Niagara-On-The-Lake

OK wine connoisseurs, if you haven't been to Niagara-On-The-Lake for some wine tasting then it's time to go up there!  While Napa Valley is the number one producer of wine in the U.S., the Finger Lakes area (right near Rochester NY) is the second largest, and there are many wineries north of us on Lake Ontario and near Niagara Falls as well.  This past weekend we went up to NOTL for a day trip to walk around the cute town, get some wine, and some delicious lunch.

Our first stop was lunch because I was starving!  We went to The Epicurean which has gourmet sandwiches and salads to choose from.  After standing in line (it's self serve) we decided to get a panini and some gourmet salads to share.  Unfortunately, they were out of panini's, so we made some impromptu choices.  The gourmet salads weren't very gourmet, just potato salad, marinated mushroom salad, and taboule.  We decided to get two sandwiches since they weren't very large, and settled on the ham and brie and california chicken club sandwich.  We also got some potato salad and marinated mushroom salad on the side.  The sandwiches were both very good, nothing to complain about, but nothing to rave about either.  Same with the salads.  The best part of this cafe/restaurant was the outdoor garden for eating.  It was such a beautiful day out and the setting really made it enjoyable.  The prices are ridiculous, it cost us $40 for lunch, but this was expected.  We've eaten in NOTL before and it was very very very expensive (more on that later).

We then walked around town and took in the sights and quaint shops.  It's really a beautiful town and if you're ever up in this area it's a must see.

When we went to NOTL last year it was more of a weekend trip, and we got much more sight-seeing in.  The wineries are absolutely gorgeous, and the wine is delicious of course.  We also had dinner one night at Hillebrand Winery and it was in the top 5 meals I have ever eaten, with a price tag to go along with it of course!  They also had outdoor seating overlooking their vineyards; let's just say I felt like I was in Napa Valley!  It was fabulous.

Overall, Niagara On The Lake is a great place to visit, but it is pricey.  And it's technically in Canada, so make sure you bring your passports!

Manchester Cheese and Scampiless Pasta

Every day these last couple of weeks, I give some thought to my last minute trip to Manchester, VT with Teddy over Memorial Day weekend.  Just decided that Friday we would head over for a night.  Beautiful little town in the heart of the Green Mountains which also offers high end outlet shopping.  Last couple of times I stayed at the Inn at Manchester which is really lovely, but this time we went commercial and used our Starwood points to stay at the Equinox Resort, which converted 2 years ago to Starwood hotels.  They also had a 10 million dollar renovation.  Very nice place and worth the trip.  But let me just tell you about the cheese plate.  The Equinox has a deck bar overlooking the mountains, a fire pit in the middle of the deck, nice music playing, and offer drinks and appetizers.  They customize a cheese plate for you, you can pick three or more different cheeses from local farms, then they bring out figs, nuts, and jam, crackers and bread to compliment the plate. I think it cost $12 for 3 cheeses and Ted and I could have made a dinner out of it, it was that yummy.  So when I came home I tried to recreate it, I bought a couple of cheeses, apricot preserves, dried figs, nice crackers, and presented it on a handpainted platter - its my new favorite weekend snack!  Also for you chocolate lovers, the Equinox boasts that they sell the 3rd best rated chocolates in the WORLD.  Now thats a big deal.  They are called Knipschildt and I can attest they are DEYUMMISH twice over.  You can also buy those at the deck bar or take some home from the hotel gift shop.

I go from that heavenly experience to a less heavenly last night, we found ourselves in Derry, NH.  I'm not going to name the tavern we went to, as the owners are very nice and Teddy is very fond of them, but you can ask me if personally if you want to know to avoid it.  Last time I was there was the week before my wedding, on painkillers, sitting with my Mom and Teddy.  We never went back, and I couldnt think of why, now I think I remember.  Food is plentiful and reasonably priced, but subpar.  The scallops in bacon were too syrupy, bacon overcooked and as an appetizer served with rice....it should have been labeled a small plate entree rather than appetizer, didnt make sense really.  Their award winning seafood chowder was drowned in sherry or some other liquor I couldnt make out, though a good amount of seafood and nice creamy consistency.  The seafood scampi lacked in taste...but chock full of lobster, crab, shrimp, and scallops, it had no wow factor, as if someone just tossed everything in boiled spaghetti...no lemony, buttery, garlicy sauce you would expect from a traditional scampi, though I certainly felt less guilty eating it given it was so bland it had to be less calories.  They boast that they make everything from scratch while you wait, well we waited and waited, even before they took our order.  I think we'll just drive by this one next time we contemplate why we dont visit there more often.

Adventures in New England

To continue about my week last week - if you checked out my Ogunquit post and cant wait to read MORE!  I had a sort of sabattical last week.  Some of you may already know I'm changing positions at work.  Its not something I can talk about on a public forum, but its a bittersweet move.  I took the opportunity to bond with New England, and remember how wonderful the world is outside of my four office walls.  Travelling is in my soul, whether its a day trip or flight to somewhere new.  I enjoy trying new flavors, seeing new places, and I hope you find my opinion on all things relevant, funny, and inspiring.

I started on Tuesday, which was one of two sunny days last week on a day trip to Queechee,VT with a good female buddy who is so much fun to daytrip with.  Have you been to Queechee?  Its about an hour and 15 minutes from Manchester, so short but it feels like you are transported to the center of the green mountains.  Queechee offers up a beautiful scenic walk along the Gorge, a National State Forest, which I have camped in.  Yes, you heard me right, I camped!  Bathed in bugspray ofcourse, but I did it!  The Simon Pearce Factory is there, beautiful pottery and glass by local artisans, they offer glass blowing demonstrations, and a top notch restaurant which I will get to in a minute.  Very scenic.  If you are ever game to spend a night, its right next to charming Woodstock, VT and I highly recommend the Parker House Inn, located next door to Simon Pearce, and the Inn has its own gourmet restaurant, chef owned, the innkeeper's wife.  The Innkeeper is an interesting guy, Teddy and I stayed there a couple of years ago, the Innkeeper used to be a big music executive, as he reminded us over and over again during our stay.  There is actually a recording studio in the basement of the Inn, and he has had big stars come there incognito, I recall him mentioning Sting.  Its consider a sanctuary of solitude and desired for the ability to hide out from the public for a few days.  Anyways, I digress.....

During my day in Queechee, we visited the Mill Shops where the Cabot Cheese tasting station is...some cheeses from them that you cant find in your local supermarket, definitely DEYUMMISH!  Especially after walking up and down the gorge.  The shops also offer a local winery ( I indulged in a tasting), local handicrafts, glass, jewelry, and other food goods like maple butter...lots of samples to try.  Then off to lunch at Simon Pearce, a window seat overlooking the man made waterfalls - its a pretty contraption that is also used to power the store, neato.  I had their special which was a seafood stew.  It is sooooo good, they have an email list for people just to be alerted when its on the menu!  Mussels, shrimp, scallops, and whatever is fresh catch like haddock. Broth is tomatoey and spicy, thick, served with garlic bread, I can smell it as I type...  my friend had an asian chicken salad I believe, which she really enjoyed, she started with their cheddar soup which ofcourse I tasted and approved, she had enough salad to bring home.  They served wonderful mini rolls that looked like fresh baked croutons.  And they use all their pottery and glasses for tablewear.  Its a must try if you find yourself in the neighborhood.

We took a detour before going home to the King Arthur Flour Store in neighboring Norwich.  I LOVE their mixes, their lava cake mix tastes like restaurant quality.  I will let you know about the new ones I just purchased, which included a popover mix.  Plus you can stock up on their various kinds of flour for those serious bakers, its a gem as you cant always find the variety and quantity they offer.  They also have very high quality kitchen gadgets, and a cooking school on the premises.   A fun place to visit.

Ogunquit was on Wed - see my 1st post!

Ted and I went to North Conway Thursday night to Sunday, weather was grey but rain held off, we were able to walk around without any downpours thankfully.  I want to remind everyone what a fun, yummy restaurant the Red Parka Pub is.  Great ribs, wings, and a nice salad bar for only $2.95 with your entree.  Everytime we end up there we always remark how much we enjoy our dinner.  They also have entertainment and a cute smaller bar to cozy up in.  We were joined by Ted's family, so we didnt do any fine dining on this trip with the kids, but we did enjoy an afternoon at Santa's Village in Jefferson.  There is a little shack between Santa's Village and Six Gun City, icecream sign (Giffords) on the road but I cant recall the name - they have picnic tables, kids plastic playground toys area, and behind it is a farm with goats and a miniature horse.   Icecream is good and cheaper than in the parks, $2.75 for a medium cone and plenty big, food was decent, they offered a kids meal at a reasonable price included drink, entree, side.  Chicken fingers though yummy were costly, $10 for 3 fingers and fries, not enough for two to share.  They also have a nice clean bathroom for a quick pitstop. 

Sunday before we headed home we dined at the Muddy Moose, just past the park in center of No Conway as you are heading towards Conway.  As many times as i've been to No Conway, i've never eaten here, but  I know my niece Marina Elaine used to like it.   I was tired of pub food so I ordered a grilled chicken breast with a pineapple salsa, came with rice and steamed brocoli.  It was a just enough portion and a good alternative to a greasy burger, I enjoyed it.   My brother in law ordered a smothered steak tip sub, and it was indeed smothered, looked REALLY good...i havent asked him how his stomach held up after eating the whole thing.  Ted's mom got a baked haddock, and said it was delicious.  Athanasia got the fried haddock sandwich, looked good, batter didnt look like the oil was old.  Teddy got the mexican salad, I took a taste, its huge, came with chili, was good but with so much cheese and sourcream, it wasnt saving any calories.

All in all, a great week around New England.  I'm back to reality and looking forward to posting new adventures in the coming weeks!  Thanks for reading.