Where Wal-Mart and CVS fall short, Griebs pulls through

With the number of big box stores like Wal-Mart and Duane Reade offering pharmaceutical services, it becomes more difficult to find the small, mom-and-pop pharmacies that used to dominate the landscape. Fortunately for those looking to stay away from such stores, there's an appealing alternative: Griebs Pharmacy.

It's a good sized store, with a layout that makes it easy to find things. The biggest problem, however, is that often times there isn't enough space between the aisle endcaps and the front counter when there are a good number of customers coming in at one time. If the idea of going in during one of their peak times (or at all), makes you uncomfortable, make sure to utilize the fact that they offer delivery.

While you're most likely not going to go there unless you've got a prescription to fill, there are plenty of other things to buy there that don't require a physician's signature. One side of the store consists of OTC medication while the other is filled with various chotchkes that appeals mainly to families and young children.

At the end of the day, Griebs is one of the few places in Fairfield County that offers pharmaceutical services without being part of a large chain; and that's the best kind there is.

The hype that surrounds Garden Catering is, in fact, warranted

If you happen to have grown up in the lower Fairfield County area, chances are you weren't able to get through high school without at least hearing about Garden Catering.

That's because they offer something colloquially known as the "high school special" (often times just called "the special"), which is a half pound of chicken nuggets and fries thrown together in a bag with some seasoning. If you ever get the chance to go there and haven't been before, order it. If you're not a big fan of it, there's plenty of other things to get.

The biggest problem facing someone getting their "special" fix, though, is parking. The Stamford location (which is the one that I happen to go to whenever I have to get work done on my car) has a small lot that is difficult to park in unless you've got a Fiat 500 type car. If you're like me and have a larger vehicle, you're better off waiting until the traffic dies down a bit and there's not as many cars in the lot.

Overall, Garden Catering is one of the best places to go when you're looking for some grub, although keep an eye out for the high school crowd.  I hear it's still a popular hangout spot.