A Perfecto Evening: Good Food, Fine Cigars
May 9, 2007
There were some interesting smoky smells emanating from Black-eyed Sally's Monday night, and it was not the usual combination of Creole and Cajun cookin' that the Asylum Street eatery is best known for.
Nope, it was the scent of cigars, Nicaraguan CAO cigars - gold, Criollo and anniversary blends - wafting in the air as about 100 guys and gals sat back and enjoyed a good smoke.
"You can put six strangers at a table and give them all a cigar, and they will end up friends," said Jim DeLisle, owner of the Tobacco Shop in Hartford. "And because of the smoking restrictions now, it's not often that you can sit over dinner and enjoy a good cigar."
The private event was the best of two worlds for those with discriminating tastes in their food and their smokes. The menu included Louisiana gumbo, pork ribs and jambalaya, mixed along the way with four quality cigars.
"I like to smoke cigars, though my mother hates it that I do," said Doreen Baldwin of Rocky Hill as she lit up and puffed on the first cigar choice of the evening.
Among those attending was Gary Gipstein, who runs the twice-a-year Papermania collectibles shows in Hartford.
"Tobacco-related products are real collector's items now," said Gipstein as he puffed on his own stogie. "Ads, posters - they are all in demand now."
But no one was really interested in collecting memorabilia when there was an opportunity to enjoy tightly rolled bundles of tobacco that are usually taboo when dining out.
"It's good," said Andrew Welch, who drove in from Rochester, N.Y., to partake in the smoking session. Admitting he was probably going to smell less than great by the end of the evening, thanks to the growing cloud of smoke in the room, Welch said he had a plan that would keep his smell-sensitive household happy when he got home.
"I'll just strip off all my clothes in the basement," he said, "and take a good shower."
May 9, 2007
There were some interesting smoky smells emanating from Black-eyed Sally's Monday night, and it was not the usual combination of Creole and Cajun cookin' that the Asylum Street eatery is best known for.
Nope, it was the scent of cigars, Nicaraguan CAO cigars - gold, Criollo and anniversary blends - wafting in the air as about 100 guys and gals sat back and enjoyed a good smoke.
"You can put six strangers at a table and give them all a cigar, and they will end up friends," said Jim DeLisle, owner of the Tobacco Shop in Hartford. "And because of the smoking restrictions now, it's not often that you can sit over dinner and enjoy a good cigar."
The private event was the best of two worlds for those with discriminating tastes in their food and their smokes. The menu included Louisiana gumbo, pork ribs and jambalaya, mixed along the way with four quality cigars.
"I like to smoke cigars, though my mother hates it that I do," said Doreen Baldwin of Rocky Hill as she lit up and puffed on the first cigar choice of the evening.
Among those attending was Gary Gipstein, who runs the twice-a-year Papermania collectibles shows in Hartford.
"Tobacco-related products are real collector's items now," said Gipstein as he puffed on his own stogie. "Ads, posters - they are all in demand now."
But no one was really interested in collecting memorabilia when there was an opportunity to enjoy tightly rolled bundles of tobacco that are usually taboo when dining out.
"It's good," said Andrew Welch, who drove in from Rochester, N.Y., to partake in the smoking session. Admitting he was probably going to smell less than great by the end of the evening, thanks to the growing cloud of smoke in the room, Welch said he had a plan that would keep his smell-sensitive household happy when he got home.
"I'll just strip off all my clothes in the basement," he said, "and take a good shower."
