This was a week that moved between two of my favorite modes — a commuter’s rhythm of home-cooked dinners and a FiDi slice stop, and a weekend built entirely around antique shops and long, satisfying meals. There was a new pizza spot to check off the list, a happy hour that came together out of nowhere, and a Saturday-Sunday combo that took us from Westport to Norwalk to Fairfield, then all the way up to Woodbury. Some weeks are quiet. This one had a little bit of everything.
Monday: Smoked Salmon and a Simple Start
Monday called for something light but satisfying, so dinner was smoked salmon with grilled zucchini and a side of french fries. It’s one of those combinations that doesn’t try too hard — smoky, fresh, a little indulgent with the fries thrown in — and it set a good tone for the week without requiring much effort. Sometimes the best Monday meals are the ones that don’t ask anything of you.
Tuesday: Il Mattone in the City, Then Pasta at Home
Tuesday took me a bit further into the city than usual. I ventured over to Il Mattone on Beach Street for a couple of slices, and honestly, I knew it would be good the moment I walked in. That’s a feeling you learn to trust after enough years of chasing slices around Manhattan. I went with my usual go-to combination — plain and sausage — and it delivered on every level: minimal flop, a great crust, no pooling oil, and sauce that was genuinely excellent. It’s a small, no-frills spot in Tribeca, just outside the Financial District boundary, but well worth the extra few blocks.
📍 Il Mattone | 49 Beach St, New York, NY 10013 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
By the time I got home, dinner was already waiting — pasta and breaded chicken. There’s something wonderful about walking in after a slice-fueled train ride and finding a second, completely different meal ready to go. No complaints there. Yummy all around.
Wednesday: A Twist on Tuscan Ribollita
Wednesday was a home-cooking night, and a good one. I put together a Dutch oven Tuscan Sausage & White Bean Stew, inspired by the rustic flavors of a classic ribollita. Hot Italian sausage, creamy cannellini beans, tomatoes, kale, garlic, and herbs all simmered slowly into a rich, hearty one-pot meal — the kind of dinner that feels like it belongs to a cooler season even in the middle of summer. Served with grilled bread rubbed with garlic, it tasted like it came straight from the Tuscan countryside, even from a kitchen in Easton.
Thursday: The FiDi Pizza Trail Continues, Then a Surprise Happy Hour
Thursday added a new stop to the ongoing FiDi Pizza Trail: The Grotto Pizzeria. On the walk over, I passed by the New York Stock Exchange right as Jersey Mike’s was ringing in its IPO — the “Mike’s Way” signage was all over the building, which felt like a fitting bit of scenery for a sandwich-and-slice kind of neighborhood.
The Grotto itself is genuinely hard to find if you’re not looking for it, tucked into the Financial District in a way that rewards people who actually seek it out. I got a cheese slice, which was excellent — clean, balanced, minimal oil — and then a sausage slice with genuinely huge pieces of sausage on top. Really good showing all around, and a strong addition to the leaderboard.
📍 The Grotto Pizzeria | 69 New St, New York, NY 10004 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Then, right as I got off the train, I got a last-minute text from my brother-in-law asking if I wanted to do happy hour in downtown Fairfield. Do not need to ask me twice. Post Tavern on the Post Road called our name, and burgers with a few brews hit exactly the right note to close out the day. Yummy.
📍 Post Tavern | 1418 Post Rd, Fairfield, CT 06824 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Friday: Spritz Happy Hour and Cilantro Lime Flank Steak
With National Spritz Day landing that weekend, I made a stop at Dan’s Liquors in Westport to pick up a bottle of Sarti Rosa aperitif and some St-Germain. Back home, that turned into a proper spritz happy hour before dinner — easy, bright, and exactly the kind of pre-dinner ritual that makes a Friday feel like a Friday.
Friday’s dinner was a home-cooked showstopper: cilantro lime marinated flank steak with broccoli, red potatoes, red onion, and thick-cut bacon. The marinade did exactly what it’s supposed to do — bright, herby, a little tangy — and paired with the smoky bacon and roasted vegetables, it was one of those meals that makes you stop mid-bite and just say wow. No notes needed here.
Saturday: Westport Breakfast, Norwalk Antiquing, and Dinner at The Sinclair
Saturday started with a drive down to Westport for breakfast at Tailored Home Café, tucked inside Sconset Square on Myrtle Avenue. I got the usual — eggs, bacon, and Nutella waffles — and it was, once again, a wow. It’s a spot that manages to feel like a design showroom and a genuinely great breakfast counter at the same time.
📍 Tailored Home Café | 15 Myrtle Ave, Westport, CT 06880 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
From there, we headed over to the Fairfield County Antique & Design Center on Knight Street in Norwalk. It’s always fun seeing what new (old) items have come through since the last visit. Nothing jumped out at us this time, but that’s part of the appeal — it keeps you coming back.
📍 Fairfield County Antique & Design Center | 39 Knight St, Norwalk, CT 06851 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dinner was with friends at The Sinclair in Fairfield, and it did not disappoint. I ordered the Chicken Scarpariello — wow — alongside a Paper Plane cocktail and mussels to start. Cheesecake closed things out. It’s the kind of meal that reminds you why certain restaurants become regular rotation spots.
📍 The Sinclair | 1229 Post Rd, Fairfield, CT 06824 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sunday: Woodbury Antiquing and a Cape Cod State of Mind
Sunday sent us further north to Woodbury for another round of antique hunting. We started at Adorn Vintage and Restoration, which has locations in both Southbury and Woodbury, then made our way down the street to Villa Vintiques on Main Street. A couple of small finds, nothing major, but exactly the kind of low-key discoveries that make for a perfect Sunday.
📍 Adorn Vintage and Restoration | 319 Main St S, Woodbury, CT 06798 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📍 Villa Vintiques | Main St, Woodbury, CT 06798 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For lunch, we landed at Market Place Kitchen & Bar in Woodbury, and I opted for the Chatham fish fry — basically fish and chips. Yummy doesn’t quite cover it. Paired with a Narragansett Lager, I was mentally back at the Cape for a minute. Dinner that night was light, since lunch had done its job well.
📍 Market Place Kitchen & Bar | 641 Main St S, Woodbury, CT 06798 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Closing Reflection
This week had a nice balance to it — home-cooked dinners that leaned into comfort (a ribollita-inspired stew, cilantro lime steak, smoked salmon), a new stop on the FiDi Pizza Trail, a happy hour that came together on pure impulse, and a weekend spent moving through Fairfield County’s antique shops from Westport to Norwalk to Woodbury. Every week on this series ends up being less about any single meal and more about the shape the food gives to the days around it. This one had plenty of shape to it.