The Lime

The Lime ~ 168 Main Ave. Norwalk, CT06851 ~ (203) 846-9240

The Lime may look like an average restaurant alongside others on Main Ave in Norwalk such as Taste of Brasil and Valencia, but the food distinguishes it from the rest. Their motto of "Naturally Delicious!" is spot on because every dish on the all-natural menu is spectacular. Voted Best Vegetarian Restaurant by Connecticut Magazine and Fairfield Weekly for the past 15 years, The Lime also pleases carnivores with the various meat dishes it offers. It has the typical meals such as steak, chicken, fish, and vegetables, but all these come with a twist. The Lime offers many unconventional dishes, so it may be tough to decide on one. For instance, the Barbecue Shrimp appetizer comes with grilled shrimp in a spicy Jicama sauce over grilled cheese toast, and is simply amazing. Also, several dishes are served with ginger wasabi sauce, mango chutney, or even honey mustard horse radish. In all honesty, there is not a weak dish on the menu, so no need to be picky.

One unique aspect of the lime is that every entree is served with a salad, vegetables, wild brown rice, and delicious soy carrot bread. This is a lot of food for a reasonable price.

Tonight, I had the usual barbecue shrimp to start and once again loved it. For my main course, I chose the Mixed Grill Sweetfire (Chicken breast, shrimp, and hot andouille sausanfe, grilled with Cajun spices and served with a honey-salsa mustard - $18.95) while fellow diners Ben and Corey respectively ordered the Cajun Sweetfire Steak ($22.95) and a special chicken dish smothered in pineapple mango chutney ($??). By the end of our meal, we had a tough time leaving because we were too full to move.

The Mixed Grill Sweetfire was excellent. Each component of the dish - chicken, shrimp, and sausage - was perfectly cooked and was full of flavor. The honey-salsa mustard added a simultaneous combination of sweetness and spiciness that was interesting yet extremely appetizing. Although I was stuffed after only eating half the plate, I had no choice but to keep on eating. Go big or go home, right? The food was truthfully too good to leave any on the plate.

Ben's said the steak was great too, and Corey could not stop raving about the chicken. He let me try some of the chutney after he ate all the chicken, and that too was top-notch.

Finally, we got a round of desserts - Mississipi Mud Pien (best of the three), some rich chocolate cake, and a dessert filled with apples, cinnamon, caramel, and graham cracker crust (all desserts are $3.95). Sweet. Filling. Rich. Amazing.

I'd have to say that The Lime is definitely the best restaurant I have reviewed thus far. The food is unbeatable, and so is its unmatched service. The Lime is full of nice friendly people, so I know every trip there will be an enjoyable experience.

**TIP: I have been to The Lime a few times and highly recommend the swordfish dishes, sea scallops, and honey maple glazed salmon as well as the Mixed Grill Sweetfire.

Overall: 5

Taste: 5

Atmosphere: 5

Experience: 5

Menu: 5

Service: 5

Would I return? I can't wait to

Ash Creek Saloon

Ash Creek Saloon ~ 2 Wilton Ave. Norwalk, CT 06581 ~ (203) 847-7500

I've been having quite a bit of BBQ food lately including an excellent Carolina Pulled Pork sandwich from Westport's own Bobby Q's, which is hard to beat.  However, Ash Creek puts up a fight.  

This was my first time eating at the Norwalk restaurant because I usually go to the one in Fairfield.  Also, I ventured away from my usual self and tried the BBQ Brisket Sandwich ($8.99) instead of the ribs (voted best in Connecticut 2005 and 2008).  However, to no surprise, the sandwich was delicious.  Rich in tasty vinegar-based BBQ sauce, the brisket was of perfect consistency and there was plenty of it.  Enough meat filled the roll that I didn't even bother finishing it or the sweet potato fries on the side.  Side note:  I did notice that the brisket somewhat resembled the pulled pork because it wasn't as chunky as the brisket I'm used to, but this had no effect on my review.

I must not forget to mention the appetizer.  Though simple, the small gorgonzola salad ($6.99) was very good.  Filled with mixed greens, fresh gorgonzola, red onions, dried cranberries, walnuts, and a nice balsamic vinaigrette, this salad vanished in a matter of minutes.  

TIP: If you aren't too hungry but are in the mood for great BBQ, get one of the sandwiches.  There is enough meat in these sandwiches - pulled pork, chicken, brisket, etc. - to fill your stomach, and they are far less expensive than the full BBQ dinner plates.  These platters can range up to the mid-$20s while no sandwich tops $10.99.

Overall: 4.2

Taste: 4

Atmosphere: 4 (cool bar scene with big TVs)

Experience: 4.5

Menu: 4 (standard BBQ + original sandwiches)

Service:  4.5 (waiter was extremely prompt and nice)

Would I return? Yes

Valencia Luncheria

Valencia Luncheria 203-846-8009

172 Main Street Norwalk, CT 06851

Valencia is a small cafe in Norwalk that serves up delicious Venezuelan and other latin specialties for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

The breakfast features interesting omelets, delicious breakfast wraps, unique arepas (like brie and mango), and it even has the traditional pancakes, granola and french toast. Today I had the plantains, ham and queso omelet. The cooked plantains have a sweetness that goes well with the salty ham and cheese. The omelet was served with a delicious rice and beans and crisp sauteed potato hash browns. Overall the breakfast was extremely filling, delicious and cheap (only $7.50). 

But if you're gonna go to Valencia, be sure to try one of their many arepas. The arepas are corn bread stuffed with all sorts of fillings. At Valencia they have arepas for breakfast, lunch and dessert.  Fillings range from steak and eggs to barbequed pork to fresh fish ceviche to peanut butter and jelly. A must have for dessert is the dulce de leche and banana arepa.  

They serve their arepas up with two killer sauces- one a green cilantro sauce and the other a spicy red chile sauce, both of which I could drink straight out of the bottle. 

They also have a wide range of latin-influenced sandwiches, empanadas, and soups. For dinner they have many great Latin dishes, like camarones al ajillo.  

Lastly, they've got fantastic homemade desserts and drinks, like fresh chi-cha (a rice drink) or fresh fruit smoothies.

I've been to Valencia several times and have been met with friendly service and fresh, hot food. All the food is made with fresh ingredients and is made right when you order, so you know you're getting top quality food.

Valencia is one of my favorite places to get breakfast and lunch, and it is truly one of the great unique eateries in Fairfield County. If you have not been to Valencia, make sure you stop by now! But just a heads up, there's limited seating room so you may have to take out, and they don't accept credit cards. 

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