Aurora Campechanas Auroras Bakery and Restaurant, Hartford Winter 2021 I'm friends with former Courant and current Hearst Media food writer Leeanne Griffin. She and I rarely write about the same things, but when we do, the results go something like this: For her very rare brewery stuff, she may ask me for some … [Read more...]
Iraq: Dunya Market & Deli
I'm Not Dunya Dunya Market, Waterbury March 2021 Full disclosure: I don't know anything about Iraqi cuisine. While that surely won't come as a surprise to anyone, I think that's also the fun of this Connecticut World Food Tour side project I do once in a blue moon. An alternate title for this page could … [Read more...]
Dubl Twister
Muito Obrigado Ice Cream at Double Twister, Danbury Danbury has a very large Brazilian population. As you’d then expect, there are a bunch of Brazilian restaurants in Danbury. (My quick research shows a distinct lack of true Brazilian waxing operations in town, however.) Dubl Twister is unique among … [Read more...]
England: Tea Roses Tea Room (Closed)
"Pardon Me, Do You Have Any Earl Grey Poupon?" Tea Roses Tea Room, Cromwell November 2017 Here's how much I know about local tea room culture: When I published the "completing Cromwell" introductory page, a Ms. Peggi Camosci commented, "How about the only English-style Tea Room in the greater Central Connecticut … [Read more...]
Pakistan: Rasham
Pak it up, Pak it in, Let Me Begin Rasham, South Windsor June 2017 For the record, I waffled between the House of Pain lyric in my subtitle versus "Rasham-a-lamma ding-dong." (By Otis Day And The Knights, a fictional band created for Animal House.) But really, Irish Bostonians or fake black doo-woppers have … [Read more...]
French-Canadian: Chez Ben Diner
C'est Si Ben Chez Ben Diner, Manchester Multiple Visits from November 2014-December 2016 It appears several of the French-Canadian items have been dropped from the menu in 2024. (Is a title pun better or worse when it's in another language?) Straight up: I love Chez Ben. I've been several times and it became … [Read more...]
Argentina: Aby’s Bakery
Dulce de Leche Can Get Messi 765 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford Several visits between 1999 & 2016 When I renewed my promise to myself to write as much original content for CTMQ as I can in mid-2016, I also promised to try to do more food stuff. Mostly these hole-in-the-wall specialty ethnic places. As … [Read more...]
Jewish: Crown Market
Where is "Jewish?" Bishop's Corner, West Hartford October 2015 This is my first "food/restaurant" post in the "CT Restaurant Tour of the World" section in which I flew solo. I still don't really know what to do with this section and I darn well know that I'm not qualified to write about food. At … [Read more...]
Food & Drink
Restaurants, Foods, Diners, Taverns, Ice Cream, Cheese, Chocolate, Breweries, Brewpubs, Cideries, Kombucheries, Wineries, Meaderies, Distilleries, & Soda Makers This page now serves as a fairly robust jumping off point for the many food and drink sections of CTMQ. The state has maintained some culinary “trails” over … [Read more...]
Portugal: O’Camelo
Oh Oh Camelo! Park Street, Hartford April 27, 2013 This was the first event of the CTMQ CT Restaurant Tour of the World. I did it! I got over myself and my introversion and pushed through to organize and pull-off the very first Connecticut Restaurant Tour of the World dinner! I don’t want to get all … [Read more...]