Sometimes, after a long (and always happy) day at Peonies, we find ourselves, well— ravished. ”Pip’s?” one of us inevitably asks; and the answer is nearly always an affirmative. You see, the house-made baguettes are reason enough to zoom over to Brasserie Pip, the casual, chic French bistro at the Copper Beech Inn.  And here’s the thing: it’s less than a mile from Peonies. Want to know what we recommend from the bar menu?

Well, the cheese platter is to die for (try it with one of our favorite white burgundies served by Dawn Bailey or Laura Day). The hamburgers and pommes frites are truly scrumptious. The shrimp cocktail: heaven. But back to the cheese at Pip’s — aaaaahhhhhhhhhh, deep sigh of satisfaction.

We are most certainly not the only ones that love Brasserie Pip: read what the foodies say on Chow and the culinary expertise of Chef Tyler Anderson.

Here’s the thing: now we know why people say, “Smile and say cheese.” Clearly, they have been to Brasserie Pip.

~ Pam and Laurel

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BRASSERIE PIP | Click on photos to enlarge

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Connecticut has some amazing festivals this summer. One of the best lists of what’s where is in the New Haven Advocate. Look here. Have fun!

~ Pam and Laurel

{5.15.09} Armed with our zippy pink Sony digital camera and well-heeled in our favorite Wellies, we set out for Cricket Hill Farm in Thomaston, Connecticut. This time of year, it’s peony heaven as we mentioned here. Here they have created a shrine to the elegant tree peony with hundreds of Chinese and Japanese specimens sprouting everywhere—even in the woods. There are not words to describe!

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