Table Talk

My husband and I were barely married when we moved to Stamford. We rolled into town on a Saturday afternoon, unpacked all day, and by 10 p.m. we were starving for pizza. As transplanted New Yorkers, it didn’t occur to us that looking for a place to eat at that hour could be a fruitless search. It almost was, and we were about to give up when we stumbled on a now-gone pizzeria on Columbus Park. They were about to close for the night (on a Saturday!) but after loud begging they agreed to serve us as long as we ordered from their take-out menu.

What a difference twenty years make! Today you and I can find whatever we might crave, including pizza, at any hour. And the list of options promises only to grow as a few storefronts announce openings coming soon. Our biggest problem? We can barely keep up with our food writers’ reviews.

So it seemed high time to devote a full feature to eating out. Here you’ll find everything from fine dining to cheap eats, from family-friendly faves to romantic hot spots, from the tried-and-true to the brand new. We even have something to say about takeout and pizza.

Speaking of dinner, and with holiday feasting around the corner, we turned to Urban Chic’s Julio Sales to be part of a tabletop design project for our cover feature. He, along with other designers from each of the towns Moffly magazines cover, was asked to design a festive table for four based on a given theme, using resources from
local stores and boutiques. Wait until you see what they all put together! Each table is dazzling, filled with inspiring ideas we can all borrow when planning our holiday gatherings. All I need to do now is plan a menu. Maybe Julio’s partner, Frank Daniele, can help with that.

All this table talk is only part of the story. This also happens to be our philanthropy issue, in which we honor the recipients of our Light a Fire Awards, established four years ago to celebrate civic leaders whose good works often go unnoticed. In our feature you will read about their common desire to give back, and the sense of purpose they gain from selfless volunteerism. In another article, we also called out Stamford-based nonprofits that reached major birthdays in 2012 (see p. 22). There was a common theme between our honorees and the agencies: Much has been accomplished but there is much left to do. We should all answer the call and do our bit in 2013.

In the meantime, join us on November 8 at Greenwich Academy where we will honor our Light a Fire honorees with a cocktail party and awards ceremony. And if you feel like enjoying a late dinner afterwards, hop on back to Stamford. You’ll have no problem finding a table.