Wine Tasting Event

Here's a date to mark on your calendar: May 7.

It's the date for Swim Across the Sound's Wine-Tasting and Silent Auction at the Farmington Country Club. Among the restaurants invited: Ruth's Chris, Sauce, Toshi and Max's Oyster Bar.

All proceeds go to a local family who is battling cancer. Tickets are $75; $50 if you buy them in advance.

For more info, call Mitch McGrath (860.874.8998) or Kelli Cilbrith (203.526.3935).

Taste Thrills

If you're lamenting the fact that you haven't made much progress in checking out Connecticut's fabulous restaurants—or even if you have no regrets—Flavors, the annual culinary gala sponsored by the American Liver Foundation/Connecticut Chapter, is a great way to acquaint yourself all at once with the Nutmeg State's endlessly creative cuisine (while being expertly pampered). Held this year on April 1 at Plantsville's Aqua Turf Club, the benefit's 25 participating chefs include Jeff Urban of Shelton's Il Palio, François de Mélogue of Ivoryton's Copper Beech Inn, Bobby Mundell of Canton's Simmer Restaurant & Lounge, Jason Collin of Hartford's Firebox, Peter Hamme of Guilford's The Stone House and the following New Haven stars: Jean Pierre Vuillermet (Union League Café), Manuel Romero (Ibiza), Arturo Franco Camacho (Bespoke and Sabor), Arturo Moreno (Tre Scalini), Gerry Iannaccone (Café Goodfellas).

Beginning at 6 p.m. with wine and passed hors d'oeuvres from all participating chefs, a silent auction of more than 100 items and live music by members of Connecticut's premier R&B band Eight to the Bar, the event then progresses to a five-course dinner—each chef will prepare a signature menu tableside for 12 guests. Table assignments are made by a random selection process early in the evening, so you don't know exactly where you'll be eating until it's time to sit down. Dinnertime diversions include a live auction (this year's plum picks: a cooking class for 10 with chef Prasad Chirnomula of Thali Restaurants; an afternoon picnic aboard "Mr. Hoopah," corporate yacht of East Haven's Bocca Restaurant; a golf outing at Pinehurst in North Carolina; a unique creation from Peter Indorf Jewelers in New Haven and a dream vacation to a "surprise" destination) and "Fund-a-Grant," in which guests collaborate in creating a research grant by committing to donations of $1,000, $500, $250 and $100. Al Terzi of WFSB-TV Channel 3 will preside over all as master of ceremonies.

At $200 per individual ticket, Flavors seems like a heady indulgence. But keep in mind that ALF is the country's leading nonprofit organization promoting liver health and disease prevention and providing education and advocacy for those affected by liver disease. Since its inception, the organization has raised more than $20,000,000 for liver research. We think that's a sound investment. For more information, call (203) 234-2022.

Recession Dining

We've just completed a round of research on "cheap eats" in Connecticut for the March issue of Connecticut Magazine. Good timing. If economic forecasts prove correct, we'll all be looking for deals when we go out to eat. The article will include free buffets, half-price wine deals, early-bird specials and so on, but my favorites tend to be the places that are no-frills cheap all the time. Here's a sneak preview on a couple. The Cypress in Middletown has been in the same family since it was opened in 1936. You don't go there looking for anything fancy, but the dinner entree prices tend to fall just above and below the $10 mark. You can get a roast turkey dinner for $9.99 and corned beef on Thursdays for the same price. Meatloaf is $8.99, scallops $11.99. You get the idea: It's a trip back into time. The other time trip is Charcoal Chef in Woodbury, which opened up more than 50 years ago and hasn't changed much since (it's from the knotty pine school of roadside eateries). Here, the beef is grilled over charcoal and you can find worthy old favorites such as cube steak and ground beef for around $10 including potato and salad. Locals also love Charcoal Chef for the very grown-up drinks it serves.

Super Bowl Spread

The Super Bowl has become another great American holiday. And other than the actual game itself, a critical aspect of the event is the Super Bowl party. Seemingly no one watches the game by themself, and more importantly, no one watches it on an empty stomach!

Okay, the party I was at yesterday -- the centerpiece was a deep-fried turkey. YUM! There was also a smorgasbord of delicious artery-clogging cheeses and sliced meats, salads and salsas, chips and dips, kielbasa, bruschetta -- heck, someone even got crazy and threw together a plate of healthy veggies and fruit! And then at halftime, the desserts came out -- chocolate-dipped strawberries, cheesecakes, pastry and, of course, my decadent chocolate chip brownies (topped with vanilla ice cream, you know, just because).

At about 9:30, I turned to my friend and said, "Even though I can feel everything I've jammed in my craw stretching my innards to the bursting point, it all looks so good, I just can't stop!" Food, glorious food . . . oh, and there's a great football game, too?

Ahh, Super Sunday -- the Thanksgiving feast you get to have with people you like rather than your family!

Now That's Italian!

Okay, one of the opportunities this blog affords us is to mention some good restaurants we've recently been to. I'd like to offer a pair of Italian restaurants I've enjoyed recently.

La Famiglia in Brookfield - It looks like a pizza place in a strip mall on Federal Road because . .. well, it is a pizza place in a strip mall, but don't let that stop you from ordering any of the other delicious items on the menu. We made the mistake of ordering appetizers and eating the garlic bread knobs, so when our meals came, we were already a bit full. Not that it would've mattered as the portions were so generous, it'd take two meals to eat.

Il Forno in Milford - In the location that was The Bar-B-Q seemingly forever, this new restaurant opened by Juan Cebellos (formerly of Il Palio in Shelton) is just a joy to dine at -- we went on a Saturday night, and although it was crowded (always a good sign, right?), the service was excellent and the food was great. Homemade pasta, nice wine list, enjoyable night. Make reservations.

Still Dining Out?

As I've been working on our annual economic forecast for our January issue, I've come across some interesting data regarding dining out.

In 2006, the state saw 93 new establishments added in the accommodation and food services sector, the majority of which were new dining establishments. Add to it that in 2007, there were some 2,000 new jobs also created in the same area, and it's easy to see that over the past few years we're eating out more than ever. All this, despite the increased interest in eating better and healthier, and the vast attention to home-cooking -- see the new-found popularity of Rachel Ray and others.

Of course, this went hand-in-hand with the strong economy and prosperity of the past few years. However, as things seem to be getting tighter fiscally, I wonder if the trend will continue to expand (just like the American waistline), or if we'll be tightening our belts, both literally and figuratively.

Personally, I think it's more likely that retail will be effected before the restaurant business feels the pinch of tougher financial times -- people may hold off buying that new TV or living room set, but they're only going to hold off on dinner for so long. Besides, it's easier to swallow a $100 dinner check than a $1,000 receipt from Buy More.

Ku Klux Klambake

The new Wise Guys Restaurant in West Haven is only the latest business enterprise to find humor in the brutal, bloody legacy of the Mafia. The restaurant has photos of capos like Joe Bonnano and Al Capone on the walls, along with their fictional equivalents, and in general believes that the image of Clemenza cooking spaghetti for the boys in the cramped kitchen a mob house under siege stands as a culinary high point. If this theme proves successful, what can we expect to see next? Maybe a Ku Klux Klan-themed restaurant featuring Southern cuisine, or a wooden-beamed, Nazi-themed inn with German fare and wonderful uniforms for the waitstaff. I hear Joe Stalin was quite a cook in his off hours, too.