BeanSoup Information & Entertainment Serving TM & Vanilla Bean Café Calendar Northeastern Connecticut #94 Issue 24 Number 1 January - March 2020 Free* Fenton River Grill - Celebrating 2 Years in April his April 3rd, Fenton River Grill officially and comfortable environment with lively bar scene. begins their third year in business. That is an They specialize in shareable plates, creative specials, T important milestone for any business. Open- craft cocktails and craft beer with a 20-line state of ing a new business is not always easy, we have had the art tap system. They feature high quality draft our share of difficulties, but we have entered 2020 as beers drawing primarily from Connecticut and New a stronger restaurant than when we started. England with a few from other parts of the US. Consistency in quality and service have been The daily specials allow our chefs to showcase improved and we have created many happy their talents with seasonally influenced ingredi- customers. ents. In the warmer months you can dine on the There is a saying in the restaurant industry; patio for true al fresco dining. Fenton River ‘The restaurant you open is not the same Grill is committed to excellent service and restaurant you have 5 years later.’ This has held true warm hospitality for all our guests 7 days a week. for all our restaurants. We listen to the customer and From drinks with friends after work to milestone make changes based on their recommendations. We anniversaries, every customer will enjoy a different also have made changes in operations and staff to cre- experience while visiting our establishment. We strive ate a much better offer. to tailor our hospitality and service to you, the cus- Fenton River Grill was created as a place for you tomer. Each day we work to treat newcomers like reg- to enjoy hand crafted, quality food in a warm, inviting ulars and regulars like family. c We Thought You Should Know Visit All of Our Restaurants ctober 1st of 2019, the State of Connecticut implemented a new 1% additional Sales Tax The Vanilla Bean Café O on restaurants. That means the consumer at Pomfret Connecticut restaurants will be paying 7.35% sales tax. The State Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner has also implemented a 10% Spirit Excise Tax that Real Good Whole Food Since 1989 will be passed onto restaurants and package stores in wholesale costs. Not only that, but beginning at the 85 Main same time, the state Minimum Wage increases from Putnam Connecticut $10.10 per hour to $11.00 per hour. It will increase New American Fusion Cusine every 9 months by $1.00 until it reaches $15.00 per Full Bar, Raw Bar, Sushi Bar hour on June 1st of 2023. In 4 years, this will increase the minimum wage by 48%. This will in turn cause Dog Lane Café menu prices to increase a minimum of 25% in that Storrs Connecticut time frame, but most likely more than that as the American European Café increases incurred by our suppliers are passed along Great Food, Coffee Drinks, Desserts to us as well. Throughout this time, we will hold true to our commitment to high quality, hand-prepared foods at all our restaurants. We will implement price Fenton River Grill increases throughout this time to keep up with this Mansfield Connecticut rapid rising cost of business, that is being brought to New American Comfort Food you by the State of Connecticut. c Craft Beer, Craft Cocktails Sign up on our mailing list at GreenValleyHospitality.com The Vanilla Bean Café wants you to know... The Vanilla Bean Café opened in 1989 with 16 seats The Vanilla Bean Café is owned by the Jessurun Family The Vanilla Bean Café is a member of Green Valley Hospitality We open 361 days a year. We close on: Easter Sunday, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving & Christmas Day Business Hours: Monday, Tuesday 7 am - 3 pm Wednesday, Thursday 7 am - 8 pm Friday 7 am - 9 pm* Saturday 8 am - 9 pm*† Sunday 8 am - 8 pm* *We may close early during colder months. “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be †Entertainment night - accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. You need we serve dessert, beer & wine until 10 pm to accept yourself. When you are born a lotus flower, be a Web site: www.TheVanillaBeanCafe.com beautiful lotus flower, don’t try to be a magnolia flower. If you crave acceptance and recognition and try to change E-mail: [email protected] yourself to fit what other people want you to be, you will suffer all your life. True happiness and true power lie in Address: 450 Deerfield Road understanding yourself, accepting yourself, having confi- Pomfret Center, Connecticut 06259 dence in yourself.” - Thich Nhat Hanh Phone: 860-928-1562 VBC Review Quotables... Music Booking: Maria Sangiolo [email protected] “Extremely Tasty” Food - New York Times Art Booking: Kayla Densmore [email protected] “Relaxed” Atmosphere - Boston Globe Bean Soup Ads: Barry Jessurun “Truly Bizarre” Service - New London Day [email protected] “Come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all Book Your Next Event unkindness.” - William Shakespeare In The Wine Cellar @ 85 Main he Wine Cellar at 85 Main has received many is an information and entertainment newsletter. T accolades since its opening. The downstairs function room at 85 Main was completely ren- * Compiled by Barry Jessurun ? ovated in 2015 and is available for private parties, Written by Barry Jessurun business meetings, special events Edited by Maria Sangiolo and regular dining when it is not + Layout & Design - Barry Jessurun + booked for a private party. Contact Dawn at 860-928-1660 or send an © COPYRIGHT 2019 by Barry Jessurun, All rights reserved Green Valley Hospitality Pomfret, Connecticut 06258 email to [email protected] for more information and available dates. c About Green Valley Hospitality reen Valley Hospitality (GVH) is the finan- cial management and marketing company G that oversees our 4 restaurants (The Vanilla Bean Café, 85 Main, Dog Lane Café and Fenton River Grill). GVH company was founded in 2015 to create a streamlined approach to fiscal responsibili- ty and a more focused approach to marketing. Most of the work handled by GVH are the tasks that would keep the managing partner of each location in the office, and not on the floor managing the restaurant, overseeing staff and keeping the focus on overall quality. All GVH restaurants also focus on educating our staff and engaging with our local communities. Through training, access to continuing education programs, and creating a friendly and rewarding environment, our staff are provided with a place where they can enjoy working. For our guests, this means immediate, friendly and courteous service by well-trained and educated staff. c “Be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn, In that case, you should always be a unicorn.” - Elle Lothlorien “When we judge or criticize another person, it says noth- ing about that person; it merely says something about our own need to be critical.” - Unknown January Entertainment Friday - 3 - No Open Mic Saturday - 4 - No Show Friday - 10 - SING: The Quiet Corner Song Swap Saturday - 11 - Cliff Eberhardt Cliff Eberhardt knew by age seven that he was “You have power over your mind - not outside events. going to be a singer and songwriter. Growing up in Realize this, and you will find strength.” - Marcus Aurelius Berwyn, Pennsylvania, he and his broth- ers sang together and their parents played instruments. His dad introduced him to the guitar and he quickly taught himself to play. Fortunate enough to live close to the Main Point (one of the best folk clubs on “Helping the East Coast), he cut his teeth listening to the likes Clients to of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Mind Their Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bonnie Raitt, and Mis- Business.” sissippi John Hurt — receiving an early and impres- sive tutorial in acoustic music. At the same time, he was also listening to great pop songwriters like Cole “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in Porter, the Gershwins, and Rodgers and Hart, which the year.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson explain his penchant for great melodies and clever lyrical twists. “Eberhardt sings with passion and with wit…what makes his brand so rare is the self-assur- ance and poise he brings to his nearly flawless show.” - The New York Post Sunday - 12 - Straight Up Jazz Trio Listen to Straight Up Jazz Trio live on Sundays once a month. Come and hear a traditional Jazz piano trio featuring Dr. Anthony Cornicello on the Piano, accompanied by Venlo Odom on Drums and Rick O’Neal on Bass. Duriing each session there will also be special guest artists sitting in with this trio. 2:00 pm. This is a pass the hat - donation based show. January Entertainment Saturday - 18 - Songwriter Showcase Singer/Songwriters in the Round We turn our stage over to artists we have met through our long-running Open Mic nignts. Lisa Martin ran the Hootenanny/Songwriter Sessions at “A greenhouse that makes you go Wow!” - Eileen Jessurun The Vanilla Bean Café for several years and will be our About... SING: Open Mic featured performer on May 1. Lisa’s music Quiet Corner Song Swap bridges the elements of folk, 3rd Fridays* of each Month @ 7:00 pm rock, country and blues with After the death of Pete Seeger in 2014, a small group her pop sensibilities, heartfelt of his admirers joined together to celebrate his life delivery and quick wit. Gracie with a sing-along concert at the Hampton Grange.