CT Bites

Sticky Balsamic Ribs via The Parsley Thief

2012-05-26T13:06:57Z

OK, Folks. No joke, these are the best ribs ever!! After asking my husband what he thought of them, he swallowed his bite & replied, "This may be the best thing I've had in my entire life". But, this is coming from a man who loves him some ribs...anyway, anyhow.

Like all good ribs, these require time, but very little effort. Once they are done marinating & slow cooking in the oven, the grilling part takes about 5 minutes. The perfect thing when you are having company & don't want to be in the kitchen when your guests are there.

This recipe will be a summer regular for us.

Opening Day @ The 2012 Westport Farmers' Market

2012-05-25T00:48:22Z

CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY

The Westport Farmers' Market opened today with an official ribbon cutting ceremony attended by members of the Fairfield County community who came to show their support for the market and "living local." First Selectman Gordon Joseloff and State Representative Jonathon Steinberg brandished their scissors with vigor as market shoppers applauded the start of the Westport Farmers' Market season. Also poised for the big day was Chef Jon Vaast of Dressing Room, one of the 23 guest chefs who will be appearing at the market throughout the season doing recipe demos and tastings (more on that later). The crowd was packed with people enjoying their Skinny Pines Pizza, Raus' Cold Romans, Boxcar Cantina Tamales, and Du Soleil Fine Foods...and the rain held out. VIEW PHOTO GALLERY HERE.

Amuse Bouche: Food News for May 24, 2012

2012-05-24T19:03:00Z

The oh-so-beautiful Terrain is now open for dinner in Westport. Browse this stunning home and garden store before you sample Chef Wolfson's uber burger.

Tickets for The Harbor Brew Fest in Bridgeport go on sale June 1st w/ over 20 craft beers on tap, food trucks & entertainment.

Many Farmers' Markets are officially open for the season. Get the latest on all the markets & vendors updates for 2012 at The Fairfield Green Food Guide.

Sun BBQ Fest is June 1-3 @ Mohegan Sun. Don't miss your chance to win free passes & a Weber Grill in our Sun BBQ Fest Giveaway.

CTbites Invite: Blue Lemon Cooking Demo & Lunch Recap

2012-05-23T13:13:00Z

Blue Lemon chef Bryan Malcarney can clean, prep and sear a baby squid in just under 10 minutes, all while making small talk with a patio full of hungry diners. In fact, he makes it look pretty easy.

“That’s my job,” the affable chef joked to a lunch crowd last week at a cooking demo organized by CTBites. The lattice and flower enclosed patio was packed with avocational foodies who had jumped at the chance to learn from one of the area’s most established chefs through the CTBites Invites program, which has regular offerings to take people behind the scenes in some of Fairfield County’s most respected kitchens.

Kids Review: Cadiz Tapas in Bethel

2012-05-23T10:30:00Z

Most of the time at restaurants, I have no idea what to order because there are so many great choices. At Cadiz, however I can choose many different dishes. I can even order ten and share with friends and family.

Cadiz is a place where you order several tapas and share among the group. Don’t be fooled though. It is located in the Bethel movie theater but that doesn’t mean it's cheap diner food. Plus, there are some great gluten-free options.

My family started out with a basket of bread, a small plate of hummus with baked pita chips, and a bowl of Greek olives. The bread had a crunchy and flaky crust with a soft and warm inside. It tasted amazing; a great way to kick off the meal.

Festivities Catering Now at Wilton Farmers' Market

2012-05-22T15:32:00Z

Festivities, one of Fairfield county’s premier catering companies for over 28 years will be “popping up” with their signature, hand-made party food- Party Express at the Wilton Farmers’ Market. Opening day is Wednesday, May 30 from 2-6 p.m. and running each Wednesday through September 12th.

Party Express at The Wilton Farmer’s Market offers freshly made party foods featuring the harvest from local farms. The rotating menu includes a wide range of delicious foods from “Snacks For Beach & Patio” to “Bento Box Meals To Go” to ‘Legacy Foods” borrowing world flavors from our families of origin. Also offered are weekly vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free alternatives. Executive Chef/Co-Owner, Bill Kaliff is particularly excited to be expanding his menu to showcase “legacy foods” while incorporating Connecticut Grown whenever possible.

Gold Coast Gourmet: Freezer...Meet Mark

2012-05-22T10:19:00Z

Freezer, meet Mark.

Mark Seigel, owner and purveyor of GOLD COAST GOURMET for the past 22 years, will be your freezer's best friend - reliable and ALWAYS there when you need him. I was lucky enough to be referred to Mark by a Westport friend (he only works by referrals, no door-to-door harassment) and just in the nick of time. With Memorial Day weekend and the warm summer months approaching, there is enormous potential for a lot of home entertaining with many "Mom, I also brought the rest of the team home for dinner " possibilities. If you are like me, this can cause some major anxiety. This year, no problemo. Gold Coast Gourmet provides home delivery of prime meats, gourmet seafood and much, much more. The great thing about this service is that you are purchasing items by the "box" meaning that most things come in individually wrapped, perfectly manageable, flash-frozen portions.

Dine With Design @ The Glass House: Chef Update

2012-05-21T16:34:08Z

The second annual Dine with Design will happen June 9, 2012, on the magnificent and incomparable grounds of Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan. With the tremendous success of prior year’s food presentations, the afternoon will again feature incredible tasting menus designed and prepared by some of the most renowned and respected chefs in America. Several of the chefs are featured in Darryl Estrine and Kelly Kochendorfer’s cookbook, Harvest to Heat and this year’s day and evening lineup will create one of the most delicious culinary experiences of the season.

The participating chefs include three locals, Jeremy McMillan from The Farmhouse Restaurant at The Bedford Post Inn, Frederic Kieffer from Artisan in Southport, and Tim LaBant from The Schoolhouse at Cannondale in Wilton; two chefs from Cambridge, MA, Tony Maws from Craigie on Main and Ana Sortun from Oleana; plus Missy Robbins from A Voce in New York City and Gabriel Rucker from Le Pigeon in Portland, OR. The last two of the featured chefs, Missy Robbins and Gabriel Rucker present two vastly different paths up the culinary ladder and as well as approaches in their current restaurants.

Estia's American Opens in Darien: Breakfast & Beyond

2012-05-20T15:27:00Z

When restaurateur Colin Ambrose decided to follow his wife and three daughters and return to Fairfield County from the eastern end of Long Island, he brought with him a reputation for delivering creative farm to table cuisine. As the former owner/chef of Estia’s in Amagansett and the current owner of Estia’s Little Kitchen in Sag Harbor, Ambrose is celebrating his Darien homecoming by opening his latest restaurant, Estia’s American. After Ambrose settled on the location that formerly housed Ole Mole, he immediately set to create a rustic Americana décor that included American flags created from book spines, relaxing beach paintings and his personal collection of cookbooks and novels, including several by his uncle Stephen Ambrose.

Ambler Farm Summer Picnic Tickets on Sale

2012-05-19T10:08:00Z

Mark your calendars for Ambler Farm's Summer Picnic in Wilton, CT. Saturday, June 16th from 6 to 11pm.

This event hails Ambler Farm's annual kick off to summer. Begin the evening picnicking on blankets and relaxing with friends and continue on with live music, hayrides and horseshoes. After dinner, do-si-do your way to the dance floor for some traditional country-western dancing! Back by popular demand, local country chic food will be prepared by Delicious Affair and will feature Ambler Farm organic produce.

"The Whole Hog" Celebrity Chef Fundraiser, May 24th

2012-05-18T12:28:00Z

On Thursday, May 24th at 6:30pm, four of Connecticut’s superstar chefs with a passion for nourishing neighbors with fresh, locally-grown ingredients will gather at the Clarke Showroom in SoNo for a delectable evening of wine, vine and swine! Tim LaBant of the Schoolhouse at Cannondale restaurant in Wilton, John Barricelli of SoNo Baking Company in South Norwalk, Bun Lai of Miya's Sushi in New Haven and Joe Wolfson, the new executive chef of Terrain Garden Café in Westport will creatively prepare and serve inspired free-range pork creations and offer a few sneak peeks of their seasonal offerings.

Recap: Little Pub's Berkshire Brewing Co. Beer Dinner

2012-05-18T10:47:00Z

On May 22nd, The Little Pub in Ridgefield will hold a beer dinner featuring Brooklyn Brewery. The last beer dinner there featured beers from Berkshire Brewing Company, and American Craft Beer Week seemed like great time to recap that event and give some insight into how these events go at The Little Pub.

Wisdom really begins when learning enables you to realize just how little you know. It's gratifying to the ego to consider one's self an expert on a subject but, just like there's always someone bigger or faster in sports, there's always some greater expert perfectly capable of putting you in your place. I thought I had a pretty good handle on Berkshire Brewing's place in the cosmos before I sat at a table with Jason Hunter, BBC's director of sales/GM/sometime brewer.

Blue Laws Officially End Sunday, May 20th

2012-05-17T14:02:00Z

It's not quite as momentous as the end of Prohibition, but Connecticut now has its own Repeal Day, as Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a bill Monday to end our state's archaic Blue Laws. And on American Craft Beer week, too. Way to go, Guv'na. Connecticut liquor stores will now be allowed to operate from 10a.m. - 5p.m. on Sundays, and choose one item per month to offer at a 10% discount. This last item was the lone concession to proponents of blue law repeal who sought the end of the state's mandatory minimum pricing practices. Discounts had previously been outlawed.

Like most of the other measures signed into law by Gov. Malloy, this decision came down to the economic bottom line.

You're Invited: Paella Making Class @ Barcelona SoNo

2012-05-16T14:03:00Z

Join CTbites & Barcelona SoNo's new Executive Chef, Gavin Blair, for a fun & delicious Paella Making class and lunch on Thursday June 7th from 11:30- 1 pm.

Learn the secrets to making perfect Paella rice by using the right seasonings and then how and when to add the key ingredients: chorizo, shellfish and chicken. Enjoy tapas while you learn key cooking tips and techniques from Chef Gavin, followed by a feast featuring this traditional Spanish dish. Finish with an authentic dessert and coffee to complete your dining experience. The cost for this event is $40. Purchase your seat HERE.

Each attendee with get a take home recipe so you can re-create and impress your family and friends at home!

Aventine Hills Wine Importers: Italian Wine Made Local

2012-05-16T10:59:00Z

If you're reading this article, you're most likely adventurous…at least when it comes to food. You look to CTbites.com as a guide for new culinary experiences, so we'd like to take this opportunity to broaden your horizons from the plate to your glass. Allow me to introduce Jodi and Garrett Stonehouse of Aventine Hills Wine Importers with wines featured at local restaurants including Paci, Quattro Pazzi, Osianna, Aqua, Tarantino's, Fat Cat, Rowayton Seafood, and The Schoolhouse, just to name a few.

It all began back in 2006 when Jodi and Garrett discovered a love of Italy, and more specifically of the wine in Italy.