Chef Summit at Sunday River

Top chefs and mixologists in New England, are invited to the slopes of Western Maine, for a culinary event like no other.

The third annual Chef Summit, presented by Sunday River and O'Maine Studios, will take place February 3, 2018. Chef Summit Industry Gathering on February 2.

For the full details, head on over to http://www.sundayriver.com/events-and-activities/events-calendar/chef-summit.

Today's Travel Finds: Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth, a Christmas by the Sea Package, Christmas Eve Dinner at Langham, Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurants in MA

A Festive Roundup...

For Christmas Eve Dinner at Langham Boston, Chef Sapienza and BOND Chef Nick Gurski prepare a festive four-course prix fixe feast in BOND restaurant ǀ lounge. Guests will have an array of choices and seasonal dishes including:

• Crispy duck confit with Macomber turnip puree, chicories and huckleberry
• Chilled northeast lobster and mussel escabeche with fennel, leeks and saffron oil
• Pineland Farms Black Angus sirloin with sweet potato croquettes, roasted marrow and grilled asparagus
• Bouche de Noel with Valrhona dark chocolate mousse

Cost of dinner: $90 adults, $55 children 5 to 12; Reservations: 5:00 - 10:00 p.m.

For more holiday fare that includes holiday getaways, festive Afternoon Tea, celebratory brunches and chocolate bar, visit www.langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/boston.

On the Boston Vegetarian Society's website, you can find a list of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Massachusetts. Visit www.bostonveg.org/restaurants.

Celebrate the holidays in Ogunquit, Maine. The Meadowmere Inn is offering a Christmas by the Sea package (December 8-10). 

Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth New Hampshire kicks off on December 1st. Now in its 13th year, the month-long celebration beckons with festive shows, strolls and shopping. For more information on the events, visit vintagechristmasnh.org

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Video courtesy of Peter B Helland on YouTube

Spotlight: An 1830s Thanksgiving Dinner at Old Sturbridge Village

Located in Sturbridge, MA, Old Sturbridge Village is an outdoor living history museum depicting life in rural New England in the early 19th century.

Today's Travel Finds: Lobster Tours

Video courtesy of The Nonantum Resort on YouTube

The Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, Maine offers daily lobster tours in season.
https://www.nonantumresort.com/explore-kennebunkport/lobster-boat-tours

Enjoy a lobster buffet lunch on your Gloucester (Massachusetts) Lobster Cruise
http://www.toursofdistinction.net/tours/day-trips/gloucester-lobster-cruise

Globus' Cape Cod & The Islands 2018 itinerary includes a visit to Flax Pond Farms, a working cranberry bog, and a lobster & seafood bake.
https://www.globusjourneys.com/tour/cape-cod-the-islands/ao/

Vermont Bicycling and Walking Vacations' The Maine Coast: Purely Acadia tour delves into the life of a lobster fisherman; includes a classic lobster bake.
https://www.vbt.com/tours/maine-coast-purely-acadia

For the Holidays: Experience a Vermont Country Christmas, Elegance and Grandeur at Newport Mansions

Experience the sights, sounds, aromas and taste of a Vermont Country Christmas  The Inn At Round Barn Farm welcomes guests for the holidays, with a special package that includes 3-course gourmet breakfast daily, a cookie decorating class, hors d'oeuvres by the library fireplace and a sleigh ride for two. Visit website for more details.

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The Christmas season begins on Saturday, November 18, 2017 at Newport Mansions
The Breakers, The Elms and Marble House will be fully decorated and open daily for tours, except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, through January 1, 2018.

Step into a bygone era of elegance and grandeur—The decorations in each house (and individual rooms) are tailored to match the historic decor. Throughout the three houses, there will be a total of 30 decorated Christmas trees of all sizes, plus thousands of poinsettias, fresh flowers, evergreens and wreaths. Windows in each mansion are lit with individual white candles.

New this year: A large gingerbread model of each mansion will be on display in each kitchen, created by a local pastry chef. In the butler's pantry of The Breakers, a 9-foot Christmas tree will be decorated with ornaments made by 4th grade students at Newport's Pell Elementary School.

The traditional 15-foot tall red poinsettia tree will once again be on view in the Great Hall of The Breakers. Made up of up to 150 individual plants, the poinsettia tree is a perennial visitor favorite. On the second floor loggia, model train reproductions of the Vanderbilt family's New York Central Railroad will run through a vintage landscape, overseen by volunteers from the Little Rhody Division of the National Model Railroad Association.

At The Elms, a winter wonderland theme in the ballroom will feature period sleighs and lanterns, mannequins wearing vintage clothing, trees and a topiary horse. There will also be a "selfie" photo spot, where visitors can take their own photos surrounded by a gilded frame. Also on display at The Elms: a collection of vintage toys.

Marble House will feature two new Christmas trees on its first floor— in the gold ballroom and the library, as well as a large fresh-cut tree outside the front door, decorated with white lights to complement the white candles in the windows.

Among the three houses, there will be 24 decorated mantelpieces, each with its own theme. At Marble House, regional garden clubs will decorate the fireplace mantels in the second floor rooms in a competitive challenge. Each club will be given a subsidy for materials, and their creations will be judged by certified flower show judges.

For more information, visit www.newportmansions.org

Today's Travel Find: Wine & Cheese Snowshoe Hikes in Vermont

The Grafton Inn invites you to strap on your snowshoes this winter, and enjoy a guided tromp through the woods, that concludes with wine and Grafton Village Cheese tastings. Tour is based on the ability of the group. $40 per person. Recurring event

View details and dates

Restaurant Weeks in November

Portsmouth and Seacoast Retaurant Week - November 2-11, 2017 

{New Hampshire}

Newport Restaurant Week - November 3-12, 2017 {Rhode Island}

Get your appetites ready for the @dscvrnewport Fall Restaurant Week 11/3–12! https://t.co/HrDpLVagYL #VisitRhodeIsand pic.twitter.com/ULwxnwgOVb

— Visit Rhode Island (@RITourism) October 27, 2017

Food and Wine Festivals This October

Taste of WGBH Food & Wine Festival - October 5-8, 2017 (Boston, MA) 
Enjoy access to delicious food trends, take part in educational seminars taught by chefs, meet cookbook authors and sample the world's top beverages. Features live entertainment.

Martha's Vineyard Food & Wine Festival - October 19-22, 2017 (Martha's Vineyard, MA)

This fall harvest celebration showcases wines from around the world and foods prepared by chefs from Martha’s Vineyard and beyond. Meet local culinary talent, the farmers, fishermen and artisans they work with.

 

Wellfleet Oyster Festival - October 14-15, 2017 (Wellfleet, MA)

This two-day street party celebrates the town's famous oysters, clams and shellfishing traditions and brings together locals and visitors alike for a weekend full of hometown flavor and fun activities.

Harvest on the Harbor - October 17-22, 2017 (Portland, Maine)

Experience the flavors of Maine - Harvest on the Harbor showcases Maine's top chefs and fishermen, restaurants and marketplace of food artisans, wineries, breweries, distilleries, epicurean purveyors & Maine-made products.

22 Annual Boston Vegetarian Festival - October 21 & 22, 2017 (Boston, MA)
Cooking demonstrations by noted chefs, free food sampling, exhibitions of local and national vegetarian natural foods.

Photo of the Day: Summer Panzanella Salad With Mozzarella, Country Bread and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Chef-owned Saltbox Farm in Corncord, MA, is a 10-acre working farm and home to The Little House, a unique farm-based cooking school. A catering service and the newly opened Saltbox Kitchen Brewery, also located in Concord, are part of the establishment.

Meet the talented team, check out upcoming events, and cooking classes at saltboxfarmconcord.com.

A post shared by Cafe & Catering Company, Farm (@saltboxfarm) on Jul 29, 2017 at 11:49am PDT

Summer panzanella salad with mozzarella, country bread and balsamic vinaigrette - Photo courtesy of Saltbox Farm on Instagram.

Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival Announces 2017 All-Star Line-Up

The Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival, one of the East Coast’s most sophisticated and anticipated events, returns for its 12th year September 21- 24, 2017 in Newport, Rhode Island.

Signature events include the Burgundy Dinner at The Elms, Wine & Rosecliff Gala at Rosecliff, Grand Tastings on Saturday and Sunday at Marble House, the Vintner Dinner at Rosecliff, Newport After Dark at Forty 1° North, the Sunday Jazz Brunch on the terrace of Marble House and seminars in The Breakers Stable and Carriage House throughout the weekend. Tickets are now on sale at www.NewportMansionsWineAndFood.org.

The culinary and vintner talent shines radiantly at the elegant Friday night Wine & Rosecliff Gala featuring exquisite wines, award-winning chefs, spirits on the terrace, live music and dancing in the Rosecliff ballroom. Restaurants and chefs for the evening include:

• 22 Bowen's Wine Bar & Grille, Tom Lyon
• Bar Mezzana, Colin Lynch
• Belle Mer, David Blessing
• Castle Hill Inn, Lou Rossi
• Cultivar, Mary Dumont
• Doretta Taverna and Raw Bar, Brendan Pelley
• Forty 1° North, Terence Feury
• Gracie's, Matthew Varga
• Jamestown Fish, Matthew MacCartney
• Kerrygold Cheese
• Parsnip, Jimmy Salamone
• Providence G, Robert Sisca
• Red Lion Inn, Brian Alberg
• Mills Tavern, Rachel Klein
• SRV, Kevin O'Donnell & Michael Lombardi
• The Spiced Pear, Tom Duffy
• Vermont Creamery

Featured wineries at Wine & Rosecliff include:

• Bertani (Veneto)
• Bodega Catena Zapata (Mendoza)
• Castello Banfi (Brunello di Montalcino)
• Ceretto (Piedmont)
• Champagne Gosset (Aÿ)
• Champagne Taittinger (Reims)
• Chappellet (Napa Valley)
• Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
• Château d'Esclans (Provence)
• Château Fuisse (Burgundy)
• Donelan Family Wines (Sonoma)
• Dr. Loosen (Mosel)
• Graham’s Port (Porto)
• Hewitson (Barossa)
• Kracher (Burgenland)
• Mas de Daumas Gassac (Languedoc)
• Mt Veeder Winery (Napa Valley)
• Rochioli (Russian River Valley)
• The Prisoner (Napa Valley)
• Trefethen Family Vineyards (Napa Valley)
• WillaKenzie (Willamette Valley)

Once again, the Marble House lawn will be the setting for the two-day Grand Tastings, which offer guests an afternoon of entertainment, as well as the opportunity to sample hundreds of wines from around the world and cuisine from local, regional and national restaurants and purveyors. This lively event includes the Meiomi Seaside Bar, non-stop chef demonstrations on the Monogram Culinary Stage, the Rosé Grill Garden featuring Château D’Esclans and the Castle Hill Inn Seaside Café.

The Vintner Dinner at Rosecliff will include a champagne reception, followed by a five-course dinner prepared by award-winning chefs. Each course will be paired with select wines presented by a vintner who will speak about the winery, the specific wine, the vintage, and why it pairs with the dish.

The exclusive Burgundy Dinner at The Elms will feature exquisite Burgundy wines paired with the cuisine of award-winning chef Tony Maws of Craigie on Main in Cambridge, MA.

Throughout the weekend, a series of wine & food seminars will be presented at The Breakers Stable & Carriage House, featuring experts discussing topics ranging from oysters to cheese & wine pairings, champagne & caviar, a bourbon tasting and more.

The Presenting Sponsor of the 2017 Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival is FOOD & WINE Magazine. The Grand Tasting Presenting Sponsor is ALEX AND ANI. The Culinary Tent Presenting Sponsor is MONOGRAM. Event sponsors include Champagne Taittinger, Forty 1° North, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Dole & Bailey, Alta Vista Estate Vineyards, Sequoia Grove, Coca Cola, Calvisius Caviar and Meiomi Wines.

Proceeds from the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival benefit The Preservation Society of Newport County, a non-profit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes and decorative arts. Its 11 historic properties—seven of them National Historic Landmarks—span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development.

For more information on all of the weekend's events and to purchase tickets for the 2017 Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival, visit www.NewportMansionsWineAndFood.org

New England Cookbooks
Connecticut Delicious Reads
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Vermont Delicious Reads

Dine with us in Provincetown (Provincetown Tourism)

Video courtesy of Provincetown Tourism on YouTube

Daily Bites: Wednesday Edition

 Photo courtesy of Urban Hearth

Urban Hearth in Cambridge, MA, is holding their annual CRAB FEAST on Sunday, July 16. Event starts at 2:00PM; $30/dozen crabs with all the classic crab feast sides. Idle Hands Brewery will be on tap literally and figuratively for the festivities. For more information, visit www.urbanhearth.net.

Today's Travel Finds: Cheese and Wine of the French Countryside, 10 Best Lobster Rolls in Connecticut, Flavors of Martha's Vineyard, & More

Explore the flavors of Martha's Vineyard - Farm. Field. Sea is offering small group experiential tours this summer. Go behind-the-scenes of the local food of Martha's Vineyard. For more information, visit www.farmfieldsea.com

The 10 Best Lobster Rolls in Connecticut (Connecticut Magazine)

Summer in Loire- Cheese and Wine of the French Countryside (July 13, 2017, 6:30PM)
This cooking class is offered by Formaggio Kitchen of Cambridge, MA

Taste of Napa - A lodging and dining package in Connecticut (Winvian Farm)
Includes a one night stay in the cottage of your choice, three cource Prix-Fixe dinner, wine and cheese tasting for two and more.

Chatham Bars Inn, is partnering with acclaimed Boston-based Chef Jody Adams, to offer an exciting seasonal culinary experience, at STARS restaurant. The James Beard Award-winning chef behind legendary restaurants Rialto, TRADE, Porto and Saloniki, will preside over the summer pop-up’s menu and atmosphere, bringing a relaxed yet refined take, on classic Cape Cod summer fare. For more information and to make a reservation, visit www.chathambarsinn.com/dining-areas/stars

Savory Maine Dining and Provisions will exhibit the paintings of Brunswick artist Barbara Bean, from July 5 through Aug. 15. [via Coastal Journal]

Newport Mansions Food & Wine Festival (September 21-24, 2017)

Maine Wild Blueberry Muffins [Recipe]

 Photo Courtesy of Erin on Flickr      You May Also Like:   New  England Bed & Breakfast Recipes       

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