Will the real Drunken Noodles please stand up?!

"Drunken Noodles"

Just looking at this photograph makes me hungry all over again! This lovely creation is my current favorite food to eat and Elephant Trail in Avon is the only place that like to go to have it. I have ordered Drunken Noodles at many other restaurants and they have been a severe disappointment. At one such establishment, the server tried to dupe me into believing that the Pad Thai that they served me was really Drunken Noodles and that the only difference between the two dishes was the peanuts!! Regardless, the Elephant Trail calls itself the most authentic Thai restaurant in Connecticut and I am rapidly becoming a believer in their claim.

Some other good things about the restaurant besides the Drunken Noodles? WELL....first off, I would like to gush about how pleasingly spicy their food is. And as you may have noted from other posts of mine, I can't stand eating bland "ethnic" food. What's the point? Also, they have really good lunch specials which are between $6-$7. And whether you are there for lunch, dinner or takeout, the portions are definitely on the generous side. An added bonus, cause I am always quite happy to see that I have leftovers for lunch.

Finally, for those of us who don't really like driving over that craziness called The Avon Mountain, the owners of Elephant Trail are planning to open a second location in West Hartford this year. Yay!!!! Let's  hope that happens before the bad weather of the season starts, cause it would be a sad state of affairs to get into a car crash coming down the mountain because of a craving for drunken noodles.

Website: http://theelephanttrail.com/site/

Smoking at the Owl Shop

Ah, the cigar case with the hidden cigars on sale.

One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is to head down to New Haven and visit The Owl Shop. This place is one of the only bars that I know of in Connecticut (thus far) where you can still smoke indoors, since the smoking ban took place a few years ago. The Owl Shop reminds me of what I think an old fashion men's club would have been like.

                                             
It's dimly lit, smokey, filled with worn leather chairs, and has alot of heavy drapery and dark wood. The walls are filled with glass cases that are stocked with cigars for sale, an impressive collection of pipes, and smoking memorabilia. The bar is one of those impressive wooden bars that has seen it's share of history. And it's well stocked with a selection of cordials, brandies, whiskeys, scotches and other liquors that will take me years to go through and sample. But it's a task that I will gladly undertake, since everything that they have goes so well with my favorite cigarellos. Mmmm.

                                     
The Owl Shop has been in business since the 30's and is still going strong. The clientel is always very friendly and you can usually meet some locals who have been visiting the Owl Shop for years and are more than willing to impart some knowledge about smoking, New Haven, physics, CT politics, chess, local lore or a variety of other subjects. One snippet of a conversation that peaked my attention was that during happy hour (5-7pm) there are not only drink specials but also cigar specials, good tidbit to remember.

                                     
They also host events at Owl Shop such as book signings for true cigar lovers, such as the following that will be taking place Sept. 15th at 5pm. It's the "official launch of The Cigar Lover’s Compendium. The $20 admission includes a signed copy of the book, a Chivas tasting paired with a complimentary cigar, a humidor raffle, giveaways, and more."

Next time you are in New Haven, stop in for an amaretto and cigar and see who you meet!

Website: http://owlshopcigars.com/index.htm

                                                                     

Return of the Midweek Hangover: Mondays at Salute'

Just a very quick note on a happy hour for tonight. It has come to my attention that Salute' has decided to make Monday night's an all night happy hour! I am very pleased about this, and hope to check it out tonight. It starts at 3:30 pm and goes till close in the bar and patio areas. Nice. I have already reviewed Salute', so check out that blog for more details, and check out their website for the happy hour menu. Good news for my happy hour fans though!

Website: http://www.salutect.com/index.html

I did go and check it out! Highly recommend the "Choco" martini. Yum!

Pelkey's Pig Roast

Can you point me to the pig roast?

Having been a vegetarian for most of my life, the last place on earth that I would have thought I would end up was at a pig roast. However, since I decided to start expanding my palate in the past year, I jumped at the invitation extended to me by friend Katherine to attend her father's annual Pig Roast held in Madison, CT. After all, when do you ever get invited to such an event? I figured it was my responsibility my followers to go and report back. Luckily for me, Kathy is a fellow vegetarian, and so I wasn't worried about starving since she informed me that she would be bringing plenty of veggie burgers and there would be tons of side dishes to nosh on, if I wasn't ready to try a slice of the pig who had been nicknamed "Earl", evidenced by the carved apple in it's mouth. I have to admit that while I didn't taste any of the roasted pig, which weighed in at 130 pounds, I can report back that he smelled absolutely delish while cooking!  

Kathy and I

A line quickly formed when Papa Pelkey announced that "Earl" was ready to emerge from the roaster. The eager crowd who had been patiently waiting and increasing their appetite by downing beers quickly stripped the meat off of Earl and loaded up their plates on the long tables which were groaning under all of the side dishes, ranging from baked apples to salads, corn on the cob, coleslaws, potato salads and everything in between. Before you know it, the food had practically been inhaled by the masses. To wash it all down with, Kathy had played the role of mix mistress and had created an

Papa Pelkey carving up "Earl"

intoxicating summer sangria for us. Chock full of summer berries and lemon halves, it was like having desert in a glass and I almost couldn't believe my eyes when I looked up from my glass and saw that the long tables were now magically ladden with brownies, pies and jellos that I wanted to try. Luckily there was a planned activity for the crowd to help us working through our expected lethargy. We all gathered round for a very enthusiastic game called "Cajun Horseshoes" which involved tossing 3 metal washers into a board that had 3 holes in it and represented a points system. The game is a tradition, and many of the players had 12 years of practicing under their belts. There was an officiating judge and it cost a dollar to play. The winner got to take home the winnings.  Unfortunately despite my dedicating an hour to practicing this game, I was taken out in the first round by Papa Pelkey, and didn't have a chance to showcase my new found skills. The evening ended us with roasting marshmallows over the fire pits, and both listening and commenting on some of the conversations that were going on around us. We heard one group talking about a dog who had drowned in a toilet. Another was reminiscing about clothing that was fashionable in the 80's and 90's. Hmm, that's one of the best thing about summer. You never really know what to expect when a bunch of random people get together.

The never ending quest for a real cup of coffee

La Paloma on Capitol Ave.

     After getting irritated with myself for not going to La Paloma Sabanera yet, and being in desperate need of a decent cafe con leche, I headed over. Let me first mention that parking is slightly tricky, but the owner has tried to accomodate for this situation by letting you park in the lot directly behind the building, or you can try for street parking after 9am.
     La Paloma Sabanera makes me feel like I am back in the 90's again. And that's a good thing, cause I miss that decade terribly. The atmosphere is funky and inviting. The chairs are random sizes and styles and are playfully mismatched with tables displaying colorful collages underneath the glass. One of my favorite ones was a circular homage to Freida Kahlo. The owner also told me that they offer free wireless, and it's the kind of place where you can comfortably camp out with your laptop for a few hours and not worry about the staff trying to rush you along or making hints that you purchase more than the coffee you have sitting in front of you.

     Although I have to say, you might want to eat here. The menu is pretty tasty for a coffee shop. Affordable as well. My cafe con leche with a cinnamon twist came to slightly over $3, which I was thrilled about since I had been grumbling about the $7 that I had paid the day before at Tisane for a cafe mocha and a biscotti. And I returned for lunch the same week to check it out and had a really good vegetarian panini with pesto for around $6. My lunch companion was equally pleased with her tuna salad sandwich. The menu is listed online, so you can check it out on their website.
     La Paloma Sabanera also is the home of the Kino Cafe, which is a semi underground movie group in Hartford. They host film viewings which are open to the public and cost $3 a person to attend. Quite a good deal. The films show on Tuesday nights and start up for the fall on September 14th at 7pm. Their schedule is available on La Paloma Sabanera's website as well.

Mural outside of coffeeshop

     All in all, I have decided that I will be spending a great deal of my time at La Paloma Sabanera. It's unpretentious, local, offers free water (since the owner doesn't believe in selling bottled water), has delicious and well made espresso drinks, good lunch options, a funky and artistic atmosphere and a slew of interesting patrons to start conversations with. What more could you ask for?

Address: 405 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: 860-956-5003
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-6pm, Sat 9am-3pm

Website: http://www.lapalomacoffeehouse.com/default.htm

Food in the Movies

So, here are some random events concerning food. My favorite subject....

Real Art Ways in Hartford has a film coming up called "Kings of Pastry" As their website states "this documentary captures the never-before-filmed Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, France's highest honor in the art of patisserie." It opens November 5th, and you can check out the preview for it on their website: http://www.realartways.org/cinema.htm

And then, at Wesleyan University in Middletown there is a campus wide focus called "Feet to the Fire: Feast or Famine" which has brought two exhibits. The first is a show at the Davison Art Center called "Art and Appetite". It opens September 17th and it's focus is on how food has been depicted by artists throughout the centuries. It ranges from engravings done by Pierter Brugel the Elder to the flying pizza of Claes Oldenberg. The second is called "Food for Thought" and that focuses on resources from early cookbooks to agricultural manuals. It has opened already at the Olin Library and runs through December 10th. for more information you can check out their website: www.wesleyan.edu/dac or call (860) 685-2500.

Happy Anniversary to my parents!

The flower symbolic with my parents anniversary

Today is my parents 33rd wedding anniversary, and seeing as there would be no blog and no foodie to write it without them, I would like to take a quick second to wish them a very happy anniversary. My parents are the reasons that I am probably so obsessed with eating, food, health, local dining and exploring of the places that I call home. I fluxuate between cravings for sauerkraut and horseradish and loads of almond paste because of my background. My father is Russian, and my mom is English and Dutch and because of them, I have spent my life thus far in the Virgin Islands (where they eloped), Washington, DC (where I was born) and Connecticut (where I grew up). All very diverse places with a great smashing of cultures, flavors and inspirations. I would like to thank them for teaching me to appreciate different cultures and viewpoints, to learn to love to cook, to always try to see the good and worth in people and situations, to be open minded, to always have manners, respect other people's foods and traditions, the importance of ettiquete, to constantly improve myself, and to always try new things. Now the real challenge, is where to take them out to dinner to celebrate!