LIFE

There is a certain feel to the Not a Phase Café at 1100 Main St. in Town Center that one notices on a first visit. That’s an intentional appeal conceived by co-owners Kim Parker and Jared Linn. Their eatery is a place where folks can enjoy breakfast and luncheon fare. The menu features breakfast sandwiches, bagels, pancakes and other food items. There are numerous hot and cold beverages with a seemingly endless selection of specialty coffees and teas.

The food, the décor and the beverages all suggest that No Mames Mexican Cantina is not a typical Mexican restaurant. The newest member of the Doro Restaurant Group is designed to stand out for serving high-quality food and beverages. The eatery is celebrating its first anniversary since opening in the Marshalls plaza at 1140 Silas Deane Highway this past year. Phill Alves serves as the general manager and Ryan de Grouw is the executive chef.

Andy Mozer lives in Port Chester, New York but he graduated from Danbury High School, where he formed a close friendship with Gao Cai. After graduation they went their own ways to pursue unrelated professions but eventually migrated back to each other. Two years ago, they opened Wabi Sabi, an updated Japanese restaurant at 135 South Main Street in West Hartford.

At the Newington Rotary Club, the mission that members live by is to “turn passion for change into action.” Add a little Australian hospitality from Outback Steakhouse Managing Partner Mark Adrain and you have a bloomin’ combination.