You are invited to attend our first evening meeting which takes place on Thursday August 19th at 7:00PM at the Fairfield Public Library Main Branch in the Memorial Room on the 2nd Floor.  The doors open for conversation at 6:00. Our agenda is not set in stone.  Someone once said that the premise of "taking pictures" is that every picture has a story. If this will be your first meeting, please bring some of your work for "show & tell" ...it will NOT be judged!  And, if you should be from one of those far-away places ...bring an interested friend, colleague or relative along for the ride!

FPN Meeting Schedule:

Our regular meetings take place the first Thursday afternoon of every month at the Fairfield Arts Council at 70 Sanford St, Fairfield, at 2:30PM.  Our evening meetings will be held on Thursday Evenings, Aug 19th, Sept 16th, Oct 28th, Nov 18th & Dec 16th. Conversation from 6:00, meeting @ 7:00PM.

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It'll be interesting to see how some of these buildings are repurposed as the banks inevitably shut down. 

Black Rock Turnpike should be called Bank Rock Turnpike

Please, can't this town attract business that make or create something?  The number of banks on Bank Rock Turnpike and downtown is an embarassment.  Downtown in particular needs businesses that will attract foot traffic, folks who want a nice dinner out or make purchases of quality goods.  There has been some progress downtown, but enough with the banks.

When you go to a new restaurant, you have to remember that the unexpected is likely to happen. This is why I ended up with a handful of french fries in my lap. More on that later.

I met Tony Derbyshire (HeyFairfield.com's Real Estate writer) at the Tavern for lunch. We decided to sit at the bar. I was happy to see they had Brooklyn Lager on tap, Tony had a Bud in a bottle. 

If you aren't aware Black Rock Tavern opened up where Uno's once stood. Chain pizza doesn't make sense in this town. Anyhow, the layout is the same inside, but most of the walls and partitions have been painted white, which really gives the restaurant a light, open atmosphere. 

I order the Chorizo Hamburger sliders with fries, and I can't remember what Tony ordered. I'll have him post about it. The friendly bartender Richard warned me the sliders might not be enough. However, they were certainly enough. And tasted great. Sometimes restaurants add chorizo to alter a common dish, and it's overdone. Not these burgers. It was just the right mixture combination. And the chef cooked my burgers to the temperature I requested. Good job! Until the server brought the plate to me. The fries were in a pint-sized metal container that just flopped over into my lap. No harm no foul, the bartender ended up comping me a second beer to make amends. Once upon a time, I worked in a restaurant. We used to bring the food to one area where the bartender could pick it up and serve it. This would be a good practice for the Tavern.

All-in-all though we enjoyed Black Rock Tavern, and would probably go back. 

Kippur fast!  One of my good friends suggested we go there for dinner, &  I

was like "why not?"   I can't recall if we started with an appetizer or salads, but

the dish I ordered was delicious.....orichiette w/ chicken sausage & spinach...oh 

my god it was so GOOD!   Considering I had fasted most of the day, there were

no leftovers!      Second time was Memorial Day weekend last year for a

"blind date"  (which went well by the way),  & I enjoyed the same exact dish

mentioned above....my date ordered the Fettuccini Alfredo which he thought 

was okay but after trying some of my dish he wished that he had ordered 

what I did!     Would love to go there for lunch at some point....

What the devil?  I LOVE the Food Network, as many others do; others enjoy HGTV.  Food Network is one of the few cable channels I watch regularly.   

Firstly, Cablevision charges more for LESS programming…remember that folks!   Back this past summer, in order to access certain channels (AMC, A&E, Lifetime, Animal Planet, Travel,History, etc.), one had to pay extra for a cable box.  In our house both our TVs have basic cable, BUT my folks wouldn't pay for a second cable box to access those channels which really was a bummer.  Sure, I had to wait til 11pm on Sunday nite to watch “Mad Men” on AMC as my folks were watching whatever was on at 10pm in the family room.  That I can deal with….but when a favorite channel that I enjoy watching is pulled off the air WITHOUT WARNING, that makes me angry!   And on top of that,  it happened during a holiday weekend!

Secondly,  Scripps and Cablevision were in talks….how come there was no notice sent to Cablevision customers?  There was absolutely NO news coverage about this in the papers or online…..of course, around the same time Time Warner in NYC area were in talks w/ FOX (as at this time I believe, FOX is still on the air in NYC area via TW while talks continue).   While on the phone w/ a Scripps representative (thanks to a toll free number listed at http://www.ilovefoodnetwork.com/ecards/affiliate/?a=cablevision  I mentioned that the only place now that I could watch Food Network would be at the group home where I work (which has Charter Communications for its cable carrier)….I was told that Charter and Scripps were in talks as well, but Charter has been kind enough to keep FN and HGTV on the air while talks go on….but OH NO!!   Cablevision is SHAFTING its customers again by pulling this stunt!  So who is at fault?  Both sides, perhaps, but in my opinion, Cablevision is more at fault.   If they can charge their customers the amount of money monthly for their various cable packages (NOT counting internet/phone),  then Cablevision can pony up the money to pay the rate Scripps is asking for.    Mind you, Food Network and HGTV viewership has grown in popularity over the last several years.

Yesterday the “buzz” on Twitter, Facebook, & other sites was just that….the OUTRAGE from Cablevision customers from Fairfield County, CT to NYC area to Northern Jersey was vast!  There were a lot of folks threatening to switch providers if this doesn't get resolved soon!    At least here in Fairfield, AT&T U-verse is available,  but Verizon FiOS isn't…& various other satellite carriers are.    I know a few who have switched from Cablevision to other providers who are much happier, but the only down side is that the other providers don't have News 12 CT!  

You know News 12 CT's motto, “As local as local news gets”?   Well guess what, folks?

The more customers who switch from Cablevision to other providers, viewership of News 12 CT will drop!  Just wait and see….

Here are some more links to check out:

http://firstlinemedia.com/epk/scripps/drop/cablevision/

http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/01/news/companies/cablevision_scripps/index.htm

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703483604574631424119389070.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/scripps-yanks-food-network-hgtv-off-cablevision-in-ny-nj-conn/

http://blog.ctnews.com/connecticutpostings/2010/01/01/missing-hgtv-or-the-food-network/

On Facebook check out:

Cablevision: Return FNTV and HGTV

[url]http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=227700877277&ref=mf[/url]

We Want The Food Network and HGTV back on Cablevision — NOW!!!

[url]http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=231063661099&ref=mf[/url]

On Twitter:  ”hashtag” that I've seen is:  #cablevisionFAIL

If you are reading out there PLEASE contact Cablevision ASAP to voice your complaint and DEMAND that Food Network and HGTV be restored to its lineup!   If Cablevision is going to charge what it does, then they ought to offer those channels!

Thank you for reading!

The first time was when two friends and I managed to grab a "just cleared" table in the bar area (the line for the dining room was LONG) on a Saturday nite, Thanksgiving weekend....some dinner before the movies, right?  I'm guessing the time was about 7:15pm.   The three of us each ordered salads to start off, then our respective burgers. Our waiter was very nice....but we were waiting for quite some time for our salads; luckily I was able to flag him down and asked where were our salads?   He said that they were going to bring them out the same time as our burgers.  We explained nicely that we would prefer to have our salads first, before our dinner.   Was very happy to accommodate our request, but I never heard of such a thing!  

Each of our salads were a very good size....I had the Caesar salad which was tasty, one friend had the iceberg one, and another enjoyed the House salad.   Our burgers were very good....not dry...cooked medium.  I enjoyed mine w/ grilled onions and A-1 sauce...yummy!!

The second time was with a  good friend of mine the night after Christmas...we got there for 6:45pm, not much of a crowd but around after 7pm'ish it started to become busier....we got a good booth in the dining room area....our waitress was very nice, and even mentioned that all burgers were cooked MEDIUM unless we specify otherwise, which I thought was excellent.  Some folks enjoy their burgers well done, some enjoy medium rare, etc.   Got my grilled onions/A-1 on my burger again, & my friend enjoyed a cheeseburger w/ bacon, and we each had a regular thing of fries which were tasty....love shoestring fries!  I wouldn't have had ordered the fries but it was a treat plus normally I would split fries w/ friends.  I've seen folks who have ordered the large fries and that would be too much for one person.....definitely split those w/ family or friends!   Our food came quick, nice and hot, and everything cooked just right.  For dessert, treated myself to a root beer float (w/ REAL vanilla ice cream) and my friend enjoyed a chocolate shake which she said was good!  

I believe for the price of the food, and the service, I'd definitely go back to Flipside again.  In fact, another good friend of mine (who lives outside of Hartford) who was down yesterday for New Year's Eve....I had wanted to take her to Flipside for lunch, but around 2:30pm they were CLOSED!  VERY strange....though their hours on their website say they open 11:30am Monday thru Saturday, and Sundays they open at noontime.  There were a couple people eating in there, and it looked like the kitchen was open, but yet there are no hours posted on their door or even a sign saying they were closed!  I'm guessing they closed early because of the snow but the weather let up by the time we got there in the afternoon. Ah well!  

The staff are really nice and greet us everytime as if they remember us!  You can almost always find coupons in the Clipper Magazine for 10% off your bill- hey, every little bit helps!

So it's no surprise that Pizzeria Molto has opened in Fairfield on the Brick Walk. Because their pizza is right up there with the best of them, and they are not afraid to show it off. We stopped in on a Thursday evening at around 5pm with the kids in tow.

The restaurant is long and deep with a row of booths on the side and small tables up front. Facing the booths is arguably one of the best looking bars in Fairfield County. Marble topped with fixed swivel stools and probably 50 feet long, it's impressive.

The menu has quite a bit of Italian fare to choose from including seafood, but we were here to try the pizza. We had two 14" NY Style pizzas (they also offer a 12" thin crust). When the pizza arrives your nose is immediately aware of the fresh basil and oregano. Too many pizza places serve their pizza smelling like cooked oil. At Molto, when you eat the pizza, there is no oil on the plate. Seriously, none, zippo, nada. And this pizza tastes incredible. Whether it's fresh or high quality ingredients, they have the recipe down. Additionally, real NY Style pizza (think Grimaldi's) shouldn't fill you up. Molto delivers here too. The crust is light (this would be a thin crust at most places) and not soggy. People with big appetites are going to want to order more than their usual to feel filled up.

All this in one of the freshest looking environments Fairfield has seen in some time. High ceilings, old b&W movies playing on the wall, wide booths covered in a very-rich feeling vinyl, it's all there. The wait staff is fast and efficient without being rude. And they know their stuff. Leave it to me to order a Rioja (Spanish) wine in an Italian restaurant. Our waiter quickly suggested a Tempranillo that was fantastic.

So what's not to like? Hard to find anything. The music was loud according to Mrs. HeyFairfield (I didn't notice until she said something). Some people might not find the seats closest to the kitchen comfortable, because the prep station is open to the restaurant. And you better get there early if you don't want to wait. They had a line out the door by 6:00.

When you enter the restaurant, you either head to the bar to the left or the seating area to the right. It's well appointed inside with comfy booths and upscale decor. We got there at about 5:20 and there were a few tables left. By 5:35 there was a line. There was plenty of staff bustling around. We were seated without menus. That's no longer odd since several places have done away with menus (annoying!). What was odd was being asked several times if we needed menus by different staff. Yes, and several stacks of menus did eventually show up. 

Now the menu is an interesting bit of marketing. In a place like this, you'd expect to find $8-$10 burgers. That's not the case. A regular burger is just $5.75, with cheeseburgers starting at $6.25. The burger you get is not exactly small either. The menu says nothing about the size of the burger (why?) but it's at least 1/3lb. However, you are going to want fries and a Pepsi (no Coke) with that. Small fries are $2.75 and the Pepsi is $2.50. So a cheeseburger with fries and Pepsi is $11.50! Ok, I'm not expecting Duchess or McDonald's pricing, so the burger is going to be off the charts, right? 

Not really. My burger was dry. I like my meat cooked rare to medium rare and the waiter said he could do it. As delivered on a square (?) plate, it was medium to medium-well. I've flipped enough burgers to know that even a medium burger doesn't have to be dry. You just don't squeeze it with the spatula when it's on the grill, to speed up the grill time. 

The fries were thin (another time saver?) and a little overcooked, nothing to rave about. The staff was very friendly and attentive. There were kids all over the place and they handled the chaos with aplomb. The number of kids is a bit counter-intuitive, since there is no children's menu. With Hot Dogs, Grilled Cheese and Burgers on the menu, they don't really need one. 

Has Flipside earned the name "Burger Joint?" Not in my book. You can get a better burger at Circle Diner. There is nothing "Joint" about the place either. From the square plates to the upscale furnishings, it's more Gold Card than cash. Maybe that's what they are aiming for.

http://flipsiderestaurant.com

1125 Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06824

(203)292-8233

I have a photography business and have amassed a portfolio of images of one particular subject. I have always wanted to sell these photos and publish a high-quality calendar. There is a similar calendar on the market, but of different subject matter, that I aspire to. Through networking, and dumb luck, I made contact with the retired business manager from that company. Ironically, she lives in Fairfield. Since our initial meeting through a mutual friend, she has been there for my dumb questions and as a champion for my work. She has asked for nothing in return, other than for me to pay it forward with someone else. And I will. Thank YOU!