Task 30 – Armsby Abbey (Worcester, MA)

(30) Eat in 10 New Restaurants (53/20)

Restaurant: Armsby Abbey
Location:    144 Main Street
                     Worcester, MA 01608
                     (508) 795-1012

Website:      www.armsbyabbey.com

Rating:         4-stars

Hungry as usual a friend and I decided to try Armsby Abbey for an early dinner. Having heard from so many people it was good bar and with neither of us are big fans of bar’s we had until today steered clear. What a big mistake. The atmosphere is more classy pub/microbrewery then dirty bar and the quality of their fresh locally grown farm sourced foods was amazing.

We both took the advice of the waitress and went with the Slow Roasted 100% Grass-Fed Adams Farm Beef. It had a black pepper-horseradish Crème Fraiche and roasted radishes, shallots, Milton Creamery Prairie Breeze Cheddar, and a Bacon Vinaigrette dressed Arugula all nicely sandwiched between two slices of homemade toasted baguette. WOW was it good. I am glad I don’t work in Worcester or you would find me here every day at lunchtime.

Even though it was a generous portion I couldn’t pass on the Smore dessert I saw coming out of the kitchen in rapid succession. I was lucky enough to get the last one. It was a cupcake style chocolate cake with a burst of toasted marshmallows’ and a chocolaty ganache that was so rich and tasty it melted in my mouth.  

Everything here was great from the ambiance to the food and especially the drinks. We had a cocktail whose name I don’t recall 100% something paradise and it was delicious. I can’t wait to go back and try more of the farm sourced creations they offer.

Task 30 – Hong Kong Star (Plainfield, CT)

(30) Eat in 10 New Restaurants (52/20)

Restaurant: Hong Kong Star
Location:     69 Lathrop Rd
                     Plainfield, CT 06374                     (860) 564-8498

Rating:        2-Stars - Food
                    1-Star Service

I stopped here on my way home from the beach. It’s a perfect halfway point and located just off of 395 in Plainfield, CT next to the Big Y. When we arrived we were the only customers. We were seated in one of the circa 1990 booths that looks as though it hadn’t gotten a good cleaning in a while and already on the table were some fried snacks and duck sauce.

After looking at the cleanliness of the booth I opted to pass on the complimentary table offerings. A few moments later our waitress came to the table and we ordered General Tao’s combo with crab rangoon’s and fried rice.

Within about 5 minutes our meals arrive but unfortunately they were spare ribs and not General Tao’s. She apologized indicating she must have written the wrong letter down. 2 minutes later our meals re-emerged. The crab rangoon’s were over cooked and had too little filling to be satisfying. The rice was clearly a reheat and the General Tao’s was bland and uninspired.

While we ate their staff of three sat in a booth by the kitchen and all watched us eat. It was a bit weird and creepy. Perhaps I expect too much from a shopping mall Chinese restaurant but next time I’ll try a different place.



Task 38 – OpSail 2012

(38) Visit 10 Festivals of Fairs (08/20)

Festival: OpSail 2012
Location: New London,CT

Website: www.opsail2012ct.com

When: July 6 - 9, 2012

Rating: 4-Stars

This year OpSail is celebrating the 200^th Anniversary of the War of 1812. Over 40 ships sailed into the Thames River including the 295ft USCGC Eagle and the 249ft Cisne Branco from Brazil. We arrived at Fort Trumbull and joined the line at the Pier to board the Tall ships. While in the 1 hour plus line we noticed that another much smaller sailboat docked at the pier was none other than the famous Amistad. Based in Mystic Seaport the Amistad the Amistad unfortunately was not open to visitors other than to appreciate her less refined beauty as she floats near the much larger tall ships.

The first ship we boarded was the Cisne Branco (White Swan) measuring in at 249 ft this white beauty is based in Rio de Janiero and the crown jewel of the Brazilian Navy. Built in 1998 she is not a fighting machine but rather used in national and international representation activities to showcase the Brazilian Navy and Brazilian Culture as well as a training ship for Navy Cadets. She is the third vessel to have the name Cisne Branco

Her dockmate the USCGC Eagle measures in at an incredible 195 feet and it too is white with the trademark USCG Racing Strips. Like her Brazilian counterpart she too is used primarily as a training vessel for the USCG and represents the USCG in many national and international activities. She is the seventh US Naby or Coast Guard ship to bear the name eagle since 1792. She was originally the German  Horst Wessel and at the end of WWII it was repatriated as a war reparation. It currently has a crew of 6 officers and 56 enlisted men.

Both were a real treat to see and to explore their decks. It is amazing to see two of the world’s greatest tall ships up close.