Food truck fundraising fiesta - tomorrow!

What's better than eating good food?  Eating good food for a cause!

Tomorrow from 11:30 am-2 pm, the local all-star food truck lineup will be in one place for the first time!  Maddy’s Food Truck, Melt Mobile, The Local Meatball, LobsterCraft will all be in the circle in front of The Beer Garden at Harbor Point, and each truck will donate a portion of their proceeds to The Food Bank Of Lower Fairfield County.  Maddy’s and The Local Meatball will be donating 10%, and if their sales are over $500 they will donate 20%!  Melt Mobile & LobsterCraft will be donating 10%.

To recap:
Step 1: Eat awesome food.
Step 2: Help the Food Bank.
Step 3: Return to work, sleep off food coma under desk.

Directions:

View Larger Map

Don't be a cotton-headed ninnymuggins - come see Elf at the Avon!

There are certain traditions that signal the start of the holiday season: Christmas music in the stores (in August), people trampling each other for $200 HDTVs, the first snowfall, me complaining about the first snowfall, and watching unforgettable Christmas classics like "A Christmas Story" and "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."

This year, everybody's favorite theater theatre, the Avon, gets into the holiday spirit with a free screening of "Elf"!  Watch as Buddy the Elf searches for his long-lost father in the concrete jungle of New York City.  Will Buddy's new family accept his odd, sugar-fueled ways?  Will he find love with a pre-"New Girl" Zooey Deschanel?  The only way to find out is to come to the Avon on Saturday, December 7, at 10:30 a.m.!  Or you could just rent the VHS from Blockbuster.  Oh, wait...

The Avon also has some awesome Cult Classics to get you through the cold, dark months of winter and beyond:
Thursday, Dec. 5, 9 PM - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Thursday, Jan. 28, 8:30 PM - Wayne's World
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 8:30 PM - Zoolander
Tuesday, Mar. 25, 8:30 PM - Back to the Future
Tuesday, Apr. 22, 8:30 PM - The Dark Crystal
Tuesday, May 27, 8:30 PM - Army of Darkness*

*If you've ever wanted to meet me and tell me how much you love this blog, I'll be at this movie.  I'll be the guy dressed as Ash.  I'm serious.

My mayoral endorsement

The Stamford electorate has been clamoring to hear who I'm endorsing in the upcoming mayoral election, so here ya go.  To help me decide who to pick, I sent the set of questions below to both the Martin and Fedele campaigns.

1) What steps would you take to earn your place in Stamford history as the mayor who finally filled in the infamous "Hole in the Ground"?

2) How would you promote smart urban initiatives such as walkable communities, bike lanes, mass transportation (including the possibility of light rail), etc.?

3) Do you have any intention of trying to bring a minor league baseball team to Stamford?

4) I think Stamford needs a first-class entertainment complex (like New Roc City, only nicer), so if you agree, how would you go about attracting such a development?  On a related note, the Majestic movie theater is a one-story building in the densest part of downtown Stamford; would you promote redeveloping that site into a taller mixed-use building that still housed a movie theater?

5) Stamford has plenty of affordable housing for the lower-income people, but how would you keep Stamford affordable for the middle section of the income range?

6) Metro-North has built additional stations in Fairfield and New Haven while Stamford has debated the construction of the East Main Street station for years.  What would you do to move this project along?

Their responses:

Martin: ______________________________.

Fedele:  ______________________________.

I didn't forget to type their answers - they never responded.  Not even a "we'll get back to you as soon as possible" auto-reply.

So as a result of this blatant snub of my mildly popular local blog, in the 2013 Stamford mayoral race, Streets of Stamford is endorsing...Mayor Goldie Wilson!  He cleaned up Hill Valley, so I'm sure he'll do the same for Stamford.

Feel free to voice your opinions of Mayor Goldie Wilson in the comment section, but keep it civil.

Want to buy your very own island? Now you can!

Are you tired of making plans for world domination at Starbucks?  Do the librarians at the Ferguson always shush you when you cackle maniacally while stroking an albino cat?  If so, you're probably a supervillian in need of a private island where you can make your plans for world domination in peace - and you're in luck, because you can buy one right here in Stamford!

All you need is $12,800,000.

Loyal readers may remember my post from 2008 about the private island off the coast of Stamford: The most exclusive neighborhood in Stamford.  Well, I came across this real estate listing the other day: Seriously, there's an island for sale.

Some highlights:

Even if you somehow get past the gates, that water is teeming
with sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads.

Here's a lovely outdoor setting for your steal-all-the-world's-gold planning sessions.

Behind that painting is a video-link to the U.N. for issuing demands.

What a lovely parlor/enemy agent interrogation chamber.

One of these books opens the passageway to the secret laboratory, but which one...?

After a hard day of scheming, even megalomaniacs need to relax by the pool sometimes.

This island was once valued at over $25 million, so $12.8 million is a steal.  Heck, you could use all the money you saved on a submarine dock to get to your secret underwater lair that much quicker!

Anyway, if you need me, I'll be out shopping for a satellite-mounted multi-directional full-range ultraviolet ocean evaporation ray.  BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

From the back burner: beer and meat!

Now that I'm caught up on 2 Broke Gossip Gilmore Gastineau New Girls Next Door, let's cover some topics I've been meaning to get to!

Half Full Brewery
You're all aware by now that Stamford has its own booming micro-brewery, Half Full Brewery.  They've been all over the local press and blogosphere, and even got a visit from Governor Malloy.  They also just celebrated their first anniversary!

They started with one simple IPA and they've just kept creating quality brew after quality brew.  It's amazing how consistently good their beers have been!

I had a chance to sit down with Conor Horrigan, founder, owner and "Chief Beer Philosopher" of Half Full Brewery to chat about his beers, his passions, and basically the whole story behind Half Full.

To Conor, it's all about "living life with the glass half-full" and "chasing the dream."  Based on how Half Full has exploded in its mere one year of existence, I'd say Conor has succeeded at both.

But it's not just about the business at Half Full.  Conor is also committed to making Half Full an active, positive part of the fabric of Stamford, which includes donating brewery tours as fundraisers, organizing park cleanups, and other community-oriented initiatives.

Conor wants to focus on his employees' passion projects; for example, Chief Beer Artist Jen wants to encourage more women to learn about craft beer.

There's no doubt about Conor's desire to build a community around the brewery.  For instance, Half Full recently hosted a "Craft over Craft" meeting as a complement to Ignite Stamford.  It was a lively discussion about how to make Stamford "the greatest city on Earth."  Ideas included: light rail, bike lanes, more trees, and more art and culture.

Fun fact: Half Full's building used to be an eggplant-frying factory.  Yum!


One of my main questions for Conor was, why Stamford?  They could've found a warehouse anywhere else in the state for much less.  Here's his answer, paraphrased:  "I saw all the development, and a lot of excitement.  This is a densely populated area - it's where the customers and accounts are.  It's also a great community that would support a local business; people are proud of Stamford, and this is important to breweries, since they make a super-local product.  There are also lots of new restaurants here with new and unique concepts, and I wanted to be a part of that excitement.  Also, there are no breweries down here, so I saw the opportunity for craft beer here and for people to learn about better beer.  The people are hungry for something like that here - they'll pick it up strictly because it's local.  We brew right here - you can smell it - the community can come in and see the people behind it.  Beer is a very communal product."

All I can say to that is Prost!

Also - pumpkin beer!

Dinosaur BBQ
I don't have enough superlatives to describe Dinosaur BBQ.  Every meal I've had there has been simply awesome.  It's a giant temple to all things smoke and pork.  Your experience starts in the parking lot, since the smell of all that deliciousness hits you the moment you get out of your car - or when you walk over, if you're one of those people lucky enough to work down the road!  The ribs are the best in the area, and the pulled pork is heavenly.  Speaking of Heaven, Dinosaur BBQ is pretty much how I imagine it would look - BBQ, beer, football...yeah.

Since I work in the general neighborhood, I've used their takeout service plenty of times as well, and it's always been a great experience.  They get every order right, even if you make substitutions, and they're always willing to split the bill when everyone pays on their own, unlike some places that give you a hassle about doing so.

Also - temporary tattoos!

Plan B Burger Bar
Yup - more awesome meat!  Plan B makes the best burger in town, hands down.  And the variety!  You can get so many different kinds of meat and so many toppings!  I'm slowly working my way through their checklist, I mean menu, and I've loved every burger so far.  The service is also top-notch - everyone is friendly and knowledgeable.

Also - Parmesan tater tots!  I loved them so much, I found a recipe online and made them at home!

Yoo tawkin' to me? Fuggedaboutit!

One of the hardest things about being a native of Long Island living in Connecticut is not hearing that singular, unmistakable accent.  It took me a while to figure out what "cah-fee" was; it's what people up here call caw-fee.

Well, I'll get a chance to bask in Lawn Gyland-ish and Brooklynese when The Avon presents "If These Knishes Could Talk" next Wednesday, September 11, at 7:30, at the Avon.  "If These Knishes Could Talk" tells the story of the New York accent: what it is, how it's evolved, and the love/hate relationship New Yorkers have with it.

And yes, I still call it Noo Yawk.

The other (w)hole in Stamford

Now that Port Chester has a Whole Foods, every town and city on the New Haven Line's main branch from Port Chester to Milford has one, except for Bridgeport, Stratford, and oh yeah, STAMFORD.  We're only the second-biggest city in Connecticut, for crying out loud.  Even Danbury has a Whole Foods!

The traffic whiners killed the proposed Whole Foods at Bull's Head, so I hope that someday a big, multi-use downtown development will incorporate one, kind of like the one at City Center in White Plains.  While they're at it, we could use a state-of-the-art movie theater, an arcade, and a bowling alley.  What's that?  New Rochelle has all of those things in one place?  WHAT THE HECK??  Is there an evil tycoon keeping Stamford from enjoying things other cities have, like Cohaagen withholding air from the people of Mars??

"A minor-league baseball team?  In Stamford??  BAH!"

Food + TV = two more chances for you to be famous!

I guess that state tax credit is working, since I'm getting casting call notices left and right!  Here are two more of the culinary variety...and if you get on either of these shows, make sure you tell me about it!

1) Food Network's hit show "The Worst Cooks in America" is back!  We're looking for the worst cooks in America to compete to become the most improved and win big money!  Casting immediately!  If interested, email worstcooksnyc@gmail.com.  Tell us why you (or the person you are nominating) are the most disastrous cook in the country.  Include your name, the nominator's age, hometown, occupation, phone number, a recent photo of the cook, and your relationship to the cook.  The more information about the horrible cooking, the better!

2) Now casting for an awesome new show where high-end chefs compete for a chance to transform your favorite decadent dishes into healthy culinary masterpieces.  In this exciting show, chefs with a passion for healthy high-end cooking will battle it out for a chance to change the way you eat.  We are searching for people who dream of a healthy menu makeover - whether they are struggling with weight, nutrition-related issues, or have a family member they want to keep healthy.  For more information, please visit www.healthycookingcompetition.com.

Want to be on TV? Now here's your chance! And your other chance!

I got word about two casting calls in our area, so if you're looking to get famous, date Taylor Swift, and then have Taylor Swift write a song about you, one of these shows might be your big break!

1) Do you work in finance in Fairfield County? Are you between the ages of 22-35 and out-earning all of your friends and living a fabulous lifestyle? Do you have a big personality and are open to having some fun? A leading television production company is seeking men and women ages 22-35 for a new reality series focused on people in the financial scene in and around the Stamford, CT area. If you or someone you know fits this description, we want to hear from you! Please send a few lines about yourself and your job, along with a photo to castingfortelevision2013@gmail.com.

2) Does your man’s strange obsession drive you crazy? Is your boyfriend or husband’s entire life consumed by something that you can’t stand? Does he play fantasy football or go to the gym for hours at a time? If you're about to walk out the door on your man, contact casting@triplethreattv.com. We’re looking for couples, gay or straight, where one desperately needs the other to change. If you have drama, we want to hear about it!

The Downes Building is coming down

In another blow to what's left of Stamford's pre-urban renewal architecture, the Downes Building on Atlantic Street is slated for demolition.

As you can see on the demolition notice, the new building will be "mixed-use," which probably means that the ground floor will be retail and the upper floors will be residential.  Based on recent trends, I figure the ground floor will eventually house:
- a bank
- a Starbucks
- a CVS

The upper-floor apartments will most likely be rented out to:
- hedge funders
- financial workers in blue shirts and khakis
- UBSers
- RBSers
- All of the above


On the bright side, at least Chinese Mirch is safe.

@StreetsStamford that's for the two adjoining buildings, we are OPEN for business now & for a long time to come :)

— Chinese Mirch (@ChineseMirch) June 12, 2013

The Porkpocalypse - a requiem

Day one of the Porkpocalypse began like any other.  It was hot.  I was hungry.  Luckily for me, it was also the day of the Fairway Firefighters Food Face-Off, so I went to Fairway to judge some burgers, kabobs, and ribs!

Belltown, Cos Cob, Noroton Heights, and Westport were all in the house, cooking up some deliciousness.  But first, here are some appetizer pictures:

Lovely flowers made from tomatoes...

...and lemon peels.

Fairway's version of the Wheel of Fish.

Fire!  Fire!  Hehehehe!

I don't get it.  Show your su-bra-ort?  Is it a riddle?

The hardware.  This trophy is huge.

Kabobs!

Speaking of food, the first course was burgers - into which the competitors had to incorporate the surprise secret ingredient: chorizo!  In no particular order, the four burgers we tried were:

- blue cheese and chopped chorizo

- cheddar and sliced chorizo

- guacamole and chorizo

- pineapple, onion, and chorizo sauce

They were all delicious, with the guacamole burger being my favorite.  I should add that I'm a huge guacamole fan.  Put some guacamole on a copy of War and Peace and I'd probably eat it.

Oh yeah, I was too busy eating to remember to take pictures of the burgers, plus burgers tend not to look as good in pictures as they taste.

Next up were the kabobs. They could either be chicken or veggie kabobs, though some of the teams mixed things up and did both.  They were all very good, with one WOW.  Again, no pictures...too busy eating.

And now for our main event: ribs!  With pictures this time!

How much for just one rib?

OK, how about three delicious, slow-cooked ribs?

This beautiful trifecta was the consensus favorite among all the judges.  One of the chefs told us the secret: they cooked them at 200° for TEN HOURS!  He said he got up at 2 a.m. to turn them.  Now that's dedication!

For your intermission entertainment...The American Bombshells!

And this year's winner of the Fairway Firefighters Food Face-off is...COS COB!  Back-to-baby back champions!

In addition to another huge trophy, Cos Cob's bravest won a $500 Fairway gift card and a charity shopping night, where a charity of their choosing will receive 25% of Fairway's profits that night.

---

So...having survived day one of the Porkpocalypse, I retired to my shelter to await the challenge of another day.

Challenge accepted!

I'd been looking forward to Pork in the Park for MONTHS.  Delicious BBQ in the newly revitalized Mill River Park...what's not to love?  Well, a lot.  I'll be honest; I was disappointed with PITP.

My biggest issue is that you had to pay to get in, and then you had to pay for food.  It was good food - Bar Q, crepes from Volta, Fryborg, Hot off the Grille, and more - but I could try them any other time without a cover charge.

There was also a BBQ contest, with the winner being crowned the Connecticut BBQ champion, but the contestants were only cooking for the judges.  I've been to chili contests where you pay an entrance fee and then get to taste all the chilies, and I kind of thought PITP would be more like that.  So I paid $10 to watch people cook BBQ?  Kind of a bummer.

Don't get me wrong - it wasn't all bad.  There were games for the kids, good live music, and hot sauce vendors (I bought some ghost pepper sauce - oh yeah), but I hope they can put together a better experience for next year's festival.

---

Well, I made it through the Porkpocalypse - stuffed, a little sunburned, but otherwise unscathed.  I look forward to what the future holds in this bacon- and sauce-covered new world we've created.  Only the strongest can survive.  So eat up, my friends.  Eat up.



PS: Speaking of chili contests, they had one at SoNo Marketplace back in April.  I started writing about it but then got sidetracked, so look for a few catch-up posts soon!

I'm back! And I'm "pigging" out next weekend!

July 13th and 14th are going to be fun days here in Stamford if you're a connoisseur of pork!

First up on Saturday is the Fairway Firefighters Food Face-Off at Fairway Market!  Once again, teams of local firefighters will compete in a BBQ throwdown for bragging rights and a $500 Fairway gift card.  Each team will grill up ribs, burgers, and veggie or chicken skewers. This year's competitors are returning champions Cos Cob, along with Noroton Heights, Westport, and Belltown.  The competition begins at 12:00, and there will be free samples, giveaways, contests, and more!

To whet your appetite, here's my photo-filled post about last year's contest: And the winner of the Fairway Fire Fighters Food Face-Off is...

But wait, there's more!  On the day of the contest, the teams will be given a secret ingredient that they must incorporate into their burgers!

But wait, there's still more!  One of the contest judges will be none other than Yours Truly!  This is your chance to finally meet the mysterious man behind Streets of Stamford.  I can't promise that I won't get barbecue sauce on you, however.

Once you've awoken from your food coma on Sunday morning, head down to Mill River Park for Pork in the Park!  Pork in the Park actually takes place on Saturday and Sunday, but I'm only one man - how much tasty pork do you expect me to eat??  Whichever day you attend (or both!), this festival sounds awesome.  There's a BBQ competition sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society, music, and fun activities for the kids!  It also helps a good cause, as all proceeds from the festival will support the Mayor's Youth Empowerment Program.

Huh - I can't believe I made it through the whole post without one pork-related pun.  I'm such a ham!

Yeah, yeah, I finally joined Twitter

Yup, I'm catching up to 2007!  I don't have a smartphone, so I can't promise to Tweet every day but I'll try to do it as often as I can.  Check me out at https://twitter.com/StreetsStamford!  (Note the missing "of."  Darn character limits.)

Evil Dead tonight at the Avon. GROOVY.

There's not much I can say about The Evil Dead that hasn't already been said.  It's a seminal horror movie that has spawned countless imitations, an allegedly decent remake, and a phenomenal stage musical.  And it's playing tonight on the big screen at everybody's favorite arthouse cinema, The Avon.  So put on your finest blue polyester shirt, oil your chainsaw, and load your 12-gauge double-barreled shotgun and head downtown at 9 PM!

BREAKING NEWS!! Stamford: The city that worXXX

Lights!  Camera!  Hot, sweaty action!

Thanks to Connecticut's generous tax incentives, Stamford's reputation as a wonderful host city, and the success of productions like "The Big C" and "Are We There Yet?", other players in the entertainment world are making the move to the sunny shores of the 203.  Several of the biggest studios in the adult film industry recently announced that they'll be moving from Los Angeles to Stamford in the near future, with the goal of being up and running by the fall.

"Stamford offers the perfect blend of settings for the finest in adult entertainment, and the move just makes good financial sense as well," said Alana Gale, a spokeswoman for Vivid Video, the largest adult film studio in the United States.  "We're already scouting locations for upcoming productions such as 'Cove Island Pork,' 'Strawberry's Hills,' and 'Ring My Belltown'."

Many actors in the adult business are happy about leaving Los Angeles, too.

"I'm looking forward to moving out of a city with terrible traffic, high taxes, and insanely expensive real estate," said Mike Strauber, star of "Sanford and Son and Your Daughters."  "It'll be nice to live where the people aren't obsessed with money, image, and status."

Some local consumers agree that this move can only benefit the city.

"I'm thrilled that I'll be able to buy locally-made adult movies, just like the vegetables I get at the farmers' market," said a self-proclaimed "pornnoisseur" who preferred to go unnamed.

Not everyone is thrilled about this new addition to Stamford's media scene, however.  Rod U. Phisrear, president of the Connecticut Council for Puritanical Preachery, feels that Stamford is the wrong place for the adult film industry.

"This is depravity at its worst.  I will purchase copies of every piece of smut filmed in Stamford.  Purely for research, of course.  Extensive research."

Alana Gale, the Vivid spokeswoman, is unfazed by such criticism.  "Our industry has faced opposition for years and yet we're still here," she said.  "Moving to Stamford is another exciting chapter in the history of adult entertainment.  We can't wait to put the 69 in 06902!"

Big news coming soon...

I've got some leads on a big media story, but I still have to confirm a few things.  Keep checking back...there's more to come.

Men (and women) vs. food at Rodizio Grill!

On Thursday, May 9, history will be made.  Legends will be born.  Meat will be eaten.  It's Meat-a-Mania at Rodizio Grill!

In this corner, weighing in at a whole bunch of pounds, Stamford's greatest eaters!  In the other corner, weighing in at as many pounds of meat as they can eat, it's MEAT!

The rules are simple: The steel cage is locked and the competitors eat meat until there's one man or woman left standing.  (Steel cage subject to change.)  The winner receives FREE Rodizio meals for a year plus a $100 cash prize.  The entry fee is $30; to participate, e-mail rodiziogrillct@gmail.com.  Spectators in attendance can enjoy a Full Rodizio meal for the special price of $30.13!

This carnivorous spectacle will also benefit a good cause.  A portion of the meal proceeds will go toward the Stamford Fire Safety Foundation Fund’s new “Alert for Life” campaign.  This program improves the lives and safety of the local community through fire prevention programs.

Did I mention meat?

Try something new at Eos!

For one reason or another, and despite many attempts, I had never managed to eat at Eos on Summer Street in the nearly five years they've been open.  Fortunately, I had the pleasure of sampling their new menu, and if the old menu was anything like the new one, I was missing out!

First up was a trio of Mezedes, or small plates.

One at a time, from front to back:
- Feta Saganaki - sesame and poppy seed crusted feta with peppered honey drizzle.  This was amazing.  We could've eaten two more of these.  It's sweet and savory, creamy and crunchy.  Just delicious.
- Veggie Moussaka - zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, mushrooms and lentils with béchamel cream.  Also delicious, and a great alternative when you want something meatless and yummy.
- Mydia - P.E.I. mussels steamed in white wine, ouzo, butter, garlic, and fresh herbs.  Mussels + garlic + butter.  You can't go wrong with that equation.  Great eats.

Next were the EOS Sliders, ground lamb sliders with caramelized onions and roasted red pepper sauce.

My wife usually finds lamb a little dry and gamy, but she loved these sliders.  They were tasty and moist, and the red pepper sauce was a nice complement.

Second course!  Kypro Salata - mixed greens, grilled zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, red peppers, haloumi cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette.

Grilled veggies are always a good thing.  Haloumi cheese is kind of like "Greek mozzarella" and has a similar texture and salty flavor.  Grill up some of that goodness, throw it on top, sprinkle it with balsamic, and you've got yourself a salad going.

Entrée time!

From the top:
- Papia - char-grilled duck, black cherry and red wine reduction, and pine nut rice
- Lahanodolmathes (not pictured because I forgot to use the flash) - ground beef and rice stuffed cabbage leaves with creamy lemon sauce
- Ksifias - char-grilled swordfish kebab with lemon potatoes

The Papia was superb.  The duck was perfectly charred and crunchy.  I love pine nuts in any form (pesto, toasted, etc.), and this rice was no exception.  And the cherry-wine reduction - wow.  If it came in jars, I'd bring one home and put it on everything: pizza, pasta, toast, Cap'n Crunch, you name it.

The Lahanodolmathes were so-so.  The beef was a little too dry for my liking, though the lemon sauce was quite tasty.

Bringing things back to greatness was the swordfish kebab.  Like the duck, it was perfectly grilled, and nice and flaky.  The lemon potatoes were also very good.

I spoke with Nikki, Eos' general manager, about the inspiration behind the choices on the new menu.  She said that these were dishes that they've wanted to try since opening almost five years ago.  They first introduced new items as specials to gauge the reception they got, and then went with the winners.  The menu is mainly inspired by traditional Greek dishes, with the occasional different idea like lamb sliders, another dish they'd always wanted to try.  The veggie moussaka came about specifically because vegetarians have been requesting it, and it's also an option for Lent or other times of fasting.

Thank you again to our gracious host, Nikki, and everyone at Eos.  If you're looking for something new and delicious, make Eos your next dinner choice.  Don't wait five years like I did!

First look at Spazzio's replacement - TOMᾹTO TOMÄTO

My source from the local pizza paparazzi (pizzarazzi?) sent me these exclusive spy pictures of the new restaurant that has taken over the former Spazzio space on Shippan Avenue.

Now with umlauts!

As you can see, TOMᾹTO TOMÄTO is not just a pizzeria - it's also a pour house, a fact reinforced by the presence of something my classically handsome source calls a "bar":

BÄR

My source, a witty and articulate writer, also tells me that TOMᾹTO TOMÄTO plans to make a lot of dough.  How, you might ask?  With this:

Zing!

No standing here!  My clever, well-read source tells me that TOMᾹTO TOMÄTO has seats.

SËÄTS

My rakishly good-looking source tells me that people in the pizza business call these "ovens."

But these are ÖVËNS.

My overall first impression is that it looks like a pretty nice Remo's-style pizza joint.  It'll be a welcome addition to an area that is underserved by pizza-flingers.  And umlauts.

PS: Biagio Express update: I had their ciabatta sandwich with veal ricotta meatballs, roasted red peppers and olive oil, and Parmesan reggiano.  It was delicious - and HUGE.  The ciabatta in question was probably about a third of a loaf!  You should definitely come down and check them out.

Sneak peek at Stamford's news food truck: Biagio Express

Head to the very end of Harbor Drive in Shippan and look for the office building complex you never knew existed.  Drive around until you see a big food truck next to the parking garage near the water.  You have arrived at Biagio Express.

Biagio's Osteria in Stratford has opened Biagio Express, a food truck serving the starving office workers in Harbor Plaza Shippan Landing and anybody else who seeks out good eats.

Today was their soft opening, with a grand opening TBA, and everything sounds delicious!

Here's the menu:

(The website on the menu doesn't work yet.)

I brown-bagged it today, so I'll report back on the food once I've sampled it.  If anybody wants to meet up for some lunch, let me know!

So long, kebabs - hello, Forever stamps!

Chili Chicken may be gone, but the next best thing has taken its place: a post office!  I assume that this one will replace the one in Ridgeway, now with even less parking for the Ridgeway faithful to fight over.  Hooray!

Squash! It's not just a vegetable anymore!

What jai alai was to the 70s and racquetball was to the 80s, squash is going to be to the 2010s.  (I'm not sure what the hot sports were for the 90s and 00s.  Maybe ultimate frisbee and Wii Bowling?)

If you want to get in on the trend before it takes off, head to Chelsea Piers this Saturday to watch Columbia take on Brown in a real deal college-level showdown!  The match runs from 11 AM-3 PM.  Admission is free, but you'll get an additional 50% off if you paint yourself in either team's colors.

To answer the first question that pops into everybody's head, squash isn't the same as racquetball.  Squash racquets are bigger while the ball is smaller.  The squash court is also shorter but wider, and the ceiling is not in play.  There are some other differences, but regardless, you're going to see some high-speed, wall-smashing, mind-blowing squash action!

Here's a YouTube video of a nice squash rally to get you acquainted: