A Walking Tour of Mystic, Connecticut

Unfortunately all my pictures from the Sun Wine Fest ‘12 are on my other computer. Therefore, the beer portion of that post will have to wait until tomorrow. But, tonight I get to share our Sunday adventures with you all!

Sunday morning when we woke up all we could think about was food. Luckily, we were able to enjoy another delicious breakfast at Seasons Buffet, compliments of our Media Pass.

Anne insisted that I give egg yolks a try since the vast majority of an egg’s nutrients are in the yolk. This was the first full egg omelet I’ve had in ages. I’m not sure whether it was the yolks or my hunger but this omelet was far tastier than Saturday’s. My resident R.D. also suggested that we all enjoy some water based fruit (fresh pineapple for me, watermelon for them) and smoked salmon for healthy omega-3.

001 002After enjoying a relaxing breakfast and catching up on the previous day, we all decided what our bodies really needed was fresh air and sunshine. I am so thankful that the Sun Wine Fest was smoke free as that would have really affected our ability to taste the wine, beer, and food. But, after spending 24 hours inside the hotel and casino area, we were ready to say goodbye to the smoke and stale air.

Luckily, a town only 15 minutes down the road, Mystic Seaport, was calling our name. As we drove their, I vaguely remembered spending the day in Mystic with my aunt and brother when I was 10.

033 By the time we arrived, I knew I’d been there before and was thoroughly excited to enjoy the sunshine, sea breeze, and adorable town with the ladies. It was sunny and windy but the cold air couldn’t keep our excitement at bay. 006

When we realized the Mystic Seaport museum was closed for winter we enjoyed a photo stop on the anchor before heading up the street to explore the rest of the town.

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036 I couldn’t resist popping the gamma by the anchor. After all, I am a Delta Gamma girl at heart!

The sweet lady in the gift shop recommended two places to us, Lis Bake Shop for warm coffee and the Oyster Club for a delicious lunch. Since both were only a mile away, she suggested we take the sidewalk and enjoy the sights along the way.

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Within minutes we arrived at Lis Bakeshop, an adorable bakery featuring fresh roasted coffee, tea, and a vast array of pastries including scones, cupcakes, and huge cookies. 010While I waited for my tea to steep, I enjoyed the shop’s many signs and sayings. 009 IMG_7117 (800x533)

After our warm beverage stop, we continued meandering through the town. We explored the dock area and spent time perusing the shops which included clothing boutiques, home stores, and book shops.

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The dock area was my favorite, just because of their random and unexpected signs. I wonder how often the submarines drop off and how exactly do they charge for rock throwing?

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After our window shopping, we stumbled across the famous Mystic Pizza, made famous by Julia Roberts in the 1988 movie.

Mystic Pizza Poster016After spending almost an hour wandering through town we ended at The Oyster Club, a casual fine dining restaurant which just opened back in October. 018Known for their farm and sea to table cuisine, their menu changes daily, depending on what’s available.

019The inside was just as warm and inviting as the restaurant’s vibrant exterior. Based on the fact that the restaurant was just reviewed by The New York Times, we were elated we were able to snag a table without any wait.

021 While we perused the menu we enjoyed the delicious bread basket, stuffed to the brim with warm fresh, baked bread served alongside salted butter.

025 Anne and I both started with the mixed green salad with roasted apples, feta, toasted almonds, cider soaked raisins, and a delicious ginger-maple dressing. I would love to recreate this salad one evening as it was delicious and the flavors meshed perfectly.

024 For my entree, I went with something lighter since I still wasn’t feeling 100%. The Quahog Chowder was a perfect option since it is not cream based but instead made with a rich stock. In addition to the stock, the chowder included potatoes, celery, parsley, bacon, and fresh cod since they ran out of clams.

042 I wish there was more potatoes, celery, and cod in the soup as it seemed like the ratio between the stock and the ingredients was a bit off. Overall though it was the perfect heart warming winter lunch.

After our lunch we walked the mile back to the car, taking in the last few sites before heading back to New London. 008 006 Theodora and I took Amtrak back to New York City while Anne and Tina embarked on their trip back to Boston. It was a wonderful weekend that passed far too quickly. We’re already talking about our next trip to Mohegan Sun and the beautiful Connecticut shore.

Question: were you in a sorority or fraternity in college? If yes, which one and where? I was a Delta Gamma at University of Georgia!

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Sun Wine Fest ‘12

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Yesterday’s Mohegan Sun Wine Fest was more than I ever fathomed. There was more wine and beer under one roof than I ever thought possible!

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Unfortunately, due to our morning run and breakfast, we missed the Media only portion of the festival in the morning but made it down by 1pm ready for an afternoon of sampling. The event was very well organized, considering the masses of people and exhibitors. There were signs around every corner directing you to token purchases for the food, celebrity chef demonstrations, and most importantly the wine glasses for the tasting.

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Glasses in hands, we entered the festival, which has held in Mohegan’s Convention Center, ready to start sipping.

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Though we realized the festival included food, liquor, and beer in addition to the wine, we decided to start with the wine section and avoid the liquor section all together.

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While the initial entrance was a bit overwhelming, we decided to pace ourselves with a few strategies.

  1. Only go to vineyards that we really wanted to try or seemed interesting.
  2. After one sip of a wine if it isn’t worth it, pour the rest out.
  3. If you love the wine, try and take a picture so you can remember later.
  4. Take advantage of the food and water booths to ensure that we last beyond an hour or two.

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We started near the entrance, perusing the booths for wineries that we recognized. I instantly realized that I wish I’d known a few of my favorite wine’s vineyards in advance. Some wines are part of a larger vineyard and weren’t on the booth sign. If we’d used the guide they provided us with a bit better this may have served us well. IMG_0468 (640x480)

The representatives at each of the booths were very friendly and eager to answer questions or provide suggestions. For example, while we sipped on some pinot noirs, we often asked how the their varietals compared.

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Some of my personal favorite wines of the day are pictured below, along with links to their website.

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Chateau St Michelle

Valley of the Moon

La Crema Chardonnay

La Linda Pinot Noir

Mac Murray

Entwine

Rombauer

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In between our sips of wine, we were able to taste some delicious food which pairs perfectly with wine: cheese, chocolate, and dips.

My favorite food of the day was the Wicked Natural dips, which are based in Rhode Island and feature all natural ingredients while combining some great flavors to create unique dips and salsas. We couldn’t get enough of the Black Bean Sweet Potato Dip or the Caramel Mustard Dip. In fact, I may have just ordered four of their dips and salsa on the train!

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Needless to say, we enjoyed every minute of the wine tasting but after two hours, we were ready to change things up with some food and beer.  We took a quick water break and photo stop before heading upstairs for the beer! Who knew that we’d end up enjoying the beer tasting just as much, if not more than the wine portion.

I’ll be back with Sun Wine Fest ‘12 Part 2 tomorrow. Until then, tell me, what is your favorite wine ever that I have to try sometime soon?

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Mohegan Sun Adventures

After a long week, I crave one of two things: a large glass of wine or a fun weekend with friends. Luckily, thanks to our friends at Mohegan Sun, I am able to enjoy both of those this weekend. The Mohegan Sun invited the four of us to their Sun Wine Fest ‘12 as media guests.

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The Sun Wine Fest brings together over a thousand different beer, wine, and liquor brands in their Grand Tasting Event which is held in Mohegan Sun’s convention center. In addition, their Main Culinary stage will feature demos by Bobby Flay, Todd English, and other area chefs!

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Theodora and I boarded the train at 6:00 for New London, Connecticut after a bit of a delay at Penn Station. As you can probably imagine, we were very excited to visit the café car for some evening wine.

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This mini bottle of Kendall Jackson definitely came through for the win as it was both tastier than expected and the perfect amount to split. Since we’ve barely seen each other since the holidays, the 2.5 hour train trip flew by. Luckily we didn’t piss off our neighbors in the quiet car too much.

Once we arrived in New London we discovered an adorable town complete with a main square, ice skating rink, and plenty of bars and restaurants. Theodora and I enjoyed a $4 Long Trail at Y Knot Lounge while we waited for Anne and Tina. The owner was adorable and told us all about the town while we enjoyed our beer.

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The bar even had a list of unpaid tabs hanging above the liquor section!

Tina and Anne picked us up a few minutes later and we were on our way to Mohegan Sun. I was amazed when we arrived. Mohegan Sun is literally a single compound which combines the Connecticut countryside with Las Vegas’ shows, gambling, restaurants, and cigarette smoke.

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The room has a beautiful view of the surroundings and features a large bathroom and two full size beds.

IMG_0479We headed downstairs for our 10pm reservations at Ballo, the newest addition to Mohegan Sun’s restaurant repertoire. Inspired by the hills of Tuscany, Ballo focuses on bringing together the beauty Italian cathedrals and fresh, locally grown Italian food and produce.  

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We started with the same wine Tina enjoyed when she was at Ballo back in December, Pio Cesare Arneis. We paired the wine with crusty bread and amazing butter, which was in olive oil and sprinkled with herbs.

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When you hand four hungry ladies an amazing menu the result is a table filled with delicious food. Instead of ordering entrees we split four of their appetizers and vegetables. Everything we ordered was devoured within seconds, but the winners were the Brussels sprouts and crispy artichokes.

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The doughy pizza, topped with sweet sausage, caramelized onions, and pepper, was the perfect amount to share between the four of us.

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Dinner at Ballo was the perfect beginning to our Mohegan weekend and great fuel for this morning’s workout. Though we were moving very slowly this morning, we eventually made our way outside for a run along the Mohegan Sun grounds.

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While there are two parks within a fifteen minute drive of Mohegan, we felt like keeping it simple by running here.

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Clearly, Anne’s thumb was very excited about this run. While there were no actual trails around the grounds we found a few surrounding hills, dead end streets, and most importantly a land fill. Yes, for one reason or another there is a prettier than expected landfill about a half mile from Mohegan Sun through which we may or may not have run.

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The other speedy ladies were running 5.5 miles today but I only needed to do 3 since I ran 7 miles yesterday. We kept a 9:37 pace for the first 2 miles which means that today’s run was more like a speed workout for me than a recovery run. It was great being able to chat with the girls as we explored the grounds.

Clearly we had to take some pictures at the top of the hill.

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After our morning run we satiated our hunger at Season’s Buffet, which was complimentary with our media pass. The buffet was very impressive and had options for anyone. Since we know the rest of the day will include lots of drinking and eating during the Sun Wine Fest, we figured it was best to start with a hearty but healthy breakfast.

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Anytime I eat breakfast or brunch in a restaurant with an omelet station I take full advantage of it. Omelets seem to taste better when someone else makes them! My omelet included egg whites, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, and cheddar cheese. We were all thoroughly impressed with their fruit selection, especially the fresh pineapple, which was delicious.

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Hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday!

 

*The Mohegan Sun was kind enough to cover the cost of our hotel room and tickets to Sun Fest 12. All other costs are our responsibility.

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