That little trip to Maine: Part 2

As promised, I have another Maine restaurant to share with you!

Unlike the months of planning that went behind our trip to Salt Water Farm, the trip to this one happened completely by accident.

After gorging ourselves at dinner the night before (and again at the Whitehall Inn's breakfast) we decided that we were going to head back down the coast of Maine stopping and shopping around in the little towns until we made it back to Boston that night.  That plan came to a halt about 15 minutes after jumping in the car as we came upon our first winery, Cellardoor Winery.  After our eighth tasting of their delicious wine (my favorites were the Petite Sirah and the Prince Valiant) we realized we weren't heading back to Boston, we were going on a wine tour!



As we were heading to the next winery, a sign popped up on my right further solidifying our choice not to head back to Boston.  That sign was for Primo.  Distant memories of an Anthony Bourdain episode came at me like a ton of bricks and I suddenly realized what we had just discovered.

We immediately called while crossing our fingers and hoping that we could get in that night.  We were pleasantly surprised to find that downstairs is for reservation only but upstairs is a free for all.  So we moved along to our next winery with far bigger smiles on our faces.

As we arrived for dinner the upstairs host told us there was a 30 minute wait but that we should grab a drink and head out back for a stroll around the farm.  And that we did.

We aren't talking an herb garden out back.  We are talking a FARM.  Complete with every vegetable, edible flower, and fruit you can imagine as well as pigs, chickens, and ducks.

After a long day of wine tours and not a lot of food, we decided appetizers were much needed to go along with our deliciously crafted cocktails.  We ordered a cheese board that included an incredibly pungent and delicious blue cheese served with honeycomb, fruit, and nut and fruit crackers.  We also ordered a Mediterranean plate with beet hummus, olives, flatbread, and several other bowls of goodness.

The entrees are below captured by some horribly lit iPhone pictures that obviously do not do the dishes a bit of justice.  Just read the captions.  And drool.

Our second night in Maine proved to be just as wonderful as the first.  Incredibly fresh and delicious food, beautiful and rustic decor, and of course great company.













Within the next couple of days I'll be posting a recipe for something that has been on my bucket list for quite a long time now...Fresh Maine Lobsters!

That little trip to Maine: Part 1

Oh my goodness.

I'm finally coming out of the food/drink/fun induced coma that I slipped into as soon as sweet Momma Bell jumped off of the plane.

It was a go big or go home kind of week.  We did everything, ate everything, and saw everything that we possibly could in that short little week.  Fortunately, most of it revolved around food.  And that means that it's going to take multiple posts to share the highlights with you.

But we're going to start at the beginning.  With our little trip to Maine.

Throughout mom's visits to Boston over the last couple of years, we have always made it a point to take a couple of days to venture outside the city whether it be to the Cape, NYC, or a quick trip to the casino, we love showing her the ins and outs of New England.  It's one thing that I'll miss about New England.  There are so many wonderful spots that are just a couple hours drive (and typically a beautiful one) away from Boston.

Out of all of those little trips we never made it to the great state of Maine.  So, it became the destination for this visit without second thought.  I think we were just saving the best for last.  Maine has always felt like a little bit of Missouri.  The scenery is breathtaking and the people are warm and incredibly welcoming.  A drive through Maine is town after town of adorable little shops and quaint restaurants and the perfect amount of people that sits snugly between a ghost town and a mob of tourists.

Oh.  And did I mention the food?

Other than just the utter fact that Momma Bell needed to experience Maine, Salt Water Farm also played a huge part in shaping our trip.  At this point I'm not even sure how I discovered Salt Water Farm, but somehow several years ago I heard about it and began looking it up.  At that point in time it was just a farm that hosted cooking classes.  Amazing, wonderful, delicious sounding cooking classes.  I often browsed the website and told myself I was going to splurge and just go do it.

Unfortunately, I never pulled the trigger.  Which, I have to say will go down as one of the things I will regret not doing while I was here.  (But let's be honest...I'm coming back to visit...And I'll probably make a special trip for that.)

Luckily, Salt Water Farm decided to open up a restaurant three months ago.  The excitement couldn't be contained the moment that I realized my chances of experiencing SWF had not been lost.

So what do you think?  Do you think it met my expectations?

Of course it did.

Above and beyond actually.  As soon as we walked in I knew.  The smells.  The open kitchen.  The baskets of local vegetables for sale.  The beautiful wooden tables.  The unbelievable view of the bay. Sights.  Sounds.  Smells.  It had it all.  And this was all within the first thirty seconds.

Naturally my love for the place grew larger by the second.  The meal itself was a special menu prepared for an event SWF was hosting with Dogfish Head Brewery.  Each dish below was paired with a special brew from Dogfish Head that had been crafted from wine grapes.  I, being the sober driver of the evening, stuck with a glass of wine and let everyone else enjoy the incredibly generous pours.  However, both the wine and beers were phenomenal.

But the food was better.  Every dish was simple yet so perfect.  Not one of the dishes lacked in flavor or creativity.  Nor were they pretentious and over the top.  Picking favorites seems unfair, but the trompette mushrooms were out of this world.  And graciously prepared for me instead of the duck.

To top off the evening we were able to speak with nearly every person involved with the dinner including the founder of SWF, the founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, the chefs, and of course our wonderful waiters and waitresses.  Every single one of them had a passion for what they were doing and it was radiating out of that restaurant.

If you can't already tell from the amount of time that my fingers just flew across the keyboard in an attempt to somehow get you to SWF...I love this place.





















Tomorrow I'll be back with yet another culinary adventure from Maine!  Until then...check out Salt Water Farm!

My Politic Tour Update #1

Are you ready for the first My Politic tour update!?

We are only on day three and it's been an epic journey so far.  We've traveled approximately 1000 miles and only have another 3000 to go before we're back in Boston!  We're currently weaving our way through the Tennessee mountains on the way to tonight's show in Chattanooga, TN.  We've seen some beautiful sights, listened to some great music, and of course taken a zillion pictures. 

That being said...I'm going to give you a picture tour of our trip so far.  I like that idea better than boring you with a novel.  And everyone likes pictures right??

You should also check out My Politic's blog {here} for additional updates/ridiculous videos AND click {here} to follow them on twitter and see what we're up to.

Let's begin...at the beginning.

day 1:

8:30 a.m. and Kaston and Nick have the car packed up like champs.  We may or may not have waaaay too much stuff.  Three weeks is a long time you know...

I'm probably going to repeat this over and over but, he's single ladies.

Adelaide met us at Boston Common Coffee for a few going away gifts and maybe a few hugs.  She's the sweetest.

Made it to New York City in great time...and then got stuck in NYC for an hour.  Traffic on an early Tuesday afternoon?  Come on NYC.

Finally made it to Philadelphia!  And literally had a Philly Cheesesteak in hand within minutes.  That's what we call efficient.  Oh, and this is our friend Chip!  She joined us for the first leg of the journey...and we already miss her...a lot.

Refueling.  Oh, did I mention he's single?

On to Benjamin Franklin's grave...no biggie.

I found a Farmers Market.  A Farmers Market with CHERRIES.  Just picked the day before.  Yum.

I don't think I've told you yet...he's single.  And funny sometimes.

But not all the time.

We stumbled on this little pier thing.  Great view, cool boats, incoming storm.

This was one of our favorite stops in Philly last year.  Elfreth's Alley.  It's beautiful.  And I desperately want to live there.

One (maybe THE) of the oldest continuously inhabited streets in the U.S.

That may be a real smile on Kaston Guffey's face ladies and gentlemen.  I'm 63% sure it is.

Made it to the show!

 Songwriters circle with some great guys!

day 2:

After a long night of driving we finally made it to the south.  And the guys bought these in a desperate attempt to fit back in.  We've all missed it.

Look ladies!  He's domestic too!  He watches while YOU make lunch!  Isn't that sweet?

So...they may have also purchased a headband for me.  I had to oblige.

We finally reunite with our Boston pals that were so patiently waiting for us to arrive in Tennessee!  Nick jumped out of the car to do a very dramatic (and somewhat adorable) run/hug to greet the boys.

So excited to see each other!  3 days is far too long to be apart.

Between the last picture and this one, we set up the tent, chowed down on some soul food, and went to the Acoustic Coffeehouse for the show with this guy, Kyle Adem.  He's pretty wonderful.  Check out his website {here}.

day 3:

 Finally a day with some time to do a little sightseeing!

 Gorgeous Tennessee mountains on our way to the Cumberland Gap!

Outdoorsy 90s boy band album cover?  Yes, please.  This was taken at the halfway point on our hike up Tri-State Peak.  We were in desperate need of a little break.

Made it!  Standing in three states at once!  Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia!

 The sweaty, out of breath group.

Gorgeous views.  Totally worth it.

That's all for now folks!  Check back soon for guest posts and more updates!

Maple Syrup and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Andddddd....I'm back!

With something yummy.  See that thing up above?  It's yummy.

So, where do I begin...

As most of you know, Kaston and I went on a little Spring Break excursion to the great states of New Hampshire and Vermont.  Not your typical Spring Break destinations, thank goodness.  Our trip was filled with back roads, a ridiculous amount of (delicious) food, llamas/goats, maple syrup, and lots of cheese.  Solid combination, right?

I don't want to bore you to death so....I'm going to give you a quick rundown.  With a chance of bullet points at the end.  Don't be scared.

We meandered our way up to the little skiing/outlet mall shopping town of North Conway, New Hampshire on Saturday.  We lazily spent the evening at the Inn indulging in a large amount of food and then chatting up a storm with the owner/bartender and waitresses.  We seem to do this a lot.

The next morning we inhaled our delicious breakfast at the Inn while enjoying the unreal views of the mountains...which of course led us to jump in the car and drive directly to them.  We spent the day driving through/in/around the mountains and eventually over into Maine as the sun went down.  This is where we discovered Candlepin Bowling.  GREATEST GAME EVER.  I won.  2 out of the 3 games.  Don't tell Kaston I told you.  He's a poor sport sometimes.

The next morning, after inhaling another delicious breakfast at the Inn, we started our descent into Southern Vermont.  This leg of the journey was littered with finding every local cheese producer in the Southern half of the state.  Which I do admit was a bit excessive.  But, as I've told you before...I really love cheese.

After arriving in Arlington that evening, we spent another lazy night at the Inn exploring the grounds and hanging out with the llamas, oh...and eating.  We were served a SIX course meal from the Inn's farm to table restaurant and had to be rolled to our room.  It was obscene.  Day 2 in Vermont of course included a lot of driving, followed by a trip to Hildene (Robert Todd Lincoln's summer home) and a visit to the local sugar shack (where they make the most wonderful maple syrup).  These last two were easily my favorite parts of the trip.  Being practically the only people visiting Hildene, we ended up chatting the afternoon away with the tour guides and getting exclusive looks around the house.  Remember when I said we do that a lot?

Of course I've left out an absurd amount of the trip...but you've already fallen asleep so it doesn't matter right?  And don't fret I haven't forgotten about the bullet points.  Please see below the recipe for all of the delicious places we ate so you can go to New Hampshire and Vermont and indulge too!

The last time we came home from Vermont I immediately made something with maple syrup. {These Maple Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins} Well...guess what?  Vermont has done it to me again.  But THIS time I watched this particular maple syrup being made and then poured into my very own Maple Syrup jug.  YUM.  However, I didn't make a big plate of buttermilk pancakes drenched in maple syrup as you would expect because...as you can see...we ate a lot over the weekend.  Which means I'm going to be munching on carrots for the next couple of weeks (lies).  Instead I made this vinaigrette.  That way I could feel somewhat okay about eating another meal.    

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Makes: 4-5 ounces   Prep Time: 5 minutes   Cook Time: NONE!   Total Time: 5 minutes

{Print Me}

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 small shallot, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth.
2. Enjoy over a yummy salad.  (Mine had apples, Vermont cheddar, mushrooms, and cucumber.  YUM.)

Delicious New Hampshire food:

• Peaches - breakfast
• Darby Field Inn Bed & Breakfast - breakfast and dinner
• White Mountain Cider Company - cider donuts
• Moat Mountain Smokehouse & Brewing Company - dinner and local beer

Delicious Vermont food:

• Long Trail Brewing Company - lunch and local beer
• West Mountain Inn Bed & Breakfast - breakfast and dinner
• The Perfect Wife Restaurant & Tavern - late lunch
• Mother Myricks Chocolate - delicious chocolate treats