Food
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Pork with Sauerkraut, Beer and Tarragon
Cooking with Fresh Summer Herbs
By: - Aug 22nd, 2013With an abundance of fresh herbs in the garden there was an urge to make a favorite winter pork recipe. But with fresh tarragon a key ingredient. This is an easy, foolproof, quick and delicious meal.
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Pesto Pasta
Fresh Summer Herbs
By: - Aug 11th, 2013From now until frost we are enjoying fresh pesto made with basil from our thriving herb garden. With the right ingredients it's easy to make and stash in the freezer for a fine meal on a gloomy winter night.
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The Smoking Brisket Conspiracy
Guilt Free Barbecue in the Berkshires
By: - Aug 10th, 2013On a day off from playing violin at Tanglewood our musician/ chef decided to tackle barbecued brisket for a family gathering. His approach proves to be quite contrarian. He resists trends for fancy equipment and exotic recipes for rubs and sauces. His approach is to just go ahead and do it. Keep the flame low and slow and all else will be just fine.
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Spice Dragon in Pittsfield
Asian Confusion Food
By: - Jul 15th, 2013With a winning combination of Asian Fusion food, ambiance, and moderate prices Spice Dragon in Pittsfield is a popular destination. Over several visits, however, the food and service has been inconsistent. Busy nights stretch the limits of understaffed and inexperienced front of house and an ability to get food to tables in a timely manner. In Pittsfield, however, there isn't much competition for dining on this level.
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MediTerra in North Adams
Authentic Turkish Delight
By: - Jul 14th, 2013It is difficult to find authentic international cuisine in the Berkshires. Owner Fahri Kakakaya has recruited a fellow Turk, Ahmet Alcay, as chef and relaunched the large space on Main Street in North Adams as Medi-Terra, American Mediterranean Bistro. There are Italian items on the menu but we opted to try the superb and unique Turkish Cuisine. We strongly recommend this for a winning combination of tasty, exotic flavors, affordable prices and a comfortable, uncrowded ambiance. Try it for salad and sandwiches at lunch or come back for a leisurely dinner with beer and wine.
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Five Guys in Pittsfield
Evaluating Berkshire Burgers
By: - Jul 06th, 2013A franchise of the Five Guys chain of burger joints has opened in a Pittsfield mall. The Pit Bulls offer their reflections on the dining experience as well as views of the science of the perfect burger.
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Maria’s European Delights
Polish Deli in Pittsfield
By: - Jun 27th, 2013After five years in Great Barrington the Polish deli Maria’s European Delights has relocated to 146 North Street in Pittsfield. Krzysztof "Kris" Sedowski handed me slices of sausage to sample while we discussed the nostalgia of food from the Old Country.
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Paula Deen’s The Lady and Sons
Savannah’s Tarnished Shrine for Grin and Grits
By: - Jun 26th, 2013Paula Deen the Queen of Southern Cuisine has fallen off her media throne. During a three week drive through the south with several days in Savannah we visited her flagship The Lady and Sons. While wildly popular with tourists and fans of her TV cooking shows the food was hardly exceptional.
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Route 7 Grill in Great Barrington
New Executive Chef Christophe Jalbert
By: - Jun 25th, 2013Route 7 Grill in Great Barrington, listed as one of America’s best farm-to-table restaurants in Gourmet Magazine, announces new executive chef Christophe Jalbert, who started his post on May 31.
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Mazzeo in Pittsfield
Italian Comfort Food at a Moderate Price
By: - Jun 25th, 2013Since 1988 Mazzeo's Ristorante has been a successful and popular destination. Recently the restaurant moved to a large venue with steady drive by traffic between Pittsfield and Lenox. We opted for the terrace on a sultry summer evening.
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Atlantic Spice
Cape Cod’s Culinary Mecca
By: - Apr 21st, 2013No trip to lower Cape Cod is complete without a visit to the deliciously fragrant Atlantic Spice Co.. We talked with the owner, Eleanora, who with her husband Mark Irving, established the wholesale/ retail business in North Truro twenty years ago.
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Nudel in Lenox Nominated for Food & Wine Award
Bjorn Somlo, Chef-owner Featues Unique Cuisine
By: - Mar 12th, 2013Bjorn Somlo, chef-owner of Nudel Restaurant in Lenox, has been nominated one of the top 100 chefs for The People’s Best New Chef award for FOOD & WINE® magazine. This is Somlo’s second nomination for an award honoring up-and-coming innovators who have run their own kitchens for five years or fewer.
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Berkshire Top Chefs at NY's James Beard House
The Berkshire Cure-All On March 1
By: - Feb 09th, 2013On Friday, March 1, seven chefs from the Berkshires organized by Brian Alberg, Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Director at The Red Lion Inn, will present “The Berkshire Cure-All†to New York's James Beard Foundation. The dinner will showcase the culinary talents and farm-to-table efforts of the region with foods prepared using time-honored preserving and curing methods.
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Olde Forge’s Kirk Grippo
Chef/ Owner of Popular Berkshire Hangout
By: - Nov 15th, 2012Chef Kirk Grippo has owned and managed the popular Berkshire pub Olde Forge Restaurant, in Lanesboro on Route 7, for the past fifteen years. He was setting up for a party but paused long enough to chat with us. The annual Festival of Trees at the Berkshire Museum is among the events which he caters. He discussed how it takes a staff of 60 to keep up with the busy restaurant.
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Olde Forge Restaurant in Lanesboro
Winging It
By: - Nov 14th, 2012There are 18 rotating taps for beers including imports and regional seasonals. With more than 200 bottled beers including high end Belgian brews. Add to that state of the art, famous wings. Bottom line The Old Forge in Lansboro, a short drive from Pittsfield, is a Best in the Berkshires destination. Expect long waits on weekends and a boisterous full house. For affordable comfort food the menu is diverse and ambitious.
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Franklin County Cider Days 2012
Cider Salon A Palate Pleaser
By: - Nov 07th, 2012Drawing an audience from as far away as Europe, this event in 18 years has become a phenomenon.This year introduces the first Annual Amateur Cider Making Competition. Cider Days is so amorphous and wide spread that it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where it is being held.
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Franklin County's 18th Annual Wassail
Cider Days Are Upon Us
By: - Oct 28th, 2012"Old Apple tree, old apple tree; We've come to wassail thee;" ...with cider salons, cooking classes, harvest dinners, cider-making demonstrations and all things apple.
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Renowned Chef Gerhard Schmid of Haflinger Haus
Berkshire International Club Celebrates Octoberfest
By: - Oct 27th, 2012Many recall the fine cuisine of Chef Gerhard Schmid from his Gateways Inn in Lenox in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, and the Devonfield Inn, formerly known as Haus Andreas in Lee, from 1980-1994. He is now presiding over the kitchen of Haflinger Haus an elegant mansion in Adams, Mass. Some 40 members of the Berkshire International Club gathered there to enjoy his special Octoberfest menu.
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Top Chef Tom Colicchio Off Camera
Dissing Michelin While Touting American Cuisine
By: - Oct 26th, 2012​Top Chef Tom Colicchio attended the premiere of Dreamscapes, a Wolfgang Hissen documentary profiling Berkshire artist Stephen Hannock. His works hang in Colicchio and Sons and overall a dozen New York restaurants developed by the chef and Andy Meyer. During the recent the Williamstown Film Festival we engaged Colicchio in a lively and revealing dialogue.
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Riverside Blues and Barbecue Festival - Part II
The BBQ Competition
By: - Oct 12th, 2012Caravans of competitors are driving back and forth, up and down back roads and Interstates weekly, heading for one of the many competitions of which this is only one example.
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Koto Steak House and Sushi Bar
The Hot New Berkshires Asian Restaurant
By: - Oct 11th, 2012Since it opened just three months ago Koto in the Pittsfield Malls is a popular destination for dramatic Asian dining. It’s mobbed on weekends including long waits even with reservations. The Pit Bulls dropped by for a delicious, entertaining, and leisurely lunch.
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Mad Jack's Barbecue in Pittsfield
Move to North Street a Culinary Setback
By: - Oct 03rd, 2012A year ago the Pit Bulls rated the hole in the wall rib joint Mad Jack's the best in the Berkshires for barbecue. Since then, there has been a move from a small space on Frenn Street to a major venue next to the upscale Spice Dragon on North Street. The change to a larger venue with increased overhead has resulted in a loss of focus on the quality of food and service. This review was the result of several disappointing visits.
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Sweet Cheeks Serves Designer Barbecue
Top Chef Finalist Tiffani Faison Opens Hot Boston Eatery
By: - Mar 22nd, 2012In Sweet Cheeks Boston touts a contender for first team, All American Barbecue. At a price. This is an upscale designer rib joint pretending to have rustic charm in a densely seated noisy ambiance. The meat is awesome but some of the sides just suck big time. Former Top Chef finalist Tiffani Faison needs to step up her game.
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Easy Ersatz Paella
Spanish Saffron and Seafood Essential
By: - Feb 25th, 2012For a recent dinner party we made a deep dish version of seafood paella. While not exactly like what we have enjoyed in Spain it was a great success. It is easy and quick to prepare. But not cheap as it calls for the essential ingredient saffron. Definitely do try this at home.
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Coyote Flaco in Williamstown
Mexican Food for a Winter Night
By: - Feb 14th, 2012On Route 7 between Williamstown and Pittsfield Coyote Flaco is one of several restaurants clustered not far from Williamstown. It is one of seven restaurants in a chain. Overall the food is good for the price. On a busy Saturday night we were lucky to be seated promptly without a reservation.
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