A Change of Eatery

Ah, Hash House A Go Go. So nice of you to grace Mohegan Sun with your highly caloric presence.

If you go here, scan the menu but end up with the chicken & waffles. This beautiful creation is a monstrosity of crispy, tender sage fried chicken, perfect waffles filled with bacon strips, maple syrup and a bed of fried leeks. It’s tasty as hell and takes at least two people to finish – or just one bottomless pit of a human being.

Tower of chicken & waffles and Nick about to attack

That said, everything here is enormously gimmicky with its “twisted farm food”. But sometimes I’m in the mood for that. My boyfriend photographs concerts at the casinos pretty regularly so I accompanied him on Wednesday and grabbed a bite at HH beforehand. The drinks are absurd in presentation. Nick ordered a BLT bloody Mary which arrived in an enormous glass crowned with a frill of lettuce, bacon strips, a bacon salt rim, and tomato slices. Two lonely pieces of toast were tossed on the side. Cute, huh? Still, tasty enough.

I ordered a cobb salad and believe me, I know it’s probably got more calories than the chix & waffles. Although I adore a well constructed cobb, the salad was particularly underwhelming as it lacked eggs and avocado, two necessary components in my opinion. The salad’s chicken came in a handful of super processed looking little cubes. Wouldn’t order it again.

Regardless, it had a fun atmosphere, service was excellent, and the price was right on. I’m interested in returning for the brunch menu above all else.

Even months before it opened, I heard raves about Krust Woodfired Pizza & Bourbon Bar from Carrie, the rockstar behind NoRa Cupcake next door. Color me intrigued! Now that it’s finally in business, I had the pleasure of dining there with friends tonight, including Carrie. Best yet, they serve her cupcakes for dessert!

At 5pm the restaurant was already packed. The group of us grabbed some drinks at the bar (from a nice Sixpoint coffee stout on draft to a 20 year Pappy van Winkle to my bourbon cocktail with maple bourbon, cider and cranberries) and waited for our reservation. Indeed Krust is a bit cramped (more than once I witnessed server traffic jams in the aisles) but I’d prefer a tight, crowded  restaurant over an enormous empty one any day. A bourbon-centric wood-fired pizza place is a more than welcome addition to the local restaurant scene.

I’m a lazy blogger. You’ll get a handful of posts each year and that’s about it. But I’ve always got an eye out when it comes to discovering and celebrating new local places and tasty treats. To my delight, 2012 included a staggering number of new central CT favorites that shook up my year in the best way possible. I’ve narrowed ‘em down to a short but fabulous list.

NORA CUPCAKE: Having opened New Years Eve, 2011, NoRa shot into 2012 with a line of sassy flavors like “bubbly” (champagne cake, chocolate ganache, champagne buttercream), lavender Earl Gray, Irish Car Bomb, and an entire savory selection with funky creations like Dorito Cake (cornbread cheese cakes topped with jalapeno goat cheese frosting coated with doritos). Carrie (owner) is a mad but brilliant scientist of the dark and delicious cupcake art. I’ve tried about 25 different NoRa flavors and can’t wait to see what the new year brings.

BACK EAST BREWING – Making their debut in August 2012,  they’ve already gathered a loyal following AND two awards in this year’s Great International Beer Fest. I’m smitten with Back East’s porter and imperial stout.

RELIC BREWING – cardamom, lavender, orange blossom honey – there’s no shortage of intriguing ingredients in these tasty beers brewed in Plainville, CT. Queen Anne’s Revenge Porter and Antiquity top my list. Stop in for a tasting on Friday or Saturday – you’ll leave with a growler or two for sure.

ONYX SPIRITS - Moonshine. ’nuff said. As you’re probably well aware by now, Onyx spilled on to the CT scene in a big way (in Oct 2011 but I discovered ‘em in 2012). Although I’ve always got a bottle in the house, I leave the creative mixology up to a slew of local bars and restaurants who’ve also gotten bitten by the moonshine bug. The Fire & Ice at Tisane (onyx, cider and fireball whiskey) and my Fig-nog New Year’s Eve cocktail at Firebox (Onyx Moonshine, butternut juice, fig and ginger syrup, bitters & egg white) are my indisputable favorites. Bam!

MILLWRIGHTS: I’m still in awe. Definitely the top CT restaurant of 2012 as far as I’m concerned. Fresh, inventive cuisine and a chef’s tasting menu that’ll leave you weak in the knees. Oh, and that butter…

VINTED: Small plates and incomparable wine list – 65 options dispensed in 1 oz, 3 oz and full pours. As for the menu, beet carpaccio with gorgonzola dolce, sherry vinaigrette and candied walnuts & the seared sea scallops over bbq shortribs with ginger slaw were a helluva introduction to The Federal’s sister spot in Blueback.

Here’s to more discoveries in 2013!

• 1 oz Smirnoff Caramel
• 1 oz Onyx Moonshine 
• 12 oz apple cider
• pinch of salt, a pinch of cinnamon
• 1 slice apple (garnish)

Drink up, friends!

I’m generally not big on blogger events but since I like people who like pie, I snagged a spot in last Thursday’s Pie Party Potluck at the gorgeous GE Monogram Center in Manhattan. My gal Kelly Bakes was also heading up from Philly, so there was no better time to take on NYC – one pie at a time.

I was in good company. I finally found my people.

As expected (and hoped for), it was refreshing to meet so many local and regional food writers with badass baking skills. I showed up with a chocolate bourbon pecan pie, recipe courtesy of Michele Albano, and luckily, the pie was set well enough to look decent after getting banged around in my purse all day. Tough and sticky, awww yeah.

I was still no match for these talented folks and found myself confronted with row after row of glorious sweet and savory creations…empanadas, whoopie pies, tarts, quiches, mini pies, mega pies – the works. Plus, there was a pie crust making demo!

Hungry? Me too. I want pie always.

Here’s a PARTIAL list of blogger pies to blow your mind:

Peking duck pie. Salted caramel pretzel pie. Cranberry curd pie. Guava empanadas. Gruyere Spinach Quiche. Pumpkin applebutter pie with gingersnap crumble. Southern banana pudding pie. Bourbon spiced sweet potato pie with a pecan crust. Port wine-caramelized onion & bacon galette with a bleu cheese crust. Bacon-caramel apple pie with matcha crust. Trinidadian aloo pie. Apple & pork hand pies. Apple onion bacon chard tart. Cognac fig and goat cheese tart. Banoffee pie in a plantain crust.

And that’s just a few! Check out the whole list.

Anyone interested in organizing something like this in Hartford?! I sure am. Here’s why:

1) It’s free. (Just bring a pie)

2) It’s fun

3) It’s delicious

Let’s make it happen.

Sometimes a dining experience can be flawless.

Sometimes even the butter is so good that you refuse to surrender it long after the bread is gone.

(Especially when said butter is filled with black sesame, honey, and the spirit of Jesus.)

Since our birthdays are only ten days apart, Nick and I always use the dual occasions to treat ourselves to a tasting menu above our usual price point. After hearing and reading so much about Millwrights, the exquisite new Simsbury addition came as our obvious choice.

The restaurant is stunning, unpretentious and warmly inviting. Canopied by a beamed cathedral ceiling, the dining room is a grand, yet rustic space where a table of orchids anchors the room and mason jars filled with preserves and infusions cluster on shelves. Our own table, accented by a simple clay vase of roses, overlooked a postcard-worthy waterfall surrounded by October’s finest pre-Hurricane Sandy foliage.

We started the meal with a glass of birthday champagne and moved on to a nice round of gin cocktails after settling on the chef’s tasting menu. Once the amuse bouche arrived – decadently plump oysters accompanied by teensy paella balls – we knew shit was about to get REAL.

Also – excuse my iphone photos – they don’t do anything justice.

Just to preface – I like to think we aren’t picky, pretentious diners.

Instead of stuffily discussing textural components and flavor undertones, we passionately drop f-bombs under our breath.

Because, when it comes to a great meal, sometimes nothing but vulgarity can suffice.

As with any well-planned tasting menu, we started with light, savory dishes and worked our way into rich, buttery foie gras territory.  While all of the was happening, the butter we’d so lovingly hacked at during the brief bread phase remained on the table. Like the classy guy he is, Nick stole swipes of it between courses. (Embarrassing, sure, but I tell ya- it was that delightful.)

Sad little tab of butter

Anyway, my eyelids fluttered and eyeballs rolled around inside my happy little skull upon the arrival of each course. Since I’m overwhelmed thinking about this meal (though it was nearly two weeks ago), I’ll simply outline the culinary highlights:

• A light, delectably fresh tuna tartare with tangy pickled pear and crisp puffed wild rice resting in a coriander puree.
• Gorgeous roasted sunchokes, turnips and golden beets in bleu cheese mousse with walnuts and balsamic vinegar
• A big ol’ scallop accompanied by wild mushrooms, ham hock and leeks in a sauce choron
• Friiiied chicken! (with pommel puree & creamed greens)

To say the foie gras mousse was my personal favorite would be quite the understatement. The combination of rich, flavorful foie gras with pickled pumpkin seeds, crouton-sized blocks of moist pumpkin bread and quince gelée truly cemented my faith in Millright’s ability to truly, utterly dazzle.

Nearing the close of our seven course tasting menu, we were brought a palate cleanser of lemon-basil ice cream cones.

And THEN, the amazing servers came out with two candlelit birthday desserts for us! Such a kind, thoughtful touch to conclude an already exceptional dining experience. And that’s another part that needs mentioning – the servers and staff at Millwrights are an extremely knowledgable, personable, efficient, good humored bunch. I truly can’t wait to get back for round two.

Following our chocolate gelato and chantilly cream dessert, we finished up with a duo of lemon macarons.

I’m happy to add Millwrights to my brief but delectable list of favorite restaurants in Connecticut.