Meet Your Greens

Welcome to

Meet Your Greens--

Middlesex County's monthly green drinks happy-hour network providing opportunities to make connections and exchange news about environmental issues in Middlesex County. Based on the popular Green Drinks in CT and nationwide, this informal gathering of people drawn from the community, nonprofit groups and the business world offers time to brainstorm ideas and plant seeds for collaboration. All are welcome with no reservations or advanced registration necessary.

Join us at

Tavern at the Armory

April 20, 2010

5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

At Our Service...

What's it like serving a first term in CT's General Assembly? Come hear a first-hand account from Matt Lesser, representing the 100th District ( the towns of Middlefield, Middletown, Rockfall and Durham) and sitting on the Energy & Technology and Environment committees.

People's Action for Clean Energy (PACE) named Representative Lesser a 'Rising Sun' for his "critical and effective support" of clean-energy policy during the 2009 legislative session. He also was awarded a 100 percent rating for his support and advocacy for environmental initiatives by the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) in their 2009 Environmental Scorecard.

And a special invite for all municipal land use staff.... come meet Erica Larner, the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District's new Natural Resource Specialist, your primary point of contact at the District for technical assistance and education on natural resource protection and management, including site plan reviews, on-site natural resource assessment, and technical training. Come put a face with her name and learn more about what she can do for your town, and enjoy the opportunity to network with your colleagues from other towns, along with the rest of the greens!

Tavern at the Armory

Located in the Inn at Middletown in a former National Guard Armory, the award-winning Tavern serves traditional regional and seasonalNew England cuisine. Enjoy beer and wine specials!

70 Main Street Middletown, CT06457
Phone: (860) 854-6300

http://www.innatmiddletown.com/tavern

Meet Your Greens meets every third Tuesday of the month. Venues and times change-- join our e-list for updates and invites by contacting Claire Rusowicz,crusowicz@rockfallfoundation.org; or Jennifer Weymouth,jaweymouth@yahoo.com.

You can also join us on Facebook ("Meet Your Greens").

Schedule updates are also provided on The Rockfall Foundation website, www.rockfallfoundation.org.

Questions? Please e-mail or call Claire Rusowicz (860)347-0340.

A Casablanca Dining Experience in Middletown

In conjunction with the Summer Film Series honoring Ingrid Bergman, hosted by Wesleyan's Center for Film Studies, several downtown restaurants are offering "CineFare" or Pre-Fix menus before each Wednesday night showing, from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM (show time is at 8:00 PM). Though little information is provided regarding exactly what menu choices are available, as a Middletown dining scene aficionado I feel compelled to suggest a dining experience for each screening, related in someway (I may have to stretch it a bit!) to the theme, setting, or plot of the movie.

Tonight's showing of Casablanca begs for French and Moroccan-inspired cuisine, which (luckily for me!) can easily be found at the Tavern at the Armory, a CineFare participating business.

The Tavern is located at the Inn at Middletown, 70 Main Street.
Call for reservations: (860) 854-8323.

Casablanca-Inspired Dinner Menu
Tavern at the Armory

Appetizer
Grilled Olive Oil Brushed Flatbread - with kalamata olive tapenade and roasted red pepper hummus

Moroccan cuisine is heavily influenced by its Mediterranean neighbors. The grilled multigrain flatbread and hummus provide a delicious nuttiness, and the subtle saltiness of the olive tapenade is the perfect accompaniment. This appetizer is huge (two hungry movie-goers may not even finish it!), delicious, and truly Mediterranean.

Entrée
Garam Masala Lamb Loin Chops - with chick pea and tomato salad, pomegranate-cumin glaze and cilantro-mint yogurt.

Staple spices in Moroccan cuisine, cumin and cilantro are bold flavors that compliment the country’s preferred meat, lamb, in this filling dish. The chickpea and tomato salad, also typical of Morocco, adds a sweet and refreshing element.

Dessert
Crème-Brulee Cheesecake
To finish the meal with a French twist, this creamy, light cheesecake has a sweet, crispy crème-brulee crust that would make a saint of even the most corrupt of Vichy French officials!

Wine Pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot go perfectly with lamb, and will stand up nicely to the entrée’s spices.

For extra cool points (and I use the term "cool" here loosely), wear a fedora and trenchcoat (men) or white gloves (women) and eat hurriedly, as if afraid of being caught. And I bet, if you ask really nicely (and tip equally as nicely), you can coerce the bartender into saying, as you walk in... "Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world..."

Stay tuned for next week’s downtown dining menu for the screening of Gaslight!