Not quite central Ct, but close to Windsor, try the soup at the Student Prince and Fort in Springfield. I think it is what you are looking for.

At an organic farming conference I went to they recommended planting nasturtiums with summer squashes. It is supposed to help with borers, and of course the flowers are great in salads as jayt90 noted.. I have not tried it yet though

There is a new Pho restaurant on Route 75 near the airport called Pho 75. Broth is very good and the other food is well prepared. Initially, the other menu choices were limited, but every time we go they seem to have added anothe dish or two. Lots of vegetarian choices. I know they have applied for a liquor license,but I believe it is still BYOB. You might want to check, I haven't been for a few weeks. Ginza is great too.

Agreed about the watering. And one thing the article doesn't state, but that I did, was soak the roots overnight before planting. The guy at the place I bought them told me that was helpful too.

The thoughts on deep trenches and and gradual fill has changed. I followed the advice in this article and had amazing results. We even snuck a few stalks the planting year because there was so much asparagus. I hope you have similar success if you try it.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000...

Another vote for Staropolska's pierogi and dogs with meat sauce at Capitol Lunch. Go to the Roly Poly bakery for rye bread and traditional Polish sweet poppy seed bread. The Martin Rosol retail shop in the meat locker is a great stop too.

Consider staying at the Deerfield Inn. It is charming, the owners are lovely, and you can tour historic Deerfield Village (Ask a private tour of the silver collection) Northampton is close by for dining and shopping as is Greenfield. The butterfly place near Yankee Candle is actually pretty cool too.

It might be too late, but I made these blue cheese, bacon and pecan stuffed dates for a holiday party and they were a huge hit.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recip...

Second The Loft. You have to love a place that says they have "Warm beer, lousy food, and a grouchy owner." Best selection of Long Trail anywhere other than the brewery and lots of other great taps too. Pub food at its best.

Allegra K, That sounds like a Cherokee purple to me. One of my favorites.

Big 2nd to that wish for In and Out! Glad to hear I am not the only one who doesn't understand the attraction of 5 guys. The burgers are so average.

Tapas maybe? Barcelona in West Hartford has lots of delicious small plates. The wide variety might be what you are looking for. Unsure about dessert there though, it is not my thing.

I agree, and would add Mill at 2T to the questionable list. It is so small, almost perfect behavior would be a must and that can be tough with little ones (and some adults ;0.

You might also consider O'Porto on the Hartford/West Hartford line. The food is great and they have a lovely private dining area that seats 10 or 12 which might be very nice for you and allow the children to have a little more latitude. I believe they make a vegetarian paella and fit the other needs as well.

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Mill at 2T
2 Tunxis Rd, Tariffville, CT 06081-9686

+1 on both of the above. I have only had cupcakes from A Little Something, but they were outstanding and I know they do cakes. Rum cake from Mozzicato's is always great if you like that.

Here are a few more possibiliites

Costa Del Sol is minutes away on Franklin Ave. and has a room that would accomodate a group your size. Pepe is a great guy and although we have not done a large party there, we have been to one and it was great.

O'Porto also has something similar and is also close by on Park St. We did both a large and small event at O'Porto and were very pleased with the food, service, and price.

And the name is J's Crab Shack, so that might be it. what your coworker has been hearing. It is the same cook (Jay) and menu. I have heard that some of the ownership changed, but hat is pretty much the same. It is a good place and they have been having a lot of half price coupons in places like savenowct, and doubletakedeals for Chowhounds who like a bargain JB

I don't know the details, but they have been closed for a while. Too bad, we will miss it .

I have been at Holcomb for 6 years and highly reccommend it if there are spaces available. Holcomb is not certified organic, but uses organic practice. It is located in Granby, Ct. (as opposed to Red Fire Farm, which is in Granby, Ma.) They also have a farm store with many local and/or organic items. Holcomb has both half (one bag) or full (two bags) of produce. You choose from the available items, as well as additional PYO crops as mentioned above.

Right down the street is The Garlic Farm, which is all organic and has amazing garlic. Their share program is a little different, It is based on pounds of produce that you choose from what they have,

George S. Hall is in Simsbury, Ct. It is certified organic and I have heard good things about it. They are advertising that they have shares left.

Rosedale Farms, on the Simsbury/Bloomfield line, is also advertising a limited number of shares left. They are not organic, but do a lot of local farm promotions, including farm to table dinners on the farm with local restaurants, including the Max group.

Hope you find something great! JB

As a born in New Britain to a Polish family chowhound, my vote is for Staropolska in NB. The saurkraut and mushroom pierogis are incredible and you can buy frozen pierogis to take home. For what its worth, Yankee magazine named them as Connecticut's must try food in a recent issue.

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Staropolska
252 Broad St, New Britain, CT 06053

To the OP; yes, D & D makes grinders and they are GOOD, especially the Italian combo.

Mill at 2T has great food and atmosphere, but I hesitate to call it romantic. I find it high energy and loud. It just depends on what you are looking for.

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Mill at 2T
2 Tunxis Rd, Tariffville, CT 06081-9686

IMO, the best Indian pudding is at the Student Prince in Springfield Ma. The only other on that gives it a run for the money is at the Deerfield Inn in Deefield Ma. The cornmeal/molasses combo is just a NE tradition. That's why we love anadama bread too!

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Deerfield Inn
81 Old Main St, Deerfield, MA 01342

Student Prince Cafe
8 Fort St, Springfield, MA 01103

I would go to the Student Prince on Fort Street. It is a German restaurant and a real Springfield institution. The collection of steins, corkscrews, and other memorablia is worth the trip alone. Good german food, great beer on tap. It is close to walking distance, but you will want to drive because the area is kind of sketchy. When you get to the Prince they have cheap valet parking though, so no worries.

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Student Prince Cafe
8 Fort St, Springfield, MA 01103

I read in the paper a few weeks ago the Brew Too in Southwick Mass has a hot wing challenge. I think you have to do 12 in 12 minutes and if you do your picture goes on their wall of fame. I have not been there and the website appears to be under construction, but here is the number if you want to check it out. 413 569 1149.

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Brew Too
157 Feeding Hills Rd, Southwick, MA 01077

We saw an ad in the local paper for twin lobster rolls with fries for $10.99 at the Easton Beach Snack Shop and figured what the heck, Why not try it?

The rolls were great. Toasted on the grill hot dog rolls, big chuncks of lobster (mostly claw) with just enough mayo to hold it together. The fries were forgetable, but we did not care. Ate at the picnic tables on the water with our own beverages.

You can't go wrong with this deal and they will even validate your parking

UPDATE: The final results were not good. When I used it, the tiny chip in the glaze spidered into cracks that went all the way throught the pot. I guess any breach in the integrity of the surface, even a tiny one, makes crockppts unsafe

They are awesome, but be aware that it is the whole wing, including the tip; no parts separated, at least the two times I have had them. They also have very good smoked wings at Theodores in Springfield.

Thanks everyone. A replacement liner was my first thought too, but it is too old and I could not find one on other sources like ebay. It is a tiny chip on the inside bottom, really just a little glaze flaked off, so I think I will still use it based on yur feedback.

My daughter used to do that. It is like maple syrup rock candy.

My slow cooker's ceramic liner has a small chip at the bottom. The glaze is off and the unfinished interior is exposed. It still works fine. Do you think it is still safe to use?