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.
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In typical foodie fashion, I tend to look forward to cuisine more than attractions when I travel somewhere new.
En route to Santorini, visions of feta and melitzanosalata danced in my head next to images of whitewashed buildings and spectacular sunsets. And on the plane to Providenciales, Turks & Caicos, I pictured flowing rum punches and fresh seafood on sugar-white beaches with clear aqua waters. Read the rest of this entry »
Bushnell Park
With less than 30 minutes of airtime, Adam Richman’s “Man v. Food” Connecticut culinary adventure took him from Hartford to Newington to Meriden to Manchester. That didn’t allow for much time for him to do anything but chow down.
But the Travel Channel’s website, among other fun extras, has a video called “A Side Of City,” in which Adam strolls through Bushnell Park and quizzes locals about the park’s famed vintage carousel, the Wadsworth Atheneum, the State Capitol and the Bushnell theater. The two-minute clip doesn’t begin to touch upon Hartford’s rich history and culture, but it’s much more than what aired on the TV episode.
(Someone remind me that I posted this next time I make a New England’s Shooting Star joke.)
I swear my graduating class was four times this size.
There’s no place like home, and few events evoke this feeling more than a high school reunion. I traveled up to my hometown of Worcester, Mass. this weekend to celebrate 10 years with my St. Peter-Marian classmates, but somehow my weekend still ended up being all about the food. Read the rest of this entry »
Hummus platter
My stomach is full and happy after lunch at Tapas, my favorite local Mediterranean place. This small Hartford-area chain has the freshest, tastiest Greek and Middle Eastern-inspired dishes, everything from phenomenal Greek salad with famous homemade dressing to gyros, souvlaki and spanakopita. I’ve been craving the light flavors of the Mediterranean since our trip to Greece.
We sampled a hummus platter, a build-it-yourself plate of feta, pesto, capers, tomatoes, hummus, olives, pepperoncini and onion served with warm, soft pita triangles. My dining companion tried the lunch special of tequila-lime grilled chicken, served with black beans, rice and guacamole. I went with my favorite mainstay, falafel in a toasted pita pocket. There’s something so satisfying about the blend of hearty, fresh-fried falafel, creamy tahini sauce and cool lettuce, tomato and onion.
I love you, falafel.
I wasn’t planning on drinking at lunch, but I took a quick look at the cocktail menu and my heart skipped a beat when I saw a Boutari Moschofilero on the wine list. We visited the Boutari winery in Santorini – the biggest one on the island – and thoroughly enjoyed our long tour and intense tasting session (the wine consultant asked us to score the wines and compare our results to professional ratings.) We had asked about the availability of Boutari in the U.S. and one of the managers said it was limited, but more readily found in larger cities and areas with large Greek populations. In other words, I didn’t expect to see it in Hartford.
But just my luck, the wine list was outdated, and no Boutari for me…
Leeanne Griffin is a freelance writer and food enthusiast.