Back in October, I interviewed Kelleanne and Ryan Jones at their Tariffville restaurant, The Mill at 2T, for a feature story about restaurateurs’ reactions to amateur online reviews. (Read the final graf for their unusual “turn the tables” idea.)

While I was there, they gave me a copy of their Friday-night menu. I brought it home to show Rob, thinking nothing of it. (In fairness, I visit restaurants weekly for this job, and our house is littered with menus.) But this one struck him, and we vowed to return for dinner.

Well, we kept our promise in a big way. We decided to enjoy the full Mill experience, opting for the six-course tasting menu and wine pairings while watching all the action from the “chef’s counter” – a row of six seats providing an unobstructed view of the open kitchen.

And we’re so glad we did. Our plans were very nearly derailed when a server brought a massive pan-roasted filet mignon with cheddar fondue and toasted corn bread “croutons” to a table nearby. (It looked absolutely incredible.) But we stayed on course, and ended up with one of the most exciting meals of 2012 thus far.

Photos after the jump:

Tender octopus "nicoise" with hard-cooked egg, cracked olives, fried gnocchi, marinated beans, anchovy emulsion. Wine pairing: 2009 Lagar de Costa Albarino

Seared white tuna with grilled vegetable gazpacho, spiced jicama, yellow tomato butter, mango and watermelon salsa. Wine pairing: 2009 Anne Pichon Roussanne

Sofrito-basted grilled quail with patatas bravas and corn bisque. Wine pairing: 2010 Gothic Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley

Wild boar tenderloin "pork and beans" with local asparagus, Asian pear, candied hazelnuts and a slice of French baguette coated with whipped lardo. Wine pairing: 2008 Robert Sinsky POV (Napa Valley)

Roasted Australian lamb loin with George's Bank scallops, polenta cremolata, celery root puree, Parma prosciutto. Wine pairing: 2010 Jaffurs Syrah (Santa Barbara)

Dessert trio: pistachio almond cake with chocolate gelato, brioche doughnuts with caramel, lime posset with Meyer lemon ice cream. Wine: Vinedo de los Vientos "Alcyone"

The chef’s choice tasting is $70 pp; $100 pp with wine. It’s a splurge, but well worth it for a special occasion or just a really, really nice “treat yoself” evening of food and wine.

* Some notes on Mill at 2T: It’s a very small space, with just about 40 seats. Make your reservations early, and don’t be perturbed if you have to wait a bit once you get there. Just relax and enjoy.

Be prepared to leave your credit card number with your reservation. Cancellations must be made 24 hours in advance; if you don’t cancel in time (or no-show,) your credit card will be charged $25 per person.

If you want to sit at the chef’s counter, you’ve got to call the restaurant at 2 p.m. on the day of your reservation to book the special seats.

The Mill at 2T, 2 Tunxis Road, Tariffville (Simsbury), CT. 860-658-7890, themillat2t.com.

Saltwater Farm Vineyard, Stonington

I’ve made no secret of my love for Connecticut’s farm wineries, which made this guide to the 2012 season so easy to write. There’s a lot going on this year, from new vintage releases to special food pairings, live music and alfresco dinners.

Pick up your 2012 passport at any of the 33 participating wineries. Visit at least 16 of them, have the book stamped at each location, and you’re eligible to win some sweet prizes. Each year, everyone guns for the grand prize: the two-week trip to Spain’s Costa del Sol.

I’ll see you on the trail.

Here’s the thing about seeing some of your food heroes in person: It’s simultaneously thrilling and terrifying.

On Saturday morning, I found myself in the third row of Wesleyan University’s Crowell Concert Hall with sister-in-food Amy, when a trademark tangle of dark hair entered stage right. It was Ruth Reichl, she of the world-famous memoirs, piles of writing awards (including 6 Beard Foundation nods) and storied career as restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times and New York Times, and editor of Gourmet magazine. Not to mention her Twitter account, full of evocative, lilting, haiku-like pearls that spawned a brilliant parody.

Ruth Reichl and WNPR's Faith Middleton

Reichl and several food stars were on hand for Wesleyan’s FOODSTOCK conference, a celebration of “books and cooks” bringing together local and national culinary figures and passionate food lovers.

During a 45-minute moderated Q&A session with WNPR’s Faith Middleton, Reichl discussed her career path, food politics and ethics, her latest project (a novel – something she said she found much tougher than nonfiction writing) and the changes in food that correspond with the economy.

Among Reichl’s most interesting responses, when asked by Middleton if restaurants had become “the primal scene of modern life”:

“That’s exactly the attitude that made me stop being a restaurant critic and go to Gourmet,” she said. “…The moment where we’re spending all of our private time in public spaces, we have lost something really important. When you invite someone into your home, it’s an intimate act. You’re becoming vulnerable in a way that you never are in a restaurant. Restaurants are safe…I think there’s something so important about having people to your home…I think it’s one of the real problems of modern life. We’ve lost some of that intimacy. I hate it. I really wanted to encourage people to start cooking and stop spending all their time in restaurants.”

Next up was New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov, who was easily my favorite speaker of the day. If anyone had license to be snobby about wine, it would be the authority such as himself, writing for the national paper of record. But he couldn’t have been more refreshingly laid-back and nonchalant about his job and his body of knowledge.

“We’ve focused entirely too much on the issue and mechanics of tasting. It almost seems as if the whole discussion of wine is taken from the methods of professional tasters…these elements are all completely unnecessary to ordinary consumption and enjoyment of wine. It disturbs me that it comes immediately to mind when we think about wine at all,” he said.

Asimov with Faith Middleton

Asimov noted that the New York Times pays for all the wines tasted (they don’t depend on receiving free samples from the industry; they don’t want to be obliged to anyone to write anything.) It also serves for a better sampling of coverage – they’ll taste a cross-section of wines that will be available to consumers in stores, rather than what’s sent to them.

He also advised the audience not to be afraid to enlist the help of a restaurant sommelier, informing them of a budget and asking for suggestions. “Most of the time, you’re going to come up with something that’s good and surprising and pleasing,” he said.

I’ve come across quite a bit of pretension and condescension among wine professionals in the time I’ve been doing this kind of work. It’s unfortunate, and intimidating. I wish more people took the same approach as Asimov, because we’d have a whole new population of wine lovers much more comfortable with their tastes and preferences.

Lunchtime was a jungle of food trucks – and long, long lines…

Munchies Food Truck, based in New London

Long lines at Lucky Taco, based in the Hartford area

I went with this creamy-sweet-tangy-gluttonous-holy-crap-delicious Brie and bacon marmalade blend from Whey Station, a Middletown-based grilled cheese truck.

(I took this pic while balancing a glass bottle of soda. Don’t ever let anyone tell you multimedia journalists aren’t multi-talented.)

The first post-lunch session, a writing seminar with Molly O’Neill, was accompanied by a handout with the title “So you want to be a food writer HAHAHA.” (Nothing I haven’t heard before.)

She counseled attendees to secure a “really good ‘B’ job” for financial security while pursuing the food writing avenue. I refrained from raising my hand to ask if journalism was considered a good “B” job.

But sobering economic reality aside, the following session, “The Business of Food,” reminded me of just why I love being a journalist.

During the hour, I got to hear the stories of Kashia Cave, a Trinidad-born chef who heads up My City Kitchen, a nonprofit cooking school and culinary education center. Then learned even more about the exciting backgrounds of Branford restaurateurs Arturo and Suzette Franco-Camacho -  I’ve interviewed them several times but never knew that Suzette worked for Disney, or that Arturo cooked in Maui, Madrid and Japan. And fourth panelist Josh Goldin of Alliance Consumer Growth, a company that invests in food and beverage products, sheepishly admitted that his firm passed on Zico coconut water.

There were sessions I missed (as a longtime Roadfood fan, would have loved to hear Jane Stern’s presentation) but I suppose that’s a hallmark of a solid event. Too much good stuff going on at once.

I’m already crossing my fingers Wesleyan will host FOODSTOCK or something like it next year. Beyond the huge-name speakers and fascinating discussions, the campus was beautiful, the event was well-organized and the student volunteers were incredibly helpful and eager to please.  I drove home from Middletown inspired, re-energized, grateful for my career opportunities thus far and motivated to emulate my food-writing idols (and of course tickled that I’d been in such close company.)

Epilogue: On the way out, Amy and I snagged cupcakes from NoRA for our respective other halves, and I’m here to tell you that you need to get yourself there post-haste to try the Irish Car Bomb. Chocolate stout cake, Jameson-laced dark chocolate ganache and Bailey’s frosting. Trust – this Irish girl will not steer you wrong.

This will forever and always be my quintessential summer beer.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love bubbles? Oh yes, I have.

At one point during last night’s “Cheers to Cava” dinner at Barcelona Wine Bar West Hartford, wine and spirits director Gretchen Thomas said she “felt alone in the world” because she likes to drink sparkling wine all the time. Not just for celebratory occasions.

(If the situation were a little less formal, I would have called out, “Me too! You’re not alone! I feel you!”)

Gretchen made the point that bubblies are unbelievably food-friendly, moreso than almost any other type of wine. And cava – Spanish sparkling wine made in the style of French champagne (but at a fraction of the cost) – is a damn fine companion to almost anything you could put on your plate.

I took pictures for the A La Carte blog, but here’s a short rundown of the food and wine pairings:

• Pan-seared scallops with lobster meat, cava sabayon and micro celery greens  (2006 Sumarroca Brut Nature Gran Reserva, Penedes.) I love sparkling wine with seafood, so this course was the ultimate winner for me.

• Rare seared yellowfin tuna with braised oxtail grilled spring onions (2008 Raventos i Blanc L’Hereu de Nit Brut, Penedes.) Gretchen said this “light rose” is highly prized in Spanish wine bars. Wish I’d heard of it before our trip to Barcelona – this one was fantastic, and apparently not too widely available in the U.S.

• Marinated grilled lamb tenderloin with spring vegetables and white bean cassoulet (2007 Juve y Camps Brut Rose, Penedes.) Lamb with cava? Sure, when the grapes are all Pinot Noir. Interesting pairing.

• Key lime ricotta cheesecake parfait with fresh berries and Nilla wafer crust (NV Reymos Moscatel Espumoso, Valencia.) I normally skip dessert wines because of the excess sweetness. But when they’re expertly paired, I pay attention. This was no exception, as the Moscatel had a beautiful “fruit salad” nose and subsequently amplified the fresh fruit in the confection.

Barcelona hosts really well-organized and informative events, so it was disheartening to see about 10 empty chairs well past the dinner’s start time. The cava dinner had filled up well in advance, and I knew a few people who’d been shut out. To see that many no-shows was just disappointing, considering plenty of food and wine lovers would have been happy to take their place.

But besides all that, I’d recommend getting your name in early for the next event like this. For $45 a person (plus tax and gratuity,) portions and pours were generous. And I walked away dreaming of another trip to Spain, where this time we’ll make an effort to visit one of the wine regions. Salud!

As fellow Parks & Recreation fans know, sometimes you have to Treat Yo Self.

Rob had the day off from work Friday, and so I decided to take the day as well. We planned a multi-destination road trip throughout the state, all with the theme of relaxation and more than a little self-indulgence. Click through to see where we ended up.

First stop: One of our all-time summer favorites: Bill’s Seafood in Westbrook.

So maybe it wasn’t the warmest day to sit on the deck overlooking the Patchogue River, but that didn’t stop us from choosing a waterside table. For lunch, we shared Rhode Island clam chowder, cold lobster rolls (with mayonnaise, hi mayo haters) and a dozen of these absolutely perfect Blue Point oysters.

They're so perfect, they sparkle

Second stop: Clinton Crossing outlets for some shopping. I came home with some clothes, perfume and running shoes, but exercised major restraint by walking out of the Coach outlets without buying anything. (It only occurred to me later that I would have disappointed Tom and Donna from P&R by passing up “fiiiiiine leather gooooods.”)

Third stop: Chamard Vineyards in Clinton, just a minute or so up the road. The winery wasn’t busy, so we were able to sample all their current offerings. The 2007 estate Chardonnay was our favorite, so we bought a bottle to take home and two glasses to enjoy on the terrace.

Fourth and fifth stop: At this point, we had two hours to kill before dinner in Hartford. So we took an impromptu detour to Middletown on the way back.

We went to Eli Cannon’s first for a beer, spending a feverish few minutes trying to pick out a microbrew from their list of 30+ drafts. Rob went with a favorite Stone (Double Bastard) and I tried a Mud Slinger Nut Brown Ale from Red Hook.

Then we ventured across the street to the highly anticipated NoRA Cupcake Company (I say that because Emily was there last week with Nick and raved about it.) At 5:30 p.m., many of the day’s flavors were gone, but we still had plenty of choices.

Citrus lover Rob went right for the lemon drop, a little burst of sunshine with a silky crown of buttercream, flawlessly moist cake and a shot of tart filling. I held off on my chocolate peanut butter cake, not wanting to spoil dinner. It’s actually still in the fridge, along with our third pick: the carrot cake.

(They’re a little pricey, at slightly more than $4 apiece, but they’re good-sized and clearly made with quality ingredients.)

At NoRA (a trendy Manhattan-esque neighborhood anagram that stands for North of Rapallo Avenue) even those with dietary restrictions can partake. Among the offerings: vegan and gluten-free recipes, and a daily Weight Watchers version. Brilliant.

Sixth and final stop: Costa del Sol, Hartford.

Since our fall trip to Barcelona and Mallorca, certain elements of Spanish and Catalan cuisine just haunt us. The local trendy tapas places are great, but I suppose you get spoiled. In particular, I’ve been craving jamon iberico de bellota since we left Spanish soil.

For something different, I suggested we check out Costa del Sol, a time-honored Spanish/Mediterranean restaurant that just celebrated its 25th anniversary. And we happened upon an ideal weekend – visiting chef Iker Gonzalez from the San Sebastian region was preparing special menus through Sunday.

If I were a mojito fan, I’d be all over this, with its boozy dark-rum floater. Rob loved it. I had a goblet of cava sangria, which was heavier on liquor than wine.

First course: Tabla Iberica, a platter of serrano ham, chorizo, salchichón, Manchego and San Simon cheeses. With the addition of olive oil and crusty bread, it was an ideal starter.

Our entrees: mariscada with garlic parsley broth for me, a satisfying blend of shellfish served with a side of yellow rice.

And Rob’s dish, a Gonzalez special. I’m fuzzy on details since I was enjoying the meal, but it was a meltingly tender rack of lamb encrusted with four kinds of nuts and served in a reduction sauce with a slight blackberry (?) flavor. He chewed the bones clean and savored the caramelized pineapple on the side.

Our server told us Costa del Sol regularly serves jamon iberico de bellota, so you bet we’ll be back.

Treat Yo Self 2012 was just what we needed, and a great reminder that sometimes you don’t even need to leave your home state for a little getaway.

Turns out this freaky stretch of warm weather wasn’t just responsible for early patio dining and ahead-of-season crop flowering. It’s apparently triggered an extra-early debut for Chesapeake-area soft-shelled crabs, too.

I wasn’t entirely familiar with the season’s length, but I thought it typically began in late April or early May. And then I saw this tweet from Max’s Oyster Bar executive chef Scott Miller, confirming the surprising news.

Last night we were in Hartford, having dinner at Firebox before bidding adieu to my tremendous photographer colleague Bettina Hansen (who’s taking a job at the Seattle Times.) After deciding on mussels, a Cato Corner cheese plate and meatballs, we considered a fourth plate to round out the meal.

Firebox was on board with the early season crustaceans too. When our server came by to tell us the specials, she dropped those three little words and we stopped her before she even finished. “We’ll have those!”

The appetizer-sized crab came fried in panko crumbs, atop a fresh pile of greens and tangy romesco sauce. Crispy and sweet. I hope the season is long and prosperous, because I want more. Much more.

In fact, the star of our feast was this “cast-iron”dish of four good-sized meatballs, bathed in a different version of romesco with walnuts instead of almonds. The meat blend was comprised of beef, veal and duck, which made for a super-moist and ridiculously flavorful bite. (We made meatballs at home last week and after trying these, I don’t know if I’ll ever attempt that again.)

But now that summer’s approaching, soft shells are on my mind. I hope I can get back to Bill’s Seafood in Westbrook for one of these big boys.

Max Burger's "Miss Daisy," with bacon and brie on brioche

The “better burger” craze has been going on in greater Hartford for a good six or seven years. You can’t turn around without seeing a new burger joint.

Plan B, Max Burger and Corey’s Catsup & Mustard started to anchor the scene between 2006 and 2008. More recently, Burger Baby and BGR Burger Joint have popped up, and chains Five Guys and Jake’s Wayback Burgers have been proliferating all over Connecticut.

That’s all well and good – if you live in a Hartford suburb. But when you live as far north as I do, and you want one of these upscale burgers on a Friday night, you have to drive at least 30 minutes. And that’s before rush-hour traffic on I-91 and I-84.

I must have been putting good burger vibes out into the universe. Last year, I heard rumblings of a new Max Burger location in Longmeadow, just one town over from us. The rumors were true; it’s scheduled to open in June. And today, more ecstatic burger news: Plan B Burger Bar is planning a Springfield restaurant, next to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Suddenly, the Pioneer Valley, with its dearth of designer burgers, is awash in beefy options. It’s going to be a good summer.

This freaky wave of summer weather (80s this week!) means an early outdoor dining season in Connecticut. Dozens of restaurants rushed to open their patios, decks and tables to maximize the sunny warmth.

After putting together a list of restaurants with open outdoor seating, I got pulled into a longer story for Tuesday’s paper. And it made A1.

Admittedly, I didn’t realize it until 2 p.m. Tuesday, when a source mentioned it to me in an email. Clearly I don’t get the paper at home anymore.

But you can go ahead and blame me in advance if the weather tanks after this week. Remember, it snowed on April 1 last year. And I broke the forecast after writing about spring soups in March.

  I’ve been a “beat reporter” long enough now to see many stories come full circle.

In late January, I learned that Doogie’s two-foot hot dog was disappearing – a casualty of supplier Grote & Weigel’s closing. And now, less than two months later, the big dog has risen like a phoenix from the ashes. (Or from the grill?)

So here’s the story. Doogie’s picked Martin Rosol’s of New Britain as its new supplier, and began to work with the local company to produce a new 24″ hot dog. The story took an interesting twist in February, when Rachael’s Food Corp. of Chicopee, Mass. bought Grote & Weigel and saved it from the auction block. But Doogie’s chose to stay with its new partner.

The above picture shows the hot dog lineup at the Newington restaurant. There’s the two-footer; the 16-incher and the 10-inch “regular.” The buns for the two-footer are custom-made, also in Connecticut.

The loss of the hot dog would have been significant for the state food scene. It’s been featured on Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food” and in Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine.

During my most recent interview with owner Rock Aronheim, he told me he’d recently met an out-of-town diner who’d flown to Connecticut from Pittsburgh just to try two Nutmeg State treats: the two-footer and a steamed cheeseburger at Ted’s. The Pennsylvania man was a fan of Roadfood.com, a national site dedicated to regional eats.

Unbeknownst to the traveler, he was eating the famed dog during its apparent last weekend on the menu.