Fun Foodie Art and Competition on Etsy

"Etsy artists: light the creative fires! We've got an opportunity for the food lovers in the house".
"As you know, we're very excited about the upcoming Good Food Awards. GFA is also hosting their first annual Poster Design Competition and three winning designs will be on prominent display during Good Food Month, an extended celebration of artisan foods to be held throughout January in hundreds of venues around the Bay Area.
If this piques your curiosity, here’s what you need to do. Pick one of the themes — cheese and preserves, chocolate and coffee, or charcuterie and pickles — or submit to all three. Brainstorm. Snack. Ideally, do these simultaneously. Then create an original design according to the specifications. The deadline is October 1st, and entrants will be notified by October 30th.
What’s to gain? Winning designs will be featured in restaurants, grocery stores (including Whole Foods), galleries, bookstore windows and on the Good Food Awards website. The designs will be the main event posters for Good Food Month, each representing one of the themed weeks. Additional edible rewards include a basket of treats from celebrated local Good Food producers that match your poster theme, and two tickets to the Good Food Awards Marketplace.
In spirit of the competition, we searched Etsy for talented food illustrators — and it came as no surprise that we found an ample supply with a great variety of styles. Feast your eyes on these yummy interpretations and let them inspire your own!"

(I also am really digging the food art that is for sale on Etsy, check em out!)

Fresh and Local, Part III: Pizza made to order at the farmers markets!

     I have been hearing a tremendous buzz lately about these amazing looking pizzas that are being made to order at local farmers markets across the state. They are cooked on a portable wood fired clay oven by a group called "Farm to Hearth" that started up last year.
     Here is their motto: "Farm to Hearth was established in order to showcase our passion for wood fired baking and bring honest, uncompromised food into the community. We are committed to sourcing our ingredients from small scale local farms that utilize sustainable growing practices.This is our philosophy for two reasons: First, to support the farms that are committed to caring for our precious land so it remains fertile for generations to come. Second, to provide our local community with the freshest, most nutrient packed food possible. Food that has not been treated with chemicals or preservatives, sat in warehouses or had been shipped from another part of the world."
      Sounds delicious to me! I can't wait to try them, I am getting hungry looking at the pictures of their pizza creations online. And since I missed today's appearance at Billings Forge Farmers Market in Hartford, I might try to catch them in Coventry this Sunday at the Nathan Hale Homestead farmers market from 11-2. I advise you to try to catch them as well, we'll nosh together and compare tasting notes.

Free Cooking Classes

Free technique classes offered at your local William Sonoma store! I think this is a great idea for getting re-inspired about fall cooking. After all, with the change of weather coming on, the best part of the day sometimes can be coming home to enjoy those warming, nourishing fall and winter meals full of whole grains, apples, pears and earthy spices. For most of my readers, the most convienent location is probably the West Farms Mall location.

TECHNIQUE CLASSES
Presented free of charge, each hour-long-class is dedicated to a specific topic led by one of our culinary experts. Class size is limited, so reserve your space today.

Sunday, September 12
Risotto
A specialty of northern Italy, risotto has earned a place as a legendary Italian dish and is now a favorite outside its homeland as well. Risotto can be embellished with savory ingredients, including cheeses, vegetables, meats and seafood, as well with as sweet additions like dried fruit. As you’ll discover in this class, risotto will quickly become one of the most versatile and well-loved dishes in your repertoire.

Sunday, September 19
Indoor Grilling
Even with the arrival of fall, you can still enjoy the succulent flavors of grilled meats and vegetables. This class will focus on the technique of indoor grilling — how to capture those summer favorites in your own kitchen. We’ll show you how to make classic pollo alla mattone (chicken under a brick) and share tips and other recipes that will inspire you throughout the fall season.

Sunday, September 26
Fall Baking

As the chill of autumn sets in, it’s time to fill your house with the enticing aroma of home-baked goods. In this class you’ll learn to bake tempting cool-weather treats that showcase the best of the autumn harvest, including apples, pears and other seasonal ingredients.

Fresh and Local, Part II: CitySeed and Zinc

     Fresh and Local are definately the "it" words of the year. More and more often I am seeing these words splattered across menus, websites, grocery stores and entering mainstream vocabulary. And restauranteurs are getting the hint that their patrons are starting to get more savvy when it comes to what they are consuming and wanting to know where it comes from. For instance, with as many disasters are we are having, such as with the Gulf situation who wouldn't start to be concerned with the source of their foods?
     If you are somebody who usually patronizes restaurants that strive to offer organic or vegetarian fare, this inclusion of the terms "fresh and local" into mainstream vocabulary comes as a bit of a bore, and you are probably thinking to yourself that it's about time that they finally jumped aboard. Well, the interesting part of this news is that mainstream restaurants are getting the message. One such restaurant is Zinc in New Haven where you can go to enjoy their "Zinc Farmers Market Menu" which is the result of the partnering of the restaurant with CitySeed, the organization responsible for New Haven's farmers markets. The Chef & Owner of Zinc, Denise Appel will collect her ingredients for the menu from the Downtown Market each Wednesday and then create the week's menu from her finds. The four course, fixed price menu will change each week depending on what is available at the market. The menu will be available Wednesday through Saturday.

Denise Appel / ZINC

Here is one of her sample menus:

MARKET MENU
Week of August 25 - 28
Three Course, Fixed Price Tasting Menu
$29 per person + tax and gratuity
$38 per person with optional fourth cheese course*

FIRST COURSE
Roasted Beet/ Fresh Mozzarella Cheese/ Rosemary Balsamic Reduction/ Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Liuzzi's Cheese, North Haven, CT
Urban Oaks, New Britain, CT

SECOND COURSE
Fresh Vegetarian Fettuccine/ Basil + Walnut Pesto/ Roasted Elephant Garlic/ Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes/ Italian Eggplant Caponata
Urban Oaks, New Britain, CT
Stone Garden, Shelton, CT
Rose's Berry Farm, South Glastonbury, CT

DESSERT
Summer Melon Terrine/ Whipped Yogurt/ Basil/ Watermelon Granita
Urban Oaks, New Britain, CT

Optional fourth course*

CHEESE
Kunik Cheese/ Grafton Cheddar/ Local Honey/ Toasted Raisin + Nut Bread
Nettle Meadow Farm, Thurman, NY
Grafton Village Cheese, Grafton, VT
Jones' Apiaries, Farmington, CT

Cocktail Special
Aperol/ Grapefruit/ Splash Prosecco on the Rocks

Websites
http://www.cityseed.org/
http://www.zincfood.com/

Green Velvet and buttery Coconut Soup...mmmmm

You can print this coupon off the restaurant website

     It's been such a long time that Kashmir has been a staple in my dining repertoire, that I can no longer remember the first time that I ate there. Neither can I remember being greeted and served by anyone other than Martin, who has owned the restaurant for 28 years. Despite my going to check out other new Indian restaurants that have opened in the Hartford area, such as Bombay Spice, Indian Oven, Taste of India, etc, I always return to Kashmir. Some of the reasons for this. I crave foods that actually have spices in them. One of my biggest peeves is going to an ethnic food restaurant and the flavors and spices have been mutilated to suit "american tastes", which in my book equals drab, bland, flavorless, and almost inedible. I can't think of a greater travesty to the foodie palate.

     One of the most comforting things about Kashmir is how relaxed it is. I love going there after an especially gruelling day and sinking into one of the green velvet booths, and spoiling myself with a bowl of buttery coconut soup and letting the stresses of the day melt away with each sip. Dinner is always equally pleasurable. Some of my favorites are the Channa Masala, Okra or Baingan Bartha. Best of all, Martin serves your meal with a nice bunch of side dishes; yellow lentils, cabbage and red onion chutney at no extra cost. And you have to make sure to get an order of their nice and buttery paratha bread to scoop up your food with. In case you can't tell, I adore butter. And I adore Kashmir. Maybe that should be where I go for dinner tonight. Hmmmmm.    

Website: http://www.kashmirhartford.com/ (partial menu)

Dinner and a Movie in Hartford

Looks like a fun event happening in Hartford this Friday night at The Charter Oak Cultural Center. The address is:  21 Charter Oak Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106. Ph. 860-249-1207.

Movie in the Garden

August 27, 2010 7:45 pm
Join us for dinner and a movie outside in our garden. We will be showing Cool Runnings, the unforgettable story of Jamaica’s very first Olympic bobsled team. Free. The movie will be shown indoors if it rains. Dinner served at 7:45pm, movie at 8:15pm.

the team practicing in Jamaica

Quotes from one foodie to another, part II

"We think fast food is equivalent to pornography, nutritionally speaking" ~Steve Elbert
"Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn." ~Garrison Keillor
"Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?" ~Author Unknown
"Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people". ~Elizabeth Berry
"After all the trouble you go to, you get about as much actual "food" out of eating an artichoke as you would from licking 30 or 40 postage stamps." ~Miss Piggy
"The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." ~G.K. Chesterton
"A bagel is a doughnut with the sin removed." ~George Rosenbaum
"In Mexico we have a word for sushi: bait." ~José Simons
"A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat." ~Old New York Proverb

"It's bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children's health than the pediatrician." ~Meryl Streep 
"A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch." ~James Beard
"I will not eat oysters. I want my food dead - not sick, not wounded - dead." ~Woody Allen
"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." ~Mark Twain
"Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it? You can't taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie." ~Astrid Alauda
"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found." ~Calvin Trillin
"He who eats alone chokes alone." ~Proverb
"Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are." ~Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
"As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists." ~Joan Gussow
"And, of course, the funniest food of all, kumquats." ~George Carlin

Genetically Modified Fish anyone???

"An AquaBounty salmon rests in a tank behind a standard salmon that is the same age."

     Apparently, AquaBounty (a fish research company near Boston) has been working on creating these salmon that have been injected with a quick growing gene for quite a few years and if you check out the picture above, you can see what one of their creations looks like compared with a salmon that has not been tampered with. The company has been working on this product for 20 years and has been waiting for the FDA to approve it. They believe that they will recieve the approval they are looking for and be able to start entering this product for sale into the us market. Next on their list to mess with are Tilapia and Trout.
     My favorite quote in the article written by Andrew Schneider is: "It would take a worldwide famine to get people with more than a grade school education to willingly eat any animal or fish concocted in a laboratory. They would have to be starving," said the woman who worked on the United Nation's hunger program. I honestly believe that this is true. There isn't anyone that I have spoken with in the US who likes the idea of eating GMO's. What do you think? For me, I am going to stop eating seafood all together if the FDA decides to approve this "blue" technology.

Check out the full article here: http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/genetically-engineered-fish-are-here-will-we-eat-them/19580562?sms_ss=email

Food Events for September

Taste of Mystic -- Mystic, CT

September 10, 2010 to September 12, 2010
Live music, great food and fun. From quesadillas to fried rice, bouillabaisse to chowder to cheesecake, there is something for everyone. Local restaurants participate to promote sampling of Mystic's great culinary offerings. Location: historic downtown on Cottrell Street. Time: Friday, 5 - 9 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Cost: free. Information: 860-572-9578 or visit www.mysticchamber.org.

Chilifest -- New Haven, CT
September 18, 2010
Family fun; children's activities, pony rides, arts and crafts, classic cars, entertainment, food and a chiltasting. Location: East Shore Park, Woodward Avenue. Time: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Cost: free. Information: 203-387-7700 or visit www.caanh.net.

Harvest Dinner Under the Stars -- South Glastonbury, CT
September 17, 2010
Try a unique selection of wines and indulge in a bounty of local foods prepared by award-winning chefs. Evening begins with a welcome wagon ride and culminates with a delicious multi-course dinner made with the freshest ingredients. Hosted by the Connecticut Audubon Society of Glastonbury. Location: Rose’s Berry Farm, 295 Matson Hill Road. Time: 6 p.m. Cost: call for ticket prices. Information: 860-633-8402 or visit www.ctaudubon.org.

Dinner on the Hill -- Farmington, CT
September 19, 2010
Savory multi-course dinner showcasing fresh, seasonal, local foods provided by Hill-Stead's Farmers Market vendors and other Connecticut Farms, paired with specialty wines. Dinner served al fresco at long farm tables overlooking the Museum's spectacular estate. Location: Hill-Stead Musuem, 35 Mountain Road. Time: call for schedule. Cost: $150. Information: 860-677-4787 or visit www.hillstead.org.

Harvest Festival -- Goshen, CT
September 25, 2010 to September 26, 2010
Guests will enjoy wine tastings, food and craft vendors, contests, music, tours and more. Location: Sunset Meadow Vineyards, 599 Old Middle Street. Time: Saturday, noon - 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 5 p.m. Cost: $5. Information: 860-201-4654 or visit www.sunsetmeadowvineyards.com.
Downtown Culinary Tours -- New Haven
Now through October 16, 2010
Experience a guided culinary walking tour through historic downtown New Haven with Stephen Fries, New Haven Register food columnist and professor of hospitality management. Enjoy tasty samplings along the way. Dates: August 14, September 25, and October 16. Location: Tours depart from John Davenport's Restaurant at the Top of the Park (Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale). Time: 10:45 a.m. Cost: $59 per person. Information and tickets: 203-777-8550.

German Bierfest -- Newington, CT
August 27, 2010 to August 29, 2010
It’s time again for the Hartford Saengerbund’s (German Club) Bierfest. Tap your toes to music from the Hornberg Musikanten, a 16 piece Bavarian brass band directly from the German Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, Southwest Germany. Continuous entertainment includes traditional German dance demonstrations by the Schuhplattler Dancers. Tasty German specialties, such as grilled wursts, wiener schnitzel and leberkaese; potato salad and our famous potato pancakes. Offering many imported German beers. Homemade pastries will be served in the “Kaffeestube." Location: 719 North Mountain Road. Time: 4 - 11 p.m. Cost: adults, $8; children under 12, free. Information: 860-953-8967 or visit www.hartfordsaengerbund.org.

A Taste of The Litchfield Hills -- Lakeville, CT
September 4, 2010 to September 6, 2010
Lime Rock Park. 60 White Hollow Road
Lakeville, CT 06039 A Taste of The Litchfield Hills, Connecticut's oldest food and wine festival, has attracted thousands of visitors annually since 1985 to enjoy delicious dishes, outstanding wine, live entertainment and upscale shopping. This Labor Day weekend, you are cordially invited to sample fine fare in the summer air; from traditional New England fare to international specialties, the menu will feature a variety of house specialties prepared by chefs from local restaurants, bistros and other purveyors of fine foods and individually served in grazing-sized portions. Compliment the cuisine with an exciting selection of wines served by the glass from award-winning area wineries. Draught beer, premium soft drinks and gourmet coffee will also be served. Plus, there will be live music and upscale shopping in an outdoor bazaar offering artisan crafts, gourmet food products and unique gifts. Time: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., daily. Cost: $20 admission into the park; food and drink not included in admission price; children 12 and under free. Information: 860-435-5000 or visit www.litchfieldfestivals.com.

Norwalk Oyster Festival -- East Norwalk, CT
September 10, 2010 to September 12, 2010
Waterfront festival celebrates Long Island Sound's seafaring past. Events include live entertainment, arts and crafts, vintage vessels, demonstrations, juried crafters, international food court, exhibits, Kid's Cove. Location: Veteran’s Memorial Park. Time: Friday, 6 - 11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Cost: NA. Information: 203-838-9444 or visit www.seaport.org/OysterFest.

A Taste of Greater Danbury -- Danbury, CT
September 11, 2010 to September 12, 2010
Outdoor event featuring live entertainment, crafts and lots of delicious food. This year, Marshall Tucker takes the stage both days. Location: Danbury Green, Ives Street. Time: Saturday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Cost: free. Information: 203-792-1711 or visit www.citycenterdanbury.com.

Harvest Festival -- Litchfield, CT
September 18, 2010 to September 19, 2010
This is a family-friendly festival featuring hay rides, pony rides, and grape stomping, children's activities, shopping, wine cellar and winery tours. Location: Haight-Brown Vineyard, 29 Chestnut Hill Road. Time: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Cost: $8 - $15. Information: 806-567-4045 or visit www.haightvineyards.com.

Hamden Restaurant Week -- Hamden, CT
September 20, 2010 to September 26, 2010
Join in celebrating Hamden’s first un-fork-gettable Restaurant Week. All week restaurants all over town will be offering a three course prix fixe lunch for $12 & a three course prix fixe dinner for just $20. Location: Various throughout town. Information: visit www.hamdenchamber.com.

Mark Twain, a fellow foodie???

I thought that I would share the following event and article with you fellow foodies. It's happening tonight at the Mark Twain House, and it's free. If you are looking to make an evening out of it, swing by Real Art Ways afterwards for Creative Cocktail Hour.

Today · 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105
Created By The Mark Twain House & Museum
Montblanc unveils the Writers Edition 2010 Mark Twain Writing Instrument & presents Author Andrew Beahrs reading from his new book “Twain’s Feast.” Mr. Beahrs will be signing his book with the Montblanc Writing Instrument following the program.
Before the reading, the Mark Twain Museum Center will host a reception of local foods including pies donated from Rose's Berry Farm.
Reception will begin at 5:00, reading at 6:00.
The evening will be free to the public.

What Did Mark Twain Eat? Author Discusses His Book
     For all the labels we've given Mark Twain — humorist, advocate of social reform — we've managed to overlook "foodie."But Twain's devotion to food, American food in particular, gets full examination in "Twain's Feast: Searching for America's Lost Foods in the Footsteps of Samuel Clemens" by Connecticut native Andrew Beahrs.
     He will discuss the book at the Mark Twain House Aug. 19 at an event that will include a reception and food (probably local, in the spirit of Twain). Also, folks from the Montblanc pen company will present the Mark Twain House with its "Mark Twain Limited Writers Edition 2010 writing instrument," an elaborately designed $750 pen.
     Despite his wife's warnings ("I just don't want you to become 'that freaky Twain guy'"), Beahrs threw himself head-first into researching the book. He cooked Twain's favorite breakfast for his family. He went to the Gillet Coon Supper, an annual event that kicks off the political season for the town of Gillet, Ark. (pop. 800, "Home of Friendly People and the Coon Supper"). That's where he ate raccoon. Despite an overwhelming smell during the cooking ("like nothing I've smelled before, but which I'll now recognize until I die"), it tasted mostly like the dark meat of a chicken.
Beahrs, who grew up in Darien, also returned to Connecticut to talk with maple-syrup makers. He was surprised that Twain, who otherwise had a taste for strong flavors, preferred clear syrup over the more flavorful dark variety.
     Beahrs, who now lives with his family in California, says the seed of the book came about when he came across a list of more than 80 foods Twain wrote in 1879 while in Europe. The trip was a culinary disaster for Twain. European hotel food (particularly the saltless butter, which he called a "sham") irked him. The list was a love letter to the foods that Twain missed the most. Much of it sounds great ("apple dumplings with real cream," "roast wild turkey"), some of it a little iffy ("sheep-head and croakers," frogs, opossum, aforementioned raccoon).
     The list skews toward Southern cuisine ("hot corn-pone, with chitlings," "hoe-cake"), but Twain's 17 years in Hartford get their due with the inclusion of Connecticut shad.
     Twain and food might sound like a sliver of a topic, but Beahrs uses it as a starting point for looking at how much our eating habits and our attitudes about food have changed. Also, it shows how much things come full circle. Long before anyone coined the term "locavore," Twain's list is a reminder of just how local food was all the time."One surprise is how contemporary his food writing sounds," says Beahrs. "'Fresh' and 'local' aren't new terms."
     Beahrs was surprised by how much food changed just during Twain's lifetime as railroads and steamboats gained in efficiency and transporting food over long distances diminished the role of regional fare.
     The most mysterious item on Twain's list to catch Beahrs' eye: Prairie chickens. Beahrs learned that they existed in the millions in Illinois when Twain spent his summers on his uncle's farm. Today, prarie chickens are all but gone, existing in the mere hundreds in Illinois.
     It was on that farm, Beahrs says, where Twain acquired his appreciation for food.
"And once you start looking for it, you see that it's threaded throughout all his novels," Beahrs says. For instance, here's Huck discussing a particularly good meal: "So Jim he got out some corn-dodgers, and buttermilk, and pork and cabbage and greens — there ain't nothing in the world so good when it's cooked right."
     Steve Courtney, publicist for the Mark Twain House, says the book is a great look at Twain's attitudes toward food. As for his Hartford dinners, Courtney says meals tended to include things like molded jellos, chicken and mayonnaise and something called scalloped oysters.

BY WILLIAM WEIR, bweir@courant.com
August 12, 2010

Enjoying Huckleberry Vodka, and selection of fresh & local fare from Firebox Restaurant.

Breakfast in the City

Patio at First and Last Cafe

     I have always lamented that there are not enough places to eat breakfast. It's one of those meals that despite being very important, seems to get overlooked. I say this because when I think of breakfast, I think of warm croissoints, scones, quiches, omlettes, frittatas or the like paired with a frothy mocha or chai tea latte. Dunkin Donuts doesn't do it for me in the morning. I can't eat breakfast from a fast food place where everyone's in a bad mood, long lines, and the food (if you can call it that) is slapped together hurridly. That's just not a good start to the day.
     First and Last Cafe is nothing like that. The pace is mellow, the atmosphere is like a European bakery and the pastries are a work of art! I love going in and seeing the loaves of freshly baked bread stacked in baskets and the piles of gigantic cookies, macaroons, scones, danishes and muffins. There are so many luscious items to chose from. I highly recommend trying one of their homemade quiches, or one of their almond stuffed croissoints which are literally to die for. Then get one of their espresso drinks that are served to you in a real mug, instead of a paper cup and sit outside on their patio and enjoy your breakfast and start to wake up and feel like a real person again. Ah....

Breakfast is served from 7am-11am Monday-Friday and 9am-3pm Saturday and Sunday. Here is the link to the breakfast menu: http://www.firstandlastbakery.com/cafemenu.htm#breakfast

Return of the Midweek Hangovers, Part 4 (Updated- this deal is only on Thursdays now!)

Kyle hard at work...

     The allure of $3.00 pint night at City Steam was enough to rouse our attention on a lovely Wednesday night. And so it was that we decided that we must make an appearance. With our pint glasses in hand, or rather stuffed into my purse, we headed down to City Steam. Let me explain something first. The way that this works is that your first pint costs $5.00 and you keep the glass. Every pint after that is only $3.00. If you bring your pint glass, then you immediately start drinking at $3.00. Well, I think that we were the only ones who brought our glasses with us, it seems to me as most people just choose to buy a new glass as I saw a string of brown paper wrapped glasses strewn on the bar waiting to be claimed. But the way that I figure it, that $2.00 cost of the glass is practically the cost of another pint, so it's worth the effort to bring it along. If you have more questions, just talk to Kyle the bartender, he'll explain it all to you in depth. We certainly talked him to death! And we sampled beer to our hearts content. Favorites of the night was the Naughty Nurse and Careless Love. The names alone were reason enough to keep drinking pint after pint. I am not a beer lover, and definately not a connoisseur by any means, but I have to say that the Naughty Nurse was very smooth, and almost had a subtle sweet taste that made it quite a pleasure to drink.

Anthony with the MUG!

     We then hit the pool tables for awhile, which was quite an interesting experience, since apparently Naughty Nurse actually improves your game, instead of diminishing your ability to play, and I won both rounds! Afterwards, we found out about the Mug Club. Ooooohhhhh. The Mug Club is an exclusive club that City Steam offers it's patrons. There is a cap of only 100 members and for the first time in several years there are some openings to join in the fun. Besides getting to lay claim to a unique numbered mug that gets kept on the wall behind the bar, you get to be the envy of all your friends when you come in and are treated as a vip. Membership lasts for a year, and you get all sorts of cool perks, like mug socializing events, discounts on food, and happy hour prices on your beer!

     Speaking of happy hour, I missed checking this out entirely, since we didn't end up making an appearance till around 8pm, and happy hour lasts from 4-7pm. However happy hour looks quite enticing. Besides $2.00 off their handcrafted beers, there are $3.00 bar bites including two appetizers called Fried Pickles and Beer Battered Artichoke Hearts which I am really curious about sampling. Might have to stop by this week to find out what that's all about.
     So, for a mere $20, you can enjoy 5 beers and leave a tip which in this economy is a pretty amazing feat. A round of applause for City Steam! I have definately found my spot for Tuesday, Wed and Thursday nights. See you at the brewery!

http://www.citysteambrewerycafe.com/

Fresh, Local and 5 days a Week!

I could not be more thrilled to see the emergence of all of these glorious farmers markets showing up in Hartford this summer. Having been a long time resident of Hartford, I grew up going to Cheese & Stuff to buy my groceries and produce. When it closed and West Enders were forced to go elsewhere, it was devestating because there really wasn't anywhere else that stepped up to take it's place. And this problem of locating good produce and healthy foods wasn't just in the West End, it was all over Hartford. So, this initiative between the Hartford Farmers Markets, Councilman Jim Boucher and City Hall Representatives marks a turning point in raising awareness about the need for healthy food sources in the inner city. Pretty exciting since in 2005, Hartford had ranked #166 out of a total #169 towns that were surveyed for their food source being insecure. A sign of Hartford's commitment to making the farmer's markets a success in the inner city neighborhoods is also their desicion to allow the residents to make purchases with WIC Farmers Market checks and EBT. This initiative also shows support to CT's farmers since many farms have been getting sold to developers interested in creating new homes and communities in the suburbs on orchards or other rural lands. Stay tuned for information on more farmers markets that are popping up all over the state. In the meantime, check out these Hartford markets, 5 DAYS A WEEK!

West End http://www.westend.org/farmersmarket/
Billings Forge http://www.hartfordfarmersmarket.org/
North End http://www.hartfordfood.org/n/programs/ne-market-n.html
Old State House http://www.ctosh.org/docs/oshfm/farmersmkt.pdf
First Prebysterian Church http://www.farmfresh.org/food/farmersmarkets_details.php?market=261

http://www.hartfordfood.org/farmersmarkets/