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Local 63

 In some ways, The Local 63 is the reason why I started doing this. This place went in to a long time comfort food pub's space after tribulations surrounding the owner and the pandemic closed the Rock Garden. This happened largely during the pandemic, but reopened with an interesting plan: locavore small plates. I've been there about four times and it is never full. The food is uniformly excellent. I just had a cassoulet that was delicious, and I've had a wonderful roast lamb melt sandwich.  The problem is that Watertown is simply a tough market for "fancy food." We are a town that had 9 pizza joints at one point. Now, apparently a new "gastro pub" is opening where one of the pizza joints was. This town isn't big enough for the two of them. Until that second gastro pub opens, this is the only game in town. And it's a pretty good game. 
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Cara Bean

 A breakfast joint is a pretty simple operation, yet you know a good one when you visit. Eggs are not hard to cook, but knowing what to add to make them taste good is. Having good ingredients, above all, is critical. Separately, having a cheerful staff when you're dragging yourself in for coffee and a pastry is important. Cara Bean is perfect breakfast joint. It doesn't have a huge menu: breakfast sandos and assorted pastries. (They have some smoothies and - I think - lunch sandos - but this ain't about that.) You can get coffee or flavored coffee. But basically, you're going in for some eggs or egg sandwiches and a coffee, with maybe a doughnut or scone on the side.  It's simple and delicious. What's more, you won't find a more cheerful staff anywhere in the Watertown area. The owner is about as sweet as her powder doughnuts, and she makes a point to welcome everyone she sees. This is the sort of place where it's nice to be regular. There are a number ...
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G's Burgers

 G's opened in 2008, after a Carvel franchise had been there since...I dunno, 1677? They expanded the building and added a grill to make fresh burgers. The legend of the place was that George Tsioflikis, the owner, traveled the land in search of the best burger joints. Somehow this ended up as G's. If there was a source that he seemed to plagiarize, it would be Five Guys. When it opened, Five Guys was just exploding, but the idea of freshly made burgers and French fries that tasted like actual potatoes was a novel idea. Very quickly, G's became a local institution. The burgers are...fine. They are better than your average fast food joint, but don't rise to any sublime levels - not that Five Guys' burgers are blow-your-mind either. The toppings are...also fine. They a few specialized options like a Hangover Burger (has a fried egg on it) and a Mac and Cheese burger (exactly what it sounds like) and an Island burger (no one knows).  There are a handful of other optio...
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Fino's Pizza

 Connecticut has two foods that they claim historical ownership of: hamburger stands and pizza joints. Pizza in America may or may not have started in New Haven, but this is not the place to resolve that argument. Watertown, the blog's hometown, is home to too many pizza places. "Let's get pizza" is only the first act in a negotiation in our family. Everyone tends to develop certain preferences when it comes to pizza, and those preferences can become a tenet of faith, a cornerstone of you palate. The "fanciest" pizza joint in Watertown is Fino's . Formerly the Main Street Grill, they took the place over and kept the bar and reduced the menu to coal fired pizza and a few appetizers. Eventually ownership changed again and they expanded the menu, but let's face it: you go to Fino's for overpriced pizza. It used to be that you would order a single sized pizza for $12-15, now they offer bigger pies, burgers, pasta...who knows if it's any good. The...
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Why Not?

 For whatever reason, I thought it would be interesting to write about the food in my area of Connecticut. Our sons have long complained about living in Northwest Connecticut, because it's "boring." TikTok and other sources of social media like to crap all over Connecticut. Fair enough, if your knowledge of Connecticut is limited to the I95 corridor. There's good food here, and there's mediocre and bad food, too. Let's see what's what.
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