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.