THE BIGGEST GAP

Thanksgiving to New Years is a long time to go without Random. Bizarre. I’ve been home for a while, loungin’ in holiday fashion, eating far more than is good for me. Since leaving Connecticut, I’ve always bashed it as being the most mediocre state in the Union. Remember when Wayne and Garth couldn’t even whip up a lick of wit before a backdrop of Delaware? That’s how I felt about Connecticut. Every time I go back though, I seem to gain newfound appreciation. One thing CT has a lot of is great junk food. Louie’s Lunch in New Haven is one of the many American eateries than lays claim to the invention of the hamburger, but all boasts aside their vertical cast iron roasters and generous chunks of meat make for a damn fine burger. No buns, just toast, and ketchup is a heresy, but the burgers, the place, and the style just exude genuine quality. Great pie, too.

Ted’s in Meriden is another CT burger oddity, where they actually steam the burgers. Yes, gen-you-wine steamed hams. Not just in Utica anymore! The burger meat itself looks kind of grey and cadaverous (zombie burger?), but it’s actually juicy and flavorful. Ted’s also accompanies it with a giant hunk of gooey cheese and a quality bun. Yay Ted’s.

This year also marked my very first visit to the legendary Pepe’s in New Haven, the quintessential New Haven pizzeria and standard bearer for the New Haven white clam pizza. The lines outside Pepe’s and it’s neighbor / rival Sally’s are as legendary as the pizza, but I figure I don’t get back here that often so it might be worth braving them. We ended up waiting 1.5 hours, which is absurd, but the pizza was divine. The white clam had great crust, slightly charred, crunchy, with just the right amount of air and chew. We followed it with a classic, red sauce, oodles of toppings, and it was good, but not spectacular (over-done crust). The at first pie was fantastic, though, and just about justified the wait.

Other places I need to hit in CT include Sally’s, Super Duper Weenie, aaaand I haven’t been to Lenny & Joe’s since I was tiny, and I lack corny t-shirts.