Thursday, October 31, 2013

HEARTH 'N KETTLE IN ATTLEBORO, MA CLOSES

JOE Thursday, October 31, 2013
The popular Hearth 'N Kettle restaurant chain in Massachusetts is closing one of its locations. Their Attleboro restaurant closed today after 13 years in business. The Route 1 location will soon house yet another shopping center. If you know the area, you know that another shopping center is the last thing that is needed there. Hearth 'N Kettles five other Massachusetts restaurants (Weymouth, Plymouth, Orleans, Hyannis and Yarmouth) will remain open. It's always sad to see a good restaurant go to make room for something that's not needed. ,

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

HALLOWEEN FUN AT NEW ENGLAND'S RESTAURANTS

JOE Tuesday, October 29, 2013
MAINE
Freeport Trick or Treat -  Halloween night; kids trick or treat at downtown businesses with a pumpkin in the window; starts at 4pm 

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Halloween Pubcrawl - Drink as much pumpkin beer as you'd like all night long. More info: HERE 
Hearth n Kettle - (All locations) Oktoberfest! Shipyard Pumpkin for $5.50, Octoberfest for $6.00; Dinners include Kielbasa & cabbage and fish & chips; petite pumpkin shortcake for dessert 
King's (Dedham & Boston) - Halloween fun happening all week; Halloween & Friday nights: costume contest, Halloween decorations & food; Saturday 11/2 "Spooky Halloween Party" with live d.j. and costume contest; Daily good specials include ginger pumpkin bisque, butternut squash raviolis, pumpkin cheesecake and a pumpkin pie milkshake. Bar drinks include a candy corn martini and bloodbath, vampire & green ghoul drinks.

RHODE ISLAND
Christie's of Newport Halloween Cocktail Wars - (Newport) Bartenders go up against each other to determine who will make the best Halloween cocktail. Prizes will be awarded to guests with the best costumes.
Ha-Ha Halloween on Broadway - (Newport) Food specials, live music and prizes for best costumes. More info: HERE
Jack O Lantern Spectacular - Brave the crowds now thru the November 3rd to see tons of pumpkins carved into everything imaginable; $12 for adults on week days, $15 for adults on weekends; pumpkin beer, peanuts, fried dough, popcorn and more! More info HERE 

VERMONT
The Skinny Pancake - "Ghoulish Get Down" at their Main Street Burlington location on Halloween night, $10 at the door, live music all night, costume contest, Magic Hat after party from midnight -2am, RSVP on their Facebook page
Whetstone Station - (Brattleboro) Halloween night party; DJ and costume contest and plenty of craft beer

CREPES FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER & DESSERT AT THE SKINNY PANCAKE

JOE Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Crepes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert! If that sounds like a dream to you, be sure to check out The Skinny Pancake at one of its locations in Vermont. In 2007, the first Skinny Pancake opened its doors in Burlington and it has been a hit with college students, vacationers and the locals ever since. 

All of the crepes are made with fresh and local ingredients. There are many breakfast options including the "Early Riser" made with egg and Cabot cheese and the Atlantic Monster, a crepe with Atlantic salmon, spinach, cream cheese wrapped in a scallion wrap. You can order a breakfast crepe all day or go for one of their dinner crepes. They have dreamed up so many options on their menu from the simple spinach & feta and apples & brie crepes to the more complex "Cattle Rancher" with local beef, caramelized onions, red roasted peppers, cheddar and chipotle sour cream or the "Localvore's Dream" with Misty Knoll chicken, cranberry-apple chutney, blue cheese and arugula. The Skinny Pancake also has plenty of local beers on their menu including the wickedly popular Heady Topper.

If I'm having a crepe, I'll usually go for a dessert crepe and that's just what I did on a recent visit. I loved the "Choco Monkey" with Nutella and banana. Simple and savory. They have so many more dessert options including a strawberry shortcake crepe, the "Hot Apple Crispy" with apple, honey, cinnamon sugar and whipped cream and one I'd really like to try called "Brownies in Bed," a brownie blanketed with a crepe, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Mmmm.

The Choco Monkey
The Skinny Pancake in Montpelier
Contact: www.skinnypancake.com
Vermont Locations:  Burlington waterfront, Burlington Airport, Montpelier, they also have a cart at the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington

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Thursday, October 24, 2013

KRISPY KREME DONUTS SPOTTED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE!

JOE Thursday, October 24, 2013
Krispy Kreme recently made a one night appearance in New Hampshire. Their signature glazed donuts were sold last Saturday night at the Keene Pumpkin Festival. Of course, Krispy Kreme's are hard to come by in New England. There are none in New Hampshire. They had to drive from the Granite State to Connecticut to pick up the donuts. They brought 200 dozen back with them! , ,

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Eat Up NE Favorite: GET A TASTE OF NYC AT TONY'S IN VERMONT

JOE Tuesday, October 22, 2013


Cheese and tomato slice with sesame seed crust

MUST TRY: Meat stromboli
Tucked away in rural Rawsonville, Vermont you'll find a taste of the big city at Tony's New York Style Pizzeria. You can order your own pie or go for a large, New York style slice like the kind you'll find everywhere in the city. From their veggie to their meat combo, all of their slices are just perfect. Two will easily fill you up. Go for one of their garlic knots or try one of their cheesy pepperoni, chicken & broccoli or cheddar and bacon knots. They make for a great side to one of their slices. You've also got to try Tony's stromboli. Their meat stromboli is stuffed with pepperoni, salami and sausage and oozes mozzarella cheese. Drinks include soda, water, green tea and juices. If you want a beer, visit the large package store next door.

 Contact
8814 Rte. 30
Rawsonville, VT 05155
802-297-1300 , ,

Monday, October 14, 2013

APPLES, PUMPKINS & ALL OF THE FALL FIXINS AT THE BIG APPLE!

JOE Monday, October 14, 2013
The Pumpkin House
New England's farms just come to life in the fall. From deep orange pumpkins and gourds of all shapes and sizes to crunchy apples and hot cider, nothing beats a trip to the orchard in the fall.

 One of my favorite farms in New England is The Big Apple in Wrentham, Massachusetts. I've been going there every fall since I was a child. All of these years later, the place hasn't changed much and that's a good thing! You can still get a free apple just for visiting. You can still watch a train circle around the area where the apples are cleaned. Best of all, you can still buy all of their the fall foods that you wait patiently all year for.

 If you go to The Big Apple, you MUST try their donuts. They are perfect and light. You could eat a half dozen in one sitting. If you show up at the right time, you can even see them make the donuts. Right now, they are also selling candy and caramel apples. Both are so delicious. You can also buy bags of several varieties of apples that are grown on their acres of land. Also for sale: several kinds of pies, fudge, candy, popcorn, cider (made from their own apples), cheeses, veggies, pickles and so much more! In recent years, The Big Apple also started to sell ice cream. There are many flavors to choose from including my seasonal favorite, pumpkin.

Now is also the perfect time to visit for all of your fall decorating needs. They have pumpkins and gourds of all sizes. Their pumpkin house is a sight! They also sell mums and Indian corn. Of yeah, be sure to be on the lookout for the witch on Halloween weekend!

Contact:
www.thebigapplefarm.com

*While there are plenty of bagged apples to buy, apple picking is over for the 2013 season. , , ,

Friday, October 11, 2013

UPCOMING FALL RESTAURANT WEEKS IN HARTFORD, CT AND STOWE, VT

JOE Friday, October 11, 2013
You don't always have to go into the city to celebrate restaurant week. From October 20-26, Stowe, Vermont will be having a restaurant week. Prix-fixe and multi-course menus will range from $15-$35. Patricipating restaurants include Blue Moon Cafe, Cactus Cafe, Flannel, "Main Dining Room" at the Trapp Family Lodge, amoung many others. Log on to: www.gostowe.com/restaurantweek for menus and more information. By the way, if you take part in Stowe Restaurant Week, you'll get a 10-percent VIP pass, which you can use at many of the shops in town.

If you live in Connecticut, you'll want to check out Connecticut's Fall Restaurant Week from October 14-20. More than 100 restaurants will be taking part with multi-course menus ranging from $20.13 to $30.13. Read the long list of participating restaurants and check out RW menus HERE. As always, I've gotta recommend The First & Last Tavern in Hartford. They are offering a three-course meal for $20.13. The first course is soup or salad. Choose from four entrees for dinner including scord and their absolutely amazing rigatoni bolognese. The third course is a chocolate torte or cannoli. , ,

Thursday, October 10, 2013

EXPERIENCE SUNDAY BRUNCH AT SKY IN NORWOOD, MA

JOE Thursday, October 10, 2013
The chocolate fountain is flowing Sundays at Sky in Norwood, Massachusetts. Their popular Sunday brunch is back and just as popular than ever. It's buffet style and there are endless options. For breakfast, they'll make you an omelet with just about anything you want stuffed inside. You can also watch as chefs prepare waffles and pancakes for you. Make your way down the breakfast buffet and fill your plate with sausage, scrambled eggs, two kinds of crispy bacon, home fries, eggs benedict and their amazing cinnamon raisin French toast. You can even toast yourself a bagel or grab a home-made pastry. I went for breakfast first and saved room for round two: lunch!

 Stop by the chef's carving station for your main course. They had stuffed pork, roast and ham when I was there. Much like their breakfast buffet, their lunch selection often rotates. They have New England scrod, two kinds of mac & cheese, potatoes, seasonal veggies and some really good chicken! They also have many salads to choose from, a huge cheese plate, mozzarella and olives with feta.

 Save room for dessert! This is the highlight of the meal. Sky has a huge chocolate fountain with fruits and brownies for dipping. The dessert table also has all kinds of chocolatey treats, pastries, cakes and pies. Sky even has a full table of gluten-free desserts.

 Hungry yet?

Sunday brunch is served in their large dining room that's complete with a soothing waterfall. They even have a jazz band to set the scene!

More info:
Adults: $29
Kids 7-12: $14
Kids under 7: Free!
- Sunday brunch is served from September 8 to June 29 from 10am-2pm
- Reservations are recommended

Contact:
www.sky-restaurant.com , ,

Saturday, October 05, 2013

FRESH INGREDIENTS AT STONE HEARTH PIZZA

JOE Saturday, October 05, 2013
Cheeseburger Pizza
Stone Hearth Pizza is a favorite in Massachusetts because of its flavorful menu packed with organic, local and many gluten-free options. Grab one of their many beers and start your meal off with one of their apps or a salad. Their parmesan bread is delicious. All of their salads come in half and full sized, so you can split one as an app or enjoy a salad as your entree. Their spinach & avocado salad is so good especially with their lemon thyme olive oil dressing.

 Entrees including several kinds of paninis, stromboli and their signature thin crust pizzas. You can order a personal pan, small or large pie. All of them are made in their stone hearth. You can choose from one of their many specials including chicken pesto, spicy banana pepper, sausage & caramelized onion, buffalo chicken and cheeseburger pizzas. You can also make your own pizza with any of their toppings. All pizzas can be made gluten free. If you're not in a pizza mood, try one of their baked pastas. They have mac & cheese and meatball lover, among a few others. The meatball lovers is one of my favorites. It's a cheesy mix of penne rigate and homemade mini meatballs. 

 Contact
www.stonehearthpizza.com
Locations: Allston, Belmont, Cambridge, Hingham, Needham & Winchester, Massachusetts

Deals & Discounts
If you use Foursquare, be sure to check in at Stone Hearth. Right now, they are offering 15-percent off on all of their pizzas and paninis. In the past, they're hooked diners up with a free order of their delicious Parmesan bread. Stone Hearth is also known to offer deals on Groupon. , ,

Thursday, October 03, 2013

FALL FAVORITES: PUMPKIN ICE CREAM

JOE Thursday, October 03, 2013
It may be the fall, but it's still ice cream season! Just about every ice cream shop in New England is selling pumpkin ice cream right now. One of my favorite places for a scoop of pumpkin is Bliss Dairy in Attleboro, MA. Their pumpkin is so rich and creamy. The Beach Plum in Hampton, N.H. is also selling pumpkin this time of the year. A kids size is plenty. Their portions are HUGE! ,

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

FALL FAVORITES: CIDER DONUTS & CIDER AT TOWNE IN BOSTON

JOE Wednesday, October 02, 2013

It's the time of the year where everything is pumpkin-flavored and the smell of hot apple cider fills every coffee shop around. This fall, Eat Up New England is profiling some delicious autumn dishes, drinks, even some orchards in our series, "Fall Favorites." 

Let's kick things off at Towne Stove and Spirits on Boylston Street in Boston. I was just there for a birthday dinner with some friends and found a menu full of fall flavor. Their drink menu has several seasonal drinks. I went for the "Southie Cider," a nice mix of bourbon, cinnamon syrup and hard cider. Strong stuff. 

Their dessert menu is loaded with fall treats. There are pumpkin profiteroles, apple cobbler and maple cotton candy. I went for the cider donuts and hot spiced cranberry cider. The donuts were light and coated with cinnamon and the cider was the real deal like you can find in Vermont. Their tasty menu definitely put me in the fall spirit! , , ,

Tuesday, October 01, 2013

HARDEE'S RESTAURANT CHAIN IS COMING TO NEW ENGLAND!

JOE Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Just in case you don't have enough options for a burger already, you'll soon have another. Hardee's is expanding into the Northeast. Over the next five years, the fast food chain will open about 200 stores in the Northeast. They'll open in New York and New Jersey first, and then in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Hardee's is known for its huge burgers and provocative ads, like this one:

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