Connecticut

This was where I ended up able to reconnect with my best friend from junior high.

 

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Table of Contents:

  1. Phase 1
  2. Phase 2
  3. Phase 3
  4. First Images
  5. Architecture
  6. Mohegan Sun – Uncasville
  7. 2024/+

 

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Phase 1:

My first tabletop D&D game was here.  I got to see a few routes between the airport and my friend’s house and town, too.  For a Phase 1 trip, it went surprisingly peacefully.

 

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Phase 2:  

Studying this state during the ‘breather period’ between the rough and the perfect times, I’ve found that the first nuclear submarine came from here.  The first document considered to be a constitution came from this state, as well, as did the first phone book, the first publicly-funded free library, the first frisbee, and the oldest continuously-published newspaper.  There are also plenty of unique foods to try:

  • White Clam Pizza:  at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
  • Steamed Cheeseburger:  at Ted’s Restaurant
  • Match’s Carpetbaggers appetizer:  Local bluepoint oysters are dredged in a semolina-based batter and fried to a light golden brown. Served warm and placed back on their shells, each oyster is topped with chilled beef tartare and a dollop of aioli. The alternating layering of flavors, textures and temperatures packs a nuanced punch, making this dish one of the most-memorable oyster dishes along Connecticut’s seafood-loving coastline.
  • Bernice Original (“cheese-wings” cheeseburger):  at Shady Glen diner in Manchester
  • Ricotta Gnocchi:  Serving classic Italian cooking with a deference for well-sourced ingredients, Liana’s Trattoria in Fairfield is a cozy hidden Italian gem. Liana DeMeglio is a warm matriarchal presence in her restaurant, making dinner often feel like a meal in her own home. If there is one Italian dish revered in this part of Connecticut, it is her airy housemade gnocchi, offered with a choice of three sauces: sage butter, Bolognese and creamy Gorgonzola. Beginning with local ricotta cheese and finished in the hands of DeMeglio, these gnocchi forever change expectations.
  • Arepas:  The humble Venezuelan arepa, a pan-roasted or fried corn cake filled with a variety of ingredients, is the foundation for one of Norwalk’s most-popular restaurants. Valencia Luncheria began as a tiny BYOB eight-table luncheonette, but it has since expanded its soulful Latin American comfort food and drink menu while staying true to its arepa, empanada and rice-and-beans roots. Valencia boasts 30 arepa offerings, from the vegetarian Aphrodite — a mango-and-avocado combination — to the heartier meat-filled Carlo, a chicken, avocado, queso and fennel arepa. Dining in, order a bunch of arepas and try them with Valencia’s twin signature sauces, a cilantro-based green sauce and a smoky chipotle-based red sauce.
  • White Mashed Potato Pizza:  In a town known as a destination for pizza lovers, relative newcomer Bar has its own cult following. By far the most-coveted pizza is the white mashed potato pizza. Topped with a deceptively thin layer of garlicky mashed potatoes and aged cheeses, the ultra-thin pie is even better topped with crisp, chopped chunks of bacon. All of Bar’s oblong pizzas are cooked in a natural gas-burning brick oven — a departure from the coal-burning ovens of their famous New Haven “apizza” neighbors. Tall glass windows along the facade allow light from Crown Street to brighten the split dining space, an airy factorylike setup with two bars and a house-brewed beer menu that nearly rivals the size and following of its pizza menu.
  • Smoked-Trout Dip:  Situated along the Saugatuck River, The Whelk is the locus of Westport’s thriving dining scene, representing one of the state’s most-creative seafood menus, thanks to James Beard Award-nominated chef and owner Bill Taibe. The New England-chic dining room with its statement white marble bar befits a sophisticated oyster bar, but The Whelk goes beyond with craveworthy small plates. Every meal at The Whelk should begin with the restaurant’s addictive smoked-trout dip, served with crispy trout skin and Parker House rolls.

Obviously, I’ll be veganizing all of those for Inisfree.

 

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Phase 3:  

All the finest girls from this state will be part of the final phase of exploration and business here.  I’ll return by invitation to the best mansions, high-rises, and other exclusive areas.  I’m thinking a lot of Blade flights will be involved, as well.

 

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gallery (until my photos of expeditions to this land are uploaded here, see these)

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Architecture:

more TBA

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Mohegan Sun – Uncasville:

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2024/+

Nicest Neighborhoods:

tba

 

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Nice Hotels:

Castle Hill Resort and Spa

 

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Vegan Restaurants & Shops:

Berlin:

  • SoulFully Vegan

Bridgeport:

  • Bloodroot
  • Khemis Vegan Cuisine

Danielson:

  • Heirloom Food Company

Guilford:

  • Three Girls Vegan Creamery

Hartford:

  • Fire-N-Spice Vegan Restaurant, Bakery and Juices
  • ZoJu Foods

Middletown:

  • ION (It’s Only Natural) Restaurant

Milford:

  • Natural Kitchen

New Canaan:

  • greenology (lowercase on purpose)

New Haven:

  • Bella Casa Vegana
  • Claire’s Corner Copia

Oxford:

  • Bloom Kitchen & Co.

Ridgefield:

  • Botanika Cafe

Southport:

  • Organika Kitchen

Torrington:

  • Love It Vegan

Wallingford:

  • Wild Alchemy  Cafe

Windsor:

  • Likkle Patty Shop

 

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Ancient Ruins:

  • whatever is under the cities/downtowns

more tba

 

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Other Sites:

tba

 

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