This past weekend The Girl and I ventured out to Rhinebeck in upstate New York, for my cousin’s wedding and the attendant gathering of the clan.* Heading there and back again, we managed to cram in some good eats and a bit of sight-seeing. What follows are a few of the high lights.

Barrington Brewery and Restaurant
We stopped here for lunch on our journey west, as part of our Beer Quest. The verdict is mixed. The Girl felt her veggie burger went from a box to the stove to her plate, and was similarly unimpressed with her beer, though I’m struggling to remember her choice of brew. I thought my Steak & Stout sandwich was very tasty and my raspberry beer quite refreshing; the summer wheat beer I tried was serviceable if uninspiring.

Opa Opa Steakhouse and Brewery
Which it’s a western-themed steakhouse, founded by Greek immigrants in the middle of Massachusetts. Another suggestion from The Good Book, I highly - highly - recommend you make a stop at Opa Opa next time you’re crossing the Bay State via the Pike. We stopped in on our trek back to Q-town, and left the premises with a growler of their excellent Marshall Brown Ale. The Girl and I are avid consumers of pub grub, so you can trust us when we give our seal of approval to Opa Opa’s Spinach Artichoke Dip and their steak fries.

Calico Restaurant & Patisserie
We stopped here on Sunday morning, to try the brunch and feed my hangover. I had the soup du jour, a pumpkin bisque, and the Southwestern Wrap. The Girl had the Chive and Goat Cheese, and we couldn’t have been happier.

Terrapin Restaurant
We ate Friday night, and ate rather sparingly since we were still somewhat full from our stop at the Barrington Brewery. Terrapin is divided into a bistro and a restaurant section; we sat on the bistro side. I loves the soup in general, and I loved the cream of garlic soup I had that night (I’m going to try find the recipe and make it at home). The Girl had a lovely salad (endive, blue cheese, candied walnut, apple). The Terrapin also has a nice selection of New York micro-brews from which beer lovers can choose.

Rhinebeck Farmer’s Market
After brunch at Calico The Girl and I decided to take a walk through the Farmer’s Market. We wound up driving back home with a back seat of goodies, including fresh bread, mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, corn on the cob, and onions, a lot of which went into the tasty ratatouille the Girl cooked up.

*Pictures will be forthcoming.