Cool Hand Dukes - New Milford, CT

Cool Hand Dukes is situated on the lovely street next to the old train station in New Milford.  I think it used to be a German Restaurant.  As you walk in the front door there are 2 or 3 steps to walk down.  It looks nice enough inside.  There are some booths and a few tables in a fairly open space. 

We were seated quickly and given the menus.  Okay, this is where I get a little funky.  I really don't like when restaurants try to make up cute and utterly ridiculous names for their food.  No one wants to say your stupid names for food.  The items were also numbered, which made it a little better, but still very stupid.  Lee ordered a #2 Odd or Even? ODD!  Yes, that is the name! It's a beef burger, cheddar, bacon, sauteed onion with dukes sauce.  Dukes sauce is very spicy, but the waitress failed to tell Lee this fact.
I ordered... #14 Very Dangerous...You Go First.  Just dumb!!  It's a beef burger, swiss, sauteed mushrooms, spinach, horseradish remoulade.  I asked for no spinach (not allowed to eat) and sauce on the side.  Lee had a tough time getting through his burger, because he isn't a fan of anything spicy.  I wasn't thrilled, because the bun was very greasy. Not a yummy buttery greasy, a yucky greasy. It almost tasted like the grill wasn't very clean.  The tater tots couldn't even make up for the icky bun.

There were at least four waitresses working and it took forever to get our check, because not one of them were around.  It was very strange.  Occasionally, we would see the bartender come in and out from the back and then a waitress in and out from the back, but mostly not on the floor.  Not a very good first impression.

Rating: 😞😞

www.coolhand-dukes.com

Prime Pub - Danbury, CT

The restaurant is very nice inside, but the setup isn't great.  When we walked in the front door, there wasn't anyone around to great us and there was no way for anyone in the back room to see customers as they enter.  There is a hostess stand, but no host/hostess.  Lee and I had to walk to the back of the restaurant and still had to wait to be acknowledged.  Not a great start!  Then we waited a decent amount of time to be waited on, but it was busy so I'm reasonable.
We both ordered the Prime Pub burger.  It has sauteed mushrooms, swiss cheese and truffle aioli.  I asked for the aioli on the side.  There are choices for sides and we both decided on tater tots.  I mean seriously, who can resist a good tot?!  The burgers were cooked perfectly and very enjoyable.  Crap, now I really want a burger!  Darn it!  Why am I making pasta sauce for dinner? Ugh!

If something is done about the setup and service gets a little better, I think it could be a solid 4/5 rating.

Rating: Service: 😐😐😐
             Food:🍔🍔🍔🍔

www.primepubdanbury.com

Empire Szechuan - Ridgefield, CT

When we entered the restaurant we realized it was nothing to look at.  There were a few small tables, no artwork and no ambiance.  It smelled okay.  I hate when places smell weird to me.  I have to admit that I do have a super smeller, so sometimes I can smell things no one else can.  It's kind of odd.  Anyway, we didn't know what to expect.  We sat at a table and there was one guy sitting at another table.  The phone rang like crazy, so we figured that most of their business is take out.  Lee got his usual chicken with broccoli and I ordered chicken with garlic sauce.  The food came out quickly and delicious.  The servings were generous.  I almost forgot that I got spring rolls that were very good. 
This isn't the place to go for a lovely date night, but it was a good place to grab some good food after shopping. 

Rating: 👌👌👌

www.empireszechuanridgefield.com

Sinapi's - Danbury, CT

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted, but the holidays zoomed by quickly. 

Lee was in the mood for pizza, but when isn't Lee in the mood for pizza!  I'm very rarely in the mood for pizza.  We went to Sinapi's, because I know there is always something for me to eat there.  Lee ordered a pizza and a salad and he enjoyed his dinner.  I got the ziti with eggplant. I LOVE their ziti with eggplant.  The plate is so full that I brought about half of it home and my son finished the yumminess.  The service is always quick and friendly.  It's a great place to grab a quick bite of pretty good Italian food.

Rating:🍝🍝🍝🍝

www.sinapispizza.com

Update: Market Place, Danbury, CT

We tried Market Place in Danbury, hoping it was better than the Woodbury restaurant.  We both ordered hamburgers, because we aren't rich and didn't want to go broke eating a quick dinner.  The waitress, who was very nice, asked if we wanted any extras on our burgers or salad etc. instead of fries. Never mentioned an up-charge. I got the regular burger with fries, but Lee said avocado on the burger sounded good and he got the salad instead of the fries.  The burgers were delicious.  They were cooked properly and juicy.  Then we received the bill.  Ten extra dolllars for avocado and salad.  Unbelievable!!  Almost $40 for two burgers!  I'm done with that place.  When I want another good burger, I'll head over to Chuck's where I don't feel like I'm getting the shake down.

Rating: Burgers: 🍔🍔🍔🍔
             Prices: 💰💰💰💰💰 OUT OF CONTROL!

El Coyote - Danbury, CT

We love El Coyote.  It is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants.  Our favorite part is that they offer salad if you don't want the rice and beans.  The salad has the most delicious ginger citrus dressing, yummy!  Lee ordered his regular chicken enchiladas and I ordered the chicken fajitas. My fajitas had a decent amount of chicken and I love when some of the peppers and onions are charred from the hot skillet. I also liked that they gave me separate plate to make my fajitas, sometimes places don't do that. There was success all around.  Our waitress was friendly and knowledgeable.  The atmosphere isn't screaming Mexican, there is more of a nod to the culture.  Very nice!  It was an enjoyable time all around.

Rating: 😋😋😋😋

www.elcoyotemexico.com

Widow Browns - Danbury, CT

We went to Widow Browns because we hadn't been there since the renovations.  The inside looked pretty much the same.  The waitstaff was so so.  Lee never got a refill on his soda and the food was okay.  Lee ordered the salmon sandwich which was mashed like tuna fish, which makes me believe that it was maybe canned salmon.  Lee wasn't thrilled. I had a cobb salad that wasn't bad.  It was a little odd that it had something like a bean salsa in the salad, but it tasted good.  The service was a little lacking. I think that we need to try it again and order something different. 

Rating: 😐😐

www.widowbrowns.com