Recently I led a dinner tour in New Harmony for a group of people who get together to dine out
monthly. They all know each other pretty well, so my job was fairly easy right off.
We went to one store, three restaurants and one bed and breakfast all in about three hours while eating, drinking, laughing and talking the whole way.
First stop: Capers Emporium is a unique kitchenware shop in downtown New Harmony. Capers has been open for one year and is a destination store for foodies and chefs. Our private party met there at 6:00, sampled several of their dips and fancy crackers while browsing the store.
Capers served us Crakalaka®, a tasty mix that comes in several flavors, lemon being my favorite.
The mix is combined with cooking oil and mini saltine crackers in a baggie then refrigerated overnight. The result is a lemony, salty, crispy cracker for dips, or just to eat alone.
At Sara’s Wine Bar we settled in to the big cozy couches and pulled up a few side chairs to enjoy two bottles each of white and red wine.
The Red Geranium Restaurant's chef, Janice Stoval, made us tender duck with cherry mole sauce on flaky puff pastry, topped with lightly sautéed heirloom carrots and onion. She also surprised us with generous samplings of braised lamb with gnocchi and olives in a luscious tomato sauce. Lamb isn’t a meat found on most menus, however every single person tried it and liked it!
At the Yellow Tavern we enjoyed bread pudding with a generous scoop of whiskey sauce. Also, light and airy cheesecake with big cups of freshly brewed decaf coffee. Both desserts were exceptionally delicious and garnered rave reviews from our group. Please forgive the picture of the half-eaten bread pudding. The dish was full when it was served.
It was a perfect evening for a twilight stroll to the A. C. Thomas House Bed and Breakfast. Clarissa Powell, the house manager, gave us an in-depth tour of the four floors of the stately Victorian home. Each room is beautifully decorated and more inviting than the last. The gardens are beautiful, although it was dusk by the time we arrived.
Want to know the Thomas House’s claim to fame? Quite possibly, almost positively, President Taft may have stayed there when he visited New Harmony in 1914 to serve as the Grand Marshall for the Centennial Parade!
New Harmony is a beautiful historic town built along the Wabash River and is well worth a drive over for a visit. Let Evansville Culinary Tours help you plan a fun and unique private tour for your crowd, or join us for the next public tour when we visit New Harmony.