Eats: Remo's Brick Oven Pizza Company - Stamford, CT

Stamford is a city that has quite a few Italian restaurants. That being said, competition is fierce. Remo's has become one of my favorites ever since they opened in 2006. I have become somewhat of a regular here..my office orders pizza from here almost every week. 

Every couple of months I'll take myself out to dinner here and eat in. They have a spacious seating area, but I usually sit at the marble bar (which is beautiful, by the way). 

I've eaten through a bit of the menu - I love their pastas especially linguine with clam sauce (they actually give you clams!), penne ala vodka, and linguine pescatore (clams, shrimp and calamari).

I last visited a couple weeks ago. I usually drink beer, but this time decided to try a Beringer Cabernet from their impressive wine list.

Like I mentioned before, I love Remo's pasta dishes. I never tried their alfredo sauce before, so I figured I'd try it with rigatoni and shrimp. One of things I love about Remo's is that they'll gladly let you customize their pasta dishes.

So so good. The bill comes to around $30 with tip, not too bad. They do offer desserts...the usual Italian staples like Tiramisu, cannollis, and what-not.

Remo's is definitely one of the better Italian places in Stamford. The staff is pretty great too...I've gotten to know most of them - including the three owners - over the years.

Remo's Brick Oven Pizza Company

35 Bedford Street

Stamford, CT 06901

Website | Yelp Page

Eats: The Barking Crab - Newport, Rhode Island

Last summer a dear friend and I took a trip up to Newport, Rhode Island for the day. This cute 11 square-mile seaside city is only about a two and a half hour ride from Connecticut. While the city is steeped in history, it is known today as a major summer resort and is the home of the famous Newport Mansions. One of the most popular mansions open to the public is The Breakers, which was originally built as a summer home for the wealthy Vanderbilt family.

The ride into Newport is mostly uneventful since it's a mostly straight ride up I-95 until you get to East Greenwich, Rhode Island, where you then go onto a couple of Rhode Island state roads. Rhode Island state route 138 brings you into the city after crossing the Pell Newport Bridge (which connects Newport to neighboring Jamestown across Narragansett Bay).

The city itself is fairly compact and is a walker's paradise. Downtown Newport particularly has lots of interesting architecture, some dating back to the 1800's. Other areas of interest include the Bellevue Avenue Historic District, home of the Newport Mansions, and the Newport Cliff Walk, located on the eastern and southern shores of the city. 

Parking, especially during the weekends, is challenging and limited as the city is packed with locals and visitors. We lucked out and found a lot close to where we needed to go and they only charged us $5 or $10 to park for as long as we needed to. 

Our original plan was to go to the Great Chowder Cook-Off, but tickets were sold out for the day. We took a walk around Downtown Newport - checking out the various shops and other attractions. After a short while, we were hungry, so we start walking towards the waterfront to check out the various restaurants.

Of course, when in New England, you might as well have seafood. The Barking Crab was close to us so we start going towards it. After arriving, we were seated by the host quickly. We opted to sit out on the patio since it was such a beautiful day.

The waitress informed us of the drink specials. I ordered the "Black and Blue Margarita" while my friend ordered a white sangria.

I opted to have my margarita frozen...hell it was hot that day...

For an appetizer, we decide to share an order of their mussels ($9). They were so delicious...especially the broth. I even asked for extra bread to soap it up...it was that good.

I ordered the Lobster Flatbread ($15), which was exactly what it sounds like. 4 ounces of lobster, bacon, and melty cheese on a round flatbread. A lemon wedge finishes off the dish as a garnish. They also seem to love their parsley here at the Barking Crab, as there was plenty of it on our mussels and my flatbread. My friend opted for one of their seafood casseroles which I had a taste of. Not bad.

We skipped dessert but opted for another round of booze. Since my friend raved about the white sangria, I figured I'd try one too. It was perfect in almost every way.

The bill comes to around $80 which isn't bad. As for the overall ambiance of the restaurant, it was pretty enjoyable...not too busy or loud. I didn't see much of the interior of the place, just a little bit when I went to use the restroom. I thought the outside seating area was perfect, since it was slightly covered to protect you from the sun.

An enjoyable lunch in Newport...I wouldn't mind trying them again the next time I'm in town. I rate them a 8 out of 10.

The Barking Crab

151 Swinburne Row

Newport, RI 02840

Website | Yelp Page

Eats: Pat's King of Steaks - South Philadelphia, PA

Well, everybody knows that Philadelphia is known for their cheesesteaks, and that two of the most popular places to get one are located at an intersection called 9th and Passyunk in the city's South Philadelphia neighborhood. I really wanted to try Geno's, but the line there was very, very long. This is around 1pm on a Saturday afternoon.

Pat's is a Philly institution having been in the area since the 1930's. The Oliveri brothers are generally credited with the creation of the steak sandwich, and the restaurant is still family owned. 

Like most dense neighborhoods in Philly, parking can be a challenge. If you can't snag a spot in front of Pat's, you can circle for a spot on one of the side streets. Most spots are unmetered.

There's two seating areas around the shack. When you go to order, you can go to one of two windows. The main window is for ordering your cheesesteaks, and the other is for ordering fries and drinks. Locals do order a certain way:

• "Wit" means with onions, "Wit-out" means no onions.
• They offer several different kinds of cheeses. Cheese Whiz is their most popular. They also offer Mozzarella, American, and Provolone. If you don't want cheese, just say Plain. 
• They are cash only.

I ordered a Provolone Wit...and about $9 and two minutes later, here it is!

Nice soft roll, tender meat...yummy grilled onions and cheese. I'm in heaven for a few minutes until it is gone.

Pat's is a very touristy thing to do in Philly, but you might as well do it once, ya know? After eating at Pat's, I'd recommend taking a stroll up South 9th Street, home of one of the largest outdoor markets in the country.

Pat's King of Steaks
1237 East Passyunk Ave (at 9th and Wharton Streets)
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Website | Yelp Page

Eats: Gino's of Long Beach

Linguine Shrimp Marinara

Budweiser in a "fancy" glass...okay, now!

Took a side trip out to Long Beach, New York last Sunday.

By the time I got there, my stomach was a rumbling. There's plenty of places to eat on the main street of LB so I decided on this place, which is apparently a staple in town.

It was a quick lunch...but a very tasty one. 7 out of 10.

They do have gelato on site...remember that.

Gino's of Long Beach
16 West Park Avenue
Long Beach, New York 11561
Website | Yelp Page

Eats: The Meatball Shop, Greenwich Village

The Meatball Shop

64 Greenwich Avenue

Greenwich Village, New York City

http://www.themeatballshop.com/

I think I've found a new favorite! I actually tried this place a couple weeks back when I was in the mood for a meatball sub. Suffice it to say, I was here at night and the pics didn't come out that well. 

A return visit was in order! Just this past Sunday, I stopped by to have some of that meaty goodness. It was around 3:00pm, and there weren't many people there. I grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered a pint of PBR ($4).

They have a relatively simple menu. It's laminated and they give you a marker to choose your selections. You can choose from "Naked Balls" - 4 balls on a platter - or other items like a Hero or Meatball Sliders. 

This time around, I chose beef Naked Balls ($7 - you can choose from beef, pork, veggie or chicken) with the spicy meat sauce. The Meatball Shop also offers several sides that can go either under the balls or on the side. I chose Rigatoni ($5).

It was really, really good. I think I'm gonna like TMS...I like that it's pretty reasonably priced too. My total bill came up to $18...can't beat that with a stick!

They have a few other locations, the largest being in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I definitely plan on trying that one out soon.