Starving Maternal Figure!

SM and I arrived at our 9:30 Hungry Mother reservation with fierce appetites and the grand anticipation of something already known to be wonderful.

We passed the charming bar with its handsome bartender on our way up the stairs to the main dining room. For most of the night we opted for the #99 cocktail, a bartender's choice based off a few parameters that you give - sweet, sour, fruity, spirits. I, of course, struggle with parameters but managed through the evening rather nicely. FYI, They make their own grenadine.

Right away we ordered the side of grits with ham and cheese to eat while we made most of the decisions for the night.

We settled on the following:

A peanut soup topped with fried pancetta and served with a lime for squeezing. Salty and smooth, this soup slid right down, slow spoonful after slow spoonful. They boil Virginia peanuts and offer them in the "To tide you over..." portion of the menu, but they are also used in this soup. Having had it before, I am pretty sure there was an understanding we'd be ordering the soup this time around too.

Catfish cakes with a sweet potato play on aioli and frisee were a tasty, not too heavy, fried plate . The fact that I enjoyed this stronger fish speaks volumes (I generally don't care for catfish).

We had a quietly titled mixed greens plate accented with golden beets and roasted, lightly spiced pecans. A Meyer lemon buttermilk dressing topped the salad, standing tall and refreshing.

Our main course was steak, medium rare, delicious, full of iron, confidently simple. Truth be told though, main courses are never my favorite thing. This was the only dish that let us get distracted by other things: conversations, tattoos, meyer lemon- buttermilk dressing, and decor.

As for dessert, 3 plates ended up on our table. I'll be honest, I thought SM and I would have seen more changes on dinner menu from the last time we went. However, the dessert menu had satisfyingly rotated.

We had another #99 cocktail that the bartender said would compliment the coconut cake and oh, how it did, delightfully! The cake was substantial with a light crumb. Topped with long coconut chips, the coconut flavor was unmissable but nothing overpowering or sickeningly sweet as it slowly took over your mouth.

The banana pudding tasted perfectly simple (I was accused of eating more than my share of this.). The flavor was fresh, which is all there is to hope for in anything titled, banana. Topped with as much whip cream as there was pudding and accentuated with graham crackers this dessert was full of a bliss.

The moonpies were exquisite examples of their little species and served with a tiny bowl of creme anglaise. If you have a sentimental attachment to these little guys absolutely order them. Otherwise, they won't necessarily change your mind about moonpies, whatever your opinion.

I wish that I could remember what my last #99 was. SM just said, something for dessert and over the top to sip will we finished the sweets and reflected on the meal. It truly delivered and was the perfect ending.

When describing everything at this Appalachian-french restaurant I wanted to end every sentence with "...and comforting." Yet, I shy away from saying this is a restaurant of comfort food. The term connotes a heavy feeling, a sedation. This was comfort food, new and invigorating.

A Venture to Noho and all I got were 24 pictures of us!

The ways that I love the pioneer valley are innumerable. JRD and I recently went to Northampton, MA, where I lived for a year and have been visiting my whole life. We needed a day for ourselves and the atmosphere of this little western mass city. To start, (like most treat days or trip days or any excuse days) we went right to a cafe - one of probably a dozen up in this town.

The Woodstar Cafe has a productive, thoughtful and ever expanding bakery. They make their own bread, bagels and delicious pastries. Here, I have enjoyed the most satisfying eclair to date and one of the more satisfying lattes. I know less about coffee than I do about sweets but I always thoroughly enjoy their espresso drinks. They roast their own coffee at a different shop of theirs off route 9 called, Esselon Cafe (I love it here too, they have a bigger cafe/bistro menu as well). Hot chocolates are an afternoon's undertaking and thick with indulgence. The atmosphere is littered with students, academics, artists, former hippies, constant pathfinders, lesbians, free range children, free thinking parents, trans people, transplants and valley folks who have been there for generations. They will all get on your nerves at some point but its nice to soak it all in and assess where I am.


We visited a few stores:
Faces, a fun browse and usually a great place for a cheap gift or treat for yourself.
Essentials, the same description as Faces but with a french borgouise twist and without the word, cheap (still worth a browse!).
Lots of places in Thornes market, but most importantly, we spent the entirety of our afternoon at the photomaton booth on the second floor. Just a classic black and white strip of 4 pics that we theme as deemed necessary. On this trip, we made a narcisistic valentine, depicted fruits and veggies, retold the story of Hannah Jumper, showed the decline of a hairdo, played with collars, reinacted favorite memories for a friend and did a variaton on our favorite theme fall backs, the menagerie and the menagerie of emotions. You have never seen or known self-love like us in a photomaton.

The day got rather late as it only can when we are taking pictures of ourselves. Not sure how best to satisfy our needs and also get on the road, we went to Herrell's, the ultimate ice cream shop destination. I find the chocolate whip cream to be the perfect way to top their peanut butter shake, this of course, when I am not just wanting just a bowl of pure sweet cream, or trying one of their more unusual flavors. Be careful! There are a couple bastard versions of Herrell's or Steve's around the commonwealth, but, the original is the thing!

We got onto 91 South happy, tired and full, but knew that there was much we didn't do.

As for places to eat:

Osaka is the choice place for sushi and perfect for a mixed crowd. They offer lots of options for vegetarians (the bhudda roll is avocado and peanuts!) and for people who just plain old, don't like sushi. The best seats are on the sun porch anytime of year.

Viva Fresh Pasta is a little italian place that makes its own pasta and sauces and the diner can mix and match them. They offer a regular menu which has many good things on it. But they always have a great special ravioli and when in doubt they have egg fettuccini and an alfredo sauce that I always want whether I order it or not.

India House is an Indian Restaurant in a house (and thus the name) and reliably good. If I recall correctly it is a favorite take your parents to, or special occasion place among the co-eds in the area.

Sylvester's is a scrumptious place for breakfast, plus it is in the house of Sylvester Graham, inventor of...Graham Crackers!

Kathy's Diner on Strong Avenue is a place to go for the experience and the price.

As for things to do:

Pleasant Street Movie Theatre is a fun little place with funny, tiny screen rooms and good popcorn. They show independent films or the more thoughtful studio films. No giant blockbusters here. They have a great rental store too!

Lots of good music comes through here of all kinds. There are a few different places, all with their own atmosphere, and mostly in the Iron Horse entertainment group. The Iron Horse venue is my favorite. Go early for a good seat and have a snack or dinner!

Despite my allegiance to the original women's college, the Smith College Art Museum usually has interesting exhibits and can be worth a trip. Plus it is small, so it won't take up your day!

There are beautiful places to walk around, just in the town, around the college, in parks, and around farms.