Would you like some cheese with that wine?

Why, yes, I think I would! And some crunchy bread and maybe some olives...and doesn't the Lobster Cavatappi look delish...

Name of Restaurant: Uncorked
Location: Blue Back Square, West Hartford
Day / Date / Time: Saturday, July 9, 4 p.m.
Type of food: Wine and charcuterie
Occasion / Event: Catch up with a good friend
Dined with: Jean
Ambiance / Entertainment: Great company and really good people watching
Wine / Cocktails: Wine, wine, wine!
Appetizers: Charcuterie: cheese and meat - both served with a crunchy sliced baguette as well as marinated vegetables
Entrees: Very limited but fun menu - very reasonably priced (clearly their menu changes, because what was on our menu today is different than what's on the menu)
Desserts: Chocolate!
Average price range: Charcuterie and chocolate are $8, dinner starters are in the $12 range, entrees range from $16 - $25, wine has too big of a range to describe here...see below, or their menu.
House favorites / Signature dishes to reorder: My very first deal from Groupon, with many thanks to Pelly, was a $50 gift certificate to Uncorked that I got for $25. I was so looking forward to trying it and knew that Jean was the perfect partner. Neither of us was disappointed! In fact, we're both looking for a reason to go back. Twist my arm...

The premise is this: Uncorked offers more than 70 different wines, and offers tastes (1 oz.), half glasses (3 oz.), and full glasses (6 oz.) of wine. They serve wines and from regions I am completely unfamiliar with, so it's a nice way to try something new.

We decided to stick with reds, of which full glasses range from $7.50 to $35.50, with tastes and half glasses a little more than 1/6 and 1/2 the cost of a full glass, respectively...clearly, if you find a wine you like, a full glass is the most cost effective way to go.  This is what we tried...

We eased in with a few "tastes"...
#32 - Jean tried a taste of this Chianti...sadly, I cannot remember exactly what she said about it.  But I know she liked it!
#33 - My "good friend" Rachael Ray raves about Brunello di Montalcino, so we both tried a taste. It was outstanding...crisp, mild flavor with no after taste.  It was also the priciest, at $35.50 a glass!  We settled for a taste and moved on.
#53 - I tried Chakalaka from South Africa because a) I've never had South African wine and b) I love the name!  It was very tasty!

Our waitress then recommended her favorite - I jumped in and got a full glass, Jean started with a half glass:
#48 - Oltre…, Pio Cesare a Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend from Italy . It was outstanding!  Fruity but not sweet, oaky but not tree-y...nearly perfect.  And it was $12.75 a glass - reasonable in comparison. (Needless to say, we both had a second glass.) The hunt for a bottle will begin tomorrow!
We also enjoyed the Roaring 40s Blue cheese with crusty bread and a bowl of marinated olives. There was so much cheese that we had ask for more bread.  Each appetizer is $8, or you can get 4 for $28.  Two people could easily make a meal of 4 apps.

The total bill was $88.  Minus the Groupon and inclusive of a tip on the original amount, we each put in about $28. Not bad for a lovely Saturday afternoon!

B&B

Could stand for B&B, my new favorite after-dinner drink.

Or, brothers & best friends.

Or, maybe Bucca & Blue.

Ya, that's it!

One Fish, Two Fish

Hope everyone had a nice July 4th weekend. We were fortunate to be on the Plum - I took a few extra days off so Brian and I were there Wed. through Mon.  It was like a mini-vacation!

As I was thinking about how I'd sum up the weekend, a few things came to mind: lots of loud fireworks (Brian, Roxy, and Blue disapproved), the First Annual Linger Longer Lodge Open (we won), all of our company (there turned out to be none...it was just us, Kevin, and Sue), our skee ball tournament (we won)...I finally settled on my all-time favorite: food!

It was a weekend full of fantastic fish and seafood.

At the Old Ferry Landing in Portsmouth we enjoyed the best-ever fried scallops along with fried clams, a fried haddock sandwich, and an overflowing lobster roll.

(And, I know it doesn't fit with the "fish and seafood" theme I have going here, but we also had some gellato for dessert from Roly's English Fudge shop. Kevin and Sue enjoyed their vanilla bean and cookie dough versions; Brian's chocolate mint had the very best texture - smooth and creamy; but in my eyes, mine was the winner - Mayan Chocolate! It was super spicy, which completely tricked your mind...you'd take a bite of super cold gellato and as it melted, your mouth turned on fire with all the red pepper!  Really unique and delicious - would definitely get it again.)

Seaglass in Salisbury turned out to be the hidden jewel of the weekend. Located right on the beach - and I do mean right on the beach - this beautiful restaurant is part of a large pavilion that also encompasses a music hall I can't wait to check out, an Italian restaurant, and a beach bar & grille. We had an excellent grilled oyster for an appetizer, along with a cool, crunchy tuna spring roll.  Brian and Kevin both had the Captain's Platter for dinner, which included the best crab cake (even better than the Fort, according to B!) I've ever had, shrimp scampi, and baked haddock - got rave reviews from both of them. Sue enjoyed her pan seared haddock, and my seared scallops were delicious. The pea risotto that came with them wasn't great, so I'd likely try something different next time. But overall, it was a huge hit and I am confident we'll be back!

We also made some great dishes at the house. For an appetizer one night, Brian marinated a half pound each of shrimp and scallops (in a tablespoon of olive oil, a couple cloves of minced garlic, and a sprinkle of chipotle seasoning) then grilled them. They were perfectly cooked with a nice smokey heat.

We also grilled salmon filets one night.  We marinated it in a mixture of 1/2 C light mayo, the zest of one lemon, and about 2T minced fresh dill spread evenly on the flesh side.  It ended up marinating a full 24 hours because we weren't hungry for it the first night (I wonder why?!) and I think that really helped make it moist and flavorful.  Because we used the zest but not the juice of the lemon, there was no breaking down of the fish.  Starting skin-side down, four minutes on each side was perfect. Will definitely do that again!

Kevin even got his favorite drunken clams at the Plum Island Grille! The weekend was a win-win for everyone, for sure.

If ever you're in the Newburyport / Salisbury / Portsmouth area, check out some of these places - you won't be disappointed!

Pinky Swear

OK.  I pinky swear I will not be like one of those people who posts daily pictures of their kids, pets, vacations, tomato plants, etc.  But, I have to share this picture of Blue...

He runs around like a maniac then drops like he's been shot and sleeps - often flat on his back - for a 20-minuter.

Clearly, it's been a long time since either of us has had a puppy and he's pretty entertaining!

Our regularly-scheduled programming will return momentarily...

The Dog Days of Summer

Thanks to all of you who've reminded me that I've not posted in a while.  Here it is, not even officially summer, and weekends are full of picnics, parties, and the beach.  Lots of great food and fun times - plenty to blog about, just need to make the time.

We've had our hands full with Sambucca's new brother, Blue!  He's an 11-week-old Blue Merle Sheltie, and he couldn't be cuter.  Even Bucca's starting to think so! ;-)

Brian picked him up last Friday after work and he spent his first weekend at the beach!