I was excited to be invited back to Norwell Farms for their 2nd annual Farm to Fork dinner. Check out last year’s event here.

Last year it rained, but this year you couldn’t have asked for better weather. Guests gathered under the tent for a night of delicious bites, tasty craft cocktails and crazy good music. The shellfish was amazing – oysters, shrimp and clams!

Doug Rodrigues from the Tip Tap Room in Boston returned for his second year. Rodrigues has been at the Tip Tap room since 2013 and puts out some delicious dishes, like wild striped bass with anise hyssop, summer fricassee,  garlic scapes and elderflower vinegar or short rib with yellow chive mashed potatoes, red kosho, glazed garlic, and rooibos jus. Stop in to see him over in Beacon Hill!

He presented a plate of warm malted vegetables and oxtail with malt chips and mugolio and orange oil.

Matt Garland from Eastern Standard in Boston.

Matt made a late summer cobb salad with brassicas, Point Reyes blue cheese and pickled egg. How beautiful is that egg?!?

Ron Vale from The Corner Stop in Cohasset.

Norwell Farms heirloom tomato salad with charred corn dressing, lump crab and Vermont goat cheese.

Brian Houlihan from Galley, Bia and Tinker’s Son in the South Shore.

Pan roasted Scituate scallops with Norwell Farms vegetable succotash.

Johnny Sheehan from Tavern on the Wharf in Plymouth made short rib with glazed farm vegetables, shishito jam, onion puree and pickled leeks.

Returning for his second year, Stephen Sherman from Scarlet Oak Tavern in Higham. He brought Ipswich fried clams with shishito peppers. I could have just had these all night – so light and delicious.

Rocky Nook oysters on the 1/2 shell with cucumber and wasabi aioli.

Matt Schrage, of Highball Lounge in Boston did a great ice demo – check out my Instagram video here.

Specialty cocktails included: Herbal Collins Tito’s handmade vodka, thyme and lavender, seltzer; Spicy Daquiri Privateer white rum, Norwell Farms hot peppers, cinnamon and lime; Jacob’s Lane Manhattan Boston Harbor Distillery Putnam rye whiskey, Seymour’s roast coffee liqueur, and Combier orange.

Frank Showstack, of Smokey Stax BBQ Catering in Hingham provided late night bites for guests.

The Common Good Band killed it! They played tunes all night long – check out my Instagram video here.

Norwell Farms

6 Jacobs Lane, Norwell, MA

http://www.norwellfarms.org

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As fellow foodies, we knew Hen of the Wood won’t disappoint them.

The summertime is so lovely here. When we arrive, our table is not ready, so we are shown out to the back patio.

There are a couple of tables out here, and some other folks waiting to be seated.

The view is pretty amazing.

It’s nice to be outside.

When we sit, the first thing we order is a cheese plate. What we have been anxiously waiting for since we booked the vacation! Ascutney Mountain, Landaff, Pawlet, Tarentaise, triple creme ($7 each) come plated with hazelnuts, preserves and these delicious maple crackers that we just can’t get enough of!

The pork sausage appetizer, $12, comes with polenta and a fried egg. Simply delicious. Love the presentation.

The lobster appetizer,  $14, comes with  pickled rhubarb & crispy ham. Really delicious and decadent, can’t get enough of that lobster!

We all pick the short rib dumplings special ($25). The meat is tender and flavorful and the dumplings melt in your mouth. It looks like a small portion, but by the time we are done with the main course we are stuffed.

I say stuffed, but there is always room for dessert.

It doesn’t look pretty, but the pot de creme ($8) was rich in flavor, but light and creamy. An excellent way to end the evening. Love the ambiance, the service was excellent and the food is exceptional. Make reservations well in advance is you are going to VT in the peak seasons – as the restaurant is small and reservations go quickly!

Hen of the Wood

92 Stowe St  Waterbury, VT 05676

http://www.henofthewood.com/

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