J Restaurant/Bar met all the criteria!  The food was great, there was on site parking, the service was fairly quick (although our server did take awhile to get us the bill when we were ready for it) and the restaurant is located just minutes from The Bushnell…and we got 20% off our entrees because were going to the show!  Perfect!

To start, we all had the White Bean and Potato Soup… Our server told us and the table around us that the soup would be White Bean and Spinach.  There was no spinach in the soup, but it was still really good.

I had the Seared Ahi Tuna, which was served over a really yummy arugula salad and fried dough. Yes, fried dough!  How cool is that?

Mom had the Seared Sea Scallops and Polenta.

Mary had the Pork Special with asparagus.

Overall, everything was really delicious and they had a very nice wine list.   As I mentioned before, we did have a hard time getting our bill when were ready to leave (my one complaint), but we still made it to the show in plenty of time!

“The Pug”, as we like to call it, has become sort of our go to spot over the last couple of years.  It’s just a good pick for when you don’t really know what you want.   It’s just warm, comfortable and dependably good.   There’s usually not too long of a wait, it’s in a very convenient location for us, and the food and beer are great!  I’ve never left disappointed.    It’s mostly typical Irish pub fare –  stuff like Fish And Chips, Shepherd’s Pie, Mac ‘N Cheese – just the sort of thing we like.

Kevin started with the French Onion Soup.   Kevin is basically a French Onion soup aficionado and he has always said that they make the best he’s ever had.  Nothing else he’s tried has ever come close.

He also had the Chicken Cuban Sandwich  -  which has chicken, ham, Monterrey Jack Cheese and an awesome Cilantro Jalapeno Pesto!  It was served with a big pile of waffle fries.  Really yummy!

I ended up getting the Fish and Chips… I frequently get the Fish and Chips at The Pug.  They do it right – and they always keep malt vinegar on the table for me to soak my fries in.  I love the stuff!

Oh, and maybe you’re why  it’s The Corner Pug?  Well, the place has pictures of  cute little smushy faced pugs everywhere.  They might just be the best part.  I love the little buggers!

My dad made reservations for them at Carmen Anthony Fishhouse in Avon and boy, was it awesome!  I had never been there and I am so glad we went, because it was great experience.  Everything was just top notch.  Great service, a beautiful atmosphere and the food was absolutely stellar!

I had the  Sesame Tuna served with an Asian Slaw

Mom had Salmon a la Griglia served with their Risotto

Dad had a Pamesan Encrusted Pork Chop served with Mac and Cheese

And Kevin had the Chilean Sea Bass with Risotto

Dinner was followed by coffee and we split a couple of desserts – we were celebrating, after all!  We split their White & Dark Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding and Bananas Foster.   The bread pudding was especially wonderful.   I wish I had gotten pictures of the dessert, but we really had to get started – the Bananas Foster was melting very quickly!  As dessert was being brought out they also brought us all glasses of champagne to celebrate the occasion.  Nice!

This was really a great meal and we were all very impressed.  I’m so glad my dad invited us out to help them celebrate such a special day!  Thanks guys and happy anniversary!

Plan B, however, does things right and everything is of a super high quality (handcrafted, 100% natural goodness) and they have a really awesome beer list.  I really can’t ask for anything more than that.  What can be better than grabbing an amazing burger and some awesome brews?  Nothing.

They have three convenient locations in West Hartford, Glastonbury, and Simsbury.  Plan B’s West Hartford location is actually the first of these sort of premium gourmet burger bars that I had tried and while I was very impressed with the food, I didn’t necessarily want to go back any time soon.  Why, you may ask?  Well, their West Hartford location is a bit cramped.  It’s really more of  a bar atmosphere…  it’s kind of dark, the table’s are small and close together and there’s frequently a long wait.   These are things that normally wouldn’t bother me so much, but if I’m eating a big messy burger, I need some room – I need to be comfortable.

When I’d learned that Plan B had opened up a couple of new locations, I had to give them a try.  I still have yet to have eaten at their Simsbury location, but I have now been to the Glastonbury one twice and I can honestly say that they got it right this time.  It’s perfect.  Same great menu as the original and much more spacious – a large bar to relax in, outdoor seating , and a large dining area with lots of  GIANT booths that you can really get cozy in.

Last weekend,  I went to the Glastonbury location with my parents and my aunt Annie.  Here are a few photos that I took of our awesome meal.

Lobster Bisque:

Dad’s Bacon Cheese Burger Served With a Tower of Onion Rings:

My Pretzel Burger and Sweet Potato Fries:

Parmesan Fries:

Everything was great and I’m sure I’ll be back again soon – probably with Kevin, as he couldn’t join us and I know he was jealous!

You see, Kevin and I really aren’t your typical barbecue fans… we’re generally not even big meat eaters, but we do appreciate good food and good beer – and at Smokin’ With Chris that is what you will get!  And you’ll get a lot of it -  I would consider both Kevin and myself to be  big eaters and I always take half home with me and  Kevin usually leaves very full.

They have great food, a great beer selection (they only have about 6 taps, but they’re generally all really good craft beers that you just don’t find everywhere), and if you go on the right night, great music.   The owner, Chris Conlon, is always there and can always be found speaking with the patrons.  It’s clear that he has a real passion for what he does there and that’s what makes the place so special.  Everything is just done right.

Some pictures (from my iPhone -sorry about the less than stellar quality) from our most recent visit:

Kevin started with the French Onion soup, which he said was quite good – and he’s something of an expert on the subject.

I had the pulled pork sandwich – which is what I usually end up getting – with a side of fries and they’re cucumber salad – gotta get some vegetables in there somewhere, right?

I chose to wash it down with the Flying Dog Raging Bitch, which is really an excellent IPA.

Kevin ended up choosing the Meat Lovers Combo, which is a TON of food… and I don’t know how he does it.  He chose sides of mac  n’ cheese and onion rings. I did  try a little of everything and it was all pretty awesome.

Overall, it was another great trip  to Smokin’ With Chris!  As always, we both left very full.  If you find yourself with a craving for BBQ and are  in or around Southington, CT, this the place to go!

Bellini, just across from Ted’s, had a very lovely patio area and I had never eaten there.  As the adventurous eater that I am, when given two options between a place that I’ve eaten on numerous occasions and a new place that I’ve never tried before, I’ll always choose the latter.  Bellini was a clear winner in my book – outdoor seating (as the weather gets  warmer, I’m always looking for places where I can dine alfresco) and I’d never been there.  Perfect!

We were not at all disappointed with our choice.  Their  lunch  menu consisted mainly of lighter Italian fare – lots of panini, salads and soup options, wood fired pizzas, and some smaller pasta dishes to choose from.

After much debate, we both chose the lunch combo of your choice of panini with either soup or their house or caesar salad.  We each chose the Balsamico Panini – with balsamic glazed chicken, caramelized, onions, roasted tomatoes and provolone – and she had the Caesar salad while I chose House salad, which was really the start of my meal.  They also both came with a couple of potato wedges, which while unnecessary were quite good.  It was all really excellent.

I would definitely recommend Bellini to anyone looking for a quick lunch while shopping at Evergreen Walk – especially if it’s a nice Spring or Summer day and they want to eat outside.

On Friday night, Kevin and I really weren’t sure what we should do with ourselves,  so of course we decided to hit up a bar -  because that is just how we roll.  But where to go?  It seemed like the perfect night to to try out Prime 16!

While the place was busy when we got there around 8pm, we had no trouble getting seated.    The first thing we did, of course, was look for the beer list, which we found on a giant chalkboard hanging on the wall… and oh, what a list it was!  Widmer Hefe,  Flying Dog Golden,  Lagunitas Pilsner,  Blue Point Blueberry,  Shipyard Summer,  Lagunitas Correction Ale,  Great Divide Titan,   Lagunitas IPA,   Dogfish Head 60 minute,  Southern Tier Unearthly, Weyerbacher XII,  Guiness,  Great Divide Yeti,  Rogue Captain Sigs, BBC Draymans Porter, Farmington River Mahogany, Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout, Chimay, Delerium Tremens, and Alagash Double… and that was just what was on tap!   There was also a multiple page bottle list on the table!

So needless to say, we were thrilled with the beer selection.   And the food was pretty great, too. We ordered an appetizer of Chipotle and Agave chicken tenders, which were perfect in every way – crisp, spicy, smokey, and a little bit sweet.

Prime 16 specializes in burgers, so that is what we had. Kevin had the Maui burger, “topped with grilled pineapple, Maui onion, bacon , pepperjack cheese, and tropical mayo”. I chose the stuffed mushroom burger, “stuffed with crimini mushrooms and shallots, topped with swiss, portabello mushrooms, and IPA mustard. Both burgers were really phenomenal- juicy, flavorful and cooked just right!

Kevin and I will definitely be hitting up Prime 16 again in the near future. It has easily become my new favorite beer bar and I have to admit, it even kind of makes me sad that we no longer live near New Haven.

172 Temple St.
New Haven, CT 06510
phone: (203) 782-1616

When we got there, it was hopping (it was Friday night, after all), but we were seated immediately and got the last available seating out back on their patio. In normal Kevin fashion, he immediately grabbed the beverage menu upon taking our seats. It’s Only Natural has an interesting selection of beer.  Kevin chose the Peak Espresso Amber Ale and I ordered the Sam Smith Cherry Ale. Both were quite delicious.

Neither Kevin nor I had eaten much that day, so we were starving and decided to order an appetizer. After looking over the menu for awhile (there were so many interesting choices!), we decided on the nachos – which come with red bean chili, tofu sour cream, salsa and your choice of cheese. They did not disappoint and filled us up quite nicely.

For our meals, Kevin and I each ordered our usuals there. I had the Cali Melt Wrap, which can also be served on their homemade whole wheat bread. The wrap was awesome- served warm, with hummus, your choice of cheese ( I chose Mozzarella), mushrooms, and avocados. Kevin had the ION Burger, which is probably the best veggie burger anywhere (and I know my veggie burgers) and is also served on their whole wheat bread. Both were served with a heaping pile of their sweet potato fries, which are really phenomenal and in my opinion the star of the meal.

The waitstaff is friendly and knowledgeable and the decor is cozy and fun, with the works of local artists adorning the walls and the patio was really cute, too. I highly recommend It’s Only Natural for any vegetarian or vegan or  for anyone like Kevin or myself who just like to try something a little different once in awhile.

Here are a few pictures from our evening:

TD Homer’s turned out to be just the right choice. We sat outside on the large patio in the front of the building, where we shared an order of 12 buffalo wings and a pitcher of Harpoon IPA. The wings were great – not the best I’ve ever had, but really good, cooked to perfection and reasonably spicy. The IPA, of course, was delicious as always.

For dinner, I had the portobello wrap (after the wings, I felt like keeping my dinner meatless) with red peppers, avocado, lettuce, jack cheese, and a balsamic vinaigrette. It was delicious and served with a heaping pile of curly fries. Kevin ordered the Philly Cheesesteak, which I of course had to sample. It was pretty good – one of the better ones I’ve had around here… and having spent a few years living in Philadelphia, I know cheesesteaks.

After dinner, we moved into the bar area and watched the Yankees game on the many many flat screen televisions that hang on the walls. We also played some trivia, which ended up being a really fun way to spend the night… we actually played for hours.

If in the area and you’re looking for a fun place to grab some beer, eat some wings, watch a game, play some trivia or enjoy a comfortable evening dining outside, I highly recommend checking out TD Homer’s.