A Change of Eatery

Although Autumn is just a few days old, I’ve been craving and creating fall-inspired recipes since the very start of September. So when Amy Kundrat from CT Bites told me she was working on a CT blogger roundup of fall fruit recipes, I was psyched– both to contribute and to get new ideas from food/fall enthusiasts around the state.

That said, take a look at her post!!

Fall Inspired Recipes- A CT Blogger Roundup

& here’s my contribution:

Baking apple strudel muffins is my favorite way to welcome the onset of Autumn. With a delicious cinnamon crumb topping and moist apple chunks, they’re the perfect accompaniment to morning coffee (or a pumpkin spice latte in my case). I made them for a breakfast gathering in mid-September and enjoyed the most incredible fall morning for baking. With the windows open, coffee brewing, and muffins in the oven, baking at 7 AM was worth it for the aromas alone.

Apple Strudel Muffins | from allrecipes.com

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped apples
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

I know perfectly well that it isn’t nice to judge books by their covers, so I hate to break the same rule with restaurants. And, although unintentional, it happens from time to time. Until a few weeks ago, there was one eatery in particular that I’d been a little suspicious about trying out. I drive past India Kitchen every day on my way to the highway and always feel sad about its unremarkable surroundings. Located on Tolland Turnpike in Manchester, the restaurant moved into a previously vacant Roy Rogers last year and sits sandwiched between a few motels and Bob’s Discount Furniture. Classy neighborhood.

So, moral of the story (yup, already)- I judged its cover and successfully avoided eating its awesome Indian food for an entire year.

I stopped thinking about the restaurant until last month when my friend Nick and I flipped a coin to decide where to go for dinner and India Kitchen won. Luck and fate find a way to prevail after all!

Described as a family-style restaurant offering authentic Indian cuisine, India Kitchen provides an extensive menu with a variety of tandoori options, North and South Indian dishes and Indo Chinese specialties. They also offer a daily lunch buffet in addition to the full menu, which could be dangerous since I live 30 seconds away.

Chicken Korma & Lamb Pasanda...photos thanks to Nick Caito!

delicious

Anyway, we ordered chicken korma (boneless chicken cooked in a creamy cashew & almond sauce) and lamb pasanda, which was somewhat similar to the korma but the lamb obviously gave a much different flavor- cooked in a cashew and almond sauce and beautifully seasoned with saffron & cardamom. We paired these dishes with two orders of garlic naan to mop up globs and globs of delicious sauce. I wish I knew more about Indian food, but at least now I’m freshly inspired.

I enjoyed this meal SO much.

What else should you know?

Service was great, prices weren’t bad, and my leftovers were amazing.

394 Tolland Turnpike

Manchester, CT

Menu and additional info at: http://www.indiakitchen.us/Home.asp

Toward the end of last month, I visited Cavey’s Restaurant in Manchester to enjoy one of their Tuesday night wine tasting events. Cavey’s, if you’ve never been, is divided into two different restaurants with equally mouthwatering menus. On the main floor, the Italian restaurant serves a seasonally changing menu of Northern Italian fare, while the lower level restaurant is devoted to modern French cuisine. Cavey’s has been hosting weekly summer wine tastings since June and will continue through the end of this month. The events include 5 wines and 5 small plates for $25.00 per person (reservations necessary).

Instead of recounting the delectable small plates and Italian wine pairings that my friend and I enjoyed (ok, to be honest, I lost the list), I’ll let you in on what’s going on during the rest of September.

Cavey’s will be hosting two more wine events before fall officially kicks in, and I encourage you to attend one or both. You’ll try some wonderfully creative dishes, taste and learn about some wines, and end up ordering three desserts (whoops, maybe just me). I’m dying to try the regular menus in both restaurants.

Here’s what lies ahead:

September 14: Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree With Anyone Else But Me

Sharpe Hill Vineyards of Pomfret, Ct. will introduce us to some of their Wine Spectator highly rated wines. Rising 700 feet from a quiet corner of Connecticut, their micro climate mimics that of some of the best wine regions of Europe.

September 21: Malaguena

Tom Taylor of Slocum and Sons will lead us on a tour of luscious wines from Spain.

All wine events begin at 6:00 and are priced at $25.00 – Reservations are necessary

http://www.caveysrestaurant.com/Events.aspx

45 east center street

manchester, ct 06040

Earlier this week, my friend Allison and I met up for lunch at Tinker’s Seafood in Hartford. Tucked away on Park Street, this combined eatery and fish market is such a delightful local find that I can’t believe it flew under my radar until now. In any case, it’s high time to crawl out from the rock I live beneath and eat some fried seafood.

With its hanging menu boards, counter service and take-out/eat-in options, the casual, no-frills atmosphere at Tinker’s is somewhat reminiscent of a fast food spot (with better food). But beyond the plastic utensils and self-serve sodas, the mural-adorned walls, huge saltwater fishtank, and adjoining seafood market are unique to Tinker’s alone.

The restaurant menu offers tons of fried seafood combos, steamed shellfish, chowders & bisques, pasta, broiled seafood, and, of course, lobster. Tinker’s also has a great list of starters, sandwiches, and salads with add-ins like grilled swordfish, tuna, and salmon.

I started lunch with a small (which translated to plate-sized) caesar salad while Allison began with a cup of the tasty New England clam chowder. At this point, I should mention that the prices at Tinker’s are fantastic and the portions are pretty generous- the salad was $2.95 & the chowder was $2.50.

I also enjoyed a platter of fried catfish ($8.95), which was super meaty, not overwhelmingly breaded, and wonderfully satisfying. I cheerfully doused every last one of my fries in malt vinegar…mmm… Allison opted for a fried oyster po’ boy sandwich from the list of daily lunch specials. It looked and apparently tasted amazing. Needless to say, we parted ways with our fair share of leftovers.

So, pay a visit to Tinker’s if you’re in the mood for seafood. Eat in, take out, or stop by their fish market and cook something at home.

2074 Park Street

Hartford, CT 06106-2055

(860) 232-1382