Thursday, July 22, 2010

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my semi-regular column where I briefly mention some interesting wine and food items that I have encountered recently.
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1) Last year, I had a superb dining experience at David Burke Prime Steakhouse at the Foxwoods Casino. Since then, I know several people who have also had excellent meals there, including their Sunday brunch and Monday lobster specials. I recently returned to Foxwoods and chose to return to David Burke. The food was once again quite good, fine steaks and prime rib, though we had some service issues. It was as if our server was not really listening to us, and committed several minor errors. There was nothing significant, but enough little things added up so that the dining experience was marred. Based on what I have heard from others about their experiences, this seems more of an isolated incident.

2) Sam's Bistro in Reading is now open and I recently stopped by for lunch. The menu is somewhat different from Stearn's & Hill's Bistro. The lunch menu includes appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches and entrees. Prices seem reasonable and quantity is good, if not sometimes quite large. Food quality was a bit uneven, some dishes being very good, and others so-so, but I do realize this is a very new restaurant which requires some time to work out its kinks. A couple of the highlights include a large and tasty Salmon BLT sandwich and a very good Mac n' Cheese side dish. Service was a bit slow too and that may also be due to the newness of the restaurant. I will be returning and will report back again.

Sam's Bistro on Urbanspoon

3) Chef Dante de Magistris of Restaurant dante is bringing back the tradition of his signature Italian film-inspired grilled cheese sandwiches, available for $2 each at the bar and lounge on Tuesdays. Chef Dante de Magistris’ newest installation of Grilled Cheese Tuesdays includes the following:

July 27th: Roman Holiday: crescenza cheese, pistachio, sundried tomato
August 3rd: Three Coins in the Fountain: buffalo mozzarella, tomato, basil, pepperoncini
August 10th: Under the Tuscan Sun: smoked scarmoza, pancetta, arugula

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