A Change of Eatery

Stumbled upon this food calendar on the Courant’s website earlier. Most of the events aren’t in Hartford– but there are still some great picks for the next few days and during the upcoming weeks. Wine tastings, dinners, farmers markets and more…

Saturday

Storrs Farmers Market: 3-6 p.m., Mansfield Town Hall parking lot. Everything at the market is Connecticut-grown and -produced. Rain or shine.

Prudence Sloane’s Hartford City Food Tour: Greek: 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. $80. Market tour at Tangiers, West Hartford; wine tasting at Gillette Ridge Wines, Bloomfield; cooking class and lunch at Tapas, Bloomfield. 860-409-9038, http://www.prudencesloane.com.

Retro Desserts: 10:30 a.m., Sur La Table, 110 Albany Turnpike, Canton. With Meg Buchsbaum. $59. http://www.surlatable.com, 860-693-9560.

Wine tasting: 1-6 p.m., South Side Wine & Spirit Shoppe, 1 Water St., South Glastonbury. New arrivals, past favorites. Free. 860-633-2763.

Wine and Food Tasting Fundraiser: 6-10 p.m., Shadow Room, 170 Main St., Middletown. Fundraiser for Middle City Stage Comapny. $25 a person. Taste six wines paired with hors devours; musical entertainment by Kristen Graves, Dina Popacostas, William Benson. 860-346-6051.

Wednesday

Meet Cookbook Author John Barricelli: 6-7 p.m., New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St. Barricelli is the author of “The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook.” 203-946-8835.

“Barbecue” Basics with Deborah Miller: 6:30 p.m., Sur La Table, Canton. $79. 860-693-9560.

Upcoming

Taste of the Quiet Corner: June 4, 6 p.m., Willimantic Elks, 198 Pleasant St., Willimantic. $40. Cash bar. Hosted by Chamber of Commerce, Inc., Windham Region. 860-423-6389 or e-mail info@windhamchamber.com.

Coventry Regional Farmers Market: opens June 6, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Nathan Hale Homestead, 2299 South St. Connecticut-grown fresh produce, live entertainment, homemade goods.

West End Farmers Market: opens June 8, 4-7 p.m., lawn of the United Methodist Church, 571 Farmington Ave., Hartford.

Scotch and Cigars on the Patio: June 17, 6 p.m., Angry Olive Italian Bistro, 1625 Silas Deane Highway, Rocky Hill. Sample single-malt scotches. $35. Reservations, 860-257-8042 or http://www.theangryolive.com.

I don’t usually hang out in West Hartford but I recently paid a visit to Penzey’s Spices (one of my favorite stores in the world) and soon found myself traipsing along through Blue Back Square. Along the way, my friend Kim and I happened upon The Green Teahouse, so we were psyched to scope it out. Man oh man, what a great find– Beautiful tea sets and accessories, traditional Chinese art, and over 100 varieties of organic looseleaf tea. The menu offers plenty of options in every conceivable tea category: white, green, black, oolong, rooibos, herbal, fruit, chai, and various house blends.

Hey, you can even make an appointment for a Chinese tea ceremony.

It’s one of those places where you can go up to the counter and confidently say “give me whatever you recommend” because you already trust that everything will be incredible. These folks know and appreciate their tea. So, after pulling this stunt, I was handed a refreshing iced mandarin blossom tea- described as a slightly floral blend of green teas with sweetly-scented blossoms, lemongrass and tropical citrus fruits. Glad I took the recommendation. Beautiful taste AND the perfect solution to combat the lingering humidity.

I also picked up a bag of ginseng oolong tea for my sister– she studied in China for several months and hasn’t been able to find good ginseng oolong anywhere since Shanghai. She LOVED The Green Teahouse’s blend (props to me, thoughtful sibling that I am).

Even if you don’t consider yourself much of a tea drinker, there’s got to be something for everyone here. It’s true, there’s even a gummi bear tea! (Apple pieces, hibiscus blossoms, rose hips, lemon grass, lemon and orange peel, sunflower blossoms, and real miniature gummi bears! A strangely delightful combo).

Lots of outdoor seating as well. Pay them a visit- they’re still fairly new to the area.

40-42 Isham Road, West Hartford

http://www.thegreenteahouse.com/

Ahhh, John Harvard’s Brew House, the neighborhood favorite. My roommates and I frequent this spot since it’s the perfect destination for a quick bite, full meal, or just a beer with friends. Located right off Buckland Street in Manchester, this eatery is just around the riverbend from my humble little abode (It’s true– I’m a Manchester local despite my love for Hartford).

John Harvard’s brews an assortment of signature beers ranging from pale golden lagers to copper ales and dark stouts; the restaurant’s beer list includes seasonal selections along with classic ales and lagers brewed on premises.

The food is excellent: you’ll find the usual pub food- flatbreads, apps, brewhouse comfort food (like smoked buffalo mac & cheese…mmm…), pub burgers, sandwiches, etc. A lovely dessert list as well! (chocolate cobbler w/raspberry sauce is my fave- strongly recommended).

During my last visit, I split some tasty steak sliders and enjoyed the unadventurous but delicious buffalo chicken sandwich– predictable on my end but still a classic choice (Images above and below for your drooling pleasure).

Prices linger around $9-$12 for a burger, $8 ish for sandwiches/wraps and $14-$17 for entrees. To get a better idea of cost and selection, here’s the menu. I don’t think I’ve ever had poor service here, so that’s another plus!

1487 Pleasant Valley Road
Manchester, CT 06040
tel 860-644-2739
fax 860-648-5883

http://www.johnharvards.com

Don’t miss this upcoming event at Real Artways in Hartford!

Eat Your Neighbor
Dish III: Local-Voracious
Tales of Farm-To-Table and Sustainability
Monday, May 24, 7:00 PM | FREE

With a post-discussion Indoor Farmers market in the Real Artways Gallery.

Here’s a snippet from their website:

Get the inside scoop on eating out at DISH, our series of conversations with restaurant professionals. DISH III: Local-Voracious focuses on the growing local, sustainable, and organic movements in Connecticut restaurants. After the discussion, moderated by Rand Richards Cooper, we’re hosting a farmers’ market and food sampling in our galleries.

A discussion with industry professionals about the farm-to-table and sustainability movements in Connecticut restaurants. Moderated by Rand Richards Cooper (Bon Appétit).

Joining Rand Richards Cooper will be:

Scott Miller, Executive Chef at Max’s Oyster Bar in West Hartford. Chef Miller heads the Max Restaurant Group’s popular “Chef to Farm” dinners, which celebrate and support local farms.

Bun Lai, Owner/Chef at Miya’s Sushi in New Haven. His restaurant is the first and only sustainable sushi restaurant in the North East (one of four in America) with the largest vegetarian sushi menu in the world.

Imani of Alchemy Juice Bar and Growing Green Co-op. 7 years in Hartford with a commitment to raw, vegan, vegetarian, local, fresh and organic foods.

Don’t forget…next Monday…key word: FREE…So stop by. You’ll learn a lot. :)

http://www.realartways.org/enews/

Tucked away in an 1872 Railroad Depot, Narcissus Chocolate Cafe is a chocolate-inspired coffee house in the heart of Old Wethersfield. Carol Cober-Narciss, the cafe’s owner, describes her shop as a gathering place for chocolate lovers– fully stocked with gourmet, artisan Lake Champlain truffles and a full range of organic vegan treats from Divine Treasures in Manchester. Mmm.

I’ve been to Narcissus many times before so I was elated to return a few days ago– I worked at a chocolatier back in high school so this shop is like home to me. Aside from the delectable truffles, Narcissus has a full menu of specialty espresso drinks, coffee from a local roaster (Daybreak), smoothies, frappes and more. As far as the specialty drinks go– the “White Chocolate Strawberry Kiss” and “Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle” are heavenly elixirs that mirror the truffle case. The shop also features homemade scones, cookies and muffins and a fantastic lunch menu with paninis, soups, and quiches.

On my last visit, my sister Sarah and I took the no-frills route and opted for the warm simplicity of coffee and fresh scones. The lower level of Narcissus is SO cozy and homey with a wonderful living room atmosphere. This area of the cafe provides a selection of original artwork and crafts for sale, and an assortment of board games and books for a leisurely lounge-around afternoon. So we hung out and played Scrabble while the rain poured outside. Perfect.

Narcissus is exactly what a coffee house should be. It’s different from so many other cafes in the area, since most are geared towards caffeinating the masses and herding people in and out- but Carol and her staff make every effort to make their customers feel at home.

Take a look at their online menu & sign up for their email newsletter!

7 Railroad Place (by the RR tracks on Church St.) Old Wethersfield, Ct. 06109

*Closed Sundays and Mondays

A few days ago, I hopped on the CT Wine Trail and made my way out to Colchester for a wine tasting (yes, edging a bit beyond the Hartford area…). Destination: Priam Vineyards, a bucolic barn-style winery nestled in the Salmon River watershed area. I’ve been to this vineyard a few times before and just love the whole setting: 40 acres with breathtaking views of the quintessential New England surroundings. Right up my alley. I’m a sucker for wine and scenery.

Priam produces 14 handcrafted wines and offers two levels of wine tastings– 5 wines for $7 or 10 for $12 (as well as your own official Priam wine glass, of course). We tried the Reisling, Salmon River White, Jeremy River White, Westchester Red, and Salmon River Red– each a recipient of multiple international medals. Impressive!

Favorite was the Salmon River Red- a crisp, medium bodied Bordeaux style blend, “very blackberry & smoke on the nose”. Finishes with light tannins and crisp acidity. But let’s be honest. I don’t have the most refined palate when it comes to wine…although I have to say, this red was incredible with Lindt dark truffles. You might have something more profound to say about it.

Last summer, a friend and I visited  Priam after spending a lovely day hiking in Hebron– we bought a bottle of the Salmon River White and sat out on the wine patio to relax. So, hopefully this summer will be more of the same.

Wine tastings and self-guided tours are available March through December, every Friday, Saturday, Sunday & select holidays, 11am-5pm*.

Take a look at the vineyard’s summer events & offerings:

• Summer Concert Series
• Vito’s by the Park Summer Wine Dinner Series
• Meals on the wine patio: Lunch/Dinner deliveries available from local restaurants (menus available at Priam)
• Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District 6th Annual Tree Swallow Cruise and Wine Tasting

Priam Vineyards, 11  Shailor Hill Road, Colchester CT

860.267.8520 or info@priamvineyards.com.