New England Lobster Rolls at Captain Scotts

It is a rare occasion that finds me home and without plans on a Saturday, however that was the case this past weekend. I was trying to motivate myself to be good and go to yoga, but not being terribly good at my convincing myself. I was however dressed and halfway out the door when my dad suggested that I should join them in a trip to the shore, and with that, all best intentions for a workout evaporated. Quick costume change later, and we were scooting down route two towards New London. I didn't realize that lunch plans were included in this daytrip, and found out that my dad had been doing some research into new locations in his ongoing quest for the perfect New England lobster roll. We pulled into the scenic downtown and found our way to a small street that passed through some old boarded up Dutch style warehouses before dead ending at a parking lot already jammed with cars. The above mural was one of the first discoveries, found in the parking lot, painted on the side of a small structure. 

One thing that will follow me my whole lifetime from being taught at home, is a never ending curiosity about things. Naturally this meant googling Captain Scott to see if he really existed. Thus, a quick bit of history on the fella. According to the restaurant's website, Thomas A. Scott lived from 1830-1907. He moved to New London in 1871 to build the Race Rock Lighthouse with his company. He was featured on "Ripley's Believe it or Not", for an event befitting of a good captain. "In January of 1870, Captain Thomas Scott brought his tug alongside a sinking ferryboat carrying hundreds of passengers in New York's North River. Using his own body, Captain Scott plugged a hole at the waterline of the listing boat. 

Scott's arm which protruded through the hole, was severely lacerated by the ice cakes, but all aboard the vessel were saved."
Ok, enough history...moving on. This place seems to always be busy! There was a line when we arrived, and it never ceased. New people just kept arriving to take the place of those served. The nice thing was that everything moved smoothly and despite the line and nobody seemed to wait more than 5-10 minutes for their order. My parents had one thing on their mind, and that was lobster rolls, so at this point, that is the only thing that I can review! But the rest of the menu looked worth investigating, with crab salad rolls, fried scallop rolls, or whole belly clams also catching our attention. Next time. We grabbed a picnic table in the sun (half of the outdoor dining is shaded for those more careful about their sun exposure than us), and watched the seagulls who were splitting their gaze between us and the incoming fishing boats. Atmosphere was pretty entertaining between that scene on our left, and the Amtrack line on our right. Then came the rolls. 

The regular sized are on either side, and of course the middle one is a large, for my dad.
Buttered bread stuffed with large pieces of fresh lobster, accompanied only by a slice of lemon. So fresh, nothing else needed. There was some coleslaw served with it, but we didn't pay much attention to it, besides a cursory bite for taste. I am new to lobster, and seafood in general, having been a devout vegetarian for the majority of my life. With that disclaimer in place however, I was impressed and will say that I ate 80% of it before letting my dad finish it. Not bad for a first attempt! Around the side of the restaurant is where you can purchase live lobsters, or lobster meat by the pound to take home and cook at home. If that's not your thing, they also had Maine steamers, cod, flounder, Noank oysters, Atlantic Swordfish and littlenecks. Although we saved our appetites for visiting the Salem Creamery at the end of the day, if you want to indulge your sweet tooth immediately, there was also a tempting ice cream list to take note of!!! 

Captain Scott's Lobster Dock, 80 Hamilton Street, New London, CT 06320
(860) 439-1741
Website: http://www.captscotts.com/

To Curry with Love

I am on a constant quest to find the best Indian food. This obsession began in childhood when my family and subsequently friends, frequented Kashmir Restaurant in the South End of Hartford. Since its recent closing, I have been searching, largely unsuccessfully, for something comparable to satisfy my curry cravings. In the past few weeks however, I have made three visits to Bollywood Grill in Glastonbury and have had very tasty experiences. I was too hungry on the dinner visit to take time to photograph my food, but we sampled the Lamb Samosas, Navrattan Korma and Lamb Briyani and accompanied it with an order of Raiti and Paratha bread. My only complaint about dinner was that the waiter confused the level of spiciness in our orders, and I got the spicy one, and my companion was left wishing for a bit more. Since I love spice, I wasn't that upset over this. It was still delicious. 

The buffet is offered 7 days a week from 11:30-3:30. It is $8.95 during the week, and $10.95 on the weekends. The two dollars extra on the weekends means that you are given a glass of champagne along with your meal. The buffet is plentiful by all means. There were two types of soup to start off with. A traditional tomato, and sweet and sour soup. A basket of paratha bread was set up next to it, suggesting a logical paring. 

The remainder of the buffet table was chock full of delicacies such as biryani, saag paneer, lamb, chicken or fish curries, and on the 2nd visit I discovered a wonderful squash dumpling that I couldn't get enough of. The chefs at Bollywood Grill strike me as not only masterfully creating classic dishes full of flavor and spice, but also playfully reinterpreting these dishes with new twists. 

I struggled with getting through a second plate because I wanted to sample every dish that was laid out. So when I got to the end of the buffet where there were desserts, I wanted to explode. But I couldn't give up, because I had spotted a dessert among the traditional offerings that I really felt I needed to sample. It was a mango dessert which tasted like a mango lassi in a pudding/ ice cream consistency. I could have eaten several helpings of this alone! Overall, I will be going back to Bollywood Grill for a 4th, 5th, and many more visits in the very near future. 

A better late than never review of Laetus

I have been sadly negligent in writing about my first visit to the newly opened Laetus restaurant/bar on Asylum Street, and in keeping up with the blog in general lately. The proof of this fact is in the fact that I visited in early spring, and obviously got distracted by summer weather, jazz festivals, vacation time and lots of good meals which I have been diligently photographing and the requisite blog posts which have been piling up in my head.

(note the scarf and jacket!)

If my memory serves me right, my friends and I had found ourselves meandering down Asylum Street one Monday afternoon, on our way to check out the also newly opened Electric Co. when we spied movement inside of the space that most recently held The Asylum Cafe and before that, The Red Plate. All agreed that we should immediately listen to our stomachs and postpone our plans and grab some nourishment.

Quan, the owner of both Laetus and the previous Asylum Cafe has done a stellar job at re-envisioning the space as a Vietnamese Fusion restaurant/ lounge. No longer will we have to stick to visiting Park Street, New Britain Ave, or East Hartford when the craving for pho hits us. Since Laetus is open late, it will also be added to our list of possible late night spots to hit after a night downtown. Who wouldn't rather have Vietnamese food instead of the regular offerings of greasy wings, fast food or pizza?

Some of the things that we tried at the "soft opening" were the shrimp summer rolls. A typical offering at Vietnamese and Thai restaurants, it is usually noodles, sprouts, lettuce or cabbage, maybe mint or basil, and shrimp wrapped in a sticky rice paper shell and served at room temperature. Perfect for summer, maybe hence the name.

Then there was the star of our evening, the pho. The soup is typically a pork or beef broth, so if you do not consume pork products, be sure to inquire! Infact, having worked as a chef, I recommend you always ask in any restaurant and never make assumptions. A large proportion of seafood and even "vegetarian" labeled soups sometimes are made using a pork based stock. The soup was flavorful, served with a side of fresh basil leaves and hot peppers to add to the broth and was highly enjoyed by our group.

We did order another dish as well, which I will put the picture up for you.... but sadly, I cannot recall the name, it good reviews it got from my friend and was a beef and rice noodle dish topped with crushed peanuts. So despite my bad memory, if this is not been reason enough to go and check them out, I will give you two more.

1) It's Hartford Restaurant Week and Laetus is participating!!! Check out their menu for this dining event here and enjoy 3 courses for $20.13: http://media.trb.com/media/acrobat/2013-07/76720877-19052445.pdf.

2) I am sure you have been curious about the definition of Laetus as was I. Google provided me with the Latin definition which means "Happy or Joyful" of which I certainly am at this new addition of awesome and affordable food in downtown Hartford.

Location: 253 Asylum Ave, Hartford, CT / Ph. (860) 216-1964

Website: www.laetuslounge.com 

Event: Fungus & Forage Festival- A Walk on the Wild Side

It’s a day to take a walk on the wild side!

The Coventry Regional Farmers’ Market Fungus & Forage Festival   This Sunday, we honor those gifts generously offered by Mother Nature; specifically mushrooms, and the herbs growing wild beneath our feet generally referred to as weeds. Both enjoy a timeless history which goes far beyond mere culinary delight. In the barn, the Connecticut Mycological Society returns to provide a stunning display of our state’s wide variety of mushrooms. Their members will be available for discussion and the 3 Foragers will lead free identification walks at 12:00 and 1:00, focusing on edible wild foods. While at the barn, stop to chat with the folks at Connecticut Herb Association and learn about their mission to share herbal information. Their members will lead weed walks at 11:30, 12:00 and 1:00 to discover and identify local herbs that traditionally have been used as medicine and food. Maggie's Farm will be talking about and demonstrating mushroom growing at their tent from 12:30 to 2:00. They’ll bring shiitake and oyster mushrooms for sale. In the market field, you’ll find CT NOFA (Connecticut’s branch of Northeast Organic Farming Association) whose members are supportive of practices that encourage a healthy relationship with the natural world and ecologically sound farming. They can also show you how mushrooms can be grown in compost material! At Joan Blade Johnson and Melanie Johnston’s booth, you can see how natural dyes from foraged local flora can be used to make art. Our own yards are a great source of plant materials that can be easily gathered and used for fabric dyeing.  Roots, nuts, flowers, bark, and lichens are just a few of the natural materials that can be used for dyeing. Creating rusted artwork from foraged (recycled) materials is satisfying and organic… stop by to learn more! Note: Image borrowed from: https://sites.google.com/site/smutheoryoft/

Article: "20 Foods to Always Buy Organic (Even if you're on a Budget)"

I read this today and thought it was useful information to share with blog readers, especially with all the monsanto news lately. So, taken from Luz Plaza's article, here are the 20 foods that you should always strive to purchase organic and the reasoning behind them.

Grains

Conventional grains are known to contain 15 pesticide residues according to the USDA Pesticide Program. They have even been known to carry carcinogens and neurotoxins that are linked to many health problems. Why buy them organic? Organic whole grains can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, stroke and heart disease.

Soy, Tofu and Edamame

Be aware that 90% of soybeans sold in the United States are genetically modified. Always buy organic to avoid toxins such as chlorpyrifos and malathion. 

Milk

If you drink cow's milk, you are probably already aware that 20% of all cows are given rBGH, the genetically engineered hormone. Organic milk, especially for kids should be a no-brainer.

Cheese

While the FDA regulates the ingredients of processed cheese, there are still problems. For example, processed cheese is made by using heat and an emulsifying agent such as monosodium phosphate, calcium citrate and potassium citrate. Additionally, highly processed cheese likely comes from from a cow that has been treated with synthetic hormones to boost milk production. These particular cheeses can contain dyes and food coloring that has been linked to cancer. 

Meats:

Conventional meats contain hormones, antibiotics and pesticides (from the fertilizer used to grow the feed). Most experts say you should buy organic meat because of the dangers of hormones, antibiotics and additives that have been linked to cancer and other harmful health effects. 

Apples:

On the top of the list of fruits that are full of pesticides. According to Pesticide Action Network's website: www.whatsonmy food.org, 88% of conventionally grown apples contain residues of Thiabendazole, a possible carcinogen. Even after a good wash, traces may still remain. 

Celery:

Conventionally grown celery often tests positive for the carcinogenic insecticide, Chlorantraniliprole and developmental or reproductive toxins. If you can't get organic celery, switch it out for asparagus instead. Conventional asparagus is at the top of the clean produce list, meaning it contains far less of these harmful chemicals. 

Cherries:

This summer favorite is notorious for pesticide and toxin leftovers on their skin. In fact, the USDA Pesticide Data Program found 42 pesticide residues on cherries including carcinogens and neurotoxins that can cause nervous tissue damage. Since cherries are high in fiber, vit c and potassium, just make sure you buy them organic. 

Tomatoes:

This fruit/vegetable is chock full of vit c and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. However this is one that should always be purchased organic since conventional tomatoes tested positive for many toxic chemicals including Chlorothalonil, a chemical that is considered to be a known carcinogen.

Cucumbers:

Rich in vit A, K and potassium, there are many health benefits to this veggie. However many conventionally grown ones contain 35 pesticide residues like Endosulfan, an insecticide that is so toxic it's gradually being phased out globally. 

Grapes:

Conventionally grown contain Captan and Iprodione, two known carcinogens. Health benefits to grapes include being a good source of calcium, iron and manganese which is essential for healthy tissue production.

Hot Peppers:

This veggie contains a chemical called capsaicin, which can help relieve nasal congestion or even fight against cancer. Unfortunately, conventional ones also can contain 49 pesticide residues including some carcinogens and neurotoxins. If you can't find these organic, switch out with onions, a clean tested vegetable. 

Nectarines:

This fruit contains Lutein, a nutrient used by the body to support healthy eyes and skin. Avoid imported nectarines whenever possible because they can contain Iprodione, a possible carcinogen. 

Peaches:

Conventionally grown contain 62 chemicals that are carcinogens, suspected hormone disruptors, neurotoxins and developmental or reproductive toxins! That's more than most fruits and veggies! Stay away from conventional on this one. Swap out for a cantaloupe if you can't find organic peaches.

Potatoes:

Conventional grown often contain neurotoxin chemicals that can cause mental and emotional changes, vision loss and weakness or numbness in arms and legs. If you can't find organic potatoes, then buy conventional sweet potatoes instead. They are full of antioxidants and are a clean vegetable, free of toxic residue. 

Spinach:

This superfood should always be organic, as the conventionally grown variety has tested for 48 pesticide residues including carcinogens, neurotoxins and developmental or reproductive toxins. 

Strawberries:

Conventional strawberries have been found to contain many types of pesticides including Captain, a probable human carcinogen that causes rats to develop tumors. Fun. 

Sweet Bell Peppers:

While one cup of pepper contains almost 100% of the daily requirements for vit A, and 300% for vit c, the USDA Pesticide Data Program found that the conventionally grown tested positive for nearly 50 pesticides including Methamindophos, a poisonous chemical that in very high does can actually be fatal. 

Collards and Kale:

Conventional Kale contains 49 pesticide residues including 2 dozen possible hormone disruptors, 10 neurotoxins and 7 known or probable carcinogens. Luckily these greens are not much more expensive when purchased organic. 

Summer Squash and Zucchini:

These vegetables, when grown conventionally, still contain traces of the banned pesticide ogranochlorine that is highly toxic to humans and wildlife. Stay organic on this one. 

Original article can be read here: http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/1004202-20-foods-always-buy-organic-even-youre-budget/?utm_source=articlebottom&utm_medium=1#slide-1

Exploring Hartford's many markets, part I

Some of my favorite memories from growing up in Hartford have been going to the city's markets with my mother. Different sections of town evoke strong recollections of smells, tastes and colorful packaging in different languages. This all came flooding back to me recently during a discussion with a friend who was beginning to venture into her own cooking adventures and was curious about where to start for produce and new products besides the typical supermarkets. We decided to plan a marketing day around the city. One of our stops included A Dong Supermarket, an Asian grocery store off of New Britain Avenue. I love visiting here because it's such an adventure.

Enter the market past the small shrine in the entrance, and walk past the glass case lined with smoked duck, pork, and other meats that many not be so easily identifiable and you are have three possible points to begin. The far right is home goods such as woks, ornate plates, cups, sake sets, and other cooking and home goods. Middle aisles are brimming with varieties of noodles, sauces, candies, teas, dried vegetables, and canned items such as lychees and jackfruit. Or you can veer to the left, my favorite side. This is where you can explore the table of prepared desserts, such as sesame buns, and items like Banh U Dau, made of rice and wrapped in banana leaves (luckily they all list the ingredients on the label)

Or you can venture over to the bakery case to order items such as pork buns or coconut cakes. I am partial to the produce section. On this particular visit, I found some incredible looking watercress for tea sandwiches for the pleasing price of .85! A bin packed with bright pink fruit caught my attention as well and I spent some time trying to figure out what it might be before reading the sign.

I had to giggle when I realized that it was a "Dragonfruit", which I had only ever heard of as one of the Vitamin Water flavors. A very appropriate name given it's looks. The seafood case is also interesting to walk past, for there, entire fish are layed out on display, (not filets). 
Ever thinking, I was struck with the thought that the sparsely filled cases were brilliant for two reasons. First was that the amount of waste was far less. When you shop at a typical US supermarket, the cases are piled high, from front to back with seafood, meats, and poultry, with barely any space between items, and a tremendous amount of those items are not sold and get thrown away. Secondly, by showing the fish in it's entirely, there is more respect for the food item as a fish that lost its live to sustain us, instead of divorcing ourselves from that and seeing it just as a filet. 

On the way to checkout, it's fun to go down the beverage aisle and pick out something new to sample. Example being, I have no idea what Pennywort is, but I plan on trying it next time that I am there! 

Location: A Dong Supermarket, 160 Shield St, West Hartford, CT 06110

Event: Sustainability Never Tasted So Good

When: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Where: Miya's Sushi New Haven
Cost: $35 each
Contact: Amanda Roy 860-685-7599
Register: cthumanities.org/register/sdregnh
Description: Pull up a seat at the table to discuss how we can create a more sustainable food system in our communities. Featured guests will guide meaningful conversation around how we can introduce sustainable practices into our own homes and activities.Enjoy a sampling of a variety of sustainable sushi prepared by our hosts, Miya's Sushi." Speakers: Bun Lai, Owner and Chef of Miya Sushi and Nicole Berube, Executive Director of City Seed.
Ticketed Event: $35 each