November 30, 2006
Get Out: Dive into Delaney's: New Haven's Beer Capital
by Stephanie Janucik
The leaves have fallen, the temperatures are dropping, and the appetites (and/or thirsts) are rising. It's that time of year once again, so why not get out — yourself, with friends, or even with the family — to warm up and fill up.
Whether it's a beer after work, a few appetizers shared with friends, or a casual family dinner, Delaney's Restaurant & Tap Room in New Haven (882 Whalley Avenue; 203-397-5494) can accommodate them all, even all at the same time. Located right in the heart of Westville among other restaurants and shops, Delaney's is more convenient (and affordable) than going into downtown New Haven. I've frequented the restaurant and taproom since it's opening in 2000 and haven't once been disappointed.
Not too long ago, my boyfriend and I met some friends and family for some snacks and drinks. The parking was convenient (there's a lot in the back and street parking is easy) and the atmosphere pleasing. We sat outside to take advantage of some nice -fall weather. Our table was soon filled with an array of beers, snacks and conversation.
With appetizers fairly priced (and beers as well, starting at about $4), we ordered eggplant rolatini ($6.95), fried calamari (7.95) and spinach-artichoke dip ($6.95), my all-time favorite at Delaney's. We left happy and full with plenty of money for dessert.
On the inside, booths and tables adorn the cozy, mahogany pub dining room where the bar is usually hopping with sports fans. Although the service isn't always an A+, the experience is worth it. We visit often when we're up for a nice, yet casual dinner and keeping the cost down. More recently, I enjoyed one of Delaney's phenomenal build-your-own burgers ($6.95), while my boyfriend couldn't get enough of the barbecued brisket ($7.95). Other favorites include the blackened chicken sandwich (7.95), steak sandwich ($9.95) and The Delaney ($7.95), a grilled breast of chicken with prosciutto, melted Swiss cheese and Dijon mayonnaise.
For those who want a classic kind of atmosphere, the main dining room is also available. Although I don't sit in that area often, I have seen snow falling on the streets of New Haven through the enormous windows on that side of the dining room; the snowy scene was a bonus to the tasty treats we devoured.
Besides burgers, Delaney's offers a variety of entrees including penne a la vodka ($11.95), grilled Atlantic salmon ($16.95) and N.Y. strip ($21.95). You can also view an extensive liquor menu filled with cognacs and brandy, bourbons, single malt scotches, vodkas and cordials while relaxing in either dining room.
Quiet and casual as it may sound, the other side of the door was a bit more happening.
On that other side is Delaney's infamous taproom, named by me as the beer capital of New Haven. With more than 50 draft beers and about 80 varieties of bottled beer from around the world, darts, arcade games, billiards and a jukebox also keep the patrons (often quite a few college students) entertained. We usually shoot a game of pool after our meal and enjoy a Schneider Weisse, Blue Moon or Hoegaarden.
It doesn't end there. On Mondays, $1 beer specials begin at 7 p.m. and go until close; Wednesday is acoustic night starting at 9 p.m.; and Monday through Friday from 3-6 p.m., buy-one get-one free on select drinks with free wings is one heck of a happy hour (or three).
As the time of year changes, Delaney's also accommodates its season-happy patrons by offering several pumpkin beers to warm up with.
For every season there's a reason to visit Delaney's, so if you're up for some casual food and some tasty drinks, go on and get out.
Posted by getout on 8:40 AM | Comments (542)
November 24, 2006
'Tis the season for a trip to the city with the kids
By Kathryn Higgins
My kids and I have an annual tradition of taking a train trip to New York City to see the holiday sights. After a couple of unpleasant episodes involving me, two little kids and hordes of holiday crowds, I made the momentous decision to take them out of school one day each year to do this. Since we pay to live in relative proximity to the city, I thought it practically incumbent upon me to expose my children to the culture and rampant materialism on display there. Now that they are 9 and 7, they've grown to love this annual special day, and I dispel any misgivings I may have about truancy with the conviction that they'll remember the lessons of navigating train schedules, subway maps and Christmas crowds more than another day of school.
We've learned over the years that even if you go during the week, you have to pick a day early in December to beat the crowds. Don't go on a Wednesday (matinee day) and have a backup rain date because you want good weather.
As my daughter Charlotte says, Metro-North rocks! My kids travel with me for $1 each round trip (off-peak). Just taking the train is holiday fun for the kids and I always chortle with glee when I see my receipt. I usually pack snacks to eat on the trip; it's festive, we arrive fortified and it forestalls the expensive and time-consuming stopping-to-eat thing in the city.
Once we arrive, we pause to appreciate Grand Central Terminal. It's always beautiful and the holidays make it extra special. Often when we've been there in December they've had a special show — a laser light show on the ceiling, for instance — so make sure you're not missing anything there. After that, if you stick to midtown, as we do, you can walk almost everywhere you need to go, although I try to throw in a subway or bus ride just for fun.
My kids like to go to Toys 'R' Us in Times Square, so I get that out of the way first. (It's a quick trip there on the subway shuttle from Grand Central.) A charmless, utilitarian store, it has a large, slow-moving, over-priced ($4 a ticket) Ferris wheel in the center with game-themed seats. Once accomplished, we walk uptown through the high-tech LED billboards of Times Square (neon is pass). Our destination is Rockefeller Center, of course. It's got the Christmas Tree, the angels and soldiers, the gorgeous architecture, the music, the Saks windows across the street and the ice-skating rink. If you wait until later in December, or go on the weekend, the crowds will be as thick as peanut butter. But if you go when we do, you'll be able to sit on the bench next to an angel, have your picnic lunch and watch the amazing snowflake light show that Saks produces across the whole front of its building across the street. All for free! You can buy some warm toffee peanuts from a vendor for $1; the kids will love that.
It's also fun to take the glass elevators (to the left and right of the ice rink in front of the tree) to the lower level and explore the underground plazas and the glorious art deco lobbies of Rockefeller Center.
Last year, I decided to splurge and dragged the kids into the Top of the Rock entrance. I gloried as we practically ran down the rows of velvet ropes right up to the ticket sales counter ($17.50 adult, $11.25 kids — make a reservation if you plan to go at a busier time). Rather expensive, I thought, just to take an elevator to the top of Rockefeller Center. It started to become worthwhile the minute we stepped onto the elevator. As the car lifted, its ceiling dissolved — the rapidly approaching apex of the building becoming visible through a transparent hologram show. Once at the top, the views of the city were among the most spectacular I've ever seen. A major photo opportunity. You can buy a Swarovski crystal snowflake ornament here to commemorate your visit.
After Rockefeller Center we always walk up 5th Avenue, enjoying the store windows on the way. We stop only briefly at FAO Schwartz now, because they changed it and the clock singing "Welcome to our world of toys" is no longer there, injuring our dogged sense of tradition. We still go dance on the piano, though.
We head uptown, our destination always the Serendipity 3 restaurant at 225 E. 60th between 2nd and 3rd avenues. Even on an off day, the wait will be at least an hour. (Don't try it on a busy day.) We put our name in and then head over to look at the Bloomingdale's windows and browse Dillon's Candy Shop down the street. Then it's back to wait for our table. Although we head to the city several times a year, this is our one special trip to Serendipity 3. The food isn't that great — we usually stick with the foot-long hot dog — but the Christmas decorations are always festive and the ice-cream sundaes are divine. We always order their famous Frozen Hot Chocolate, an enormous frosty delight covered with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Sated after Serendipity 3, we make one last pilgrimage to Rockefeller Center to see the decorations at night before heading back to Grand Central. Once there, if we have some time before our train, I get a well-deserved glass of wine at one of the lux restaurants in the main concourse and we watch the crowd and the show, if there is one.
This annual trip to New York is a special gift that I give to my kids and to myself.
Posted by getout on 9:46 AM | Comments (12829)
November 16, 2006
Two Good places in SoNo for a (bad) first date
By Kathryn Higgins
Everyone knows you have to pick a neutral spot for a first date, especially a first date with someone you've met on the Internet.
Luckily, the region has a wealth of potential meeting places, and if you allow your date to select the spot, it's a perfect opportunity to begin your Date Evaluation Process. Has he chosen an interesting place — one that says he's interested in you?
A lot of first dates opt for coffee or a drink. Coffee is a cautious option: a mutual meeting to check for the much-touted romantic "chemistry" with a minimal investment of half an hour if there is none. If your date suggests Starbucks, his lack of imagination has probably already somewhat dampened your hopes for any. I met someone through an Internet dating service who suggested SoNo Caffeine. "Promising," I thought.
SoNo Caffeine is a hip coffee and chocolate lounge in the heart of the trendy boutique-and-restaurant row in South Norwalk. If you're going to meet for coffee, this is the place to do it. It's like a '60s coffeehouse with a Bohemian mix of furniture; paintings by local artists; musicians performing Latin, classical or jazz in the evenings; a menu of freshly-made sandwiches and snacks; and a selection of top-of-the-line desserts and chocolates.
My date arrived just before me and graciously bought me a latte. He offered to get me a dessert, but I demurred. He, on the other hand, went for the Devilish Chocolate Fudge Cake. We sat, or rather lounged, in the funky low-slung chairs, our coffee and his cake on a little table between us.
But being in the same location was just about all we had in common and I parted ways with this gentleman. (In Internet lingo, I "blocked" him.)
Another day, another date. This time, I was pleasantly surprised to be invited to Ocean Drive, the swanky seafood restaurant directly across the street from SoNo Caffeine. This was from another Internet correspondent, who seemed willing to make a more substantial investment in our initial meeting.
I have to admit, I was pretty excited to go there. Our date was for 6 p.m., right as the place was starting to pick up for dinner. Ocean Drive is clean and bright, with sea glass, stainless steel and ocean blue tile. As you enter you're greeted by the graceful curve of the raw bar, where oysters, clams, lobsters, mussels and shrimp sit fresh and frosty on mountains of white shaved ice. This is where I was meeting my date. It began well enough: we had a seat front and center over the oysters, and a refreshing chilled glass of white wine. As we got acquainted, the chefs behind the bar sliced open the oysters, cracked lobsters and created some delectable looking sushi rolls. Time went on, as my date told me about his job (he was a high-school teacher), and described in detail a novel he had written. An hour later, I had heard more than enough about his thriller novel, set in a high school and sounding plenty unsettling with its Lolita-like protagonist. Dinner was in full swing at Ocean Drive, I was starving and my date had made no move to suggest that we dine, despite the offerings under our noses. Granted, the entrees at Ocean Drive aren't cheap, but an appetizer or sushi roll would've done nicely for a first date. So after an hour and a half of his nonsense, I went home for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
The ironic thing about that evening was that the guy asked me out again; I was amused to infer from this that he had actually liked me. Two great places, two not-so-great dates. Better luck next time.
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Posted by getout on 9:23 AM | Comments (1584)
