Keeping up with the Jones...

I visited one of my now favorite places in the area this weekend, Jones Winery in Shelton, CT. I did a tasting with my boyfriend on Sunday and was surprised to see that the former tasting room is now a classroom and the tasting room is now across the path in the former dairy barn.

We happened to pick a good time for our tasting, as we were the only people there for most of it, and learned a lot about how they are still working on the bar for the new tasting room, to accommodate more people, how the owner attended Cornell, about the "Wine Down" dinners they are offering on Friday evenings, about their cooking classes, and about which grapes are grown in CT and in which area of the vineyard.

Tastings change depending on the season and how much they have of each wine remaining from the previous year, we had the opportunity to try the Pinot Gris 2008, Ripton Red, Merlot, Stonewall White, Woodlands White, First Blush, Black Currant Bouquet, Blueberry Bliss, a sparkling Strawberry wine and were even lucky enough to try the sold-out (until later this month) and award winning Raspberry Rhapsody. They provide generous portions, compared to other tastings, and although you can only taste 6 wines, allow you to share tastings with the other people in your party, so you can each taste them all.

We even picked up our passports for the CT wine trail for 2009!

Death of a Salesman at Yale Rep

I can't believe I nearly forgot to blog about this play after seeing it last week! Death of a Salesman is currently running at the Yale Repertory Theatre through May 23rd. It was sold out during previews and through the first few nights after opening night, and rightfully so.

I saw it last Wednesday and was just taken away by the delivery of the lines. I opted to read the play recently, as something that I was never required to do in high school. The play does not stray far from the original content, except for the obvious choice in an African American cast. Was the director trying to make a statement with the cast choice? It's hard to tell, but I think not as he does little to convey any other issues of race during that time period. It is my opinion that Charles Dutton (three-time Emmy Award winner and two-time Tony Award nominee and Yale School of Drama graduate) was selected for the role, and the director felt it only made sense for his family to be the same race (although I did hear a rumor that they asked fellow Yale School of Drama alumna Meryl Streep to star opposite Dutton as Linda Loman, but she declined due to her already busy schedule).

A bit about the set, it is simple and versatile, providing for a lot of opportunity to demonstrate the rooms of each family member while also the different settings of Howard's office, the backyard and a Boston hotel room.

Dutton was truly remarkable as Willy Loman, convincingly delusional and yet lovable, pathetic and yet compassionate. He was joined by a phenomenal cast, a large number that are also graduates of Yale School of Drama and I must say that my personal cast favorite was (Tony Award Nominee) Kimberly Scott as Linda Loman. And if you are interested, the cast is also extremely nice and friendly and you might see them wandering around before, during, or after the performance!

I highly recommend you make a point to see this show if you are in the New Haven area. I plan to see it again, myself, and don't worry about the swine flu. The ushers are Lysol-ing every surface before each performance! ;)

A new kind of Tavern

Saturday I dined out for lunch with some girlfriends at the new Park Central Tavern, located at 1640 Whitney Avenue in Hamden, CT. From what I hear, it just opened April 24th, and everything truly did look brand new.

Take note, when visiting, that the sign to the restaurant is small and the parking lot (behind the restaurant) is off of a one-way street, so keep an eye out and drive slowly.

There is a very classy bar (which had the Kentucky Derby on) and dining in this area, as well as a couple of other rooms where dining is also available. I didn't inquire, but I imagine it would be the perfect place to hold a small event like an anniversary or shower. The ambiance is very clean cut and simple with a slightly rustic feel.

My group shared the Calamari Aioli, which was almost a Mexican take on calamari with peppers and cumin. They have a menu with a large choice in variety, from seafood to steak to chicken to what they refer to on the menu as "Tavern Fare", your typical burgers, and other sandwiches. I had the Broiled Seafood, a small fillet of sole, shrimp and scallops served with mashed potatoes and green beans. The dish was an inexpensive $14 and was the perfect lunch portion. Our waitress explained that the dinner portions are "tremendous", explaining the increase in this dish's price to $23. Other members of my party had burgers, salads, and the sole and all agreed that they were very happy with the experience and particularly with the presentation of their food.

The service left a little to be desired, forgetting drink requests and not being as attentive as is necessary, but I'm willing to overlook that, knowing that perhaps we had an inexperienced waitress who will pick things up soon.

I will definitely be returning soon!

ISolated INcident

Sorry about the hiatus, it's been a busy week and then a week of recovery. So I'm going to back-track and review Dane Cook's performance at Mohegan Sun on April 25th, kicking off his ISolated INcident tour. It is being listed as the "largest comedy tour" in history, and I can see why. The show was nearly sold out, but for a few seats that were over $100...

Al Del Bene was the first opener and really got the audience going and, from what I could hear, everyone wished he performed longer. He reminded me a lot of Dane Cook with the tone he used to deliver his jokes as well as his facial expressions and the audience ate it up.

Next up was Robert Kelly, who was on much longer and didn't hold the audience's attention quite as well. He had a few good jokes like "God is everywhere..." but many of them were very political or religion based, and seemed to offend a bit- just a different kind of comedy than the Dane fans are used to, I guess..... Much more typical of what you expect from a stand up comedian, if you ask me.

Dane's portion of the show kicked off with a montage of people all over the country, including celebrities throwing up the Su(per)-Fi(nger)- Dane's new thing... Dane then came out in a suit and tie (and sneakers) to the sounds of thousands of screaming women. Dane had some great jokes like the female c*?k-block, but spoke a lot about his parents. Not that big of a Dane Cook fan, but someone who has always liked him, I wasn't aware of his parent's passing from cancer two years ago and was immediately sympathetic and upset hearing him talk about it. He was thanking his fans and letting them know that he was okay, but for me, I was totally saddened by the whole thing and it put quite the damper on the rest of the show. In addition, he was much calmer and wasn't jumping around on stage as much as he has in the past. All in all, this was a more mature and wisened Dane with a little less "laugh-out-loud" humor.

Don't ya love Donuts?

Just recently, I was introduced to a new restaurant, Whitney Donut (2574 Whitney Ave, Hamden). It's set back a bit from the road and when you walk inside you get this quaint feeling of a semi-forgotten diner, except for all of the people there! I don't know why I never visited, but it was packed.

There's one very large counter and 3 small tables to sit at. They serve breakfast including varieties of coffee, bagels, muffins, and, of course, donuts. I had an egg sandwich on a bagel, and although they microwave the egg, it was still great and the bagel was perfectly soft and not too large and doughy. I even topped it off with a Boston creme donut (which I shared) and it was definitely bakery-style, not something you'd get from Dunkin Donuts down the street. I also ate there for lunch (I enjoyed it that much) and had a Greek salad (beware- they will tell you they don't have Greek dressing- just get the oil vinaigrette with balsamic- it's Greek dressing!) and a grilled cheese on this delicious thick bread that was not greasy at all. The also have a variety of other salads, sandwiches, and wraps...

Not to mention- it's cheap to eat here! So next time you are thinking of somewhere you can grab a quick bite to eat in Hamden, this is definitely a good place to choose!

Everyone needs a little Sugar..

Either I really am not interested in working today, or there are just so many things to talk about! When it comes to sweets, cupcakes are the BIG HIT! and the best place around to get them is The Sugar Bakery (formerly Mrs. Sweetza's) in East Haven on Main Street. I visited the bakery the other day and sampled the BEST cupcakes I have ever tasted (and my boyfriend/food connoisseur agreed). They have over 20 flavors on any given day that include Strawberry Cheesecake, Red Velvet, S'mores, Cherry Jubilee, Coconut Dream, Canolli, Tiramisu, and of course your regular vanilla (Plain Jane) and chocolate (Double Trouble). The cupcakes are the most moist and decadent I have ever tasted and the women who own the bakery are delightful and make favors and sweets for lots of special events. (The photo to the left is from the Sugar website and does not even begin to demonstrate what they can do). They can even wrap cupcakes for a favor individually and put specialized labels on them. I'm thinking bridal shower favors? It's that time of year....

Not Really an Adventure...

Adventureland- a place I know well after working there for two years, is recently the setting and the title of a new movie that tells of teen angst. I saw the movie yesterday and, despite the likeness to the true Adventureland (in Farmingdale, New York), the movie was not all that interesting. You'd think a movie with Ryan Reynolds would be funny and he didn't have a single funny moment in the film, playing a repair-man. I guess they weren't going for a comedy, but more for a regular "coming-of-age" tale. Kristen Stewart played her normal, moody self and Jesse Eisenberg showed a lot of potential in his cute and virgin ways, as a college grad.

I can say I am VERY glad I worked at Adventureland when I was 16 and not 23! I could have ended up as sad and pathetic as this cast.