Hartford Restaurant Round Up

So while I have been mainly cooking at home, I have been able to get out and about to sample some of the area restaurants. Here's a quick recap:

Barcelona: a tapas-style restaurant located in the heart of West Hartford center. How do I put this nicely? THIS RESTAURANT IS A JOKE. Subpar food, lots of attitude and NYC prices to boot. Late night (by late night I mean 10 o'clock!) the restaurant has a I-wanna-be-a-club-like atmosphere complete with beefy bouncers who are just hoping a fight will break out to save them from utter boredom. On my last visit on a Friday night, this neckless joke of a human being said to my friend who was finishing up a beer "drink up man...I'm about to take that bottle from you the minute you take that bottle away from your mouth". Puh-lease!

Max's Oyster Bar: also located in West Hartford Center, this restaurant offers fresh quality seafood. (Ed note: Read more of my review at this link) On the weekends the bar area becomes a haven for single divorcees from the surrounding burbs. A meat market atmosphere in a fish restaurant is a bit of irony, huh? Okay, perhaps in the Alanis Morrissette type of way. Oh yeah and the drinks are pretty darn good here.

Bricco: an Italian restaurant from Billy Grant, local culinary hero and owner of Grant's (see below). The outside dining area and bar area have a modern touch while the interior dining room feels a bit dated. While the decor might be dated, the food is fresh, modern and a delightful twist on standard Italian fare. Not cheap by any means but a solid dining option. I've only been here once and have heard mixed reviews from those who have been there more frequently, so the jury's still out on this one...

Grant's: pretty decent fare with a bustling al fresco dining area. You can get a bit of the suburban 'tude (see Barcelona review above) if you venture in late night (again, 'late-night' means around 9pm) but consistent food and highly touted desserts keep the crowds satisfied. Not sure if I think the desserts are THAT exceptional but I'll keep coming back to try them out.

The King & I: a funky little BYOB Thai restaurant located down Park Road. A good place for inexpensive high quality Thai with a lot of spice (the pad kee mow was on par with what I used to get in NYC). Basically it's a house transformed to a restaurant and a gem in the area. If you go, make sure to check out the bathroom. As my buddy BB says, "I think they are performing human sacrifices in there after hours"... I just think it looks like a bag tag sale threw up in there.

Plan B: pub grub in a casual setting. A la Counter, you can get a pretty decent burger here at a bit more reasonable price. The service is friendly and there is a small bar area. When dining there with RRR we were both very satisfied with our burgers; I especially enjoyed her Cubano burger: ground pork with bacon, cheddar cheese, mustard and pickles.

Trumbull Kitchen: great drinks and a well rounded menu located in Hartford. TK is part of the same restaurant group as Max's and I really enjoyed this place. I definitely am overdue for a return trip here. (more detailed review here).

Rizzuto's: a bit of an upscale Paparazzi meets your neighborhood NYC salumeria this modern noisy Italian is a great place to bring the family for dinner or to hang out with the girls. Not all of my gang up here like Rizzuto's as much as I do but for a new restaurant, it's definitely headed in the right direction. (more detailed review here).

Flatbread's: along the same lines as Rizzuto's although a bit more family oriented and casual. Great option for a nice lunch when in the Farmington area. (more detailed review here).

Italian Heavy Hitters (aka RRR's wine tasting): The Wine!

My dear sister (aka RRR) steps in to blog about a recent wine tasting she hosted. Salute!

The Italian Heavy Hitters

We are not talking about our Jersey family and friends here! RRR is stepping in to cover the latest Boston, Mitch inspired wine tasting. Should we start with the food or the wine? Guess that's like the chicken and the egg debate. Can't figure out if the food makes me crave the wine or the wine makes me crave the food…

The Vino

Mitch took charge of the wine selection. She focused on the primary wine regions-the classics for the night's line up. Speaking of line-up, guess I should identify the guest list. We had the usual suspects present … If only Ms. Foodie was present!

Mitch – Master of Wine Ceremonies
Ski – Not a usual suspect, but when she’s present, she's present. Her quote, "I want to taste some earth!"
Lynnie – Yes, a usual suspect and so much more, but sans "Dan-O" – a Ms. Foodie favorite and our token male…our other partner-in-wine [Stay tuned for a North Fork Wine tasting trip – RRR, Mitch, Lynn and Dan-O!!!]
SheGal – Another usual suspect, sans the stinky cheese (that was present beyond ofactory comprehension at the last tasting)
Lori – Our token beer drinker, observer, photographer and designated driver
Mr. RRR – "Bernie" was awake and alert for the tasting!
And of course, yours’ truly… RRR

Mitch set the line up as follows…with RRR's tasting notes which mirrored most of the overall comments from the tasting crowd.

First at bat – a 2005 Chianti Classico, villa Caffaggio. Overall impression was that for the money ($20), we weren't that impressed, particularly given the selection of Chiantis well below this price point. Light tannins, sour cherry notes. RRR tasted again on day two (out of obligation and respect for the grape of course!) and found it bit more strawberry-ish on the nose but still lacking any complexity.

Next, a 2004 Masciarelli, Marina Cvetic (Montepulciano d'Abuzzo). Lots of dried cherry fruit, medium to full-bodied. The crowd really enjoyed this one, well beyond the first 'taste' – as nada for a day two tasting.

A 2003 Capanna Brunello di Montalcino. Smoky and tannic. Did not score high with the crowd. Obviously enough for day two tasting. Still not impressive to RRR. Tannins tamed a bit, but lacked any complexity. But hey, it's red, it's Italian, the RRR’s polished this one off.

2002 Travaglini Gattinara. Light to medium bodied with dried cherry and an almond finish. Tasted even better day two!

These last three were the favorites of the night…

A 2003 Villa Antinori Super Tuscan. A unique curry aroma and taste, combined with tobacco and blackberry. Very complex, very interesting. The crowd was a bit mixed on this one. RRR day two tasting – only hints of the curry on the nose with the smokiness and fruit shining through. Yes, a winner for RRR! Think this one was my favorite of the bunch.

A 2001 Ronchi Barbaresco. A smooth cherry taste. This was a star! Soft tannins, floral with a nice hint of earth.

A 2003 Batasiolo Barolo. Big cherry notes, some menthol. A big Italian beauty (speaking about the wine of course)!

2001 Allegrini Amarone. Probably the star of the night! Dark red fruit, some chocolate notes. Unfortunately, we only had a half bottle when we could have easily taken care of a full one!

We had a couple of throw in's (aka pinch hitters) – namely a Lou's Red from Rosedale Vineyards in CT – a blend of CT and CA grapes that RRR picked up from the CT wine trail tasting with Ms. Foodie. Cracked open in honor of Lynnie, native CT and lover of all CA wines. With the first tasting, mixed reviews given the 'funky' port taste. On day two, the funkiness rounded out to a dried fruit smoother finish. Not bad for CT…?

Mr. RRR broke out his Silver Decoy Blueberry wine (NJ) to compliment dessert. Don't be fooled here. We are not talking pancake syrup here. Burst of blueberry but just enough sugar to not be cloying.

Italian Heavy Hitters (aka RRR's wine tasting): The Food!

Big Night…

Well the eating commenced prior to the first pour. I tried to stagger the menu until all the usual suspects arrived. Plus, I was holding off on the heavier items in anticipation of the wine. Eat, taste… then repeat.

I should probably give readers of this blog some insight into my approach to cooking and utilizing recipes. I typically use recipes as a general guideline and modify based on what I have on hand or what is seasonal. As Ms. Foodie might be learning now, out in the ‘burbs, you do not always have all ingredients available. Take for example, a special stop for leeks! And another trip for bread! Plus I could not find decent pita bread…

Spicy Shrimp Boats – Guess I'll first have to confess that I have a subscription to Every Day with Rachel Ray. Guess Ms. Foodie will have to post a link on her blog! (Ed note: you're right! here it is!) Actually, there aren’t many recipes in the mag that have been worthy of a try. But this one looked simple enough and I needed to find a use for the cooked shrimp in my freezer.

I cut up an English cucumber and carved out the center – to make little round vessels for the shrimp. This surgery to the cucumber took the most time. Otherwise, I quite simply diced up some pre-cooked shrimp. Combined a tablespoon of rice vinegar and ½ Tbs. of sugar and nuked for a couple of seconds to dissolve the sugar. The recipe called for minced jalapeno – however I bought minced green chile by mistake. I used it anyways and added a couple of dashes of Tabasco. Instead of chopped fresh mint (recipe),I had some cilantro on hand instead. Fill the little cuke cups with this shrimp mixture and voila – something fancy – almost 'sushi looking' to impress the guests. Nice sweetness of the rice vinegar coupled with a touch of spiciness. Plus the 'lightness' of it all was a nice break from what was yet to come…

Shrimp with Artichoke Pesto – Partnered some of the whole cooked shrimp with this easy tasty pesto. Using the food processor, pulsed together some artichoke hearts, a handful of fresh basil, shredded Parmesan cheese, garlic and streamed in some olive oil. Easy, tasty and hit with the crowd! Not only was it a more unique side than the typical cocktail sauce, but it doubled as a topping for crostini. I plan on using the 'leftovers' on fish or chicken this week. At the last tasting, I served shrimp with a Bloody Mary sauce – email Ms. Foodie if you'd like that recipe!

Baba-ga-humus – I discovered this recipe in Cooking Light. Roasted a whole eggplant, let cool and then peeled the skin. Added the eggplant pulp, 3-4 Tbs. of tahini, a can of chickpeas, salt, pepper and of course, the garlic. Whizzed around in the food processor and served with some crostini. As a lover of all things eggplant, I could eat this by the spoonful – actually, I have been using the leftovers as a spread in lieu of mustard on my sandwiches this week!

Goat Cheese Leek and Pancetta tart. I tried my hand at using frozen puff pastry and I am sold! This recipe was inspired by two NYT recipes I had on hand. Defrosted a sheet of the puff pastry and rolled out the sheet a bit to fit on a cookie sheet. Brushed the pastry with a bit of truffle oil. Topped with leeks and diced pancetta that I had already sauteed up. A sprinkling of goat cheese and popped into the oven (400 degrees) for approximately 25 minutes. These also re-heated well during the course of the long festive night.

Flatbreads – Sorry to do this again but yes, inspired by Rachel Ray on this one. Admittedly, I have gotten some good inspiration and ideas from her show (and – another confession – her cookbook. It was a gift! Even Ms. Foodie has one.) Unable to find some 'thick' authentic pita bread, I had to settle for the lavash bread at the deli. Oh well, they still were easy to make, tasty and easy to re-heat during the evening. I even 'tested' one out the night before for an easy dinner.

I piled on some arugula, prosciutto and brie. For the veggie topping, I made two different versions, one using grilled eggplant and sauteed mushrooms on another. I folded the lavash and grilled up in a pan on the stove. Easily cut up into appetizer-size squares. They made for the perfect little packages to accompany the wine. For dinner the previous night, I used some salami on hand vs the prosciutto and ummm tasty!

Stuffed Sausage Bread – Ok brace yourselves, but got this recipe from Parade magazine. Yes, that flimsy Sunday newspaper insert! And of course, not the REAL sausage bread that Ms. Foodie, Cousina and I make for Christmas. The recipe called for two loaves, but I halved it for one loaf and did some tweaking. I sauteed up some sausage (approx. ½ lb.) and 1/3 lb ground meat (recipe called for beef but I had turkey on hand) with diced onion (about 1 medium). I hollowed out a fat French loaf bread (cut both off the ends and use a long serrated knife) and made some bread crumbs with the 'innards' in the food processor. Then added the bread crumbs to the meat mixture, along with a heavy Tbs of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, diced fresh sage and diced fresh flat leaf parsley plus one egg. Took the 'stuffing' and jammed it back into the hollowed out loaf. Make sure you pack it tightly so it can slice well when done (my lesson learned). Then reattached the ends – I used two BBQ skewers, inserted diagonally on each end. In the meantime, I made some 'garlic butter' and brushed that on top. Wrapped it in tin foil, leaving the top slightly exposed and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees. A perfect appetizer to make ahead and then pop into the oven. Mr. RRR believes this rivals the REAL sausage bread, but not sure his opinion is worth much. He'll devour just about anything made with sausage. Hmmm… sounds like someone else we all know? (Ed note: I have NO idea who she is referring to...oink oink)

Pasta Bolognese – A 'real' recipe this time, from the master Mr. Batali. I sauteed up approximately 2 diced carrots, 4 celery stalks and 2 onions (my advice is to use the food processor to get it to a fine dice) in my Dutch oven. Added some diced pancetta (approximately 4 oz.). Then added ground meat – 2 lbs in total. Given the limitations of the burbs I used one package of the meatloaf mix (beef, pork and veal) and 1 lb. of ground pork. Mario's recipe called for 1 lb. veal and 1 lb. pork. Sauteed that up until cooked through and then added 8oz. of tomato paste, ½ cup dry white wine, 1 cup of milk and fresh thyme ( I threw in some dried too.). Instead of 1 cup water, I used beef broth. And of course, some salt and pepper. You can cook it on the stove (low heat) for 1 – 1.5 hours, or as I did – in the oven at a low temp (250 degrees). Nothing beats anything cooked in the Le Crusette in the oven! I actually made this the night before and just heated it up and added some pasta water to liquefy a bit. Topped the pasta and sauce with some shredded parmesean. A match made in heaven! Oh the vino, let’s not forget the vino! I have to admit, when I heard Mitch decided on Italian reds, I could only dream about this combination.

Chocolate Chip Cookies – There is always room for something sweet, no? Made these a couple of nights prior. Instead of defaulting to the Tollhouse package recipe,I followed one by Cook's Illustrated. The primary differences being melting the butter for creaming with the sugar, using more brown sugar (versus white) and using one whole egg and one yolk. The result being a more chewy cookie – yes, even after a couple of days of being on the counter. And that is the real test – actually two test – 1.) staying chewy and 2.) lasting 2 days without being eaten in entirety!

Molten Chocolate Cake – As fancy as this may sound, it couldn't be easier. This can be a go to impress your guests with no effort dessert for just about anyone! Melted some bittersweet chocolate chips and butter over a double boiler. Whisked in some sugar, eggs, egg yolks and a wee bit of flour. That is it! (I'm going to spare you calorie counters out there by not telling you how much of these ingredients go in.) Put into ramekins and bake for 15 minutes or so (depends on size of ramekins). Mine oozed out within seconds of hitting the plate, but who cares when there's vanilla frozen yogurt so scoop up with the decadent, rich chocolate mess. The crowd did hiss when the frozen yogurt came out - Who's watching calories at this point?