The Art of Food and Wine at New Britain Art Museum

The annual event that delivers the NBMAA experience in one exquisite evening and generates important funding for the Museum’s educational programming is “The Art of Wine & Food,” this year scheduled for Tuesday, September 13, 2011 beginning at 5:30 p.m. The eighth annual “Art of Wine & Food,” the NBMAA’s marriage of fine art, fine food and fine wine, promises to attract an enthusiastic audience of art, food and wine aficionados.

Come join three of Connecticut's culinary treasures and our Honorary Hosts:

as they and many other Connecticut's top chefs and world-renown wineries dazzle your taste buds. Guests will sample their delectable signature dishes and extraordinary wines while browsing throughout the Museum.

All funds raised will benefit the NBMAA’s Family and Children’s Educational Programs, which enhance the vitality of our community. Your participation in The Art of Wine & Food will help to provide free tours for students, preserve our low fees for art studio classes, underwrite weekly after-school programs open to at-risk youth, and sustain the popular hands-on ArtLab for children and families. The evening will also feature a silent auction with not-to-be-missed items. Purchase tickets before July 15th and save! Regular tickets are $150 per person before July 15th and $175 thereafter. Patron tickets are $300 before July 15th and $350 thereafter. Patron tickets include program listing and access to sample Grand Cru wines. This is an exclusive opportunity for wine lovers of all levels, from the experienced to the curious palette, to enjoy the best of the best from vineyards all over the world.

You can buy tickets at the museum's website:  http://www.nbmaa.org/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=119

Weedrobes: Artist creates stunning garments from fruit, weeds, flowers

By Kimberley Mok, TreeHugger

Environmental art doesn't necessarily have to be restricted to a pile of rocks stacked together by Andy Goldsworthy -- it can also take the form of wearable, fashionable, and socially engaged garments too. Made with fruits, weeds, flowers, and leaves, 'Weedrobes' is the delightful series of meticulously detailed, perishable gowns, coats, and suits by Canadian environmental artist Nicole Dextras. Striking a careful balance between style and commentary, the message behind Weedrobes is aimed squarely at the not-always-so-sustainable practices of the fashion industry, while also redefining the perceived immortality of haute couture.

Dextras' garments begin life as plants harvested from a variety of places, ranging from areas affected by invasive species to specimens from Dextras' own garden. After constructing her pieces, Dextras photographs each Weedrobe with a model, and they are sent out to "engage the public" by interacting with passerby. Afterwards, each garment is left to be 'reclaimed' and to decompose naturally. Dextras' extensive array of natural materials is a veritable gardener's delight, including yucca leaves, wild red rose, camellia, willow, hydrangeas, crab apples, kale, rose hips, laurels, and thorns to pierce components together.

She sometimes uses invasive species like Japanese knotweed to call into question our attitudes toward certain species. Though it may seem to be a little too fun to be serious, Weedrobes is not just some off-the-cuff project. Dextras' view on fashion is from the inside, with a deep personal history with fashion beginning from her childhood memories of her mother's clothing store and Dextras' own employment in non-union sweatshop, where she witnessed firsthand the poor working conditions and the chemicals used in the process. Ultimately, the point of these ephemeral robes is to get people to see past the glamorous exterior and at the larger life cycles behind the fashion industry. According to Dextras: The Weedrobes philosophy is based on being a free thinker, creating one's own sense of style while also raising awareness about the impact of industry on our eco-system. Our most effective tool for change is for consumers to demand more equitable products. It may be impractical to wear clothing made with leaves, but our future depends on the creation of garments made from sustainable resources.

Check out her website: http://www.nicoledextras.com/ 

Agave hits the streets in Hartford with their mobile Taqueria!

Taquería is a Spanish word meaning taco shop. In some localities, however, it is used to refer to restaurants specializing in burritos, although tacos and other dishes are often served as well. Taquerías had their beginnings as street vendors. Agave's going back to its roots, bringing the food and spirit of the restaurant right to you!

Special for the Week of May 9th

Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap – $5

Tacos

Two tacos with rice and black beans – $5

Choose your meat. Pick one... or two! Carne Asada, Pulled Chicken, Shredded Pork or Grilled Veggies. Served with soft blue corn tortillas. Comes with shredded cabbage, Pico de Gallo and Chihuahua chees.

Choose your sauce: Avocado Sauce, Chipotle Sauce or Sour Cream.

Burritos

Burrito with rice and black beans – $6

Choose your meat: Carne Asada, Pulled Chicken, Shredded Pork or Grilled Veggies. Served with Pico de Gallo and Chihuahua cheese. Wheat tortilla available upon request.

Bebidas

Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Water – $1

Snapple – $2

Check out location, and changing menu here. There is even a video for your viewing pleasure: http://www.agavect.com/taqueria.htm

Sustainable Dining in New Haven

It was on a recent jaunt to New Haven that I had been strolling the streets, enjoying the spring weather when a small sign caught my attention. The black and white illustration was inviting me in to a quaint restaurant called "The Kitchen Table", whose niche is the farm to table experience that has been the rage lately. The restaurant had a funky, urban feel to it and had quirky touches like playfully mismatched place settings. Our server was goodhearted and passionate about the restaurant, always a good sign. He started us off with complimentary bread and housemade flavored butters. While the rolls were delicious, the tiny butters were frozen solid and looked kind of awkward on the large plate. Aesthetically, probably would have been better in a small bowl instead. However, moving on to the food that we actually ordered.

We started our meal by sharing the warm beet salad with goat cheese, toasted pecans and a fresh fig vinagrette. This was a wonderful choice and the flavors were nicely balanced. We were sad that it disappeared so quickly. For entrees, both my companion and I chose to go with the risotto choices. She chose the seafood risotto that came topped with pan seared scallops, and I had the cognac mushroom risotto that you see in the picture. It came topped with an amazing mushroom that I was pleased to discover was also edible. The portions were tremendous and needless to say, we both knew what we were having for lunch the following day. After the meal, we were introduced to the chef who was nice enough to take time and pose for a photograph. He is a creative chef who is passionate about his restaurant and on providing New Haven with sustainable foods. I think that the city needed a place like Kitchen Table, and I am personally excited about visiting the restaurant as the seasons change to see how the menu adapts with what is made available to the chef.

Hours: Thursday-Saturday: 5-10 pm
128 Crown Street, New Haven, CT 06510

Phone: 203-787-5422

Website: http://www.thekitchentablenewhaven.com/

Cinco De Mayo cocktails

What other uses are there for tequila on May 5th you might ask? Well, I was browsing the neverending list of suggestions and recipes on http://www.liquor.com/ and found a few that you might want to try this year.


The Paloma

  

The Paloma

2 oz Tequila
.5 oz Fresh lime juice

4 oz Grapefruit soda
1 pinch Salt
Garnish: Lime wedge
Glass: Highball

PREPARATION: Add all the ingredients to a highball glass filled with ice. Stir, and garnish with a lime wedge.

The 1942 Martini

The 1942 Martini
 1.5 oz Don Julio 1942 Tequila
.75 oz Bianco vermouth
Dash orange bitters
Garnish: Orange peel
Glass: Martini
PREPARATION: Add the Don Julio 1942 Tequila, bianco vermouth, bitters and ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake well. Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange



Anejo Old Fashioned

 Anejo Old Fashioned
3 oz Partida Anejo Tequila.25 oz Agave nectar
Dash Angostura Bitters
Orange peel
Garnish: Brandied cherry
Glass: Old fashioned
PREPARATION: In an old fashioned glass lightly muddle the orange peel, bitters and agave nectar. Add ice and Partida Anejo Tequila.
Stir and garnish with a brandied cherry.





Leche Mexicana (Mexican Milk)

Leche Mexicana (Mexican Milk)
1.5 oz Hornitos Plata Tequila
2 oz DeKuyper Crème de Cocoa White Cream

1 oz Half & half

Glass: Small

PREPARATION:Pour all the ingredients into a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain the mixture into a small glass.

Mink Coat and No Manners

Mink Coat and No Manners

.75 oz Green Chartreuse, chilled in the freezer

.75 oz Don Julio Blanco TequilaGarnish: Cayenne pepper

Glass: Sherry copita



 PREPARATION:Add the Green Chartreuse to a sherry copita glass. Float the tequila on top and garnish with a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Authentic Mexican food and Hookah Lounge on Park Rd

Typically, West Hartford is not a place that I like to venture into. There are many reasons for this, but you don't need to hear my ranting. Let's just say, in my search for authenticity, originality, flavor, culture, and independant ownership (ie...no chain restaurants), it lacks in a major way. However, there is always an exception to any rule...and I find that there are a few places of note on Park Rd. One of these is Los Adobes, truely a gem of a find! The restaurant is small, consisting of perhaps 6 booths in all, with brightly colored walls, adorned with a collection of Mexican art. The restaurant leaves me with the feeling that I am in a Californian style taqueria.


But the food is really the reason to visit Los Adobes. My friends and I ordered our favorite drinks to start with, Mango and Guava Boing! juices and a Modelo beer. By the way, you should order a Boing! just to admire the artwork on the bottle. Truely fabulous...as one of my friends suggested, it brings to mind the images of the painter, Diego Rivera. Within ten minutes, our food showed up on the table. There was a shrimp and seafood burrito, pork sopes and I had the chicken and cheese quesadilla. Our server brought us two kinds of salsa, one green and one a golden yellow color to accompany our meals. I had always thought that the green sauce was the hotter of the two, but I was proved wrong...it was definately the yellow one! Mmmmmmm. My friend was eager to try some of the beef tongue tacos that were on the menu, and ordered two of those as well, which came on small flour tacos with sliced radishes and lime wedges.

Everything was given a thumbs up by us, and the prices only added to our delight. The tacos were $2 a piece, and each of our meals was under $10. Definately a good bargain place! We decided that the best way to end such a lovely meal and a beautiful day was to cross the street to the newly opened hookah lounge called 1000 Arabian Nights Hookah Lounge. We were met by the owner, George who set us up with our selected mango flavored hookah. The lounge is very inviting, and not at all intimidating if you have not been introduced to the experience yet. The lounge is set up with an assortment of couches and tables that are situated so that there are intimate corners where you can relax with your friends. We chose a low seating area that was made up of a semicircle of pillows. The lounge does not serve anything besides hookahs, however George is amicable and allows patrons to bring their own beverages, as long as you ask him. Be mindful, if you decide to bring your own beverages you are on your own as far as cups, wine opener, etc. The experience was entirely pleasant, and the cost of the hookah was $20....definately worth the 3 hours that we spent there! Although we arrived at 8pm and missed out on this, I checked out the website and found out that they offer 1/2 priced hookahs from 5-7pm daily...so you may want to get there early.

Los Adobes, 169 Park Rd, West Hartford, CT 06119  
(860) 231-1431
Tue-Sat 10 am - 9 pm

1001 Arabian Nights Hookah Lounge, 134 Park Rd, West Hartford, CT 06119  (860) 523-7900     http://www.1001hookahlounge.com/
Open 5 PM to 1 AM Sun—Thurs, till 2 AM Fri & Sat