Sunday Brunchin' At Firebox

Hey, want to hear something awesome? Of course you do. I found my new favorite brunch place in CT: Hartford's Firebox. I've been wanting to go to this place since it opened a couple years ago, but like so many other things in my life, it took awhile to make it happen. But, I am so glad I didn't give up. Everything from the food to the atmosphere is great. See that? That's a DJ! At brunch! In Hartford! It's the kind of place you'd expect to find in a city like Boston or New York, but unlike those places there isn't a 40 minute wait for a table and the prices are reasonable. Firebox is a part of Billings Forge and is housed in a beautiful, old brick building. They are part of the farm to table food movement and grow a number of ingredients in their garden out back.

Doesn't the word 'tavern' make your mouth water? No? Just me?

I had the eggs benedict with salmon pastrami and James had some egg and sausage thing served in a personal-sized cast iron pan. The hollandaise was so friggin good. Next time we go I'm asking for an additional side of hollandaise because I am gross and the accompanying heart disease is well-worth it. Also, salmon pastrami? Did you know this was a thing? I had never heard of it before I ordered it, but needless to say I am now a fan. In the middle is our order of homefries accompanied with a dollop of smoked paprika aioli. I have recently been introduced to the wonder that is smoked paprika, but this aioli took my adoration to a new level. Yet another thing to speed along that heart disease.

 All in all, it was a wonderful, relaxing meal that I'm sure was helped along by the two mimosas I had. It was also really nice to see how they incorporated other Hartford-area businesses and foods into the menu when possible. The toast my benedict came with was from the good ol' Hartford Baking Company. Basically, this is the kind of place that makes you go "Yeah! Hartford could really be something!" but then you look around and realize there's only six people in the entire restaurant on a gorgeous Sunday. I guess the place is pretty hopping during the weekend and happy hour, which is encouraging because this is the kind of place that Hartford needs.

Daytrippin' in Litchfield County

As my mother says, "Litchfield County is a lovely part of the world" and, even though it's only half an hour away from my home, it feels like another country. Sometimes I get so caught up in planning far away trips that I forget how restorative it can be to simply get away, even within state lines. So, after a busy week where we barely saw each other (thank you, new school year) James and I decided to take a long lesiurely drive down to New Milford, CT to visit our friend's farm.

Sullivan Farms (sadly, no relation) sits on 100 acres of beautiful Connecticut farmland and managed by our friend Joey, pictured here eating an apple.

All kinds of seasonal produce can be found at their farmstand, as well as other local products like honey, soaps, and maple syrup.

But we enjoyed simply wandering around the farm and taking in the scenery.

A girl could get used to this.

The Last Gasp Of Summer

On Monday James and I were supposed to go to a Red Sox night game. A nice way to wrap up summer, right? Well, turns out that it was actually a day game but James didn't realize this until the last minute. I couldn't go because I had to work and he didn't feel much like driving for two hours to sit in the hot sun by himself. So, to cheer him up, I suggested we head down to the shore and enjoy the beautiful weather. It would give us something to remember fondly in five months when we're trapped inside because it's too damn cold to go anywhere.

I wanted a shore dinner and I wanted to sit outside, so we made our way to Bill's Seafood in Westbrook. It may not have been Fenway, but it sure was cheaper. Plus, some scavenging seagulls provided surprisingly compelling dinner time entertainment.

James waiting no so patiently for his fish and chips--or being mad that I took his picture. Whatever.

You know what makes fried calamari even better? Jalapenos.

The hot lobster roll is a traditional Connecticut thing, and kind of goes with our whole upper crust snobby WASP vibe. Mayonaisse is simply too gauche, darling. Bill's wasn't as good as Abbott's, another CT institution, but lobster is still lobster.

After stuffing our faces, I suggested we take a walk on the beach to aid in digestion. We parked at the nearby Clinton town beach. Sometimes I forget how beautiful Connecticut can be.

....It's still boring though.

The Apple (Orchard) Of My Eye

On Monday James and I made our annual trek to Belltown Hills Orchards in South Glastonbury, CT to buy pie, some heirloom apples, and continue my quest to eat as many apple cider donuts as possible. 

Now, you might think that I'm one of those people who loves to pick their own apples. It's just so wholesome and New England-y. Well, you're wrong. As a child I was subjected to seasonal fruit-picking masked as fun. You know what isn't fun to a six year old? Picking blueberries with your grandma in the middle of a field under the hot June sun. The only good part was at the end of the day when she made Blueberry Buckle, so I guess it was worth it. Maybe as an adult it would be  different because I could leave when I wanted instead of being told to 'Stop whining and fill your basket.' Yes, Grandma. So, in celebration of my adulthood and the personal freedoms I enjoy, I choose to not go apple picking. 

However, I still enjoy visiting apple farms and reaping their bounty, or something.

                                               Ahhh, apple country

James Fun Fact #1: He is allergic to raw apples, which also happen to be his favorite fruit. Aw, sad :(

He can, however, eat cooked apples, which leads me to James Fun Fact #2: His favorite pie is apple.

Belltown was out of regular apple pies so he settled for Apple-Cranberry over the gross-sounding Maple-Apple (bleh.)

While James was perusing pies I was checking out their apple selection. As I've written before, I'm working on a book that, in a nutshell, marries literature with cooking. I've been trying to recreate a particular recipe from a particular novel that takes place in the English countryside circa 1800. The problem is that apple varieties are cross-bred so much that it can be difficult to track down the same kind of apples that existed 200 years ago. Enter heirloom apples: 

I would have preferred  Bramleys but settled for some Pippins, which were among the first apples to be brought over to the U.S. from Europe and are considered a cooking apple. Perfect!

However, while I was bagging my apples I looked over and spotted these:

I have been reading about quince since I started this book project last winter. The problem was 1.) It wasn't fall and 2.) The once popular fruit can be hard to find. It isn't exactly the kind of fruit you'll find at the supermarket (or even Whole Foods. I checked.) So, I was super excited when I saw these. Can't wait to cook with them!

Once we were loaded down with pie, apples, and quince it was time for donuts:

Belltown makes apple cider and pumpkin donuts every day and they are awesome. Light, soft, and flavorful. The pumpkin donut is particularly good. One bite and I wanted to take back all those stupid, over-sugared Dunkin Donuts versions I've had. Totally not worth it. Belltown donuts? Definitely worth it.

 

Plus, you get to eat your amazing donuts outside surrounded by mums! Who wouldn't like that?

Coffee Time With James

James and I both have Sundays and Mondays off. The former is usually spent recovering from Saturday night, while Monday tends to be our day to do"Jemily" stuff. 

But because I am now getting closer to 30, Sunday wasn't quite enough time to undo Saturday night. 

So on Monday, in the midst of a pretty epic couch session, when James asked me what I felt like doing I said "Afternoon tea" without really thinking about a) the fact that I didn't want to move and b) it was already 4--kind of late for tea time.

But surprisingly, he went with that and soon tracked down a place on Yelp: The Coffee Trade; a combo antique store/cafe in Avon, CT.

I managed to rally because nothing fills my cold, black heart more than the idea of drinking a latte surrounded by old doll clothes.

No, really. 

Ok, not really. But the place sounded pretty cool and after day two inside, I figured I could stand to get some air. 

In case you aren't familiar with Avon, CT, it pretty much represents 'Old New England' but with more $$. The name alone sounds so WASPy: Avaawwhnnn.

I don't go there much, but I was willing to make an exception for a place with a 4/5 star rating.

The catch to this place is the fact that they roast their own coffee right in the store, which is cool. They also have a ton of different coffee drink flavors with quirky names like "The Cold Shower" and "The Blondie"; just don't ask me what's in them. I had the salted caramel latte, which isn't clever, but it was delicious. 

If you actually do enjoy drinking lattes surrounded by doll clothes, you can sit inside.

But we opted for the lovely patio outside:

Manly lumberjack not included.

Eating My Way Through The Big E

Confession: Prior to Monday, I had never been to the Big E. Well, maybe I went when I was a baby, but that totally doesn't count. Apparently I did a lot of gnarly stuff as a child that I have no memory of, like attending a Maplethorpe show and climbing to the top of Mt Washington. Anyways, BIG E. Every year I'd say something like "Oh, we should go" and then make excuses for three weeks until it was over. "Oh well. There's always next year," I'd say. And on and on and on. Not this year, people. This year I made it. And oh what a fair it is. So many useless crap on sale, so many deliciously horrible things to eat. Come join me:

Hmmm...that seems a bit like overkill

Lil' Sebastian Jr!

Elephant is sooo siked to get some carrots!

In the Maine building I got a mini chocolate-covered whoopie pie (duh) from Wicked Woopies

Then we moved on to things on a stick...

 ... and a bone

I call this one "Girl with a Turkey Leg"

Time to make the apple cider donuts!

 I had to include this because it is the cutest thing I have ever seen

 ...and this is the scariest

Ok, back to food! Behold: Baked potato from Maine.

I enjoyed both Opa Opa's watermelon beer and it's Western-inspired tent

 Let's all go to the Clydesdale Parade!

The ubiquitous Big E cream puffs that I didn't have

And, the piece de resistance: Deep-fried oreos. I think I'm in love.

I (Heart)ford: Salute

I've been in the throes of a summer cold the past couple days, making it hard to sleep and leaving me without much of an appetite (horror of horrors!) Therefore, writing about food has felt a little odd. But. Must. Blog.

As I've mentioned before I recently moved back to Connecticut. On my first night back after a long, sweaty move James and I headed to downtown Hartford for dinner. We decided to try Salute, recently voted the best new restaurant by The Hartford Advocate and it did not disappoint. They have a lovely outdoor seating area which is quite large, especially for downtown. First, there was this:


Salute's "Almost Famous" garlic bread. If you're at all familiar with the Hartford restaurant scene (I just rolled my own eyes, but stay with me) you may recognize this from the old Hot Tomatoes menu. Several of Salute's owners left Hot Tomatoes to open this place but brought along this customer favorite. When I was a kid they used to sell a frozen version of it in a couple of local specialty food stores in the area (R.I.P Cheese and Stuff) and I distinctly remember that back before my father remarried his nearly empty fridge always seemed to have a loaf of this in the freezer.

The point is, whatever you do, order this garlic bread. Order it as a side, order it as your dinner, I don't care. Just. Get it.

Of course, there is a full menu of delicious Italian-inspired fare as well as chop house-style dinners. I went with the Shrimp Piccata pictured below which was made with leeks, onions, tomatoes, and capers in a white wine butter sauce.

James had the Pomodoro, which was a simpler dish of tomato sauce with garlic, basil, and mozzerella cheese over rigatoni. It was better than mine and a good example of how simple dishes made with super fresh ingredients can be great, especially when good basil is involved.

For dessert we went with the classic tiramisu, which they described as being in 'the traditional style.' It had a thicker texture and a richer taste than other tiramisus I've had--similar to a cheesecake. All in all it was a great meal in a lovely setting and made me feel a little better about leaving Boston for Hartford.



I should also mention that on Mondays their happy hour goes until the restaurant closes, so get down there and have a few then listen to free jazz in July and August across the street at Bushnell Park. Who says there's nothing to do downtown?

Working Through The Bucket List: Chihuly and Toro

Can I just say that I am probably the laziest person you will ever meet? Really. Don't let the Masters degree or the semi-regular blogging fool you.

Yesterday I told myself I was going to go to Chihuly because the MFA is free (or rather, they ask for a donation) on Wednesdays. But, my day was long. And it was getting hot outside. And the MFA just seemed so far. Ugh. However, even though I can be incredibly lazy, I am also really good at guilting myself:

'You'll regret it if you don't go,' I said.
'But, I'm tired....And maybe it's lame,' I replied.
'However bad you feel now, you'll feel worse in the end if you don't do it,' I countered.
'But it's a far walk and I'm not really sure how to get there and th--'
'Dammit, Emily! Just go!'
'Alright. Jeez.'

So, I went. I walked over from work and though it was long and kind of hot it was, yes, worth it in the end.

First off, I got to see these ducks while walking through the park:

So cute! That alone made the trip worth it. Besides, it's always nice to walk around parts of the Emerald Necklace, even if it did make my walk longer.


When I finally got to the MFA I was happy to learn that photography was allowed. Sadly, I only had my camera phone on me. I apologize in advance. Also, as you can see it was pretty crowded. Everyone is as cheap as me.


Obviously my camera phone pictures don't do the exhibit justice and while you really need to be in person to get the full experience, I just wanted to share a few things:


While I was staring at this giant boat filled with blown glass I realized I had seen it before. When I was in D.C. babysitting for my cousin Maeve the apartment we stayed in had a poster of this. Note: babies loooove Chihuly.

This is one of his famous 'chandeliers'. I've definitely seen a few of these around. I'm pretty sure he did the one in the Bushnell (remember Kimmy?) and maybe even the one at Mohegan Sun. Now you can tell your friends 'It's a Chihuly' and they'll be impressed.

This room was cool. I loved that there were people just chilling out.

This made me lol. Does that make me a bad person? I don't care. Someone get this for me.


Afterwards, I met up with my cousin Katie and her fiance Keith at Toro, a tapas place in the South End. Katie wanted me to mention that she was FIRST to do something with me off the bucket list. She'll probably be second too. Maybe even third.

Toro was too dark for me to take even moderately good camera phone photos. However, a quick image search reveals all you need to see. The corn, my God. The corn! Who knew that grilling it and dousing it with aioli, cheese, and lime would be so delicious? Actually, I'm pretty sure Toro's motto is 'just put some aioli on it'. I mean, it's good stuff but I definitely woke up smelling like aioli this morning. Anyways...yeah, get the corn. Everything we had was pretty good but the corn made it a 'must visit' for me.