Home Place: Newtown CT

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Celebrating in My Tenth Street Church Hat

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending my niece's confirmation at St. Rose of Lima Church at 46 Church Hill Road in Newtown Connecticut. The church was founded in 1859 and is considered the “Mother Church” of several surrounding parishes, having once served eleven towns in upper Fairfield County earlier in her history.

Wearing my Tenth Street Church Hat - "The Sara"
https://tenthstreethats.com/collections/womens-church-hats

Saint Rose has been designated a National Catholic Historical Site by the Order of Alhambra and is currently undergoing some beautiful renovations. I can't wait to return when they are completed to see them all!

St. Rose of Lima Church
http://strosechurch.com/

Monsignor Robert Weiss (aka "Father Bob") gave a beautiful sermon welcoming the newest group of 'confirmees' making one of the sacraments. In his sermon he reminded us that there seems to be a direct correlation between the growth of evil in the world and the decline of church attendance --- but that the world is full of hope when groups of young people, like those making their confirmation today, assemble and join the congregation in spreading the faith.

He affectionately called the group "holy rollers" reminding us we need more holy rollers spreading the word of Jesus Christ.

Join me in congratulating my beautiful niece Jessica on her confirmation!

We had such a nice time being with family all afternoon and celebrating Jessica's affirmation of her faith.

After the church service we met at the nearby Reverie Brewery at 57B Church Hill Road in Newtown where I may have found my new favorite brew, a coffee stout called "Night Moves"

Reverie Brewing
https://reveriebrewing.com/

All day, both in church and at the brewery, I received SO MANY compliments on my Tenth Street Hat. And can you believe that for once I was the one wearing a hat - while the cowboy went hatless!

Hat: Tenth Street "The Sara" in lilac
Shrug: Calvin Klein in Gold
Dress: T Tahari in Blush

You'll remember last year I did the Tenth Street 'hat challenge' where I styled one of their hats two ways? (Read it HERE)

Well here's this hat, 'The Sara" styled a bit more casually.

Hat: Tenth Street "The Sara" in lilac
Dress: Lilly Pulitzer

Tenth Street was founded in 1921 by Jack Dorfman and Arthur Hyman. The Tenth Street name is from the original warehouse on 10th Street and Broadway in Oakland, California. The company is known for their blend of a vintage feel with modern sensibilities. Almost 100 years later, they remain a family-run organization.

I love that I can get double the wear from a hat and that it has the ability to go from a bit formal to casual.

How would you style 'The Sara' hat?

Thank you for reading and celebrating my niece's confirmation with me!

Tenth Street Hats

Designer hats, made the old way, sold the new way.
Hats for both men and women!

Find them online at https://tenthstreethats.com/

See more 'church hats' at https://tenthstreethats.com/collections/womens-church-hats

Portions of this post were sponsored by Tenth Street Hats, but all opinions and views are my own.

© Home Place 2019

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Sunday Brunch at LUCAS LOCAL

If you haven't noticed by now, a good weekend brunch is one of my favorite ways to gather with friends or family. There's just something about a late morning / early afternoon get together that simply demands casual food and fun! When I received an invite to a sample tasting of some of the items featured on LUCAL LOCAL Oyster Bar and WoodFire Cookery's Brunch Menu I knew I would be in for a treat!

And I sure was! At first I was a little surprised by the name pairing of "oyster bar" and "wood fired" - as one name implies 'seafood' and the other 'meat or chops' - but after talking with owner Vince Capelletti, it all began to make sense. I mean, really, who doesn't love seafood on a wood fired grill? That delicious wood fired smokiness enhances any protein it meets! And who doesn't want to visit a restaurant with a great land and sea combo?!!

Capelletti's love for great food and a relaxed atmosphere 'bistro' all comes together at LUCAS LOCAL! The ambiance is an elevated seaside tavern style - and all re-purposed! The floors are comprised of beautiful wide wooden planks from the barns of nearby tobacco farms from over 100 years ago. Walls have been knocked down, opened up, re-arranged, and re-positioned to expose the original wood stove from the building's former home, and some cute little dining nooks.

Exposed Fireplace Hearth
LUCAS LOCAL Oyster Bar and WoodFire Cookery

In addition, there are the most incredible slated wooden and steel chairs, that were made to be super comfortable (they were!!), and a church pew salvaged from an New Haven church.

Wood and Forged Steel Chairs - So Comfy - Honest!!
Lucas Local

Re-purposed Church Pew
Lucas Local

Now that you've seen a bit of the decor, let's highlight some of the delicious food and drink we sampled.

Of course, for brunch, you must start with a Bloody Mary, and I took bartender Sarah's suggestions, and ordered her "Bacon Me Crazy" prepared with bacon, shrimp, mushrooms, celery, and kalamata olives, and had some super-spicy spices on the rim.

So. Dang. Good.

Others at the table sampled signature cocktails like their Mermaid's Garden, Tito's Moscow Mule, the Sappy Old Fashioned, and the French 48.

Sappy Old Fashioned
Taconic Distillery, Maple Bourbon, Maple Foam

The Mermaid's Garden Cocktail
Sombra Mezcal, St. Germain, lavendar bitters, lime foam

Yup, some pretty good cocktails and a really fun cocktail menu!

Moving on to our food sampling, we stayed with mostly the seafoods that were featured on their brunch menu, like...

'Clear broth' Rhode Island Clam Chowder.

Rhode Island Clam Chowder
Point Judith Little Necks, Potatoes,
Fresh Herbs, Clear Broth

and Oysters Oregano - a hopefully soon to be brunch staple.

Oysters Oregano

How about this take on Eggs Benedict? Made with some delicious lobster!

Lobster Eggs Benedict
Fresh House Cured Bacon, Poached Eggs,
Hollandaise, Potato Hast and Lobster

Some savory Linguine and Clam Sauce!

Linguine and Clams
Rhode Island Little Necks, Fresh Oregano, and Garlic Infused Oil

This beautifully plated octopus was as amazing as it looks!

Fire Kissed Octopus
Roasted Eggplant and red pepper hummus,
crisp garbanzos, lemon infused oil

And my favorite brunch staple - Shrimp and Grits!

Down South Shrimp and Grits
Grilled Shrimp
Stone Ground Course Grits, Poached Eggs

Some dreamy good waffles!

Waffle Love
Bourbon Maple Syrup, Vanilla Ice Cream,
House Cured Bacon
Fresh Fruit

Everything we tried was so good! We can't wait to return and try some more items from their brunch menu -- and to return for a nice relaxing weekday lunch or dinner. Be on the lookout for their soon to be opened front patio for some summer dining pleasure!

Note that many of the items we were served were sample size portions so your portion sizes may differ.

Be sure you visit LUCAS LOCAL Oyster Bar and Woodfire Cookery soon!

LUCAS LOCAL Oyster Bar Woodfire Cookery

48 S Main Street

Newtown, CT 06470

203-491-2992

https://www.lucaslocalct.com

Disclaimer:

We were invited to LUCAS LOCAL Oyster Bar and WoodFire Cookery by members of their management and marketing team, however, the opinions expressed are entirely our own.