The Filling Station: Grass-Fed Fast Food Burgers For All

Walking up to The new Filling Station Co. in New Canaan last weekend, you would have thought they were giving away free food. Lines of families snaked through the tight burger joint, all eager to sample the long awaited kid and price-friendly fare. But the huddled masses were not just here for a bargain priced burger. The Filling Station, with it's retro-modern street appeal, has a value proposition that is hard to beat for consumers who care about the food they eat. Everything served at The Filling Station is organic, grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone free. Let me tell you, devouring hamburgers, dogs, and shakes has never felt so right. For some parents (myself included), this is the holy-grail and reason enough to travel for a fun for the whole family meal, but I needed to sample the goods before I was sold. With the prospect of comparing these grass-fed burgers to those of the competition, we entered en masse with a party of 6. 

Click to read more ...

"Outstanding In The Field" Comes to Wilton August 25th

CTbites has long touted our local Dinners At The Farm, but the Nationwide "Outstanding in the Field" will also be making its way to CT this Summer. Tickets go on sale March 27th (not March 20th as they had previously advertised) for the one night event. The dinner will take place on August 25th on Millstone Farm, with The Dressing Room's renown chef Michel Nischan at the helm. 

Outstanding in the Field's mission is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it.

"Outstanding in the Field is a roving culinary adventure – literally a restaurant without walls." - Outstanding In The Field

Millstone Farm in Wilton will please with its iconic, red-barn chicken coops and sweet honey and maple syrup. There's also more than meets the eye, or the tongue, than just that. The makers of Millstone raise heirloom turkeys as well as specialty sheep, lambs, cattle, and pigs. 

When: Wednesday August 25, 2010

Where: Millstone Farm, Wilton, CT

Price: $225.00 per person

Host Farmers: Betsy & Jesse Fink, Millstone Farm

Guest Chef: Michel Nischan, The Dressing Room, Westport

Time: 3:00PM

A portion of the proceeds from this event will benefit the Wholesome Wave Foundation.

Want A Free Kitchen Makeover? New TV Show Casting CT

Do you have a friend or loved one who has a real passion for cooking but is trapped in an outdated, nonfunctional or just plain ugly kitchen?  Now's your chance to nominate him/her to receive a kitchen worthy of a gourmet chef for free!

We are currently casting dynamic homeowners who love to cook but are in desperate need of a completely new kitchen.  We're also looking for you. ..our accomplice in this mission.  If selected, you would help our team install a state-of-the-art kitchen for the frustrated foodie in your life. 

ACT NOW.  They're casting the series IMMEDIATELY!

RIVR Media is based out of TN produces shows for DIY, HGTV, Food Network, Animal Planet, A&E, etc. They are casting homeowners in CT, or cities that are within an hour or so of NYC (ex. Stamford, Greenwich, Darion, etc). This is a “reality” show – one similar to those on HGTV or Extreme Home Makeover on ABC. 

Good luck!

If you're interested in nominating a cook and being a part of our exciting new show, please email them the following information:

Click to read more ...

Green Gourmet To Go in Bridgeport

Originally written for the Fairfield Green Food Guide.

It’s way too soon to change the name to Green Rock, but Black Rock is getting greener. Green Gourmet To Go, offering local, organic vegetarian and vegan meals, will open on Fairfield Avenue in April (yes I know the photo says March, but dates slip). The attractive little storefront, with its soothing celedon walls and coppery silk curtains will offer healthy and environmentally conscious hot and cold lunches and dinners.

Chef-Owner Linda Soper-Kolton was a lifelong food lover and dedicated home cook before she decided to attend the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. The recent NGI graduate is inspired. She wants makes to make eating healthy meals easy and approachable. 

“I’ll serve burritos, but healthy burritos,” she said in a recent interview. Think burritos filled with sweet potatoes, kale, black beans and grains.  Her Dixie burger is made from black-eyed peas and sweet potatoes and served with chipotle sauce. Her hummus and avocado wrap gets punch and crunch from shiitake “bacon” crisps.

Click to read more ...

Bon Appetit Cafe: Wilton’s Petit Star

For as long as I can remember, Roget Martin presided over Voila! in Fairfield, a jam-packed French bistro housed in a homey, red shingled building across from the Town Green. Then, one day, Voila! had disappeared and, in it’s place stood the very fine Osianna, an upscale Mediterranean newcomer and a worthy replacement. 

Still, I wondered what had happened to the affable and ruddy-cheeked Roget, who, as maître d’, had lovingly presided over Voila!, sharing jokes and stories and dispensing large pours of Beaujolais to throngs of happy repeat diners. 

Imagine my surprise when a friend introduced me to Bon Appétit Café, a charming yet unassuming French café, tucked into the Stop and Shop plaza in the heart of Wilton. Though Roget was nowhere in sight when I entered, his fingerprints were all over the place. Though the décor and vibe were night and day from Voila! to Bon Appetit, the food and service were a dead giveaway.  

Whereas Voila! was known for its rollicking Saturday night scene and standing-only room crowds, Bon Appetit is first and foremost a casual neighborhood lunch and dinner spot, popular for both dining in and takeout.  

Ladies who lunch have put it on the map

Click to read more ...

GourMom's Homemade Organic Salsa & Simmer Sauce

Sarah Galluzzo  waits with great anticipation for the ground to thaw and the spring to arrive in CT. OK,  we are all yearning for spring.... but her product depends on it! GourMom's  USDA certified organic salsa and simmer sauce is her scrumptious creation.  She is committed to using LOCAL and CERTIFIED ORGANIC ingredients for this chunky, choc full o'flavor salsa.  As a salsa enthusiast,  I was enthralled by her story and her product. We chatted at the Pantry in Fairfield, one of her retail outlets,  and she explained about the launching of this super local, super delicious product. Her excitement was contagious as she shared her story.

In 2008 Galuzzo decided to get serious about selling her salsa and test the market.  She had been dubbed "GourMom" by friends and family

Click to read more ...

Kids STILL at home? Bake Up Some Pizza Pops

School's closed again??!! Don't fret, just keep those kids busy in the kitchen (if you have one working). I found this recipe while browsing thekitchn.com (on a friend's computer, as mine is still out of commission). These Pizza Pops are a great activity for any age, and what child doesn't like food on a stick? Even vegetables are more fun on a skewer.

Just like the 2 dimensional version, these Pizza Pops can be made to suit every palate. Try adding sausage and cheese, ham and pineapple, plain cheese, and so on. When creating your pizza bites, note a good tip from thekitchn.com: Distinguishing the different fillings once the bites are baked might be tricky. Maybe a different topping sprinkled on the top of each batch?

Here's the original recipe from Pennies on a plattter.

When the pizza bites are cool, just separate them carefully and put a lollipop stick in the middle of each one. Have fun!

(Photos from Nikki from Pizza on a Platter, via Tastespotting)

Kid-friendly Cooking Project for Stir-Crazy Adults

For those of you with functioning ovens and kids home from school, here is a tasty time consumer.  For creative great tasting "homemade" cookies in a pinch, try this shortcut from Jennifer Spaide of Greenchic.com.

As a chef it’s important to know your weaknesses in the kitchen.  And I am fully willing to admit that mine is baking.  If it’s more complicated than emptying a mix into a bowl, cracking a few eggs, and whisking, don’t expect me to do it well.  So you can imagine the panic that pulsed through me when I was asked to bake cookies for some gift baskets. 

What, me?  Really?!  But I was up for the challenge… or the cheat.  Don’t tell, but I decided to pull a Sandra Lee and take some “semi-homemade” help from the grocery store by purchasing premade sugar cookie dough.  I chose an all-natural brand because it’s a little healthier (no trans fats or high fructose corn syrup).   

With the basic batter under control, and a little stress off my shoulders, I was free to get creative with the flavors & fillings.  I decided to make three different kinds of cookie:  Chocolate Cherry Almond, Ginger Sesame Coconut, and Orange Fig Thumb Drops.  These recipes are so simple it's genius (not to toot my own horn, but “Toot toot”).

Click to read more ...

CT "Actually" bites...No Electricity...No Blog

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor rain will stop us from seeking out a good meal, but a power outage does make it difficult for us to report on said meal.  It's amazing what we take for granted.

As soon as Connecticut Light and Power gets the electricity back on line we've got some great new finds for you including a great little hidden Southern joint in Sono and a great Wilton lunch spot.

Any day now....

Great Wines for $15 & Less: Uncorked Event + Contest

After a successful Restaurant Week, the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce is preparing for their next event, The Chamber-Uncorked, A Food and Wine Experience taking place on March 25th @6pm.  

The concept for this wine focused event will be “Great Wines for $15 and Less,” proving that fabulous wine does not need to break the bank. Wine enthusiast and shop owner Robert Appell of Westport's new Bottles Wine & Spirits, will be acting sommelier for the evening, lending his expertise to the tasting. 

Naturally, where there is wine – there is food! The cuisine for the evening is a virtual tour around the world, and will complement the diversity of the wine. There will be sushi presented by Matsu Sushi, BBQ from Bobby-Qs, Indian cuisine from Bombay, Caribbean dishes by Blue Lemon, an Italian bounty table by Collyer Catering, and sweet treats by CakeSuite.  

Here comes the fun part: Testing one’s wine knowledge, a pricier wild card bottle of wine will be poured among the many others for folks to see if they can taste the difference. Plus, a common food ingredient will be used by all of the restaurants/caterers – again, challenging one’s palate.  Guess the wine, and receive the bottle. Guess the secret ingredient and receive a basket full of all things delicious! 

Click to read more ...