10/31/09-The Mill at 2T, Tariffville, CT

Went out on a whim this Halloween's night up to Simsbury to have dinner at the Mill at 2T and my goodness, what an experience! A very unassuming, small place with room for only a few tables and a small kitchen. We were greeted by Kelleanne, who was very pleasant and she showed us to the last 2 seats at the "bar"--really, it was adjacent to the open kitchen and we had the pleasure of chatting with Chef Ryan all evening and it allowed us to preview the menu options. Chef Ryan explained that the menu changes daily and if there was something that caught our eye, we should go for it because odds are, it wouldn't be around again for a while--that's all he had to say for us to try something out of the ordinary, though I don't think I would call any of his creations "ordinary"--they were incredible and very well thought out.

I ordered a glass of Pino Gris and Tom had a Blue Moon and we were brought a basket of popovers to start--freshly made and fantastic! While watching them work, we decided on our starters--I had the Mixed Baby Greens from Starlight Gardens, Beltane Farms Goat Cheese,Candied Walnuts, Cranberry Confit, Maple & Cranberry Dressing--the greens were fresh, the cheese was creamy and strong and it all worked very well. Tom had the George’s Banks Scallops-Corn and Celery Root Hash, English Pea Emulsion--they were perfectly cooked and accented nicely by the peas. After going back and forth on the menu options, we finally decided--I had the Braised Pork Osso Buco with a red wine reduction and asparagus--it was fork tender and just fell apart in my plate. I've never had Osso Buco before but I think this was very good. Tom chose the Wild Boar Tenderloin, Black Pepper Fries, Brussel and Corn Succotash--his dish was amazing, very well executed--the boar was cooked medium-rare and was not too "gamey" like I thought it might have been--this was a clear winner for us.

We could not let a dining experience like this go without ordering dessert! This was an easy choice--Chocolate Pot de Creme--I swear I died and went to heaven, it was beyond my wildest dreams--rich, creamy and topped with fresh whipped cream. Can I go back just to order this again? It was the perfect ending to a fantastic dining experience. To top it all off, the couple next to us was nice enough to share a few bites of the other 2 desserts on the menu--the Apple Brown Betty and the Warm berries with mascapone cheese--both good, but nothing beats the one we chose. We thanked Ryan and his partner as we were leaving for a great meal--we'll be back, I promise. Next time we'll make reservations--for the bar, of course.

www.themillat2t.com