[Stylo]

I've been loving York Street Noodle House in New Haven lately. Chicken Coconut Curry Noodle Soup awesomeness. And great fresh homemade dim sum and various spicy awesomeness. A total dive, but you can leave fully satisfied for about $8.

Also, tried the Little Salad Shop in New Haven as well. A little pricey for take-out salads ($7-$9), but almost worth it considering how HUGE the portions are and how fresh they are. One of the only healthy fast options in the area. Next up, Pure Health Lounge.

Also, been to Bistro Basque in Milford several times since I started this thread, and I still contend it is one of the best restaurants in the state. Superb.

[sskink]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Once again, I went to Oaxaca Kitchen in New Haven last night. Took my friend who just recently moved to the US after living in Mexico City their whole life. They said it wasn't authentic traditional Mexican, but similar to some of the fancier "fusion" restaurants in Mexico City. They were impressed, which is a tough thing to do on Mexican food with her.

I'd be interested in trying Oaxaca Kitchen based on this alone as I lived in Mexico City for a bit and it's rare to find anything I really like in the Northeast, especially as far as seafood. I'll go to Maya in NYC or Forest Cafe in Cambridge for my fixes when visiting CT.

Picky point and not trying to belittle here, but what's "traditional Mexican"? I can see if she'd said, "not really Oaxacan". But Mexico is a lot of territory with a lot of different cuisines, e.g. comparing Sonoran cuisine to Oaxacan is like comparing deep dish Chicago pizza to fine Creole New Orleans. And if you ordered either in France, would you call it "not authentic American"? No, you'd probably name the region.

It's not just you and I really don't mean any insult here. Most people seem to think (whether unconciously or not) that it's all just one thing. I'm hoping that changes and chefs will start finding a market for more challenging Mexican food from all over the country. I say this as I used to do brunches based on particular Mexican states when I owned a coffeehouse. It was eye-opening for a lot of folks.

[Stylo]

She did not seem to think Oaxaca Kitchen was especially Oaxacan cuisine. I think in Mexico City you get to try a lot of regional dishes, and it reminded her of the fancier places that serve a fusion of Mexican cuisines in a modern, upscale setting. It's run by the owner of Thali, the Indian restaurant. It's kind of his own take on Mexican food, which is different.

If you're looking for authentic Mexican, Mezcal in New Haven is great. The chef is from Mexico City and they don't Americanize much of the menu. Their Mole Poblano is amazing. It, however, doesn't have the atmosphere and decor of Oaxaca Kitchen (the New Haven space is more impressive than the Westport one IMO). She loved that place too, and it reminded her the most of food at home.

Los Molcajetes and Milford Mexican and Pizza (I know, funny name) serve very authentic Mexican casual street-food type dishes. It's hard to find real tacos in CT where they consider yellow hard corn tortillas the norm.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by sskink

I'd be interested in trying Oaxaca Kitchen based on this alone as I lived in Mexico City for a bit and it's rare to find anything I really like in the Northeast, especially as far as seafood. I'll go to Maya in NYC or Forest Cafe in Cambridge for my fixes when visiting CT.

Picky point and not trying to belittle here, but what's "traditional Mexican"? I can see if she'd said, "not really Oaxacan". But Mexico is a lot of territory with a lot of different cuisines, e.g. comparing Sonoran cuisine to Oaxacan is like comparing deep dish Chicago pizza to fine Creole New Orleans. And if you ordered either in France, would you call it "not authentic American"? No, you'd probably name the region.

It's not just you and I really don't mean any insult here. Most people seem to think (whether unconciously or not) that it's all just one thing. I'm hoping that changes and chefs will start finding a market for more challenging Mexican food from all over the country. I say this as I used to do brunches based on particular Mexican states when I owned a coffeehouse. It was eye-opening for a lot of folks.

The same can be said for ANY nation's cusine. There are different sections and cooking styles in Italy, France, China, Japan, Spain, etc. You are being kind of picky. Jay

[FSMovers]

Mexican:
Puerto Vallarta
Great Authentic Mexican food for quite literally any dish you could dream for!

Burgers:
Five Guys And Fries
Great burgers! They like to fill your bag with fries too which is great!

Goldburgers:
A local Newington Restaurant that serves arguably the best burger in the area, a MUST TRY!

Seafood:
Lenny and Joes Has a great selection of fresh seafood, and fried seafood. If you have not been do yourself a favor and make a day out of it some day!

I Hope the information was helpful! Enjoy the cuisine CT has to offer!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

It's still not as good as Dive Bar or Prime 16, but it was good - and way better than the huge disappointments I got previously. I guess it was growing pains.

I went to Dive Bar on Saturday for lunch. Verdict: Not impressed with the burgers. I had the Southern burger (mushrooms, onions, peppers, BBQ sauce) and at 10 bucks, it didn't even come with fries. The meat didn't seem as high quality as Prime 16 or even Plan B. I'd say their burger is maybe slightly better than Chilis - maybe.

I did have the fried pickles, which were amazing, and the pulled pork sliders were better than some BBQ places I've been to.

All in all, I'd go back for a few appetizers, but wouldn't go there just for the burgers.

[Stylo]

Did you go in the daytime with the front "garage" open? I have never had the southern burger (my go-to is the Cuban but I also like the Hawaiian and Spicy) but find them to be better than Plan B (and Chili's). Maybe it was an off day. And yeah, no fries - I guess I never cared because I don't like fries (except for Prime 16's parmesan truffle fries).

A few places to add: Lenny & Joe's in Madison, had a good lobster roll. On par or slightly better than Westfair, though I didn't like it as much as Seven Seas or Citrus in quantity of lobster, quality of roll or freshness. There were a few chewy pieces of lobster. Maybe it'll be better when they're busier and doing more turnover. I just had one at Citrus for the 2nd time and it was all fresh, tender and delicious lobster and A LOT of it - but the most expensive at $20. I actually think that place is shamefully underrated for food. I also had a standout with the skirt steak there recently. Awesome.

bartaco in Stamford was pretty good. Not authentic, but some of the tacos were excellent. Duck and both the snapper and baja fish were standouts. The only that disappointed were the chorizo and pastor (tasted nothing like pastor). Interesting ceviche too. Guacamole was average and expensive. The Port Chester Revival drink was awesome, if just a bit weak.

The new Joey C's is really nice. They did a good job on the space. The food is as good as always, but they need to work on their service.

Next up is Tacuba in Branford and River Street Restaurant in Milford.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Did you go in the daytime with the front "garage" open? I have never had the southern burger (my go-to is the Cuban but I also like the Hawaiian and Spicy) but find them to be better than Plan B (and Chili's). Maybe it was an off day. And yeah, no fries - I guess I never cared because I don't like fries (except for Prime 16's parmesan truffle fries).

I went for lunch on Saturday - it was cool when I got there; the door was open but another table complained and they closed it. It has great views!

Almost got the Spicy - I should have. I did find it odd that it didn't come with fries. I like fries with my burgers, even though I rarely eat them.

Oh, and the cole slaw had a fish taste. Strange. But I never eat that anyway.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Next up is Tacuba in Branford and River Street Restaurant in Milford.

I've never been here - you'll have to let me know how it is.

[Stylo]

Absolutely. Going to Tacuba tonight.