Another unique thing about the Farm menu, and quite honestly something I think every restaurant should do, is offer half plates. Most of the time I feel like I’m bombarded with food and end up taking half of it home. Farm offers an affordable list of 200+ wines, most of which are biodynamic and certified organic, and produced from small-holder vintners worldwide. And they are concerned about the environment as well; 100% of the used fry oil is made into bio-diesel fuel, and they’ve implemented a broad composting program to supplement the existing recycling plan to support their vision of a cleaner, greener environment. Visit
www.fermerestaurant.com. Heading back to Tariffville through Simsbury and passing two beautiful farms, The Pickin’ Patch and Rosedale Farms, we arrived at The Mill at 2T, owned by Ryan and Kelleanne Jones. If you want exclusivity, this is the place to go, as the restaurant seats just 30 diners and is only open Wednesday through Saturday for dinner. Ryan and Kel- leanne’s mission is to have a connection to their diners and to be able to offer dishes with hard to find ingredients that you can only get in small supply. “I look for things that you don’t see at other restaurants,” Chef Ryan says. “Many times I’ll just call up a farm and say ‘what do you have today’, and that’s what I’ll work with.” With this kind of flexibility, the menu is seasonal, mood-driv- en and often changes daily. Concerned with the environment and sustainability, Ryan will seek out the most unique fresh fish he can find – which may include: sturgeon, red drum, escolar or soft-shell crab. You won’t want to miss this dining experience, but you better plan ahead as they often book out a month in advance for weekend reservations.
And while their restaurant is small and
intimate, the Jones’ were definitely thinking big when they opened The Market at Hart- ford 21, the city’s first downtown food mar- ket. Even if you don’t live in Hartford, you have to check this place out. Everywhere you look there is a plethora of culinary delights, all freshly prepared and healthy, ranging from gourmet pizza (probably the best I’ve tasted in CT) to the house-made noodle bar to a fresh salad bar and a unique selection of prepared foods all made from scratch. In fact, the food here is prepared around the clock, almost made on demand. Reasonably priced, you can get a large, made-to-order salad for $7 and the Ramen noodle bar with veggies and chicken, shrimp or beef starts for as little as $5. Some other cool things…a ce- real bar in case you forget breakfast, a gelato bar, coffee bar, sushi delivered from Ginza, a butcher shop offering local, grass-fed meats, a fish counter and all kinds of gluten-free products and staples. Rivaling Whole Foods, it’s well worth the trip downtown! Visit www.
themillat2t.com.
www.themarket21.com. Heading out of Hartford and downstate, our last stop brought us to the Good News Café and recently opened Zeeburger, both owned by Carole Peck and her husband and partner, Bernard Jarrier. One of the oldest farm-to-table restaurants in the state, the Good News Café has been serving up locally sourced cuisine since 1993. And if you’re in the mood for something more casual, Zeeburger is the newest culinary enterprise from renowned Chef Peck. Zeeburger of- fers a spin on the classic burger joint with affordable, fresh, local, organic ingredients in a fun & casual atmosphere. Here you can indulge in the finest “fast-food”, such as local grass-fed beef, Kobe beef hotdogs
and house-made milkshakes with delicious natural flavors. As Carole says, “Come by for a little Sizzle & Shake!” With over 40 years of experience in the food business, Peck knows what excites and delights diners. And she’s committed to supporting local farms. “I’m really happy people are now concerned about using farms, because it was a pity that 10 years ago we were losing farms left and right,” she said. “We’ve lost more farms than we should have. That’s what being local is about, understanding these farmers need to make enough to make a living.” Her philoso- phy…to cook well, you need good quality ingredients and the best are sourced locally. Something you don’t want to miss on the menu at Good News Café is the beet salad with avocado, peas and cucumbers with a savory horseradish and lime cream on top.
www.zeeburger.com. Although we would have loved to have
stopped at every farm-to-table restaurant in Connecticut, time did not allow. Some other places you don’t want to miss are listed below. While all are open year-round, don’t let the summer season pass without visit- ing some of these places for gastronomic delights…not only will you find some of the best dishes in the state, you’ll also be sup- porting our local farms.
Firebox - Hartford The Dressing Room - Westport LeFarm - Westport Still River Café - Eastford Napa and Company - Stamford Farmer’s Table – New Canaan Husk - Collinsville Saybrook Point Inn & Spa - Old Saybrook
Submitted by Dr. Diane Hindman
16 Natural Nutmeg
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