Tuesday, May 22, 2018

T Stands For Mother's Day Dinner

With both girlies gone for Mother's Day weekend, Himself decided to take me out to dinner. I didn't want to go on Sunday, Mother's Day as I figured everyone and their mother would be out, and the restaurant we wanted to go to was going to be closed. Saturday's weather sounded iffy with rain in the forecast for the evening so we decided to go to dinner on Friday night. 

We went to the UXLocale Restaurant in Uxbridge . Elaine Cowan is the owner and chef de Cuisine. Elaine used to work in the Education department at the Worcester Art Museum. The UXLocale (formerly the Hay Wagon Restaurant)  is a beautiful, rustic space in the middle of farm country

It was a nice evening so we decided to be seated outside on the terrace. The tables were made from the wooden spools that the phone company/cable/electric companies use.



We started with homemade bread and gravy (tomato sauce) for dipping. 


Since dinner was a special occasion, and I wasn't driving, I decided to look over the wine list.


The family tree drawing on the restaurant cover was drawn by another museum staff member. 


Our view from the terrace. Himself had a Coke, and even though it wasn't going to go with what I ordered for dinner, I had a glass of Blue Fish Sweet Riesling. I'm partial to sweet, white wines.


We started with the Wildcard Sampler Board, meats, cheeses, veggies, and fruits. All Elaine's food is locally sourced, fresh, and beautifully plated.


We also had a side salad.


As the sun was going down, the breeze picked up, and it got a little chilly. No need to worry. The staff brought out these gas heaters. Toasty warm to enjoy dinner al fresco.


With the warning, Don't eat! I took a picture of the shrimp and scallops served with risotto Himself ordered.


I ordered my favorite dish Ma used to make. Linguini a la vongole. Linguini and clams in red gravy. (sauce) Only Elaine's dish is so much better than Ma made. Shhh, don't tell Ma. Ma used canned clams. Elaine uses fresh clams.  And I'm sure Elaine made sure the pan used for my dish had my shade of blue handle.


Isn't this presentation just beautiful? Opened clam shells sprinkled with herbs, and enrobed in fettuccine. Not only did the food look good, but tastes amazing.


We ordered dessert and I had a cup of tea.


Our view of an old farmhouse across the way.


Himself's Creme Brulee


I had  the fluffy chocolate cake with whipped cream.


Our evening ended with being able to say hello to Elaine as she was outside talking to her cousin, and a glorious sunset.


Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

37 comments:

  1. That's a great place you went to. Love the tables. The food looks soooo delicious, I would love to have some right now. Glad your hubby treated you so well for Mother's Day. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

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    1. The tables are clever. Elaine is a great cook, and Himself always treats me well.

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  2. What an awesome place! I wish we had one of those around here. Both unique with a lovely atmosphere! The food looked great too!

    Glad you had a special Mother's Day from Himself! ;)

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    1. The restaurant is small, rustic, and casual. Great combinations.

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  3. CJ what a splendid meal! I just love steamed clams and i don't get them often.. The whole meal looked fabulous. Thank you for taking us with you and thanks to hubby for being so patient while you took photos. Happy T day! Hugs! deb

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    1. He's a good sport about having pictures of his food taken before he gets a taste.

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  4. such a beautiful looking place with what looks to be the most delicious food! Love the spool tables and how the gas heaters were brought out. i would have loved any part of your meal- except that I prefer dry wine:) Thanks for sharing your lovely and special dinner. Happy T day!

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    1. Elaine had an extensive wine list with choices for every taste.

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  5. Wow, what a fabulous place and the food looks amazing! I bet it tasted delicious and I'm partial to sweet wines too 😁. The Linguini a la vongole is always my choice, I have had it often whilst eating al fresco in Italy, thanks so much for transporting me back to those happy times! Happy Mother's Day and wishing you a very Happy T Day! J 😊 x

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    1. Next time I go to Elaine's and if we eat out on the terrace, I'll have to pretend I'm eating the vongole al fresco in Italy

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  6. Yum! Good food, good company, lovely setting.... win/win/win! :D

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  7. Oh Wow what an amazing resturant and location. and the food looks so delicious I would have been happy with just that board filled with all those fresh foods.
    thanks for sharing with us-what a special place
    Happy T Day hugs Kathy

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    1. We both said the salad, bread, and Wild Card Sampler board was a meal in itself.

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  8. What a fabulous place and those food looks amazing! The Linguini a la vongole is something I would love to have just now! Happy belated Mother's Day and wishing you a very Happy T Day!
    Hugs, Susi

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    1. Everything on the menu looks good. So hard to choose.

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  9. This looks a fantastic destination. A lovely setting and view from the restaurant. The food looked delicious and I thought at first your main meal was the sharing board. The sweet white wine would have been a choice for me as well.
    Happy T day wishes.
    Yvonne xx

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    1. The bread, the salad, and the Wildcard Board was certainly enough for a meal.

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  10. Wow, what a beautiful, special outing! The place looks amazing! The food looks so delicious! So happy you had a great Mother's Day dinner! Big Hugs!

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    1. It felt a little more like a special date than a Mother's Day dinner as the girlies weren't with us

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  11. That meal looks fabulous. I don't know Uxbridge at all but I think you found a good spot not only for the food but the view. I'd say it was a good mother's day meal, or maybe a good FRiday date night. I'd eat any of that food. Hope it's been a great T day. Hugs-Erika

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    1. The restaurant is a bit off the beaten path, but so worth it.

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  12. Oh my! my mouth is watering and everything looks so vibrant and amazing. That must have been one delicious meal.
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

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    1. the meal was delicious and enough for an awesome dinner the following night

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  13. What a lovely evening for a lovely mother.
    It was just the HH and I too. We went to the winery for lunch and I brought some blackberry and strawberry wine home. Yummy.

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    1. Ah, strawberry wine brought back memories of drinking Boones Farm Strawberry Hill.

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  14. Wonderful photos...I'm afraid I would have 'dug in' without remembering to snap a pic! ;) looks like it was a lovely meal with beautiful surroundings. thanks for taking us along!

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  15. OMGosh. How did I miss this? Did you link and I missed it? I am SO, SO, SO sorry.

    I was on my way to bed, but now I'm hungry. I had shrimp for my meal yesterday, but your husband's looked much better, although they were the same size.

    Although I'm not a wine drinker, if I drink wine, I want it sweet. I don't like dry wine because it tastes bad to me. So I approve your choice of drinks, although I am not terribly fond of Lipton tea.

    Thanks for sharing the lovely atmosphere, the five course meal, and your wine and tea with us for T this week. Again, I apologize for missing your post yesterday.

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    1. No worries, Elizabeth. Always glad for visitors to stop by whenever they can.

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  16. Yet another Museum connection-- Veronica is Elaine's graphic designer, doing the logos, the new staff shirt designs, etc.

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    1. That is so cool. I'll have to pay better attention to what the staff is wearing the next time.

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  17. Everything looks and sounds delicious, CJ! Both of the entrees had my mouth watering. I love creme brulee, but don't often see it on restaurant menus. I'm glad you such a lovely pre-Mother's Day dinner. Very good planning on your part, I would say - lovely weather, great atmosphere and a great menu/chef.

    Happy T-day! Hugs, Eileen

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  18. Oh wow...what a lovely time it looks as if you had. YUM!!
    Happy T day!

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  19. What a treat! The food looks so delicious and the setting loos fabulous! Belated happy T Day! Chrisx

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