Bobbi Mathues

Last night my husband and another couple dined at The Mill at 2T. It was our first time there. The restaurant has not been open very long. I have to admit that this is the best restaurant that I have been to in years. It rivals the best NYC restaurants. The restaurant is not very big and only has 7 or 8 tables, but the tables are round (which I like) and they are quite large so there is not a space problem on the table, and the chairs are leather and extremely comfortable. The restaurant itself is very cozy and comfortable. It is housed in an old Mill building and has exposed brick walls, wood floors, etc. Very charming. The food is out of this world. We had beet salad with apples and feta cheese, butternut squash soup with duck wontons, I had the filet mignon with egg, my husband had a rib eye steak and our friends each had sea bass. Everyone loved their meals. It is a true treasure in the village of Tarrifville, CT. There is a bar that seats about 8 people and it is open to the kitchen so you can watch the chefs cook, very cool. The menu changes everyday and offers 4 or 5 different entrees. Our friend is very knowledgeable about wine and he was extremely impressed with the wine list. It was a very pleasant evening. I can't wait to go back.

It's no wonder that CNN and Money Magazine rated Simsbury, CT as one of the Top 100 Places To Live. Last night was just an example of the good times to be had in Simsbury. Last night my husband & I and some friends packed a picnic dinner, got our lawn chairs and had a picnic while listening to Michael Cavanaugh perform with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra at the Talcott Mountain Music Festival. It was a glorious night and the weather was just perfect. Young and old had a great time. Michael Cavanaugh performed the music of Billy Joel and some other artists. People were up and dancing and so were the kids! Everyone seemed to have a great time. As for Michael Cavanaugh, he is terrific and I can't wait to see him again. I did see him on Broadway when he was in the play "Movin Out." He was nominated for both a Tony and Grammy for "Movin Out." So, life is good in Simsbury.

The Pettibone Tavern in Simsbury has been around since the 1700's. It's a very beautiful old building. For as long as I have lived in town, I have heard the stories of the place being haunted. For many years it has been a restaurant. I have known people who have worked in the restaurant and they also claim that there are ghosts that prowl the old house. One friend was a waitress and said she just set the tables in one room and had all the glasses turned down, she walked out of the room for 30 seconds and when she returned, all the glasses were turned up.

Up on the second floor there is a storage room. I once went into that storage room and in one section of the room, I got very cold but didn't feel cold in other parts of the room. Anyway, I just finished watching TAPS on the Sci-Fi channel and it was about the Pettibone Tavern. The story goes that Captain Pettibone had a daughter Abigail who was married, but not happily and she was having an affair. The husband found out about it and cut off their heads. The crew from TAPS was not able to detect any ghosts. I find that pretty hard to believe since so many people have had experiences there including myself.

In the 70's the Chart House chain purchased the Pettibone Tavern and it seems they liked to spread the word that the place was haunted. It must have been good for business. Several years ago, the Chart House sold the restaurant and it was turned back into the Pettibone Tavern. Last year there was a fire in the building which set off the sprinkler system. Unfortunately, there wasn't an alarm tied into the police or fire, so no one knew about the fire until all the damage was done & it was discovered the next morning. There was extensive water damage to the old house.

The good news is that it has been purchased and rumor has it that it will once again be a restaurant. I guess we will see if the ghosts are still there or if they moved on.