Greenwich Wine & Food Festival
I should have known better. After all, I went to South Beach Food & Wine Festival last winter. I know the drill. But my eyes have always been bigger than my stomach. And everything looks SO good. Here’s the trick: one MUST pace oneself.
Laura and I arrived early to the festival, which seemed like a great idea. Parking was a breeze, no line to get in, and the tents were half empty. We noshed our way through some delightful treats like truffle grilled cheese on rye, seared ahi tuna tacos, translucent slices of smoked salmon on freshly baked bagels, crazy chorizo croquettes with a cool corn soup shooter. And then meatballs. Meatballs…seemingly everywhere.
Within an hour we were flagging, and the tent was filling to capacity. We spied the Pinot’s Palette painting booth and plopped down for a respite from the crowds and to try our hand at a canvas. We picked our “art” and were handed instructions and paints. I was all too happy to people-watch from a seated vantage point (although my version of Starry Night was laughable), but the multi-talented Laura created a take-home worthy painting! Ever competitive, I threw in the towel on my Van Gogh. The half hour break revived us enough to make our way to the cocktail tent and watch the barmasters mixing it up. The show was as good as the drinks, with all manner of artisanal ingredients (a homemade apple liqueur and cider mashup was a fall favorite), and a competitive spirit pervaded the booths.
Here’s the skinny for next year: go early and enjoy the festival before the crowds OR go late and stay for the music (we HATED to miss Old Crowe Medicine Show and Ziggy Marley), but it would be nigh impossible to do both. We definitely would return next year, and depending on the musical acts, possibly stay over. The Delamar Hotel is right next door.
Greenwich Wine & Food Festival
A few goodies we discovered:
Blue Tulip Chocolates solid chocolate “lips” were gorgeous and their truffles divine. Order online. www.bluetulipchocolates.com
We were already fans of Maple Craft’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup, but we freaked over their new Salted Caramel flavor. We’ll be pouring it over vanilla ice cream for a simple but stylish dessert. Vermont Maple Syrup bottled in CT. www.maplecraftfoods.com
Next time we’re in Westport or Greenwich, we’ll stop in to see the sweeties at The Granola Bar and try our best to convince them to open on the Shoreline. We loved the paleo muffins and fresh yogurt parfaits. thegranolabarct.com
Besides the giant cake-sized cookies at Connecticut Cookie Company, you can purchase a bottle of their homemade vanilla extract. I grabbed some Tahitian and Extra Strength (pretty strong, that one!) for adding to my Breakfast Chia Pudding. Available online: ctcoco.com
