Along the Connecticut Shore

Knapps' lobster roll

We recently spent a long weekend attending the wedding of one of the Picky Eater's paternal cousins at the Connecticut shore. We will skip discussing the Picky Eater's usual food challenges when out of her element (suffice to say that we were glad that she stowed a bag of dried fruit & nuts in her carryon), and move right along to the main event- LOBSTER!!

After a quick visit to the Long Hill Cemetery in Trumball to pay our respects to a few ancestral graves, we headed off for our first lobster encounter.

The last fired full belly clam

We Californians are can almost never adequately indulge our taste for fresh lobster. Taking advantage of this year's lobster glut, we tried to pack in as much as possible over a 4 day stint. Friday lunch led off with lobster "rolls" on hamburger buns at
Knapps Landing Restaurant , sited on the Housatonic River in Stratford, CT. With an unshakable aversion to mayonnaise, my better half loved the Connecticut style butter drenched chunks of lobster on a grilled bun with a side of fries. I was sorry that we didn't order two starters of fried full belly clams, which were equally yummy!

The MOG enjoying her boiled lobster.

Our next lobster opportunity was at the rehearsal dinner that evening at the Clinton Country Club - in addition to a buffet that included steamed clams and mussels with drawn butter, each diner was served their own fair sized lobster. This was a crowd of dedicated dancers, who were out on the dance floor shaking it up in full lobster bib regalia.
Saturday lunch found me in the cafe at the back of a wonderful bookstore, R.J. Julia Booksellers, just off the Madison town green, slurping up some tasty lobster bisque.

Father, daughter, and Long Island Sound.

The bride and groom.

After a beautiful traditional late afternoon wedding ceremony at Christ Episcopal Church on Guilford green, we returned to our weekend wedding headquarters, the Madison Beach Hotel, for family photos, the reception, and lobster roll "sliders!"


At Sunday breakfast I was momentarily tempted by the Lobster Benedict, but after a weekend of intense eating, opted for eggs Benedict sans Hollandaise sauce instead.

Little did I know that that was my last lobster opportunity - our evening dining spot in Providence, RI, Mills Tavern, which was in all other respects fabulous, had not had their Sunday lobster delivery! So, lobster risotto was off the menu. We had to "make do" with these delicious starters -

Summer Melon Salad with Narragansett Feta and Duck Proscuitto, Blue-crusted Calamari, and Terrine of Roasted Summer Vegetables with Bruleed Mozzarella and Aged Balsamic Foam.

                                                                           

Our main courses were-
Champagne and Stone Fruit Braised Rabbit over Crimson Lentils and Sauteed Rainbow Chard,

Grilled Black Angus Short Rib Braised in Ale, and Wood-Roasted Asparagus with Lemon, Pecorino and Extra Virgin Olive Oil (the Picky Eater's idea of a main dish). 

For dessert she had Peach Shortcake with Peach Butter, Bourbon Caramel, and Cinnamon Creme Fraiche Ice Cream, and I enjoyed Orange Blossom Ricotta Cheesecake with

Bing Cherry Compote, and Apricot Sorbet.



Then it was back to the Airport Holiday Inn Express to some of the Olympics closing ceremony, a little sleep before the 4:30 am wake up call for the 6:30 flight, and into San Jose by 11 am. Unfortunately, we had been up since the equivalent of 1:30 am West coast time with nothing to eat but Southwest Airlines cookies!

Knapps Landing Restaurant
520 Sniffens Lane
Stratford, CT
203.378.5999

R.J. Julia Booksellers
768 Boston Post Road
Madison, CT
203-245-3959

Mills Tavern
101 North Main Street
Providence, RI
401.272.3331