Quickie CT Gold Coast Recap

Tagged along with my wife for a quick business meeting---to be her companion through hours of driving...and, of course, the chow!
 
First up, dinner at the Colony Grill in Stamford.  Pretty good crowd for 8pm on a Monday.  (We think there was a Confirmation at the church down the street).  Oddly, most people were ordering full pies for themselves---which seemed like a lot...but this is thin, THIN crust pizza.  We selected two Hot Oil Pies (one plain, the other with pepperoni).  Both pies had a couple slices of hot peppers in the middle---which lingered long after we put them to the side.   The crackly crust is the star of the show---a bite or two may be a little rough on your choppers, but well worth it.  Tasty, well-done, but not burnt   The oil mostly stays on top of the slices and is quite tasty.  You notice it more on the plain slices.  The generous large circles of pepperoni evened out the oily (but yummy) flavor.  My wife and I were pretty hungry...ended up eating 11 of the 12 slices.  A little pricey for sure...two pies, a beer and a soda, $ 27, but most certainly a great start!
 
Breakfast this morning at Coffee An in Westport.  What great donuts!   I started with the Chocolate Glazed which was cakey and terrific!    Donuts with this kind of texture are sure rare in my parts.  Arguably as good (possibly even better?) was the Coconut Twist, which was cakey---with the same great texture as the chocolate donut and super sweet.  One cup of coffee wasn't enough to conquer the sweetness of the Twist.  My wife also had a cinnamon donut (simple and delicious).   As soon as I finish this email, I'm going to rip into the bag for another Coconut Twist!  We sat underneath photos of (the owners with?) President Clinton.   He digs 'em too!   That's understandable.  Especially nice folks at Coffee An.
 
Lunch # 1 (solo) at Swanky Frank's in Norwalk, as the Mrs. was at her meeting.   In recent trips, I've ventured to Rawley's and Super Duper Weenie---and they were OK, but hopes were high as I saw many comparisons of Swanky's to one of my most fave doggeries, Rutt's Hutt in Clifton, NJ.  (Not loved by everyone here, yes I know!)   First off, the fries, really good---just out of the fryer...used my tiny wooden spork too scoop 'em up---a little sweet, thin and crispy with lots of flavor.  Then, the dog, deep-fried with chili.  I'm not sure if I liked the actual weenie as much as Rutt's, but there was a nice snap in the first bite and the spicy chili (and my added scoop of onions) was quite heavenly.    It all added up to a terrific hot dog!   Three for three.
 
Lunch # 2 (about three hours later, with the Mrs.) at Westfair Fish and Chips in Westport.   Nearly full, I still had room for a healthy bowl of Manhattan Clam Chowder (yummy, with a bit of a kick).  The Mrs. went with the New England (also very good) and the Fried Clam Lunch (lots of freshly breaded hoopy clams, thick "fish and chip" like fries, tartar sauce and cole slaw).   Everything was very good, but the clams were especially wonderful.
 
All four meals were VERY GOOD.  No clear champ, and no clear 4th place prize winner.  All very consistent and wonderful, right in Jane and Michael's backyard.    Glad I tagged along. 
 
 

Hey Stan,
 
Nice trip and report.  Hard to get a bad meal in Ct.
 
Have you made it to the Ooh Ooh Bird yet?

We just cannot touch you guys in the NE for donuts/pizza/dog joints and I really don't know if barbecue makes up for it all by itself.  Sounds like a lovely couple days Stan!

Thanks Nancy, it was fun.

Joe, haven't been to the Ooh Ooh (again) yet,  but soon.

stanpnepa-
Thanks for the nice report!  This is such a great area of the country for Roadfood.  I was especially interested in what you had to say about Swanky Frank's, since that is a place I have long wanted to visit. 

Great choices Stan! Everything sounds divine-especially the clams!

BB, like a great movie...sometimes it takes days to appreciate the whole experience...and now I'm going to declare Swanky Frank's, as my favorite meal of the trip.  I wasn't super hungry when I arrived (11am--opening), but a change in my wife's schedule made it a now or not-on-this-trip stop.    There was a lot of heat in the chili and onions, but I didn't fully grasp how good it was until about half the dog was gone---possibly because I wasn't very hungry at the time.   Then, I was biting slowly and savoring!   Should've had another...or a dog with relish.   Next time.

Thanks Ann, you just can't get those clams in PA...or anywhere outside of New England.