I *HEART* Remo's

I took a little work breather ce soir and had a real deal date with my husband. We were trying to keep it low key - just an affordable dinner out. We ended up walking to Remo's and I was reminded of what a nice job they do. With the silver tone tin ceiling and the yellow walls, it's a pleasant atmosphere. The whole place is clean, bright and smiley.

They greeted us warmly and we didn't wait long at all to be seated and served. Our waitress was helpful and never pushy. The prices are reasonable (we each had wine/beer and the tab was only $35...not too bad!). And the food was good! I had an individual white pizza with spinach, and my husband had a chicken sandwich. Lovely evening out...now back to work!

Smart Stuff from other Sources

If you're a loyal reader, citizen, you know I'm workin' pretty hard at my actual factual job right about now, but I don't want to leave you hanging on account of my schedule. Luckily, there are some smart folks out there keeping you and me informed on news around town. For example...

- The Daily Fairfield gives you the lowdown on Bar Taco, coming soon to 222 Summer Street.

- Want to judge a Lego competition? The Daily Stamford, tells you all about volunteer opportunities on February 13th at the local Jr. FIRST Lego League Expo.

- The CT Post has some very sobering news on rising rates of poverty in Stamford.

- The Avon is showing "The Thing" tomorrow night at 9pm as part of its Cult Classics series.

- In case you were accidentally feeling safe and sound,you can learn about all the crime in your neighborhood by reading about the new crime mapping tool on the Stamford Advocate site. Don't forget the pepper spray!

Tango Pic

The Tango Inferno folks sent along a pretty ssssssssssexy picture of their show. Every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man (who can fold you like an omelet). It's convinced me that what I really need in life is a single fingerless glove and some serious yoga classes. As I mentioned the other day, the big day is Feb 5th.

Voila Zaza

Approximately a billion years ago, I worked near Bistro 122 (on Broad) and I was no stranger to their pizza and salads. They've since said goodbye to that location, but someone else has now said hello. I got an email the other day from a gentleman named Nick who told me a little bit about his big plans for the space.

Our new downtown neighbor will be called Zaza - Italian Gastrobar. Nick's dad is his business partner and also the man behind Molto in Fairfield and both Remo's and Lucky's on Bedford right here. I'm not familiar with Molto, but I'm a big fan of both Remo's and Lucky's. Both have tasty food and good service for a reasonable price. (The chicken salad sandwich at Lucky's is a particular favorite.) I'm also a big fan of businessmen who have a record of success and who decide to move into a space that needs a new attraction. All that is to say, I have high hopes for Zaza.

Nick tells me that Zaza will offer:
- A trendy Italian vibe
- Interior designs featuring marble, mahogany and red leather booths
- Affordable prices (entrees under $20; wine starting at $5/glass)
- Brick oven pizzas
- Italian tapas and bar food even after hours
- Live DJ from time to time
- Regular happy hour
- Solid glass removable store front that will open up for al-fresco dining (nice!!)

Altogether, it sounds like a great new addition to the downtown area. Looking forward to checking it out!

(photo from Haseo, flickr.com)

David Sedaris Tickets

David Sedaris tickets are not going to stick around forever, and you can purchase them on the SCA website now! Check it out here.

Like an Argentina Ballerina

Well, I can't bring myself to blog about the fact that Bethenny Frankel is coming to Stamford, but I can get a little smiley over the fact that we're about to get tango'd.

The Buenos Aires based troupe, Tango Fire Company, had huge success in London, New York and all over the world, so obviously their next stop was Stamford CT. The dance troupe's latest show is called "Tango Inferno - The Fire Within," and they'll be appearing at the Stamford Center for the Arts on February 5th at 8pm. You'll see 10 dancers, including 3 tango world champions, accompanied by live Latin music.

There's also a pre-show event at 7:30 where the audience can join the performers on stage (called a milonga). Bring your dancing shoes!

Get tickets here ($49-64).

(photo from krismartis, flickr.com)

Happy Snow Day!

Stay safe everybody!

Key Foods On The Way

Snapped a picture looking into the Key Foods that's looking just about ready to open at 80 Prospect Street (as Orville rightly noted).

They got your canned goods, your rice-in-a-box sort of thing, not yet frozen stuff...but soon to come! I'm kind of excited to roll out of bed for my everyday grocery sorts o'needs.

I still don't understand why the Prospect Market across the street is advertising its "New Jersey prices!" but it's something to puzzle over while I'm buying Connecticut stuff I forgot a stone's throw away.

Thanks Orville!

I've been a little quieter than usual, citizens, and my apologies - but things at work are busy, busy and I haven't had the "get up and go" to keep going quite so often! Thankfully, my readers are keeping me in the loop with their very smart observations. Reader, Orville - who has made quite a few other great comments in the past - said the following:

Anonymous Orville said...

Keep up the good work Stamford notes. Love the blog. Couple of things I noticed recently;

1. Keyfoods is finally opening on prospect street. Shelves are stacked and they are interviewing.

2. Mortons is expanding their bar. Bar I think is going to be now called bar 21 11 and will be more then double the size

3. Bar taco is going to open soon next to barcelona.

4. Cafe zaza opening on broad street. Looks like a call addition. Replaces bistro 121.

Thanks Orville - very kind and very helpful!! We should also be keeping an eye out for Bar Rosso, Napa's new initiative where Bennett's used to be. When I asked at Napa over New Year's when we could expect them to open their doors, they said "soon!"

So apologies that for now, and for January, I'll be a little slow to post, but a million thank yous to my fellow citizens for helping me - and the rest of us - stay in the know!

MBA: What do you say?

You kinda have to respect people who describe themselves as "upcoming marketing moguls."

Those two moguls in the making are Anthony Harris and Mikelah Rose, and they have spearheaded a monthly networking event called M.O.D. Success (which stands for Motivation + Opportunities + Drive = Success). I always thought "Less Crappy Economy" was part of that equation, but I like their optimism!

Their upcoming January 25th event from 7-9pm at Butterfield8 (112 Bedford Street) is called "To MBA, or To Not MBA: That is the question." They will be welcoming a panel of professionals to weigh in on the value of an MBA including a UConn Professor, a Vice President from Morgan Stanley and an entrepreneur.

If you're considering taking that next step in your education, the $5 fee is a good investment before you fork over about 12,000 times more. You'll enjoy a little extra professional know-how and hey - also light refreshments!

(photo from Herkie, flickr.com)

Karaoke - with a Live Band!

Now, I've never been to 84 Park, but I thought their regular Wednesday night event looked pretty sweet.

Each Wednesday, from 9pm to 1am, they have a live band backin up your karaoke. Your resident band buddies are called BliSS, and they cover songs from the 80s, 90s and 2000s.

There are $3 beers and what they describe as a "relaxed dress code" (I recommend against Pajama Jeans). You don't have to pay a cover, and you can get your rock chops in the VIP lounge playing Guitar Hero on PS3.

(photo from liber, flickr.com)

Things Appalling Me Now

We just saw a product on TV that took my breath away for all the wrong reasons. It's the Pajama Jeans and it's as bad or worse than it sounds. It seems to assume that real jeans are far too formal for everyday attire. The commercial shows a woman struggling to get her tight jeans zipped, so it's also catering to the holiday oink market.

Ugly pajamas that sell for $375.

Lasagna that costs $25 and features canned mushrooms.

The fact that my neighbor emailed the property manager 14 times about 2 inches of snow that were (in his opinion) insufficiently cleared. I'm pretty sure it would have melted by day's end, and I'm equally sure we'll be paying a pretty penny for the extra visit by the snow clearing guys.

The fact that they advertise the Trojan Triphoria on daytime TV. It's either a vibrator or something even more sex-toyish, but 5pm advertising is a-ok.

My hair.

The most recent take on the Snuggie is called the Snazzy Napper, and you put the $%^&* thing over your head! Good thing you'll have the padding to protect you from getting punched in the face.

The fact that unemployment is still at 9.3%.

Condolences to AmeriCares

I've been a little lazy as of late, giving myself a little holiday breather, but time to rally as we round the bend into 2011. We welcomed the New Year at Napa. The food was divine, as usual, and they got us in the mood with some complimentary bubbly, but the service was a bit off the mark. Still, fabulous time altogether.

As much as I was glad to celebrate, I was sad to read about the passing of Bob Macauley, the founder of Stamford-based AmeriCares. He died in Florida last Sunday at the age of 87.

I heard about Mr. Macauley before I moved to Stamford in an amazing news story on his charitable accomplishments. A successful Ivy League educated businessman and veteran, he put his own time and money behind a desperate cause. In April 1975, a US Air Force plane carrying orphaned children out of Vietnam just prior to the fall of Saigon crashed. When Mr. Macauley - who had long supported Vietnamese children orphaned by the war - learned that another plane would not be available for nearly two weeks, he mortgaged his own home to charter a private plane to save the survivors and other children. He airlifted over 300 children to the US. That effort led to others like it and AmeriCares was born. It's now the largest private charity providing health care across the world.

The NY Times quoted him from a 1990 interview with the Toronto Star as saying "Someone will always give you nine reasons why it can't be done. Just mow 'em down. Make things happen." That's damn good advice that I hope to follow in 2011.

(photo from hondoras.com)