Estia’s American - Darien CT
Wow! I can’t believe I haven’t blogged since December! Hard to believe it is already mid-April and I”ll be posting for the first time in 2012. Time is flying.
I am on April vacation for the week so my Mom treated me to breakfast at the new Darien, CT eatery, Estia’s American. Although Estia’s is new to Darien, they are also located in Sag Harbor, NY as Estia’s Little Kitchen. My Mom and I split an omelet and blueberry pancakes. We went for the mushroom & goat cheese combination with whole wheat toast & fresh fruit. The omelet was even better when I had a couple of bites with Estia’s homemade hot sauces (red & green). The blueberry pancakes were wonderful - the pancakes were fluffy and the blueberries were plump and just the right amount of sweet. We both had mugs of Kobrick’s coffee, although I think I could have gone for an iced coffee on a warm day like today.
There is patio seating, but the interior is adorable and feels like home. Some of my favorite cookbooks sit atop table dividers in the middle of the space. Books by Alice Waters and chalkboards are usually an indication of good, wholesome eats.
I took a freshly squeezed beet & apple juice to go. Our waitress reminded me that beet juice is good for your blood. It seems that Estia’s is good for me. I can’t wait to go back…
Estia’s American
Open for breakfast & lunch. Opening for dinner in May 2012
1020 Post Road
Darien, CT
(203) 202-7051
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Super Bowl Goodness
Since my family’s favorite team just missed the Super Bowl this year, there wasn’t too much excitement about who was playing. That being said, the food at the Super Bowl party was something I could get excited about. The guests who brought food to the party we attended brought an assortment of items for appetizers. I would have been happy just having those for dinner. The coffee table was covered with shrimp resting on remoulade-covered crostini, olive tapenade and goat cheese toasts, Chinese roasted eggplant, guacamole and chips, pate and crackers, and three types of cheese that I didn’t touch because everything else was so enticing.
Since I was the only one who wouldn’t be eating the meat at the party, I was told to bring a vegetable entree. I made this butternut squash and mushroom wellington for Thanksgiving, and it was so good I ate it for breakfast for a couple days after the holiday, so I decided it would be a good thing to make again. If I were the only one eating, I’d have delicious leftovers for the rest of the week. This recipe takes a little time, but it isn’t difficult and it is worth it. Butternut squash sauteed in butter and maple syrup coupled with a mushroom and goat cheese mix all in puff pastry! Delish! Definitely try this at home.
From the New York Times, here is Melissa Clark’s Butternut Squash and Mushroom Wellington:
4 tablespoons butter
1 small butternut squash (1 1/4 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika or regular paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
3/4 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Flour
1 (14-to-16-ounce) package puff pastry
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 egg, whisked with 1/2 teaspoon water.
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a very large skillet over high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the squash in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for 4 minutes. (If squash won’t fit in a single layer, cook it in batches). Stir and continue to cook until squash is golden, 7 to 10 minutes more. Stir in the syrup, thyme, paprika and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook one minute. Scrape mixture into a bowl.
3. Turn the heat down to medium and melt the remaining butter in the skillet. Stir in garlic and shallot; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and remaining salt. Cook until mushrooms are soft and their juices evaporate, about 10 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until the mixture is dry, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pepper and parsley. Taste and add more salt if needed.
4. On a lightly floured surface,
unwrap the puff pastry. Cut into 2 5-by-15-inch rectangles. Spread mushrooms on each pastry rectangle leaving 1/4-inch border. Spoon the cheese crumbles over the mushrooms. Then spoon the squash over the cheese, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border (it will look like a stripe of squash lying on a bed of cheese and mushrooms).
5. Brush the exposed borders of dough on each rectangle with the egg wash. Fold the long sides up to meet in the middle and pinch together to seal; pinch the ends, too. Transfer the pastries to the baking sheet and turn them over so that the seam is face down. Brush the tops with more egg wash. Bake until they are puffed golden, and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
SAILS American Grill - Rowayton, CT
Many residents of Rowayton, CT were saddened at the closing of the popular, local spot, the River Cat Grill. When the owner of the restaurant had to sell, I was elated to learn that our friend Mr. Hooper would be buying the place and taking the reigns. The River Cat Grill is now known as SAILS American Grill and I hope to pay many more visits to this Rowayton eatery.
While my parents previously dined at Sails prior to this evening, this was my maiden voyage. My Dad marveled at the Roasted Marinated Pork Chop, saying it was the “best he ever had.” I’d have to take his word for it on the pork chop, but was excited to sample several of the other menu items.
A fire in the fireplace lended to a cozy atmosphere, rope tied winches lined the booths and sails met at a light fixture overhead. Olive oil was poured and sprinkled with pepper as soon as we took our seats and waiters circled the tables dolling out piping hot dinner rolls while we surveyed our dinner options.
Blue Point’s Hoptical Illusion IPA caught my eye on the specials list as did the side dish of truffle fries. I chose the Cedar Planked Wild Salmon for an entree and agreed to share the Warm Herb Crusted Goat Cheese and Beet salad with my Mom. My Brother started his meal with the Meatball Sliders, which he said were “Excellent” and had the Wisconsin Burger for an entree. The Wisconsin Burger was topped with Wisconsin smoked cheddar, BBQ sauce and crispy onion grass. My brother’s review was that the burger was “Flavorful and juicy.” My Dad ordered the Spiced Rubbed French Chicken Breast at the recommendation of Mr. Hooper and stated that it lived up to its praise. My salmon was cooked to perfection and the sun dried apricots in the accompanying bed of red rice provided a sweet contrast to the savory fish.
The dessert menu’s offerings were all appealing, but I went with the Warm Chocolate Ooze Cake. The cake was everything an “Ooze” cake should be. Hot out of the oven and paired with vanilla ice cream. Sails added a creative twist by making the ice cream a milkshake, served in a small glass adjacent to my ramekin of cake. The shake was rich with vanilla flavor, so I wasn’t surprised to see tiny vanilla beans when I reached the end of the glass.
The nautical theme pays homage to the neighborhood in which it resides and offers excellent food and first class service on the charming Rowayton waterfront. Can’t wait to visit Sails again.
Open for Lunch & Dinner Tuesday-Saturday
Open for Brunch & Dinner on Sunday
148 Rowayton Ave. Rowayton, CT 06853
http://www.sailsamericangrill.com/index.html
or look for them on Facebook…
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Hey Mussels, I Love You.
Moules et Frites is one of my favorite items to order while dining out at the moment. While I claim to be a veg-head in some of my posts, that isn’t entirely true. I try to stick to the fruits and veggies most of the time, but ultimately, I am a pescatarian and I do enjoy mussels.
In the planning stages of this meal we started with the mussels and added sweet potato fries with truffle salt. Then came garlic toast and sauteed kale. It was our first time cooking mussels so we did some research. We went with Ina Garten’s Mussels in White Wine recipe. Although we were a little confused about soaking the mussels in water with flour, we followed her recipe and they came out beautifully. When I discussed the recipe with my Dad, he said that due to the fact that they are bivalves, the soak in water & flour helps clean out any sand left inside (good to know…thanks Dad).
For the sweet potato fries we sliced raw sweet potatoes and covered the slices in olive oil, salt & pepper and baked them at 500 degrees on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes. Perhaps I cut the fries too thin, but 500 degrees for 30 minutes turned out to be entirely too much time and some of the fries came out a little toasty. I’d recommend 450 at the most and keep watching and turning those potatoes. Truffle salt was sprinkled on the fries - ultimate decadence.
I had a loaf of La Brea Bakery rosemary bread and I followed the recipe for garlic toast on the packaging. A mix of butter, garlic, shallots, salt and red pepper flakes was spread on the slices before a dusting of grated Parmesan cheese. I put the toast in the oven with the fries 10 minutes before the mussels were finished at 450 degrees.
The kale was made Kind Diet style. Sauteed in olive oil with minced garlic and tossed in balsamic vinegar before serving.
Dipping the toast and fries in the white wine sauce from the mussels was incredible. All of the flavors complemented each other so well. Truffle salt, red pepper flakes & Parmesan cheese on rosemary bread and white wine with garlic and butter…need I say more? This meal was amazing. I can’t wait to make it again.
Farm Stand Dinner
Visiting Long Island on the weekends has brought back a ton of childhood memories from the times my parents would take me on weekends to visit my Uncle at the family beach house in Sag Harbor. Farm stands with sweet corn and cantaloupe were a part of every one of those visits and I’m thrilled to revisit them.
When I left Los Angeles, I knew I’d miss the fresh produce and farmers markets, but these Long Island farm stands are filling that void. For our first dinner at Roman’s new place we made roasted corn on the cob, sauteed zucchini, roasted tomatoes with basil and stuffed baby bella mushrooms. I have to admit, we cheated on the mushrooms…they were pre-made from Wild by Nature. They were pretty good, but more breadcrumbs than we wanted. I sauteed the zucchini in olive oil until it browned and the corn was roasted in the oven (husk and all). I got the tomato recipe from Ina Garten via Food Network. Since Roman just moved in, he didn’t have sugar, so that was missing from the recipe but otherwise I followed it completely.
Roasted Tomatoes (via Ina Garten/Food Network)
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Arrange the tomatoes on a cookie sheet, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle the garlic, salt, and pepper over the tomatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tomatoes are beginning to caramelize.
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