Fall Food Trends for 2015

 

With every season comes new food and beverage trends in the restaurant industry. I love how frequently this business changes as we discover new flavor combinations and fun ingredients to play with. Over the past few years fall food trendswe’ve seen a major increase in health consciousness (though some people aren’t happy about it – check out this clip for a good laugh), the resurgence of ancient grains, the use of herbs and essential oils in cocktails, and of course the addition of alcohol to foods of all kinds. As we make our way into the fall season, there are some things you should keep your eyes open for because I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll notice them on your date nights, happy hour meet ups, and even in your grocery stores.Continue Reading

Have You Tried Barr Hill Yet?

Relationships are important in the restaurant industry. Quality restaurant owners and staff care about their relationships with all of their customers and they care about the relationships with all of their vendors. This is one of barr hillthe reasons why it was such a pleasure getting to know Todd Hardie, one of the owners of Caledonia Spirits and Winery in Hardwick, Vermont. This relationship is particularly special because of how it formed. A very dear friend of mine, and a favorite customer of the entire M&D staff, Maria Reade, introduced my father to the winery’s name.
It is because of this introduction that a fantastic and unique hand crafted gin was added to M&D’s bar lineup some time ago. It has since gained a ton of popularity all over the east coast. The next time you are out, look for the bottles that are labeled by hand, it will be Barr Hill Gin, from Todd’s distillary and winery up in Vermont. What makes them so buzz worthy? The question holds a hint … Continue Reading

Per Se: A Foodie’s Dream Come True

Have you ever had an experience so magical that you had to continuously pinch yourself to prove you weren’t in a Per Sedream? I have. After I graduated from the University of Delaware in 2012, my parents gave me a foodie’s dream gift. They took me to Per Se in Manhattan for dinner. It was the ultimate graduation dinner. Actually, ultimate isn’t good enough. It was exquisite. Indescribable. I have yet to enjoy a meal anywhere nearly as much. Seriously, it was that good.Continue Reading

Blast From the Past: M&D Beginnings Part 2

I got some really amazing feedback on our M&D history lesson post a few weeks back so I wanted to pick up where we left off. The last thing I mentioned was that my father and Brian history part 2Doyle had endless amounts of respect for all of those who helped make the restaurant possible and an undying love for the town of Pawling. Now, take yourself back to early 1992, when the new McKinney and Doyle officially opened for business.Continue Reading