Tweeting and Eating? Facebooking and Feasting?

Mercifully, the Courant copy editors are way more clever than me, and didn’t touch any of those awful puns when they wrote the headline for my latest story. It’s a look at how restaurants, local and national, are embracing social networking to promote business and interact with customers.

Hartford Courant: “Twitter, Facebook Help Restaurants Communicate With Patrons”

It should come as no surprise that I located and contacted all of my story sources for this article through social media platforms. To their credit, most of them responded to me within hours, if not minutes. Any journalist – particularly freelancers – can tell you how rare and refreshing that is!

And for some more exciting news: I am now contributing to the new Hartford Courant/ctnow.com dining blog, A La Carte. I’ll still be blogging here at FWC, of course, but definitely check it out. Food, food, food!

February 24, 2010 | Leeanne Griffin | 2 Comments »

Experiencing Harpoon’s Oyster Stout At Lattitude

Harpoon Oyster Stout, brewed with real Island Creek oysters

I’ve been reading a lot about Harpoon Oyster Stout this week – a new, limited-edition dark beer brewed with Island Creek oysters from Duxbury, Mass. And I became a little obsessed with finding it. But it seemed like the tasting events set up to accompany the beer’s release were all located closer to Boston. And if you’ve ever lived an hour or more outside of Beantown, you’re familiar with the “Boston gets everything good” jealous-stepchild mentality. (Or if you’re in Hartford, it’s: “New York gets everything good.”)

But the beer heavens must have aligned, because a rather serendipitous check of Facebook led me to Lattitude’s fan page. Could it be? Yes! The trendy West Springfield restaurant had Harpoon Oyster Stout on tap, paired with Island Creek oysters. Within 45 minutes, my favorite foodie friend Kat and I were seated at Lattitude’s bar, awaiting a pour.

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February 12, 2010 | Leeanne Griffin | 2 Comments »

Valentine’s Day: Stay In? Go Out?

Some people can’t imagine Valentine’s Day without candy, flowers, jewelry and dinner at a swanky eatery. And while that’s all well and good, these are the exact types that restaurateurs go after with their overpriced prix-fixe meals, glasses of champagne and towering chocolate desserts.

I’m really not against Valentine’s dining. Hell, I’m a restaurant blogger – eating out is my favorite thing to do. I understand people love to plan special dates, and I respect that couples have favorite restaurants that they return to year after year. I just believe that restaurant owners go out of their way to make these diners pay for so-called romance.

Therefore, this post by food blogger Brooke Burton spoke to me. She explains the reasons why couples should think twice about dining out on (or in this case, around) this holiday. Among the rationale: high-stakes dining (with elevated expectations), inflated prices and rushed seating times.

For years, my now-husband and I would go to Chandler’s Restaurant at the Yankee Candle flagship store in South Deerfield, Mass. The dining room is candlelit and cozy, and outdoor lighting reflects off the snow. But on our last visit, two years ago, we were utterly unimpressed by the tiny prix-fixe menu and absurd pricing.

So last year, for a fraction of the price, we stayed home and cooked. We made a seafood casserole and homemade chocolate-dipped strawberries, and I picked up an $8.99 cava at our local liquor store. This year, we’re having tenderloin and I’m going to try to replicate the ridiculous fontina fondue we had at Bin 228 last month. To drink? A gift bottle of Veuve Clicquot we’ve been saving since our wedding. Maybe. I also have a $10 bottle of Mionetto prosecco. Try ordering a martini for under $10 at a restaurant this weekend.

The only problem – I’d really love some fresh raw oysters. and I don’t want to shuck them at home.

And do not even get me started on Valentine’s Day proposals…

February 10, 2010 | Leeanne Griffin | 4 Comments »

Pho Shizzle: Review of Vinh Chau, Springfield

Pho Ga at Vinh Chau

Vietnamese is making its way up to the top of my ‘favorite cuisines’ list. It’s fresh, exotic, intriguing, incredibly flavorful and best of all, so affordable.

My friend Cindy and I went out Wednesday in search of pho, spring rolls and more. Originally we planned to head to Pho Saigon, but pulled up to see the storefront empty and dark. (We obviously didn’t do our research – that’s their only day closed during the week.)

But lucky for us, Vinh Chau was open across the street. Inside, it was warm, well-lit and clean, and the employees greeted us with big smiles. We had a feeling we’d happened upon a ‘good mistake.’

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February 5, 2010 | Leeanne Griffin | 1 Comment »

Food Is Sexy (And Here I Prove It)

Oysters...the ultimate aphrodisiac...

My story on young foodie couples is running on the cover of Thursday’s Hartford Courant Flavor section (and online now.) It’s a look at couples in their 20s and 30s who share a mutual interest in food, dining, cooking and wines.

The article concept was inspired by my friends Kat and Ben (pictured at left) who graciously agreed to be interviewed for this piece. In addition to cooking elaborate Sunday dinners, traveling the Connecticut Wine Trail and smoking their own meats, these two attended the Celebrity Chef Dinearound at last weekend’s Sun WineFest and finally met their chef idol, Bobby Flay. Color  me super-jealous.

This picture was taken in Ogunquit last July, when the four of us ordered a dozen oysters for an appetizer, and then six more oysters for dessert. That’s how we roll…

February 2, 2010 | Leeanne Griffin | 6 Comments »
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