A Walk for Jane and a Dash for a Difference
Comments (0) There are two upcoming scavenger hunts in Hartford. Continue reading 'A Walk for Jane and a Dash for a Difference'»
Category: food
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One Block, Many Meals
By Kerri Provost, August 25, 2010 4:20 am
On Thursday afternoons Farm to Hearth sets up a wood fired clay oven in the courtyard of the Billings Forge compound on Broad Street. The pizzas are made from fresh, local ingredients.
East-West Grille, a Pan-Asian restaurant with a generous number of vegetarian dishes, sells lunches from a spot in front of the garden.
If these quick lunch options are not adequate, Firebox — a slower and pricier alternative — is just steps away from the weekly farmers’ market.
There are vendors from several local farms. Finding fresh food is no problem. A recent visit showed variety in abundance: tomatoes, peppers, melons, beets, raspberries, blueberries, apples, plums, basil, and more. Pies made from local fruits and berries were for sale, as were loaves of bread baked on the Billings Forge grounds.
On September 16th there will be a Farm-to-Table Dinner. This is by far the most expensive of the options listed here and is included to show the range that exists on a single city block: Broad Street between Capitol Avenue and Russ Street.
Tenth Annual Dragon Boat & Asian Festival this Weekend
By Kerri Provost, August 21, 2010 2:54 pm
Note: Due to rain, the Asian Festival has been canceled for Sunday. The Dragon Boat races are still going on as planned.
Festivities began Saturday morning and go until 4 pm. They will resume at 10 on Sunday and continue through 2 in the afternoon.
A record-setting 67 teams are participating in this year’s dragon boat races. Participants range in age and ability. There are corporate teams, athletes, and people who have some sense of humor, giving their teams names like Blazing Paddles and Splashing Tigers, Soaking Dragons,
Besides boat racing, there are musical performances, martial arts demonstrations, cultural booths, vendors, and more.
The two females pictured above were part of the Malee’s School of Tai Chi and Kung Fu demo on the upper level of the Riverfront Plaza.
Continue reading 'Tenth Annual Dragon Boat & Asian Festival this Weekend'»
Hartford Community Garden Tour
By Kerri Provost, August 20, 2010 9:17 am
There are over 300 community garden plots in Hartford, which means that an even greater number of people have the opportunity to grow (or attempt to grow) their own fruits, vegetables, and flowers. On Thursday evening, two bus loads of people (plus some cyclists) toured several of these gardens, checking out the creative choices made by this year’s gardeners.
Though some may be surprised about the presence of community gardens here, the first one in Hartford was established in the early 1970’s. Issues of “food security” are not new by a long shot, even if such phrases have become buzzwords in recent years. After creating a community garden in Keney Park, twelve more have been developed. How does one find space for such ventures in an urban setting? When a building is demolished, the land on which it sat often is left as a vacant, unkempt patch. Sometimes, these lots are converted into a more useful and attractive alternative — community garden space. Continue reading 'Hartford Community Garden Tour'»
Rice and Trains
By Kerri Provost, August 6, 2010 7:48 am
Elaine Gan’s Considering Rice is described by Real Art Ways as an exploration of “the entanglements of storytelling and food economy through a dynamic map of one of the world’s most significant agricultural sites.” According to the USA Rice Federation, rice is the “primary staple for more than half the world’s population.” Oddly, there is a National Rice Month, which happens to be September, the only full month that Gan’s work will be on display in Hartford.
Gan’s blog About Manila serves as a preview of the show as it contains numerous photographs of rice terraces in Manila. This exhibit will be on display at Real Art Ways (56 Arbor Street) from August 19th through October 17, 2010.
This is not the only map art project in the area. Brian Cook, a local designer, has created the Hartford Metro Map. It’s futuristic! In his imagination, Hartford not only has a metro system, but one that connects Hartford to Boston, Albany, and Manchester Community College. Cook describes his project:
The Hartford Metro map elides several of my deepest interests: maps, travel, Hartford, urban planning and graphic design. I still stumble across old notebooks with sketches of imaginary maps, Utopian cities with concentric bands zoned commercial, residential, industrial, recreational, infrastructural, etc. The urban models usually feature perfect circles with wide boulevards radiating from vibrant city centers.
[...]
To me, the biggest existing problem with Hartford’s public transit is the disconnect between the downtown area and the West End. I-84 effectively cleaves the city in half, both a physical barrier and a symbol representing the dominance of the car as the preferred method of transportation here.
If you’d like a copy of the Hartford Metro Map poster, you can pledge $25 to help fund the project on Kickstarter. After the printing costs are covered, any additional funds raised will be donated to ConnectiKids.
Annual Community Garden Tour
By Kerri Provost, August 5, 2010 1:06 pm
The city of Hartford has a number of community gardens. The crops planted are diverse. One can find eggplant, corn, callaloo, melon, garlic, and pumpkin, to name only a few of the plants. Every August, a tour is given of a handful of the gardens. This year, the tour leaves from the Niles Street Community Garden (between Laurel and Sigourney) and stops at four other city community gardens. It then returns to the site for a meal prepared from ingredients grown in these gardens. Continue reading 'Annual Community Garden Tour'»
Had Ourselves a J
By Kerri Provost, July 30, 2010 9:09 am
J is nestled in Barry Square just outside of the Frog Hollow and South Green neighborhoods. It’s near Hartford Hospital, CT Valley Girl Scouts, and across from the Children’s Medical Center. It’s not far from Trinity College or Downtown. It’s about a mile from my house, and Google Maps tells me that it takes five minutes to get there, whether I drive or ride my bike. In spite of its accessibility to me, I had never visited the restaurant until last Wednesday.
Because we had made reservations, we were seated immediately. The waitstaff were attentive, which is not always the case at restaurants when part of a party shows up before the rest. I stuck with the non-alcoholic beverages for the evening, but given that our group sought several refills of the same type of wine, my assumption is that they found something good. The house wines were priced at $25 per bottle, but others ran from $25-63.
The Taste of Hartford menu here was among the more impressive in terms of vegetarian options. Continue reading 'Had Ourselves a J'»
New Market for Downtown
By Kerri Provost, July 24, 2010 3:35 pm
241 Asylum Street promises to be the home of Al’s Market & Deli.
Surge in New Restaurants Downtown
By Kerri Provost, July 15, 2010 2:59 pm
It looks like some of the vacancies downtown are about to be filled. Three restaurants are slated to open on the block of Main Street between Pratt/Temple, Church, and Market.
The former Ambassador of India space at 960 Main will soon be Savin Rock Roasting Company II. The original Savin Rock is located in Stratford and has sandwiches, steaks, and salads on its menu. They began holding interviews on Tuesday. This restaurant is located near the Market Street entrance of the building.
Pietro’s Pizza, will be taking the space previously occupied by a Dunkin Donuts at 942 Main.
Agora Downtown will be opening at 915 Main Street.
These three restaurants will join others that have fairly recently opened: DD’s Gyros and Spuds and Le Petit Chef on Temple Street; and Bocca Rossa, also located at 942 Main.
Updated on July 21: Agora Downtown is now open.
Three Days of Free Music
The Greater Harford Festival of Jazz begins on Friday and continues through Sunday July 18th. There are 15 musical acts scheduled over the weekend, including the Hartford Jazz Orchestra and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.You can see the full schedule of performers on the event’s website.
Admission is free, but bring some cash because there will be food and craft vendors. I fondly remember there being deep-fried Oreos last year.
