C'BS ALife "Sol Powered" A.'s Profile

Ya have your morning coffee spots and evening coffee spots.  I know of few good morning ones yet after this morning this may be that spot.

The two baristas actually convinced me that they were happy to be there at the insanely early hours of the morning..and I believed them.  

And my chai was made JUST RIGHT.  Good stuff.

This is on the cusp of what some of us call in New Haven "the Fertile Crescent" starting on Chapel and swinging around into Howe St.  So many good Eastern eats.  

Miya is not traditional Sushi.

Get that out of your mental.  Check their website though and see the history to understand that it is still rooted in traditional sushi.  It is not no americanized fusion shiz though.  It is innovation within the tradition and that's what makes it all of that.  

As a vegetarian or vegan you are going to have your taste buds explode.  The variety is endless.  Their miso soups are meals within their self.  The service...how can the wait staff be cool like cool in your would hang out with them while at the same time on top of their game??!

This is also the spot where I go to for sake.  The endless variety, hot and cold.  They even have a bar in a separate section where you can get your night club/bar feel on.  

If you out on that date and you want a nice after movie spot to hit up.  This is the spot.  make an appearance.

I stop by Starbucks every once and a while to cop that chai tea if I don't make time to make my own.  Dunkin Doughnuts in New Haven are kosher yet they ain't that soy milk (come on D&D everyone has AT LEAST that option).  This particular Starbucks is near my job so it gets my shine.

They need to step their game all the way live.  First off, not that I eat any of those deserts, yet the display joint is ALWAYS empty...looking like they just got raided.  Secondly, the new old dude in there that looks like an average 60 year old, just lost my office job, need to pay the mortgage white dude is TOO SLOW for cafe work.  Plus he just keeps messing up.  I saw him mess up on like 2 people in line before me.  He does this constantly.  Finally, I know the whole foam element of making a drink yet if I order a large chai I don't want 1/2 of it foam.  Why the funk would you even THINK that I would want to have 1/2 of it foam??!!!  If I ordered a small with the foam it would've been like a shot.  

Ironically they really don't have to change anything because they get business by virtue of the fact that they are in downtown New Haven right on the bus route...go figure.

I rock a plant-centric diet and sometime I'm out on the town late into the night.  After illing the dance floor and maybe hitting a drink or two I sometimes wanna grab a bite to eat before I hit the bed.  Yet this ain't the city (NYC) so most places are closed.  Those that are open are either the grease pot diners or McDonalds on the highway.  Neither place has the cusine that I need.  Thus enters Mamoun's

They are open 365 days a year.  That's right..they're open on Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve, Christmas, etc.  You gotta love 'em.  They have some bangin Falafel sandwiches.  This cracked bulgar weat dish with onions.  Their lentil soups is on point.  And they got more.  Enough veggie goods to keep you guessing and happy.  

I'm good with the cooks/owners whom I have known for years, months and days.  They keep the waitress staff constantly rotating which is normal in a college town yet those who have been consistent there know me and are mad cool.  Again, I like the dark, in the cut, slice of the middle east feel of the place.  Definitely the place to check out if you're in the Elm.

I fux with museums.  Ever since I was a youngin.  Being a sci-fi head it was the closest I ever got to traveling in a time machine.  I have a personal connection with the Peabody.  I got to go to a summer program there when I was like 10.  It was great because we got to go through the secret corridors and hidden rooms in the spot.

I love sharing this place with my son.  I mean, what is not to like?  There are DINOSAURS.  There is a good display of the expansive Native Nations of North/South America.  A fresh model of Macchu Pichu.  A small Egyptian exhibit.  

THey have nice displays on natural science dealing with the whole planet from the macro to the micro.  The visiting exhibits are always worth the wait.  There is always something new and popping in this museum.

I started hitting up Indochine when in Middle School because it was right across the street from the comic book shop.  As a growing boy it was one of my first experiences with an all you can eat buffet.

Its an eclectic SouthEast Asian fare (Thai, Vietnamise, etc).  They have the Drunken Noodles, the Pad Thai, that coconut/curry rice and other assorted vegi goodies for the veg in you.  They got the nice Singha beer libation to wash it down also.

I personally like the atmosphere.  It's dimly lighted with pics and items from the far east all over.  When I walk into it I feel that they are rocking the atmosphere for their benefit and not the 'normal american comfortability factor.'  There is great service also.  You aren't going to be 'ignored.'

I like sorrel.  I like homemade sorrel.  Scott's has it. Word.  They also keep in stock always all of my other Jamaican drinks I love like Irish Moss, Ginger Beer and Carrot Juice.  

Veggie patties..bangin.  You can usually find a place that has beef patties all throughout CT yet one that has veggie patties is rare.  They have it.  

Rice and peas, cabbage, calaloo and coco bread.  They are never out of anything which is good because some places are chronically out of the good stuff.  Scott's gots that good stuff.

Know the corner stores in your hood.  There are those that you frequent, those that you go to in a pinch and those that you don't ever want to be within a block of.  They violate cleanliness laws and some rest under that cracked corner light casting shadows that dip and dive.

Food Market Inc. is good money in my book.  They in the thick of the hood right across a small street that I call Little Anatolia due to the white muslims who rock that block from Armenia, Turkey, etc.  For those who knowledge 5% linguistics, all Culture, 1/2 Original and Red seeds and soil.  The owners of Food Market Inc are from that block.

Now in New Haven it is common place to see a cornerstore with the bismiallah hanging up in the store over a rack of pork rinds yet not in this spot.  They don't serve no pork up in there and this is a start in the hood.  They serve also subs and breakfast sandwiches.  No pork though.  They utilize turkey bacon and beef sausage.  It's a good look for the hood.  The first step for people who are used to eating a certain way is substitution.  By removing pork from people's diet without them even really noticing is the way to go.

If you want to make sure that you make a good impression on a woman bring her to this spot.  It's nestled in between a couple of buildings on the LES.  The service was impeccable.  I've been there several times.  

That Morocco, Casablanca feeling on a subtle ancient/futuristic tip is there.  There are enough middle eastern vegetarian options for the vegetarians out there to get their grub on while they take in the atmosphere.  The warmth of the decor and interplay of light and shadow definitely brushes one's whole being so that it is as though nothing exists outside of this one spot.

The hookahs..banging.  I had the coconut blend.  Add to that the DJ spinning non trendy hip hop with drum and base and you have a good damn night.

What many don't realize is that in the hood we always had spots that supported one's vegetarian lifestyle.  The hood has always been a spot for the mixture of various cultures so keep your eye open for that tiny shop that just opened up between two established spots and such.

I Rasta Pasta is one of those spots.  It is on the strip in the hood and can function as your "fast food" vegetarian spot.  They have enough vegetarian fare to amp up those taste buds.  Also they have good ginger beer and Irish Moss (which no matter how many time you mention it none of the gentrified "juice bars" seem to carry.  The veggie pattie goes down nice with either of those.

For those not familiar with "hood mom and pops" types of venues you might feel a little uncomfortable.  There is no place to really sit and eat, the whole wall is plastered with portraits of Hallie Selassie and various Rastafarians.  The television is playing some conscious dvd.  And it kinda dark in there.  For me that is some ill character yet others may not be ready for it.  Yet I will constantly stop by there anytime that I am in Bridgeport.