Must Eat Monday: The Whelk, Westport

Must Eat Monday, this time we're hitting the road down to Westport to go to The Whelk. Hard to get a reservation as it's on of the "hip spots" to go, we ventured down there to meet friends from Greenwich. Westport and Fairfield are the roughly halfway mark for us so we're always exploring restaurants in that area.

Tehnically, The Whelk is in Saugatuck, but that's a whole separate post to explain Saugatuck vs Westport!

Honestly, the hype of this place from friends made for some HIGH expectations from both couples and most of our meal did not disappoint.

The Whelk is a seafood restaurant but they actually have a LOT of non-seafood items on the menu. So it's great for seafood lovers and NON-seafood lovers too.

Their menu is set up super simple, once it's explained. Theres a LOT of appetizers, each categorized by quick bites, raw items, salads, and bigger plates. The center is their raw bar. And the right is entrees.

Our plan was relatively simple, we pretty much wanted just about every appetizer. Thankfully, our friends who went with us are also avid and adventurous eaters!

First up, scallop crudo. The bottom was a chili oil, and yes, it had a kick, with fresh grapefruit on top. Nice and light and simple yet delicious.

Apple and endive salad with blue cheese, hazelnuts, and tarragon. Light and refreshing and even the guys liked it!

Deviled eggs with cornmeal fried oysters. People. Get two orders of this. SO yummy. Like melt in your mouth, flavor explosion, must have, I will be dreaming about these for months delicious.

Mackrel toast. Not a fan. Husband liked it, but no one else did. Not too sure how to explain it, just not my taste or texture or anything. Just nope.

The mushrooms. One of my favorite dishes from the night. A nice mixture of wild mushrooms and an egg yolk in the center that when popped added the perfect addition to the spices and taste. We used the fries to slop up the sauce it was THAT good.

Hand cut fries with homemade mayo and ketchup. Almost a shoestring consistency but crispy.

Barbecued clams. If you've ever been to The Place in Guilford, these are quite similar but they add bacon. Doesn't bacon make everything better?!

The fried chicken sandwich. We ordered it because the people next to us had it and it looked amazing. They raved about it because they had been there earlier in the week for dinner and had to come back for it again. We were all totally underwhelmed. Nothing special.

Pork belly and braised cabbage. Personally, I am not a pork belly fan but everyone else is so we got this. I tried it and actually liked it. The cabbage was the star of the plate though! Slight pickling taste just yummy!

Gnocchi al Romana. FYI, gnocchi from Rome is not potato pasta. It's a big piece of polenta that they bake. We were NOT expecting it. This was good. Not delicious, not something I'd order again, but good. Be warned, it's not the gnocchi you think.

Grilled octopus. Not sure I'd get it again because it was legit crispy, but I blame the kitchen on that one. A popped open potato is served under it with a spiced creamy mayo underneath. Just average.

Quatros leches cake. Not three, but FOUR milks to make this cake. And a toasted coconut top. LIght and refreshing and melts in your mouth. Sooooo yummy and a perfect end to our meal.

Their drinks do not disappoint and I recommend the Lily cokctail which is light and refreshing with fresh grapefruit juice. And I don't like grapefruit juice. That gives you an idea of how awesome it is.

The restaurant itself is NOT quiet and they have several community style tables so you might not necessarily be sitting with only the people you're with. Plus, it's rather loud so don't go in expecting a quiet, romantic corner.

Have you been to The Whelk yet?!

Must Eat Monday: Vinted, West Hartford

It's Must Eat Monday and this time we headed to WeHa. Otherwise known as West Hartford.

Have you ever been to Vinted?! The first time we went, we met up with friends for brunch and if you do, be sure you get a Bloody Mary. Because theirs are amaaaaazing. This time, a friend and I went for lunch on a random day we both had no kids and no work. #momwin

Vinted is a wine bar and their wine list is incredible. Plus, their cocktails do not disappoint. I went with a friend who is pregnant so no cocktails or wine for either of us, but I promise, they're fantastic!

Their menu makes any foodie drool. And when I sent the link to my friend, she immediately chose Vinted as our lunch date spot!

We decided to share two appetizers and two desserts (making the pregnant lunch date super happy!)

First up was the honeycrisp and buratta salad. Light a airy greens with heirloom tomatoes, a fresh honeycomb, rich buratta, and a vinagrette that we slopped up after hit the nail on the head. We were going to order the beet salad but switched last minute and are so glad we did.

The fish tacos were next/ Fried cod served on a tortilla with fresh avacado, red onion, an aioli that melted in your mouth along with fresh lime. It came with two but you can add more if you want to. We debated a second order!

The tacos came with fries and they were slightly crispy yet a little moist with a touch of salt. Perfection. 

 Then, dessert. We ordered two. First up were the beignets. Light and airy, there are twn, so perfect to share with a friend. Then the sauces. The sauces. People, these sauces. We dipped our second dessert into the sauces they were that good! A homemade caramel, warm and buttery, a refreshing strawberry, and a rich, thick chocolate sauce. Yum!

Cooke batter and milk. Yes, you're seeing that right. The cookie batter comes in whisks. Can we talk about perfect appeal to the eye?! And the belly?! Yuppers. See how good it looks? It was 1,000 times better than it looks!

Have you ever been to Vinted? I bet you're dying to go now!

Must Eat Monday: Esca, Middletown

We eat out. We like to try new places. We like to explore Connecticut. So why not share every Monday a new find?! Welcome to Must Eat Monday! Every Monday, I'll share a local restaurant (somewhere in Connecticut) that we have recently visited and give you my feedback and thoughts.

This week, let's explore Esca in Middletown!

Esca has a fantastic happy hour, but it's only in their bar. And their bar is not big AT ALL. So if you want to reap the rewards of it, get there early!

Their happy hour runs 4:30 to 6:30 Monday thru Friday but on Thursdays it goes til 10. I've been on both a Thursday and a Tuesday. Totally opposite crowds. Thursday is jam packed with people who've been there since 5 and haven't budged from their seats. We recently went on a Tuesday at 4:30 and when we left around 6:30 there were still open seats scattered.

 Their happy hour menu is great. They have $7 martinis, with my personal favorites being their blood orange martini and cool cucumbertini. They also have $5 wines, $3 beers, and $5 cocktails. What's better than that?!

My two favorite apps that they have are the petite antipasto and their gorgonzola chips. The petite antipasto is great to share with a friend or two while you enjoy a glass of wine.

The gorgonzola chips are heavy but soooo good. They have tomatoes, bacon, fontina, and scallions. The chips are safe for those with a gluten allergy (my friend could have them) and

In the past, we've had their arancini balls, meatballs, calamari, and mango lime shrimp. The arancini balls are delicious, so much that we've always ordered more than one! The meatballs are some secret family recipe so they taste legit homemade. The calamari has a nice kick to it but it is important to note that the mango lime shrimp should come with bread so you can slop up the sauce. Don't deny it- you know you'd do it too!

Their dessert menu doesn't offer up anything eye catching or worthy so if you're a dessert person, I'd explore down Main Street in Middletown for another location.

Have you ever been to Esca? What's your favorite there?!