Fairfield County Menu Talk

If you haven’t jumped on this deal - then jump. Tuscany in Bridgeport. http://ping.fm/Ny8Gx

Listen, I’m the absolute worst person to make a decision on anything in general. Let alone which picture of a banh mi from Pho Mai in Bridgeport to include in this post. So I did what I do best. I made no decision at all and include every single picture of them all.

So here we are. Several pictures of delectable banh mi for your viewing.

They have three types of banh mi sandwiches to choose from. Which, compared to the competition around here, is very respectable. The choices are beef, chicken, and pork. Naturally, I had to opt for the beef and pork. And those that know me  know that, when asked which animal I’d bring to a desert island, 99 times out of 50, it’s going to be a pig. And let me just say say, I’m glad that I went with the roasted beef sandwich too.

It was moist, salty and just a darn delicious protein star of this banh mi.

Now, the pork is listed as a “deli”. Which means, it’s not the glazed pork expected out of a top-notch banh mi - at least in the best we’ve munched. But this pork was, at the end of the day, still very good. But the beef, is what you should choose if you ever make it to Pho Mai on Wood Avenue in Bridgeport. But that doesn’t mean the pork won’t make for a beautiful sandwhich that packs a yummiful punch.

The thing I love about this place, is that when asked to put jalapenos on the sandwich, they complied without haste. I don’t know what it is, but when, historically, I have asked for jalapenos on my banh mi, the various places have be reticent to oblige my request. It’s an integral component to the sandwich - and besides - the customer is always right!

Throw out your daily caffeine routine people. Taco Bell is making a mark on your morning wakeup. It’s a mix of MOUNTAIN DEW and OJ. Yes, MOUNTAIN DEW. And caps were totally intended.

Taco Bell has been flirting with breakfast for years and only recently decided it was something that all its restaurants should eventually serve. But ever the food innovators, the folks at the Bell have apparently come up with the perfect drink to accompany its breakfast burritos, something called Mountain Dew A.M.

Exactly what do you get at Taco Bell for breakfast? They can barely produce a stomacheable lunch.

So, yes. Yet another restaurant to burst onto the Westport eatery scene. Don’t really know much more than that, but it’s large.

The restaurant will have a 4,650-square-foot main floor, a 4,200-square-foot lower level that will be used as banquet rooms for private receptions and parties, as well as an outdoor patio, according to HK Group Executive Vice President Franco Fellah, who represented the owner of 154 Post Road East, Ansley Westport Partners, during leasing negotiations.

Don’t worry though. Even though we know next to nothing, there MUST be a rough time frame, seasonally speaking, of when we can expect the new joint to be done, right? No.

Ansley Westport has hired Beinfield Architecture, a Norwalk-based architectural firm, for the project. Construction of the restaurant set to begin this summer, but an opening date has not yet been determined, Panovka said.

Keeping the trend alive of new restaurants in Westport, the “Post Office”  will be more than welcome. And I think that is what it should be named - the Post Office. And guess what, it’s on the POST ROAD! Destiny, maybe.

If you have any details, let us know!

Seafood by the Seaside. ILoveFC has created a nice list of some seafood spots in FC - though not necessarily seaside adjacent. http://ping.fm/bILO1

Planet Pizza is probably one of, if not the, most successful local pizza chains of Fairfield County. They are literally all over the county. And the food justifies the expansion efforts.

Whether you are at work or home, Planet is a solid option for lunch or dinner. Well, the residents of Fairfield can expect to get their hands on some Planet this fall, as the construction on the old rental cal location on Post Road appears to be going just swimmingly. And with Fairfield University right up the road, there shouldn’t be any shortage of delivery opportunities for them.

And hey, if you’re interested in joining the team, driving or otherwise, holler at them on 203-543-5114.

Daily Easton did a nice write-up of some places in FC to eat outside. Nothing better than al fresco. http://ping.fm/Intn8

The ribbon is slated to be cut May 29th (TONIGHT!!!) at 5:30pm. Senator Blumenthal will be in attendance, and steaks will be grilled. Michael Gennaro’s Steakhouse is new to the scene, and looking to serve up some quality cuts of prime beef. It’s located next to King and I and Shiki Hana. And here’s their deal.

We proudly serve U.S.D.A. certified prime beef. To earn a prime grade, beef must meet or exceed very strict standards in several categories which include: color, texture, and (most of all) “marbling.” Less than 3% of beef earns the prime grade. Dry aging is the process by which beef becomes more tender and flavorful. The process naturally causes moisture to evaporate, which concentrates the beef flavor, and it breaks down the connective tissues to tenderize the meat. The final result is a very tender steak with a much more “beefy” flavor. We truly hope you enjoy!

And Mr. Gennaro, he’s not joking around. Have a peek at their choice cuts.

• FILET MIGNON 14 oz $46
• TOMAHAWK RIBEYE32 oz $49
• 21 DAY DRY AGED NY STRIP18 oz $42
• 21 DAY DRY AGED PORTERHOUSE 24 oz $55
• 21 DAY DRY AGED PORTERHOUSE FOR 2 40 oz (Served off bone) $85

We’ve said it before - this area needs a good steakhouse. Hopefully Michael and company deliver. We’ll be creating a nice restaurant profile for them this week. Stay tuned for full menu!

This guy might look like turd, but what he is holding in his hand, might just leave fat people (yours truly included) with one less excuse for overeating. It’s part of a visual stopping clue study at Cornell.

As part of an experiment carried out on two groups of college students (98 students total) while they were watching video clips in class, researchers from Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab served tubes of Lays Stackables, some of which contained chips dyed red.

In the first study of the research, which is published online this month in Health Psychology, a journal of the American Psychological Association, the red chips were interspersed at intervals designating one suggested serving size (seven chips) or two serving sizes (14 chips); in the second study, this was changed to five and 10 chips.

Unaware of why some of the chips were red, the students who were served those tubes of chips nonetheless consumed about 50 percent less than their peers: 20 and 24 chips on average for the seven-chip and 14-chip segmented tubes, respectively, compared with 45 chips in the control group; 14 and 16 chips for the five-chip and 10-chip segmented tubes, compared with 35 chips in the control group.

They were also better able to estimate how many chips they had eaten. Those in the control groups underestimated the amount of chips they had consumed by about 13 chips. Those in the “segmented” groups were able to guess within one chip.

If I were in that group, I’d keeping on eating, over and over, until I got to the red chip. It MUST be some special flavor right? You know, like those lucky Doritos that get stuck on the conveyor belt underneath the seasoning machine just a touch too long. That study would have been terribly skewed if my fat posterior were participating. That is for sure.