Saturday's Excursion

Well, the sun finally came out on Saturday after a pretty much rainy week.

I left just a little after 9:00 AM to go up to Roma's house, which I hadn't done in about 2, maybe 3, years.

Because it was such a gloriously nice day, it would have been a shame to spend our visit cooped up indoors. So Roma, Michael, and I went to the Sharpe Hill Vineyard in Pomfret, Connecticut, where Roma and I engaged in some delectable wine tasting.

The vineyard was a breathtakingly beautiful area. I kept kicking myself for not having brought my camera.

For $10.00 a piece, we got to taste 11 wines ~ some of them simply fabulous ~ and then keep the wine glass as a souvenir. (Good thing too, because all but one of my wine glasses broke.)

Our hands-down favorite was Ballet of Angels, "a bright, crisp, semi-dry, white wine with an impressive floral bouquet." You could definitely taste a decided hint of grapefruit in that wine.

In addition to enjoying the differences and subtleties of the various wines, we also enjoyed the people we met there.

One lady in particular was a very lovely and elegant soul who aged in the graceful manner that we would like to. We enjoyed talking to Susan and her husband, and we very often found ourselves right behind them in the wine tasting line.

It would have been nice to have dined at the Sharpe Hill Vineyard. The aromas from the kitchen were downright mouth-watering. Our new friend Susan and her husband said that the food was exquisite. But unfortunately all dining reservations had been booked. The kitchen is so popular that reservations have to be booked weeks ahead of time.

Oh well.

And I could not forget to mention the bathroom.

The sink was most unusual. It was a rough hewn block of black granite. And no cheesy paper towels in this joint. The hand towels were made out of a thick and felted material that had enough body and substance to wash my car! Needless to say, I stashed a few of them in my purse.

Our next stop was a delightful art gallery called Celebrations. Nice stuff there. Plus my hungry and rumbly tummy appreciated the free samples of mints. I think I may have eaten more than what was politely permissible.

The art work was lovely. I especially liked the glass fish.

While looking around in the gallery and gift shop area, I spied a tin of passion fruit tea. I just had to get that! Passion fruit is one of my favorite fruits.

After that, we went to get something to eat. Roma had heard of The Harvest Restaurant, and so that's where we headed.

I think that if we we knew better about the cost and quality of the food we probably would have chosen a different place.

While I may, on very rare occasions, indulge in wallet-busting fine dining, I don't think that this place would be on my "go again" list. I mean, I would not mind paying nearly $30 for an entree if I knew that the food was going to be excellent and plentiful.

After all, meals cost about the same amount at the Kinsale Inn, which is one of the prime examples of fine dining in our area. There, the food is excellent quality, and the portions are generous.

We couldn't say the same for The Harvest.

The Escargot Italian was a grave disappointment.

This was not the "Food of the Gods" that I was accustomed to. The addition of tomatoes, mushrooms, and artichokes did nothing to remedy the lack of flavor of the snails.

Frankly, I think escargot are best when served in the simple French manner ~ still in their shells with plenty of flavorful garlic butter.

The Caesar salad was passable.

Roma's Lobster and Scallop Au Gratin came in a small bowl with a scant accompaniment of rice and ratatouille. There could not have been more than 2 ~ 3 at the most ~ tablespoons of rice.

My Rack of Lamb Dijoinaise was likewise skimpy. But oh! What an artful presentation of slender crisscrossed ribs. And I cannot forget the sprig of fresh rosemary sticking out of that tiny mound of mashed potatoes.

But honestly, for $28 a plate, I would have expected to bring home a lot more left-overs than just 3 tiny lamb ribs that amounted no more than an mouthful each.

I think that Michael got the best deal with his Aged New York Strip Sirloin.

Why is it, with these hoity-toity restaurants, that the price of a meal is inversely proportionate to the amount of food on your plate?

If there is indeed a deep recession in this land, you would never know it at The Harvest.

Like I said, I would have rather spent that kind of money at the beautifully scenic Kinsale Inn, where the food was better, more plentiful, and where I didn't freeze in the dining room, and the help wasn't snooty.

Oh well. Live and learn.

But still, it was a nice and delightful day and a certainly welcome change from how I would have spent my Saturday.

And I was especially appreciative of Roma's great generosity. Without it, I would have not been able to do and enjoy the things that I have done.

Also, Tony deserves my thanks and gratitude, too.

Tony, the intrepid yard sale king, got me 4 animal cages and crates for our pending relocation to Texas. Not only that, he refused my offers of compensation for his efforts.

So, thank you, Roma, Tony, and Michael for a wonderful Saturday.