Farm to Chef Week at Locals 8 Restaurants

Celebrate the glory of "Farm to Chef" Week with Locals 8 Restaurant Group

September. Beautiful September.

Although the month signals the end of summer, it's a glorious month for so very many reasons. Back to school, new routines, change of season, and most importantly, the beautiful and bountiful end of season farm fresh harvests. 

Of course, the Locals 8 Restaurant Group decided this was the BEST time of year for a FULL FARM FEAST, and each of the Locals 8 Restaurant Group's chefs have tailored a locally driven, farm fresh menu to suit any palate - or budget. That's right! These menus have been created to feature the very best that farm fresh and LOCAL has to offer!

From September 16th to September 22nd 2018,  all Locals 8 Restaurant Group locations are celebrating with a delicious farm fresh feast!

Links to each of the Farm to Chef menus for ALL the Locals 8 locations, b Restaurants, Tisane, Butchers & Bakers, and the Half Door, are found below.

At Plan b Restaurants, in Milford, Glastonbury, Hartford, Fairfield, Simsbury, Stamford, and West Hartford CT, the menu highlights include Pickled Tomato and Watermelon Stack, Eggplant Rollatini, Sausage Orecchiette Pasta, and Apple Pie Bread Pudding! Plan b is where I'll be going this week to sample all those and some specialty drinks too! (Follow me on my Instagram stories and posts at https://www.instagram.com/homeplaceblog/ this week to see my Farm to Chef Feast at Plan b!)
See the Plan b Farm to Chef Menu here:  
http://burgersbeerbourbon.com/menus/farm-to-chef.pdf

Over at Butchers and Bakers in Farmington CT they're featuring a luxurious corn chowder, Local Market Catch: heirloom squash, cherry tomato, navy bean and saffron stew, charred scallions 
See the Butchers & Bakers Farm to Chef  Menu here: http://butchersandbakers.com/menus/farm-to-chef.pdf

At the Half Door in Hartford CT they've got a starter of Smoked Salmon Crostini, Fig Salad: prosciutto, goat cheese, mixed greens, balsamic vinaigrette, and more!
See the entire Half Door Farm to Chef Menu here: http://thehalfdoor.com/menus/farm-to-chef.pdf

Finally, at Tisane Euro Asian Cafe in Hartford CT, they're serving up some Korean Style Street Corn Confit: fresh local corn confit dressed in a spicy Asian mayo, topped with cotija, served in a husk and drizzled with sweetened gochujang, and a Lemon Pepper Swordfish Salad, and more!
See the entire Tisane Farm to Chef Menu here:
http://mytisane.com/menus/farm-to-chef.pdf

With so many restaurants - and choices - it’s a good thing it’s Farm to Chef Week!   Catch the farm to chef menus at all Locals 8 locations (all CT locations for b Restaurants) from September 16-22nd.

About Locals 8: 

Formally established in 2008 in Hartford, CT, the Locals 8 Restaurant  Group is the award winning holding company of b Restaurants, The Half Door, Tisane Euro Asian Cafe, and most recently, Butchers & Bakers.  Winners of best burger, beer, and bourbon across four states and nationally known for excellent job creation, the company was founded on the simple belief that good food and drink bring people together - and, thank goodness(!), because the world certainly needs more connection. 

Farmington's New Restaurant: Butchers and Bakers

Social Media Promotion:  Sponsored  

Butchers and Bakers Kitchen and Bar in Farmington CT

I love this time of year when everything in Connecticut starts 'greening' up and the days get warmer, and daylight lasts longer. It's a sure sign of spring and new beginnings. The first thing I want to do when the days get longer is hop in the car and take a ride to find some great new places to wander about in!

Thankfully this impulse just happened to coincide with an invitation to visit Butchers and Bakers Kitchen and Bar located in "The Exchange" in Farmington CT!

Farmington CT is located about an hour from New Haven, and it's just minutes from Hartford. Butchers and Bakers serves new American cuisine, prepared using fresh ingredients seasoned in twin coal-fired ovens.

But why the restaurant name?

In addition to the beautiful coal fired ovens that bakes up some delicious artisan breads - they feature daily fresh cuts of meat, butchered in their very own kitchen.

There is a small but tasteful wine selection, a fun cocktail menu, and a full service bar. In addition to a good sized bar, dining room, and loft dining area perfect for small parties, there is a spacious outdoor patio. The atmosphere is fun, relaxed, and casual and the dining area is tastefully decorated with cute food themed wall art and kitchen utensils. It's bright and airy and comfortable.

I started with a delicious and tart Tito's Moscow Mule.

And when the rest of our crew arrived we sampled some more of the fun cocktails like the Pisco Sour and the Rum Swizzle. Joining us for this tasting were Greg and Wendy from Connecticut Lifestyles Magazine , Ron from Ron's Food Trips, and Gina from Gina Zammit's WanderLaughs

Then the small plates started arriving! We shared some delicious starters like calamari, meatballs, red lentil hummus, garlic bread - and more!

VENETIAN-STYLE CALAMARI
Artichoke hearts + roasted pepper + sliced olives

COAL-FIRED GARLIC BREAD 

House-made focaccia + Gorgonzola cream

RED LENTIL HUMMUS GF
Garden-fresh crudité + tahini + smoked sea salt

SIZZLING GARLIC SHRIMP GF
Extra virgin olive oil + grape tomato + dried chili .

MEATBALLS 

Butchers and Bakers famous meatballs
+ basil + house-made ricotta

FENNEL SAUSAGE STUFFED MUSHROOMS 

Smoked mozzarella fondue

And you know that with these beautiful coal fired ovens that there was some amazing pizza goin' on!

PIZZA DOUGH MADE WITH NATURAL SOUR STARTER 

MADE IN-HOUSE DAILY BY THEIR BAKERS

Blue Cheese and Arugula

Blistered cherry tomatoes + prosciutto +
Luzzi Brick Oven Mozzarella

San Marzano tomato + I
talian long pepper + fontina + mozzarella

Before moving on we decided to clear our palates with a little salad.

And we sampled the day's "Butcher Board" - which changes daily. On the day we visited it was a rib rack and some bratwurst with some made on premise hearty mustards.

BUTCHERS’ BOARD* GF
Today’s cut + chef’s presentation of farm vegetables
+ house-made condiments

And then we moved on to the entrees and pasta portion of the menu!

ANGRY ORCHARD BRINED PORK CHOP GF 

Smoked sweet potato puree + cardamom sautéed Brussels sprouts ...

4-CHEESE MACARONI CARBONARA* 

Pork belly + horseradish crumbs + soft fried egg

COAL-FIRED VALENCIAN STYLE PAELLA GF 

Shrimp + chicken + cod + cockles
+ saffron + smoked paprika

And we finished the night off with some decadent desserts!

CHOCOLATE TORTE 

Ganache + raspberry coulis

PISTACHIO TARTLET GF 

Grass Roots Creamery ice cream
+ house-made honey nut tart shell

Chef's Latin heritage shines through with his delicious seasonings and creative offerings. We enjoyed all the delicious food we sampled and got to catch up with one another while we waited between courses for the next round of plates! 

There is nothing quite like the atmosphere of dining with good friends, laughter, and fun times --- in a beautiful and scenic restaurant with great food!

Eating should be an experience and I hope you experience Butchers and Bakers soon!

Butchers and Bakers Kitchen and Bar

270 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06032. 
 (860) 470-7414
http://www.butchersandbakers.com


Disclaimer: I was invited to Butchers and Bakers Kitchen and Bar by members of their marketing and management team, however all view expressed are my own.

The post Farmington's New Restaurant: Butchers and Bakers first appeared on Home Place on May 14, 2017.

© Home Place 2017