Go Local Magazine - August 2016 Issue

The August issue of Go Local Magazine is out! Go Local is a local lifestyle magazine promoting life around the Massachusetts/Connecticut line. The magazine features nearby businesses where you can play, shop and eat, and showcases the citizens who make the region a great place to live. The August issue is filled with people and places that are invigorating the Go Local area. Consider it required summer reading!

On page 20 you can find three of our favorite summer snack recipes, perfect for a light lunch, appetizer or party nosh. Amy wrote the article on Ellington Farmers' Market favorite, LuAnn's Bakery (page 11). There's a list of local farmers so you can "meet your farmer, know your food," a feature on Rice's Fruit Farm in Wilbraham, Mass., and so much more. You can read the current issue online here, or pick up your FREE copy today and Go Local!

Onyx Pairing Dinner at The Hidden Still, Ellington

A few weeks ago, we were invited to a pairing dinner featuring Onyx Moonshine cocktails and several courses created by Sean Martin, the executive chef at The Hidden Still Restaurant and Moonshine Bar in Ellington, CT. And was that ever an amazing meal. First off, we fell in love with The Hidden Still on our first visit, and have been craving their Grilled Mac & Cheese and their Chicken & Waffles ever since (not that we haven't gone back for them, and for many other things, which we certainly have). And secondly, any reader of this blog knows of our affinity for the award-winning Onyx Moonshine. If not, you can read about it here, here, here, here or here. 

And you can read about it again, here, today, below, as this pairing dinner was freakin' awesome, and when they have another one (which they MUST), you must get a ticket and go. Seriously. And we'll be sitting at a table near you. Bring your appetite!!!

First Course: Crab cake with arugula salad and house made cranberry Onyx infused aioli. Paired with Onyx on the rocks (the best way to have it!).

Verdict: A luscious lump crab cake with Onyx and rehydrated dried cranberries in it, nicely paired with lightly salted arugula. The drink pairing for the purists in the crowd was just perfect.

Second Course: Sweet Tea and Onyx Apple Honey infused smoked tofu, fried in a tempura batter, with thai chili sauce, chow mein noodles, and cucumber, in a butter lettuce wrap. Paired with Onyx Pineapple Lime Punch - Onyx infused with blueberry and raspberry, mixed with pineapple juice, lime juice and maraschino cherry juice.

Verdict: Amy was nervous about this one (not really a tofu fan) but we both absolutely loved it. The mix of smokiness with the sweet tea and honey with the spicy chili sauce with the cool cucumber and crunchy noodles, all balanced with the sweet and refreshing punch? Plus the tofu was pillowy soft inside and perfectly fried. Oh yeah. 

Third Course: Hot Cabbage salad with apples and pears, drizzled with an Onyx Apple & Honey vinaigrette. Paired with Spiced Apple Pie (The Still's house apple pie moonshine drink with a touch of cayenne).

Verdict: A nice wilted cabbage salad with hints of tarragon and a bit of sweetness with the fruits and vinaigrette once again balance so very well with a sweet-n-spicy drink. 

Fourth Course: Onyx bourbon braised Pork Belly, served on a bed of arborio rice with rainbow chard, smoked red peppers, and okra. Paired with Blueberry Sweet Tea with Blueberry Onyx (soon to hit The Still's summer cocktail menu!)

Verdict: The hit of the night, this "poor man's filet mignon" was infused with cherry-wood smoked Onyx before being expertly braised and served with all the right Southern-style sides. Having a sweet tea cocktail with it? Genius.

Fifth Course: Strawberry Quick Soup - chilled Cape Cod Cranberry Onyx, blended with Vermont Ice Apple Cream, with Farmers Cow Vanilla Ice Cream, garnished with fresh strawberries and mint. A dessert and drink in one, so no pairing needed. 

Verdict: Not sure how they did it, but this stuff tasted just like "Strawberry Quik." Sheldon Cooper would love it and so did we.

THANK YOU, MAX, SEAN, ADAM and PETE!!!

The Hidden Still, Ellington, CT

Located in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it plaza in the blink-and-you'll-miss-it town of Ellington in Northeast Connecticut is CT's hottest new bar and grill - The Hidden Still. First thing we need to tell you is: don't blink! And definitely do not miss it!

Billing themselves as CT's first restaurant and moonshine bar, The Hidden Still boasts over ten brands of moonshine from around the country, including CT's own Onyx, as well as a host of delicious, unique twists on pub food favorites. We first met some staff from The Hidden Still at Onyx's Gatsby Ball back in October, when they were competing in the Onyx 111 Infusion Challenge. Their Fire Roasted Pear and Sage Infusion, served with a splash of white cranberry juice, while not a challenge winner, was one of our faves, and convinced us we needed to experience The Hidden Still as soon as we could.

That opportunity came a few weeks later, when we had finished proctoring the PSATs at Amy's school and we were starving. The first place we thought of was The Hidden Still, which (huzzah!) happens to be right down the road from the school. We loved the variety we found on the menu, with its many "Bites" sized, and priced accordingly, at "Small," "Bigger" and "Biggest," along with a few salads, and a sandwich "Creation Station." We decided to make a meal out of a few of the small/big bites, and (thankfully!) save ourselves a little room for dessert. 

To start, we absolutely had to try the "Grilled Mac & Cheese," especially since it is inspired by the locally legendary Shady Glen Fried Cheeseburger. Tastes just like it, too, with its creamy mac-n-cheese center wedged between slices of grilled American. Ooh, that's the kind of foodstuff you obsess about forever after, and Amy certainly can't wait to sink her teeth into it again soon. Bonus points? This unique dish is a mere $6, and washes down very nicely with the (dangerously yummy) raspberry moonshine infusion cocktail.

With those years living down South always in the back of her mind, for her second course, Amy happily opted for the "Chicken and Waffles" - a generously portioned "Small Bite" choice coming in at only $7 and consisting of three open-faced "sliders" of Belgian waffle topped with crispy fried chicken and drizzled with maple syrup. 

Chris, as he often does, went for a healthier choice, by way of the fish tacos. Another generous portion at a reasonable price, with three tacos at $9 made from fried cod and topped with pico de gallo, avocado and a fresh and zingy cilantro lime cream sauce.

Yes, we went ahead and ordered dessert. After all, we surely needed to experience everything we could, and we were having a blast chatting with the amiable barkeep and the handful of other patrons seated nearby. Who, as we did, made quite a fuss over the cheekily named "Fudgin' Nutty Brownie," perhaps the fudgiest we've ever had, topped with homemade caramel, fresh whipped cream (because yes, we can tell the difference), and fried candied nuts.  

We were extremely full when we left, and we know, in our minds anyway, that this is not the kind of eating we should do very often. Nonetheless, we will be back again and again, and hope that you, too, will check it out. This is local at its best, the type of place that should be supported well and visited often. The Hidden Still offers daily specials, including a Friday Happy Hour, and Full Moon Parties. And there is more to drink than moonshine (although yes, there is a still!). So convince someone to be your designated driver and get to Route 83 in Ellington (15 minutes off either I-84 or I-91) to experience CT's first, and in our opinion, best, moonshine bar and restaurant.