Lido- New to Harlem

We are always excited when new things pop up in our neighborhood. The space that was left by the short lived Frizzante is now occupied by Lido. Still an Italian restaurant, Lido is a bit more upscale both in food and in price. There were not only changes made to the menu but also to interior decor. It is now cozier and more friendly. The bar is larger and more accessible. It still has a tiny bit of that "stark" feeling, but the friendly staff makes the experience more comforting.

We have yet to eat a bad meal and have eaten there a few times. We love the ricotta ravioli with eggplant, mint and pine nuts. The proportions are not overwhelming, but give you enough to be full.

We are looking forward to eating outside in the spring! If you are local go check it out and support the neighborhood!

www.lidoharlem.com

Red LuLu

A new restaurant moved in to the main strip in South Norwalk this winter called Red LuLu Cocina & Tequila Bar. It is sort of a seductive take on a mexican restaurant.

The decor is dark and gothic with heavy red velvet curtains, mirrored tables and fancy chandeliers. It is actually very cool and brings a different vibe to "downtown SoNo." While it is slightly on the pricey side, there are some free perks such as ample chips and salsa and a few other complementary perks like free cotton candy at the end of the meal. (random yes, but still fun.) The margaritas were pretty delish, could have had a few. Their tequila selection is substantial, their menu not as much. The food was more than good enough to make a return trip. It would definitely be a great place to go for a later dinner on Friday night and stay for a while enjoying some tequila cocktails.

It will be interested to see what it does when it starts to get warmer out. It is definitely more of a dark winter restaurant than an airy spring/summer place.

To check out Red Lulu, find them at http://www.redlulumexican.com/.

Walnut Crusted Chicken

One of our favorite recipes is walnut covered chicken. We make it at least 3 times a month, often to throw the chicken on top of a salad for some protein boost. This recipe can me varied in many ways, traditionally I use the recipe below, with Pistachios. It is also delicious with almonds and cashews. You will need a food processor of some kind to finely chop/grind the nuts. I prefer to use chicken “tenders” or strips. But can be used for chicken breasts, thinly sliced chicken etc.

• 1 bag chopped walnuts


• ½ cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs, can use regular breadcrumbs too, or none at all)


• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese


• 1 tsp garlic powder ½ tsp salt


• ½ tsp pepper Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil, spray tin foil with cooking spray. In food processor, grind the walnuts. Add Panko, cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper and pulse a few times to mix. Pour ¼ cup olive oil in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, pour walnut mixture. Dip chicken pieces in olive oil, and then roll them around in the walnut mixture. You may need additional olive oil. Place an inch apart on the cookie tray. Cook for appropriate time. 25- 45 minutes depending on size of chicken pieces.