Extra-Special Sushi Night

I belong to a Meetup.com group called Fabulous Foodies and once in a while we have a special event.  Tonight it was a meal prepared and hosted by Bun Lai of Miya's Sushi, who spoke about sustainable eating, why certain foods should be avoided (including a number of popular sushi items that do not appear on Miya's menu, such as eel and tuna), and what he is doing to support the environment and create an earth-supporting restaurant.

He served some Emerald Witches' Lips sake, a special house creation (described on their menu, along with the Chinese Firecracker that was passed at the end of the evening) as an apertif.  We all got a piece or two of their homemade pickled (in maple syrup) ginger for palate-cleansing later.

Then, we got to eat:

There was an official photographer, and it was very crowded, so I didn't take pictures of the entire event.  The plate above shows some of the rolls we ate, many from Miya's regular menu:  Tyger, Tyger; Black-Eyed Squid (possibly my favorite); Ride the Wild Donkey (it was about this time that Bun realized he had to tell us all the ingredients, as I quizzed him about the fruit in the "lobster roll"); The Greatest Sushi South of the Mason-Dixon Line (it contained okra - of course it was good!); Kanibaba, Ching Chong Roll; Spicy Broccoli Roll; something with clams (which our hostess raved over); a felafel-inspired roll (OK, that one was really my favorite); and a couple of others.  Not all of which lasted long enough to get on the plate to be photographed, as you can guess.

Afterwards, over beer and more sake, it was great to be able to speak with him and his assistant, Rasheed, who took pictures for the restaurant's blog, passed trays of sushi, chatted about books, and late in the evening enjoyed what he said were his first Mallomars ever.  I mentioned that Miya's Sushi tends to have one of the most popular tables at the annual Celebration of Connecticut Farms, which this year will be at Ashlawn Farm in Lyme, which has their own coffee roasting plant.   Several of the Fabulous Foodies are planning a trek to New Haven to enjoy Miya's Sushi again soon.

Hill-Stead Farmer's Market Today

The Connecticut Farmers Market Trail asked people to post about their purchases at a local farmers market, and I wanted to review the one I usually attend, but Examiner.com is having issues with their slideshow feature.  Bonus post today so I can share the pictures I took, with most of the writeup in my Examiner.com column:

Walking up from the new parking lot.

 The original parking lots were filled by a few minutes after opening.  This walk takes you to the back of the house. The house is open for tours on Farmers Market Sundays, admission free.

A good first stop is the "Friends Of" booth.
Make a donation and get a button good for discounts all season.

Because my CSA keeps me well-supplied with veggies, I was here looking for fruit.  Most of the booths were fairly crowded, so I took long shots and could get a picture at only certain booths.

Fresh bread and muffins were very popular.

Fresh flowers for the table and plants for the yard.

Cherry. Overstuffed Apple, and Fruits of the Farm (Rhubarb, Strawberry, Red Raspberry)

I did not buy pie because I was planning to get some peaches and makes a fresh peach pie.  If this vendor had any peach pie, they were out when I shopped. They did have plums, three kinds of cherries, apricots, and other fruit that I bought for snacking.  Another vendor often has "seconds" of funny-looking or slightly dinged fruit that is perfect for making into jams and pies.

The Italian Ice booth is probably one of the most popular vendors onsite.   In addition to the standard flavours, they offer special written on cards and stuck to their sign - today's are raspberry-lemon, orange-mint, and grapefruit.  Keep an eye out for peach - it goes fast!

Lunch!

You can eat while you listen to music.

There are picnic tables available:

Some lucky people got the rocking chairs on the west portico.

Those who know me are not surprised that I find yarn anywhere I go:

So did someone else!  She spoke to the vendor for quite a while.