Agave Mexican restaurant- Danbury, Ct

We really like a good Mexican restaurant and we just came across one in Danbury, in the plaza that houses the Christmas Tree Store. It is in the corner and look for the Agave sign, or you might miss it and that would be a shame. 

We stopped by early on a Saturday afternoon and were seated in the rather large and nicely appointed  dining area. After a quick read od the menu I decided on the cerviche and the chicken tacos while Teresa went with the enchiladas verde. 

The cerviche was excellent. The tacos were great. The enchiladas were excellent. The service was friendly and attentive. Overall, an excellent meal at reasonable prices. The bill came to just $26 plus tax and tip. 

Agave could become a favorite in the Danbury area for us. Try them for yourself and I am certain you will agree. Check out their website for more information. 

Angry Orchard- Walden, NY

Angry Orchard opened their new Innovation Cider House in Walden, NY, just about five miles from my house, this weekend. It is on what was once a Crist Family farm and we decided to stop by and see what it was like. 

They spent a ton of money on this place and the results are amazing. The front porch is held up by pillars wrapped in apple trees and there are rocking chairs to relax in. You enter, show your license for proof of age, and get a token redeemable for a flight at the end. 

Next is a self-guided tour of the place, not fully operational yet, ending at the store and tasting room. The store sells growlers of cider, as well as apparel, and glasses. 

We turned in our tokens for flights. I went with the Hop N Mad, the Wooden Sleeper, and the Stone Dry. Teresa got the Farm Cider, the Crisp Apple, and the Wooden Sleeper. They were all good, my favorite being the Wooden Sleeper, a cider hat was conditioned in a bourbon barrel. The Hop N Mad was good as well.

Overall, a neat place and a fine addition to the area. There is tremendous potential here and I certainly hope they add some food and music venues in the future. Stop by sometime. Check out their website for more information.

Blu Pointe Restaurant- Newburgh, NY

Blu Pointe Restaurant sits on the Newburgh waterfront, in the former location of Torches. It is run by the Bonura Family of restaurants, a group that always does things right. I was there years ago under the previous incarnation and enjoyed it. When I saw that Blu Pointe was listed on Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, I looked at the special menu and we decided to pop in on a Tuesday afternoon, just before the sunset. 

The restaurant is large and well appointed giving a warm, upscale feel to it. The best part, however, is the view of the river. We were seated on the enclosed porch and had a splendid view as the sun set giving a warm glow to the Beacon side. 

We were given some wonderful grilled bread with an eggplant capanade and looked over the regular menu, as well as the restaurant week offerings, and decided to go with the thirty dollar three-course meal. I went with the Oysters Rockefeller, the Monkfish, and finished with the Bananas Foster Tiramisu. Teresa got the Harvest Salad, the Bronzino, and the Pumpkin Cheesecake. 

The oysters were excellent, they were perhaps one of the best renditions of that decadent dish. The monkfish was wrapped in crispy prosciutto and sat on a bed of sweet potato gratin with some Brussels sprouts on the side. It was absolutely amazing. 

Teresa said the salad was quite good and I sampled her Bronzino which was delightful. We shared the tiramisu and brought the cheese cake home for later. 

Overall, it was an amazing meal with excellent service, what I would call elegant, yet casual dining.  The wait staff was attentive, yet giving us plenty of space and time. We will definitely be headed back sometime. 

Oh, they have ample private parking, something lacking at the other waterfront restaurants, as well as a rather large wine list and many beers on tap. They have a website for more information. 

Mill House Brewing Company- Poughkeepsie, NY

The Mill House Brewing Company in Poughkeepsie has been on the short list for some time now, the timing just has not been right until today. One time there was no parking, and another there was too long of a wait. We popped in late on a Saturday afternoon and found a parking place so we were golden. We entered and were seated right away. Had we been an hour later there would have been a wait for a table. 

Inside it is nicely appointed and has a feel of a new brew pub, but with an older charm. While it was crowded, the noise level was low. It looked as if someone put a lot of thought into the design. 

I decided to start with a flight of five beers for $14. They have six available so the choice was what to drop from the list and Octoberfest didn't make the cut. The stout was good, the Hubar great (and a crawler of it came home with me), the Kilt Spinner was a good Scottish Ale, the Amber ale good, and the Kolsch nice and crisp tasting. Now to the dinner choices. 

I went with the hand formed burger at $18. That's right, eighteen bucks. When a burger costs that much, the expectations are high but it was worth every penny of it. The meat was fresh and properly seasoned and it came out a perfect medium with pink in the middle. In fact, it may have been one of the best damn burgers I have ever had. The fries were hand cut as well and delightful. Seriously, I'm still stuffed and I could eat another one right now. They do have a cheaper burger but splurge. 

Teresa went with the French Dip at $14 and she said it was quite good. The meat was so juicy that the roll did get a bit soggy, but no big deal as she was dipping it in the au jus anyway. 

I was toying with the idea of a growler, but it would be too much for just me so I went with the crowler  of the Hubar (32 oz) for ten bucks. 

Overall, an amazing place with great beer, excellent food, friendly service, and a warm atmosphere. We will be back again, and soon. They have a website for more information. 

Blue Chip Burger- Middletown, NY

Blue Chip Burger sits on East Main Street in Middletown in what was once a bar. About three years ago a local family with a lot of restaurant experience turned it into a burger joint with the mission of using quality grass fed beef and other natural ingredients to make a quality product. It has been on my list of places to visit for some time now.

We stopped by late one Saturday afternoon and were greeted by our very friendly waitress. She suggested that we try two different specialty burgers and split them. We took her suggestion and ordered the three alarm burger and the roasted garlic burger. Both were under ten bucks and came with copious fries. 

The burgers were very good. They were properly cooked (I didn't specify a temperature so they were medium well) and it was quite apparent that the meat was a quality product and seasoned just right. The fries were of the shoestring variety and were okay. 

They also serve Jane's ice cream, made locally in Kingston, and have a few local beers available. Overall, a neat restaurant with good food, reasonable prices, nice ambiance, and friendly people. We'll be back. The have a website for more information. 

Chicken Riggies

We were headed up to Utica, NY to watch our granddaughter while her mom and dad went to a wedding and a few people said that we had to try the chicken riggies while we were in the area. We stopped at Carmela's in New Hartford and I ordered it.

The dish is chicken, olives, sweet and hot peppers, and a pink sauce over rigatoni. Nothing really exotic, but the flavor combinations are quite nice. I would have preferred the pasta cooked a bit more, but I'm not an al dente fan and that seems to be the style upstate.

Copperfield's Pub- Montgomery, NY

Copperfield's Pub is a place that, regrettably, I have not visited in some time. I think the main reason for not doing so is the close proximity to home. We have been trying to ht different places and have neglected our own back yard. Today I had a craving for a good burger, I'd had a veggie burger earlier and I needed to cleanse my palate after that fiasco, so we decided to stop by Copperfield's to see if they are as good as we remember. 

Copperfield's has been around for over thirty years and is still run by the Purcell family. It is long and narrow inside. The design is of an Irish Victorian Kildare Pub with plenty of wood and charm. We ate in the back sunroom. 

After quickly looking over the menus we decided on burgers. I went with the ranch burger at ten bucks which had bacon, cheddar, and ranch dressing. Excellent burger and it came with some wonderful waffle fries. Teresa had the pub burger at nine bucks and she said hers was excellent as well. Although the beer menu is quite extensive, with many craft beers on tap, we passed and went with ice water. 

Overall, a great place to grab a bite and a drink. The prices are right, the food very good, and the service friendly and attentive. They do get quite busy on the weekends. I promise it won't be so long before we head back again. They have a website for more information. 

Victory Brewing Company- Downingtown, Pa

I have family in Downingtown, Pennsylvania so Victory is a must stop to have a pint, fill a growler, or pick up some bottles to go when I am in town. They do serve food, but I've had mixed results with it. Not so the beer as it is always excellent. The one thing I keep meaning to do is get a flight, but I usually know what I want when I get there. 

My new favorite of theirs is Dirt Wolf, a double IPA wiggling in at 8.7%. It has a nice flavor without a heavy alcohol ease. Storm King Stout is right up there too. It is an Imperial Stout at 9.2% and goes well with chocolate. 

But Hop Devil is still my favorite. At 6.7% it's a nice American India Pale Ale that I love with a burger or pizza and has a nice drinkability. 

When I want something lighter I go for a Headwaters. At 5.2% you can have a couple of them and it seems to go well with a burger, steaks, fish tacos, or just about anything. 

Rushing Duck Brewing- Chester, NY

In the quaint little village of Chester there sits the Rushing Duck Brewing Company. The tasting room, no food served here, is in the back of an old warehouse off Main Street. The place is small and unassuming, but they produce some amazing beer. 

I popped in on a Saturday afternoon and the place was hopping (sorry, bad beer pun) but I got served rather quickly by the friendly and helpful staff. I went with an eight dollar flight to get a sampling of about a third of their offerings. Read them from left to right. The Baby Elephant, an IPA weighing in at 4.4% was quite refreshing with a moderate hoppiness. Next was the Naysayer Pale Ale at 5.27% which was quite nice. The middle one was the Beanhead, a coffee Porter at 5.7% which was amazing. Fourth up was the Divided by Zero at 6.8% and it was good. Last was the War Elephant, a double IPA and a  stronger version of the Baby Elephant weighing in at 8.6%. Nice.

The winner was the Beanhead and I brought home a growler of it for fifteen bucks. 

Overall, excellent brews and friendly staff. Stop by sometime,

Pomodoro- Downingtown, Pa.

Pomodoro is a new Italian restaurant in Downingtown. It is located a couple of blocks from the Victory Brewing Company, which may help them out. They've only been there two months now, but when we stopped by on a Sunday evening there was a twenty minute wait for a table inside. Even though it was getting a bit chilly, we opted to eat outside where there was no wait. 

Teresa and our daughter went with the gnocchi at fourteen bucks. The portion was large and the meal was excellent. Brian went with the sausage and pepper hero and I opted for the meatball parm at eight and eight fifty respectively. Brian said his was very good, and mine was good. We got slices for the kids. 

The service was excellent, the food good, the prices right, and the ambiance nice. I hope they continue to do well and we'll be back. Oh, and they are BYOB. Since they are so close to Victory I'd recommend picking up a growler and bringing it with you. 

Taco Maya- Exton, Pa

Taco Maya is a really neat little Mexican restaurant with great food at low prices. I got two tilapia tacos and a barbocoa one for $7.50 and Teresa got a three taco plate for the same. Everything was fresh tasting so I asked the girl at the counter and she said they make everything there as needed. The staff is friendly, the food good, and the ambiance nice. Stop by sometime.

Clyde's- Washington, DC

Clyde's Restaurant group runs about fourteen places in the greater Capital Region, each one with a unique flair to match the setting. We went to the Clyde's of Gallery Place on 7th Street, near the Verizon Center. It has the pleasant feel of a private sporting club from a century ago with high ceilings, dark wood, and pictures of presidents. The kind of place that makes you feel like you should be wearing a jacket and tie, yet casual enough to wear shorts and a shirt. 

The service was excellent and after perusing the menus we decided on burgers. I went with a bacon and blue cheese with fries and Teresa ordered a cheeseburger with a cucumber salad as her side. The burgers were excellent. They were cooked just right and properly seasoned, well worth the fourteen bucks for each. Next time I think I will go with the shrimp and grits.   

Front Street Brewery- Wilmington, NC

Front Street Brewery is the oldest brewery in town, close to twenty years old, and I have been there a few dozen times. The food is good, and cheap, and it is a fun place. This time I stopped by to take a closer look at the beer and see how they stack up against the newcomers in town.

I went with a flight and it had the Port City IPA at 6.1%, the Amberjack ESB at 4.5%, the Dram Tree Scottish Ale at 7.25%, and the Iron Horse Pale Ale at 5.1%. All were good, but my two favorites were the Port City IPA, which has a nice clean taste and just the right amount of hops, and the Dram Tree, perhaps the finest Scottish I have had. These two are what I usually have when I go there. My favorite memory of the Dram Tree is from a couple of years ago when I was doing a book signing down the street and walked down to Front Street in my kilt and had a quick pint. No one batted an eyelash.

So Front Street is the oldest, and in that time they have gotten it right. Stop by for a pint sometime.  

Ironclad Brewery- Wilmington, NC

Ironclad Brewery is a large place on North 2nd Street and you can tell they put some thought, and some money, behind the design. There are two large bars and a stage on the first floor and an upstairs. We stopped by on a Monday afternoon and practically had the place to ourselves, which was nice because the bartender spent the time talking with us about the beer. She made a few recommendations and we decided to order flights.

I went with the Fish Tale Pale Ale at 5.9%, the Coffee Porter at 7%, the White Squall Brown Ale at 6.2%, and the Roggenbier at 7.9%. All were excellent, but my favorite was the Fish Tale which had a nice clean taste and just the right amount of hops. My two son-in-laws were with me and they made similar choices, and comments.

Overall, a neat place with very god beer, nice ambiance, and friendly people. They don't serve food here though.    

Flytrap Brewing- Wilmington, NC

Flytrap Brewing is a neat small place on Walnut. When we stopped by the first time they only had two of their own beers on tap, so there was no need for doing a flight. There was a Saison at 6.8 and the Rehder's Red at 5.4. I went with the Red as it was recommended and it was good. 

Over the past two years that they have been open they have grown to be one of my favorites. They have increased production and always have a good selection on tap. My favorites are the Belgian Triple and their various saisons. 

The atmosphere is friendly, pleasant, and not too loud. In short, stop by sometime and you might just find me there.