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| Baro's appetizer trio |
Dishcrawl provides the chance to experience three
restaurants in one night- a food version of the infamous pub crawl. The organization covers 250 cities in the US
and Canada, and is currently expanding into the UK. This particular night cost $45 per person,
exclusive of drinks.
The Fairfield branch is under the leadership of Kelly
Fazzino, a Stamford resident with a passion for food and infectious energy. Admittedly, Fairfield County Dishcrawl has a
speckled past, but since Kelly’s recent hiring they have put on one immensely
successful event after another.
Another fun component of Dishcrawl is the secrecy; diners do
not know the destinations until the night of the event. Clues are dropped on Facebook and Twitter in
the days leading up to the event, but ultimately the journey is a guessing
game.
Two days before Dischrawl, participants received an email
instructing us to meet at Baro at 7pm. I
have adored Baro since its opening; their gourmet twists on Latin street food
are both delicious and inventive. As
usual, Baro proved a class act. Smiling
servers greeted us as we entered. After
checking in with Kelly and donning nametags, we made our way to the bar where
the bartender, Jason, made a show of mixing unique and tasty cocktails. I received a new summer addition to the drink
menu: Island Peach. I don’t always
equate bourbon with summer time, but the drink proved otherwise- it captured
the season in a glass.
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| Baro's bartender Jason serves up cocktails for guests |
We mingled with drinks in hand for about 20 minutes as the
rest of the participants trickled in.
Once assembled, we were ushered into the restaurant’s beautifully lit private
dining room.
The room contained three large tables, giving the 30 or so
guests the chance to socialize and swap stories. The crowd was diverse. It spanned a number of generations and
included friends, couples, and independent diners alike. Some had heard about Dischrawl by word of
mouth while many had read about it on websites with events round ups, like
CTBites. It drew people from across the
county. My table included people from as
far South as Stamford and far North as Trumbull.
As we chatted, the servers presented us with a trio of
signature Baro appetizers: a fish taco, a chicken antichurro (skewer), and an
empanada. Reyes came out to explain each
component to the room for a full-fledged foodie experience. The taco sat on a mini homemade
tortilla. The meaty fish was adorned
with pickled vegetables. It was a
wonderful blend of textures and fresh flavors in just a few bites. The antichurro proved equally delicious. I sometimes think of chicken as plain and
unexciting- the safe choice at a restaurant.
This chicken, however, had a slight char and a glaze that made it juicy
and tasty. Finally came the empanada
with a crunchy homemade pastry shell, queso fresco, and ground beef.
I would like to note that Dischrawl- and the restaurants we
visited that night- did an excellent job of attending to my dietary needs. I have a sensitivity to dairy, which I had
the chance to note on Dishcrawl’s website when I ordered my ticket. Despite the disclaimer, I was still
skeptical. As explicit as I am about it
when I place orders, several restaurants still get it wrong. However, Dishcrawl and Baro took great care
of me. Instead of the empanada with the
buttery pastry outside and cheese filling, they presented me with an arepa,
which had a white corn cake base, pulled brisket on top, and a garnish of micro
greens. Yu!
As I finished off my plate, we were given a heads up that we
would be moving to the next location around 8:00. This gave us time to close our tabs, savor
the final bites, and thank the crew at Baro who had been so hospitable. We began our journey to the next restaurant-
still a mystery- though social media had hinted at comfort food. We made our way down the Post Road on foot as
a massive group (I’m sure it was an interesting sight to onlookers!)
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| Anna Liffey's comfort food |
In about a quarter of a mile we stopped and began ascending
a flight of wooden stairs to an upstairs venue and home of our next Dischrawl
stop: Anna Liffey’s. The Irish bar has
enjoyed popularity in New Haven and it recently opened the second location in
the space that used to be the Skybox Lounge.
It’s known as a great spot for brews, sports, and live music.
This stop proved more rustic and homey than the previous setting. From the upstairs location to the wooden
décor to the beers on tap, Anna Liffey’s embodies the casual pub
atmosphere. While Baro had cocktails
shaken and garnished, the bartender at Anna Liffey’s served pint after pint of
foamy Irish beers.
The servers were attentive and efficient at the pub; all of
the food was ready at once and the servers put a plate in front of each of us
systematically. The cuisine matched the
spirit of the place. We received a plate
with generous portions of bar staples: fish and chips, a slider, and jalapeno
poppers. The fish was fried to an
amazing golden-brown… a guilty pleasure to be sure and possibly heart-attack
inducing… but definitely delicious! The
slider had siracha, garlic, and onions, which imparted extra flavor. It truly was comfort food in all its glory.
Like Baro, Anna Liffey’s did an excellent job of
accommodating my dietary needs. My
slider came without the dairy components and instead of the fish and chips I received
three garlicky grilled shrimp. I enjoyed
each element and appreciated the care they took.
We embarked for our third and final destination around
9:00. Once more, we followed the crowd
to an unknown location… and wound up at 55 Degrees wine bar.
55 Degrees provided an elegant, intimate atmosphere
conducive to the last stop of a fun trip.
It afforded us the chance to spend time with the people we came with,
get lost in jazzy music, and sip on wine.
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| The group mingles and relaxes at 55 Degrees Wine Bar |
Unfortunately, the food and service fell short of
expectations. We sat for a long time
before a few servers came around to tables at random times to ask if we wanted
drinks. A while later they brought out
the food, but instead of a plate it was passed food of miniscule portions. There were chicken skewers smaller than my
pinky that we could put on paper napkins.
They also came around with tiny cheese balls (no dairy-free option
there.)
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| Biscotti dessert |
We sat for about a half-hour waiting for something else to
happen: perhaps an explanation of the small passed dishes or another course as we’d
heard rumors of something sweet. It was
almost a full hour after arriving that 55 Degrees finally came out with a piece
of biscotti for each of us. A chocolate
dipping sauce and side of whipped cream helped elevate the presentation. 55 Degrees was a beautiful spot- but the
restaurant seemed to view us as an afterthought.
To her credit, Kelly filled the time by mingling with
tables, thanking us for coming, and getting feedback about the evening. Fun and engaging, she spoke to each guest and
made us feel at home.All in all, I enjoyed the evening immensely and the laughter, comments, and excited guests implied that the others did as well. Baro’s creative, classy cuisine and Anna Liffey’s comfort treats more than made up for the issues at 55 Degrees. And Dishcrawl is more than just the food- it’s an entire social experience. I loved being a part of a group of strangers with a shared interest, walking the sidewalk and sharing a beautiful summer night. I definitely recommend it.
