Friday, September 29, 2017

CRAFT BEERS AND LOCAL FOOD AT VERMONT'S PROHIBITION PIG

JOE Friday, September 29, 2017
Prohibition Pig brews their own beer. Their selection changes with the seasons.
Skillet of Fries
One of the many beers on tap.
Cheeseburger with onions and bacon.
Prohibition Pig
prohibitionpig.com

Prohibition Pig in Waterbury, Vermont gets busy. So busy, that Eat Up New England didn't get to sit down without an hour wait until our third visit. This brewery and restaurant was worth the wait.

Prohibition Pig takes pride in brewing much of the beer it sells. The selection changes with the season. Right now for the fall, there's their Jack Be Little pumpkin beer made with house roasted pumpkins. How good does that sound? They also have their own Oktoberfest, along with some ales, a double IPA and a vanilla bean porter. Customers can choose from half and full servings.

Not only do they have amazing beer, Prohibition Pig also offers fresh food from local farmers. For lunch, there are salads, sandwiches and burgers. Sides include a skillet of fries, cheddar grits, maple baked beans and macaroni salad. There are more options for dinner including a hush puppies appetizer, craft mac & cheese and large plates of chicken, BBQ pork and beef brisket.  ,

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

THE BIG E: A NEW ENGLAND FALL TRADITION

JOE Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Pierogies stuffed with cheese and keilbasa
Draft beer from the Vermont Statehouse
Vermont's Cold Hollow Cider Mill
Vegetable Tempura
Del's Lemonade in the Rhode Island Statehouse
Turkey Legs - A Big E Favorite!
Lobster Roll from the Maine Statehouse
"Blueberry Pie" from the New England Craft Beer Pub
Baked potato from the Connecticut Statehouse
THE BIG E
www.thebige.com
The end of summer is more tolerable for New Englanders every September because we have The Big E! The annual festival in West Springfield, Massachusetts attracts countless vendors and visitors every year. There's a live camel show. There are HUGE pumpkins, gourds that are more than one-thousand pounds. There are carnival rides and endless things for sale. If you're patient enough, you can even see some baby chicks hatch. The main attraction for Eat Up New England and so many others is, of course, THE FOOD.

If you like fried food, you're in lucky, because EVERYTHING is fried at The Big E. There are fried Oreos, fried vegetables, fried jelly beans, and even fried butter! I enjoyed some of the vegetable tempura from one of the vendors. We got a mountain of mixed veggies and ranch dipping sauce for under $10.

The New England statehouse replicas are one of my favorite parts of The Big E. They are models of each state's original statehouse and inside there are foods and items for sale from each state. Eat Up New England started off at the Rhode Island Statehouse, where I sipped on some cold Del's Lemonade. I enjoyed some craft beer in Vermont, a lobster roll in Maine and an incredibly satisfying baked potato at the Connecticut Statehouse.

There are so many drinks, alcoholic and non, at The Big E. The wonderful thing is, you can carry your beer or cocktail around all over the fair.  The New England Craft Beer Pub is one of my favorites, selling New England beers like Shipyard Pumpkinhead (with a cinnamon rim) and Vermont's Woodchuck Fall Cider. I LOVED their Blueberry Pie concoction of Sea Dog Blue Paw, pie syrup and a caramel cinnamon sugar rim. , , , , , , ,

Sunday, September 17, 2017

EARLS OPENS IN BOSTON'S PRUDENTIAL CENTER

JOE Sunday, September 17, 2017
Entrance inside of the Pru
Swordfish Tacos
Avocado Super Toast and Green Dragon Roll
New York Style Cheesecake
Downstairs Bar
Upstairs Dining Area
Some of the many refreshing cocktails at Earls
Earls Kitchen + Bar
Boston, MA
www.earls.ca/locations/prudential-center

Earls Kitchen + Bar has opened its newest location at the Prudential Center in Boston. This spacious restaurant based in Canada prides itself on diverse flavors from near and far.

Eat Up New England stopped by on a very busy Saturday night and was lucky to score a table on the first floor by the bar. The service was exceptional, with our waiter going above and beyond to make sure we were happy. Their drink menu is very impressive, with beers from near and far. I enjoyed a massive glass of Clown Shoes from Ipswich, Massachusetts. Our server encouraged us to sample the beer and wines before we choose one and we were happy to take him up on his offer.

We shared some small plates for dinner, including the vegetarian-friendly Green Dragon Roll and some Avocado Super Toast. Both dishes were excellent and I loved the large size of the sushi roll. I also ordered their Blacked Swordfish Tacos. They are made with a roasted jalepeno crema, which proved to be way to hot for my taste, but our server was happy to bring me an option that was far less caliente. Earls menu is also made up of steaks, burgers (including a local Fenway Burger), salads and main plates like BBQ chicken, salmon and fish & chips. 

Earls dessert menu includes New York style cheesecake, which I can never pass up. This favorful and filling slice of heaven is served with strawberries.  

Earls serves brunch on the weekend and offers a happy hour weekday afternoons and nights.  This is their second Boston-area locations. There's also an Earls at Assembly Square in Somerville. , , ,
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