Thursday, May 30, 2013

Buffalo Chicken Salad and Millwrights Restaurant



LUCY BURDETTE:

As you could tell from last week's "Eating North Carolina" post, I ate rather well when on the road for almost two weeks to celebrate and spread the word about TOPPED CHEF. Rather too well...


And then I had the most amazing experience on Friday--eating dinner at Millwrights restaurant in Simsbury, CT where one of my "characters" in the new food critic mystery, Chef Adam Boyd, actually works. We went with his parents and let me tell you we were treated like celebrities. 

Course after course of specialties, courtesy of the chef, arrived at our table. Wellfleet oysters on the half shell,  

Spring gazpacho pea soup,

 

 the most astonishing chicken and dumplings I've ever seen or tasted (gnocci and chicken confit with mint)

 

Beets with cumin yogurt, gougeres,--and more. 



And that was before our dinners even hit the table! I didn't get a photo of our extra dessert which was the chef's riff on a banana split--we were too dizzy with calories (and wine too) to take more pictures. And then we got a little tour of the kitchen, which was gorgeous! (Chef Tyler Anderson on the right, looking fierce, and Adam Boyd, cooking on right...isn't he adorable??)




All that to say, we had to dial it back a notch for Memorial Day! But I wanted a little something grilled so I thought of Buffalo Chicken Salad, which is good for you but also good enough that no one leaves the table feeling deprived. It's not up to Chef Anderson or Chef Boyd's standards, but tasty for a light and homey supper...
   
Ingredients


Chicken cutlets, 1 per person
Archie Moore's Buffalo Wing Sauce (stick with Original--the hot is fiery)
4 celery sticks, chopped
Asparagus, 4-5 stalks per person, rubbed with olive oil
Salad greens (I used mixed greens from the farmer's market and some pea shoots)
Vinaigrette
Avocado, hard-boiled eggs, optional
Blue cheese

Marinate the cutlets in the wing sauce for 1/2 hour or more, then grill until just cooked through. Grill the asparagus until tender.

Wash and tear the greens. Wash celery and cut into chunks.

Arrange the sliced chicken over the greens and celery. Drizzle with extra wing sauce, sprinkle with blue cheese, and add vinaigrette to taste. Garnish with grilled asparagus, avocado slices, or sliced egg, if you choose.

If a certain someone is still hungry, I recommend chocolate ice cream:).

About Archie Moore's Buffalo Wing sauce: I've lived in and around New Haven CT for over 25 years. Aside from pizza, the town is famous for the wings at Archie Moore's. I can find their sauce at the Stop and Shop locally, or online. On the other hand, it's mostly made of hot sauce (like Frank's or Tabasco) and butter, so I suppose you could make it yourself.

On the other other hand, you could use that time to start TOPPED CHEF. Just keep the Buffalo wing sauce off the page:)

Follow Lucy on Facebook or Twitter @lucyburdette

6 comments:

  1. Love it. Buffalo chicken salad. What fun and so pretty. I love that you base a character on someone real. What fun.

    Shared on facebook. :)

    Daryl / Avery

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    1. Thanks Daryl/Avery! In fact, my characters are out of control--Adam is one of the few behaving himself:)

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  2. Millwrights Restaurant looks like a wonderful place. Marc and I must check it out the next time we're in the area. In the meantime, I have to tell you that the Buffalo Chicken Salad brings back great memories. I used to order it at the Harley Davidson Cafe when it was open here in NYC. Now it only exists in Las Vegas and the salad is no longer on the menu. I never tried to make it myself, but with your post today, guess what I'll be making next week?! Thanks, Lucy/Roberta, and continued congrats on the success of TOPPED CHEF!

    ~ Cleo

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    1. You would love it Cleo! it's such a beautiful spot too--and everything we had was amazing...

      I'm mad for Buffalo chicken wings and Buffalo chicken sandwiches, but let's face it, they aren't very good for you. This keeps the taste but dispenses with the guilt:)

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  3. I was in a local store the other day that had a corner of nothing but hot sauces. I'll have to look for Archie Moore's sauce there. I bet they carry it.

    Wow, going to a restaurant with the parents of the chef sounds like a really great idea. Note to self: must make friends with parents of chefs. That dinner was incredible! I'm so jealous. What a wonderful experience.

    ~Krista

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    1. I know it was very clever of us, wasn't it Krista?? We've known them a long time, way before he decided to become a chef. Such fun to watch it evolve!

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