Busy Bees Don't Blog

Hello Readers,
Forgive me for neglecting to update today! I'm up to my elbows in scrapbooking paper, double stick tape, and paper trimmings as I update and expand our dining guide. You never realize how many incredible restaurants there are in the Berkshires until you have all of their menus in front of you! Dan thinks I should post a slide show of the book's progress, so hopefully I'll have it up tomorrow. I also revisited Baba Louie's Pizza in Great Barrington recently and I'll be doing a dining review of them as well. I'll be back up to speed soon, I promise.

I hope your enjoying this lovely spring day!

With Love,
~Brande N.

The Grind in Lee Ma, Part I

Earlier this week, Dan and I had made big plans to: go to Northampton, have an obscenely large and very delicious breakfast at Sylvester's, shop around at Holyoke Mall, go to a movie, get groceries, and then eat a slightly less large but equally delicious dinner at Rendezvous in Turner's Falls.

And then a pipe burst. Water, water, everywhere, all coming from the sink. So while we had originally planned to be out of the house by 8:30am, we ended up walking out the door at 11. I was in a bad mood. It felt like our beautiful, wonderful, perfectly planned and scripted day had been ruined. Worst of all, I hadn't eaten breakfast yet. I try not to eat dinner after 8pm, either, so I was at about 15 hours without food. (I imagine low blood sugar contributed to the bad mood.) Being 11 o'clock, none of the places Dan and I frequent were still serving breakfast. Drat!

So we decided to settle, miserably, for lunch and began driving down Rte 20 in Lee, towards the thruway. Then we saw the sign for The Grind. We'd passed by it many times, but had never stopped in for I don't know what reason. That particular morning Dan and I wanted cafe food. Nothing else would suffice. So we stopped. And might I say what a pleasant surprise The Grind was? This place had been hiding not even 10 minutes from us this whole time!


Bill, the owner, was incredibly kind and helpful. Remember my low blood sugar? Physically it translates into me being involuntarily snippy. I have the patience of a toddler, my head hurts, my body is devoid of energy, and I want food NOW. But he saw right past my insulin level and, at the mention that we were seeking breakfast, offered to make me a egg, cheese, bacon, and tomato breakfast sandwich even though they only serve breakfast on the weekends. It was a Wednesday.

This was my sandwich.

See how lean and crisp that bacon was? How perfectly melty the cheese was? The crisp, lovely bread? This was exactly what I needed.

Dan on the other hand, was convinced by their menu that lunch was exactly what he needed.

This was his sandwich. Er... wrap, rather. It's like a sandwich. Except cylindrical and with less bread.

Anyway! This was a turkey and bruschetta wrap with a lightly dressed Italian pasta salad on the side. The turkey, we found out, is roasted and sliced in house, and the bruschetta is also homemade with just a touch of balsamic vinegar. This wrap (I stole a bite) was juicy, flavorful, and perfectly balanced.

Unfortunately, his coffee machine had broken the day before we came in, so we weren't able to try a latte or any other fun drinks with our meal. But Bill assured us that a whole new system that will be able to make frozen drinks, espresso drinks, and Italian sodas was on order. How exciting! He also let us know that in the summer they have a patio, beautiful and spacious lawn, and live entertainment. They cater, too!

So, in response to the fact that our food was great, service was beyond exceptional, and Italian sodas (my favorite) are on the way, I'll be doing an updated post this spring that highlights the new updates at The Grind. In the meantime, if you happen to be in the area and are in the mood for some good ol' Italian cafe food, check them out at 62 W Center St in Lee, MA!

With Love,
~ Brande N.

Ten Reasons Why I'm in Haven!

When Dan and I first interviewed for the position of Inn Manager, we were completely unfamiliar with this area. We had driven from Oswego, NY to Pittsfield, MA a night early for that historic interview and had only made dinner plans for the night of our arrival. Checkout was at 10:00am at the little hotel we stayed at, but our interview wasn't until Noon. What were two completely clueless, unbelievably nervous, and very hungry interviewees supposed to do for two hours? The simple answer was eat. The difficult question was where.

So Dan and I headed south from Pittsfield to Lenox, searching for food. We parked on Church street and ambled about, seeking food. Church Street Cafe? Closed. Bistro Zinc? Closed. Firefly? Closed. Cafe Lucia? Closed. Alta? Closed. We had arrived at in Lenox at what I now know to be exactly the wrong time for finding food, which, for future reference, is 10:30am on a weekday. After walking to all of these places and finding not a single morsel we pessimistically turned a corner and spotted the sign for Haven Cafe & Bakery. And they were open.



"Cafe food?" I thought, "My Favorite!"


And let me tell you, to this day, two months and many restaurants after that first experience, Haven is still my favorite place in Lenox. Dan and I went there for lunch today and I decided to bring along the new camera and give you a peek into why I am nearly addicted to this beautiful, wonderful, delicious gem of a café.


Reason #1: They source locally. What was such a rarity for me in Oswego (local cuisine is impossible to find there) is much more common here in The Berkshires; but it will always earn any business buckets of brownie points in my book.




Reason #2: Their menu is simultaneously unique, well-done, simple, gourmet, and completely affordable. How is this possible!



Reason #3: Every last employee is delightful. We’ve had friendly, helpful, courteous service every time we’ve gone. (Figures 1 & 2 depict prime examples of employees with impeccable customer service)



Reason #4: The food NEVER disappoints. Just look at these sandwiches!



And do you see those perfect, luscious slices of pear on my Croque Monsieur?


And the sweet, caramelized onion on Dan’s Steak sandwich!

Not to mention these oven-roasted potatoes, which are TO DIE FOR.



Reason #5: Their 100% made in-house bakery items. They’re… I could just…. I wanna… It’s like they’re… You know what, I’ll just let the pictures do the talking, I can’t even find adequate adjectives for this kind of deliciosity.



Reason #6: This dessert.

It’s called a Cappuccino Cake. I call it Pure Chocolate Love with Cream Cheese Coffee Frosting that happens to be topped with a Chocolate Covered, Cocoa Dusted Hazelnut. If you want to make me very happy this Christmas, buy me one of these. I’m not even kidding. This dessert is rapidly becoming yet another addiction of mine.


Reason #7: Free samples of Cappuccino Cake!!!!!!!!!



Reason #8: Stevia and Z-Sweet (erythritol) on the tables and Agave Nectar and Honey on the coffee bar. Was this place made for me???



Reason #9: When they say that they care about the environment, they mean it. Even their shirts are 100% Organic Cotton!



Reason #10: With all of these reasons to love Haven, it actually affects your mood to be there. Dan and I get really happy and giddy. Sometimes a little silly too. Here’s a quote from today’s visit:

In a silly, batty old woman voice Dan says, “Now you see, with the second cup of tea, you gotta squeeze the bejeezus out of the teabag." He squeezes it. "See that? That’s the bejeezus coming out” (Moments like these are also one of the reasons that I love Dan so much, FYI)


And those, dear friends, are 10 reasons why I love Haven. I would (and do) recommend this place to any of our guests. Even if you’re not a guest, please go there! I promise you’ll love it!


And I was thinking, if you happen to go there… Tell them Brande from The Garden Gables sent you… and maybe I’ll get a free cappuccino cake…


It’s just a thought.



With Much Love,
~Brande N.

(PS: By popular demand, they just started serving dinner on Friday and Saturday nights as well! Yay!)