Day 42, dinner at Modern Apizza in New Haven,CT

 Large side salad

 1/2 Anchovie and 1/2 pepper pizza

 me

Well on a overnight visit to the city of New Haven with my friend Pablo, to visit his alma mater Yale University we went on a walking tour of the city.  I have to say its a lovely area and with quite a history for fabulous pizza places. But Pablo suggested we go to one of his favorite haunts, Modern Apizza. 

Well i was a little alarmed when we got there and the line waiting to get in at 7:00 PM was out the door with a 30 minute wait to get in to a table. So we put our name in , and went to a great Irish bar next to kill the 30 minutes.  When we got back , 30 minutes later we still had to wait a lil while longer.  But once seated, the wait staff is very attentative and brought us menus immediately and took our drink order. The above picture titled  "me" shows me drinking a Naughty Nurse Ale (yes thats the name, and yes i ordered it solely based on its name) , having said that it was quite delicious.

Pablo and i split the above large side salad, which was fine. Nothing extraordinary , but at the same time it was a side salad so what do you expect. It was all iceberg lettuce with hardly enough tomatoes or onions for my liking.  Although i will say i was a big fan of their blue cheese dressing. 

But …the main event, the headliner of our dinner…The Pizza.  Yowza talk about delicious. 

We got a 1/2 anchovy and 1/2 pepper pizza.  The pizza was cooked perfectly, the crust was thin and crunchy , the sauce plentiful but not overloaded  but the cheese was dairy perfection, i can't recall enjoying a pizza more. The anchovies added the perfect amount of salty to goodness and the peppers were cut to just the right size and cooked just the way i like them.

We managed to finish the whole thing which believe me is no small feat, since it was a generous portion.

The whole meal was fantastic, and very reasonably priced. 

I can't wait to go back to New Haven , and i am even thinking of enrolling at Yale just so i can go to Modern Apizza more often.

Have a great night and an even better meal.

Kevin B.

XOXO

http://www.modernapizza.com/menu.html

Day 41 Lunch at Zaftig's Delicatessen in Coolidge Corner Brookline

 Zaftig's own brand of Raspberry Lime Rickey

 *LENOX OMELETTE

Sun-dried tomatoes, chives and goat cheese. 10.95

 REUBEN

Grilled pumpernickel, corned beef, Swiss, sauerkraut, Russian dressing. 12.95

 bagel chips and cream cheese

this is a repeat review of one of my favorite places in Coolidge Corner, which is a fabulous neighborhood in Brookline with a lot of great dining options…also near the place of go for my Mani/Pedis , but enough about me.

I normally go to Zaftigs for breakfast (which i highly recommend) but in this particular meal we had the opportunity to have lunch/brunch.  After we ordered , they brought us the complimentary bagel chips. I am a huge fan of their bagels and they make their chips from them. A nice little treat to pick on while waiting for your meal.

I had the reuben and i have to say, as a huge fan of this particular sandwich having it at a jewish delicatessen is a rare treat. The meat was amazing , plentiful BUT not overwhelming ( something i hate). Just the right amount of russian dressing and sauerkraut, i can't recall the last time i enjoyed a sandwich so much. The french fries were good but nothing special, i had heard their steak fries were terrific which is what i meant to order. My friend got the Lenox omlete, which she liked but didn't love. Her one complaint was the amount of goat cheese inside the omelet, goat cheese has a powerful flavor and that much of it inside the omlete was just too much.  She thoroughly enjoyed the bagel and home fries that came along with it.

We both got a raspberry lime rickey , and i must say Zaftigs own brand of soda is better or on par with most brand name sodas. 

I always enjoy my trips to Zaftigs as the staff is friendly and attentive, but the food is what always brings me back every time.

Have a great night and an even better meal.

Kevin B.

xoxo

http://www.zaftigs.com/index.php/menu-2/daily-menu

Day 40 Dinner at Alba's Restaurant in Quincy Center

celery root bisque 

 salmon & risotto

 banana bread pudding with banana ice-cream drizzled with a carmel sauce

Everyone has a certain restaurant that has special meaning for them, for me this place is Alba's. I have loved this restaurant since day one , when many years ago i started coming here with a dear friend who has since passed away.  I tried so many different meals at Alba's over the years, enjoying their soups , entrees ranging from a fabulous hamburger to one of the nicest filets i have ever had. Alba's is also the place i tried chicken parmesan for the very first time, and i have to say if i had known how good they made it i would have ordered it there years ago.

The owner Leo, is a hands on old fashioned restaurant owner who checks on the customers to ensure they are satisfied and will even pour you a glass of wine if he notices you are running low. A classic touch that i always love, so many restaurants you never see who is running the show.

I recently went to Alba's with a friend and we both got the 3 course meal  for $25. A fabulous deal , that includes, an appetizer , and entree and a dessert.  I got the celery root bisque with lobster meat. It was delicious, very flavorful and creamy. For dinner i got the salmon with risotto, a beautiful piece of fish. Fresh without a fishy smell and the risotto was cooked perfectly  and was just the right accompaniment to the salmon. We shared a couple of bottles of pinot grigio that i very much enjoyed, one thing you will not be disappointed too at Alba's is their extensive wine list.

For dessert we both had the banana bread pudding with banana ice cream, it was delicious. The ice cream served on top of the warm bread pudding with a melted carmel sauce was a perfect ending to a fabulous meal. But a fabulous meal is something i have come to getting used too at Alba's and i look forward to going back for my next meal.

Have a great night and an even better meal.

Kevin B.

xoxo

http://www.albaquincy.com/wp-content/themes/Alba/Alba-Menu.pdf