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#SundayFunday – Uxlocale Brings Italy to Uxbridge

UxLocale, located in Uxbridge, Massachusetts

We’ve established that #SundayFunday doesn’t have to mean the drinking-and-activities-pre-Monday-hipster-ritual intended to be gushed about on social media. For us, the concept of pre-gaming on Sunday to gear up for the week is less about drinking mimosas and more about making the end of the week significant. Significance can come from a culmination of different elements of scenery, location, food style, and people. At Uxlocale, there is a great balance between picturesque scenery of Uxbridge farm life, high-quality ingredients, and the heartwarming familiarity of a family business.

Outdoor dining at UxLocale, located in Uxbridge, MassachusettsUxlocale is a newcomer to the quiet food scene of Uxbridge but has proclaimed itself a destination eatery and rightfully so. With a twist on modern country, Uxlocale breathes life into passionate dishes stemming from family traditions and cultivates a sense of country leisure and travel with its backdrop of rolling green hills, farm living and old country Italian flavors. Catering to Italian favorites like pasta puttanesca – a pasta topped with garlic, anchovies, Sicilian & kalamata olives, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, crushed san marzano tomatoes and Italian parsley – and smelts limoni fritti – lightly fried and super crispy dressed smelts with fried lemon, garlic and white wine – the menu speaks of secret family recipes and an admiration of tradition.

Italian dining at UxLocale, located in Uxbridge, MassachusettsWhen we consider Italian traditions, it is hard to avoid the mention of pizza. At Uxlocale, pizza choices like the harvest – a pizza topped with roasted grape tomatoes portabella mushrooms, basil, scallions, fresh mozzarella, bacon, arugula and balsamic reduction – and the Margherita – topped with fresh pomodoro tomato sauce, mozzarella, freshly torn basil and a hint of oregano – offer a refreshing take on average New England pies. Pairing a glass of Sasyr Super Tuscan with the Uxlocale – a pizza topped with house-sausage, red peppers, and red onion – brings together a full experience of what Uxlocale has to offer although the mussels bianco paired with a glass of Riesling – preferably the Blue Fish Dry – is a good enough reason to award Uxlocale its #SundayFunday title.

Whether you are dining indoors, in the luxury of a finely crafted restaurant – walls adorned with paintings by local artists, or you choose to sit under a string of vintage-style lights in the open outdoor dining space, Uxlocale fully embraces the culinary talents of Chef Elaine Pusateri Cowan and couples it with an impeccable atmosphere, making it a worthy trip for #SundayFunday.

 

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Winter Reds to Beat Your Winter Blues

Big Reds: Wine To Warm The Winter Soul

Big Reds: Wine To Warm The Winter Soul

We are in the thick of another lovely New England winter, and there are two important questions on everyone’s mind: When is it going to be spring again? And what am I going to drink to warm up? Before all the know-it-alls point out that alcohol doesn’t technically warm you up, because it thins your blood and actually makes you more sensitive to the cold, etc. etc., I know. But there must be something psychologically rewarding about an adult beverage that warms your bones in freezing temperatures. Most hearty New Englanders I know choose whiskey as their liquid blanket of choice. However, a near and dear choice of mine is a big, bold red wine.

Big Reds: Wine To Warm The Winter SoulA bold, spicy red with concentrated rich dark fruit notes and velvety tannins is my drink of choice from December-March, year after year. I am a person driven by logic, and the thought of consuming a cold beverage in cold temperatures confuses me and bothers me a bit, to be honest. Structurally, big red wines are the best compliment to winter weather. First, you get to drink it at a little less than room temperature, which is perfect, because most of us warm our houses to 60-65 degrees which is basically like one huge wine cellar. Also, the regions that these big reds come from, tend to be sunny and hot, creating high alcohol along with those indulgent concentrated fruit notes. Alcohol may thin your blood, but the immediate warming flush to your face is a welcome sensation this time of year. It’s almost like you can feel the sun on your face…almost. Lastly, the hearty body pairs well with hearty winter dishes. Beef stew, pot roast, lamb chops and game meats all pair well with big reds. Together, they warm your body and fill your belly, keeping you sustained for the bitter cold.

If you are not already a seasonal drinker, changing your drink of choice to match the weather, maybe I have now convinced you to be. The next thing you need to know is what to look for at the wine shop. If you like powerful reds with a balance of earth and spice, my favorite regions are the Rhone Valley of France and Ribera del Duero in Spain, with an honorable mention to Portuguese wines. For less earth and more fruit concentration, look for an Aussie Shiraz, California Zinfandel and Malbec from Argentina. These wines should probably come with a toothbrush, but if red-wine-mouth doesn’t bother you, these winter reds will help alleviate your winter blues. A bonus is that most of these aforementioned wines are value-driven, allowing you to stock up and hibernate until its Rosé season again.