Being Julia Child in Northampton

Julia would be so proud. On a recent trip to Northampton, and after a leisurely stroll through Smith College (http://www.smith.edu/), including the gardens, where Alpaca decided to sit on a bench and relax his weary legs, we set out for a late lunch.

Naturally, we follow Julia Child's suggestion and head directly for 2005 Best of Winner Eastside Grill (http://www.eastsidegrill.com/, 19 Strong Ave., Northampton). You know everything here is fresh and new, as the entire menu changes every 6 months. We shared several appetizers in an attempt to try as much as we could: the shrimp cocktail featured huge pieces of shrimp, the New England clam chowder was creamy and delicious and really hit the spot, the lobster BLT was positively dreamy, with large chunks of lobster between fried green tomato slices and wrapped in bacon on a bed of lettuce (drooling) and a few slices of steak were served with a bleu cheese sauce (omg, so great). We were so pleased with the appetizer variety and portions that we skipped entrees entirely. We finished with a delightful maple crème brulee.

Alpaca agreed that if anyone ever knew anything about food, it was Julia.

On the way back to New Haven, we passed a sign on the freeway that said "Scenic View." Thinking that they were flattering themselves, we ignored it. We thought the better of it in a matter of moments and pulled over to take a picture.

My Off-Season Home: Mystic, CT

I suppose I can't hibernate during the months Abbott's is closed (::sigh::), not being a bear and all. So I was forced to find an off-season home for husband, Alpaca and self. Any of the houses above will be fine - they are located directly across the water from Mystic Seaport (see below for more information) and convenient kayaking distance from Sea View Snack Bar, where husband, Alpaca and I can enjoy this view:


The Alpaca really enjoyed snorkeling in the Mystic waters. If you look closely, you can see him.

My New Home: Noank, CT

As soon as I can retire, this is where husband, Alpaca and I are moving. I don't think it's more than 50 feet from Abbott's.

And when we do move, this will be the view during breakfast, lunch and dinner, during the months of May through October (the rest of the time we'll have to hibernate).

The Mystique of Mystic and the Lobster of Abbott's

If you're in Connecticut, Mystic Seaport (http://www.mysticseaport.org/) is a must. This old-world little village really gets into the centuries-gone theme, and has actually designed their town's economy around tourism to this region. Although Mystic is no longer a 19th century seafaring village, you would never guess it by visiting the seaport, which is carefully restored to the period. Tall ships abound, and the museums, galleries and storefronts stick with the 19th century nautical theme. It's really quite cool. And very much a family-friendly place (not that I have kids, but good to keep in mind for several years from now). Alpaca enjoyed the port and even went boating.

I grew up in the 80s, so when it came time for lunch, I was tempted to take Alpaca to Mystic Pizza, but Pookie (who goes to school in New Haven, CT) got a hot tip from a friend to stop at Abbott's Lobster in the Rough in Noank (http://www.abbotts-lobster.com/) for something called a "Lobster Roll." The friend went on and on about how Abbott's had won awards for its lobster roll. Frankly, this sounded like a piece of bread cooked with lobster inside, and that didn't really appeal to us. But on the recommendation of this friend, we decided to stop in and check it out, figuring that we like lobster, so how bad could it be? Boy are we glad we followed the friend's suggestion.

Lobster rolls are the best thing on earth. We love seafood. We're picky about seafood. And we're here to tell you that Abbott's is heaven and lobster rolls are the best thing ever created by man. Forget fire, forget the wheel, forget sliced bread. Lobster roll.

We couldn't figure out from our crappy little maps how to get to Noank, so we stopped at Sea View Snack Bar because we were just starving (really quite a hole in the wall run down shack overlooking the water and a cemetary, http://dinesite.com/info/rstrnt-102635/??&t=0; for map: http://www.lighthousemaps.com/Mystic/MysticMap00.htm?place=SeaView). The crab cakes were among the best I've ever had. They were simply fantastic. But we knew we had to save some room for a lobster roll, so we contained ourselves.

We finally found Abbott's. We ordered clam chowder, a crab cake and a lobster roll (just one, you know, in case we didn't like it). We should have ordered a dozen.

Abbott's is open only seasonally, and people line up on opening day in May to be the first to devour their award-winning lobster rolls (http://www.abbotts-lobster.com/pictures.html). I totally understand. I intend to be among them one year. Each of the 3000 miles traveled to get to Abbott's would be well worth it.

::drooling::