Brunching in Wooster

Jenn and I had a nice weekend away, and now it was time to go pick up the kids.  We planned to meet with our folks at my brother’s house in CT so we were on a schedule, but still needed to stop for lunch.  So Jenn agreed that we should enjoy one last lunch together (the spicy curry mussels, nachos, and beer the day before at the Portsmouth Brewery was special too), so we decided to explore a new place in Worcester.

Armsby Abbey (http://armsbyabbey.com/) has been getting rave reviews in beer periodicals, and their website indicated that they were hosting a Farmhouse Brunch.  They’re right off I-290, near the First Unitarian Church, and we were able to get a parking spot right out front (good thing since it was raining).  The street was disserted, so we were questioning our decision until we stepped inside – the place was packed.  We found two seats at the bar, and I dived into both the beer and food menus.

What a selection!  The draft menu was outstanding, including at least 10 beers I hadn’t tried before, and fortunately for me they offered flights (although quite expensive at $4 apiece).  I tried two from Wandering Star, a new Pittsfield brewery, their Mild at Heart and their Disqualified Imperial Stout.  Both were great, so I’m looking forward for any other offerings from this new brewer.  They had Avery 18, a rye saison that was fantastic.  They also had a collaborative brew between Sly Fox and De Proef called Brotherly Love, a saison brewed with wild yeast.  I had a ball picking my choices.

The food menu offered a similar number of great choices.  Here’s what I didn’t choose: A bacon, egg, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, sugar plum waffles, homemade deluxe PB&J, a breakfast pizza, or any of their many brunch cocktails.  Jenn did order the stuffed French toast; thick slices of homemade honey oatmeal bread stuffed with a brown sugar-roasted peach mascarpone filling and served with their homemade bacon-bourbon infused maple syrup.  Unbelievably good.  For myself, I got the pigs & grits; chili cumin braised pork, with roasted red & poblano peppers, sweet onion, creamy cheddar grits, bacon braised greens, covered in an ancho hollandaise and a poached egg.  Best brunch I ever had, and that is not just the beer talking.

We had a great time and got the kids and made it home without any incidents (except for one baby turtle and a pissed off biker).  I now have a new must stop on the way to NH.  Now I just need to make sure we take the highway more often. – 5795/11166

"A drink a day keeps the shrink away." – Edward Abbey