all just tired of the lack of customer service. I don't know about you, but when I go into places I feel like I am burden to them, that I shouldn't be there, not with self-serve, I am on my own, and I treat myself the very best.

If you haven't tried it yet, do it, it's fun and different! It can get a little crowded depending on the time and day you go, but there are seats outside, or go for a walk around the shops.

See you there!

Froyo World
2100 Dixwell Avenue
Hamden, CT 06514
1-203-891-5560
Mon-Sun: 11am-11pm

Restaurant Week - Playwright

My partner and I were in the mood for some soup, and a little sweet treat. Okay, I wanted the sweet treat, so we headed to The Soup Girl on Sunday late in the afternoon, I understood she was open on Sundays, unfortunately, when I arrived we found a note indicating she was closed every Sunday in September. As we walked around, we heard Irish music and decided to step into the Playwright Irish Pub, where we decided to sit on the front porch on a beautiful fall day. The music was from a large group of people playing traditional Irish music inside.

It was the last day of Restaurant Week, so we decided to take up the special which was from the dinner menu, for $20 you would receive a soup or salad, an entree, and dessert.

We started with two cream of chicken soups which were really good. Not out of a can, not over salted, but yummy and perfect for a fall day. To be honest, I was full after the soup. It was perfect for lunch, but I still had my entree on its way.

I should admit I am a bit picky, my partner know this, we have been together for 11 years, so he knows my likes and dislikes. I usually like to enjoy my meals in quiet and peace, not with children kicking my seat, screaming, or flinging their food at me.

Maybe I sound a little older than I am, I am in my late 20's, but is it too much to ask that I eat in peace, in a place that's clean, where the silverware is clean, where the drink's don't have something floating in them, where the foods tastes delicious and home made, where I can leave and not feel too guilty about it, and where everyone knows my name, okay maybe I got a little carried away there.

But I was comfortable here, I admit I don't drink, so a Pub isn't necessarily my first choice, but I'll be the first to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. On a Sunday afternoon, it was quiet, the live Irish music was nice, and the food was good.

For the entree I ordered something I would usually never order. I probably would have ordered their California Chicken sandwich, which is marinated chicken breast topped with tomato, bacon, Monterey jack cheese, and avocado,served with a side of honey mustard, but I surprised myself and I ordered the Shepard's pie.  The traditional dish arrived on a very large plate, with beef, peas, carrots, and lots of mashed potatoes on top. It's a comfort food and something to be enjoyed on a fall cool day like this one.

And my partner ordered the Chicken Pot Pie, something he would also never order. He's a steak or hamburger kind of guy. But, like me he was surprised that it was not the chicken pot pie you might picture, which I picture a as baked pie, but instead it had a warm and flaky bread on top, that you could break into with a fork and enjoy with the meal, or you could break it apart and dip it in the chicken sauce. It had large chunks of potatoes, carrots, peas, celery, onions, and chicken

The portions were large, for us, and we were extremely satisfied. He ate the entire Chicken Pot Pie, and I was only able to eat a little less than half of the Shepard's Pie, and took the rest home for dinner.

For dessert, they have many options like cheese cake, creme brulee, but we both got the Brownie Sundae which was topped with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and Bailey Irish Cream. It was delicious.

Playwright has a little something for everyone, Trivia on Wednesday nights, Ladies Night on Friday, Irish Music on Tuesday and Sundays

The Playwright Irish Pub & Restaurant

1232 Whitney Ave

Hamden, CT 06517

Playwright Irish Pub Website