Food Everybody Likes: Would you like dinner with your drink?

I love coffeehouses and wineries. Whenever I'm in a coffeehouse, I get the urge to pontificate about history, politics, religion, philosophy, literature...it's like just smelling the coffee in the air automatically makes one more intellectual. Or trying to be intellectual, anyways! In a winery, looking out at a gorgeous view of the vineyard, I can just relax, take a deep breath, and enjoy the finer things in life.

However, coffeehouses and wineries don't always have incredible food. Here are a couple of places that combine the best of both worlds: amazing food and special drinks. These restaurants are definitely not places where you can just order water with your meal.

Uncorked Wine Bar, West Hartford: http://www.uncorkedct.com/

The food (and drink): This is high cuisine at its finest. For dinner, I had the parmesan encrusted organic French chicken. It was arranged beautifully on the plate, the chicken on top of a delicious polenta and topped with glazed carrots. Around all of it was a gravy-like veloute sauce. The chicken was cooked perfectly, and my favorite part of it was the parmesan skin. I felt like this was a dish you would find on Next Food Network Star or Chopped! Kevin had the roast leg of duck, with haricots vert (fancy small green beans). The wine was paired well with the meals as well. My favorite tasting was a red wine from Italy. I always used to like white wine better than red, but I think that's because I usually have local (CT and Finger Lakes, NY) wines. White wines are more suited for cold regions like these. Trying the Italian red wine, though, made me think that I had just never had a good enough red wine before! Finally, we ended the meal with a decadent dessert: chocolate lava cake. It was like a brownie, but more moist and filled in the middle with molten chocolate sauce--a chocoholic's dream.

The vibe: It was a small, fairly intimate restaurant, with a chic bar area and a sit-down restaurant area. It was modern and "cool," and I was very impressed by the attentive service. This restaurant is definitely a classy addition to West Hartford Center.

The value: Although expensive, we got a great deal from LivingSocial. In addition, most of the wine tastings range from $2-$10 for one oz., so you can try a few different wines at affordable prices.

Go for: A romantic date!


Tisane Euro-Asian Cafe, Hartford: www.mytisane.com/

The food (and drinks): This cafe features a fusion of Asian and European flavors, as well as an extensive and exotic tea and coffee list. They have a variety of flatbreads, burgers, and noodle bowls. I've had their Pad Thai, which is perhaps not as authentic as at a Thai restaurant, but just as tasty. The real stars here, though, are the drinks. They have all kinds of tea, easily organized and classified on their menu: black, white, green, oolong, rooibos, herbal. The tea comes in your own personal teapot and stays warm for your whole meal. My favorite is the spicy masala chai.

The vibe: Very bohemian and artsy.

The value: The tea is a great value, and the meals are less expensive than most regular restaurants in the area but more expensive than usual for cafes. Tisane is part of Taste of Hartford so go this week if you can!

Go for: Meetup with friends or downtime on your own with a good book

Cuisines: British

All right, so I made some slightly disparaging comments about British food in my last post. But I was only taking the mickey! In fact, the food of the British Isles (England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland) has come a long way in recent years, and has its own unique charm.

Of course, unfamiliar cuisine can be fraught with dangers. Once, at a quaint hotel on the sacred island of Iona, in the Scottish Hebrides, I went out with some friends for a "cream tea." First mistake: thinking that "cream tea" meant "creamy tea." It's actually tea with scones, clotted cream, and raspberry jam. Second mistake: Plopping a dollop of the cream onto the scone as if it were a biscuit and then trying to eat it with my hands, like an uncivilised American. My friends were shaking with laughter as the clotted cream melted off of the scone, creating a huge mess. I then watched in mortification as they all neatly cut the scone in half and spread the cream onto it with a knife, like butter. Whoops.

Fortunately, unless you're at high tea with the Queen, British fare is usually hearty and down-to-earth. You can get some great deals in pubs, where you can feast on homemade shepherd's pie, bangers and mash, toad in the hole, fish and chips, Yorkshire pudding, pasties, and Sunday roast while paying a fraction of the prices found at sit-down restaurants.

Most of the following restaurants are pubs, so you can go either for dinner or for drinks with friends. Go have some craic!


The Corner Pug, West Hartford: http://www.cornerpug.com/ordereze/Default.aspx

The food: This pub combines the best of British dishes with the best of American dishes, so there's something for everyone. The food is so comforting and homey, and I've been back time and time again because of it. I especially recommend their shepherd's pie, roasted chicken, and kettle potato chips. They also serve up a neat platter of delicious homemade bread before the meal.

The vibe: Classic English pub, with an obsession with pugs, as the name suggests. Pictures of patrons' pug dogs line the walls, and overall there's a great sense of family and Elmwood community here. Bar is always crowded, but there's plenty of booth space and a huge back room for larger parties.

The value: Good deal, especially for West Hartford.

Go for: Family gatherings or a pint


Mrs. Bridges' Pantry, Woodstock: http://www.mrsbridgespantry.com/

The food: As authentic as it gets. I had English breakfast tea (makes me nostalgic) and a ham and cheese quiche, while my friend had Earl Grey and a scone. Both dishes were excellent, and the clotted cream was so good I could have eaten it with a spoon. There is an extensive tea menu.

The vibe: Too cute for words, both inside and out. Quaint English tea room, with lovely table settings and china. There's also a shop that sells British import goods, including candy, tea, and other staples.

The value: The tea room is a good value, but the import store was a bit expensive for my taste. Still, if you're an expat or Anglophile, it might be worth it.

Go for: Afternoon tea


O'Neills Pub and Restaurant, Norwalk: http://www.oneillsono.com/

The food: Good food, and a lot of it! I could barely finish my shepherd's pie after filling up on piping hot bread. I did get a Guinness (of course), which was perfect. Best of all, they have curry on their menu!

The vibe: We went on a Friday night, so the place was hopping! The word that first comes to mind when I think about this place is "cool." Not necessarily a traditional Irish pub, but a chic place to hang out.

The value: Entrees are more expensive than you would think, but each night of the week there's a different deal on food and drinks.

Go for: Happy hour, pub quiz every Tuesday night


McLadden's Irish Publick House, West Hartford: http://www.mcladdens.com/

The food: I've only ever had appetizers here (nachos and mini burgers), which were good but fairly typical. Their actual menu looks like it offers more sophisticated dishes than your usual pub grub.

The vibe: Every time I've been there, it's been packed! Live music is always playing, and everybody is having a good time--that is, if you can get to the bar! Luckily they do have a back room if you'd like privacy and quiet. There's also free popcorn from a popcorn machine, which I appreciated.

The value: Entrees are quite expensive, so go for the happy hour deals.

Go for: Drinks with friends after a long work week