Peppercorn's Grill

RRR headed into Hartford late Saturday night to check out Peppercorn's Grill. The menu was extensive. In addition to the wide array of items offered on Peppercorn's regular menu, there was a pretty long list of specials to add to the indecision.

We finally came to a consensus and decided to share the il piccolo ragù di funghi selvatici con il loro brodetto e polenta di semolina which is a fricassee of seasonal wild mushrooms in their own juices with parmigiano reggiano and semolina polenta. The polenta had a nice crusty outer layer and the rich sauce provided a nice bed for the earthy mushrooms.

For a main course, RRR had the sea bass special with haricot verts, artichokes, potatoes and olive and tomato bruschetta. The fish was fresh and perfectly cooked and the artichokes really stood out from the rest of the vegetables. Overall, a very well-rounded nice dish.

I chose my traditional pasta with seafood dish. The fettuccine was freshly made and toothsome and well coated by the rich thick hearty tomato sauce that came with it. Fresh clams, mussels, calamari, scallops and half a lobster tail were all well cooked and delicious.

Would I say it is the best Italian I've ever had? No. Would I say that it was a good restaurant option if you're in Hartford and itching for Italian? Yes.

Glastonbury Apple Harvest Festival

What are you going to do after you help your friend run his first 5K? Pig out at the nearest fair of course! After running the 34th Annual Apple Harvest Festival 5K road race, the 'official' race photographer (aka RRR) and I headed over to the fair grounds of the Glastonbury Apple Harvest Festival.

We perused the various stalls and made a few purchases including the adorable lunch bag (see post below) and a super cute pumpkin lantern for RRR. We tasted a few of the gourmet food items of some of the vendors but weren't moved enough to make a purchase.

And what's a fair without lots of fried goodness at your fingertips? The apple fritters seemed to be the item du jour and we chose a stand and decided to give them a whirl.

Basically, we're talking batter dipped apples that you coat with some powdered and cinnamon sugar. Yeah, it's fried dough with fruit in the middle. They were pretty good but RRR and I are 'purists' when it comes to fried dough (aka zeppoles to those not up on the Jerz slang) and weren't totally enamored with the fritters. Plus, this was not the apple fritters we remembered from our childhood...I believe those came courtesy of Mrs. Paul!

But there were more apples to be had and I followed the fritters with a slice of apple pie while enjoying the band playing at the fair. The pie was decent, but the chill in the air took a bit out of it... it would have been better if it was warm.

We didn't totally leave empty handed, however, and left the fair with bags of... what else? Apples!

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).

Counter: the East Coast Edition

I've been watching the construction of Counter in West Hartford's Blue Back Square for awhile now and the same question kept crossing my mind. Was this the same Counter that I enjoyed in Los Angeles a few years back?

The answer was "yes".

I stopped in yesterday for a late lunch and the place was bustling. The hostess initially tried to seat me at the counter (literally) as one is apt to do when a patron dines solo but with a lack of counter seating, I wound up at a four top in the middle of the dining room.

I decided to build my own burger instead of choosing one off their regular menu. Looking back to my former post on Counter, I pretty much built the same burger this time around. What can I say? I'm a creature of habit.

My choice was a 1/3 lb turkey burger with Gruyere cheese, sauteed mushrooms, grilled onions, and baby greens on a honey wheat bun. I also opted for a side of the peppercorn steak sauce which was basically an au jus. On the fry-side, I chose to go "fifty-fifty": a smart combo of sweet potato and regular fries.

The fries were excellent. Crispy and well-seasoned with the sweet potato version having a slight edge over the Idaho's. The burger was a tad overdone but nothing that a dip in the au jus didn't help remedy. (Next time I'll request medium rare) The mushrooms were pretty good and the onions were tasty, although a few raw onions slipped into the mix.

This burger creation, fries and a diet soda ran me just under 20 bucks, not cheap. The food was quality but a bit overpriced, a trend of most establishments in this new "hip" part of West Hartford.

Flatbreads in Farmington Valley

During a marathon day of shopping (Ms Foodie doing her part to help the economy), I stopped for lunch at Flatbreads in Farmington.

Flatbreads has the feel of a chain with the coziness of a local eatery. The rustic farmhouse vibe of the wood burning oven and the open kitchen add to the charm of the place although I didn't quite get the point of the large rock I wound up sitting next to...

There were two types of pizzas to chose from: with sauce and without. You can also build your own pizza so there is certainly is variety in the menu. My server touted the "organic" ingredients on the menu and while I appreciate organic farming, it doesn't necessarily sway my choice of eatery. Sorry, just being honest. But I digress...

After perusing the menu, I decided to go with one of the intriguing specials, a pizza with caramelized onions, butternut squash, roasted cranberries and goat cheese. I paired this with a blueberry wheat beer recommended by my server.

The flatbread had a nice combination of savory and sweet and I enjoyed the thin crust of the pizza. Unfortunately, I found the beer less satisfying. It basically tasted like a Budweiser with the blueberry essence. A small pizza was more than enough for a light lunch and I will certainly be back to try one of their salads. If you are looking for a casual friendly place with decent food at a reasonable price, Flatbreads if for you.

Girl Meets Grill

Many of you have expressed concern over the lack of recent posts on f is for foodie.

"What's the matter? Nothing to eat in Connecticut?"
"Are you starving yourself?"
"Spending too much time in the cafeteria of the WWL?"

Actually none of the above.

Unfortunately, as a circumstance of working nights, I no longer have the luxury of coming home and whipping up a meal. What I do have is two days to prepare my lunches and dinners for the week and pack them up to bring to the WWL. More often than not, it's cramming a week's worth of cooking into one day.

Luckily, my new grill has been doing the heavy lifting. Basically, I take all the veggies (eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions and corn on the cob) and meats (various type of sausage, pork chops, marinated chicken breasts, burgers) I have on hand, season them up and throw them on the grill. I've also been preparing various salads and sides like couscous to which I add some toasted pine nuts and fresh parsley from my mini herb garden to spruce it up a bit.

One good thing about living in this part of Connecticut is there are plenty of farm stands and fresh produce to be had just about every day of the week. The corn and tomatoes have been exceptional this summer and one benefit of moving north is the produce season lasts slightly longer than in New York. There's still great tomatoes to be had up here!

As my grilling skills improve, I've become a bit more adventurous. I've made swordfish kabobs, grilled shrimp, and grilled pineapple. The pineapple was a particularly delightful accompaniment to my pineapple sake marinated pork chops last week. And as I continue to experiment and churn out grilled goodies, I will do my best to keep the photos and posts coming!

Hitting The Connecticut Wine Trail

What better way to judge my new home state than by hitting the wine trail? RRR and I recently took a culinary road trip and hit a few farm stands and vineyards. Using the "Food Lovers' Guide to Connecticut" (a great book by Patricia Brooks and Lester Brooks) as our guide, we mapped out a game plan and ventured out to the farm lands.

First stop was Tulmeadow Farm Store in Simsbury. As I loaded up on zucchini, squash, tomatoes and peaches, I had to remind myself to take it easy since this was only the first stop on our journey. We enjoyed some of their ice cream as well and the red-raspberry chocolate chip was spectacular! I would drive back just for the ice cream alone!

After Tulmeadow, we made a short stop at Say Cheese in Simsbury where we stocked up on some cheese, crackers and other picnic goodies in anticipation of tasting some wines. We wound up at Rosedale Farm and Vineyard and after waiting quite some time for assistance eventually did a tasting. Our guide was doing some very one on one tasting and we were itching for some wine - c'mon, multitask! multitask!

Their Three Sisters (a delightful light fruity white) and Lou's Red (a big red in the California vein) were the standouts. We purchased a few bottles, some cheese, produce and bread and then set up shop at one of the picnic tables in back. The landscape was beautiful and if I didn't know any better I'd swear I was in Northern California!

We packed up and hit two more vineyards, Jerram Winery and Connecticut Valley Winery. We had a good laugh at Connecticut Valley Winery watching the couple next to us downing each taste of wine like it was a shot and staring at us like we were insane for not finishing our glasses of each wine. We didn't love any of the wines enough to purchase but overall it was a pleasant experience and we tasted some decent wines. Surprisingly, a bit less complex than the wines we tasted in South Jersey but delightful nonetheless.

Not bad, Connecticut, not bad at all!

My Fair Lady...

In another attempt to bond with the state of Connecticut, RRR dutifully drove down from Bean Town to spend the weekend exploring the Nutmeg State with her sister.

We decided to go "country" for this trip and hit the Goshen Fair.

For those not familiar with "fairs" (I was one of these people), it is a place were farm equipment, animals and large produce are on display and prizes are given for excellence in all of these categories.

We wandered around the fairgrounds, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the large pumpkins, zucchini, and farm animals. The piglets were my favorite! So tiny, cute and sweet as they insisted on lining up next to one another even when away from their mother!

Of course we admiring farm animals can work up an appetite, so we ate and ate and ate. C'mon, it's a joke!

The chicken sausage with sundried tomato sandwich from Nodine's (also mentioned in the "Food Lover's Guide to Connecticut) was the highlight of "pig-out"!

So much fun! Can't wait for the next one... now if I can only get the pooh out of my shoes!

Max's Oyster Bar: First Stop on the West Hartford Culinary Tour

Mitch and I hit West Hartford hot spot Max's Oyster Bar last Friday night for dinner and cocktails. I must admit this is my second trip to Max's, the first being with RRR, Lynnie and Dan-O on a pre-move scout. I was too overwhelmed with a day of apartment and car shopping to blog, but I was determined to document what will be one of many visits to the premiere restaurant of my new hometown.

First of all, the cocktails are outstanding. Crisp, clean and smooth are words to describe the ones I've tasted and the upside of these potential D.U.I. makers is that I will eventually be living within walking distance of the restaurant. The white cosmopolitan (Absolut Citron, Cointreau, White Cranberry and Lime Juice) and the Maxarita (Sauza Hornitos, Chambord, Grand Manier, Lemon-Lime Juice) were delicious and I am eager to try Max's Bloody Oyster (complete with freshly shucked oyster)!

This outpost of Max's restaurant group centers around their raw bar. On my initial visit I enjoyed the Jonah crab cocktail but on this trip, while Mitch happily satisfied her oyster jones, I headed for the appetizers and enjoyed the Maryland crab cake with jicama slaw. The crab cake was fresh and flavorful and although the kitchen was a bit heavy handed on the remoulade the crab to breading ratio was spot on. The jicama provided a nice bit of crunch to the smooth sweetness of the crabmeat.

For my main I went decided to choose one of the fish selections of the day with my choice of sauce. The Alaskan halibut with shallot herb butter was the winner, mainly due to the plethora of salmon and tuna choices on the menu this particular evening.

With a choice of a side, I went with the "rustic pasta" aka mac n'cheese with goat cheese. It was as decadent and creamy as you are imagining. Not the best mac n'cheese I've ever had but that didn't stop me from cleaning my plate. The halibut had a great char on it and I actually left a bit due to my overindulgence in the mac n'cheese side. Plus I HAD to leave some room for dessert.

Upon our server's suggestion (and since I couldn't convince Mitch to go for the key lime pie), Mitch and I shared the Valrhona "Baked" Hot Chocolate. It was an almost custard-like souffle dish of warm chocolate with a side of vanilla bean ice cream which was almost as impressive as the chocolate. I was not impressed with the house made marshmallow accompanying the dessert, but then again I am eternally spoiled by City Bakery's homemade marshmallows... nothing will ever come close!

RRR and I also ate at Trumbull Kitchen during our pre-move scout, another restaurant in the Max group located in Hartford and I can tell you that I will be paying more visits to that location as well. And as an incredible parting gift from two of my beloved former co-workers, I received a gift certificate for a chef's tasting at Max Downtown also located in downtown Hartford. If I keep this up, I think "Max" should put me on the payroll!

West Hartford Farmer's Market

Not quite the Union Square Greenmarket but at least there is a farmer's market! Yes, life in surburbia makes me grateful for whatever culinary gifts I receive.

After perusing the few stalls mainly filled with plants, I managed to taste some lovely cow's cheese and purchased two varieties of cucumbers: lemon and verbina.

The woman running the stand suggested trying these odd shaped lemon cucs chopped up in a tuna salad and I think add some capers, salt, pepper and mustard and call it a day! I am expecting a slightly tart taste to them when I finally get to chopping.

I also bought some verbena cucumbers which are apparently used for pickling. I had one verbena with some pickled beets and goat cheese over mesclun greens and then in a simple salad of cucumber, grape tomatoes, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The verbenas were firm and fresh and not bad for 50 cents.

Not too shabby as I've only begun to get a taste of Connecticut produce!

Note to my dear readers...

Since the inception of this blog, f is for foodie has mainly focused on the New York City dining scene (the occasionally European trips and out of state jaunts notwithstanding).

Hold on to your laptops but Ms. Foodie has left Manhattan and relocated to suburbia; the Hartford area to be exact. I have accepted a great job in a state better known for it's sky high gas prices than it's gastronomy.

The hardest part about leaving New York was all the great meals I'll be missing out on. Seriously. It was on my list of reasons NOT to take this new position.

Perhaps it will make my many trips back to the Big Apple that much more meaningful. Who knows? What I do know is that I have not been able to pick up the Dining Section of The New York Times since I've left. I just might sob uncontrollably.

Not to say that a good if not great meal can be found in the Constitution State. On a pre-move trip, RRR and I had some lovely meals at Trumbull Kitchen in Hartford as well as Rizzuto's and Max's Oyster Bar in West Hartford Center. And I've only begun to scratch the surface of what appears to be a burgeoning dining scene so expect the focus of the blog to become a bit more Connecticut based when I am not traveling. It also might be a bit light until I settle into my permanent digs, so please bear with me.

Also, please use this opportunity to submit some guest reviews to my foodie email link. I'd love to hear what I'm missing out on!