The Quail & Ale in Derby contains more than a few seeming contradictions. I’d be tempted to call it confusing if I didn’t like just about everything it’s doing. (more…)
To the Finish
The music of Sitar: Flavors of India, a physical and spiritual revamp of the restaurant that’s stood at Grove and Orange Streets since 2006, has been muddied by neighboring construction work ever since it reopened. But if you can will yourself past the orange warning colors and cement barriers flanking the entrance, you’ll find a […]
Super Sub
Of all the signs outside Alma’s—advertising cigarettes, lottery tickets, an ATM—one is repeated three times: “DELI.” Tucked below the busy intersection of Whalley Avenue and Ella T. Grasso Boulevard, with its brick shell painted baby blue, the bodega also offers snacks, condiments, cleaning products, automotive fluids and colorful drinks arrayed throughout two narrow aisles. To […]
Irish Hello
As far as I’m concerned, any place with meat loaf on the menu is worth a look. Institutional investment in a meal as simple and satisfying as a good, hand-formed block of baked beef bespeaks the kind of joint that might just invest in me. Tommy Sullivan’s in Branford (map) serves a slice about the […]
Tight Ship
Docked on the eastern bank of its namesake, tucked behind an ear of the Grand Avenue Bridge, the Q River Grill, hard-opened in January, is a commercial island in a residential neighborhood, a place you’re only likely to find if you’ve already charted a course to it. That’s what I did after a reader sent […]
Tibetan Temple
Even if you can’t locate Tibet on a map, you might be able to guess from the food at Tibetan Kitchen that the territory—officially an “autonomous region of China,” though there are plenty who dispute it—is situated between New Delhi and Beijing. (more…)
Super Bowls
I was extra hungry the other night, so I went to a place that seemed like it could satisfy whatever craving struck: Natural Kitchen in downtown Milford, where signature and customizable poké concoctions come in rice bowl, salad and “burrito” formats built up with selections from 55 proteins, “mix-ins,” “toppings,” sauces and “crunch”es. I considered […]
Food for Thought
Christy’s Irish Pub, may she rest in peace, overwhelmed the senses. Its replacement, Hachiroku Shokudo & Sake Bar, refines them. From the richness of simple surfaces—brick, wood, metal, plaster—to fussy-unfussy plates and pours, the vibe inside is monastic yet sumptuous, a paradox that gets you thinking. Hidden in the name is a playfulness that could […]