We decided to get away

We found ourselves in the North Fork of Long Island for 3 days.

At first, we were in the middle of farm country. It reminded me of the sad but beautiful highways of PA or far upstate NY. We turned around only to find ourselves in commercialized hell. There was traffic, Tanger Outlets, a Walmart next to the Target, every fast food joint you could think of - it was awful and I became depressed.

Without anywhere to go and me be extremely hangry (hungry + angry), Joe convinced me to stop at T.G.I.Fridays. A cut out of Guy Fieri greeted me at the door - I smirked at his enthusiasm, found a seat at the bar, and ordered an Amstel Light. Thank the Lord above our bartender was awesome. She told us how to get to the vineyards and assured me that there were plenty of jazz clubs, good restaurants, farm stands, and cool spots.

That night we ventured towards that guided direction and came upon a great little country kitchen - The Cooperage Inn. The food and decor reminded me of The Cock N' Bull - my mother's favorite quaint cooking restaurant. Family memories swarmed my mind and took over all taste from the herbed chicken. I didn't mind though, I felt at home.

The next day we started driving and began passing vineyard after vineyard, farm after farm, fields upon fields. The sun was out, our sun roof open, and our conversations consisted of reading passing signs and how we would fix up some houses. I was in heaven and became anxious when I thought of leaving.

Before our good friends, Ryan and Troy, met us we stopped by Ackerly Vineyards. The wine was nice, but what I learned was more impressive (notes in the next entry). Before we left Mike, our "guide", gave us a cork with a note on it and said to give it to Charles down the street at our next stop. A game called pass-the-cork.

The Tasting Room in Peconic (my favorite venue) hosted about 10 small winemakers that did not have their own tasting rooms. Attached to the wine shop was a small jam, oil, vinegar store - everything homemade and delicious. I picked a GEWÜRZTRAMINER jam which she suggested I serve with fresh Gouda (interesting). Make sure you call them ahead of time to see which wines they have open for their flight. My personal favorite was the Motley Cru by Brooklyn Oneology - next in line was Comtesse Therese's Chardonnay from Russian Oak.

The next few wineries included: Bedell, Vineyard 48, and Castello di Borghese. I really loved Bedell's personality and thought their Pinot Noir was great. Vineyard 48 - I began to get a little tipsy here. Castello? Forget it - I just remember falling in love with the Merlot and briefly meeting the owner.

Needless to say it was a long day.

Sunday was rainy and relaxing. We went to a Lambertville-esque coffee shop for breakfast in historic Riverhead and then back to Briermere Farm for amazing homemade pies and fresh veggies.

Finally when I got home I couldn't help but to whip up some pizza dough for dinner. Joe and I topped them with ricotta & broccoli, mushroom and artichoke, and fresh tomatoes with garlic and ricotta.

All in all it was a weekend worth waiting for - a world away only an hour down the road.