Hope & Olive, Greenfield, MA

Were Sean not to have family in Greenfield, MA, I’m pretty sure I would never have gone there, nor would I ever go there again. Where is Greenfield, anyway? It’s north of Amherst along Interstate 91, and I can’t imagine a reason to stop there unless I were running out of gas on the interstate. That’s not to say there’s no reason to ever go there- It’s a quaint old town with an historic downtown, is surrounded by farms, and has a few good restaurants. It was never on my must-visit map, but it’s now certainly a place I’ll wind up again. And, if you’re traveling that way, I’d like to suggest a detour to Greenfield to dine at Hope & Olive. Hope & Olive was on the top of our “to-eat-at” list since we started planning our 1500 mile east coast eating and drinking tour over the summer. Sean is friends with one of the owners and sometimes there’s nothing better than dining at a friend’s place. We (Sean, his sister, her boyfriend, and I) walked in on a Saturday night to a packed place that had an hour wait. No big deal for us. His friend also has a place around the block, Mag Pie, where we enjoyed some apps and cocktails.

We returned an hour later and were seated just in time for me to order a local cider from the tap.

Sean and I have become quite accustomed to ordering a variety of small plates to get a taste of each establishment we visit. So, as usual, I approached the Hope & Olive menu assuming we’d order a number of appetizers and a few entrees to share. Here is my only “complaint” if you will- The portions are incredibly large for such a sophisticated establishment. The appetizers at Hope & Olive are the size of entrees at most places I dine, and the entrees are easily split by two people.  We ordered four appetizers and three entrees for the four of us and no one could finish their food. In my opinion, Hope & Olive could reduce their portion size by at least 1/3 and people wouldn’t notice. They’d save on food costs and doggie bags, for sure. But, as a diner, not a chef nor a restauranteur, I’m not always the most credible source- I just have opinions.

That said- here’s what we enjoyed-

A crostini with Hen of the Woods mushrooms, shallots, herbs, and parmesan.

A field greens salad with fresh orange, cucumber, olive, feta, mint, and vinaigrette.

Tempura batter fried veggies.

Korean BBQ beef ribs with kim chi, sweet potato salad, tempura oyster mushrooms, in chili garlic hoisin sauce.

Those were our appetizers along with some bread. I was full by this point and just had a bite of my entree, which was actually another appetizer.

I went for the crab cakes special that evening with peach, hazelnut, and endive salad and lemon caper cream. I am still bummed I couldn’t make room in my belly for these crab cakes, but I was way too full.

Sean ordered the Indonesian tofu with jasmine rice, chili chick peas, cauliflower, carrots, summer squash, pickled cucumbers, and spicy peanut yogurt sauce.

I don’t recall ever having peanut yogurt sauce over in Indonesia, but peanut sauce is certainly very common. I had one bite of this dish which was enough for me to know it wasn’t a successful vegetarian dish. Hope & Olive, like almost every single restaurant that doesn’t specialize in vegetarian food, came close on this one, but offered a huge slab of flavorless fried tofu that needed at least another ladle full of sauce to be able to disguise. I’ve been saying it for years and hope to see it happen one day- Chefs- please, please, please- if you’re going to serve tofu like this, freeze it, thaw it, press it, and then marinate it in something and it will suck up all this amazing flavor and have an incredibly good texture from the freezing process. Then you can bread it and fry it or bake it or grill it or whatever you’d like to do. Most packaged tofu is just not good, and just because someone is a vegetarian doesn’t mean they like the flavorless blob that can be tofu. Finesse it a little and you’ll be really pleased with the outcome. I promise. But, I digress…

I didn’t get a good photo of the roasted turkey sandwich Sean’s sister ordered, nor the entree her boyfriend ordered, so my photos stop here. But, I really enjoyed our experience at Hope & Olive look forward to their success… especially because that means I know we’ll have a great place to dine next time we’re in Greenfield.

Hope & Olive

44 Hope Street (on the intersection of Hope and Olive, actually)

Greenfield, MA 01301

413-774-3150

Julian’s Providence, R.I.

Sean and I had one morning to spend in Providence, RI, which I was excited about because I had never been there, but know they have a pretty phenomenal culinary scene. I did a lot of research looking for “food bloggers Providence”  and similar terms hoping to come up with a “must-eat” list, but was really disappointed with the lack of local bloggers helping someone like me get hip to their food-scene. A few posts and blogs mentioned Julian’s, but I wasn’t really excited about it. I had something else in mind that I wanted to experience for my one and only meal on a Monday late morning/lunch stop.

We were in a time crunch to get back to Sean’s twin sister’s house in MA as he hadn’t seen her in an unacceptable number of years, nor had he met his twin niece and nephew. We couldn’t lollygag all day exploring the city, and our Air BnB room was a few blocks away from Julian’s, which was coincidentally one of the only places open around 11 am on Monday. So, Julian’s it was.

And I’m SO GLAD it was. This place was cool. Very cool. The decor was kind of ridiculous with some dragon-like-serpent hanging from the ceiling and “slithering” throughout the place. But, we were greeted by someone super friendly, seated, and had a great server. So far, so good. And, they’re KISS fans… ?

We started off with a Bloody Mary, one of my all time favorite drinks that I drink all too infrequently. Sean remembered half-way into his that he doesn’t really like them, so I got to finish his when he switched to beer. I definitely took one for the team!

Since I’m going to marry a vegetarian, I’m basically a vegetarian:) But seriously- I had been a strict vegetarian from age 13 to 21, and then was a pescatarian until age 24. I still prefer to eat vegetarian and appreciate restaurants that invite vegetarians to have an enjoyable meal- not just pasta primavera or a seasonal veggie platter as is all too often the case. Julian’s is a place where everyone can find something great.

I ordered the first dish on their Specials board-  a tofu scramble with roasted summer vegetables, shaved radish, fennel, and toast. It was so good I pretty much ate the whole thing despite being full.

This place is a REAL restaurant that makes almost everything in house. You have to appreciate that, especially since they do a wide variety and it seems like they do it all well. Granted, we were just there for one meal. But, everything was spot on. Including Chef Sean’s indulgent meal, an eggs benedict.

I had one bite, but he pretty much licked the platter clean as if he were Jack Sprat eating Swift’s Premium Ham. Did I just lose you there? I grew up with this poster in my kitchen-

Anyway- Julian’s was great. We’re still speaking really highly of it almost two months after our trip (I know, it took me a while to document our food journey). But, I’m pretty sure almost anyone out there will find something enjoyable on their menu. More importantly, I’m pretty sure they’ll do a nice job cooking anything and everything on their menu. It’s a great restaurant and there’s a reason it’s a Providence establishment. Though, I’m still trying to figure out just why anyone lives in Providence in the first place…

Julian’s

318 Broadway, Providence, RI

401.861.1770

The Original Frank Pepe Pizzeria, New Haven, CT

I first heard of Pepe’s Pizzeria while guiding food tours, as we often visit Pizzeria Locale here in Boulder. Great pizzerias from all over the US are regularly discussed, and many of my guests have visited The Original Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Connecticut. When Sean told me the route we were driving on our east coast tour was bringing us to Pepe’s, I was so excited I started thinking of Pepe’s every day.

If you haven’t heard of Pepe’s, check out their website and put it on your food map for your next New England adventure. I had no idea what to expect, but everyone had raved about this place. Upon walking in to the old-old-school pizzeria, I knew I was in for a treat. As the driver that day, I had a soda- totally unlike me, as I never drink flavored sodas, but, the menu said this soda has been served at Pepe’s since 1925, the year they opened.

The menu is straightforward.

We ordered a traditional margarita pizza (because that’s a good standard upon which to judge a pizzeria) and a white pizza with spinach, mushrooms, and gorgonzola. After ordering, I had to get a closer at their oven. Their entire wall was an oven!

The oven at Pepe’s is ENORMOUS! The entire bricked wall is the exterior of their oven. Those extra-extra-long pizza peels can reach all the way to the back of the oven. I snapped a few photos with the approval of the really nice pizzaioli. It was fun watching them work.

These pizza peels must be 10-12 feet long, and they maneuver them through the open kitchen as if they were the short ones we use at home.

The oven doors are closed, apparently, and opened for each pie.

One guy was having some fun with me and flexed his muscles…

But, back to the pizza. Our very large (medium-sized) pizzas arrived sizzling hot and we had to unfortunately wait a couple minutes before we could dive in.

The crust is thin and crunchy, the toppings are perfect… It’s just good pizza, plain and simple. Pepe’s presents a classic east coast style pizza you won’t find outside of New Haven. Just writing this makes me want to go back.

The Farmhouse Tap & Grill, Burlington, VT

I always enjoy a good meal on my trips to Burlington, and this trip was no different. Sean and I were staying at Homeplace Bed & Breakfast, and had a great discussion with Mariot the owner over breakfast. Mariot was explaining to us that up in Vermont local food is incredibly local. Restaurants source cheeses, meats, eggs, and vegetables often from within a few miles’ radius. Local doesn’t just mean local to the state or region. A cheese plate in Burlington, for example, is likely very different from a cheese plate in Brattleboro or Montpelier, Mariot explained. Before finishing breakfast I had already decided I needed some local cheese that afternoon.

We met one of Sean’s sisters for lunch in downtown Burlington and decided to eat al fresco on a gorgeously sunny September afternoon at The Farmhouse Tap & Grill. As soon as I flipped  their menu over, I was reminded of the morning’s conversation with Mariot:

Their menu highlights nineteen different local farms, the towns where you’ll find the farms, and what they provide the restaurant. It then mentions twelve local cheese makers. We just don’t see too much of this in Colorado…

As I was on a northeast cider tasting tour, I tried some cider on tap. Sean was all about local beer. I didn’t write down which ones we tried, so these will go unnamed.

The first thing I look for on menus at restaurants like this is pickles. Of course they had house made pickles!

Roasted beets and goat cheese, both locally sourced, were also on the top of my list for lunch.

The cheese plate was also fun. Sean picked a few from the menu to custom build a plate with some apple butter and jam.

Everyone was SO patient while I snapped photos, and then food was quickly devoured. Next came our actual lunch. Sean had the Farmhouse Veggie Burger with Cabot cheddar, house made kimchi, and pickled jalapeños with fries.

His sister Angela had their Misty Knoll Free Range Turkey Burger with Vermont farmstead Tilsit cheese, cranberry mostarda, arugula, charred onions, and fries.

And I went for the Farmhouse Veggie Sandwich with house made hummus, Landaff Creamery “Landaff” cheese, Jericho Settler’s Farm carrots, dill pickles, local sprouts, grilled zucchini, herbed yogurt, on Red Hen Bread. I, as usual, went with a side salad to complement my veggie sandwich rather than fries. I’m just no fun!

We had a great lunch on their beautiful patio, and I’d definitely go back.

The Farmhouse Tap & Grill

160 Bank Street, Burlington, VT 05401

802.859.0888