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Slow Food Meeting 3/30/08

Brunch at The Autoport

Sunday, March 30, was an invigorating morning, crisp and sunny enough for some Slow Food members to walk to brunch at The Autoport. For others, the morning chill wasn’t worth the hike to the hot buffet. The Autoport has recently changed owners, and veteran customers were curious to see if the brunch was as good as they remembered.
Returning diners were disappointed to find that the muffins and bread seemed no longer homemade and that the spread was pretty much standard fare. The main attraction on the buffet was the colorful display of fruit that lay on a bed of ice; it was uncommonly ripe for the season. Other favorites included spinach au gratin, cobbler and chipped beef. Coffee was in short supply and we were disconcerted to find out at the end that we had been charged for it when our bill was already in the teens. After we snaked down the buffet line that stretched the length of the dining room with various and sundry offerings, lively conversation buzzed across the table
Overall, members agreed that the company was better than the food. The food ratings were 6s across the board, though several commented positively about the spinach casserole and the chipped beef, while the service rating ranged from 3 to 7.
Sarah Guillard told us about the grand opening of her gluten-free, organic bakery called Molasses Bakery. (Take a look at www.molassesbakery.com !) Lynn Schlow also shared with us a Family Circle article that her daughter, Megan, a New York City food stylist worked on. Official business was in short supply except for the mention of the next Slow Food Wild Foods Walk on April 26 and a heads up about a regional conference that will take place in State College on May 30 and 31. Put it on your calendar! The sparkling day spurred many effervescent conversations up and down the table while an air of spring restlessness and anticipation filled the room.
After brunch, we scattered, satisfied with food, exhilarated by the conversation and ready to enjoy a beautiful Sunday afternoon – some to join teems of students at the Obama speech, others to the bike race. No matter where the day took us, we all knew that we wouldn’t be hungry for awhile.
It was a fine morning, but perhaps the new owners need a little more experience under their belts before we put any of their food under our belts again!

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