The Olive Market: Georgetown's Eclectic Treasure

Upon entering The Olive Market in Redding, you can’t help but be surprised by the unique setting.  Envision Pottery Barn mixed in with a little Williams Sonoma, add a dash of Murray’s Cheese Shop…well, you get the picture.  The Olive Market's menu, under Chef Fernando, displays a similarly intriguing fusion of foods with influences from Uruguay, Portugal, Italy, and Spain. Here you will find everything from empanadas, tapas and fondue, to paninis and pizzas. They also sell cheeses and olives by the pound and have a very browse-worthy home goods store attached to the café. The store stays open until the restaurant closes so there’s plenty of time to check out the goods while waiting for your food to arrive.  

Dining tables are nestled amongst shelves lined with a beautiful array of gourmet food items like olive oils, flavored salts, fondue pots, and cooking tools. I even found O & Co. White Truffle Oil which I thought I could only purchase in Grand Central.  Terrazzo tiles, dark blue ceilings and vibrantly colored paintings add to the eclectic, warm atmosphere. 

Click to read more ...

CTbites Wins "First Prize" From CT Press Club

CTbites wins 1st Prize for Best Blog in CT & Best Online Photography from the CT Press Club. Kudos for us!

Last night Quattro Pazzi offered an idyllic backdrop to the annual CT Press Club Award ceremony. Anyone who is anyone in the publishing industry seemed to be in attendance including a few CTbites contributors who were graced with accolades alongside the Pulitzer winning playwright Donald Margulies. Elizabeth Keyser (seen above with "Flaxette" bread baker Michael Mordechi) walked away with several first place awards for both food and feature writing. Christy Colasurdo also won top marks for a recent feature article in Westport Magazine. We are honored to have both of these talented writers on our CTbites masthead. 

Several guests gave curious glances as I began to photograph the meal, but then murmured signs of recognition when I walked up to accept the 1st Prize award in the category "Blog."  (Just another one of those crazy people who takes pictures of everything she eats.) 

Click to read more ...

Thai Coconut Curry w/ Chicken, Shrimp & Veggies

I don't know about you, but I'm often daunted by Asian food prep as the list of ingredients always seems to require multiple pages. I'll admit it...this scares me. My lack of fortitude is unfortunate as Asian flavors rank high on my list of preferred meals. When it comes to a food conundrum of this magnitude, I always rely on Chef Nicole of Time to Eat! to streamline the situation. I told her I wanted a simple weeknight dish with Asian flavors that would not require a trip to the specialty market in Norwalk (not that I don't relish walking those aisles). She came up with this great Thai Coconut Curry with Chicken, Shrimp and Vegetables.  Vegetarian? No problem. Simply omit the chicken and shrimp and use diced extra firm tofu.

Thai Coconut Curry with Chicken, Shrimp and Vegetables

Click to read more ...

Cows Not Cars at the Creamery: Wells Hollow Farm

These days, going out for a cone often means visiting a scoop shop situated along a well-traveled roadway and eating your favorite flavor in a parking lot - think Carvel at 7 pm any summer evening. Small, mom and pop type ice cream stands are a rare and serendipitous find that usually require a lengthy drive into the country.  But we’ve found an exception to this rule: Wells Hollow Farm in Shelton is a quick trip up Route 8 (to exit 12) and provides a surprisingly bucolic backdrop to your ice cream experience.  

A working farm since the late 1800’s, Wells Hollow Creamery is located in a large red barn shared with 6 cows (although I was corrected when I asked for verification: 4 cows and 2 calves) and a whole bunch of chickens and roosters – I didn’t ask how many.  With 30 hard-packed flavors to choose from,

Click to read more ...

CTbites Lunch Recap: Nicholas Roberts

 

CTbites and SuzySaid readers met up once again to enjoy a decadent prix fixe menu...this time at Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro in Norwalk. The small size of this dining space, and Chef Troilo's presence in his open kitchen made this a particularly cozy event. Diners from various tables introduced themselves to one another, and new foodie friends were made. The sun was shining. We had bottomless homemade lemonade. All was good with the world. 

Chef Troilo created a beautiful $15 prix fixe menu, and with three diners at my table I was able to taste everything...just the way I like it.

Click to read more ...

Coffee Cupping (Tasting) @ espressoNEAT

Have you ever wondered why coffee houses bother with options at the brew bar? Do you think you could tell the difference between a $3 cup and a $6 cup if you tasted them side by side? Yes, much like wine, coffee has different varietals, single origin beans, as well as organic options. EspressoNEAT would like to invite you into their coffee obsessed world for an afternoon of sniffing, sipping, slurping, and spitting. (Nobody can handle all that caffeine at once.) They will be using a few handy tools to help keep track of what you're drinking and your discerning palate will never approach a cup of coffee in quite the same way. 

Click to read more ...

Taberna Food & Wine Bar: A Bridgeport Surprise

A pleasant surprise is always welcome – especially on the third rainy day in a row at the end of April.

That is why Taberna Food & Wine Bar, tucked away in a residential neighborhood on the Fairfield Bridgeport line, was such a good find.  For a recent lunch date we entered through the upscale bar area into a bright, tasteful white-tablecloth dining room and immediately noticed we were the only diners.  Never a good sign, my companion and I wondered out loud how they could possibly serve a decent lunch when only two diners make up the lunch rush.  As the meal progressed two more tables filled, both business lunch types, but by then our initial reservations had abated, as we were deep into a delightful and delicious meal.

Click to read more ...

Q&A, Book Signing: The Dressing Room's Michel Nischan

For anyone who has every wanted to meet the man behind The Dressing Room as well as Wholesome Wave Foundation, head on over to Borders Books this week!

Join Chef Michel Nischan Tuesday, May 4 at Borders Books, 1499 Post Road, Fairfield, Connecticut for a discussion and signing of his newest cookbook, Sustainably Delicious: Making the World a Better Place, One Recipe at a Time.

Chef Michel has always embraced the simplest messages about how to eat: Use what’s readily available. Celebrate variety.  Respect the land.  Eschew waste.  In Sustainably Delicious, Chef Michel brings these vital messages out of the white tablecloth setting and into home kitchens throughout the country.   Chef Michel demystifies buzzwords like “locavore,” “organic,” and “sustainable”—to showcase foods that are good—in every sense of the word.

Chef Michel will begin discussion, question/answer session and book signing at 7:00 p.m.

A Taste Of Westport 2010

The 6th annual "Taste of Westport" is returning on Thursday May 6th for an evening of eating, drinking and fundraising. Money raised at this event will support CLASP Homes Inc., a great local not-for-profit organization serving people with developmental disabilities.

Earthplace will be hosting this tasting extravaganza where guests will be able to sample an abundance of fare from restaurants like Brasitas, Cafe Lola, Rizzutos, and Da Pietro's (See the full list of restaurants and vendors below). Need a drink? They've got that covered too. Wine, beer, and signature cocktails are included in the admission price. 

As if that wasn't enough to get you in the door, there are also fabulous silent auction items including: tickets to the Daily Show, BMW adult and kids bikes, a plane ride around NYC, tickets and preview party for 20 @ The Westport Playhouse, a "boys night out" package, restaurant gift certificates, and much much more. 

Here are your ticket options:

Click to read more ...

Chef Talk: Sono Baking Co's Tomato Tarts

John Barricelli, owner and chef at Sono Baking Company, takes his tarts seriously. If you visit his storefront, you will see them perfectly crisped, savory, and seemingly impossible to make at home. 

A few months ago, we went "behind the scenes @ Sono Baking Co." and watched John cooking up these tasty morsels, and decided this was one recipe we had to have. Fortunately his new cookbook came out last month and now every home cook can enjoy these divine Tomato Tarts without having to drive to Norwalk. 

Click to read more ...