Fun With Carbs

Matthew’s was sold to me as “Wine Wednesday.” And as my friend, Jeanne, and I made plans, that’s how we referred to it – to the point where I had to confirm the actual name of the restaurant before we met for dinner this week.

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

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.

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Chipotle just opened in West Hartford to major fanfare. (On opening day, the line for free burritos was up to two hours long.)

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?