The Cook and the Bear in West Hartford

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We finally made it! The Cook and The Bear is one restaurant I had been waiting and waiting to have an opportunity to visit. I loved the origins of this great collaboration between Millwright's chef and owner Tyler Anderson and the talented Jamie McDonald of Bear's Smokehouse. 

Made on Premise BBQ sauces
served in cute lil' honey bears

The duo first came together at a farm to table dinner, and then paired up in a series of pop up dinners. The sheer popularity of these dinners demanded a permanent pairing, and hence, the inception of "The Cook and The Bear" resulted in a win win!

Small and cozy and located in the heart of West Hartford's popular Blue Back Square, the Cook and the Bear continues to win over the locals and offers up a casual barbecue menu in a fun setting. 

Fresh Pickling Going' On!

Patrons order off a cute clipboard menu that features small bites, salads, sandwiches, snacks, entrees after 5pm, and smoked meats, sides, and combos.

The Cook and the Bear Clipboard Menu

A small but satisfying beer, wine, and cocktail menu is also available that features some fabulous specials!

So many of the cocktails at The Cook and The Bear are made with fresh ingredients. The marinated cherries served in many of the drinks are marinated on premise in bourbon and are incredibly delicious! So good that I thought they were made of chocolate!

Drinks at the Cook and the Bear
(Left) Draft Beer.   (Right) 90s 2.0 Appletini 

Wendy from CT Lifestyles and I shared this fun cocktail found below - the Tom Selleck! It was fruity-juicy, potent, and oh so tasty! And it was served up in a fresh scooped out pineapple. 

Another great thing about their cocktail menu is that there are 'mocktails' available of several of their offerings - for those that want the flavor but not the 'punch'!

After sipping on some cocktails we moved on to our appetizers and starters enjoying everything we sampled! A simply MUST ORDER when you visit are the bacon wrapped dates! 

Grilled Corn, parmesan, poblano

Bacon Wrapped Dates
Chorizo Stuffed - Spiced Yogurt 

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs
Everything Bagel Spice

Crispy Pork Rillette - Fried Green Tomato
Sauce Choron

Burnt End Sliders
Flavors of French Onion Soup 

Charcoal Roasted Chicken Wings
Sesame Seeds - Buttermilk Dressing

Believe it or not - after sharing all those starters we found a little bit of room to move on to some smoked meats and proteins. We sampled some delicious thick cut pastrami, chicken, short ribs, and briskets.

Chicken-Smoked and Grilled
Smoked Brisket

Did someone say BURGER??? 

The Rodeo Burger
Wagu Beef - Cheesy Sauce - Onion Rings

And accompanying our proteins we ordered an assortment of sides. 

Traditional in their origins, but each had such an interesting twist. Wonderful flavors to add to our meal! Mac and Cheese Gratin, Broccoli Casserole with Rodeo Cheese and Crispy Shallots, Cabbage and Fennel Slaw, and Grits with Fennel Jam. 

Hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to it would be that amazing Broccoli Casserole!

Well, our dinner wouldn't be complete without dessert, and The Cook and The Bear rose to the occasion with some seasonal happy endings! 

Think of flavors like pumpkin pie, and apple spice, and you've got  just a bit of an inkling of what's in store for you at this incredible new barbecue restaurant!

Be sure you visit The Cook and the Bear soon!

The Cook and The Bear

50 Memorial Road
Blue Back Square
West Hartford, CT
860.595.3345
https://www.thecookandthebear.com

DISCLAIMER: We were invited to this sampling by members of The Cook and the bear's management and marketing team, however, all views and opinions are our own.

© Home Place 2017

New Haven Barbecue at Bull and Swine

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Barbecue comes to New Haven at Bull & Swine on State Street!

Bull & Swine, a recently opened barbecue establishment on State Street in New Haven, does a great job of combining the major styles of BBQ into one central East Coast location! Merging the more traditional Carolina and Memphis styles that focus on pork, and Kansas City and Texas style which emphasize beef as well as poultry, owners Al Greenwood and Craig Hotchkiss have a winning combination in this homey and comfortable restaurant.

We received an invite to drop in and sample some of this New Haven's eatery's specialties a few weeks back and here are some of our favorites.

Bull & Swine Cocktails:

I just loved all the cocktails we sampled! Bull & Swine offers all sorts of specialties from gin to tequila - to vodka - to bourbons and whiskeys. The cocktails we ordered were from their specialty "nitro" menu and most were served in over-sized mason jars - each packing plenty of kick!

Bull & Swine
Specialty Nitro Cocktails

Like tequila? Me too! I especially love the smokey flavor of a good tequila. That's why 'hands down' my favorite cocktail of the night was the Smoked Watermelon Fresca made with Corralejo Silver, Xicaru Mezcal, a bit of watermelon, mint, and a splash of tonic.

Another favorite, True Blood, made with Boodles Gin, Raspberry Liqueur, Triple Sec, Lime Juice and Ginger Ale.

True Blood
Nitro Cocktail

Bull & Swine Appetizers

For appetizers we jumped in and ordered a bit of everything - from deviled eggs to grilled corn on the cob!

Here are some of our favorites!

Deviled Egg
Smoked Deviled Eggs with Chives, Dusted with BBQ Rub
Garnished with Okra

Fried Pickles &
Fried Okra
Served with a Creamy Chipolte Dip

The Sweet Heat Bacon (pictured below) was another favorite - but be prepared for the after heat! It's the perfect combo of hot and sweet made with a delicious habañero honey topping.

Pictured clockwise from top right
Fried Okra & Pickles, Deviled Eggs,
Elotes (Corn on the Cob with Sweet Pepper Butter),
Cajun Fries, Sweet Heat Bacon

Entrees and Sides

Time for the dinner! We tried everything from meatloaf, to sausage, to chicken, to brisket.

And for sides, everything from collard greens to potato salad. There's truly something for everyone at Bull & Swine - and most entrees come in half and whole portions. Perfect for when you're REALLY HUNGRY! Or for when you just want that perfectly paired portion.

Favorite sides? The Mac & Cheese and the Grits! Oh, the GRITS, yup, they were pretty dad-gumb good for being cooked this side of the Mason-Dixon Line. They were creamy, cheesy, and cooked perfectly!

Clockwise, from top right
Mac & Cheese, Grits, Corn Bread, Dill Potato Salad
Cole Slaw, Sweet Potato Mash
Center, Collard Greens

The Island Chicken, incredibly moist, jerk marinated, smoked, and then buttermilk fried to retain all that amazing flavor.

But, oh, the BRISKET! Flavorful, moist, and delicious. In spite of the array of tempting table top sauces, I ate this just as Chef Paul Cordero prepared it - with its wonderful crispy and tasty rub sans sauce. No need to slather that baby with anything!

Brisket

Dessert at Bull & Swine

For dessert we went with what I called the "Holy Trinity" ! A Peach Pie, a Sweet Potato Fluff, and a pretty decent Apple Pie Crisp.

Peach Pie
Sweet Potato Fluff
Apple Pie Crisp

If you are looking for some homey barbecue in the New Haven area - stop by Bull & Swine and get that brisket! And grits. And those fried pickles!! Yum! Can't wait to go back for more!

Bull & Swine

969 State Street
New Haven, CT 06511
 203-915-6806
http://bullswine.com/index.php

Disclaimer: We were invited to this sampling as guests of Bull & Swine's management, however, all opinions are our own.

Grill Tips from Kings Food Markets in CT, NY, & NJ

Are you ready to get your grill on this weekend?  

So many families will be hosting backyard barbecues this weekend in honor of Father’s Day, the summer season, and school graduations.

The team from Kings Food Markets have some great tips for you this season!

Kings Food Markets isn't your run of the mill supermarket. Instead, it’s a gourmet food market located in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, known for providing customers with high quality, rare finds and unique ingredients.  King’s has tapped into its knowledge base of meat expert Mike Lamb and chef Bill Hedge to share the following grilling 101 guide with you:

·         Must-Have Meats of the Season

o   Brisket burgers, made of Kobe-crafted beef with the time-honored roast

o   Exotic blends or different meat grades, including Cluck n’ Moo, which combines ground chicken and beef for all the flavor but a fraction of the fat

o   Game meats, like buffalo or elk

o   Organic meats, such as chicken, turkey or pork

o   Locally raised/grass-fed beef or chicken

·         Tips & Techniques Straight from the Butcher

o   Use a grill with a wide heat range and an adjustable grate; grill steaks on the hotter settings, chicken on the cooler settings

o   Brush a little vegetable oil on your grill grate before placing meat on to cook

o   Season your proteins well with salt and pepper; use the “touch test” method to gauge a steak’s doneness, checking the firmness of the meat

o   To cook the best tasting steaks, you need very high heat to sear and char the steak on the outside; high heat produces that great grilled flavor and keeps the steak juicy by cooking it quickly before the juices can escape (It doesn’t really seal in the juices, as is popular belief — but it’s a good practice anyway for the best, and juiciest, steaks)

o   Steaks continue to cook after being removed from the grill; remove your steak a little before it is cooked the way you like it, and after grilling, let your steak rest for 5 – 10 minutes before you cut it (This will keep more of the juices in the steak and less on the plate as you eat it)

·         Savory Sides – The Perfect Accessory for Your Plate

o   McClure’s Pickles Garlic Spears – McClure’s adds the right amount of peppers, dill, garlic and brine that are all so amazing you could certainly consume the entire jar

o   Honeycup Mustard – Golden brown with a molasses-like sweetness and a fiery, finishing kick; this honeymustard is perfect for pretzels, ham and sandwiches

o   Hoboken Eddie’s BBQ Sauce – This thick, spicy and smokey sauce is all-natural, made with local ingredients and reduced to a nice thickness (never corn starched)

o   Lea & Perrin’s Classic Steak Sauce – Perfect seasonings for your steaks; great for cookouts

o   Soy Vay Veri Teriyaki Sauce – Veri Teriyaki combines garlic, ginger and toasted sesame seeds in a delicious blend that wakes up taste buds

o  Alessi Balsamic Reduction – Alessi Balsamic Reductions add a dimension of flavor to any dish and can be used on everything

To locate a Kings Food Market in CT, NY, or NJ click HERE