Country Cow Deli

Country Cow Deli 203-371-0303

2505 Black Rock Tpke Fairfield, CT 06825

Located right off of Exit 44 on the Merritt Parkway, I first heard about the Country Cow Deli through a friend that claimed it had the best bacon, egg and cheese sandwich in Fairfield County. 

So yesterday (Monday) morning, I headed over to the Country Cow with a few friends. The place is a small deli, with some sit down space and the walls are lined with newspaper articles of local high school athletes.  The place smelled good and was pretty packed for a monday morning. We all ordered right away- the famous bacon, egg and cheese on a hard roll. 

It only took about five minutes to make, but I could tell our sandwiches were made fresh to order. We all took a seat on a bench outside the deli to eat our breakfast. The egg was fried with a hard yolk, topped with melted white american cheese and crisp bacon and all surrounded by your ordinary hard roll. Overall, not my favorite BEC ever but the bacon and egg was cooked well and the roll was just the right size. The sandwich seemed pretty average to me, but was still good enough that I inhaled it in a mere couple minutes. 

The rest of the deli features your regular deli sandwiches and salads, but the breakfast menu looks pretty interesting with some good-looking omelets and a mexican sandwich that I will have to try on my next visit to the Country Cow. 

Overall verdict- a good BEC option, but nothing to drive out of way for. But service was good and prices were great, as the sandwich was only $3.00 and the rest of the menu has very good prices. 

Rawley's Drive In

Rawley's Drive In 203-259-9023

1886 Post Road Fairfield, CT 06824 

Recently featured on the Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate", Rawley's is a great place for friendly, fast service and great burgers, dogs and shakes, all at cheap prices. The place is a small, wooden red building with a few small booths and a few stools in the front. 

As soon as you wallk in, you're warmly greeted by the staff and paper menus stuck on the walls in front of you. You should have no trouble deciding what to order, as Rawley's has few items that include burgers, dogs, chicken tenders, fries, onion rings, and even milkshakes and malts.

After ordering, I first started in on the fries and a vanilla shake. The fries were clearly home-made- thick cut with the skin left on them. Although a little thick for my taste,  they were still pretty good, but slightly dry. 

Then the vanilla milkshake-the most expensive single item on the menu at around $4.25 (I think). The shake was thick and creamy, with at least a few scoops of vanilla ice cream, and I almost needed a spoon to get through it all.

Then I tried the Mexican burger- a beef patty topped with fried onions, lettuce, tomato, jalapenos and "sweet inferno" pickles. The burger alone is solid, but what makes it a great burger is the spice of the jalapenos with the sweetness of the pickles- a sweetness I've never had with pickles. 

Lastly, I had what I really came to Rawley's for--the famous deep-fried dog with all the works- kraut, mustard, bacon and sweet relish. 

First the dog- it's  put straight into the frier and then put on the flat-top grill, and what comes out is a dog with crunchier-than-normal skin, which adds a nice textural difference. 

But what really makes this dog is the toppings- the tanginess of the kraut mixes well with the spicy brown mustard and the sweetness of the relish. The real killer, though, is the fried chunks of bacon that add crunch, saltiness, and flavor (come on, who doesn't love deep fried bacon). 

Although the hot dog itself loses its crunch with all the kraut/relish, the bacon gives it all the crunch it needs and overall it's one of my favorite hot dogs- and it's only for $2.95!

So everyone, if you're cash-strapped, in a rush or just in need of a great hot dog and shake, head over to Rawley's in Fairfield. 

The Falafel Inn

The Falafel Inn ~ 333 Westport Ave. Norwalk, CT ~ (203) 354-8497

Good evening fellow Fairfield County diners.  I am honored to publish the inaugural post on our new blog.  Tonight I will inform you on my meal at The Falafel Inn in Norwalk, CT.  Being that I had never eaten a falafel in my life, I was pleasantly surprised with this small joint.  My meal was more or less a snack considering I had already eaten lunch at The Pantry in Fairfield, CT and I was craving something new during the workday.  The Falafel Inn lies on 333 Westport Ave. (continued from Post Rd), which is in the same plaza as Quiznos.  

My falafel experience began when I walked into the little restaurant that lacked A/C and was thus hotter than the outside air (83˚F).  Then, I waited 10 minutes for my falafel even though I was the only one in the place.  Finally, after paying roughly $6.50 for my falafel on pita and a water, I was ready to eat.  I sat down in a chair at a 2 person table (other side was a booth), and faced the flat-screen TV near the door.

I examined the sandwich before eating, and noticed that the inside of the falafel balls was green.  I don't know if this is normal or not, but I didn't second guess it, so I dove right in and enjoyed my first bite.  Chickpeas, hummus, cucumbers, onions, pita bread, and possibly some other ingredients were all present in each bite I took.  The sandwich wasn't incredible, but it was far from unappetizing.  It served as a tasty filling snack, which is exactly what I needed at the time.  Although it filled me up very quickly, I was able to eat a little more than half (the falafel was pretty big).  In addition to falafel, the restaurant serves shawarma, kababs, kibbie, babaganush,  and several other Middle Eastern cuisine in the option of a sandwich, salad, or platter.  Side dishes such as lentils and stuffed grape leaves are also on the menu.  

As I left the restaurant, I thanked one of the two chefs, who responded with a smile and a friendly salutation.  This certainly added bonus points to my overall experience.  In the end, I left the Falafel Inn with a full and satisfied stomach.

Overall (out of 5): 3.5

Taste: 4

Atmosphere: 3

Experience: 3.5

Would I return? Yes

Welcome!

Here's the start of a new food blog based in Westport, Connecticut.  

Run by a group of recent high school grads, this blog will review all kinds of restaurants and food places throughout Fairfield County. We'll include everything we can about food- from recipes to must-eats to bargains. 

Send all comments/questions to FCfoodbytes@gmail.com. If you want to advertise on our blog please ask!