Seeking Out Comfort Food

For some, the responsibility of driving a child to school each morning is a burden. Not for me. I view the school buses we encounter along the route from home to school as opportunities missed for families, while understanding that mine is a personal view, and that riding the bus can be fun for kids, a positive bonding and socialization experience.

I wouldn't say our family chose a school that requires a 25-minute drive and doesn't offer a bus for our geography because I always harbored a desire to be my son's scholastic chauffeur, but when the right school came along, it's distance and geography were more of a fulfillment for me than an issue. As crazy as mornings can be, spiced by a bright-eyed younger sister who goes to her "school" with mom, I love the whole routine--getting up while it's still dark, multi-tasking cleanup and preparation responsibilities, coffee, breakfast, shower, etc.

And it's best in the winter, even perfect in snowy weather that requires shoveling the driveway before departing. At the moment when I go outside into the cold air and a beautiful frozen landscape to start the car, I feel almost elated from knowing that in a few minutes my son and I will begin the journey of learning and growing all over again, blessed with nearly a half-hour together in a warm "cabin." We drive through pretty countryside of forests, farms, fields and ponds, admiring our surroundings, talking, plotting, laughing, practicing spelling words and, sometimes, listening to music.

A few weeks ago on the morning school commute, my son announced from his perch in a "race car" child's seat in the back that he was having a text-to-text connection. Before I could articulate my confusion, he explained how some aspect of the landscape had resonance with the narrative in one of the books his class was reading. The term text-to-text may have been a misnomer, but his stitching together life and literature into a mental "cloth" more valuable than the pieces alone made me have one of those little rushes you feel when first in love, or when you envision changing the world just after finishing a particularly strong espresso drink.

A son who seeks out and celebrates juxtapositions---yes, he's mine to the core. I thrive on counterbalancing often disparate elements in search of the confluenced harmony I appreciate. One simple translation is that, this time of year most of all, I like to deepen the joy of a nice meal by balancing it against the palpable nature of the cold kiss of bleakness all around. We dont' just study ice crystals or make snowballs before getting in the warm car and heading to school, we purposefully suit up and go for long sojourns in the quiet woods before emerging to seek out a haven like a coffee shop with a certain ambiance and good scones, muffins and croissants.

With snow in the forecast today (Jan. 7) I drove to work reflecting on a little stew of feelings: disappointment that the "snow day" erased the ride to school, excitement about the storm and a bit of familial hibernation, and the urge to respond to the embellished wintry landscape the storm produces with voyages that juxtapose steeping in the snowscape and stopping for comfort food. Litchfield County, along with the Berkshires and the Millbrook, N.Y., area, which we cover in our glossy Passport magazine, are rich with wonderful restaurants. Two new ones on the scene fit the comfort food bill in totally different ways.

The Tollgate Tavern at the Tollgate Hill Inn in Litchfield (http://www.tollgatehill.com/) is located in a Colonial-era historic property, has working fireplaces and features the delicious-looking comfort food of executive chef Samantha Tilley, who previously worked in the kitchen at chef Carole Peck's Good News Cafe in Woodbury (http://www.good-news-cafe.com/), one of the best and most fun restaurants in the state. The dining room features murals of what the area looked like long ago, and the fireplace is a perfect enticement to discover the tavern right now.

A dining area at the tavern.

Samantha Tilley, left, and innkeeper Alicia Pecora at the Tollgate Tavern. Photos by Laurie Gaboardi.

The food also looks perfect for the season, simple but sophisticated, flavorful and hearty.

Nonna's chicken: tomato-braised chicken with capers, anchovies, soft polenta and Parmesan cheese.

 Desserts are also in order to help blunt the bite of the season, and to end a meal with a feeling of sweet satisfaction.

Homemade spiced bread pudding with pumpkin ice cream.



In the spirit of seasonal juxtapositions, as a prelude to trying the Tollgate Tavern (860-567-1233), spend time shopping on West Street in the center of town or walking at the White Memorial Conservation Center (http://www.whitememorialcc.org/)

The other new spot worth seeking out might provide an equal dose of comfort, but in an entirely different way. After the proprietor of a modest operation on the green in Washington called the Crossroads Cafe decided to close, the owner stepped in to take over the breakfast and lunch business. The owner happens to be the prestigious private school The Gunnery, and the little cafe is one that has been around for decades and is little changed.

It's the kind of Norman Rockwellesque place that has a soda fountain and offers milkshakes and egg creams. With The Gunnery at the helm, the breakfast and lunch fare looks tempting. Making the new Cafe on the Green special and perfect for a winter-warming juxtapositions outing are its history, charm and promise of good food in an unexpected, inconspicuous setting, tucked into a historic building that also houses a little Post Office. It's open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Before lunch, shop in Washington Depot or the New Preston section of town, or walk in the landmark Steep Rock Preserve (http://steeprockassoc.org/).

Jennifer Calhoun making a milkshake at the Cafe on the Green; photos by Walter Kidd.

 As I write this at midday on Jan. 7, most schools in the region are closed or about to close, businesses that can are getting ready to send employees home early and most residents are already tucked in at home for an afternoon of watching the snow fall and, perhaps, reading, playing games or watching movies over cups of hot chocolate as the afternoon turns into a long but not lonely evening.

Tomorrow, when the storm clears, it's time again for embracing winter, turning the landscape into an ally and finding just the right juxtaposition to make the most of the season. Enjoy.

A Buffalo chicken wrap with homemade chips.