There's Always Paris

See how happy you can be here?
(Fact for the Day: The Eiffel Tower
was originally painted red.)

If you're a lover of art museums, a foodie, a oenophile, a history buff, or - better yet - all of the above, it's high time you booked yourself a trip to Paris.

The wealth of things to do in this beautiful city is rather overwhelming. There are the obvious sightseeing spots - including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame. They're all amazing and undoubtedly worth the trip.

But there are so many other hidden treasures to be found here.

This spring, I was lucky enough to enjoy Paris for the second time in my life. And though I did revisit many of the typical touristy places, I made it my mission to discover a handful of new gems, too.

Here are three of my favorite discoveries, should you one day find yourself in need of whiling away a day in the City of Love and Lights.

Our daily Parisian "siesta":
Bread, cheese, wine. Done.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: A few of my favorite places to visit in Paris.
• When to Go: I've visited in August and in April. August's weather is lovelier and less rainy, though many of the locals seem to be missing in action, as they are known to leave the city to go on holiday during this summer month. If you go in April, bring an umbrella and sunglasses everywhere you go - it can be rainy and sunny all in the same day.
• By the Way: Do not miss the Musee d'Orsay, known for its spectacular collection of Impressionists, including mind-blowing paintings by Van Gogh. I assure you, you can't imagine how awesome they are until you see them in person!

A New Source of Scrumptious, Simple Recipes

Crazy delicious pasta e  fagioli,
courtesy of Chef Silvio Suppa.

Wish you knew how to cook up a fantastic marinara sauce? Think making fresh pasta from scratch is absolutely out of your league? Longing for amazing recipes that require only simple ingredients?

As I've learned in recent weeks, some of the dishes I'd always assumed could never be part of my repertoire are, in fact, deceivingly simple. Where did I learn this? Cooking classes.

No, I'm not talking about stressful, pricey lessons that for last weeks on end. No, you don't have to spend extra cash on kitchen supplies. And no, you certainly need not possess Iron Chef-like skills.

I'm talking a single two-hour weeknight outing that will prove to be fun, delicious, and educational - not to mention it's a lovely way to acquire some unbelievable new recipes while coming upon the revelation that cooking up some really great food is shockingly doable.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: Several options for fabulous, user-friendly cooking classes.
• Where You'll Find it: Two of my latest finds include the Viking Center at 4 Laser Lane in Wallingford, Conn., and Martino's Italian Market  at 948 Terryville Avenue in Bristol, Conn.
• When to Go: Check their websites for upcoming class schedules, prices, and other details - Find Martino's classes here and the Viking Center's here.
• What It'll Cost: Usually around $60 a person, although you can find deals - like I did! - on LivingSocial, Groupon, and other deal-of-the-day websites. 

Relish This: Blackie's Hot Dog Stand - Cheshire, Conn.

Oh. So. Good.

Perhaps it's the refreshingly rare birch beer fountain soda. Or the bold, distinctive spice of their famous homemade hot pepper relish. Or those familiar red countertops and the wonderful lack of pretense.

Whatever it is, my summer days are never complete without a visit to Blackie's Hot Dog Stand in Cheshire, Conn.

This fine establishment has been serving up simple, yet consistently fabulous burgers and dogs for 84 years now. So let's just say that they know what they're doing.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: Old-school hot dog and hamburger stand that has stood the test of time.
• Where You'll Find it: 2200 Waterbury Road, Cheshire, Conn.
• When to Go: Every day throughout the year, except Friday. Open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. from January through March and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. April through December.
• What It'll Cost: A couple of bucks apiece. Cash only!

London: Where I Died and Went to Heaven

Just across the pond, you can, in fact,
enter heaven on Earth.

My husband and I recently returned from 10 days away, in Europe, with my in-laws. Along with my brother-in-law, his wife, and their 3-year-old. And yes, we no doubt resembled this bunch. Except there were more of us.

By some miracle of God, we did not all gouge one another's eyes out, as I may have initially expected.

Thankfully, my husband and I enjoyed some alone time here and there, separate from the fam (as so wisely prescribed in this recent TravelDudes blog entry.) And so all in all, it turned out to be a very lovely trip.

I am lucky enough to have a friend in London named Brian (known to many of us back home as Stu), whom I hadn't seen in nearly 10 years. Nowadays, Stu is happily basking in the historic beauty of London, no doubt drinking pints upon pints of delicious local beer on a regular basis, taking in the sights, and generally enjoying the heck out of this ridiculously fabulous city with his wife and newborn daughter. 

We couldn't wait to take full advantage of our alone time to meet up with this lucky bastard and have him show us around.

Eat anything this man recommends.

Stu did not disappoint. In fact, I am fairly certain he may have missed his calling as a tour guide. With the aid of his meticulous directions, provided along with his cell phone number just in case, we found our way to London's Borough Market. 

There, outside the Market Porter, a popular pub, where droves of British businessmen gathered outside during their Friday lunch hour to chat amiably over freshly draught pints of beer (seriously, what bastards!), we were reunited.

After catching up over an ale or two, we followed Stu into what, for foodies, has got to be the center of the universe.

Freakishly large rabbit, no?

Borough Market is an outdoor food market overflowing with fresh, um, everything - vegetables, meats, seafood, baked goods, cheeses, breads, and the list goes on and on. The variety is dizzying. A local guide (a la Stu) comes in very handy.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: Foodie Nirvana.
• Where You'll Find it: Borough Market, London, England. Check out the map for the layout of the various stands.
• When to Go: Open Thursdays, 11-5; Fridays, 12-6; and Saturdays, 8-5.
• What It'll Cost: Whatever you like. Go nuts, or just indulge in the Greatest Grilled Cheese Known to Man for a few measly British pounds. Bring cash. Probably easier that way.

Stu offered up a number of options. We couldn't make up our minds on what sounded best to eat, so we told him to bring us to all of them. 

And eat we did.

I won't bore you with all the details. But I will tell you the facts in a nutshell: where to go, what to eat, and why.

My Old Kentucky Home

The mint julep. Bourbon, sugar, and mint leaves.
And, the nastiest-tasting official drink around.

I'm not big into gambling. Or bourbon. Or hats.

But I embrace all of the above for one Saturday in May. Namely, the Kentucky Derby.

Luckily for me, my husband has family in Kentucky - awesome, fun-loving, heavy-drinking family who last year were kind enough to invite us to stay at their place and then drive us to the Derby and celebrate with them. Score.

The Derby itself is one of those things you should try one day, just to say you've done it - whether you pay several hundred dollars per person for the good seats, several thousand dollars for the really good seats, or a mere 40 bucks for general admission, which gets you all the space you'd like on the inner track.

Among the many sights of
the Kentucky Derby.
Not weird ... at all.

In truth, the inner track doesn't quite have the glitz and glam of the larger stadium.

You won't, for instance, have a reserved seat per se, though you can bring your own lawn chair.

You can't actually see the track. (That's what the big screens on either end of the stadium are for nowadays.)

Annnd, there's no shelter to speak of to protect you from the elements. So bring an umbrella ... or if you're really classy, a tarp.

But, really, where else on the planet can you drink freshly made mint juleps with the masses, chow down on giant turkey legs while standing around in a dress and fancy hat, and spend the day hoping to make money off of animals with funky-sounding names?

Besides, you've got to admit that it isn't all that often you come across a half-man, half-horse jumping rope with the local kids. These are the trenches, people, where you will experience the real deal.

And I swear to you it's all worth it for those two short minutes of pure excitement during the actual Derby race.

3 Eggs-cellent Omelets in Central CT

Reflecting on the awesomeness of diners.

Bleary-eyed and ravenous, you have awoken on a fine weekend morning to discover your fridge devoid of groceries. What to do?

If you're in the vicinity of central Connecticut and a fan of omelets, then you, my friend, are in luck.

I'm here to share my three favorite picks for some of the most reliably tasty omelet-makers around.

Talks of the Town

Sound advice: Go see this movie.

I've mentioned before how cool some of my co-workers are. They are, in fact, the wise folks who urged me to start this blog in the first place.

Luckily, in addition to getting me through the workday, they have also proved to be fun outside of the office, during book clubs, happy hours, and game nights.

Most recently, a handful of us decided it would be cool to plan occasional trips together to movies, plays, museums, and other fun, arts-and-culture-type outings.

So we've created what we're now referring to as our very own Culture Club. (Mr. Burdique, you so get credit for the genius name.)

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: A cool movie theater and a fabulous pub to visit afterward.
• Where You'll Find it: The theater is at 330 New Park Avenue in Hartford, Conn.; the pub is at 1046 New Britain Avenue in West Hartford, Conn.
• When to Go: Check showtimes at Bow-Tie Cinemas here. Meanwhile, The Corner Pug offers lunch and dinner every day, including food till 11 PM Thursday and Saturday, and until midnight on Fridays.

For our first outing - this past weekend - six of us ventured out to Bow-Tie Cinemas in Hartford, Conn., to see The Artist, a French movie that's gotten a lot of hype - for good reason.

But take note: Although it's been nominated for an Oscar in 10 different categories (including Best Picture) and honored with a 97% rating from Rotten Tomatoes, The Artist has also reportedly been a major source of outrage for many moviegoers worldwide.

That's because it's 100 minutes worth of film without spoken dialogue.

Sweet Victory

Super Bowl? Super delicious.

It's Superbowl Sunday, and this means good things are afoot.

Given my indifference to football, it's an event I would otherwise not have reason to acknowledge - were it not for the festive parties, wealth of beer, and heart attack-inducing snacks.

That said, I felt I had to do my part and whip something up for the shindig we'll be attending tonight. Since the chilis, chicken wings, and dips had all been claimed by other guests, I figured a dessert might be a good way to go.

Enter cupcakes, one of the universe's greatest gifts to humankind. You just cannot go wrong with them.

You Say Potato, I Say Po-Tot-o - Colchester, Conn.

As fun to eat as it looks.

Who doesn't love tater tots, I ask you?

If you adore indulging in your fair share of carbs as much as I do, be sure to stop by Cafe on Main some night soon. Located right on the green in Colchester, Conn., Cafe on Main offers one of the friendliest, laid-back neighborhood hangouts around.

Here, nearly every glorious item on the menu - from Philly steak grinders to steamed hamburgers to the aforementioned tots - costs a mere $6 apiece. And we're not talking about skimpy portions, either, my friends. Not to mention there's also a considerably long list of fun beer on tap from which to choose.

Luckily for me, I have a very wise friend named Heather who lives literally across the green from this cozy establishment and knew just whom might enjoy such affordable deliciousness: moi. So being the lovely gal she is - as well as one of my beer-drinking partners-in-crime from those long lost days of college - she cordially invited me and our fellow adventurer, Marisa, out on the town.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: Inexpensive, comforting pub food - each item a mere $6 apiece - along with many flavorful beers on tap.
• Where You'll Find it: 20 Main Street, Colchester, Conn., adjacent to the town green.
• When to Go: Sunday-Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Friday-Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Kitchen's open till 11 p.m. everyday; Also, take note: Happy Hour runs M-F from 4-7 p.m. (allegedly with FREE pizza!)

My Pilgrimage to Fine Food, Wine, and More - Plymouth, Mass.

The Mayflower II, a replica of the 17th-century vessel that
brought those courageous pilgrims to this side of the pond,
adds to the picturesque Plymouth Bay.

A lifelong New Englander, I'm rather ashamed to admit that it was not until this past week that I made the trek to Plymouth, Mass., which, as it turns out, is one cute seaside town that has more to offer than its famed little granite rock.

Courtesy of my mother, who purchased a one-night stay at a local inn for my birthday (thanks, Mom!), my husband and I enjoyed a pleasant night away, checking out some of the historic sites, doing a bit of shopping, and spending a solid couple of hours tasting just about everything on the menu in a fabulous wine, tapas, and dessert bar.

Best of all, it was just two hours from our home base of Glastonbury, Conn.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: A quaint seaside town perfect for a relaxing night or two away.
• Where You'll Find it: Plymouth, Mass. (Take note, The Wine Cellar - a fab wine, tapas, and dessert bar, can be found at 690 State Road in Plymouth. Visit their website for more info.)
• When to Go: Anytime! It looks like it'd be especially lovely in the summer, but we spent a night away in January, and it was still enjoyable. Note that some of the historic exhibits are open only seasonally.

Baja's: Bordering on Brilliance - Orange, Conn.

The utterly fantastic carnitas plate,
found in Orange, Conn., of all places.
(Tortillas not shown.)

You may recall that I’m a huge fan of San Diego – where fresh, authentic, delicious Mexican food can be found at a moment’s notice, whether it’s at the fabulous restaurants in Old Town or among the most random of food trucks by Ocean Beach.

Unfortunately for me, Connecticut is not known for its Mexican cuisine. Living in central Connecticut, I often lament the fact that finding decent Mexican fare remains a never-ending challenge.

Hence, this is why I will happily take a 45-minute drive down to Orange, Conn., for the best Mexican food I’ve found yet in this state.

3 Things You Need to Do in San Diego

San Diego beckons.

For those of you living in New England, you are more than likely aware of the craziness that was this year's so-called "Snowtober," a snowstorm that slammed us in October, dumping several inches of snow on our poor little pumpkin patches, downing tree limbs and power lines, and spoiling Halloween for countless kids (and adults - myself included, damn it).

Not to mention the week spent without power ... and heat ... and, for some, water. If you'd seen my most recent post, you may have some inkling of how excited I was for the Halloween party of the year at the Wadsworth Mansion. Alas, the party was canceled, marking my first un-Halloween. Sniff.

Where to go when your backyard looks like this,
and it's not yet even Halloween?  Fly south. Pronto.

As it is, I'm not a big fan of the autumn months, so sans power and heat, and with Halloween erased from the calendar altogether, I ask you, what was I supposed to do? Um, fly to Southern California, that's what.

I swear I'm not that much of a prima donna. It just so happened that I'd planned my vacation with uncannily perfect timing - on the Thursday that we were scheduled to depart for San Diego, it was Day Six of no electricity. Otherwise known as Time to Get the Hell Out of Here.

OK, so San Diego. If you haven't been, I recommend it to anyone who hopes to escape the winter doldrums. It's the perfect getaway for the non-snow bunnies among us, like moi.

In addition to the heavenly weather, there are oodles of things to do there - from the San Diego Zoo to the beaches to Tijuana (just 15 minutes away), you can spend numerous vacations there, as I have, and not see everything. But there are at least three things I do recommend you do once you've arrived.

Halloween for the Die-Hards - Middletown, Conn.

Halloween, where it's OK to pose
for photos with perfect strangers. 

I am a Halloween fanatic, plain and simple. There's not been a single Halloween that's come and gone without my donning a costume and making it a priority to find my way to a festive party. Candy is always an added plus, of course, and then there's the fact that my birthday follows two days later. It's really just a week filled with sugary happiness.

Halloween stands out as my favorite holiday, hands down. I love the fact that dressing up as someone you're not gives you some kind of magical power to be whomever you want to be. I find that people in costume instinctively become more outgoing, jollier versions of themselves.

The Joker, at last year's Wadsworth party.
Awesome, obviously.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: The best Halloween party around! (21+)
• Where You'll Find it: Wadsworth Mansion, Middletown, Conn.
• When to Go: Saturday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m.-12 a.m.
• Cost: $38 a person. Buy your ticket online. Doooooo it. 

The Most Comforting of Comfort Food - Hartford, Conn.

My "Babcia," having a grand old time
at my wedding five years ago.

This past week, our family lost its matriarch - my grandmother, who emigrated in the late '60s from Poland to the United States, along with my grandfather, mother, and several of my aunts and uncles.

Known to me and my cousins (14 of us in total, not counting my grandmother's nine great-grandchildren) as "Babcia," my grandmother was a fixture at every holiday gathering, contentedly sipping her ever-present mug of Lipton tea and quietly observing our banter - a lively mix of Polish and English - from her seat at the head of the table.

At our family breakfasts each Easter, my cousins and I would try unsuccessfully to stifle our giggles as Babcia murmured what seemed like never-ending, unintelligible prayers in her native language. Every Christmas Eve at our traditional Polish feast, Babcia would watch our annual grab-bag antics with amusement, laughing heartily whenever she chose the gag gift, even if she never quite understood what was so funny.

Babcia and her six children.

But no matter what the event - anniversary parties, holidays, birthdays - our aunts and uncles would at some point inevitably insist that all the cousins surround Babcia to mark the occasion with a family photo. We'd roll our eyes and dutifully squeeze ourselves and our significant others in around Babcia to smile for the eight different cameras haphazardly snapping photos all at once.

For the first 14 years of my life, I was lucky enough to have Babcia living with us in our house as part of my immediate family. As a child, I remember following her and our dog around the backyard garden among the tomato plants and sitting with her on the porch while she snapped the ends off of freshly picked string beans, that cup of Lipton tea eternally at arm's reach.

Just 7 More Days of Lobster Rolls - Noank, Conn.

Once upon a time, I hated lobster. I know, completely asinine. But apparently taste buds really do change, because just a few years ago I finally gave into peer pressure and decided to give lobster one last shot. Don't ask me why, but I suddenly loved it. And so naturally, I've been trying to make up for all those long-lost years of lobsterlessness.

Mr. Lobster and I get along
swimmingly nowadays.

Enter Abbott's Lobster in the Rough, an unassuming little place right on Long Island Sound that's known for its fresh, buttery lobster rolls. My doctor recommended it, so it can't be all bad, right? If you're a lobster fanatic, there are just a few days left in 2011 to get a hold of these babies before they close up shop for the season.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: Fresh lobster rolls and other fresh seafood
• Where You'll Find it: Abbott's Lobster in the Rough, Noank, Conn.
• When to Go: This Columbus Day weekend, Fri-Monday, from noon to 7 p.m. (or you'll have to wait and try again, come Memorial Day Weekend)

The Big E: A New England Institution

Come and hang with the alpacas!
(or the cows, goats, pigs, chickens, llamas, sheep ...)

The Big E is one of those must-do's for any New Englander. Haven’t been? 

My guest blogger this week is the Super Awesome Dr. Christine Buckley - my friend, former coworker, and own personal restaurant advisor (see her wise Paul's Pasta Shop recommendation here). She was so kind as to brave fried Oreos, farm animals, and, well, foot massagers (read on) for some serious investigative reporting, so that she could tell you exactly why you need to make your way there this weekend. Many thanks, Christine! 

The Big E is a New England institution so great that it doesn’t even need a name anymore – just a letter. 

Begun in 1968, the Eastern States Exposition is the official state fair for the six New England states, and touts itself as the sixth largest agricultural fair in the country. Most New Englanders know all about the madness that is the Big E. But for those of you who live in a box, here’s a quick description:

Rosemary Bread

Behold: Deliciousness.

Thankfully, the summer weather is still hanging around here in New England, but I know just from looking at the trees in my neighborhood that fall's inevitably on its way.

Some part of my sun-loving self always kinda dies inside when the cool weather kicks in, but once fall hits, I do find that I'm spending a lot more of my time in the kitchen, which seems to offer some level of comfort. And I'm the first to admit that I need some serious comforting once I realize summer's over.

Anyway, do I have any bread fans out there? I'm a huge lover of bread - well, carbs in general, really. And my favorite bread recipe, passed along to me from a friend and fabulous cook, is rosemary bread. It is so.damn.good. It offers the comfort factor of bread, with a kind of unexpected spice from the rosemary. I make it for just about every holiday feast, and often for dinner parties. It's great to bring along - maybe with a bit of honey butter, mmmm - to a potluck, too.

Not only does it take no time whatsoever to make, the ingredients are probably stuff you have on hand. Perhaps the wildest of the ingredients is the actual rosemary, but I'd think that most people have that floating around their spice rack somewhere.

Here's the recipe, courtesy of the lovely and genius Tammi:

Rosemary Bread
1. In a bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 4 teaspoons dried rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the zest from a lemon.
2. In another bowl, mix 2 eggs, 3/4 cup of apple juice, and 1/2 cup of olive oil (extra virgin).
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.
4. Pour into a lightly greased 9x9 square pan and baked at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until golden.

Voila. Cut it up and stack it on a plate with some fresh rosemary garnish to make yourself look super fancy. Oh, and if you like nuts (for me, meh), try some chopped up walnuts in there. It's seriously fantastic.

Celebrating Garlic and Gooey Goodness

Fresh garlic, grown in Connecticut. Mmmm.

This weekend, I stopped in Mystic, Conn., with friends to explore the 4th Annual Garlic Fest. We wandered around enjoying everything from samples of garlic popcorn (yum!) to garlic sausage, garlic chips, garlic cheese bread, and even garlic fried dough. We pretty much reeked by day's end, so if you're interested in ever checking this event out, you might want to make it a point to invite only very good friends.

Even if you missed this year's garlic event, however, there's plenty of other great stuff to explore in Mystic, like the Seaport and Aquarium. Or, just spend the afternoon doing some window shopping in Olde Mistick Village (where the Garlic Fest was held), which offers lots of cool little boutiques, fun eateries, and a resident population of friendly (though decidedly huge) ducks.

Truth be told, it wasn't really garlic that I was after yesterday. What I was really wanted was to locate what are reportedly the best cupcakes in Connecticut, according to Connecticut Magazine's Best of Connecticut 2011 Guide.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: Bakery and cheese shop, with phenomenal grilled cheese sandwiches and cupcakes
• Where You'll Find it: Mystic, Conn.
• When to Go: Visit Bleu Squid's website for hours.

Works of Art, Inside and Out

The ridiculously beautiful Branford House, where you'll
find the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art.

Groton, Conn., a seaside town in southeastern Connecticut, is known by most people around here as the home of Electric Boat, which has built submarines for the U.S. Navy for more than a few decades. Not quite what you might imagine would make for a beautiful or romantic setting. Yet as it turns out, Groton will surprise you. Hidden away on its shores are amazing views of Long Island Sound and a historic mansion that hosts free art shows and even weddings, which must be spectacularly scenic (though probably far from free).

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: A free art show (Keep reading for details on where you can score some fresh pasta - and even deep-fried chocolate chip cookie dough - after the show.)
• Where You'll Find it: The Branford House, at UConn's Avery Point Campus in Groton, Conn.
• What It'll Cost: Nada, although you're invited to donate a few dollars.
• When to Go: Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. (although you can stroll the campus just about anytime)

Cavalry Brewing Tour and Tasting

Sadly, Hurricane Irene ruined our long-awaited plans to attend Vermont's annual Mount Snow Brewers Festival this Labor Day weekend.



Happily, however, beer - free, very good beer, mind you - can be found right here in Connecticut, at Cavalry Brewing in Oxford.

Cavalry's Nomad Stout. Serious beer.

For absolutely nothing, you can walk right into this brewery on Fridays or Saturdays (call first, just to be sure they're not out making a delivery) and ask the two brewmasters and their trusty border terrier, aptly named Mash, for an informal, yet informative tour and a tasting.

Not only will you not be disappointed, you'll be shocked to have found such a great outing and such memorable beer without having to pay a dime. Granted, if you loved the beer as much as we did, you'll be more than willing to take your wallet out before you leave and buy a few cases of your favorites to take home.