Introducing Chowzter.com

This is how it works. As soon as you decide to take a break from dating, the man of your dreams walks into your life (that’s exactly how I met my husband). And when you’ve got your head down and you’re grinding away during your busiest season (January is a biggie for me, between scouting for the weekly list and the looming Insane Insidewalk Sale), something totally unexpected and HUGE happens. And that was me, last week, when the honchos at Chowzter.com, an international foodie community, asked me to be their Connecticut Chief Chowzter. They flew me to New Orleans to meet the North American Chowzter family and CHOW my way through eight restaurants, starting from the moment I arrived Friday evening, until my flight left after lunch on Sunday. We had Po’boy wars (I’m partial to Parkway), and Fried Chicken contests (Dooky Chase lost by a hair to Willie Mae’s Scotch House, pictured), we managed five course dinners at Brennan’s and Commander’s Palace, grits and sausage at Mother’s, Emeril’s famous Barbecued Shrimp and plenty of cocktails (we were in New Orleans, after all)! After a festive lunch of Trout Amandine and a boozy finale of Cafe Brulot at my beloved Galatoire’s, I headed home (my New Orleans list to come!). I’m rounding up some of my favorite restaurants and dishes in Connecticut to post on the Chowzter website and I’m sharing them with you. The lovely thing about Chowzter vs. Yelp or Trip Advisor is that you get a single opinion from a trusted voice, vs. wading through hundreds of random reviews. They’ve hand-picked popular bloggers all over the world to find the best dishes their city has to offer, and the best restaurants for destination dining. So, if you’re heading off to, say, San Sebastian, Stockholm or Sao Paolo, check Chowzter first for what to eat and where. So excited to be part of this community! Lots more to come. www.chowzter.com

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