5 PLACES FOR...
Bananas!
February 15, 2007
By Starre Vartan, Staff Writer
Five tasty places to go Bananas over!
Meli Melo
362 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich,
629-6153
Bananas Foster Crepe, $11.50
Meli Melo is just about perfect; coffee-scented steamy air blends with savory and sweet aromas floating off the crepe pans. Sit at the counter and watch your crepe coaxed into existence by the small army of chefs, one pouring batter, another smoothing the liquid into crepe-shape. The bananas foster was a daily special, and on top of the piping-hot, thin-as-a-blade wheat crepe were soft-cooked sweet bananas, oozy caramel, two scoops of quince apple ice cream and lots of floaty whipped cream topped with a wedge of dark chocolate.
Lupita’s
238 Post Rd., Fairfield,
254-7682
Bananas and Cream, $4.99
Nothing soothes the palate after a spicy Mexican meal like a creamy sweet dessert. Lupita’s, a newer restaurant that prides itself on homemade authentic Mexican cuisine, serves up a full menu of south-of-the-border favorites, from soft corn tacos to burritos and a great spicy salsa. For dessert, go for the bananas and cream; sliced fresh banana floating in a creamy soup that tastes like part sour cream, part milk, part cream. One serving is plenty enough for two, though a bit messy to share, but that’s part of the fun.
IHOP
71 Boston Post Rd., Darien,
655-1348
Banana Nut Pancakes, $6.79
The Darien and Stamford locations are the surviving Fairfield County outposts of international pancakeism. It’s the only place I know of that serves four kinds of maple-flavored syrup, and so IHOP gets my vote when I need a pancake or three. The banana nut short stack is a trio of walnut-infused buttermilk flapjacks topped with a whole fresh banana, extra nuts and loads of whipped cream. The butter pecan flavored syrup is the best topper for banana-nuts, but there’s also boysenberry, strawberry and blueberry syrups to work with.
Chef’s Table
1035 Post Road East, Westport,
454-2433
Chicken and Banana Soup, $11
Proving that not all banana-flavored treats have to be sweet, the cooks at Chef’s Table offer a super-savory creamy chicken soup with rice, African-style. Based on a Tanzanian recipe, the soup is flavored with a mild yellow curry with enough of a kick to warm you up, but not set you on fire, cream, butter, bananas and lots of white-meat chicken. The result is a flavorful, mildly sweet, bright yellow soup that goes great with the hunks of bread that come as a complimentary side. Soups rotate daily, so call ahead if you want to try a particular flavor.
Friendly’s
3671 Post Rd., Southport,
255-9779
Royal Banana Split, $4.99
Eating a banana split reminds me that everything is not screwed up in the world, though I worry about environmental apocalypse and/or complete social anarchy every day. But you can still walk into a Friendly’s, sit down in a booth, and minutes later dig into three scoops of ice cream nestled between two bananas, covered with chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce, whipped cream, walnuts and, wait for it, maraschino cherries on top. Ice cream coma or old- fashioned apathy—either way, I’m not worried.
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