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

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.

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?

Strawberry season is upon us in Connecticut. The crop is a couple of weeks early, due to beautiful spring sunshine.  By the end of June, they’ll be gone. So I made sure to stop by a local farmstand this afternoon. They weren’t cheap – a quart cost $4.99. But just one bite will turn you against the 2 for $4 California-born clamshell boxes at the grocery store. These berries are bursting with juicy sweetness – good enough for dessert on their own.

I also bit the bullet and finally bought a basil plant. I don’t have a yard with planting space, so any ‘crops’ of mine have to be of the potted-plant variety. And since I unintentionally murder any plant in my possession, I’ve been reluctant to do this. But I decided I’d be damned if I bought another $3 container of basil from the grocery store. (I know. I should be slapped.)

Pesto, pizza, tomato mozzarella sandwiches, salads….here I come.

My story for the Courant’s Flavor section ran June 3. I spoke to several bloggers across the state about their experiences documenting restaurant visits, cooking adventures and finds at specialty food stores and farmers’ markets.

Here are links to those mentioned in the story:

• Emily Cahill, A Change of Eatery: Emily focuses mostly on dining experiences and food and wine events in the greater Hartford region.
• Dave Sacerdote, Dave’s Cupboard: Original charcuterie recipes, odd food finds, local restaurant reviews.
• Jan Ellen Spiegel, CT Food: Jan, a professional food writer, focuses on fresh food, local farming and Connecticut farmers’ markets.
• CT Bites: A multi-author blog covering the food scene in Fairfield County: dining, cooking, kid-friendly eats. Stephanie Webster serves as editor-in-chief; ‘taco specialist’ Amy Kundrat contributes (she also authors MotoAmy)

I also spoke to Zoe of Nutmeg Kitchen and Michelle of Fun and Fearless in Beantown, but was unable to include the interviews because of space limitations. (my apologies!)

Another worthy visit: CT Museum Quest. Steve Wood has taken on the daunting task of documenting Connecticut’s museums, attractions, parks, trails and other noteworthy spots. Along the way, he eats. His archive of visits to diners, pizza places, burger joints, clam shacks, bakeries, cheesemakers, dairies, wineries, breweries is vast and extensive. He’s also making his way through two “eat before you die” lists, compiled by the Sterns of Roadfood and Connecticut Magazine.

If you’re looking to add to your blogroll, check them out. Fun, interesting, vibrant writing and some excellent photography.

We have a winner! Of the three exotic cuisines Sara has tried thus far, she’s liked Thai best. We gathered at Sukhothai in Manchester the other night and Sara ended up loving her chicken pad see ew dish.

Unfortunately, this means we didn’t really get any of the epic facial expressions she’s demonstrated during her other adventures. Relive them here: Vietnamese (and the bubble tea incident) and Indian.

What’s next? SEAFOOD. Yes, to most New Englanders, this isn’t exotic. But this Connecticut native has never even tried lobster. That’s all about to change.

But if you had just told me you had such great wine…and beer…and cheese…

Unlike past years, we New Englanders have been spoiled rotten by a gorgeous spring. Thanks to steady sunshine and a few days of record-setting temperatures, trees and flowers bloomed two or more weeks in advance. Meaning there’s no better time to get outside and do what you’ve been dreaming of all winter.

Most beer-drinkers mark the start of summer with the release of Sam Adams Summer Ale, but not me. As long as I’m living here in Connecticut, Thomas Hooker Brewery’s Watermelon Ale is going to be my jam. On Friday, I stopped by the Bloomfield Brewery to pick up two growlers of their just-released summer seasonal.

(Read my A La Carte interview with brewery owner Curt Cameron here.)

All gone!

This year, they’ve brewed the beer with pureed real watermelon from Simsbury’s Rosedale Farms.  While it’s missing its slight pink hue (Cameron told me that they’d opted against using artificial coloring) it’s still that same refreshing Jolly Rancher-esque brew I loved so much last summer.

We laid waste to the growlers, along with two of Opa-Opa’s Watermelon Ale, at a barbecue Saturday night. We even garnished our glasses with slices of real melon. Time for refills.

During the day Saturday, I finally got to do something on my local “foodie bucket list”: a trip to Colchester combining stops at Cato Corner Farm and Priam Vineyards.  I’ve been more than a little obsessed with Cato Corner ever since I tried their cheeses at the CT Specialty Food Association competition in February and subsequently spent the next seven or 10 days dreaming about them.

The farm, run by a mother-and-son team, produces cheeses made from raw milk from their 40 cows. The cheeses are aged in an underground cave on the property, creating varieties so unique and delicious that they’re sought after by some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants and shops. The farm was even featured on a recent episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations.”

We stood in line for a while to sample and purchase in the farm’s cheese shop. Seems several other people had the same agenda as us – BYO cheese to Priam Vineyards, just one mile up the road. We were still able to sample the Vivace, Aged Bloomsday and Womanchego. Wedges of the last two, plus my beloved Dairyere, came with us.

At $15-25 per pound, this fromage is not cheap, but that’s what Kraft is for. If I ever come into a spare $100, I’m driving back down to Colchester and splurging. Call high-end cheese my Manolos, if you will.

Things were even busier – and disorganized – at Priam, and it took awhile to get a tasting going. We’d paid for a basic sampling of five wines, but our distracted consultant accidentally poured us a splash of the first wine on the premium tasting menu, a Cayuga.

It turned out to be better than any of the five we tried after that, and we bought a chilled bottle to enjoy on Priam’s beautiful, sun-dappled patio. Happy mistake, or savvy sales tactic? Doesn’t really matter – we savored that dry, fruity wine with that magnificent cheese. Blissful.

Stay tuned for Part II: 85 Main’s Oyster Festival and a visit to Sharpe Hill Vineyard in Pomfret.

We’re so proud of you, dude!

Moo.

For those unfamiliar with Connecticut, the town where my husband and I live, Enfield, is a bizarre blend of contrasts. While certain sections of town are overdeveloped with chain restaurants and big-box stores, it also retains much of its beautiful working farmland. The majority of the farms grow tobacco, but several focus on dairy products.

We’ve been hearing for years that one of these farms, Powder Hill, was home to Collins Creamery. And as an entertainment website producer at the Hartford Courant, I kept seeing Collins come up in the “best ice cream” polls and forums. It was always on my local bucket list of places to visit.

Proving that some of the best experiences stem from total spontaneity, we ended up at Collins for a scoop this afternoon after our pizza lunch in bordering East Windsor. Located among bucolic little residential neighborhoods, the little white building atop Powder Hill is surrounded by rolling green grass and picnic tables on gravel lots.

Late-afternoon sundae? Why not.

Collins offers about 20 daily flavors of farm-fresh ice cream, with a handful of low-fat, sugar-free, sorbet and yogurt options. You can get your scoops in a waffle cone, sundae, milkshake, ice cream soda or float, or by the half-gallon, cake or pie.

If you can’t choose just one flavor, consider the 4-scoop sampler dish for $5. Rob and I picked out two apiece: white chocolate and cake & ice cream for me, strawberry and chocolate chip cookie dough for him.  The boat-shaped sampler dish looked like it was used to handling banana splits.

(As we waited for our treat, I couldn’t help but overhear the kids in line behind us. A little girl, probably no older than five, started with the quivering lip when she realized “cake and ice cream” was not “cake batter.” “You’re not really going to cry over ice cream?” her mother snapped. Ouch.)

From left: cookie dough, white chocolate, cake & ice cream and strawberry

Armed with two spoons, we commandeered a picnic table and dug in. Ohhhh, yeah. There’s ice cream, and then there’s ice cream made just steps from its source. Real, fresh cream and ingredients. The white chocolate flavor had unexpected chips of white chocolate candy. The cookie dough and cake & ice cream varieties were pure sugary indulgence.

The winner for me, surprisingly, was the strawberry. Nothing fake or artificial about this wholesome, naturally fruity flavor. It was light and refreshing, yet sweetly creamy.

My only regret? That I’d added something pure chocolate into the mix. Guess we’ll just have to go back for that…and the Heath Bar…and the peanut butter cup…and the mint cookies and cream…

I’m still tickled that this adorable little creamery is but ten minutes from our house. Now if only they made cheese.