Upcoming Daylight: Fine Fare, Friends & Fun in The Litchfield Hills!
From comfort food to gourmet dishes and live entertainment to a shopping bazaar, you and your friends will enjoy a menu of fine fare and fun at the 26th annual edition of A Taste of The Litchfield Hills.
Connecticut's oldest food and wine festival will be held on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-5, 2011, at its new location, Ski Sundown, 126 Ratlum Road, New Hartford.
Since 1985, the festival has annually attracted thousands of guests for a sampling of the region's food and wine, plus upscale shopping and live entertainment.
This year's menu will feature such dishes as Angus beef sliders, baked mac and cheese, cedar plank roasted salmon, corn and Maine blue crab fritters, cherry-smoked chicken, fried goat cheese salad, gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, grilled pizza, Lao crispy egg rolls, lobster salad sliders, mesquite-smoked pulled pork, New England clam chowder, seared scallops & braised short ribs, sesame chicken, shrimps in a blanket and many other items. Sweet offerings will include apple cider cinnamon donuts, banana & toffee pie, dessert crepes, fruit smoothies, New England kettle corn, pumpkin chiffon roulade and many other delicious desserts. Northwest Community Bank is sponsoring an Internet download link for the complete 2011 Menu at www.LitchfieldFestivals.com.
Foodies will enjoy "grazing-sized" portions of house specialties prepared by chefs from regional restaurants, bistros and other purveyors of fine food with prices ranging from $4.00 to $8.00 per item. Table seating will be available in the festival's Culinary Tent, at outdoor picnic tables and inside the air-conditioned ski lodge. Plus, guests are invited to picnic on the grounds with their own lawn chairs and blankets.
Participating culinary vendors will include Chatterley's Restaurant (New Hartford); Backstage Restaurant (Torrington); Faddy's Donuts & Ice Cream (Bloomfield); Farm Restaurant (Avon); The Foothills Delery (Pine Meadow); The Green Papaya (Canton); The Green Room (Winsted); Little Sister's Grilled Cheese (New London); Indochine Pavilion (New Haven); Infinity Bistro (Norfolk); KJ' Grilled Pizza (Torrington); Mustard's Last Stand (New Hartford); Rocket Fine Street Foods (Torrington) and Summertime Sno-Balls (New Hartford).
The festival will offer wine by the glass from Litchfield Hills wineries, including Hopkins Vineyard (New Preston), Jerram Winery (New Hartford), Miranda Vineyard (Goshen), Sunset Meadow Vineyards (Goshen) and White Silo Winery (Sherman). Thomas Hooker draught beer, plus a variety of soft drinks also will be served.
Torrington Savings Bank will sponsor The Farmers Market at A Taste of The Litchfield Hills, a new festival feature which will showcase locally grown and raised foods. Barden Farm, Hayes Dairy, Marwin Farms and other Northwest Hills family farms will offer native fare to enjoy at the festival and to take home.
Live entertainment will include country singer-songwriter Courtney Drummey (Saturday, 1-4 p.m.), oldies band The Rockin' Hearbeats (Saturday, 5-8 pm), jazz recording artists The Christine & Elliot Spero Duo (Sunday, 1-4 p.m.), blues artists The Andy James Band (Sunday, 5-8 p.m.) and jam band Flipper Dave (Monday, 1-4 p.m.).
Guests will also enjoy an upscale shopping experience in the festivals outdoor bazaar featuring such unique gift items as artisan-crafted jewelry, gourmet food products, kitchenware and other products and services.
Hours for A Taste of the Litchfield Hills will be 12 to 8 p.m. on Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 3 & 4, 2011, and 12 to 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.
Ticket prices are Adult (age 12-64): $10 On-Site or $8 Advance Purchase; Senior (age 65+): $8 On-Site or $6 Advance Purchase; and Child (Under 12): Free admission. Advance tickets and more information are available at www.LitchfieldFestivals.com.Admission does not include food and beverage, which are purchased separately.
Ski Sundown is located at 126 Ratlum Hill, New Harford, Conn., just a few minutes from the intersection of Routes 44 & 219, which is an easy day-trip from Albany, The Berkshires, Hartford, The Hudson Valley, Metro New York, New Haven and Springfield.
With its antique shops, art galleries, covered bridges and quaint villages, the Litchfield Hills is an ideal vacation destination for the three-day holiday weekend. Lodging options include dozens of bed and breakfasts, country inns, resorts, hotels and motels. Tourism information is available from the Western Conn. Convention & Visitors Bureau at 860-567-4506 or www.LitchfieldHills.com.
