(up beat music) - [Plum] I'm Chef Plum and I have over 25 years experience in the hospitality industry.
I also host "Seasoned" on Connecticut Public Radio.
Oh yeah, did I mention, I love to eat?
Here in Connecticut we have some gems and I want to find them.
My mission?
To find the best breakfast, lunch and dinner in one day in Fairfield County.
And of course I try to stay outta trouble along the way.
Doesn't always work.
(Plum grunting) - That's working, come on, come on.
- [Plum] This is "Restaurant Road Trip."
(upbeat music) Our first stop is in Fairfield for breakfast at a fun British restaurant with a funny musical story.
♪ When am a man loves a woman Good morning.
On this episode of "Restaurant Road Trip," I really wanted to change up my regular breakfast routine.
So I'd heard about a proper English breakfast being served in Fairfield Connecticut by Michael Bolton's former private chef, Chef Karen Hubrich.
She's opened a place called Gruel Britannia that's taken the locals by storm.
I can't wait to get in there.
I love bubble and squeak.
Proper English breakfast?
Count me in that's for sure.
Check it out, Gruel Britannia, right now.
I'm starving, come on.
Karen, I've been so excited to come here, since I read about you a couple years ago.
This place is gorgeous.
It feels like out of a movie.
I love the whole vibe of it.
I mean, is it a vibe?
- It is.
It's a funky, eclectic, English, I mean I tried to create that you're sort of eating in my kitchen in my house.
- Yeah.
But you were a single mom when you looked at, - [Karen] Yes.
you know, to have this.
- [Karen] My oldest son, Lucas and his girlfriend, they opened a coffee roasting company.
And I thought this was a logical thing.
Opened this place, breakfast, lunch, sell coffee.
- When you came and opened this restaurant, it wasn't your first restaurant.
You've been in the business how long now?
- Hang on a second, this is my first restaurant.
I've been a chef for 42 years.
This is my first restaurant.
- 42 years as a chef and still standing.
- And still standing.
- Shout out to Karen.
(both laughing) I mean, you've worked at some pretty amazing places.
Can you just give us a little, like- - I was the chef at the Pequot Yacht Club.
I was the chef at the Hunt Club in Westport.
I was the chef at the New York Times.
- Oh, let me just pick that up, she dropped something.
Chef at the New York Times.
- I was Michael Bolton's personal chef.
- Oh, wait something else she just dropped, Michael Bolton, hold on.
- To be honest, I didn't know who Michael Bolton was when I applied for the job.
It said writer, I thought a book writer.
- Right.
- And then I realized, no, it was someone else.
- Let's talk a little bit about the food kinda here.
I mean, you're really kind of harking back to British cuisine.
- I grew up in London and at that time, the food in England was absolutely horrible.
I mean, it was gray, it was overcooked, it was nothing.
But we spent a lot of time in Europe.
So I was used to good food.
And then finally when I opened this place, I just thought English food.
English food with some other things.
- [Plum] How has the town kind of embraced-- - [Karen] Oh, it's been amazing.
- [Plum] Yeah.
- And I have so many amazing customers that come in.
You see this is the American dream come true.
- Fantastic, it was.
I wanna get in this kitchen.
I'm a little nervous and hesitant, to be honest with you, cooking with you.
There's not many people I'm nervous to cook around, but I know where you've been and your story.
And it makes me a little hesitant, but I'm excited to get back here and show you my chops a little bit.
- I am looking forward to it.
- Let's go and see if we can make some bubble and squeak.
(Karen laughs) I think I can do it.
(Plum laughs) - Bubble and squeak, let me explain what bubble and squeak is.
- Please do.
- You think what a strange name, okay.
Bubble and squeak historically, Sunday roast would be leg of lamb, beef whatever, mashed potatoes, maybe roasted potatoes and all the leftover vegetables.
You would then mash together with your mashed potatoes, your roasted potatoes, add some seasoning, and then you would just add it to very hot fat it bubbles and it squeaks when it hits fat.
- I never knew that.
- There you go.
- I never knew the history of that.
- There you go.
- All right.
- all right, so.
- Let's do it, what maybe two cups here.
- Yeah maybe four cups who cares, just throw it in.
It's whatever you've got.
- Yes, maam.
- you haven't got it, you can't make it, you can't use it.
You might as well throw all those leeks and all the peas.
That'll give it some nice flavor.
Let's throw in some of this little herbage a little salt, gonna throw the mashed potato.
Let's say, I don't know, six scoops.
- The two best tools you have in the kitchen.
- Absolutely, your hands - These things here, you're born with them.
- Yep.
- Got a good mix in there.
- [Karen] In the ring molds, just kind of divvy them up in there, nice and full.
- Okay.
- I definitely, probably need to be going faster though don't I.
- If I was paying you by the hour, yes, (both laughs) he wouldn't be long for the bubble and squeak world.
- We'll take one.
- Right, - Right in the pan.
- Yeah, that's it.
- Ta-dah, who is it like fried mashed potatoes?
It's so funny to me how so much, great food can be so simple.
- Oh, that's it's, you know, I've done the whole gamut of the fancy stuff and basically something simple and delicious.
I'm just that's me, I love it.
- Yeah.
- And that's what I've evolved to at my age, now.
Now let's get the full English breakfast done, and we're gonna add that to the side, mushrooms, tomato, we roast them little bit of fresh time and garlic of oil.
heinz bake beans have to be heinz bake beans, vegetarian, English fat bacon and sausages with English bangers.
And then we put two pieces of toast on the side.
- Okay.
- This is what we call a greasy spoon dinner breakfast.
- It's like an English diner food.
- That's it , would you eat that?
- Karen, I'm so excited to be sitting down here with all this food.
I love all this food, this food makes me feel, I dunno, warm?
- Yeah it should, it's comfort food.
It's yes, English comfort food.
- Although I'm slightly nervous, don't know will be eating with you.
I mean, you're kind of legend at this stuff, but I mean, - Dunno about that.
(laughs) - The Queen is right here, I'm just a little nervous with having the Queen right here.
- I'm more nervous.
(both laughs) - Get her approval.
- Where should we start?
- You know, I would probably start with that.
- Okay, so what we have here, this is our traditional.
- This is what Americans call a popover, but we call this Yorkshire pudding.
- [Plum] Okay.
- Just eggs, two cups of flour, two cups of milk, and that's it.
Traditionally Yorkshire pudding , came from the north of England, which was a very, should we say, you know, impoverished area, a lot of coal mining, you'd have your Sunday roast beef dinner.
- Okay.
- And they would cook this in the beef drippings, and then they would, all the kids would get a ton of this because you'd have a tiny piece of meat.
And obviously the men at the house would get the roast beef more, ever was left, was given to the kids and this filled up the kids.
- Okay.
- And it was always served with gravy, now in this country, I know you use butter, you use jam, in England it's just gravy.
- It's delicious.
- It is good.
- It it's fantastic.
- It's great for you know, I serve with chilies.
I serve with soup, you just dunk it, it's a fabulous dunking item.
- It's delicious, it's so savory.
- You wanna eat either with the fish and chips.
- I do wanna go with fish.
You can't put something fried in front of a dude my size, and think I'm not gonna eat it.
- [Karen] So this is Icelandic hand cut Cod.
We go to a lot of this.
- [Plum] Gorgeous.
- [Karen] Our batter is there's no beer.
It's just a very simple batter.
Our tardar sauce, you have to try because that to me is the signature thing that makes the fish and chips.
- I mean, I'm getting a little bit of dill I'm getting the capers.
There's a whole different savoriness to this little mayo, little sour cream.
- Tarragon, lemon zest, relish, sweet pickle, jalapeno pickles.
What else?
Scallions a lot of stuff goes in.
- Wow.
That's really, really tasty.
I mean, this is delicious.
This would be a great salad dressing, this is-- - That is my recipe.
A lot of stuff goes in there and it's delicious.
- Yeah, the fish is great.
The fish is light, fluffy.
- Yeah.
- [Plum] I think I found a whole new style of food that I'm in love with right now, this is great.
So now we have this beautiful look at this.
- Yeah.
- Traditional English breakfast.
You got a new guy in the back, who's making it.
(Karen laughs) - You made it, it looks good.
That's the bubble and squeak that Chef Plum made.
And it's great when you put the onion gravy on or just like that or ketchup, whatever you want.
- [Plum] That is delicious, I love that.
I love the bubble and squeak in the banger together.
- [Karen] Yeah.
- [Plum] Very tasty, but I get the beans with it now.
- [Karen] Yeah.
- I wasn't sure about the beans.
I get the beans with it, it makes sense.
It adds that almost sweet component to it.
- It does.
- This is bloody amazing.
The Queen approves and not just, not just Queen Karen, but the Queen back here.
- HRH, here yes, very good.
(instrumental music) - Come on queen, we're gonna go have lunch together.
- Just gonna take the queen to lunch.
- Hang on what the (beep) - Oh my God, the poor Queen.
Just make sure she's back in time for tea, okay.
- I will.
(upbeat music) For lunch, we took a short drive to Stamford where this bustling city has some pretty eclectic food.
There's only one queen of cuisine in Stamford and she serves Southern food.
(upbeat music) We're in Stamford, Connecticut it for lunch, and unfortunately the Queen couldn't quite make it.
I was pretty surprised at how fast Karen could run from Gruel Britannia.
We're at Judy's Bar and Kitchen.
Helmed by larger than life chef owner, Judy Roll.
This is Americana in this place you guys, it is a great neighborhood restaurant for a city on the move serving my favorite style of food.
Listen to me when I say my favorite style of food and I love all the foods, this one is the top for me.
It's low country.
How smoked ribs, how smoked brisket, homemade desserts, amazing beverages made with like bourbon and you know, peaches, all those things.
I love all this stuff so much, clearly look at me.
I love it a lot.
This Judy's Bar and Kitchen right now on Restaurant Road Trip.
(upbeat music) I'm so excited to see you and meet you, but honestly, I can't believe that a place like this exists in Stamford.
- Oh well, thank you.
I'm so glad you guys are here too.
I'm psyched to show you around.
- So tell me a little bit about the food.
- Really, when I moved into this place, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do.
I knew I wanted like comfort.
- [Plum] Yeah.
- You know, things that people can go out to eat, not like crazy expensive a neighborhood place.
- And people do love it, I mean, look, we're in the afternoon right now.
And it's you got a great crowd in here.
- Yeah, always happy hour, is very happy around here.
(both laughs) - Of course it is.
So how about the cocktail program mix?
I'm looking at the board over here, it just gorgeous.
- [Judy] Bourbon peach pie is a winner, we we're invited to participate in the Best Bartenders of Stamford.
- [Plum] Nice.
- [Judy] And I never really considered myself a bartender, but I think as a chef, you know what tastes good and you need.
- [Plum] Yeah.
- [Judy] That balance of sweet and tart, and we made a drink and I was shocked that we won it.
I was like the oldest person there by like about 70 years.
- Age is just a number, Judy, your history in the industry.
How long have you been in the industry?
How long you worked in at restaurants?
- So I've always loved cooking as a child.
Always a big food family.
- It's why we're friends.
- It's always been my thing.
I went to The Culinary Institute of America.
- Shout out me too.
- And all right.
- Shout out.
- Graduated at the top of my class.
- Woooooo, okay.
It's good, I didn't, I had to work and well, you know, - All right.
- But I graduated.
- Okay, good.
(Plum laughs) - Then I opened a middle Eastern restaurant in Stamford.
- Yeah, Tabouli Grill, another fantastic restaurant.
- And then I opened here and here we are.
- Well, I'm excited to try this food.
I'm excited to try these cocktails.
This is my style of food, I grew up on my entire life.
- Yes.
- I love it, I cannot wait.
- Well good, I can't wait to hear your feedback.
- Listen, my feedback's gonna be my stomach growling and asking for more.
- You're right.
(Plum laughs) (upbeat music) - Judy, I'm excited to be in the kitchen now.
I can't wait.
I'm seeing the smoker.
And I'm gonna tell you the smell when you open the door.
- So good.
- Aah.
- My dogs are so happy when I come home.
(Plum laughs) They they're the only ones that are happy when I come home.
- What are we making now?
- All right, so let's make our three meat combo.
So let's start, we got some barbecue chicken.
- Am up here.
- Let's throw some wings on there for you.
- We're dropping the wings down, right?
- Yep.
- We got our wings going in here.
- Got a crisp 'em Up.
- And this guy too.
- Yep, put it right in that one.
- All right, so we're crisping up an entire, the half chicken.
- Yes.
- Ooooooh, Crispy skin on that chicken, are you kidding me?
- Look at all these wings and the whole chicken, right?
- Chicken throw on there.
Cut some ribs, that looks great.
- I'm getting so happy right now.
- You see you got your nice pink.
- Ooh, - Smoke ring.
- That pink line right there.
You guys see that that's called a smoke ring.
That's how you know, when something smoked is done the right way.
Brisket, one of my favorite cuts of meat of smoke.
- So good.
- How many hours of smoked?
- Usually 12 to 14 hours.
- Here we go.
- And you got that beautiful-- - Look its ah.
- Pink smoke ring.
- I mean, I kinda wanna cry right now.
- You can.
(upbeat music) - All right Judy shrimp and grits.
One of my favorites, classic Southern cuisine.
What is grits?
Can you explain the right, what grits are?
- It's corn meal.
- Yeah.
- And we get it first from Nora Mills Granary.
- Okay.
- In Georgia.
They've been in business since 1856.
- A long time in making grits.
- Yeah, that's a long time in making grits.
We're gonna dump the shrimp in there.
- You don't wanna overcook those shrimp, they cook so fast, yeah.
- That looks good.
We're just gonna put a little bit of a syrup on it.
- Okay.
Now we have some andouille sausage, - Aah, one of my favorites.
- We cook it in the smoker.
We buy the andouille and then we just put it, cook it in the smoker, so it has some nice, you know, smokey flavor to it.
- Andouille, mushrooms, some butter, we got peppers in here, a little red peppers, you roast 'em up.
- Red pepper, yeah, and then.
- Oh, here we go.
- My favorite.
- Tequila.
- It's not tequila.
- No (laughs) white wine, right?
- Some white.
- Why the white wine?
- Another favorite, I should say.
- Nice.
- So that deglazes the pan.
When you cook in a saute pan like this, a little brown bits form on the bottom of the pan.
You deglaze that pan.
- [Judy] To all the flavor.
- You pull all through ground it's back up, that's all flavor, you want that in this dish.
We season up a little bit, now we're adding a little heavy cream.
- Oh yeah baby.
- Oh boy, here we go, look at this.
You gotta remember liquids, can't get any hotter than 212 degrees, at 212 degree it starts to boil or the liquid turns into a gas.
That's what you see escaping here, that steam.
That's the liquid, leaving the pan, leaving behind all of those solids, which concentrates the flavor to be absolute, the maximum it could possibly be.
- I think we're ready to put the shrimp back in, don't you?
- Is that too like-- - I Think that's like - Sciencey.
- No, it's all right.
- I mean you know.
- The you can always edit that out if they want.
(Plum laughs) - You're gonna edit out my sciencey?
- Boring, boring, boring.
(Plum laughs) So here we have our delicious grits.
- Yeah, so you kind of made your own little sausage here with this cream and that sausage, the fat from the sausage mixes in with that cream, right?
- Yeah, whatever you say.
- Look at that.
(both laughs) - I'm concentrating.
- Oh.
- Little bit scallion.
- Here we go, my shrimp and grits.
Let's come get 'em.
(upbeat music) Judy, this is an exorbitant and I can't smell that word amount of food.
- It's not.
- What do you mean it's not?
- It's not exorbitant amount of food.
I'm a Jewish mom and there can never be too much food.
- So, I'm not sure where to start, but we have cocktails, it's beautiful.
- Cheers.
- Peach pie, right?
- Peach pie, - cheers.
- Peach pie cocktail, are you kidding me?
- It's got the nutmeg and the cinnamon in it.
- Wow.
Now I get why you won that cocktail.
- You know what, I don't drink this too often, - No?
- But I should start.
- It reminds me of those peaches when I was a kid in a can.
Is that weird?
- It's got peach nectar in it, so, - So am good.
- You know, you're on the right track.
- Barbecue food is one of my favorite things in the planet.
We have these wings, we have the brisket.
We have the ribs, we have the chicken in the smoker.
- [Judy] Everything in the smoker, just the chicken and the chicken wings, get go in the deep fryer.
- I'm gonna get right in there.
- Yeah.
- And friends, I'm gonna tell you right now, this is not gonna be pretty.
- You gotta move a little bit, gosh.
You're like in my way.
- I'm hungry too.
- Wow, the smoke is not overpowering at all.
- Delicious.
- The crispiness on the outside?
Money.
This is next level, I'm a big fan of that.
We've also got some ribs.
- [Judy] All it is, is soft pepper on there.
- [Plum] That's it?
- [Judy] That's it.
- That is delicious, I like the simplicity of it.
This sauce?
Money.
- [Judy] Thank you.
- [Plum] Cubano sandwich, explain what it is while I take a bite.
- [Judy] So we have our pulled pork, it's cooked in the smoker.
We have ham Gruyere cheese, yellow mustard, jalapenos, pickles, all grilled together.
- [Plum] That might be my favorite sandwich at how the show.
- [Judy] Yeah.
- That is unbelievable, I love the pickles in it, the mustard in it, but that pork.
- They kinda cuts through the fattiness of the pork.
- Wow, what a delicious sandwich that is.
- Well good.
- Shrimp and grits, we watched, we made this in the back.
I watched you make it, you made fun of me a little bit.
- A little bit.
- You didn't like my science.
- It's all right, it's all right.
Little grits, a little-- - Here we go - Cream sauce.
(instrumental music) - This is a home run.
- Good.
- Easy.
- It's flavorful.
- Flavorable.
- Honestly, people could make this at home.
- Absolutely.
- [Judy] I mean, I did not have anything.
It all got it's flavor from the ingredients.
- Yeah, well, the only problem is the powdered magical unicorn horn you put in there.
- Oh,(Shush) You said you weren't gonna say anything about that.
- Honestly, Judy, I don't know what to say, except for there's so much food for me to eat.
Hopefully don't mind if I stick it around for a little bit.
- Well we might have to kick you out of here.
It is Friday.
- Oh, stop it.
This is amazing food.
Thank you so much for having us.
- I am (indistinct) - Thank you so much for coming.
- You are the queen.
- Tonight, I had the catfish, which was very good.
And usually I do the potato wedges, which are superb.
- Oddly enough, in my opinion, this place does some of the best burgers around.
(Plum groans) - I dunno if I can do another bite.
What Jeffy?
What?
There's so much food, where are we going?
Oh, there's so much delicious food right there though Jeff, (Plum groans) but I'm still hungry Jeffy.
To Newtown for dinner!
(upbeat music) For dinner, it's a short drive in a car, not a hand truck, to Newtown where a Fairfield county pizza legend has opened an amazing pizza and cocktail den with an emphasis on local.
(upbeat music) Dinnertime is one of my top three favorite times a day, aside from lunch and breakfast.
And tonight we're in Newtown.
Connecticut at Good Old Days Pizza, where chef/owner Matt Stanczak, is a Fairfield County pizza legend.
His passion for local ingredients bleeds through.
this pizza is some of the most amazing stuff there is.
I love it so much, I get it all the time.
I live in Newtown.
It's one of my favorite restaurants.
I can't wait to show it to you guys.
It's dinnertime right now on Restaurant Road Trip.
(upbeat music) I was so excited when you opened up here in Newtown.
This is my hometown, I was so excited you were here because your food is just outrageous.
You care so much about local food.
Talk about the restaurant, talk about the menu, how long you've been open.
- Good Old Days Pizza in Newtown, we've been open a little over a year, you know, just basically serve two styles pizza, square pies, and kinda thin and crispy bar pies.
It's kinda like Grandma, Sicilian, Detroit-style with that frico crust.
So yeah, we don't call it that, but similar, similar.
- Now why pizza?
It's just, it's such a random thing, 'cause I was telling one of our producers, earlier in the day I was saying, it's just great how chefs, we used to picture like these hoity toity, you know, we got our hats on we' re... - Well, I think that's what we do here, is like we put a chef's twist on pizza, right?
Like technique, the detail, like everything, you know?
So why, I don't know I love pizza.
So that's why we do it.
- I know that local, like getting local ingredients is such an important thing to you, right?
- [Matt] Yeah.
- Talk about that and putting the in the menu and almost using your menu around that.
- Yeah, I just think it's the way to cook, right?
Like seasonal, it doesn't travel far, you're supporting local.
It's fresher, it's healthier.
It's just kinda the natural way to cook, I feel like, you know.
- [Plum] My wife's favorite thing is salad.
Your salads are off the charts, off the wall.
I love the harvest salads you've done.
And the that's all local stuff as well, right?
- Yeah, well, yeah when in season, absolutely , yeah.
- [Plum] How many pizzas a night you think you put out this?
- Like last night we did over 200 tonight we'll do over 200, it's nonstop, you know, like four o'clock till nine, 9 30.
- [Plum] Yeah.
How has the town embraced you, since you've come to Newtown?
There's a lot of pizzerias in this town, you know, as you know, but I think we separate ourselves with what we do, the styles, we do, the vibe, the cocktails, just everything, - [Plum] Yeah.
- [Matt] You know, so yeah, it's been great.
- I wanna get in this kitchen with you guys, I think I can fit in there.
I mean, I can throw pies, man.
I used to throw pies back to that, I still can do it.
- Yeah, let's go.
- Let's do it, let's get in this kitchen.
(Matt giggles) (upbeat music) - So we're gonna do a white lightning, a little bit of a fresher oregano, little more, a little more, - Little more, little more.
- Little more, don't be cheap.
- Don't be cheap.
Red onion.
More, more.
- Roasted garlic right here.
Boom.
And then the pickled peppers right there.
Then put a little sprinkle of the grated shredded cheese, going in the oven.
- And how long is pizza taking in the oven?
- Take about seven minutes.
- Nice, yeah.
- [Matt] We're gonna build a square, 'cause we got orders rolling in.
- Nice.
- So the square pies in the black steel pans, olive oil on the bottom, it's kinda like a focaccia dough, right?
- Yeah.
- Just kinda lift it up.
You gotta wanna like lift it up and pull it this way.
- So lift it up.
- pull it right yep, gently like a nice pillow or a cloud.
And then you're gonna do like your playing the piano, kind of push down dimple it like, you would've yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah pikacu.
And then two of your bear paws fulls of cheese.
- Two bear paw fulls of cheese, that's the actual Culinary measurement.
- Yup.
- The bear paw.
- Yeah.
- Nice.
- You gonna fill it, fill it in.
You know, you wanna like make sure it's all the way to the edge, yup.
And then oregano.
- You speak a lot of good language.
and it's going in.
- So this one's gonna be a sesame seed crust.
So we're gonna brush this little garlic oil.
- Okay.
- Got our Old School little sesame.
- Why Sesame seed Crust just curious.
- Just it reminds us of like the breads of yester year, Sesame seed crust.
- The breads of yester year.
(Matt chuckles) - Again, two of the cheese blend.
Beautiful, all the way into the edges.
Rose Marino.
- Little Rose Marino are here.
- Basil, you cook it with the basil on there huh?
- Oh yeah.
- Nice.
- Let it kinda infuse in there.
- Yep, yep.
- Grip in there.
- I would look at chef, all right.
- Little pinch Sea salt and then give it to Dave, it's going in the oven.
- My man, all right, one more.
- We have 99-- - We can keep going, we can keep going all night.
- There's 900 pizza in this oven right now.
- Brussels.
- A little Brussels on there.
- Brussels bacon.
- This is a great pie, I know which one this it is.
- This is the palm crema, here we go.
- Bacon.
- Par cook bacon.
- Par cooked, what he's talking about, we're just started to cooking it, so we can finish cooking in the oven.
- 75% of the way or so.
- Yep.
- Garlic oil.
- Nice.
- Little bit of shredded, why not goo it down?
I said we got pizzas coming outta the oven, right?
- We do.
- Let's do this.
- You're gonna slice 'em.
(upbeat music) - Oh, he still got it he still got it.
- You made me laugh.
(Plum laughs) - There you go.
- Parsley drizzle, parmigiana, Parsley.
Put it in the window, man.
- Got the white lightning now, same thing ive it cuts, right?
- Yeah.
- Just gets that ricotta cheese, right?
- Just do like three nice little sexy dots.
- Little good grande ricotta that we whip up, little salt, pepper.
- How do we look, chef all right?
- Looks great.
- Baller.
- That's gonna be delicious.
Chef you got a few minutes to eat with me.
- Yeah, let's go.
- Let's go taste these pieces.
(upbeat music) So lemme get a napkin, so I'm not a heathen.
(Matt giggles) I don't wanna be a heathen.
This is the Qui Gon Gin, right?
- Yeah, cheers.
- Cheers, thanks for having us.
- Drinking while we work, look at this.
- Absolutely.
I'm not a very big gin fan, but this is a great cocktail, especially for dinner time or you know.
- Yeah.
- For an evening or a happy hour, what a great drink.
- Agreed, agreed.
- I love the rosemary in there too, it makes a nice touch.
Let's get into it - [Matt] Lizzie's Pie, one of our all stars in the kitchen.
- [Plum] Yeah.
- [Matt] She came up with it.
- I find interesting most about this, is that parsley drizzle you have on there.
What's in that?
- Yeah, it's the secret sauce.
(Plum laughs) I can't reveal.
Liz has to talk about it, I can't reveal.
- [Plum] One of my favorites, this guy, right here.
- That's just the White Lightning.
So you got the spice, the heat of it, the sweetness from the ricotta, a little bit of saltiness, so you're hitting, you're kind of hitting all, all senses you know.
- This is one that we get all the time in my family.
This pie is delicious.
- Yeah.
- The peppers, the amount of peppers on here, but it's not too overpowering, right?
- The heat is there, but it's not, it's not gonna blow your face off.
- I can't wait to eat this entire thing.
I know you have to go out to work.
- Yeah, so I'm gonna polish off this and this cocktail and I might order a few more pies 'cause they're really delicious, chef.
- Great, great.
- We are so happy you're here, man.
- Thanks, man.
- This is unbelievable.
- Awesome.
I mean, if you haven't been here yet, you are really missing out this, in my opinion, one of the best restaurants in Newtown, you guys.
You gotta get back here check it out.
Good Old Days Pizza.
- Nice buddy.
- Appreciate it, thank you, thank you, thank you.
(upbeat music) - So this is my first time at Good Old Days and I love it because of the atmosphere and it's close to home and it feels like I have grown up here my entire life.
I've never had vodka sauce in my pizza before, it is delicious.
Probably one of the best pizzas I've ever had in my life, and I'm definitely coming back for more.
I love it.
(upbeat music) - What a great time here in Newtown, Connecticut, at Good Old Day's Pizza.
Chef Matt Stanczak is absolutely killing it.
These pizzas are outta control and his passion for local ingredients, it shows more than anything else.
This place is fantastic, I can't wait to come back here.
We'll see you next time right here on... Hey chef?
- We need your help.
- Huh, bro really?
Yes finally.
- Yeah, you're gonna help.
- I'm gonna help.
I thought he meant help in the kitchen, not here in the dish pit.
See you next time on Restaurant Road Trip.
Sometimes I tend to get a little more than I bargain for.
Three Fairfield county restaurants all with different style.
Gruel Britannia and Fairfield for a delicious British breakfast.
Judy's in Stamford for a little Southern flare and of course pizza at Good Old Days in Newtown, not new Haven.
Thanks for watching we'll see you next time.
(upbeat music)
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