This past weekend I visited the Stamford Mall for the first time in quite some time. I was glad to see they have finally made some progress with their food court. The malls lack of restaurants always helped make the place a real second rate shopping experience compared to some other area malls. Anyway, it nice to see that they created a nice big seating area and a place for kids to play. So far only Panda Express, Sbarro, Subway and Sole Mex have opened up. Anyone eaten from Sale Mex yet? It looks like there is room for maybe another 2-3 fast food joints in the space.

Compared to the White Plains mall, parking at the Stamford Town Center is a steal. 50 cents gets you 3 hours and no stupid tickets and cashiers to deal with! Somehow I feel this cheap parking will be short lived.

I have given Rye Ridge Deli in Stamford four very solid tries and I can now officially state I will never go back.

Rye Ridge Deli, on High Ridge Rd, has an enormous deli and take out selection along with a sit down menu as large as most big diners. No matter what I have eaten there, it always terribly disappoints me. Tonight’s example, a very simple, hard to get wrong, ham and swiss sub for $10!! The bread was stale, there was little meat, and the onions were unsliced. This place is terribly overpriced, a Philly Chessesteak will set you back $13.99!!

Ever eaten a sandwich at from Wawa? Wawa is the upscale 7-Eleven alternative in the Philly area. Their $5 10 inch subs cannot be beat. Please Wawa…expand your business up North and replace these stupid over priced dumps in Stamford!

Where in Stamford can I find great over stuffed sandwiches for lunch?

UPDATE! - Fellow blogger ManagerMom points out that Rye Ridge Deli was shut down briefly by the city for health code violations last year. Also, some friends were coming over to my place last week and brought sandwiches from RRD…once again they disappointed.  Its not that they taste bad, its just that for a $10 sandwich you expect that the bread was at least baked this month and that you get loads of meat.

OK, so this restaurant is not in Stamford, but it is close enough that residents of Stamford should enjoy it. Located just over the border in Pound Ridge, Dinardo’s offers some great Italian cuisine. The restaurant is split between a fine dining area and a more casual sit down/take out section.

We ate in the fine dining section and enjoyed great service and good food. Expect the typical Italian fare with great salad options. Our meal, which consisted of one appetizer, two main courses and one glass of wine came out to be $65. Blah blah blah…anyway, worth checking out.

Dinardo’s Web Site

76 Westchester Avenue

Pound Ridge NY 10576

914-764-4024

For a North Stamford resident, I was happy to see a new restaurant emerge a few weeks ago on High Ridge near the Merritt. Mackenzie’s Bar and Grill inhabits the old Onyx Grill near the Verizon Store. Not sure why Onyx did not survive, however Mackenzie’s appears to have a brighter future.

The restaurant is split between a lively (loud) bar area and a dining area off to the left. We first visited the restaurant on a Friday night and the bar was packed, however we were able to get a seat in the dining area right away. The bar is so close to the dining area that it makes it hard to eat without listening to peoples constant drink orders. I ordered a fairly simple burger that was average…I will need to go back again to get a real opinion on the food. Nevertheless, Mackenzie’s makes a great addition to the area as an after work happy hour hang out and respectable dining option.

Mackenzies
970 High Ridge Rd
Stamford, CT 06905

Couple of reviews…