Time flies, and it took me longer to put together this post … it’s a few weekends back, the long June 4th weekend.
The occasion was my very good friend Boris’ wedding, so off to the home state of Connecticut. One of the 13 Colonies. Damn right. 
If it weren’t for the cross-country flying, it would have been a little more foodie and a little less … well, it’s flying cross-country. What can I say?
The wedding was set for Saturday the 7th – interestingly enough, the same date as Worldwide D&D Day (coincidence? perhaps. no dice were used at the wedding). My flight out was on Thursday morning. Not crazy morning for once.
As luck would have it, my brother, Marc, was in town for a sudden business trip. We did dinner at Izzy’s Steak and Chops in San Ramon, and had some fine steaks (I had the strip streak). Oddly enough, last time Boris was in town (with his sister Anya, also, of course, at the wedding), we did Izzy’s in San Francisco. It was a Boris Weekend, I suppose, appropriately enough.
The wedding was held at St. Patricks Cathedral in Norwich Ct – a fantastic location. The reception was at the Lake of Isles. Cocktail hour featured a martini luge in addition to the bar, and food that included the biggest freaking shrimp cocktail I’ve seen in – that would be never. Nevermind the blazing sun and humidity. Dinner later – I had the filet – was excellent. Did I mention the chocolate fountain? And the bar?
The rehearsal dinner has at the historic Capt. Daniel Packer Inne in Mystic, a very good (and historic) place indeed. Heavy on the lobster. 
Probably the oddest thing for me was seeing all the Dunken Donuts places everywhere we went. Not only do they not have them out in my neck of the woods, but they updated the entire look of the place after I left Connecticut. I find those odd little colonial “houses” everywhere … disturbing.
And, apparently, I’ve been converted. I didn’t get the magic of their coffee at all.
I did, though, get the chance to stop in at Steve’s Place, the grinder shop and town hangout that I went to through my childhood. Got to chat a little with Doug, the owner; the place was hopping. Doug also served me up the frackin’ best roast beef grinder for lunch before I jumped a plane back to the Bay.
