JIM SHEA | 2 DINING | 2 CALENDAR | 3 PUZZLES | 7 TV LISTINGS | 8 UNDAY MAGAZINE Connecticut Post | Sunday, March 13, 2016 Thoroughly modern modular Bridgeport furniture maker has a formula for customizing a room By CHRISTINA HENNESSY / PAGE 4 FASHION | 5 ARTS | 5 WRITERS | 6 In a parade or on a catwalk, Painter finds Prisoners publish a every plaid has a story her zen compelling literary magazine D2 | Connecticut Post | Sunday, March 13, 2016 JIM SHEA Waking up a little late this morning? You’re not alone n a bit of a fog this morn- Worse than failing to re- ATTENDANCE AT CHURCH SERVICES SUFFERS WHEN ing, are we? member to move your clock I Feeling tired, cranky, a is remembering to move your THE CLOCKS ARE MOVED FORWARD. I ONCE TRIED tad out of sync? clock and then moving it in We sprang forward after the wrong direction. This is TO EXPLAIN MY ABSENCE BY ARGUING IT WAS MY you were asleep. more common than you Sorry, someone had to tell might think. BELIEF THAT GOD RAN ON STANDARD TIME. you. I mean, who decided that I DID NOT RECEIVE ABSOLUTION. SUNDAY I know this hurts. There are the clocks should be fewer things in life more changed at the exact same MAGAZINE painful than losing an hour of time (2 a.m.) that the bars dinner in March — in New months of the year. God runs on standard time. sleep on a Sunday morning. close? I’m sure President England? Lounge on the And here is yet another Plus, there is this: Trump will fix this. Group Publisher deck in your Speed-o and problem, particularly if you If you didn’t set your clock The time change is not just Jim Shea is a lifelong Henry B. Haitz III snorkel parka? live with a teacher or editor ahead, you are not only be- a one day thing, either. It can Connecticut resident and And what about high of freelance pedantic. Do you Executive Editor ginning the day behind the mess with the body’s natural journalist who believes the school kids? It’s hard enough say daylight saving time, or times, but probably behind circadian rhythms for days. keys to life include the Barbara T. Roessner rousting them out of bed in daylight savings time? You the eight ball as well. Personally, I hate the word avoidance of physical labor the morning as it is. Getting know what, I could care less. Features Editor Were you supposed to be circadian. It reminds me of and I-95. He can be reached them up and at ’em when it’s (Or should that be I couldn’t Eileen Fischer somewhere, like, say, church? cicada, which is the name of at [email protected] and still night outside can be near care less?) efi[email protected] You are probably now either the large bug fried in butter on Twitter @jimboshea. impossible, even if you do What I am sure of, is this: late or never. that I once ate for a newspa- Creative Director own a top-of-the-line cattle You won’t be alone. per story. Did it taste like Lee Steele prod. Attendance at church chicken? I have no idea. It [email protected] The time change is not services suffers when the wasn’t in my body long only annoying and disruptive, clocks are moved forward. I enough for me to tell. CONTRIBUTORS it’s also a major hassle. I’m once tried to explain my Anyway. talking about all the clocks Rosemarie T. Anner, absence by arguing it was my Even if you have handled you have to go around and Mitch Broder, Christopher belief that God ran on stan- the clock work correctly, reset by hand. Then there is dard time. I did not receive another thing you may notice Brown, Amanda the clock in my car which you absolution. if you got up early is that it is Cuda, MaryEllen Fillo, have to be an IT person to It’s not all your (our) fault. still dark outside. This eve- adjust. You know the expres- David Gunn, Christina Moving the clocks forward ning, if you are not napping, sion even a broken clock is Hennessy, Bob Horton, and backward can be very you will no doubt notice it right twice a day? Well, the Joel Lang, Karlene confusing. stays light later. clock in my car is right six Lukovitz, Joe Meyers, Many people rely on the I don’t have a problem Mike Ross, Lidia Ryan, the old adage: Spring for- with more light at the end of ward, fall backward. OK, but the day — in summer. But Chris Setter, Jim Shea technically is it not possible what are you going to do with ADVERTISING to fall forward and spring that extra hour of light after backward? Director of Sales Strategy & Operations Patricia Luzzi [email protected] 203-360-2856 SEND US YOUR STORY IDEAS efi[email protected] Cathy Zuraw / Hearst Connecticut Media Restaurant Review A ‘Pearl’ of a restaurant at The Inn at Longshore By Jessica Ryan fter a great deal of anticipation, the newest restaurant to grace The Inn at ALongshore in Westport, Pearl, has opened its doors. The restaurant’s cosmo- Your guide to great food in Fairfield County politan appearance isn’t what one might www.ctbites.com expect in a seaside community. There are coastal elements, of course. Repurposed bleached wood lines the wall behind the Pearl at The Inn at Longshore, bar, which also houses a recycled glass 260 Compo Road S., Westport. countertop reminiscent of sea glass. The pearlatlongshore.com atmosphere perfectly reflects the person- ality of the town, sophisticated without being overly formal. Beyond the clean lines mentioned, as well as the Stumble In. of the interior lies a magnificent view of Made with house tequila infused with Long Island Sound. If you’re lucky enough pineapple and jalapeno, triple sec, pineap- to be there at sunset, be prepared to have ple juice and lime, this offered the right your breath taken away. amount of sweet to balance the spiciness of I spoke with chef Michael Hazen on a the jalapeno. This one might have been my quiet Thursday afternoon. If his name favorite. rings a bell, the innovative chef launched As we sipped our cocktails, we sampled the concept for the Bartaco restaurants. At the Montauk tuna, where thin slices of Pearl he sets out to create a menu that is gently seared tuna took on the vibrant inspirational and reflective of today’s life- flavors of the avocado, thinly shaved rad- style — clean and simple, with a modern ishes and olive oil, offering a nice twist on approach. He offers food that is familiar, a perennial favorite. while pushing the envelope just slightly to But it was the Maine Lobster Lux that offer an element of surprise. Hazen rendered us momentarily speechless. The stressed the importance of offering items menu describes it as lobster butter, chives, that are local and seasonal. tarragon and brioche toast, but it is so His commitment to the environment is much more. This lobster butter isn’t what unwavering. Hazen is in the process of you might imagine, but the result of lob- fostering relationships with a local oyster ster, shrimp and other seasonings that have farmer, and soon the restaurant will have been infused for more than six hours to its very own farm in the waters nearby. create a broth that is rich and intensely Additionally, Pearl will recycle its oyster flavorful, in which you will find the per- Contributed photo shells to local reefs, serving to protect and fectly cooked lobster meat. An inside view of Pearl, the newest restaurant to grace The Inn at Longshore in enrich their natural habitats. Pork Chop (or Chicken) Milanese are Westport. Below, its Montauk tuna. Hazen set a definite tone regarding the popular choices and most I’ve tried haven’t restaurant’s culture. “It’s got to be about been anything to write home about, but the people,” he told me, explaining his Hazen knocks this one out of the ballpark. desire not only to embrace the diners, but The pork was tender and juicy on the inte- those working at Pearl. “If we can make it rior, while being perfectly crispy on the about the people, it will be a win-win situa- exterior. The shaved Brussels sprouts and tion and people will embrace us.” gala apple slaw, along with whole grain I decided to return on Friday evening to mustard, offer up a complexity of flavors get a sense of what the restaurant was like that perfectly complement each other. in action. Although Hazen had described How does one top an already near-per- the atmosphere as low-key, the energy that fect meal? With a spectacular Grand Oys- evening was electric. There was an over- ter Tower consisting of six shrimp, four whelming sense of excitement in the air, littlenecks, four cherrystones, eight oysters and yet we were relaxed. The staff was and half a chilled lobster. This alone could exceptional — courteous and attentive. have been my dinner. Ordinarily, I pass on As we settled in at the end of the bar, I mignonette sauce, but decided to try a bit decided it would be fun to sample some of on an oyster. Suffice it to say this is like no the craft cocktails. Each one pays homage other mignonette you’ve ever had before. to the inn’s historic past, with tributes to The combination of two different types of Marilyn Monroe, John D.