Eli's on the Hill

Eli’s on the Hill is a new restaurant in Branford, CT and is the sister restaurant of Eli’s on Whitney in Hamden.  When I first walked in my attention was drawn to the bar area.  The bar was large and surrounded by bistro tables and stools.  There were more LCD televisions than I could count both on the inside and outside of the soffit above the bar.  At first I thought this was going to be another typical sports bar wanna-be.  Once we were seated I glanced at the menu.  The choices were astounding.  The appetizers seemed to be your typical pub variety, but the dinner choices ranged from burgers to gourmet pasta dishes and more.  

We started with the loaded nachos.  A heaping pile of tortilla chips topped with cheese, tomatoes, beef chili, scallions and jalapenos.  The cheese was thoroughly melted and the chips were crispy and not too salty.  The chili seemed to be made in house, but I’m sure the chips were not.  I do have to mention that this appetizer took a long time to come out.  However, the restaurant it new and I will chalk that up to the staff still getting used their new digs.  My pint glass was kept full which in turn kept me a bit happier.

My main course was the Chicken Eli, listed on the menu as chicken breasts marinated in a light white wine sauce accompanied by cherry peppers, sweet bell peppers and potato hearts.  When it arrived, I was amazed at the size of the portion.  I ended up getting three meals out of it.  There were four large pieces of chicken breast swimming in the mix of peppers and white wine sauce.  The potato hearts were russet potatoes shaved down a smaller size and sliced in half.  The entire dish was overcooked but the flavor was all there.  The potatoes fell apart, the peppers were soggy with absolutely no crunch and the chick was a bit dry.  On the other hand the sauce was nicely assembled with just the right amount of hot cherry peppers and sweet bell peppers.  I enjoyed the kick that the cherry peppers added throughout the entire dish.  Then there was the garlic.  I’m Italian and I love garlic.  With the amount of garlic that was in this dish it should have been listed in as one of the main ingredients.  Large half cloves of garlic appeared on almost ever fork full I ate.  After the first few enjoyable bites, the garlic started to overpower the flavor of the pepper wine sauce and the dish quickly turned to garlic chicken in a white wine sauce.

The menu options all sounded good and there are several other dishes that I would like to try.  Most likely I will return to Eli’s on the Hill and try a different menu option.  Hopefully by then the cooks are used to the new menu, the wait staff is a bit more trained, and they run out of garlic.

The Chowder Pot III - Branford, CT

The wife and I went out to the Chowder Pot III in Branford, CT for dinner.  We were joined by my mother.  I have worked at this restaurant in the past, so maybe my opinion is a bit biased.  But, I do have to say these few things before I get into the food.  First, this is one of the cleanest kitchens I’ve worked in.  Granted I did not work too many Friday/Saturday dinner shifts when the kitchen was the busiest.  Second, the wait staff here always seems friendly, although not too swift.  And third, you get what you pay for.  The prices may be a tad high, but you get extremely generous portions.  Some dishes are almost “family style”.

Now to the best part of eating out, the food.  Every sit down meal at the Chowder Pot III starts off with a loaf of freshly baked honey bread.  These loaves are baked fresh every day (from what I remember).  They are glazed with a sticky honey butter that is to die for.  They should give you a side to dip your bread in rather than butter.

We skipped appetizers and went straight to dinner.  My mother got the fried clam strip platter.  In case you can’t tell, that’s just a gigantic plate of clam strips.  These clams are not your run of the mill prefab frozen clam strips.  They are freshly breaded and fried to order.  As are the oysters, whole bellies, etc…  And of course, the baked potato and vegetable medley for sides. 

The wife got her usual chicken teriyaki.  We don’t go to this restaurant often, and she claims this to be the best chicken teriyaki in town, so when we go, she gets it.  You get two large breasts of chicken grilled to perfection and topped with a sweet and salty teriyaki sauce, fresh green onions, and an orange garnish.  And, the same sides as Mom.  The chicken was perfectly cooked with no pink in the center, yet was still extremely juicy and tender.  I don’t think they make the sauce in house, but it is 10x better than anything you can buy in the store.  It is thick, more like a glaze than a watery sauce.

As for my dish, I went with the Cajun catfish.  This dish was awesome.  The catfish was nice and fresh.  They pan sear it on the bottom of a cast iron skillet which gives it a unique flavor, almost like fire grilling, but doesn’t fall apart.  Chowder Pot uses a house blend of dry spices mixed with a touch of oil to create almost a paste.  They slather the Cajun paste on the fish and then cook.  Due to the high temperature of the cast iron, the spices form a crust on the fish, yet seal in the natural juices so the fish doesn’t dry out.  The more you chew it, the more flavor bursts into your mouth.  

I also got the same sides. The potato was your run of the mill potato.  Nothing special.  The vegetable medley, while good in flavor (can’t go wrong with butter), was over cooked.  The vegetables were soggy and had little consistency to them.  And, I didn’t get any broccoli.  

Over all, a good experience.  I realize that these pictures make the presentation look slightly unappealing.  Up close and in person the plating of these dishes are more appetizing.  Chowder Pot III in Branford, CT is a great place fora nice sit down seafood meal.  They can accommodate large parties, and even have live music a few nights a week.  To me, it’s a good “once in a while” place.  

Darbar India - Branford, CT

The other night, for no apparent reason other than the fact that I didn’t want to cook dinner, the wife and I headed out to our favorite local Indian restaurant, Darbar India.  We usually get take out and usually get the same thing every time.  This time, I decided to try something different.  The non-vegetarian smorgasbord meal.  When this thing came out, all I could think was “How the HELL am I supposed to eat all that?”  A large metal dish with a pile of saffron infused basmati rice surrounded by multiple interesting dishes.  Each just a few mouthfuls, but more than enough to fill my stomach.  Luckily, I had the wife to help.  Which also meant I got to take her chicken tikka masala home for lunch the next day.  So, here is what I got, with a brief blurb about each.  The first two I don’t have pictures of.  The others, I only have one.  I’m sorry it’s a crappy picture, but it was dark and the flash was lighting up the dining room and glaring off the shiny metal plates.  

Non-Vegetarian Thali

Choice of soup – Vegetable Dal - Lentil soup with vegetables, wild spices and a twist of lemon.  This was a basic soup.  Think, but not chunky, and the seasonings were very earthy.  It was not too heavy, and actually readied my pallet for the onslaught of flavors to come.

Lamb Samosa - Turnovers stuffed with minced lamb and spices, deep fried in vegetable oil.  One word.  DRY.  Not nearly as good as the vegetarian version.  The meat was like dry seasoned ground beef.  It would have had more flavor if all the saliva in my mouth wasn’t absorbed into it.

The following are on the plate.  Starting with the white dish at about 11:00 and going clockwise…

Dal, Raita, rice, papad, onion chutney – Dal=lentils.  Raita=Cold salty yougurt dish.  Papad=Indian lentil chips.  I’m pretty sure this was the cold white dish, since nothing else matches that description.  First of all, they should have warned me that it was cold.  It tastes like milky yogurt with cucumber in it.  I did not care for it.  Maybe I should have eaten it first, like a second appetizer.  Maybe I should have eaten it last, like a pre-dessert.  Either way, this dish stayed almost full.

Chana Masala – Potatoes and chickpeas cooked with herbs and Indian Spices.  This dish was OK.  I’m not sure I got any potatoes, just chickpeas.  I’m not a huge fan of plain old chickpeas, but the sauce on these was thick and flavorful.  It had a touch of earthy sweetness to it, which I believe was cardamom.  

Dal Makhani – Lentils flavored with freshly ground spices and sautéed in butter.  These were like Indian refried beans.  They were thick and chunky.  They were lightly spiced and not over-bearing with flavor.  To me this seemed to be more of an accompaniment than a stand alone dish.  

Saag Paneer - Fresh chopped spinach cooked with homemade cheese and spices.  I did not care for this at all.  I tried several fork fulls.  The spinach was in a creamed state, except it wasn’t creamed.  There were these chunks of home made Indian cheese.  I’m sure this dish could have been good if it tasted less like thawed out frozen chopped spinach.  Add some salt, a little white pepper, maybe even some garlic.  Then you got yourself a dish.  

Piece of Tandoori Chicken - chicken marinated in yogurt, fresh garlic, and ginger then tenderly spiced.  Baked in a tandoori oven.  If you’ve never had tandoori chicken, or any type of meat, you are missing out.  A tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven used in cooking and baking.  Temperatures in a tandoor can approach 480°C (900°F).  The meat that is cooked in these ovens usually takes on a reddish color and are delicious.  The outside is almost crispy, and the inside is still juicy and seasoned all the way through.  You can get chicken, lamb, shrimp, and several other types of meat prepared this way.  

Seekh Kebab - Minced lamb mixed with green peppers, delicately flavored with ginger, and barbecued on skewers.  This was like an elongated minced lamb meatball.  The spices were a little overpowering, but that seems to be the norm with lamb and middle eastern food (in my experiences so far).  It was a bit on the dry side, but not nearly as dry as the samosa.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Tender skinless and boneless chicken marinated in a blend of ginger, garlic, yogurt and various spices, baked in the tandoor and sautéed with tomatoes, butter and creamy sauce.  This is my favorite dish at this restaurant.  I almost can’t find the words to describe it.  It’s rich, flavorful bright orange sauce with chunks of white chicken meat swimming in it.  Put a few spoonfuls of this over some of the basmati rice and dip your naan bread in the extra sauce.  It’s a full, somewhat earthy flavor.  You can pick out the curry, garlic, ginger, and many more layers of spices and flavors as the food travels from the tip of your tongue to the back of your mouth and finally, down your gullet.  Great, now I’m hungry.

Baigan Bhartha - Eggplant cooked with green peas, onions, and tomatoes; flavored with fresh ginger and spices.  The wife loved this dish.  I should let her write this section since she had more of this that I did.  By the time I got to this dish, my pallet was overrun by flavors.  This dish was sweet and spicy and full of flavor.  It had the normal earthy flavors of the freshly ground spices that is common in Indian cuisine.  I'm pretty sure I tasted some of that cardamom in this dish as well.  

Lamb Curry - Tender cubed lamb cooked in our mildly spiced curry sauce.  This dish seemed to me to be an Indian version of beef stew, except with lamb.  The meat was tender and practically fell apart on my utensil.  It was surrounded by a thick gravy of a chunky curry sauce.  Picture Mom’s beef stew, without the vegetables, and heavily seasoned with exotic spices.  And replace the beef with lamb.  This was the only lamb dish that was not dry.

Choice of bread (Poori or Naan) – Naan.  Unleavened bread that is slapped on the side of the clay oven and baked.  The plain naan is doughy, kind of like a baked version of fried dough, without the sauce and cheese.  It is perfect for sopping up the extra tikka masala sauce.  They also make flavored versions, like garlic.  THis is pictured off to the left.

Dessert (Gulab Jamun) and tea or coffee – Gulab Jamun is some sort of pastry/dough ball fried and smothered in syrup/honey.  It's good.  Sweet and sticky and a nice light end to the bombardment of flavors that is Indian food.  However, they forgot my tea.