Hotaru Opens in Southport Featuring an Affordable, Intimate Omakase Experience Features Interview Ingredients Restaurant Omakase Sushi Japanese Opening Interview Southport Andrew Dominick March 24, 2026 3363 Post Road in Southport is no longer the home of the $5 footlong, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a deal to be had. In the bones of a former Subway franchise, right next to Dunkin’, is Hotaru, a predominantly Japanese restaurant where the star of their show is a very affordable omakase experience. Hotaru opened very quietly to friends, family, and random curious customer walk-ins on March 16 with an abbreviated menu that’ll soon expand. The team behind Hotaru is Yingying Yan, who owns Gingko Sichuan Cuisine in Fairfield, her chef at Ginkgo, Jerry, and Ken Piao, the owner of Yuki Kitchen in Westport. Read More
CT Easter Dining & Catering Guide (2026 Edition) Features Easter Holiday Highlight Carly Terzigni March 21, 2026 The Easter Bunny is hopping into town a little earlier this year, with Easter taking place on Sunday, April 5. Don’t let the holiday sneak up on you! Now is the time to book brunch and dinner reservations, or place those catering orders if you’re enjoying an Easter feast at home. No matter what you decide, there are restaurants around the state ready to help you celebrate with family and friends.This guide has been organized by county to help you locate a restaurant nearest you. Scroll to your home county to see what businesses offer Easter specials this year. Read More
TICKETS ON SALE: Join Us To Celebrate CT's Women in Culinary April 27th Features Events EVENT It's A Woman's World Homepage Stephanie Webster March 19, 2026 On April 27th, CTbites will host “It’s A Woman’s World: An Evening To Inspire, Connect & Celebrate CT's Women in Culinary“ honoring the many inspiring and trailblazing females in Connecticut’s culinary industry. TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW.The evening will include great food, signature cocktails created by Banfi Wine & Sprits, tastings from Fifth State Distillery, awards, and of course, plenty of time to mingle and meet the women in our community at the beautiful Hotel Marcel in New Haven. Award winners will be announced at the event in 11 categories, and we NEED YOU to VOTE for the women whose work and influence have shaped the industry in meaningful ways.THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE WOMEN IN CULINARY-from chefs & restaurateurs to farmers and winemakers, artisans, bartenders, cheesemongers, and influencers. PUBLIC VOTING IS NOW LIVE HERE Read More
One Third Ice: Veteran Bartender Juan Meyer Starts Clear Cocktail Ice Business Ingredients Interview Bartender cocktails clear ice Interview Mixology Norwalk Andrew Dominick March 18, 2026 There’s a strong chance that if you’ve eaten your way through the Fairfield County restaurant scene that Juan Meyer has made you a cocktail. And if you’ve sat at his bar at Barcelona Wine Bar, The Spread, East End, or Bar Rosina’s, you’ve certainly felt his warm hospitality firsthand, too. Now, the Cape Town born Meyer, a restaurant lifer who came to the states decades ago to continue that career path, is hoping to be a part of your cocktail experience in several bars and restaurants all over the area and then some with his upstart clear ice business, One Third Ice. Read More
CT Passover Dining & Catering Guide (2026 Edition) Features Passover Holiday Jewish Holidays Catering Carly Terzigni March 17, 2026 Pass the matzoh ball soup, because Passover is here once again! This holiday is celebrated by gathering with friends and family around the table to share a special meal, which means it’s time to think about all things food! Businesses across Connecticut have catering menus ready for advance ordering to take the guesswork out of planning your delicious Passover Seder. Make sure to note any order deadlines so you don’t miss out! Read More
Masa Taco Bar + Chicho's Cocina in Stamford: Rooted in Family Tradition and Travels Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Tacos Stamford Masa Taco Bar Chicho's Cocina Interview Homepage Mexican Andrew Dominick March 17, 2026 Almost 10 years to the day, CTbites found itself covering La Esquina Latin Grill in Stamford, where chef-owner Robert Monegro served up classic Latin American dishes. In the present, the Stamford-raised Monegro is still pretty busy. La Esquina is well behind him, though, and you’ll see him bouncing back and forth between his two popular taqueria’s, Chico’s Cocina, and as of 2024, Masa Taco Bar. For Monegro, his culinary journey didn’t start 10 years ago at his first restaurant. It actually began in 1995 at his father’s Dominican restaurant, Flamboyant Chico Cocina. Read More
The Bedford by Martha Stewart Opens at Foxwoods Casino March 14 Restaurant Features Celebrity Chef Martha Stewart Foxwoods Opening CTbites Team March 11, 2026 The Bedford by Martha Stewart at Foxwoods Casino will officially open to the public on Saturday, March 14, 2026. The Bedford is Martha Stewart’s second restaurant and her first restaurant on the East Coast, bringing her celebrated style and hospitality to Foxwoods. Located within the Grand Pequot Tower, The Bedford is inspired by Martha’s historic 1925 farmhouse in Bedford, New York, offering a warm, residential-inspired setting that reflects her personal style and passion for entertaining, paired with a menu of her most beloved dishes and seasonal favorites. Guests can expect signature menu items from the flagship Bedford at Paris Las Vegas, including the famed bread basket, Big Martha’s Pierogies, and Honey Mustard Salmon, alongside new dishes created exclusively for the Foxwoods location such as Martha’s Giant Turkey Meatball, Pasta Limone, and Crispy Chicken Milanese. The restaurant will also feature a robust breakfast offering, including highlights like Breakfast Biscuits, Eggs Benedict, Grand Marnier French Toast, Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes, Donn’s Waffles with Pequot Maple Syrup, and Martha’s Fresh Pressed Green Juice. Signature cocktails—including the Martha-tini and frozen pomegranate Martha-rita—are crafted with freshly squeezed juices and premium spirits, reflecting Martha’s commitment to quality ingredients. The culinary program will emphasize locally sourced ingredients, celebrating Martha Stewart’s dedication to quality and sustainability while delivering a memorable dining experience for guests. Read More
Guide to Kids Cooking Camps & Classes (2026 Edition) Features Kids Cooking Camp kids activity kids cooking party Cooking Classes Summer Camp Education Homepage Carly Terzigni March 11, 2026 It may be hard to believe, but we’re weeks away from spring, which means warmer weather is right around the corner. That also means it’s time to start planning your summer camp schedule, and if you have budding home chefs in the family, a cooking camp may be the perfect option! In addition, we have provided a list of businesses across the state that are offering kids' cooking classes this spring. These classes and camps range from one-day classes to week-long (sometimes longer!) camps for kids of all ages. You’ll find several private chef-led cooking parties here as well. Some of the following classes are offered as early as this month, with others not kicking off until later this summer, but, as with any summer camp, slots fill up quickly! Don’t delay in signing your kids up for the following programs. Read More
It's A Woman's World: Anne Grossman of Rebel Daughter Cookies Ingredients Interview It's A Woman's World Cookies Bakery Baker Interview Rebel Daughter Cookies Norwalk Andrew Dominick March 10, 2026 Anne Grossman does it all. She’s a mother, a wife, a small business owner, and someone I’m proud to call a close friend. I normally don’t feel much pressure when writing about anything…Except when it’s writing an intro for someone you know! In all seriousness, it was love at first…BITE! I remember telling Anne when she was filming customer testimonials that if I didn’t like her cookies, I don’t know if we’d be friends! But what kept me coming back and kept our dialogue going through Instagram DMs was one cookie in particular…her Fluffernutter Forever. Read More
60+ CT Spots to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2026 Features Restaurant Events St. Patrick's Day Guide Homepage Events Carly Terzigni March 06, 2026 Could this long, cold, and snowy winter finally be coming to a close? It looks like things are heating up fast! Not only do I detect warmer days on the horizon, but St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. I, for one, am ready to swap the cold gray for some bright green! Restaurants across the state are feeling the same and are ready to celebrate. With towns hosting parades over the next couple of weeks, there are multiple opportunities to gather with friends and family and spread some Irish cheer. This guide is organized by county to help you easily find a restaurant near you celebrating. Simply scroll to your local county and see where you can enjoy some corned beef and a Guinness this March! Read More
Amazing Graze Wagyu: Redding Resident Gene Nazzaro Fulfills Lifelong Dream of Becoming a Cattle Farmer Ingredients Interview American Wagyu Farmer Redding Cattle Interview beef Amazing Graze Wagyu Andrew Dominick March 05, 2026 Don’t tell Gene Nazzaro it’s too late to realize a dream. After a lifetime in his family’s namesake excavating business, he’s moved onto greener pastures, and that’s in the literal sense. While he’s still semi-active in Nazzaro Inc., which specializes in residential, commercial, and municipal excavation, and pond dredging, his newfound passion is cattle farming for beef production for his brand, Amazing Graze Wagyu. Read More
Via Emilia: An Italian Love Letter Written in Mystic Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Italian Interview Espresso Martini Fresh Pasta Mystic Homepage Andrew Dominick March 03, 2026 Love letters aren’t always inked on parchment, sometimes they’re cooked in a kitchen and served to hungry customers. That’s the case at Mystic’s Via Emilia where co-owners Shaun Golan and Jakub Andros are dishing out Italian comfort food that’s uncomplicated and pays respect to Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region since it opened in 2020. On the brink of celebrating six years at the very end of Coastal Connecticut, how Via Emilia came to be, what they’re cooking and why they’re cooking it, and the tale behind their popular espresso martini is a story that should be told. Read More
Joylark Kitchen to Host Vegan Dinner and Exclusive Screening of “A Culinary Uprising, The Story of Bloodroot” Events Restaurant Joylark Kitchen Bloodroot Fairfield Bridgeport Vegan Events CTbites Team February 28, 2026 On March 30, Joylark Kitchen in Fairfield, CT, will present a powerful evening celebrating plant-based cuisine, feminist history, and culinary legacy. The event begins with a thoughtfully curated three-course vegan dinner, followed by an exclusive screening of “A Culinary Uprising: The Story of Bloodroot,” the acclaimed documentary by Director/Producer Annie Laurie Medonis. Read More
Vyne Restaurant & Bar: Fine Dining Meets Comfort Classics in Middlebury Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Middlebury Mediterranean Italian Interview Cocktails Fine Dining Homepage Andrew Dominick February 24, 2026 Unless you live near or in Middlebury, there’s a very real chance you’ve never dined there. Ask a few guys who now work in Middlebury at Vyne Restaurant & Bar and they’ll tell you that before they got there, they hadn’t either. “I had never even heard of Middlebury and I spent a lot of my life in Hartford,” says Vyne’s general manager Justin Morales. What Morales, an industry veteran both behind the bar and as a GM (and most recently of Fire by Forge), and executive chef James Piccolo are doing in this part of Connecticut is putting their stamp on a restaurant idea that began many years ago as a small cafe inside of a furniture store, Middlebury Consignment. Read More
Coracora Peruvian Cuisine Opens Flagship Location in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square Restaurant West Hartford Blue Back Square Hartford County Peruvian Opening Lunch Homepage Leeanne Griffin February 22, 2026 Back in 2011, Hector Ludena and Luisa Jimenez took a chance and opened their first restaurant in West Hartford’s Shield Street Plaza, naming it for the Peruvian city they hailed from. Coracora took over a former McDonald’s building, its kitchen turning out pollo a la brasa and lomo saltado instead of Chicken McNuggets and Quarter Pounders. It became another local international favorite in the plaza that’s also home to Pho Boston, Shu and the A Dong Asian supermarket. The staff even ended up using the former fast-food drive-through window during the pandemic to offer minimal contact takeout. Then in 2022, things shifted in a way the Ludena family still says is surreal and hard to grasp. Coracora was named as a nominee for the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Restaurant award, and Macarena Ludena, Hector and Luisa’s daughter, was a semifinalist in the Best Chef: Northeast award category. Suddenly, the local spot was on a national stage. Read More
First Look: Norwalk's Valencia Luncheria Reopens as Valencia Cocina Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Valencia Norwalk Valencia Luncheria Venezuelan Latin American Reopening Interview Homepage Andrew Dominick February 18, 2026 After a little over three weeks closed for menu changes and renovations, Valencia Luncheria is back in action! Only now you have to call it by its changed name, Valencia Cocina, representing it’s new chapter that we teased you about at the beginning of the year. Now reopened with a sexier, but still chill vibe, a brand-new bar, and a reimagined menu, founder Michael Young, co-owner Luis Chavez, and executive chef Marv Bryce are ready to welcome you back in. Read More
Yama Tsuki: Outstanding Sushi Right off Greenwich Avenue Restaurant sushi Sushi Bar Greenwich Omakase Japanese Homepage Bree George February 12, 2026 I subscribe to the idea that a piece of perfectly presented fish is one of life’s great pleasures. Silken bluefin belly with a sprinkle of caviar; soft salmon draped over a sliver of torched rice; a slice of supple baby yellowtail, delicate but insistently flavorful. At Yama Tsuki, on Greenwich’s West Putnam Avenue, you’ll find all three. Family-owned, the business operates this restaurant alongside a wholesale seafood business and several restaurants in Long Island and Baltimore, personally sourcing very high-grade fish on twice-yearly scouting trips to places like Japan, Indonesia, the Faroe Islands, and New Zealand. Read More
Guide To The Best Cheesemongers in Connecticut Features Cheese Cheese Shop Cheesemonger Best of CT Highlight Homepage Amy S. White February 12, 2026 Connecticut’s best cheesemongers are more than just retailers—they are conveyors of craft, both local and beyond. With their displays of cave-aged wheels from Italian mountain cellars, butter-yellow wedges from snowy Switzerland, delicate soft cheeses from the fields of France, or even fresh curds still warm from their own vats, they connect pasture to plate, guiding customers through the stories of the dairy farmers and their herds, terroir, and traditions that give each cheese its nuanced flavor, texture, and character. This alphabetical list celebrates the destination cheese farms, shops, and creameries from across the state where the counters are classrooms, and the owners’ devotion keeps the culture of good cheese alive, one wedge at a time. At these counters, tasting is encouraged, questions are welcomed, and discovery is part of the experience. Those who work in them are experts in knowing not only what to cut, but when, and why. Whether you’re seeking something for a special occasion or a new favorite for a weeknight snack, these shops invite you in to ask, taste, and support the makers far and wide who keep this ancient foodstuff thriving. Read More
Buzzed: Connecticut Distillery SoNo 1420 + Local Breweries Get in the THC Seltzer Game Brewery Features Ingredients Interview THC Seltzer THC Seltzer Cannabis Beverage Cannabis SoNo 1420 Two Roads Brewing Company Thomas Hooker Brewery Interview Non Alcoholic Andrew Dominick February 12, 2026 If you ask Ted Dumbauld, the owner of the Norwalk-based distillery SoNo 1420, about pivots he’s had to make as a result of alcohol consumption being in a major decline, he has a lot to say. “They used to tell you, if you have a beer or a wine, that it’s healthy for you, but studies have shifted showing that alcohol use is linked to causing cancer,” he says. “If you’re prediabetic or you’re older, you’re probably told to stop drinking, and younger generations aren’t consuming as much alcohol.” And he’s not just saying that. A Gallup Poll from August 2025, a survey that has tracked our drinking behavior since 1939, says that only 54% of Americans reported drinking alcohol, a record-low. Read More
2026 Mardi Gras Guide: 15 CT Spots To Let The Good Times Roll Features Mardi Gras Carly Terzigni February 09, 2026 It’s time for music, Hurricanes, and plenty of King Cake. Mardi Gras is right around the corner, with restaurants across Connecticut ready to throw some of the biggest parties of the season. While many of these one-night-only events are being held on Fat Tuesday, February 17, you’ll also find a number of restaurants with parties and menu specials that last a little longer throughout February. And don’t forget about those bakery orders, so you can enjoy your own King Cake at home! Read More
