Tag: farmhouse

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Farmhouse Dinner Paired with World Class Draughts

Fried Fish Sandwich and Hill Farmstead Mary from Armsby Abbey on Main Street in Worcester, MA

Sarah Connell joined the front of house staff at Armsby Abbey in 2013.

Look around before dinner service at Armsby Abbey and you’re sure to spot servers sipping from tasting glasses and jotting down careful notes. Observe bartenders sniffing intently at IPA’s and rattling off hop varieties as they try to detect aromas of grapefruit zest or dried flowers or wet grass. The Abbey’s employees study the chalkboard like dedicated students before an exam in hopes of finding you exactly what you came for, or better yet, turning you on to something new.

Multi-Grain “Risotto” with Dunham Saison Rustique from Armsby Abbey on Main Street in Worcester, MA
Multi-Grain “Risotto” with Dunham Saison Rustique from Armsby Abbey on Main Street in Worcester, MA

A suggested pairing appears for every dish on the menu at Armsby Abbey where owners, Alec Lopez and Sherri Sadowski, pride themselves on curating one of the most exclusive draught lists in the world. Menu items are sourced from local farms and as a result, the farmhouse dinner offerings change frequently. This time of year, Armsby Abbey’s menu is rich with the wild delicacies of late spring like ramps and fiddleheads.

Pair the Multi-Grain “Risotto” with Dunham Saison Rustique, a blonde, Belgian-inspired farmhouse ale. The Abbey’s unique take on risotto consists of a blend of spelt and cornmeal from Four Star Farms and Maine Grain oats. Traditionally, saisons were brewed on Belgian farms with the leftover grains, making this pairing a natural marriage of rustic flavors. The tangy, herbaceous characteristics of this beer stand up nicely to the ramps, thinly sliced radishes, pickled onions and tightly spiraled fiddleheads that populate this perfect spring risotto.

Next, order the Fried Fish Sandwich and Hill Farmstead Mary. The fish itself is beer battered with Hill Farmstead and served with a spicy tartar sauce and root vegetable slaw on an ale roll from Crust Bakeshop. It is said that the secret to Hill Farmstead’s elegant pilsner, Mary, is the well water at Shaun Hill’s family farm in Greensboro, Vermont. One clean and refreshing sip of Mary balances the richness of the fried fish sandwich like none other and boldly assures us that summer is on its way.

Armsby Abbey is located on 144 Main Street in Worcester. Inquire about reservations for parties of six or more by calling (508)795-1012.

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Flatbread Meets Kent Falls

It’s no secret that the town of Hudson is having a moment. Stroll down Main Street to find live music, local beer, craft cocktails and homemade ice cream at your fingertips. If it’s dinner you’re after, begin your evening at The Rail Trail Flatbread Co.

The cozy rapture of a wood fired oven greets customers the moment they walk through the door. Rail Trail’s locally sourced menu and extraordinary draught list guarantee that you will find the perfect pairing, all the while, feeling as if you’ve wandered into a snug New England farmhouse.

Rail Trail's Kent Falls Bewilderment pairs well with the Chicken Parm flatbread.
Rail Trail’s Kent Falls Bewilderment pairs well with the Chicken Parm flatbread.

Dialing in on a flavor profile is only the beginning when it comes to pairing; one must also stay in tune with his or her atmosphere. There’s a reason we crave Cabernets or stouts in the frigid throws of winter and Rieslings or Goses come springtime. Our surroundings dictate our tastes in the same manner that our palates do.

Rail Trail is one of the few restaurants in central Massachusetts with access to brews from Kent Falls, a relatively new farmhouse brewery located in Kent, CT. Kent Falls is not yet open to the public, but I was lucky enough participate in a rustic dinner party this winter under the guidance of brewer, Barry Labendz.

Sitting down to dinner at Rail Trail, I was pleased to find Kent Falls’ Bewilderment on tap. Bewilderment is an Imperial Brett IPA that pours the color of daffodils and finishes with pungent bursts of overripe fruit and funk sure to entice adventurous drinkers.

One would be remiss to visit Rail Trail without ordering a flatbread pizza. Given my recent experience at Kent Falls, I felt compelled to order a pie that featured chicken. The Chicken Parm flatbread is made with a sweet crushed tomato base that stands up to the bitterness of an Imperial IPA. It’s topped with ditalini pasta, breaded chicken, basil and a garlic-Parmesan blend lovingly referred to as the house “funk.” Nothing measures up to the barnyard blast of Brettanomyces yeast like a pungent Parmesan and no one knows that better than Rail Trail.