======================================================
Bagels are back in the mini-strip mall next to Five Guys and a nail salon.
Bagel Maven closed last winter. The space is now filled by Pauli’s Deli & Bagels. It’s the second Pauli’s; the original is in Norwalk.
In addition to bagels and deli sandwiches, Pauli’s serves plenty of breakfast items, and coffee.
======================================================
Is it too early to think about St. Patrick’s Day?
Not if you’re a caterer.
Alison Milwe Grace — one of Fairfield County’s favorite chefs — has already planned her mid-March menu. She features tempting appetizers; corned beef and cabbage with roasted potatoes, roasted carrots and horseradish mustard, and Guinness Shepherd’s Pie.
For dessert: cupcakes with Irish cream frosting; Irish bread pudding with whiskey caramel sauce; Irish coffee crème brûlée, and Bailey’s chocolate mousse.
Of course, if it’s St. Paddy’s Day, Passover and Easter are not far behind.
Alison has menus for those too. Click here to see.

Alison Milwe Grace: catering, 2021-style.
======================================================
Carole Schweid appreciated a recent “06880” story about the law that business owners clear snow from their sidewalks.
But, she writes: “Riverside Barber Shop has done nothing to clear their sidewalks
“It’s on the corner of Riverside, Treadwell and Saugatuck Avenues. There is nowhere to stand — except in the street.
“You cannot reach the button for the light to help cross the street, due to the snow. This is one of the most dangerous corners in Westport, where 3 busy streets merge.
“Every other business in the neighborhood — a place where people walk, due to the restaurants, etc. — has cleared their sidewalks.
“When I asked them to do something to make the corner safer by clearing a path, the woman who works there turned her back and walked away.”

The corner of Riverside, Treadwell and Saugatuck Avenues, at Riverside Barber Shop. (Photo/Carole Schweid)
=====================================================
For years, Westporters have relied on Sybil Steinberg’s curated reading list.
It’s never more needed than during a pandemic.
Now, the longtime Westporter — a contributing editor and former book review section editor for Publishers Weekly — returns with ideas for winter reading.
Click here for Sybil’s exclusive recommendations, courtesy of the Westport Library.
Or click below, for the video version:
=======================================================
Speaking of reading: Westport author Christian Hunter’s new book has just been published.
“Influence” is the story of a young woman’s journey from Venezuela to the United States, where she and her family come to grips with the disappearance of her father. Her mission is to find him, and become what she has always dreamed of: a celebrity.
Click below to learn more:
=======================================================
Among the approvals at Thursday’s Planning & Zoning Commission meeting:
- Conversion of the former Steinway piano store at 499 Post Road East (next to the fire station), to use by Bespoke Auto Hause for an automobile storage garage for privately owned cars.
- Live music at Basso restaurant, on Jesup Road.
======================================================
And finally … Danny Ray died earlier this month in Georgia, at 85.
You may not have known his name. But if you saw James Brown perform, you probably saw “the hardest-working man in show business” being led away after putting everything into a song. Then he threw away his cape, returned to the stage, and gave the audience even more. Over and over again.
Danny Ray was that man. He was also the man who introduced the Godfather of Soul at his concerts.
When James Brown died in 2006, Danny Ray spoke at his funeral. “Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for star time?” he asked. Then he draped a cape over the open coffin.