A day away in CT
Sep. 6th, 2009 02:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bex77I've been away! Overnight! Hadn't done that since last September....
N. and I saw a rare day in the schedule when we didn't have anything going on, so he convinced me that a get-away was in order. After several false starts (favorite hotel on the Cape booked, restaurant there closed, boil water orders in effect in Gloucester) we chose a return to one of our favorite places - Waterbury, CT. We haven't been there in five years.
We headed out Saturday morning and drove down to Bridgeport, CT to see where kalibex hangs her hat these days. She has a gorgeous, brandy-new apartment downtown in an area that is resurrecting itself. We worshiped her kitty, then she took us to lunch at El Idolo, an Ecuadoran place. We had plantains and cheese, then I tried their "shrimp casserole" which was not that at all, but lots of shrimp in a lovely orange suace, sort of like butternut squash bisque, over rice. Yum.
We drove around Bridgeport, saw the lovely waterfront along the Sound and the University of Bridgeport and the new minor league baseball stadium.
We said farewell then headed north to Waterbury, just 30 minutes up Rte 8, to the marvelous Courtyard by Marriott. They'd been sold out when I looked online and called Friday, so I'd made a reservation across the street, but when I walked in, they had a room! We had a relaxing soak in their huge whirlpool then enjoyed some "Mythbusters" on the LG LED flat screen TV. Heh.
Then came the higlight of the weekend - an elegant dinner at Diorio's Restaurant. http://www.diorios.com/.
We made a reservation for the quiet dining room that is separate from the big bar area with booths. We started with the hot antipasto - samples of shrimp scampi, crab cakes, eggplant rollatini and fried mozzarella. The lobster bisque followed...a revelation. It was water-based instead of creamy, and had a ton of shredded lobster meat, so you got it in every bite. N. had the NY strip steak au poivre - a huge rectangle 2 inches high, with garlic mashed potatoes and sliced zucchini. This is the steak he dreams about - the marinade is incredible! I ordered the special twin lobster tails, taken from the shell then settled back on it for effect, stuffed with lump crab meat, pistachio and bread crumbs, accompanied by the same sides. Each bite was divine. We shared a slice of banoffee pie for dessert - a light, heavenly mixture of chocolate crust, toffee cream, bananas, whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. Our waitress was fun - a nifty young woman who wants to be an actress, Jennifer. We took over two hours to eat, so I was pleasantly full rather than overstuffed.
Sunday was another beautiful day! We had the hot breakfast buffet in the hotel lobby. They put out an amazing spread of fruit, scrambled eggs, hash, home fries, sausage, bacon, french toast, make-your-waffles, muffins, breads, coffee cake, cereals, yogurt...yum. We packed up and headed east.
We stopped in Vernon, CT at the quintessential NY-style deli, Rein's. http://vernon.reinsdeli.com/ordereze/default.aspx
We got a variety of goodies to bring home - Reuben sandwich, half sour pickles, sour cream coffee cake, spicy beef chili, herring in cream sauce, Dr. Brown's sodas, and pecan pie.
So great to get away and see friends and eat well!
N. and I saw a rare day in the schedule when we didn't have anything going on, so he convinced me that a get-away was in order. After several false starts (favorite hotel on the Cape booked, restaurant there closed, boil water orders in effect in Gloucester) we chose a return to one of our favorite places - Waterbury, CT. We haven't been there in five years.
We headed out Saturday morning and drove down to Bridgeport, CT to see where kalibex hangs her hat these days. She has a gorgeous, brandy-new apartment downtown in an area that is resurrecting itself. We worshiped her kitty, then she took us to lunch at El Idolo, an Ecuadoran place. We had plantains and cheese, then I tried their "shrimp casserole" which was not that at all, but lots of shrimp in a lovely orange suace, sort of like butternut squash bisque, over rice. Yum.
We drove around Bridgeport, saw the lovely waterfront along the Sound and the University of Bridgeport and the new minor league baseball stadium.
We said farewell then headed north to Waterbury, just 30 minutes up Rte 8, to the marvelous Courtyard by Marriott. They'd been sold out when I looked online and called Friday, so I'd made a reservation across the street, but when I walked in, they had a room! We had a relaxing soak in their huge whirlpool then enjoyed some "Mythbusters" on the LG LED flat screen TV. Heh.
Then came the higlight of the weekend - an elegant dinner at Diorio's Restaurant. http://www.diorios.com/.
We made a reservation for the quiet dining room that is separate from the big bar area with booths. We started with the hot antipasto - samples of shrimp scampi, crab cakes, eggplant rollatini and fried mozzarella. The lobster bisque followed...a revelation. It was water-based instead of creamy, and had a ton of shredded lobster meat, so you got it in every bite. N. had the NY strip steak au poivre - a huge rectangle 2 inches high, with garlic mashed potatoes and sliced zucchini. This is the steak he dreams about - the marinade is incredible! I ordered the special twin lobster tails, taken from the shell then settled back on it for effect, stuffed with lump crab meat, pistachio and bread crumbs, accompanied by the same sides. Each bite was divine. We shared a slice of banoffee pie for dessert - a light, heavenly mixture of chocolate crust, toffee cream, bananas, whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. Our waitress was fun - a nifty young woman who wants to be an actress, Jennifer. We took over two hours to eat, so I was pleasantly full rather than overstuffed.
Sunday was another beautiful day! We had the hot breakfast buffet in the hotel lobby. They put out an amazing spread of fruit, scrambled eggs, hash, home fries, sausage, bacon, french toast, make-your-waffles, muffins, breads, coffee cake, cereals, yogurt...yum. We packed up and headed east.
We stopped in Vernon, CT at the quintessential NY-style deli, Rein's. http://vernon.reinsdeli.com/ordereze/default.aspx
We got a variety of goodies to bring home - Reuben sandwich, half sour pickles, sour cream coffee cake, spicy beef chili, herring in cream sauce, Dr. Brown's sodas, and pecan pie.
So great to get away and see friends and eat well!
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Date: 2009-09-06 07:05 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2009-09-06 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-06 11:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-07 03:06 am (UTC)Sounds like you had a terrific, well deserved, break.