Stamford’s culinary landscape is rapidly enhancing. Tons of new restaurants have been popping up - allowing town residents and their neighbors, many more dining choices. In the last couple of years we saw the advent of Bar Q, Bartaco, Harlan Social among others. All good stuff. But one of the things that has always bothered me about Fairfield County, in general, is that - with such a spectacular coastline we don’t seem to have enough waterfront restaurants. It is such pity that most of the coastline is enjoyed by a handful of people who own homes along the water.
The town of Stamford is making rapid changes to fix that. In an effort to create vibrant waterfront lifestyle we are now watching some new places popping up. For a long while, Crab Shell used to stand by its own at Stamford Landing. But recently, right next to it, Dolce Cubano Restaurant and Rum Bar opened its doors. Clearly there was enough interest in such hotspots by the water because both these places are hopping!
And just across the water on the opposite side is the latest addition: The Beer Garden at Harbor Point. This is very unique place. A fully functional bar - but with no food on the menu. They don’t have a kitchen in place yet so they did something brilliant. They invited food trucks to come and park at their location. So neat! On any given day 4-5 food trucks pull up. From my tried and tested favorites like Melt Mobil and LobsterCraft to some new ones like Vanchetta. There is plenty of seating inside and out. Its the perfect place to chillax on a warm summer afternoon with a craft brew in your hands and a sandwich in the other - taking in the gorgeous Marina and water views.
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Inspired by a recent article I read in NY Times by Patricia Brooks, I recently had dinner at Dolce Cubano. Loved that they seated my honey and me right by the water with the spectacular views. The bar scene here is just as vibrant as the Beer Garden. Noise level was ridiculous though. :-( We tried a whole bunch of tapas. Food looked great. Prepared with expertise and presented beautifully - the Mariner's Fried Shrimp was crispy outside and juicy inside, the Grilled Baby Lamb Chops were very tender, the Havana Bruschetta was ever so moist. But I generally felt that the dishes lacked deep flavors and were under-seasoned. Their key lime pie, however, did make me go, "Wow"! Maybe it was an off-day in the kitchen - and so I plan to give this place another shot sometime soon. One thing is for certain though - if you are looking for a hopping after-work scene then this is where you might want to be.
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