Chelle's 50's Car Hop Diner 49/64 Diner

I used to visit a friend in Stafford and I would drive by Chelle's a lot, my father would also talk about going there for breakfast. It is located on 107 West Stafford Road, Stafford CT 06076. The phone number to reach them at is 860-684-6622. It's hours of operation are Sunday to Tueaday 6am to 2pm. Wednesday to Saturday 6am to 8pm. If you line diners, especially car hops from the 50's Chelle's is a trip down memory lane. I was expecting the usual diner fare going into my experience.

The dining area was set up with typical Diner booths, some of which were in obvious need of repair with tape, or multi-colored patches across them. I'd say the dining room seats about 75 people. The area to the kitchen and dining area is completely open so the waitstaff can't really hide from you. The walls were fully decorated with various relics of the 50s across the country and in the city of Stafford. The dining area is set up in such a way to be appealing to people of all ages, they even have a jukebox with 50s music on it. For being the typical diner layout I give it a 12/16.

Once again the regular menu was a standard lunch diner menu with a decent selection of breakfast items. All of these were reasonably priced. The special board had some impressive items on it. Included a 26 in hot dog that I got with chili, cheese and onions. It came out on a large platter on two foot long hot dog buns. I was delicious and I wish I'd gotten two. The layout of the menu was very simple as it should have been. The menu was set up to draw in families and couple, which was mostly what we saw in the dinner. If your on a diet or a vegetarian / vegan there was a small amount of things to choose from. However don't expect gourmet vegan food here. I give the menu layout and design a 13/16 for above average selection and good pricing.

The cooking staff prepared our buger and hot dogs fairly quickly. One thing I am disappointed about though was that the platters came only with potato chips. If you wanted french fries they were a dollar extra. The waitress was also young and kept getting distracted by her co-workers. The platter came out arranged nicely though, my hot dog looked like it had been layered rather than slopped on. I give the performance of the staff a 11/16 for slightly above average work.

The hot dog was excellent simply put, the chili was flavorful but I still tasted every thing else, I wasn't impressed by the slightly stale potato chips however. My friend Eddie said the burger was also great. He wasn't even able to finish the nearly 3/4 pound patty heaped with toppings. I have not tried their breakfast menu but the fact my father travels down there out of his way quite often gives it enough credit to me that it's also worth having. I give the food a 13/16 for simple but delicious offerings as well as unique items like the hot dog and other daily specials. A lot of places have done away with specials or simply rotate 5-10 items for their "specials". I'm glad some places still focus on creativity and selection with specials.

Another note worthy feature of Chelle's is they do have outside seating at picnic tables served by girls on roller skates. Like the true car hops did back in the 50s. I'm not sure if they serve you in your vehicle but personally I don't like eating in my vehicle. It makes to much of a mess, especially if you spill ketchup or something on the seat.

I have rated Chelle's 50's Car Hop Diner as 49/64 points, it delivered just what I expected. A family and kid friendly place with food you knew what you were getting into. Other than the potato chip issue I have no qualms with going back to this place. The pricing was adequate and service quick and friendly enough. Although it's a bit out of the way in Stafford it's still worth a trip down on a weekend for some good nostalgia.

Fire and Ice - Buffet / Chain 50/64

Fire and Ice is located in the Providence Place Mall in Providence Rhode Island. I went to school in Providene for four years. Through word of mouth from my classmates I learned of this unique and fun restaurant. Located on the ground floor of the immense mall it's hours are Monday through Thursday 11:30 am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30 am to 11 pm and Sunday 10 am to 10 pm. This place while being a chain is fairly spread out across the country. I have visited it often in the past during my college years so I expected a fairly large spread of ingredients. I would classify it as a buffet catering to college aged people as well as couples and businessmen. Very rarely do you see families with small children or people over the age of 40.

The dining area is set up with numerous booths and tables. In the center is a large circular flat-top grill and counter space where the employees cook your food. Beyond the stove area is a number of counters with buckets and bowls of various ingredients on ice. Even the pickiest of people would not have a hard time finding something they like, from vegetables to seafood to various noodles. After you've filled a bowl with the ingredients you may select one of their pre-made sauces or mix a few of your own and head to the grill to have them cooked together. They can seat roughly between 100 and 150 people between the dining area and the bar. The areas are generally kept well stocked and clean. The decor is fairly modern and trendy but over all suits the place. I give the dining room a 13/16 points. It is fairly well set up but because of the function of it you some times get a lot of traffic passing your table which can be bothersome.

The desgin and content of the menu is hard to judge as it is not set. They do generally stick to a rough outline of a couple types of salads and dressings. Then they have noodles, vegetables, seafood and finally meats. The sauces tend to match a certain item or items in the other stocks. Despite its departure from normal set ups I enjoy their creativity and give it a 13/16. While its hard to plan on going and getting the same thing every time, you can hardly say they don't have anything you life..

The servers act more as tour guides explaining everything and bussers removing dirty plates. The cooks however are more on display than even kitchens with open walls or glass viewing areas. They work methodically and very clean to appease the flow of guests. Due to the way the food is laid out and the progression you generally follow the food tends to be all cooked to the right doneness. Even if you have wide ranging items from noodles to raw meat to carrots. I give Fire and Ice's staff a 12/16 because of the servers tend to be spread thin and a little lax on attention as they don't perform like normal servers. Also while the food is cooked well it often looks like a stir-fry or chili slopped onto your plate. While I completely understand given its nature their plating and presentation isn't what you tend to frequent this establisment for.

Being in the business and seeing the items I see a lot of the same ingredients that I work with, a lot of the vegetables being either par-cooked products that come in vacuum sealed or canned products. The meats and seafoods are often still partially frozen as they sit on the line. The quality however it may sound like I am critiquing it works for the application. After being combined and cooked only professionals or people who spend a lot of time with food could tell the difference. Due to the reasons I give the food a 12/16 as is it not top notch, it is an all you can eat buffet and the food provided is very tasty and enjoyable.

I have pretty much covered the unique features of Fire and Ice in my opening descriptions. It is hard to describe without seeing it yourself but I believe I have done the place justice. In all my travels in the culinary world I have yet to run into a place with a similar style. It could be considered an upscale buffet. The price tag runs about 15 dollars usually with a special 9.95 dinner on mondays with a valid college id.

I give Fire and Ice a total of 50/64 possible points, I feel they do real well in targeting their desired clientel versus the crowd they draw in. The times that I go the people tend to be in their 20s or 30s. Generally mall shoppers or people visiting the town as well as college students. The staff does well with the concept offering a more upscale buffet than most of us are used too. While it could use some work I suppose the old adage of "If it's not broke, don't fix it." applies in this case as well.

New Description items

After having spoken to a few people about my blog I've come up with a few things I will be including in future posts. I'm sorry I'm behind but I have a double update planned for tomorrow! I will be including several new things when rating and describing the restaurants. One of the most important items of change was suggested to me by an educated source. I will now be describing the type of clientele patronizing the restaurant versus the clientele targeted by the restaurant through menu and atmoshpere.

Utsav 56 / 64 Ethnic / Indian

I apologize to my readers for the lapse in my blogs. As I'm sure every one knows the economy is rough and I can't go out to eat as often. I was however able to try out a new place the other day.
I had been to this restaurant once before when it was under a different name and management. It used to be the Taj Mahal I believe. It's located right near my grand mothers house and Paul's Pizza in Vernon. The address is 575 Talcottville Road. It's hours are a bit unsual. They open for lunch 11:30 am to 2:30 pm Monday to Friday and 12 pm to 3 pm Saturday and Sunday. Then they shut down for a few hours. Sunday to Wednesday they reopen 5 pm to 10 pm, Thursday Friday and Saturday they open 5 pm to 10:30 pm. If you have any questions you can look them up at www.utsavcuisine.com and the phone number is 860-871-8714. I have not been to many Indian restaurants before so my experience with them is limited.

You walk into the dining room through a hallway in the middle and there are tables and booths lining both sides and a rather large and well stocked bar in front of you. The tables are spaced well enough apart for the staff to manuever, they can probably seat about 50 to 60 people at one time. The room was very tidy when we first arrived, the artificial lighting is very minimum and shaded with brightly colored glass. The walls and table clothes even the plates are festive and bright colors indulgining your senses and awakening your appetite. Aside from the lively color scheme it is quite simplistic. The bold take on the dining room works very well, for their daringness and success I give the dining room a 14 of 16 points.

The names on the menu are all Indian in nature and thus a bit hard for me and others to pronounce I'd assume but the staff is very accomodating to this. Like the dining room itself the menu is cheery and bright with background images to draw you in. The sections are not only broken up into the usual appetizer, soup, bread and entree categories but the types of meat as well. They will make the spiciness of your dish according to your liking, but they also have a key as to the original dishes heat level compared to others on a 1 to 3 chili scale. Overall I feel they do real well on offering many types of dishes for every one. They even had many kinds of lamb dishes something I often struggle to find on regular menus, for these reasons I get the menu layout and content a 14 of 16 points.

I went out with my friend Slade and his mothers, when I had arrive they had already sat and placed drink orders. We were one of the first customers of the meal service that day and our waiter was very helpful. Once we had ordered the food came out in quick succession often one course replacing the other just as we had finished. All of the food was decorated and garnished different than the usual ways I'm used to seeing. This was exciting for me to see new takes and ways to plate dishes. The chicken in Slade's Mom's Utsav Mixed grill was a little bit dry and our bread came out a little slow for my liking. Despite these minor set backs I give the Execution and performance of the staff a 13 of 16 points.

I came to realize while eating that I need to carry a small note book with me when I go out to take notes and write down what was ordered. In most restaurants this isn't to big of a problem but I am not entirely sure I remembered the names properly. For appetizers we ordered the Sabji Platter and Vegetable Samosas. These were good, however given the choice next time I will skip the Vegetable Samosas as one also comes on the Sabji platter, and while good didn't merit having one per person. As I mentioned before Slade's mom ordered the Utsav Mixed Grill with came with Chicken, Sheekh, Shrimp, lamb and vegetables. It arrived sizzling on a fajita style platter. The lamb was minced and rolled and the only thing I found thagt didn't need a sauce. Everything else was a little dry but other wise delicious. I ordered the Lamb Pasanda, which was lamb with a creamy cashew almond sauce and I still wish I was eating it. The lamb was fork tender and the sauce very well balanced. The meal also came with a jasmine rice medley that I ate eagerly with my sauce. Slade has become a vegan / vegetarian for moral reasons and chose to eat the Dum Aloo Kashmiri a potato stuffed with cheese and vegetables in a tomato gravy. I did not try it but it looked very good. We also ordered Chapati bread which was a whole wheat bread with onions and herbs. I wish we had skipped the appetizers and just ordered several of these. It was one of the highlights of the meal despite arriving half way through the entree portion. Slade's mother also ordered a Taj Mahal beer, and indian style beer. It was 1 pint 6 oz, so it was quite larger but a little over 4% alcohol, it had a very strong hop taste to it but over all interesting for you beer lovers. Despite all this food we also managed to order dessert, I ordered a Indian rice pudding with saffron honey and dried fruit. I'd never tried saffron in anything before so I was intriqued. We were also given a carrot pudding on the house, it was warm and had a unique texture to it. The rice pudding was very creamy and refreshing and despite the large feast I could have eaten it all myself. I know this is a lot more in depth then I usually go but I vividly remember a lot about this meal and it was quite large a border line feast I would say. Aside from a few minor set backs over all the meal was served very well flavor wise and over all. I give the food a 15 of 16 points.

As I mentioned before they do have quite a lot of liqours so I imagine mixed drinks are up to your imagination. The staff is quite eager and friendly, the manager stopped by our table several times to check up. He wasn't moving in the mechanical impersonal way that many chain restaurant managers wade through their stores.

My overall rating for Utsav is a 56 out of a total 64. Obtaining perfection in restaurants is very difficult but I feel Utsav is on its way to becoming one of my favorite places to eat. Utsav also does various catering, take out pre-prepared boxed lunches during lunch and buffets on the weekends.

Side Note: I went and checked out the lunch buffet with Slade today. For 8.95, pretty much 11 dollars per person with tax and tip you get an all you can eat buffet. They have various options for vegans, vegetarians and meatatarians. I highly recommend stopping in for the lunch buffet.

Tea House 60/64 Chinese

Before I get into my reviews I'm sure you all missed me! I moved into a new place in Ellington and took a week to get internet service.

My best friend Josh used to work at Rein's Deli in the shops at 30 in Vernon. Next to it used to be a little restaurant called Joy Luck. I think there still might be a place operating under that name but people who used to go to Joy Luck 5+ years ago now this place isn't the same. We used to often go there for the best Chinese food I've ever eaten. One day we went in and the same waitress / host wasn't there and we were alarmed. Then our food came out terrible and we were heart broken. Until one day passing through Ellington I saw a new place named Tea House had opened up. We gave it a shot thinking nothing could be as good as Joy Luck. But much to our surprise either they had gotten the chef's from Joy Luck or at least their recipes because the food was just how we'd remembered it. Tea House is in Ellington (3.3 miles from my apartment!!!) right on route 83. For those who want an address it's 89 West Road Ellington, CT 06029. The hour of operation are roughly 11am to 11pm Tuesday through Sunday and regrettably they are closed Mondays. The number to reach them is 860-872-8818 and the website is http://www.asiaticmall.com/teahouse/ for menu listings and other information. As you can already tell my expectations for this place are always VERY high.

The dining room is set up with a number of tables to seat various sizes. The walls are colorfully decorated with Asian themed items. The music is classical Japanese or Chinese music featuring harps and string instruments. It's very relaxing and easily blends into the background so as not to disrupt your conversations. The host area features a wide variety of tea pots and bagged teas you can purchase for your own use. The dining area has about 15 tables and can probably seat about 75 or 80 people. It is always immaculately clean and very rarely will you see dishes laying on a table. I give the setup and layout of the dining area a 15/16. It is set up very well and I can't think of much to add to or change it without taking away from it's simple elegance.

The menu design is listed and organized by types of cuisine and by the protein for the most part. I stick to the same three or for items generally but they offer a wide variety of Asian cuisines. They have many different vegetarian dishes, as well as all of the usual items you think of from a Chinese or Thai restaurant like Mushu Pork, Pu Pu Platter or Pad Thai Noodles. The biggest down fall of this menu is some times with the wide variety it's hard to choose one item. But who says you have to just eat one thing? :) I give the menu design a 14/16, the only real thing I could suggest to help with the menu would be a few pictures of the food to further entice the diners.

Upon taking your seat the servers are quick to bring ice water, hot tea and clear away any unnecessary table settings. I went the day I unpacked all of my belongings into my new apartment with my friends Josh and Slade. The three of us were famished and ordered Cold Sesame Noodles, PuPu Platter for one and Crab Rangoons as an appetizer. The noodles came out almost instantly and had us salivating quickly. We hadn't even finished them when the PuPu platter and Crab Rangoons came out. The flaming sterno on the platter is always so fun to cook your items on. As we finished up these our meals came out. I give the execution of the staff a 15/16 as the meal came out perfectly. We weren't waiting on an item however when we were seated the waitress did rush our order if we wanted to get the lunch special even though we had been sat before 3:30. Other than that everything was very well.

I had ordered Sesame Chicken and Beef, Josh got the General Tsao's as did Slade. My main pet peeve at a lot of places is the difference between these two is Sesame seeds sprinkled on top of General Tsao's magically transforms it into Sesame Chicken. However it's not like this at Tea House both items are entirely different from the other. And the chicken isn't those odd balls shaped soggy lumps many places serve up. The chicken they use is clear chicken breast instead of processed meat, and all the ingredients were easily identifiable in the items. This told me everything was quite fresh, also the crab rangoons you could taste the crab instead of just cream cheese. The fried items were also all a golden brown instead of a dark stale brown. I give the meals taste and quality a 16/16 as despite having frequented Tea House many times, this meal was perfect like every other time.

I mentioned the server brings tea over at the beginning of your meal. If you are a tea drinker or enjoy an exotic tea, chances are Tea House will carry it. I have tried many different kinds here and though it's a bit bitter the Chrysanthemum Tea is delicious.

My overall rating for Tea House is 60/64. I am pretty sure even before I lived so close to Tea House this is the restaurant I frequent the most. It's worth the drive from where ever you are and the food is a generous quantity for the price.

Vernon Diner, 52/64 Diner

Vernon Diner appears on the outside like most other diners, easily accessible of the highway at 453 Hartford Turnpike in Vernon CT, open twenty four hours a day. I have gone here many times over the years at 3 am when the only things open were it or Denny's. In my life time the diner has changed ownership and been remodeled a number of times. I stopped in one day with my parents as my father wanted breakfast and not many places do breakfast all day. I was expecting the normal diner food I'd usually got there in the past. A decent cheap meal where you get what you pay for.

Right as you walk in there's a display case with all their deserts rotating around temptingly and their bar is on the other side behind the cash register. The booths have been replaced recently with a plusher style, the color is a dark brown making the whole place seem a bit darker. It feels a little crowded walking to your seat however once you sit down its a different story. The booths are very roomy and pleasant. The space of the diner is large enough to probably seat over a hundred people comfortably. Unlike other diners they have forgone most decorations except for a fish tank in one corner and a couple murals. I give the over all layout and design of the dining room a 12/16.

The menu is quite large, with various pictures through out its pages. Even with all the photos there are still plenty of choices for the choosy customer. The breakfast part is on the back and contains an extensive amount of items from eggs to pancakes to waffles and omelets served all day. The typical appetizers and items like sandwiches, burgers and salads fill the first few pages. There are some greek items as well such as souvlaki and moussaka. Then printed on normal computer paper is a large selections of daily specials. My eyes instantly caught roast leg of lamb on this page and I was going to be brave. Given the girth and sustenance of their menu it offers several choices for any one hungry. I give the overall menu content and structure a 14/16.

One of the main problems or benefits of this diner in the past was the wait staff. Some of them were very good and did their job perfectly. others because there are always so few on the floor could take a long time to get an order or refill a drink. Our waitress immediately brought over three glasses of water and a third set of silverware before even taking our order. My father ordered eggs, bacon, home fries and toast. My mother ordered a chef salad and french onion soup. I ordered the roast leg of lamb that came with roasted carrots and soup or salad, I choose corn chowder. The soups arrived quickly with a plate of garlic bread and corn bread. As we were finishing the soups our meals came out. I must say that I started to drool seeing my plate and even my mother's salad. Her salad was arranging quite nicely, it had a lot of height and color variations instead of everything just plopped on top. I give the execution and performance of the crew a 13/16.

Down to the nitty gritty, the corn and garlic bread were excellent though I have my suspicions both were pre-made. The french onion soup was bubbly and melty just like it should be, my chowder however needed salt and more corn in it. The breakfast was made just as my dad had ordered it and the salad was more than my mother could finish in two helpings. My lamb was the piece de resistance. The lamb was very thinnly cut on the bias and topped with a succulent au jus, and the carrots were cooked just right. They were tender but not overly mush as often is the case. I must say that I was not expecting food like this when I first walked into the diner. I give the quality and taste a 13/16.

I believe I covered most of this places unique features already except that the desert cabinet is always chock full of freshly made baked products. I did not have any on this visit but in prior visits I have enjoyed many of their offerings. I would reccomend any one who had a bad experience in the past to try it out again. I stand firmly every time some one mentions we go to Denny that we go to the Vernon Diner instead and I am not more resolute in this belief then ever.

My over all rating for the Vernon Diner is 52/64

Mama Miro's 30/64 Pizza Place

The building Mama Miro's is located in used to be a drive-in dinner called Guido's. My father used to take us to dinner there at least once during the summer. I rather enjoyed the waitress' skating around like they did in the 50's and 60's. Even before I learned girls didn't have cooties. I was excited when I moved to Enfield to be close to it only to find Guido's had moved to Manchester and a new place had opened up, Mama Miro's. It's address is 117 Hazard Avenue Enfield, CT. The hours of operation are 11am to 11pm Fridays and Saturdays and 11am to 10pm the rest of the week.

Even from the outside you can tell the food is going to be very heavily influenced. I had avoided eating here for several months mostly because I was upset Guido's had moved. I finally decided to give it a try. With my food blog I want to get out and try new places instead of just reviewing all the places I know are good already.

The inside of the building is rather small with less than ten tables spaced about the dining area. The counter space and kitchen seem to dominate most of the floor plan. I am not sure if they enlarged this kitchen or I had just not been inside before when it was Guido's. Mama Miro's does a lot of business with take out, or catering so the lack of space is not a big issue to them. The area was very clean, and had a very simplistic set up over all. I give the Dining Room a 8/16 for a basic and standard layout with nothing special to make it stand out.

When I first walked in and ordered, I was not aware they had a larger menu then the menu board hanging over the counter. The typical pizzeria offerings are all there, hot and cold grinders, pizza as well as salads, seafood dishes and appetizers. They do offer the standard fare for children's menus as well. The design of the menu was very basic and looked as if it had been typed and printed on a home computer. If they plan on changing the menu often this is acceptable, however if they did this just to save a few bucks I can't say I agree. Spending a little extra for a professionally printed menu can help to sell your selections. Other than the pizza section there is little to no description of the items. Most of the items such as fish and chips or chicken parmesan don't need a description. However if they prepare their items in a non-classic way it's good to point it out. Looking at the prices some things seemed to be a decent deal like a large slice of pizza for 2.25 or the real veal grinder for 8.50. I was however disappointed when I received my grinder as it was very scarce on the meat, sauce and cheese and the roll was the majority of the grinder. I give the Menu Layout a 6/16 for a home made and slightly under developed and over priced menu.

When I walked in and ordered a "Real Veal Grinder" the woman behind the counter scribbled it on a paper, asked if i wanted it "parm style" and then yelled it into the back. I took a seat at a table and waited about ten minutes before another woman came over and asked if I'd like it to go or here. I was a little shocked at the disorganization of the place but decided to eat in. She brought me silver ware and a glass of water promptly. The sandwich was served in a typical diner style basket with some pickles and pasta salad to my surprise. The sandwich looked crisp with the cheese oozing across it and it was definitely larger than a foot to my surprise. The execution and appearance of the meal I give a 11/16 for a slightly disorganized but very appetizing service of the meal.

The grinder definitely had my mouth watering, they'd done well on making it look and smell good. I ate the small side of pasta salad first and it was well made. The mayo dressing wasn't to heavy and the peas were crisp with a bit of salt and pepper seasoning. As I bit into the grinder I began to get disappointed. The veal while sliced thin and tasting wonderful was nearly non-existent and the first bite took half of my cheese from the grinder. I figured it would get better towards the middle. As I continued to eat I found that the grinder was as I'd first experienced and spoke of earlier, mostly roll with little cheese, sauce or veal. I was very disappointed as it had looked huge and tasty but they had just bulked it up with a large roll. I give the taste and quality of the meal a 5/16 for a scant amount of veal in a veal grinder. But what was there still tasted pretty good.

I went into this meal with a fairly open mind and was expecting a decent italian meal, well priced, large portions with great flavor. While the flavor was there and the pricing seemed to be in line, I think the portion size was not nearly what it should have been. I may try Mama Miro's again however I can't say I will be rushing over there after this post to give them another shot. I would say unless there's not many other options to look else where for a good meal.

My overall rating for Mama Miro's is a 30/64.