The restaurant industry is being ravaged by the current state of our state and beyond. Owners and staff are quickly making pivots to try and save their livelihood and retain some form of existence, ultimately hoping to hang on over the winter months. Survival through this global pandemic is uncertain at best. We hear the updates daily, favorite jaunts shuttering their doors. Our friends - the owners, chefs and staff who we've come to know so well, moving on to be able to put food on the table for their families.
Esquire recently published an article 100 Restaurants America Can't Afford to Lose addressing this topic. Many on the list are notable names and some will even be familiar spots to you and your family. There are restaurants mentioned that have deep history and meaning for those who travel the country. Click the article title above to read more. Two iconic Connecticut eateries are on this list, both are establishments we here at The Riverside Realty Group have frequented over the years.
Abbotts Lobster in the Rough (along with sister restaurant Costello's Clam Shack, a quick skip down the road) is a Coastal Connecticut seafood legend!! Nothing beats the view and the no-frills New England menu. Perch yourself on a picnic table and watch the boats in their safe harbor tucked into the Noank coastline.
Photo Courtesy of Passport Eater
Photo Courtesy of @abbotslobster via Instagram
Leeanne Griffin, writer for The Hartford Courant says of the Cheeseburger at Shady Glen Diner in Manchester, Connecticut: "Do you fold, or do you rip? It's a natural question when faced with a Shady Glen cheeseburger, topped with its trademark 'wings' of fried cheese. The grill cooks arrange four slices of cheese atop the burger patty so that the edges of the cheese make contact with the heat, and then they flip the crispy edges upward. Note: you can also order 'just the cheese'. The delightfully retro Manchester diner (also known for its ice cream) has received national recognition for its unusual burger, including a James Beard Foundation "America's Classic" award in 2012." This diner hot spot doesn't have a website but if you Google Shady Glen (click name for Facebook page) plenty of information will pop up.
Photo Courtesy of The Hartford Courant
Jeff Gordinier made a poignant point when he wrote the Esquire piece a few weeks ago. "What if those places were to vanish? What if you were to wake tomorrow morning and learn that that remnant of your life—and that portion of your community’s lingua franca—had been erased? Such a prospect has been a real threat all year, with the relentless tragedy of COVID-19 leaving many American restaurants, even established classics, on the brink of bankruptcy. The threat will only intensify as winter progresses and restaurateurs have to abandon the outdoor dining that has kept them treading water for months. We love restaurants here at Esquire, and we hope that during this holiday season you’ll consider making donations to Southern Smoke and the Lee Initiative and other organizations that are helping restaurant workers endure the crisis. We also hope you’ll raise a toast to these spots around the country—old and new, scruffy and spiffy—that we consider restaurants that America can’t afford to lose. Because if we lose them, we lose who we are."
Let's keep our restaurants fueled with takeout orders and gift card purchases. These eateries are so critical to the culture and vibe of our home towns and as Fairfield County real estate agents, we know what treasures these kitchens away from our home kitchens are.
