I know Kelly just did Japanese, but I couldn't make that one. Sakura Garden is a new Japanese Steakhouse/hibachi/sushi place at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor. Food is quite good, rolls are excellent! The hibachi is fun. We will have our own Party room! Plenty of parking.

Please donate $1.00 to the Organizer at each Meetup to help defray the costs of running this group - Thanks!

Urban Spoon website review and info is : http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/48/522496/restaurant/Hartford/Sakura-Garden-South-Windsor

Hope to see you there - Betsy

This is not a dining meetup, but thought that if anyone was interested they could come join me at Shea's for a Thursday night football game. Where else can you get a salad and emtree for $7.95 and ladies get martinis for $4.00?

They have a very good bar menu and 12 big screen TV's. I'll be cheering for the Patriots!! (Patriots vs. Jets - Thur., Nov. 13 - 8:15 p.m) I know this gets late, but you don't have to stay for the whole game. This is a joint Meetup with my other group - the Hartford Area NFL Meetup - Betsy

Shea's website: http://www.sheasamerican.com/

Shea's specials:
Thursdays: Ladies Night, 4:00-9:00 p.m.
* House Wine - $4.00 * House Martinis - $4.00
Monday - Thursday:
* Salad & entree: $7.95 (starting Nov. 10th) - Choose from 5 items on our specials menu.
* Late Night Happy Hour 10:00 p.m.-Midnight: Different drink specials and $1.00 off all well drinks.

I thought it would be nice to do a meetup at one of the long standing Manchester Restaurants - Nulli's. Nice family atmosphere, and for garlic lovers like me, plenty of items on the menu with a garlic star! There are coupons in the Entertainment Book, and in local ads but I haven't seen one recently. Prices are average, food is good. Hope to see you there. - Betsy

Alina, a member of our MeetUp group would like to invite all members (even those that she has not yet met) to her Graduation and Bon Voyage social. Please attend! She will be moving back to San Diego later this month. Details on the event:

Date: Wednesday, October 22nd
Time: 9pm to 11pm
(light jazz will begin at 10pm)

Location:
Tisane Tea & Coffee Bar
537 Farmington Ave
Hartford, CT 06105
Phone: (860) 523-5417

Alina's Cell Number: (619) 933-9277

Parking: If you do not park appropriately, you will be towed.
Please carefully review parking signs. If the lot is full, you may park on the street or in the overflow lot (spots marked with yellow brick behind the Kinkos across the street).

All are welcome!

Chale Ipanema has been under new management since early 2007. The atmosphere is clean and simple. Two rooms adjoin each other with a bar in back.The restaurant serves Colombian, Peruvian, Brazilian and Portugese food. Portions are large, the food is fresh and well plated and there’s an extensive selection of meat, seafood and poultry dishes. It has an “upscale menu”, the food is served with passion, and the prices are very affordable. We started with an appetizer of Colombian spinach and cheese empanadas for $1 each. To be truthful, they were so good that at this point I thought I’d come back for four of these and a Sangria and I’d walk out a happy woman. The empanadas are filled with your choice of vegetables, beef, chicken or spinach and cheese. They were hot and gooey with a crispy fried pastry. Other interesting appetizers are the Papa a La Huancaina ( potatoes in a cream sauce with egg, olive and red pepper) for $8.00, Ceviche De Pescado (served with fish in lemon juice, sweet potatoes, yucca and corn on the cob) for $8.00, Ceviche Mixto (fish, octopus, muscles, calamari, shrimp cooked in lemon juice with cilantro) for $11.00 and Camarones Apanados Con Coco (Coconut shrimp served with a passion fruit mayonnaise) for $11.00.Some interesting salads included:
Ensalada De Espinaca Tropical - fresh Spinach Salad served with cheese, almonds, apples and mango with a dressing of mango, strawberries and vinegar for $7.00,

Salada De Palmito Arugula - hearts of palm and arugala in honey and balsamic dressing for $8.00

Now comes the main course. Expect to spend a lot of time trying to decide on what you want from all the yummy offerings. Just to whet your appetite, some of your choices include:

Carnes (Meat)
Sides include plantains (crispy or sweet,) yucca, french fries, sausage, beans and salad.Rib eye steak $17.00
Grilled pork chops $11.00
Grilled pork loin $11.00
Steak with onions
Steak, pork belly served with rice, fried egg, plantain, arepa, avocado and Spanish sausage $12.00
Chicken with rice $11.00
Filet mignon with shrimp and mushroom sauce $21.00
Beef tenderloin and shrimp in a piri piri sauce $24.00
BBQ combo of beef, pork, sausage, roasted pepper onion and tomato in chimichurri sauce $19.00
Chicken scallopini in lemon and caper sauce $18.00
Grilled chicken breast and chorizo $12.00
Beef, pork and chicken kebab served over special house rice $19.00
Roast duck with marron glace sauce, sweet potato and Brazil nuts $21.00

Seafood
Sides include plantains (crispy or sweet,) yucca, french fries, sausage, beans and salad.Calamari, shrimp, octopus, clams, mussels sauteed with coconut milk and heavy cream served over rice and french fries $16.00
Filet of salmon with shrimps, sauteed in white wine butter, Parmesan cheese and heavy cream with rice and salad $21.00
Filet of tilapia served with calamari, shrimps, octopus, slams, mussels, sauteed in seafood sauces and rice $21.00

…and yet much more…..grilled scallops, grilled lobster, jumbo shrimp, paella for two, etc.