Kids Make Pizza Every Sunday @ Coalhouse in Stamford

Sundays are pizza making days for kids at Coalhouse Pizza in Stamford.  First rule co-owner, Gerard Robertson, puts out there?  DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE A MESS!  Better his place than yours, and a lot more fun, for sure.  If one too many rainy days has given your clan cabin fever, this is a great way to get out, make your own pizza and learn something too.

Robertson invites kids of all ages to pull up a stool and gently work a ball of dough on the long stretch of white marble that wraps around the pizza prep area and the enormous coal oven.

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Filling Station Company is Coming To Stamford!

Filling Station Company just gave us the word that they have officially signed a lease at 3 Landmark Square in Stamford. FSC's second restaurant is located on the Atlantic Street side of the Landmark Square, just opposite the Palace Theatre (and attention movie-goers-a direct stones throw from the Majestic Cinema complex). The location features an outside terrace for about forty guests that will serve as a bier garden featuring local beers. Here's the best news...the 1800 sq. Ft interior space will accommodate about 40 diners. For those of you who frequent the New Canaan location, you can now comfortably seat your family...no matter how big the posse. 

We will keep you posted on the build out and opening date. 

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Reheated: Weekly Food News for March 10

 Cooking Classes | Fro Yo | Local Wine Dinners

Swizzles Frozen Yogurt will be opening in two Connecticut locations this spring including Darien and Wilton.

The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County has just announced a "A Tasting Event" fundraiser featuring over 50 vendors, held at The Italian Center on Newfield Avenue from 6 to 9 pm.

A biodynamic wine dinner at the Dressing Room with Darien's Nicholas Roberts Fine Wines on March 16 at 7 p.m. 

Nature's Temptation will host a discussion with Dr. Shawn M. Carney, ND on Celiac disease and natural treatment options on March 16 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. 

Whole Foods Darien will host a St. Patrick's Day store-wide tasting on March 12 from 3 to 7 p.m.

Spring has inspired a slew of cooking classes in and around Fairfield County:

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Scoring Mexican Coke in Fairfield County

There is something nostalgic about Mexican Coke, and it's not just those hourglass shaped glass bottles. It is made the way Coke used to be formulated years ago, with refined cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, resulting in a sweeter, more natural tasting product. Manufactured and bottled in Mexico, it has has become coveted in the US, and yet for those seeking out this less "chemical tasting" Coke, it can be elusive. 

We have run across Mexican Coke at espressoNEAT in Darien, Fresh Market in Westport, Tequila Mockingbird in New Canaan and Casa Villa in Stamford…purely by happy accident. Yeah, we know soda is bad for you and all, but if you're going to drink it, drink the good stuff.

If you have scored Mexican Coke in your culinary or consumer travels, help out your fellow readers and give us the coordinates.   

[Photography courtesy of acontinuouslean.com]

Fairfield County Eats! Tasting Benefit for The Food Bank

SAVE THE DATE!! Join us at Fairfield County Eats on April 27th for an evening of outstanding food, beer and wine...for a very good cause. This unique tasting event will take place at The Italian Center in Stamford with all proceeds directly supporting The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County's efforts to help end hunger in our community. The list of restaurants, caterers, and beverage purveyors participating in this event will surely make you salivate. @ $45 a person this is an event not to be missed. 

Restaurants include: 1020 Post, Fat Cat Pie Co, L'escale, Rory's, Coromandel, Restaurant Jean-Louis, Tavern on Main., Da Pietro's, Colony Grill, Butterfield 81, Bobby Q's, Shelley's On The River, Tawa Indian Cuisine, The Capital Grill, The Melting Pot, Tuscan Oven, Vinny's Backyard Restaurant, Cafe D'Azur, My Favorite Place, The Gingerman...and more are signing on every day. 

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Foodies: A New Online Web Show

The first episode of Foodies, a new web series following the adventures of a group of L.A. culinary enthusiasts, launches online today. The series pokes fun at the passion, often mistaken as snobbery, rife among foodies. New episodes air online each Wednesday with a run-time of about 5 to 10 minutes, the perfect length for any amuse-bouche. 

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Macarons with Chef Emilie

Whether you are a hopeless Francophile or just a lover of confections, macarons are the pinnacle of dessert perfection. A cross between a tiny cake and a cookie, macarons boast smooth and delicately crisp exteriors that give way to light and pillowy interiors and are filled with sweet and occasionally savory fillings. In the right hands, they can be the miraculous result of a few deceptively simple ingredients of almond flour, eggs and sugar. 

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Dressing Room Hosts Benziger Biodynamic Wine Dinner

On Wednesday, March 16th @ 7PM, The Dressing Room & Nicholas Roberts Fine Wines hosts the next in their series of wine dinners featuring Benziger Family Winery. Benziger is one of the finest biodynamic, organic vineyards utilizing only sustainable farming methods. The result is a portfolio of authentic and memorable wines. Their commitment to "practices that are good for the earth and the vine, good for the farm worker and the farmer, and good for our colleagues and our customers" mirror Dressing Room's mission precisely. The inspired menu reflects their enthusiasm for this pairing partner. 

UPDATE: We just got word that Mike Benziger will be is town to host the event himself. Check out the menu below: 

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Mardi Gras Wine Dinner @ Blue Lemon, Westport

 

Coromandel: A Visual Guide to Authentic Indian Cuisine

CLICK ON ABOVE IMAGE TO LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY

As an expatriate, I am always on the lookout for good Indian Restaurants – places where I can get a proper Indian comfort food fix. Unfortunately, in this part of the world this is no easy task. Rarely do you come across a gem like Coromandel – offering inspired authentic Indian cuisine, very reasonable prices, and a restaurant experience that delivers in terms of ambience and service. 

The Coromandel group has a monopoly on good "home cooked" Indian food in Fairfield County. And while there is ongoing debate over the "best" location, mine is SONO. Manager, Gopi Nair, is very proud about what sets Coromandel apart. Their dishes are based on traditional recipes sourced from master chefs and regional culinary pundits in India. Their local chefs are then trained to cook the ‘Coromandel Way.’ 

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