Taylor Brooke Winery

Today's adventures sent me down Route 6 again and then off to Woodstock, CT on Rte 171 to the Taylor Brooke Winery. I'm on the board for a food coop, Urban Greens, and we were having a strategic planning session at the vineyard as Corey, one of our other board members, is the son of the owners. After a daylong retreat we planned to tour the vineyard and have a tasting. Well our session went long and it was dusk by the time we finished so we didn't get to stroll the beautiful vineyard but we did get to enjoy a tasting.

The Taylor Brooke Winery is part of the Connecticut Wine Trail. It is a 40 minute drive from Providence and 35 minutes from Worcester. Dick and Linda Auger, the owners, have created a beautiful vineyard and winery with a lovely selection of wine related gifts and some unique and delicious wines!

There are 12 wines currently available for tasting with a 13th coming out on Dec 4th. I tried the Traminette first and this is a full fruit and floral white that tastes like you are drinking sweet summer roses. Delightful on the palette , I will definitely be back for this one in the summer. It reminded me a little of Indian rose jam and while the wine menu says to pair it with Thai food I think it might be interesting to try with Indian food as well.

Next up were the Rieslings: the winery makes a plain Riesling with peach and apricot notes and a high acidity. It was a bit too much for me, but the Cranberry Riesling was fabulous. Yes that's right, Cranberry Riesling. The winery takes cranberries and ferments them into wine and blends it with the Riesling. It is a divine combination and just perfect for the holidays! There are both delicate rose and cranberry notes to this Riesling and it is yummy. If you want to get some call ahead it sells out fast!

Taylor Brooke makes three reds: a Cabernet Franc, Roseland Red, and Woodstock Valley Red. The Cabernet Franc is a milder red similar to a Pinot Noir. The Woodstock Valley Red is a strong red with plum notes from St. Croix grapes grown completely on the vineyard. I opted for the Roseland and fell in love! This wine is a blend of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and the Cabernet Franc. The Roseland has fruit, smoke and leather notes and Hungarian oak. The oak gives a smooth mellow tone to the smoky notes so all the flavors float on your tongue in harmony. This is a beautiful wine!

Dessert Wines are a specialty at Taylor Brooke and currently include a Late Harvest Riesling, Chocolate Essence, and Rasberry Rendevous. The Riesling is like drinking apricot- honey nectar and is extremely sweet, almost like having syrup. The Chocolate Essence combined two of my favorite things , wine and chocolate. This dessert wine is a chocolate -infused merlot port. The perfect liquid dessert! A little goes a long way, but it is truly decadence in a glass. The Rasberry Rendevous had a sweet musk flavor and is a port-style dessert wine but it paled in comparison to the Chocolate Essence.

I went home with a bottle of the Roseland Red and the Chocolate Essence. The Chocolate Essence is going to be the perfect treat to savor after the first real snow fall hits this winter! Taylor Brooke's newest wine, the Winter Pomegranate is available Dec 4. and I can't wait to try it. If you plan to visit the winery check out their website for details as they close after December and are open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. www.taylorbrookewinery.com

Adventures on Route 6

The other day my friend Kevin and I set out to brave the maelstroms and visit our friends at the Connecticut Renaissance Faire. Things were pretty wet at the Shire and the winds picked up enough to close the Faire early- but happily not before we saw our friends The Brigands play some great pirate tunes ( check them out at www.thebrigands.com) and also sample the mini doughnuts made fresh to order and rolled in cinnamon sugar- so worth the indulgence!

Well with the Faire closed we found ourselves in need of some sustenance and adventure- afterall it was a precious day off. GPS to the rescue- the little magic box found us a microbrew pub just down the road from Hebron in Willamantic.

The Willamantic Brewing Co. is located in a beautiful old post office and has both bar and restaurant seating and an extremely cordial wait staff. We sat in the restaurant and oohed and ahhed about all the Harvest Beers and finally decided to get a beer sampler of 5 and a tomato mozzeralla salad with house bread. The house bread is amazing! The spent brewing grains are used to make the bread and the flavor is rich and nutty and oh so good with a little butter.

And now for the beers: we tried a sampler of Gold, 3 cent Pale Ale, Husky IPA, Dead Letter Stout, and Harvest Ale. The Gold is very mellow like a sunny Fall day. This is a light beer good for, well, when you want a really light beer. The 3cent Pale Ale had a wonderful jasmine tea note to it which I loved. The Husky IPA was like blending the Gold with the 3 cent - but richer. Very good and one of Kevin's favorites. The Harvest Brew was disappointing at first but it grew on us later- we expected a richer harvesty flavor but instead this was a bit thin with an interesting caramel finish. I love Guiness so I had to try the Dead Letter Stout! Rich deep -roasted malt and chicory flavors, strong but not heavy or creamy the way Guinness is, and good to the last drop!

The Willamantic Brewing Co. brews everything seasonally so their beer menu varies often. There was an enticing Red in the works for the end of October and we may have to go back just to check that one out! www.willibrew.com

Route 6 is host to several antique shops from the mom and pop country store style to the high end this is definitely a great route to go adventuring on- who knows what you will find?!!

Harvest Moon

Hello again from your wayward diner! Life got busy for a few weeks there and then the computer had an attack of the vapors. Happily, everything seems to be back to normal. I have lots yummy eating adventures to catch you up on. Stay tuned for Nara and Siena, but today lets talk pasta and sauce!

Sunday was the Harvest Moon and since we were not beset with ravaging thunderstorms as promised, I spent four hours in the gardening weeding, staking tomatoes, and the best part, harvesting. A colleague gave me a variety of canteloupe to plant this year. I was excited to try a new plant in the garden and man was this an opportunist!- The vines went everywhere and it yielded two melons. ( there was a 3rd but it became insect lunch) I just cut into the melon for lunch- it is sweet, juicy, succulent- a smaller variety than what you find at the store, but the flavor is richer and I will definitely be planting these again next year!

I planted a second crop of tomatoes later in the season and they did not get destroyed by the rains. Happily, these tomatoes think its still summer and while their flavors are not as rich as if they had seen lots of summer sun, they are still good and I am grateful to have them.
Rachel Ray 's October issue has a whole section dedicated to pasta, its forms and what sauce to make for the shape of your pasta. It's a great article courtesy of Giuliano Hazan (His mom is Marcella Hazan of Italian cookbook fame) and he just came out with a new book : Giuliano's Thirty Minute Pasta: 100 Quick and Easy Recipes. I haven't had a chance to check out his book yet but you know it's going on the list!

So I was dreaming up a sauce that needed a kick, because these tomatoes did not get the full benefit of the sun ,but wouldn't break the bank either. I ended up at Venda's in Federal Hill getting minced garlic, salted capers, and a can of black olives and a package of fresh roasted red pepper rigatoni. Normally I try to cook with fresh ingredients, but when you are short on time and work with your hands, minced garlic and canned pitted olives can be a cook's best friends.

I should mention that I don't like to follow rules- give me too many and I dig in my heels- this has been both the boon and the bane of my existence but it does keep life interesting. Rigatoni, according to Giuliani, should go with meat sauce not tomato sauce but I thought I would try them anyway. The recipe for tomato sauce only recommends parsley for herbs and this seemed, well, a little un- pasta -sauce- like. I mean you think red sauce you think at least a bit of basil and oregano right? Well I thought I'd search my cookbook collection for a bit of inspiration and I came across the mention of nutmeg in - ohh intriguing!

I ran my tomatoes through the juicer, this separates the seeds but juices the skin so that you get more nutrients, the remaining pulp and seeds then get run through a strainer to get any extra juices. I followed the basic sauce recipe but did not add salt since I was trying salted capers- Holy Saltmines Batman! Great flavor and bigger caperberry but salted capers are extremely salty and less is definitely more in this case. My sauce ws bubbling along with its garlic, parsley, olives and capers but needed a bit of something so I added some fresh basil, a dash of oregano, and a dash of nutmeg and then let it all reduce a bit.

Giuliano was right about the rigatoni - they work better with a meat sauce , but Venda's didn't have roasted red pepper farfalle (bowties) when I was there . To thicken the sauce a bit I added some parmesan to my steaming bowl of pasta and mmm...sooo good!

Delicious Dakar

Friday night my friends and I were all feeling a bit under the weather- colds,sinusitis, allergies we were all suffering and needed comfort food with a bit of spice. Something new. Something from Senegal? Oh yes!

Welcome to Dakar Restaurant: a hidden gem in Central Falls! This new restaurant is on Roosevelt Street and shares a parking lot with Pulaski's bar and a taxi company so just mind where you park. Inside the walls are a deep goldenrod with green tables decorated with painted red gourd vases. The jewel tones were warm and cheery on a cloudy autumn night and the atmosphere was casual and dimly lit.

Dakar is a byob restaurant for the moment. They do have some traditional drinks hibiscus juice, ginger juice, or the two blended together and they also serve Senegalese coffee.

I tried the combo hibiscus and ginger juice.It is an enchanting lavender color, sweet and floral with a zingy ginger kick to the finish. In the middle of winter, sipping this will taste like a little bit of heaven !

We ordered Naem (pronounced Name),Dibbi and Chebujenn. Naem are eggrolls, but think Lebanese meets Vietnam. I know that sounds far fetched but trust me they are mouthwateringly goooood! Crispy fried wrappers contain a spiced ground beef and shrimp mixture that's been tossed with rice noodles. There's a zesty dipping sauce too. Ask for extra napkins , you will want them.

Our entrees arrive a few minutes after we finish the Naem. The timing is perfect. I ordered Chebujenn, a traditional fish and spicy rice dish with vegetables. The rice is warmingly spicy, a gentle heat that is dispersed through the food and works on my sinuses, but is very mild compared to things like scotch bonnet peppers and wasabi. Mixed in with the rice are bits of vegetable and sausage and a blend of other spices. Surrounding this is a cooked cabbage leaf, a carrot, and a large piece of yucca, which tastes a bit like fiber-y potato, and two chunks of fish still on the bone. The fish is yummy, succulent and heavy. It was cooked with a spicy, pepper- herb- green (okra perhaps) mixture that is hotter than the rice and sweeter but the amount is tiny and contrasts nicely with the oiliness of the fish.

My friends had ordered Dibbi which is lamb with caramelized onion served over couscous with a side of cooked onion tossed in a lemon mustard sauce. Now these are flavors I would never have thought to blend but the lemon- mustard- onion combo is tangy and delish! I look forward to coming back so I can enjoy a whole plate of it!

The owner came to tell us that his sister is visiting form France and is making crepes for dessert. We decided we might just have to try one. While we wait, we look at Google maps of Dakar- how amazing to have dinner in Rhode Island and look at the Senegal coastline via your phone!

The crepe was light and dry with a chocolate filling. Not quite "wafer thin" but close. It is not the dense crepe I remember from Paris, but after the rich meal the lightness is a perfect compliment.

We basked in the contentment of good food, making mental notes of what we want to try on our next visit and ponder what to bring for wines, perhaps a Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino, or a Pinot Noir? The possibilities are many and Dakar's menu is on their website: www.dakarrestaurant.com so you can plan your beverage selections. Bon appetit!

Sunshine Frittata

Saturday morning fell rainy and damp- I'd slept late and was halfway through my first cup of New Harvest organic, shade grown coffee, nursing one of those sinus headaches from hell that requires ibuprofen and patience.

The phone rings and my friends have decided we need breakfast at Nick's on Broadway . They are on their way. I figure by the time I am presentable and headache -free I will be hungry and a table will be ready - Nick's is notorious for a long line and it's Saturday -I'm thinking 30 minutes at least. Well 30 minutes turns into 45 on my end( a business call, hair that requires product before leaving the house) but I note that no one has called to say we are being seated.

So I mosey on down to Nick's, texting as I go. The caffeine has connected with my brain and I can multitask- this involves the aforementioned texting while walking and avoiding all the dog poop that is all over the sidewalk these days. - Please people, please pick up after your dog! It's not that hard and its good karma. Thank you!

Another 15 minutes drift by after I meet up with my friends and the waitress comes out twice to reassure us. Good call on the managed expectations but it is still a 1 hour and 15minute wait! Once seated, the coffee and tea appear immediately. Our waitress tells us the specials, she gets to the last one- a frittata with corn, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and gruyere.

A collective moan rises from the table- 3 of us opt for the frittata.

The divine concoction arrives like a plate of happy sunshine and piping hot. It is dense and wonderful and there's lots of bacon! Yummy, crispy bacon, just the way I like it, has been diced into the frittatta, but mmmm....the corn takes it to a whole other level. The frittata has a layer of egg then the corn niblets, shaved right off the cob, then a mixed layer of egg,bacon, scallion, more corn, gruyere cheese and tomato. The corn is sweet and juicy and the kernels pop as you bite into them adding a succulent texture. The smoke of the bacon blends exquisitely with the salt and sugar of the gruyere and the tomatoes taste like the sunshine we've been missing - rich and sweet.
There are oohs and mmms and aahs around the table. It was worth the wait for such a perfect blend of flavors. We are content , replete, and very happily fed. We will be back!

A good duck is hard to find

No,really! Bad duck is far too common and such a huge disappointment. I usually won't risk ordering it, but my mom has raved about this restaurant for the past 3 years and so...


Occasionally in life we are treated to really special dining moments and yesterday was certainly one of them. Nestled in the farmlands of Brooklyn, CT is the delectable Golden Lamb Buttery. The Golden Lamb resides in a giant old barn complete with antiques, a theater stage, a veranda with a breathtaking view and three dining rooms.

We were hoping for lunch on the veranda and ordered our wine: chardonnay for Mom and a lovely Sauvignon Blanc for me but the breeze was too fierce for Nana so after a few moments of admiring the rolling pastures, complete with cows,several donkeys and a large duck pond in the distance, we left the bucolic view for warmer indoor dining.

To make my grandmother's passage with a walker easier, we were allowed to enter the dining area via the kitchen, which was charming in its country farm house style, surprisingly tiny and completely immaculate. Always a comfort!

The dining areas are cozy, intimate without feeling like you are on top of your neighboring diners and the decor is whimsical memorabilia mixed with colonial antiques. The combination leaves you feeling completely at home and like you've stepped into a piece of history as you cross the practically 12 inch wide floor boards to sit at your table.

I know you are all waiting to hear about the food but I had to set the table for you, if you will. The menu arrives on a chalkboard with our cheerful waitress who tells us the specials and kindly repeats things for my Nana who is slightly in denial about the usefulness of hearing aids. This is the sort of place where there are only 4 soups and five entrees to choose from, but everything is done superbly well. I order the potato leek soup for an appetizer and get a bowl of amazement! There's bacon blended with the potato and leek and a hint of cayenne so that the soup gives a very subtle heat without any single flavor taking over and running a dictatorship. Its creamy without being heavy and I am in gastronomic heaven before my entree has even arrived!

I ordered the duck pesto pasta and it is a vision to behold! The duck is shredded and blended with homemade pesto, peas and fusilli pasta served room temperature over a bed of baby greens and encircled by slices of heirloom tomatoes and tiny dots of balsamic. It is beautiful to see and delightful to the palate - I can barely tell I am eating duck - its rich and succulent without being gamey or oily , the pesto delicate, the pasta perfectly al dente and the mixed greens and tomatoes taste fresh and pungent with a slight smoke flavor in a few of the heirloom tomatoes blending perfectly with the duck.

Mom ordered the Tuscan shrimp salad and Nana chose the Asparagus and Crab Crepes- we were not a family who shared food on this day so I can't comment on the other two dishes but we did share the blissed out contentment of happy foodies who have found dining nirvana . It should be noted that my Nana, who is 97 and does not often get tempted to eat a large amount of food, devoured both of her crepes.

Dessert was almost too much after such a lovely meal but we tried a chocolate decadence and a key lime cheesecake. Chocolate decadence was dark chocolate and pecans more a torte than a pie - delish but the crust was a bit flat- I do like a flaky pastry crust and this one seemed to lack a bit of oomph.The key lime cheese cake was very good and very sweet- while I prefer the more intense tang of a key lime pie, Mom loved the light sweet taste.

This was a meal to treasure and to say that The Golden Lamb is a special place doesn't quite do it justice - treat yourself and go- its worth it! You will need reservations and lunch is much gentler on the pocket than dinner. For details, hours, and special events checkout their website www.thegoldenlamb.com

Until next time, this is the small plate diner wishing you great dining and a happy kitchen!