Piccolo Pizza

Ah, Piccolo. It is so comforting to go there. Marcio is always our waiter, and he knows all our names. They bring you a side dish of pasta with your entree, which to me is just heaven on earth. You can bring your own wine. And now they have a new early-bird program, as I discovered when I went last week for dinner. They have a limited menu with lower prices during set early dinner hours. I was there during early-bird hours anyway, so I picked the chicken marsala. It tasted just as good as if I'd paid more for it. I really should try East Ridge Cafe, another Italian restaurant in Ridgefield, but I always seem to end up at Piccolo.

Thali - best kept secret in town

A few Thursday evenings ago, I met a friend, known as The Feminist, at Thali on Rt. 7. Thali is an Indian restaurant, and it also has a small but comfy bar area. What a great experience. The service is excellent, the food is delicious, the decor is lovely, and the prices make the whole thing a great value. The Feminist claims to be a picky eater and thus was concerned about finding something yummy. That was not a problem! My only regret is we didn't get anything spicy, and I had been craving some spicy Indian food, which is what inspired us to go there. But I really enjoyed what we had. I have to go again to see if this visit was an aberration or typical, but I suspect it is typical.
Tip: try the pomegranate margarita. They'll make you a 1/2 size one if you ask.

Mac Daddy

Just took The Kids to try Mac Daddy in Georgetown. This is definitely not your usual restaurant. You order at the bar, there is only one waiter, and the menu is limited to pasta and salad. There are not a zillion variations on mac and cheese, which is what I expected, but there are a variety of pasta dishes - macaroni with various sauces. The kids had Mac USA, which is your basic mac and cheese. It can come with or without breadcrumbs, which the bartender did not ask us about, and so it came with breadcrumbs. The Kids would have preferred without, but they ate it and seemed to like it. I had the macaroni with vodka sauce. I asked if the vodka sauce was made in-house and was told that it is. It actually was almost a little too hot to really taste the sauce, and I would have preferred a more creamy vodka sauce. I also had a house salad, which was great, but large enough for a whole table, which apparently is what the restaurant intends, only I didn't know that when I ordered it. There is a full bar and bar area. I wanted red wine and was told the only red they have tonight is Chianti. Not the end of the world but would have preferred a choice. Wines by the glass are $6.00. No wine brands are stated on the menu - I guess it is whatever they have on the given day. Overall, we enjoyed it but Spouse wasn't with us (working late) and I'm not sure Spouse would find something on the limited menu because Spouse is not much of a pasta eater. Overall, for a "macaroni and cheese bar" I wish it were a little more kid friendly, or family friendly, i.e., chocolate milk, a fruit or vegetable (not that The Kids missed that stuff), crayons to color with, etc. Give it a try - you might like it.

Ritz Asia - Tried it for delivery the other night. Ordered sweet and sour chicken, chicken pad thai, and spicy salmon roll. Thought all was good. The sushi reminded me of Koo sushi - a long time ago, not recently, and not Junmai, or whatever the new name is. The chicken pad thai was a little plain but very tasty. The delivery was prompt and courteous. I will definitely order from here again. The location is not exactly convenient for me but with free delivery, we just might start eating more Chinese food.

Bissell House

Finally!New restaurant on Main Street in downtown Ridgefield in building that burned down a few years ago. Had two visits recently and they couldn't have been more different. Thursday night the service was so confused and mixed up it was almost comical. Sunday evening it was excellent. After the Thursday visit, I had planned on not returning for at least a month, but Spouse wanted to take Spouse's mother there for her birthday. I was concerned, but it worked out fine. The menu offers enough flexibility that you can have a beer and sandwich or a fine dinner. The bar is lovely and is sure to draw quite a crowd. Nice beer selection and affordable wines by the glass. I'd recommend it with the caveat that the service may not be fully up to speed yet.

Barcelona

Barcelona is a restaurant/bar in SoNo, CT. Not in Ridgefield but close enough for me to get to Saturday evening. Sat at bar, had drinks and tapas. The bartender was attractive and very good at her job. Let us taste both the red and white sangrias before we ordered. We liked the red so had a pitcher of that. Very relaxing. Tapas was very good. My favorite was the ham and cheese croquetas - came with a lemon cream sauce that I can not stop thinking about. Mojitos are fun to watch the bartender make and fun to drink. Service was great. Crowd was 30ish to late 40ish and stylish but not off-putting. Definitely want to go back.

Misc thoughts

While I haven't had a full-service, sit-down meal in a Ridgefield restaurant lately, I have had some takeout and quick lunches. Here are some observations:

A friend came over for dinner with her kids and we decided to order from Piccolo and have it delivered. We got the chicken francese and penna a la vodka, which were very good, but the delivery took FOREVER. The delivery girl blamed it on the chef.

Koo now has a new name. I didn't even notice until I was pulling out of the parking lot with my take-out on the seat next to me. I compared the menus and they are about 90% the same. The interior looks exactly the same, and the phone number is the same.

I took one of my kids to Planet Pizza the other day for a quick lunch. It was a beautiful day so we decided to sit outside. The guy behind the counter offered to bring our pizza slices outside once they were heated up in the oven, and he did. I love good service, even if in small bites!

The burger place Four Brothers on Federal Road in Brookfield is supposedly great. I thought it was painfully loud, and the burgers are greasy. The french fries are good. And they serve peanuts in shells while you wait for your food, which is fun, so it was not a total loss.