Bombay Westport – Our Favorite Indian Restaurant

Ok, so it’s Martha Stewart’s favorite, also, but we’ve been back several times already this year, so it is truly a favorite in this household. Their weekday lunch buffet is $3 less than their weekend price, and we expected fewer offerings, but the spread of items was still delectable. Mads and WZR went to town! Ok, we did, too. Hey, all you can eat hot naan and tandoori chicken, what’s not to like? We also enjoyed the spinach and chickpeas, basmati rice, and various other vegetarian dishes. There was also a spicy jumbo shrimp dish that was very good. And their rice pudding is always a nice way to end our visit. Best of all, they did not mind our ecstatically loud kids.

For romantic diners, the decor is very soothing. Not sure what music they play at night, but Mads absolutely went nuts with the Bollywood tunes and could not contain herself.

Home, home on the Grange, where the goats, rabbits, and rubber ducks play

Oh give me a home, where the preschoolers roam and they eat watermelon at lightning speed…and the sky is not cloudy all day… What beautiful weather for the Cannon Grange Fair in Wilton! It was certainly a kid-friendly event, especially since kids 12 and under were admitted free. There were opportunities to board retired vehicles for pictures and horn honking.We made it to the 2:15 pm magic show by Alex Yan, which Mads enjoyed. It was certainly neat to see an Asian magician perform. Then Mads enjoyed the kids’ games area filled with old-fashioned balloon-popping, frog-jumping, ring-tossing, beanbag-throwing fun. There was even a bouncy-house. The watermelon eating contest, unbeknownst to all, was for kids only. Enter Mads towards the white round table. As the watermelon piece was placed in front of her, you could see the anticipation and the salivation. Yes, she was ready. Ok, so she was 1 of 9 winners and got a Dora kaleidoscope, but BOY can that girl eat! The afternoon ended with a quick duck race down the river. No, we didn’t win, but we got a great squeal from WZR. We were also able to buy some Wave Hill Bread. Sooo good.

.

Swimming in Seafood at the Mermaid Inn in Manhattan

For seafood lovers: whether it’s a romantic date or a group gathering, you won’t be disappointed at the Mermaid Inn in the East Village. It was a nice night for a stroll to the restaurant from Chinatown, and although we were early for our reservation, we were seated immediately at a table of our choice. The front of the restaurant is brighter, more casual, and louder, whereas the area just past the kitchen is dimmer, more romantic, and quieter. Patio seating is available, as is outdoor seating on 2nd Ave., but we decided to stay indoors. We started with the mussel special in garlic sauce, then I had their Blue Plate Special with the lobster roll, mashed potatoes (normally comes with signature fries), and a Blue Point Beer (only $20). Their lobster roll entree is normally $26, so this was REALLY a delicious bargain. Of course, I don’t drink beer, so I had their peach cooler (yummy). My husband enjoyed his shrimp and scallop scampi. If you’re surprised that there is no dessert on the menu, it’s because a complimentary small cup of chocolate mousse/pudding with whipped cream is served at the end of the meal. The service was also excellent! This was actually my third visit to the restaurant and I would go back again! We’ll have to try the Upper West Side location (Amsterdam Ave. between 88th and 89th). By the way, you get to go home with a miracle fortune-telling fish; definitely a fun way to end the evening!

Penguin on the loose at the Maritime Aquarium

Ok, it looked cool in the commercial, and it sounded exciting when I read the description, but in reality, I’m glad we didn’t put 100% effort into making the “Penguins on the Loose” show. I heard people waited for an hour; if you got front row seats, that was worth the wait, but if you ended up standing (some on the ramps) the whole time, it wasn’t really a good use of time when you could see the loose penguin(Stump in photo) from above (hint, go to the second floor). In fact, kids could even watch from the play area. It’s not like the penguin was going to really come up to you – well, if you sat in the first row, then maybe. By the way, they only let one penguin out per day. In any event, they are cute and we enjoyed our visit. We will have to watch an IMAX film next time. Mental note: do not go on a rainy day, which equates to BUSY! Although there is a nice parking garage across the street. There are also some good places for lunch/dinner. We ended up at the Black Bear Saloon.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Fries

My husband made these the other night and they were really good. He said the recipe is really easy and I should try to make it some time.

Stevesongs sings “cheese” in Westport

It was a nice night at Levitt Pavilion until it got dark a little too quickly. Good thing the rain held up until the end, but it was gutsy to hold it outdoors tonight. Anyway, we listen to a lot of Kids Place Live on XM radio and have heard Steve’s songs before. Actually, Mads likes the “Giant” song. It just took us a while to realize that that’s the guy who sings it. We also watch PBS Kids and have probably seen him as “Mr. Steve,” too. This interactive concert is a must-see if it comes in any shape or form to your town. Steve is witty and engaging to kids and parents. Check out the web site for videos, music, and a list of concerts.

Rant: The price of a single donut

is $1.00 at Dunkin Donuts!!! Ok, 94 cents plus tax. I can’t believe it! We got $1.15 back from the recycling, so I let Mads get one. She had randomly asked for one Saturday night on our way home from Massachusetts. Geez! Oh, but if you get a dozen it’s $6.99. The adult tushies here don’t need any more donuts.

You’ve been blocked

Or I have been anyway. I was excited to read that our local paper was on Twitter and that I could get news updates. So, I followed @westonforum right away. I forgot about them until today when I was getting the URL to an article to post on my other blog. I saw on their page that they had a “Twitter Forum” so I tried to follow them again. Turns out I was blocked from following by the user. I sent two tweets asking why. I got a response from a different user that I also happen to be following apologizing because I was thought to be spam and I would be unblocked. I’m still blocked. Ok, you are part of the media, you have a public web site, and you’re worried about spammers? I agree there are a lot of them out there. Heck, I bet a lot of my 800+ followers are spammers, too, but I don’t block them unless they are indecent-looking. I actually have a real picture and a bio on my profile, so I’m not sure why I was considered spam. Besides, you don’t have to follow back followers.  Note, don’t advertise that you’re on Twitter and expect to gain followers if you’re going to be choosey about SAHM’s who just want to get the town news and help disseminate it. As a messenger, I’ve been shot. And I’m really, really disappointed.

Yummy dessert for red bean lovers

I found these at Caraluzzi’s the other day and have been enjoying them over the last 3 days. Mads calls the rice cake layer a “giant marshmallow” that she will nibble around like a mouse. No, she doesn’t care for the red beans. WZR doesn’t care for any of it. He’s just not that into solid food. Hmmmm…I miss living in Chinatown.

Do the walk-away

I bet the 24-yo entertainment lawyer on tonight’s Millionaire is still kicking himself because he didn’t do the walk-away and win $500, 000. Instead, he took a risk as a businessman and ended up with only $25, 000. All for a guess that he had no basis for. Yes, $25, 000 is still a lot of money, but it could have been so much more! Now, I will always remember the answer because it’s about Fresca, my favorite drink. He really had too much time to ponder about it; 4 minutes really seemed like a long time (4 minutes go by in a snap when you’re blogging). Well, at least now he can say he’s been on Jeopardy AND Millionaire.