Event for Spirtus Wines: "30 Year Celebration is Still On"

Grand Anniversary Tasting @ The Hartford Club
Thursday, November 1st from 6:00 to 9:00 PM
$55 per person all inclusive
Come out and join us for a special celebration of our 30 year milestone of serving fine wines throughout central CT and beyond. This Grand Tasting will feature more than 50 wines from around the world in a broad range of prices, plus food by the Hartford Club's Executive Chef Christopher Kube including freshly carved prime rib and a delicious array of Mediterranean meats, cheeses, grilled vegetables, caprese salad and more.
We would love to share this party with as many of our loyal customers (old and new) as possible! Martin and Barrie Robbins-Pianka, founders of Spiritus Wines, will be in attendance as our special guests. Come out to share a toast, recount some memories and of course sample some great wines!
To further add to the celebration, Spiritus will donate a portion of the ticket proceeds to Hartford's local culinary school, Lincoln Culinary Institute, to provide scholarships for the future chefs in our community. And by partnering with the international, gourmet food and wine society, the Chaine des Rotisseurs, our contribution will be matched 100%, thereby doubling its impact. Purchase your tickets today by calling Spiritus at 860.247.5431.

Event: "Food Stamped" showing at the Hartford History Center

I am pretty excited to check out this film that has been named Best Documentary by the Lighthouse International Film Festival, and was a winner of the Jury Feature Prize at the San Francisco Independant Film Festival. It was produced by Shira and Yoav Potash, and my feeling is that is going to inspire activism and creative solutions rather than getting depressed over a sobering issue. My enthusiasm is especially peaked since Hartford has taken the initiative of accepting food stamps at the local farmers markets that are open around the city from May to October. So progressive!

This film, "Food Stamped is an informative and humorous documentary film following a couple as they attempt to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet on a food stamp budget. Through their adventures they consult with members of U.S. Congress, food justice organizations, nutrition experts, and people living on food stamps to take a deep look at America’s broken food system."

The film is being shown for free at the main branch of the Hartford Public Library in the Hartford History Center on October 24th from 6-8pm. Included with the screening will be a panel discussion with Grace Damio from the Hispanic Health Council, Lucy Nolan from End Hunger CT and Martha Page from Hartford Food Systems. It will be moderated by Stuart Parnes of the Connecticut Humanities.

Check out the trailer below and hope to see you there!

In case you didn't know....

Are you a local foodie supporter??

Recently, Governor Malloy was talking up an initiative of the CT Department of Agriculture called the 2012 Chef to Farm Week. It officially began yesterday, Sunday the 16th and will run through Saturday, Sept 22nd. This week, you will find restaurants, hotels, school cafeterias, university dining halls, and health care facilities celebrating Connecticut produce, wine, cheeses, and other ingredients, incorporating them into their menus. And this is nothing to scoff at either, the figures are impressive. Gov. Malloy is quoted as saying "“As well as providing nutritious, fresh food for residents, locally-grown and produced foods contribute $3.5 billion to the state economy and represent about 20,000 Connecticut jobs. Our state’s farmers produce an astoundingly wide variety of foods, and Farm-to-Chef Week is a great opportunity for people to get out there and really enjoy everything Connecticut has to offer.”

With the hugely popular CT Wine Trail and passport program, the abundance of farmers markets popping up in urban areas, and area stores more frequently carrying local items, it's obvious that CT residents are into supporting our farms and farmers. More information about the initiative, and the 65 or more participating venues for this week can be found at the Department of Agriculture's website, www.CTGrown.gov. So whether you are a local food afficiando or not, this is a great opportunity to taste what the state has to offer.

Link to finding participants: http://www.ctfarmtochef.com/ct-farm-to-chef-network/participant-list.html

Brandywine, and Morning Glories....

Lobby filled with photographs about voting in the 60's

Friday was a fabulous day in Philadelphia, and since it involved a trip to a "finer diner" it seems suitable to report on as a blog post. Perhaps it might inspire other foodies to make a day trip to Philadelphia and go explore what the city has to offer. We started the day with a visit to the Brandywine Workshop to get a private tour from my aunt's friend. The workshop is all about prints, and supporting and promoting culturally diverse artists. I soaked it all up and was inspired by the talented artists that are connected to the workshop. I left with a conviction that I wanted to invest in some prints in the near future (available on their website) and clutching my prized possession of the day, a beautiful book courtesy of Allan which contained many of the original pieces he showed us.

Next, we headed down the street to Sam's Morning Glory Diner. It was empty, as we arrived an hour before closing. They are a small, vintage diner that caters to a breakfast and lunch crowd. The owner passed away recently and there is a tribute to her on the wall. 

My aunt decided to try the warm beet and spinach sala topped with grilled chicken breast. The salad was such a nice combination of flavors, fresh and a HUGE amount of food to get through.

My lunch choice consisted of a warmed wrap stuffed with spanish queso cheese and fresh vegetables. Very tasty. It was accompanied by a side salad (that I wasn't charged for, because they were about to close), and homefries. My bottle of ketchup came in a recycled wine bottle, as they make their ketchup fresh on the premises. Pretty cool. 

As soon as we arrived in the diner and I saw the chalkboard with the daily pie specials, I knew that I wanted to try one. I would have been happy skipping lunch entirely and just going straight for the Cherry, Rhubarb and Strawberry pie, but decided it wasn't the healthiest choice, plus I would have let my readers down. Obviously I couldn't stop myself from diving right in and tasting it. I am usually always disappointed by pies, other than my moms (she makes the BEST!) but I have to say this was a close second. And topped with homemade whipped cream?!?

Our server was incredibly sweet and not only gave us each a Cranberry Cream Cheese muffin to take home, but indulged us with our requests for photographs. If you manage to visit here, he is the guy with the great Bulgarian accent...tell him we said hello! Also, this is a cash only establishment, so plan accordingly.

Website: http://www.themorningglorydiner.com/

A tasty couple of hours in Philly

There is nothing sadder for a foodie such as myself to be spending the summer in a new city, chock full of tantalizing restaurants, lounges, and farmers markets, and not being able to indulge my senses because of work commitments. When I began to cringe as I hurridly walked past restaurants advertising happy hour specials, that I knew something had to be done. Luckily, a friend of mine is virtually telepathic and invited me out for a night on the town. First stop, Positano Coast for happy hour. What a beautiful spot! With an organic blood orange cocktail complimented with springs of muddled rosemary, I took in my surroundings. The restaurant was situated on the 2nd floor and I almost felt like I was on the deck of a ship. If it hadn't just rained, my friend informed me that the glass panels would have been thrust open and the entire place bathed in sunlight, with a warm cross breeze. Mmm, I almost forgot I where I was. We took advantage of the happy hour deals and sampled a vegetable slider (yes, just one!) and a trio of spinach and goat cheese bruschetta. Both met with our approval, but we didn't want to ruin our appetite, so we stopped there. 

The sun popped out, so we took the opportunity to stroll the 8 or so blocks to Kanella, a Greek Cypriot restaurant. My friend is a big fan of my blog, and wanted me to check out her favorite spot, taking this time to warn me that the chef was a perfectionist of sorts (aren't the best ones?) and that he didn't want anyone to take pictures of his food. (what?!?) However after she explained that he thought that most people's photos didn't do the food justice, I understood. Although I still snuck a photo or two in, to respect his wishes, I am only posting the best one. 

Chef Konstantinos Pitsillides from Cyprus

While the interior of the restaurant is inviting with its simple whitewashed walls, with hints of brick and blues, we chose to eat outside along the sidewalk. The restaurant is a BYOB and took the time to chill our wine, and serve us (a surprise from BYOB's that I have visited before, and a nice treat!) We decided to try 2 appetizers and split an entree. First came a cutting board with slices of whole grain bread and a tahini sauce to dip them in. Could be the first time that I have see tahini outside of it's typical partner and my mother's favorite, falafel. Then the food appeared. First up: Mediterranean Red Mullet, pan fried with Cretan rusk salad. We were struck by the appearance of the mini fish filets, sparkling hues of silver and red, delicately placed next to a stacked salad. Sadly we were not won over by the taste, finding it rather bland. This improved however when we added the thin lemon wedges to each bite, maybe we were supposed to do that from the beginning? Next appetizer was Bureki: fillo pastry parcel stuffed with feta and thyme, drizzled with thyme honey, served with roast beets. I am not sure that words will describe how much I loved this dish. Warm feta, flaky fillo, and a bite of herbed beet= small mouthful of bliss. 
Especially charming was the use of a wooden honey dipper to adorn the fillo!

 At this point, we were praising ourselves on how smart we had been to share an entree, because we were getting quite full. Our chosen entree was Pouleriko: Organic baby chicken flattened and cooked under a brick, served with a spinach, rice and raisin pilaf. Our server brought small glass bowls of lemon water for each of us, and perhaps in response to my quizzical look explained that the chicken had alot of bones and we were advised to use our fingers to get all of the meat off. We however, restrained ourselves from doing that. The chicken was so succulent though, it was tempting. And when we reached the sweet pilaf underneath, it was even more of a treat! In deciding what entree we were going to share, we had both intrigued by the special of the night, which was made of beef tongue. Both of us had tasted tongue before, but found that we disliked the texture. We do heartily approve however of the chef's interest in using secondary cuts of meat. Americans are partial to primary cuts of meat, and the remains tend to be wasted. I would like to give a thumbs up to the chef for his philosophy, and encourage all adventurous diners to try and support his efforts. I am quite sad to say that I couldn't make it to dessert. My tastebuds were certainly peaked by the offering of Pistachio and Olive Oil Cake with pistachio ice cream and preserved cherries. Next time! 

Websites: 
http://positanocoast.net/
http://kanellarestaurant.com/

  

Best Peruvian so far...

So, yes,....it has been said that a new Peruvian place opens in Hartford every other year. But you know what? I have not been impressed by any of them, until now. On a rainy day recently, a friend and I decided that we were in the mood to try a new place called La Kerencya on Franklin Ave in Hartford. Little Italy as the neighborhood is still known, is now becoming a much more diverse neighborhood and is home to ever expanding ethnic cuisine. I hope that this restaurant is here to stay for awhile.

Usually there are three components that I judge a place on; service, food and atmosphere. I have to say that I was pleased across the board. After we emerged from the rain into the bright orange dining room, we were greeted by a friendly server bringing us bread and roasted corn with aji sauce (green, spicy and yummy). There was a stage to in the center of the room that is host to Latin jazz nights, and I was sorry to find out we were dining on an off night. The front of the restaurant is home to an inviting bar, and offers pisco sours (which is on my "must try" list). Then our food emerged.

I had ordered the Perchuga a la Parilla which was grilled and served with rice, fries and salad. The flavors were spot on, and it was delicious. I only wish that I had saved some of my aji sauce to add to my rice. A sauce would have just added that extra touch, not that it needed it.  The chicken was well seasoned and tender. I have never understood Peruvian's interest in adding fries to so many of their dishes, someday I am going to have somebody explain that one to me.

My friend ordered the Picante de Mariscos and said that it was perfect. She ate the majority of it, only to discover a fish filet underneath all the other seafood! That needed to be wrapped up for lunch. Obviously, there are HUGE PORTIONS at this place! The servers were very friendly and helpful with food selection choices. The menu is quite accessible and there are many tempting dishes waiting to be ordered. After a few disappointing flavorless meals at other Peruvian places, I am personally psyched by the arrival of La Kerencya and hope that it is here to stay. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Menu can be viewed here: http://www.lakerencya.com/files/Full_Menu.pdf