Escape

Hallie's precious pup Rigby

This past weekend Ash and I went out to Connecticut to visit our friend Hallie. I have never been to CT before, but after this visit, I would love to return.  Hallie lives in Ridgefield, which I have been told is in "horse country." We definitely picked the right weekend to go because we got to escape the 100 degree weather in the city. Connecticut was so green and plush compared to nyc and it was a nice change of pace to drive in a car everywhere instead of taking public transportation. Not to mention, Hallie's house is beautiful and her parents were great hosts! I ate like a king and enjoyed every minute of it.

When we arrived Friday night we went to a restaurant "in town" (I put quotation marks because there really one main street that makes up the town), called the Bissell House. It was an American grill type place and I enjoyed some delicious salmon and crab cakes. Living so close to the coast, I definitely took advantage of the array of fresh seafood available. For dessert I indulged in three mini ice cream sandwiches, made of homemade cookies and filled with chocolate, vanilla, and mint ice cream. Delicious. After dinner, we went back to Hallie's house and sat out on there back porch for a few hours, drinking and enjoying each others company. 

Saturday morning we woke up and went to get our nails done. Nothing is more relaxing than a mani-pedi with a complementary back massage... After being pampered for an hour, Hallie gave us a quick tour of her town--taking us to her favorite cupcake place of course. We bought 6 fancy looking cupcakes and then got in the car to go to Westport for lunch. As we pulled out of the parking lot though, a woman ran up to the side of the car and banged on the window. Shocked, Hallie rolled down her window and the woman reached up and handed us our cupcakes... then we felt a thud. Apparently Hallie had forgotten to actually put the cupcakes INSIDE of the car and just drove off. And when that woman stopped to give us our cupcakes, she forgot to actually park her car and it rolled into the back of Hallie's... I guess it was just one of those days...

Westport Beach

After our cupcake fiasco, Hallie took us to a yacht/golf club and we ate lunch outside overlooking the water. I love the ocean so this was perfect for me. I had a blueberry mojito and calamari salad to start, then ate a juicy burger with fries while watching sailboats go by and people paddle boarding (I really want to try that!) After lunch we got back in the car and drove by the beach. It was a bit cloudy so not a good day to lay out but it was still beautiful none-the-less. We then headed to the famed supermarket, Stew Leonard's. Hallie's parents had raved to us about hos fun it was and so we had to check it out for ourselves. There is essentially one line that snakes through the whole store, taking you by each section of food. My personal favorite was the banana section that had a Chiquita Banana that sang to you when you pushed the button. The rest of the store was filled with such talking animals/objects like butter sticks, cows, and milk. It was hilarious. Even though I looked like a complete tourist with my camera around my neck, I didn't care, this place was a basically like a food ride a Disney World! At the end of the trip, I bough some of their ice cream which was more of a custard. And got it covered in chocolate sprinkles of course. Double delicious. We got back in the car and out of interest, (and since Hallie and Ash were jealous of my ice cream), they opened up to take a peek at our cupcakes. In the heat, the car had turned into a portable oven and the cupcakes were completely melted. The cupcake fiasco continued. Ash and Hallie were happy to report that they still tasted great.

After Stew's, we drove back home to shower and change for dinner. Hallie's parents took us to a little French restaurant (that I can't remember the name of), that apparently Keith Richards frequents. As an avid Rolling Stones fan, this obviously made me instantly love the place. I was very excited about the possibility of dining with the rock star, but alas, he did not show. Regardless, I enjoyed some exotic cocktails, French onion soup, and steak frites. And to top it all off, chocolate mousse.

After dinner we headed to Norwalk, which has some of the only real night life around there. We went to a bar called The Ginger Man which had a very rustic feel--not too crazy but still seemed to have a large crowd there. Ash tried some of the interesting beers on tap and I stuck with Vodka. Hallie was our DD so she just sipped on a beer for a few hours, like a champ. We met an array of gentle men that night, all with interesting back stories, and all in all, it was a lot of fun. A very different scene from the bars in NYC, but I loved it. When we got kicked out of the bar at 2AM (who closes that early?!), we walked back to the car, only to be distracted by a bar fight that had broken out at the end of the street. Cops immediately swarmed the boys and had them on the ground and in handcuffs in a matter of seconds. It was crazy. I am always curious as to why these sorts of things break out...

Polo match

Sunday morning we enjoyed sleeping in until 11 and then were greeted by the scent of freshly baked blueberry scones, courtesy of Hallie's mom (she used to own a bake shop!). They were to die for. We sat on the porch for a while eating and talking and then got ready for the polo match. The match was held in Greenwich, a short 25 min drive away, and it was a perfect day. A bit warm, but the shade and slight breeze made it bearable. In true W&L fashion, we had our own tent set up, crowded with Alumni, snacks, and booze. I have never been to a polo match before and it was a fun game to watch. And I got to wear a big sun hat so I was happy.

After the match we met up with her parents for dinner at an Italian restaurant called Terra Sole. I love Italian food and would eat only Italian if I had the choice. To start I had a platter of brie, complete with toasted bread, cranberries, and jam. My main dish was linguine with lobster and prawns. There was a generous amount of seafood which surprised and delighted me. I LOVE SEAFOOD. And of course, I could not turn down dessert. Three words: chocolate banana beignets. Oh my gawdddd they were amazing. Soft puffy doughnut holes filled with warm banana and topped with chocolate sauce and a scoop of espresso ice cream. Her dad also ordered a round of limoncello for the table, which I tried to sip, but alas, I could not take the extreme tart lemon flavor. Her dad willingly finished off mine, Ashley's and her mothers.

Beignets and limoncello

After a weekend of eating, relaxing, polo matching and chatting, Ash and I headed back to the city and all of this hotness.