There’s a reason for that. The recently-opened eatery in the Unionville section of Farmington has a fantastic deal for wine lovers on Wednesdays. All of their wine choices – bottles and glasses – are half-price.

To sweeten the deal even further, the restaurant offers a “sunset menu” from 4 to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Three courses, $18.95. And no skimpy portions, either.

As part of my three-course dinner, I had an enormous bowl of seafood chowder (good herb flavor, but too heavy on the potatoes), an excellent plate of steak frites topped with an herb-and-garlic compound butter and a beautifully-crafted profiterole with whipped cream, French vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate sauce. A dark chocolate garnish, resembling the shape of a treble chef, made it look even fancier.

Next time we return (and there will be a next time,) I may have to check out Jeanne’s salmon dish. Here’s how it was listed on the menu: “organic Scottish salmon seared and glazed with absinthe over late harvest corn and lobster cake, emulsified butter and tomato chutney.” Holy delicious. And gorgeous. Look at the top crust on that piece of fish.

Matthew’s wine list isn’t on its website, but the selections were good – a wide array of Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons, a tempranillo, which Jeanne loved, a Malbec and a few sauvignon blancs, of which I tried the Kono. (Excellent summer wine.) The half-price deal allowed me to sample a big and bold Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon with my steak – normally listed at $10 a glass; I got to enjoy a top-notch wine for just a fiver.

Service was friendly yet professional. My only qualm was that I had to specifically ask our waitress to see the sunset menu options. Had I not been aware of it before dining there, that opportunity might have passed me by. (Other customers mentioned the same issue on Yelp.)

Matthew, the owner, personally visited each table to check in with guests. Later in the night, he constructed tableside Caesar salads for several parties, wowing the room with his carefully choreographed movements.

Wednesdays also bring live music out on the restaurant’s patio, a beautiful place to be on a breezy summer night.

Matthew’s, 55 Mill Street, Farmington (Unionville), (860) 673-7373, matthews-restaurant.com

Stop, you're drooling.

I turned Not Thirty on July 9. (The last year I can legitimately say that.) Yes, I’m another year older, another year wiser, and now in possession of a brand-new Canon Rebel DSLR camera, a birthday present from my fantastic husband. The gift came just in time for our long weekend in Ogunquit, Maine – a seafood lover’s paradise.

For the past three summers, our first-night dinner spot has been Black Sushi House, located in the center of town. We were first tipped off to Black by way of a frantic text message from our foodie friends, vacationing there three weeks before us in July of 2008. The photo they sent was of a maki roll absolutely smothered in lobster meat. Suddenly, our pizza dinner didn’t look so hot after all.

This is Black’s “Lobster x 2″ roll, a lobster and avocado roll topped with baked lobster and crab with lobster roe, eel sauce and green onion. It is one of the most amazing things I’ve eaten in my 29 years on this earth.

Before we get to this lobster behemoth, let’s talk more about Black. It opened in 2007, with the intent of “filling the need for a top-tier sushi restaurant in the southern Maine area,” according to its website. Since then, it’s received popular press accolades, most recently from Down East magazine.

Black is a tiny yet very sleek and modern eatery, decorated in black and silver accents with beautiful phaleanopsis orchid plants in the street-facing windows. The tables seat maybe 20 guests at most. (There are a few tables on an outdoor patio, and several seats at the sushi bar.) It’s intimate and serene enough that I felt like a jackass when I pulled out my new, flashy camera. But these sushi creations deserved the fancier lens.

The restaurant is BYOB, which allowed us to bring a chilled bottle of my summer-of-2010 white wine obsession, Martín Códax Albariño.

We started with the oyster shooters, of which we downed about 20 (pre- and post-dinner) last year with our foodie friends. Sadly, they couldn’t join us this year, so we stuck to a half-dozen for the two of us. There was no mistaking the freshness of these huge oysters, but the complicated blend of ponzu, caviar, green onion and sriracha just overwhelmed the bivalves. (I’m someone that likes raw oysters with just a few drops of lemon.)

The lobster x 2 was a given, so we picked out two other rolls to share. Black’s  Sweet Jesus roll, with escolar, shiso leaf, lemon, avocado and citrus tobiko, was so refreshing and clean that it almost served as a palate cleanser in itself. The Mango Madness roll – with spicy tuna, fresh mango, avocado and asparagus – perfectly blended sweet, spicy and fresh. Far from the haphazard tuna mash you’ll see at inferior sushi places, this roll uses whole pieces of fresh tuna drizzled with a light coating of spicy mayonnaise. Pieces so big, in fact, that the tuna dangled out of the end of the roll.

Mango madness roll

But we’d come for the flagship, the pinnacle, the zenith, the you’ve-never-seen-anything-like-it menu item. And it was bigger and better than ever.

When the Lobster x 2 roll was delivered to our table, I almost fell off my chair. Resting on top of the maki were FOUR huge pieces of claw meat, baked and tossed in a light, spicy sauce. With an explosion of flavors, textures and temperatures, it was almost an embarrassment of riches, and certainly something you’d expect to pay more than $20 to sample.

Do yourself a favor, and take a night off from the clam shack – or the overpriced “new-American” bistros. Treat your tastebuds to something truly amazing.

Baaaaa.

If you read Fun With Carbs regularly, you’re probably familiar with my husband’s distaste for goat cheese – in particular the soft chevre variety. So last Saturday, when I mentioned a potential stop at Bush Meadow Farm, the conversation went something like this.

Me:  “Hey look, another dairy farm. We should stop there before we go to the wineries.”
Rob: “What kind of cheeses do they make?”
Me:  “Goa-”
Rob:  “NO.”
Me:  “COME ON. They make cheddar and feta, too.”
Rob: “Why didn’t you say that?”
Me:  “I didn’t get a chance. And they specialize in goat cheeses.”
Rob:  “You have to sell me on these things.”

Sigh.

Anyway. Bush Meadow Farm, located off Route 190 in the tiny town of Union, is a state-licensed artisan cheesemaker. In addition to cheeses and fresh goat milk, the proprietors also sell smoked meats, baked goods and farm-fresh, free-range eggs. They have a small 15-seat restaurant, serving breakfast and lunch.

Assorted cheeses from Bush Meadow Farm

But we were there for the cheese, and the owners graciously put together a tasting plate for us. Their soft chevre comes in several interesting flavors: tomato bacon horseradish, chipotle garlic, spinach and garlic, dill herb, cinnamon-maple and cannoli. The savory varieties were piquant and tangy; the sweet ones worthy of stuffed French toast or decadent dessert. And guess who tasted them all and didn’t complain??

We also tried slices of the farm-made goat feta and cheddar. They were fresh-tasting but entirely too mild for me – I like my cheeses sharp and salty. But Bush Meadow’s cow’s milk blue cheese was another story. Rich, bold and creamy, it impressed us all. Better yet, a four-ounce container was only $3.50.

Rob asked the owners for a small sample of their smoked meats, and they brought over some slices of brisket and pastrami, with complementing barbecue sauce and honey-jalapeno mustard. He particularly liked the pastrami.

On our way out, he decided to commune with the goats,  in his own little Mark Wahlberg “Say hello to your mother for me” moment. Here’s video proof.

Photo: Nick Caito, Nick Caito Photo

Last Wednesday, a group of Connecticut food lovers descended upon Miya’s Sushi in New Haven for the infamous multicourse Wednesday night special. What ensued was one of the most exciting, inventive and thoroughly enjoyable dining experiences of my whole life.

The meal started with pumpkin miso soup and fresh salad made with organic vegetables from a local foodshare collaborative. The next dozen or so courses made our heads spin.

At Bun Lai’s celebrated restaurant, you’re hard-pressed to find anything mundane. Rather, you’re more likely to have rolls with rare-fried tuna, goat cheese and cranberries. Or mascarpone cheese, brie and potato skin. White rice may be replaced by quinoa, teff grain and oat groats. The menu itself is poetry, items’ whimsical descriptions written almost haiku-style.

Of a beer concoction, Bun writes, “a refreshing honey and ginger beer elixer. certain to please any working-class asian. sorry, you must be asian to order this. sorry, you’re not asian.”

The Wednesday night special is served omekase-style, so you’re subjected to the chef’s whims. If you’re a control freak, this might not be your thing. But trust that Bun and his staff will never steer you wrong. Everything served here is sustainable and socially conscious, with certain ingredients foraged by Lai himself.

Words will never truly do the experience justice, so photos will have to tell the story. (All images shot by Nick Caito Photo)

Sweet mother's milk: a whole steamed artichoke served with pureed jalapeno sauce

Tokyo fro: lightly fried potato straws drizzled with curry aioli

One of Bun's new rolls, made with escargot and brie

Vegetable gyoza

Longtime friends Bun Lai and Matt Scott, WTNH meteorologist

Ho rensoe ensalada - flash-fried spinach

A roll made with soy chicken and topped with melted Havarti cheese

Another new roll: lobster, asparagus, Brie and apricots

Blogger Emily Cahill, author of A Change of Eatery

Ginger beef tataki

The Ebibaba roll, shrimp tempura wrapped in potato skin and topped with melted Havarti and a lemon dill sauce.

Two fish cha-cha: escolar seared with tuna

Twelve-spice tilapia sashimi, made with sea salt from an endangered island

Amy Kundrat, blogger for CT Bites and Motoamy

Dessert: the Seven Deadly Sushi roll with banana, peanut butter, strawberries and chocolate topped with hand-churned rose petal ice cream

Not pictured, but still completely enjoyed: a selection of infused sakes, including the restaurant’s famous Chinese firecracker variety. A little too fiery on its own; absolutely perfect in a sake bomb made with Pabst beer.

If you’re looking for the kind of culinary moment to crystallize in your mind forever, get yourself to New Haven quick.

The good news is, I’ll have some fun material later this week. Several bloggers and I are working to plan a gathering at Miya’s Sushi tomorrow evening. Haven’t heard of Miya’s? Shame on you. It could be one of the most inventive and exciting sushi restaurants in the entire world.

Stay tuned…

Between the steak at Spoleto Thursday, barbecue Friday from a place I’m hoping to review in the next few weeks, kielbasa at our friends’ Jack and Jill party Saturday and a birthday cookout Sunday, I feel like I might have eaten a cow and a pig all by myself. This is rare for someone who – at least in the past – has gravitated toward chicken and seafood. Obviously it was time for something fresh and healthy.

On the way home from the Sunday party, we stopped at the brand-new ShopRite in town for a few supplies. I was really impressed by the store’s clean, easy layout; beautiful produce and warm, friendly service. Prices seemed considerably lower than Stop n’Shop, let alone Big Y.

I wandered around produce for a while and happened upon the herb section, where I picked up a vibrant green, fragrant pile of fresh mint. Inspiration struck. Earlier this year, I came upon a recipe for grilled watermelon and feta salad, tossed with chopped mint and citrus juice.

Watermelon isn’t my favorite fruit (I like tangier ones; pineapple, strawberries, mango) but I figured anything topped with feta had winning potential. Rather than buy a huge melon, I grabbed a pre-wrapped package containing four slices.

At home, I perused a few recipes online and finally settled upon this one from Fine Cooking:

1 small red or yellow watermelon (3 to 4 pounds), preferably seedless and not too ripe
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing the melon
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
Juice of 1 large navel orange
Pinch of sea or kosher salt, or more to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper; or more to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

As I was only working with four slices of melon, I estimated a smaller amount of juice, mint and oil. And since I didn’t have any fresh oranges, I threw in a splash of Tropicana.

Once the resident grillmaster finished the melon (2 to 3 minutes per side) I sliced off the rinds, chopped the fruit into small pieces and tossed it in a bowl with the juices, olive oil, mint and spices. Don’t be afraid of the cayenne, it gives it an intriguing kick.

And then it was time for my favorite part – the cheese.

This salad is a fascinating study in flavors and textures. The watermelon caramelizes ever so slightly when grilled. The mint provides a cool bite. Citrus juice adds sour tang. The feta contributes creamy saltiness, and depending on how much cayenne you add, you get that heat in the back of your throat. It’s wild. And healthy. Wins all around.

Crostini trio: filet and asiago, shrimp and cannelloni, tomato mozzarella basil

Although I love Restaurant Week promotions, sometimes eateries don’t live up to expectations.

Last year, a group of friends and I made RW reservations at one of Northampton’s most vaunted restaurants, only to receive some of the worst food and service I’ve ever experienced in my lifetime. (We ordered a half-dozen oysters as an add-on, and received five weak, watery specimens – and one empty shell. Our server rolled his eyes as he took back the plate. It all went downhill from there.)

Left scarred by this experience, I was a bit guarded when we made reservations at Spoleto, Northampton’s highly regarded and popular Italian restaurant. But the droolworthy menu won me over. Besides that, I was looking for some wine redemption after the miss at Zen.

Three of us started with the crostini trio: filet mignon with asiago cheese;  grilled shrimp, cannelloni and basil chiffonade; tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil with balsamic. The latter was the best of the three – there wasn’t a ton of recognizable flavor in the shrimp and white bean mixture and the filet, served without any kind of sauce, was a bit dry. (I remedied it with a drizzle of olive oil.) One friend said she wished the bread had been more crusty.

Another friend went with the fried calamari. While was nice and crispy and smelled like fried-food heaven, it was a little bland without its two tomato-based dipping sauces (one much spicier than the other.) I stole a few tentacle pieces for myself.

New York strip a la barolo with steamed veggies and sweet potato gratin

My newly awakened carnivore tendencies led me right to the New York strip, finished with a Barolo demiglace and served with sweet potato gratin and mixed vegetables. I was not disappointed. The steak was sizable, juicy and encrusted with a hint of pepper, and the Barolo sauce, though surprisingly light, had intense flavor. The veggies were steamed to perfection and only improved with a sprinkle of fresh grated cheese.

None of us were blown away by the gratin, though. While it was layered artfully like a napoleon, it was cold and a bit congealed. This suffered most from the inevitable mass-production that goes on during Restaurant Week promotions. Though we’re all familiar with my carb addiction, I would have been much more disappointed by an overdone steak.

To be honest, I was really torn between the NY strip and the seafood fra diavolo, a whole mess of shellfish tossed with squid-ink pasta in a spicy marinara sauce. But that’s why you dine with friends who are willing to share. The jet-black pasta, a little thicker than linguini, was really intriguing. And it was virtually buried by a tidal wave of lobster, mussels, clams, scallops, calamari and shrimp.

Seafood fra diavolo

My friend remarked that it was more like a cioppino than a pasta dish, for its sheer amount of seafood. The marinara was wildly hot, though. “I kept eating because every time I stopped, my mouth burned,” she said.

Dessert was plentiful – and chocolaty. The chocolate lover’s sampler incorporated a huge dark-chocolate dipped strawberry; a flourless chocolate torte (with a strong hint of coffee); light, airy chocolate mousse and a dab of fresh whipped cream. One plate could have fed three of us.

Spoleto has a great wine option – a full liter carafe (6 glasses) for $15 or a half-carafe (3 glasses) for $8. On the night of our visit, the carafe wines were cabernet sauvignon and Chardonnay.

We started by ordering a half-carafe of each, and this is where we ran into our one service snag. We tried to explain to the waiter, as he was pouring, that we wanted to save our red carafe for our steak dinners. Somehow, this annoyed him, and he banged down the carafe and stalked away. It was inexplicable, and unnecessary…

Chocolate lovers' sampler

As the night went on, we ended up ordering two more half-carafes, which brought us to a technical total of two full carafes. Yet we were charged for four half-carafes, amounting to an extra $2. I guess that was a charge for labor?

Spoleto has an ongoing $20 three-course meal promotion, available at both locations: Northampton and East Longmeadow. It’s a good value.

In my opinion, Restaurant Weeks should be an opportunity for restaurants to shine, not to cut corners or make customers feel unwelcome.  I have no doubt that the banquet-style meal planning and extra traffic cause stress for chefs and servers. I’m sympathetic to that, to a point.

But I firmly believe that restaurants can hook potential repeat customers. If you dazzle a Restaurant Week customer with your $20 three-course meal and spectacular service, they’ll consider spending top dollar there for a special occasion in the future. At the very least, they’ll come back during next year’s promotion. My bad RW experience in 2009 has turned me off that particular restaurant for good.

Zen's Pyramid Roll

Restaurant Week promotions are foodie paradise.  Multicourse meals for less than the cost of an entree? Sign me up, several times over.

Northampton held its annual event this past week, and when the menus came out, everything looked incredible. Several of the restaurants stepped up their game, incorporating high-end ingredients like lobster and good cuts of steak with lots of variety, like appetizer and dessert samplers. Remember, all three-course meals cost a mere $20.10.

A friend and I chose Zen for our Wednesday night meal. Zen is one of the top Japanese eateries in the Northampton area, but we almost always pass it over in favor of Osaka’s Japanese-French fusion. But Zen’s promo menu, offering a variety of sashimi, noodles, teriyaki and spring rolls, looked amazing.

We started the meal with two appetizer choices: the rock shrimp and the jalapeno carpaccio. Flash-fried and tossed in a spicy chili sauce with a hint of mayonnaise, the crunchy little shrimp were addictive.

Jalapeno carpaccio

But the winner was the carpaccio: three slim slices of halibut, white tuna and yellowtail bathed in a citrusy yuzu sauce and topped with slivers of jalapeno pepper and a dab of sriracha. The fish was tender, fresh and succulent – I wished it had been an entree in itself.

We both opted for the Pyramid roll, six massive maki pieces overstuffed with rice, spicy tuna/crab/scallop/salmon, avocado and asparagus. It was topped with tempura crunch and a drizzle of syrupy eel sauce.  Lots of exciting flavors here, but I’ve never been a fan of the rolls that require jaw unhinging for consumption. Less is more.

(Side note, I once ate a spider roll in front of my sushi-unaware mother, who suggested I  ‘cut it with a knife and fork’ before eating it. She got the WTF glare.)

Dessert was unremarkable, as it sometimes tends to be at Asian restaurants (and Restaurant Week at that.) The apple-cinnamon spring roll was cold, stale and forgettable, but my dining partner liked her open-faced chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich.

More disappointing was my wine choice, a lukewarm Tukulu Chenin Blanc from South Africa. I tried an excellent Sula Chenin Blanc at our favorite Indian restaurant a few months ago, but apparently not all CBs are created equal.

I’m still thinking about that carpaccio, though. So, successful visit.

On Thursday, we ventured to Spoleto for their Italian-influenced Restaurant Week menu. Stay tuned.

Diana Guay / ctnow.com

When we posted notice of it on A La Carte, the response was overwhelming. It was as if no one in the area had ever eaten fast-casual burritos. Despite the fact that Moe’s Southwest Grill is about a mile away.

So, my coworker Sara came up with a brilliant plan: a blind taste test of the restaurants’ burritos.

Read the recap on A La Carte.

After a blind tasting of chicken, steak and veggie burritos from both Chipotle and Moe’s, our nine Courant tasters voted. Chipotle won 5 to 4.

As I was running the test, I stayed out of the tasting fray. But I snagged some leftover Chipotle later – and gotta say, Moe’s was the clear winner for me. Really not a fan of Chipotle’s cilantro-lime rice.

What do you think? Got a favorite?

I had “eggplant fries” at Hartford’s Taste of the Nation event May 6, courtesy of Joey Garlic’s Pizza. They were crispy, savory, cheesy sticks of heaven, especially with accompanying pomodoro sauce for dipping. But when fried, these can be heavy, as eggplant is a virtual sponge for oil.

At home, I improvised my own baked version. I peeled an eggplant, sliced it into skinny “fry” shapes, tossed the sticks in flour, dipped them in egg white and rolled them in seasoned panko crumbs.  Baked at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, these came out as crunchy and irresistible as their fryolator counterparts. I gave them a small drizzle of olive oil, a small shake of garlic powder and a shower of Parmesan.

A healthy and interesting alternative to potatoes, for sure. I love eggplant, but until now, I haven’t done anything with it beyond baked eggplant parmesan.

We made these last night to go with a pineapple-chipotle marinated pork tenderloin. To drink: Boutari Moschofilero, which I picked up at Table & Vine last week. It’s been seven-plus months since we arrived home from Santorini and I miss it Every. Single. Day.

P.S. Boutari loves Fun With Carbs. Though I’m not sure I’d call it a “healthy eating blog,” based on my multiple KFC Double Down posts alone.

(Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)