Venturing to Pho Viet in Newington

December 31, 2014January 4, 2015 ~ ctsnapshot ~ Leave a comment

We’ve placed some entries on the back burner in 2014 to attend to life’s rigor and routine. But alas, here they are! Back in July, we visited Pho Viet, Newington’s first Vietnamese restaurant out of curiosity and our love for Vietnamese cuisine. Personally, I fell in love with Vietnamese cuisine back in college when I visited a cute, hole in the wall restaurant in Farmington. The fresh meats and vegetables lifted my taste buds to a level of flavor they had not experienced before. In the coming years, I visited other Vietnamese restaurants with Christina, but none quite compared. I wondered if Pho Viet could capture my heart and hers in the same fashion.

Pho Viet

Location: 36 Fenn Road, Newington, CT 06111

Website Menu Facebook

Atmosphere: 10/10-The word “beautiful” isn’t one we use lightly, especially when it comes to describing the atmosphere of a restaurant, but it perfectly describes the interior of Pho Viet. We’re not using the word in a conventional sense either, but in terms of owners’ craftsmanship. Most restaurants owners will go through the trouble of decorating their restaurant by utilizing the wall space with pictures and signs, but few care to paint the interior in a way that is truly artistic. The brightly colored walls of Pho Viet remind visitors how deeply the owners care about how their restaurant looks and inviting visitors to experience their culture.

Service: 9.5/10-Knowing how much the owners care about the ambiance of the restaurant, we expected the service to be equally great and we were not disappointed. Pho Viet offers the option of dining in or ordering out. As such, the staff members are always busy attending to multiple different tasks. While it’s commonplace for restaurants to face these challenges, Pho Viet has the edge in that most of the staff members are related. The familial bond makes it easier for them to work as a team and satisfy customers.

Price/Selection: 9/10-Pho Viet offers great prices in terms of its entrees and appetizers. Neither the appetizers nor the entrees exceed $12, giving this restaurant a competitive edge when comparing it to other Vietnamese restaurants across the state. Pho Viet offers a limited number of menu items and this works both to their advantage and disadvantage. Having a limited number of items makes it easier for customers to choose, especially those who have never tried Pho before. It is also an indication that the staff specializes in creating these items. A limited number of vegetarian items, on the other hand, could leave some customers wanting more.

Taste: 9/10-Pho Viet’s pho proved to be the most satisfying item on its menu. The restaurant offers a number of unique items such as crispy spring rolls, rice vermicelli and Vietnamese rice dishes and soups, but none proved more delicious than the pho. Pho is a traditional Vietnamese soup consisting of rice noodles, basil, bean sprouts, lime and cilantro in a seasoned beef or chicken broth. We recommend trying the Pho Ga (rice noodles with chicken) or for those more daring, the Bun Bo Hue, a spicy beef soup with Hue style vermicelli.

In a nutshell: 37.5/40-Pho Viet created a totally new experience from the Vietnamese restaurant we dined at in Farmington long ago. It reminded us that no matter how many of the same types of restaurants exist across the state with similar sounding names, it is still worth it to stop by one at your own convenience. You never know when you’re going to be surprised by the owners’ craftsmanship, competitively low prices or quality service that can only come from a true familial bond.

Munching on Mecha Noodle

June 28, 2014January 4, 2015 ~ ctsnapshot ~ Leave a comment

We remember the college days in which we were so broke that Maruchan ramen noodles proved to be a cheap, practical meal. We’re not alone. Our friends also recall binge eating Maruchan ramen noodles because they were easy to buy and effortless to make. We failed to realize that eating Maruchan’s version was a disservice to our taste buds. Some of us went on to try real ramen in cities such as Boston. Others neglected to try it and failed to realize that restaurants exist in Connecticut that serve real ramen noodles. It wasn’t until after graduating college that Christina and I decided to venture to Fairfield to try Mecha Noodle Bar. Knowing that “mecha” means “mom and pop” in Vietnamese, we were in high hopes for a home cooked, ramen dinner.

Mecha Noodle Bar

Grade: B+

Location: 1215 Post Rd, Fairfield, CT

Website Menu Facebook

Atmosphere: 9/10-We were disappointed to discover that the image we captured of Mecha Noodle Bar’s interior was too blurry and used an image from Yelp instead. We’re pleased to report, however, that Mecha Noodle’s interior is one of intrigue. Immediately upon walking inside, we saw a plethora of decoratively hung and placed wooden pieces that reminded us of a bamboo village or forest. The music did not add to the atmosphere though.

Service: 8.5/10-Mecha Noodle Bar seemed short staffed that night and it took longer than we expected to receive our meals. A restaurant that attracts many customers per night needs a number of staff members to keep up with the demand. Nonetheless, we received competent, friendly service. We found our waitress to be both personal and knowledgable. Without hesitation, she answered our questions about the menu and the restaurant itself.

Price/Selection: 9/10-The restaurant’s menu offers a wide selection of items, including ramen, pho, dumplings, cocktails, wines and beers. We were particularly impressed by their beer selection, as Dogfish Head is our favorite IPA. We were also surprised by the number of ramen items on the menu versus the number of pho items because of the reputation the restaurant carries for its ramen. We figured that Mecha Noodle Bar also has a reputation for their affordable entrees that range from only $10-19!

Taste: 9/10-When you try ramen or pho from Mecha Noodle House, you probably won’t want to settle for the store brand again. While the entrees varied in terms of taste, our taste buds were pleased with what we tried, especially with the ramen and dumplings. If you have never treated real ramen before, we recommend the miso ramen because we are especially fond of the red miso/chili oil combination. If you’re a seafood lover, we recommend the mazemen dish for its variety of shellfish.

In a nutshell: 35.5/40-We recommend that you stop by Mecha Noodle Bar for its admirable selection of ramen, pho and alcohol along with its decorated interior. If you have never tried real ramen before, you might not revert back to your store brand ramen days!

Grab some Gobi Mongolian Grill in Southington

December 20, 2012January 4, 2015 ~ ctsnapshot ~ Leave a comment

Life feels different in Connecticut lately. We feel different. People seem a little more on edge and for good reason. You might feel sad and you might be looking for a return to normalcy. We’ve found comfort in spending time with family and friends around the holiday season in an entertaining atmosphere. If you’re looking for some holiday cheer in the nutmeg state, why not try Gobi Mongolian Grill in Southington! We’ve visited twice and definitely enjoyed ourselves.

What is Mongolian Barbecue? Gobi Mongolian Grill in Southington serves a type of cuisine called Mongolian barbecue. Ironically, Mongolian barbecue relates to neither Mongolian cuisine nor barbecue. Taiwanese restaurants developed Mongolian barbecue during the 1970s. The restaurants’ chefs cooked diverse varieties of meats, vegetables and noodles on round, iron griddles. Imagine a hibachi dinner in which you CHOOSE the contents. Customers handed chefs the vegetables, noodles and sauces and they cooked them without hesitation. This type of tradition caught on in America and has maintained popularity into the 21st century.

Check our Mongolian barbecue adventure-

Gobi Mongolian Grill

Grade A-

Location: 855 Queen St, Southington, CT

Website Menu Drinks Facebook

Atmosphere: 9.5/10: Gobi Mongolian Grill has a spacious interior with an orange and brown color scheme that will likely contribute to your hunger. You will also notice the giant iron griddles that rest in the middle of the room. People wait at marble counters by the griddles with the dishes they selected. Before you visit the counter, go to the buffet area in the back of the room to choose from a variety of noodles, vegetables, meats and sauces for the chefs to cook. Remember-this is all you can eat so grab as many dishes as you desire. You can also choose dessert!

Service of chefs: 5/5-These chefs will cook any type of ingredients and quickly. I added pineapple and strawberries to my plate and they cooked it! I was greeted with a few laughs by the chefs and odd looks by Christina and our friend Brandon.

Service of waiters/waitresses: 3/5-On a busy night, you might have to wait a little while for refills of drinks. Your table could benefit from ordering a bottle of wine to prevent waiting or a large pitcher of water. When we visited a second time for Brandon’s going away party, we encountered much faster service.

Price/selection: 9.5/10-The picture shows only the vegetables you have to choose from! The meats, noodles and sauces boast the same type of variety! You can have as much of this as you want for $15.95. During lunch hours, you can have the same type of buffet for only $8.95. You’ll spend less than you would at a hibachi dinner! The drink prices are reasonable too.

Taste: 9/10-You can create a seemingly endless amount of tasty combinations. Unlike most buffets, the ingredients do not sit out to spoil. We encourage you to try new foods, but be careful of your choices. Pay attention to the spiciness warnings if you don’t like spicy foods. If you’re not a daring person, choose foods that you are familiar with. Otherwise, you’ll end up wasting a lot of ingredients.

In a nutshell-36/40-Whether you’re visiting at lunch or dinner, with friends or family, Gobi Mongolian grill is a “must try” place in the state of Connecticut. We encourage you to try this place as a date or with a large group of people. You’ll find good times and holiday cheer at this restaurant!

Did you know? We also tutor. Click here to check out NimbleFox, our tutoring website!

Saigon City in Old Saybrook: Vietnamese with An Artistic Attitude

September 17, 2012January 4, 2015 ~ ctsnapshot ~ 1 Comment

Old Saybrook is a small, seaside town in Middlesex County. It’s also one of the oldest towns in Connecticut with roots that date back to 1624! A New York Times review of Saigon City, a quaint Vietnamese restaurant, inspired us to stop by the town for dinner and a round of mini golf. We felt excited to try a new Vietnamese restaurant for the first time in almost a year. We were equally delighted to find that Old Saybrook still had a mini golf course by the docks. With our two year anniversary around the corner, we were eager to embark on a pre-celebration in this town.

Saigon City

Grade: A

Location: 1315 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook, CT

Website Menu

Atmosphere: 10/10-When you step into the Saigon City, you’ll notice the beautiful Vietnamese paintings that decorate the walls. Chef Vu Nguyen, who co-owns Saigon City with his wife, Bernadette, painted some of these! This speaks to Saigon City’s authentic, creative atmosphere and to the talent of Nguyen. The paintings represent a wonderful, welcoming expression of the Vietnamese culture. Saigon City’s dining room fireplace is an added bonus, especially for those frigid, Fall and Winter nights. We opted to sit on the deck and soak in the sun. We noticed that Saigon City differs from other restaurants in that it keeps both its interior and exterior clean!

Service: 9/10-We waited a little longer than we expected for refills but, we found our waitress to be personable and efficient. We also give props to the chef(s) who prepared our dishes in under 15 minutes. Vietnamese cuisine (if done well) boasts complexity in its taste and design. The quick preparation time highlights the experience of Saigon City’s chefs.

Price: 4/5-Lunch prices range from $7.95 to $10.95. Dinner prices range from $11.95 to $17.95. If you want a glass of wine, you’ll spend an average of $5-$6. These are some pretty sweet deals! Our experience caused us to re-evaluate our perspective on price. We visited an Italian restaurant the other week in which the price of entrees ranged from $17.95 and above! We expected superior, gourmet cuisine for this amount. We tasted tasty, overpriced cuisine. At Saigon City, you will pay significantly less for dishes with filling portions and damn good taste!

Selection: 5/5-Click on the menu link above and scroll down. This extensive menu spans ten pages! From Vietnamese spring rolls to Red Curry pork, you have plenty to choose from! We suggest you review this extensive menu before you stop by.

Taste: 9/10-Lemon grass, peanuts, limes, vegetables, coconut milk, curry and chili-paste: these are some of the key ingredients to signature Vietnamese dishes. Saigon City’s chefs honored this culinary tradition and the results proved downright delectable! If you’re a fan of spice, you might want to tell your server beforehand. The dishes marked as “spicy” may not taste as spicy as you might anticipate without this suggestion.

Below you’ll find our picks for the top 5 most creative entrees:

1. Saigon Spicy Chicken (Slices of tender chicken breast marinated with coconut milk, yellow curry, and chili pepper. Stir-fried with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and clear noodles. Sprinkled with ground peanuts)-$12.95

2. Spicy Vegetarian Curry (Tofu marinated with coconut milk, curry, and chili pepper. Stir-fried with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, and clear noodles. Sprinkled with ground peanuts)-$12.95

3. Red Curry Pork (Sliced pork marinated with red curry and simmered in coconut milk with bamboo shoots, red chili, and bell peppers)-$12.95

4. Saigon Beef Delight (Slices of flank steak stir-fried with pineapple, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cucumbers)-$14.95

5. Squid Sate-(Squid sautéed with carrots, onions, bell peppers, celery, mushrooms, broccoli, bamboo shoots, and baby corn)-$14,95

In a nutshell: 37/40-Saigon City proved that it is possible for restaurants to serve authentic, delicious cuisine at affordable prices. Yes, this includes wine too! You can treat yourself this to an exquisite dinner or lunch without burdening your wallet. We strongly recommend you visit and immerse yourself in the artistic and culinary gem that is Saigon City.

Did you know? We also tutor. Click here to check out NimbleFox, our tutoring website!

More Hole In The Walls

February 28, 2012January 9, 2015 ~ ctsnapshot ~ Leave a comment

Imagine that you’re with your friends, family or significant other on a weekend afternoon or night. You’re looking for place to eat where you don’t have to wait long. You’re starving and.want instant gratification. You can opt for fast food. Most people do. But why settle for greasy mediocrity when you can have great local taste? This week, we’ll take a look at two Newington Hole In The Walls that offer just that.

GoldBurgers

Overall Grade: A

Links: Website, Facebook, Menu

Location: 1096 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111

Atmosphere: 9/10- When you enter this brightly colored restaurant, you’ll be immersed by creativity. You might first notice some local faces hanging in picture frames on the wall. These are the winners of GoldBurgers’ food challenges. The “Big Dog” and “Trinity” challenges require contestants to finish a large amount of food in less than 45 minutes. You will also notice a specials board and a suggestion box. If you have a creative idea for a new menu item, you can submit it to the suggestion box. The GoldBurgers staff considers new items all the time. They could choose your idea and add it to the specials board!

Service: 10/10- We’ve visited GoldBurgers several times since its opening in 2009 and we’ve always encountered friendly and fast service. The staff tries their best to make you feel at home and will often inquire about your day, local events and how your food tastes. This “hometown personality” cannot be replicated by a chain restaurant or some fast food joint.

Price: 4/5- Revision 12/28/12: We did an inventory of burger places in Connecticut and discovered that GoldBurgers prices DO NOT border on the high side. In fact, Goldburger’s prices are pretty competitive. This is why we changed the score to 4/5. You can buy a solid meal (a burger, fries and a drink) for around $10.

If you’re looking for an economical route, we suggest the “Build Your Own Burger” option. For $3.49 you can build a single patty burger with choice of a number of free toppings. You can even choose potato chips and banana peppers! For $4.99, you can build a double patty burger.

Selection: 5/5-GoldBurgers oozes with creativity and variety! In addition to the menu, the specials board features even more creative items that were brainstormed by the staff and customers. Check out our five picks for GoldBurger’s most creative items. For more information, check out the menu:

1. The GoldBurger: 2 beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, onions, GoldBurger sauce topped off with potato chips. $5.99

2. The “Boss” Burger: 2 beef patties layered with cheddar cheese sauce and jalapenos topped with pepper jack cheese and spicy mustard. $5.99

3. Chicken Hummus Burger: Chicken burger topped with grilled onions, lettuce, tomato and roasted red pepper hummus. $5.39

4. Build Your Own Burger: See menu. $3.49- $4.99 +

5. Fully Loaded Fries: Your choice of fresh cut fries or waffle fries topped with nacho cheese sauce, crumbled bacon, sour cream & jalapenos. $5.99. Add Chili for $1.00.

Taste 9/10: Yes, GoldBurgers’ menu items taste as delicious as they sound. They’re juicy, freshly made and packed with plenty of flavor.

In a nutshell: 37/40-GoldBurgers stands as one of the best burger joints in Connecticut because of its creative atmosphere, diverse menu and dishes that drip with flavor. We strongly recommend you stop by for a bite if you live in Hartford county or if you’re willing to make the trip.

Tokyo Café

Overall Grade: B+

Links: Facebook, Menu

Location: 451 New Britain Avenue, Newington, CT 06111

Atmosphere: 9/10- Located on the border of Newington and New Britain, Tokyo Café exists as an anomaly in this part of town. When Tokyo Café opened in the Summer of 2010, we thought it would be doomed to close early, knowing the history of several ill-fated restaurants that attempted to survive the slow business of New Britain Ave. Tokyo Café has since beaten the odds (knock on wood) and we can’t be surprised. The restaurant seats only a handful of people but one will overlook this because of the charming Japanese decorations and relaxing music. Tokyo Café omits an aroma of authenticity, one that is hard to come by in other Japanese restaurants. Few things about Tokyo Café scream “Americanized.”

Service: 9/10– You’ll find humble and pleasant service at Tokyo Café. The staff greets and serves you with a quiet kindness. You won’t need to wait long for your meals or for a check. You can also order take-out style.

Selection/price: 8/10- Tokyo Café has a diverse selection of items. When you scan the menu, you will find a unique selection of items that don’t exist at other local Japanese restaurants (i.e. Philadelphia Roll, Peanut Avocado Roll, Sweet Potato Roll). You can also order a select number of hibachi items. Tokyo Café is fairly priced for a sushi and hibachi restaurant. It could, however, benefit from an “all you can eat-sushi” option. Check out our five picks for Tokyo Café’s most creative menu items. For more information, check out the entire menu.

1. Philadelphia Roll: smoked salmon, cucumber and cream cheese. $4.50

2. French Dragon Roll: Spicy crunch shrimp and avocado inside topped with crab meat and finished with eel sauce, spicy mayo and boney wasabi sauce. $8.95

3. Dinosaur Roll: Salmon tempura inside topped with salmon and avocado. $9.95

4. Bento Box Lunch: Your choice of vegetable, shrimp, chicken, beef, salmon, chicken or steak teriyaki, tempura or negimaki with California rolls, Shumai, White Rice, Miso Soup & Salad. $7.50-8.50

5. Authentic Japanese sodas: Flavors include-strawberry, orange, kiwi and mango.

Taste: 9/10-Tokyo Café serves a fresh and delicious taste. Tokyo Café’s sushi dishes are not all together filling. If you are looking for a filling meal, we suggest you order one of the bento box options or the hibachi dishes.

In a nutshell: 35/40-Tokyo Café scores a solid B+ in our books. You can expect authenticity and quality when you visit this restaurant. We recommend you stop by with a couple of friends or a significant other. Tokyo Café is not big enough to hold a large group of people. We hope it stays this way =)