The Making of the MATCH Restaurant Burger

Start with a patty of locally raised (Roxbury, CT) grass-fed beef. Throw in some bacon-cheddar sauce and sweet and sour onion jam. House it all on a caramelized onion brioche bun. And don't forget those fries.

No, this is not a new burger joint, this is Match's new Thursday Night Burger offer and CTbites was there for its beefy birth.

CTbites sent burger guru, "jfood," into the kitchen with Match Restaurant's Chef Matt Storch to develop this recent menu addition. From concept to reality, we bring you the new Match (SONO) Hamburger. Here's how it went down. 

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SAILS American Grill Opens in Rowayton

When the River Cat shuttered its doors in March, after 12 years on Rowayton’s main drag, the closure of the beloved neighborhood restaurant and bar left a gaping hole in Rowayton’s dining and social scene. 

So when I returned to check out the recently launched SAILS, a new American bistro with a spiffed up nautical vibe, I wasn’t surprised that the highly polished teak bar was three-deep with old-timers and new fans, making themselves right at home in a familiar, yet completely transformed haunt. 

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Match Restaurant in Sono: 11 Years...A Visual Journey

CLICK ON ABOVE IMAGE TO LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY

This year marks Match's 11th anniversary, an honor and milestone that most restaurants can only hope to achieve. Instrumental in revitalizing SoNo and its thriving restaurant scene, Match has flourished throughout the years by providing diners with an immersive and engaging dining experience that delivers on all fronts.  The menu never disappoints, always featuring Match classics alongside daily and seasonally inspired dishes, never pausing to get tired or predictable. The friendly and competent wait staff, under the watchful eye of Managing Partner/Co-owner Scott Beck, sets the tone in the front of the restaurant, conversing knowledgeably about each dish's preparation as well as the expertly chosen wine list. 

Match marries the ingredients for success masterfully, but for my money, Match's success really lies in the kitchen. The secret to staying on top for 11 years and what really sets Match apart from the pack is Executive Chef/Co-owner Matt Storch's playful approach to cooking as well as his ability to constantly create and innovate in the field of new American cuisine.

With Match's numerous "best of" awards for both their menu and wine list, and a long list of accolades from the traditional media, we wanted to tell you a different story. In fact, we felt it most compelling to simply show you. The following represents some of our favorite selections from the Match menu, ones that highlight Chef Storch's ability to layer flavors, textures and truly varied ingredients with great success. One night...one long meal… This is not a CTbites review. This is food porn. 

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CTbites Shout Out: What's Your Favorite Burger?

Given the level of debate regarding the best burger in Fairfield County, we felt that a Burger Shout Out was in order. Steamed, grilled, kaiser roll, brioche bun, grilled onions, fried onions, raw onions.... Salivating yet?

Whether you like Burger Bar or Burger King, we want to hear from you.

Before you throw down, note the 2 categories below:

What's your favorite restaurant burger in FC?

What's your favorite "counter service" burger in FC?

Keep in mind, everybody is entitled to serve up their own opinion. Be kind with your comments. 

Bonda Restaurant is Back...Now in Fairfield

If you liked Bonda at its former Westport/Saugatuck location, you’ll love its new incarnation in Fairfield’s Greenfield Hill (the former home of La Colline Verte and Fraiche). Sure, we miss Abbondanza – owner/chef Jamie Cooper’s former Saugatuck gourmet deli/catering operation and site of the original Bonda.  But we’re excited he’s now focused on the restaurant and taking it to the next level in this new location.  It’s a clean, inviting space, with warm orange walls, fresh white trim, vintage posters and comfortable seating. The small, sixty-seat restaurant was nearly filled to capacity when we visited on an otherwise quiet Tuesday evening in October. For good reason. In fact, for at least three very good reasons.

Reason 1:  The Bond-alicious food.  Inventive yet simple dishes, expertly prepared.  Although the menu has a classic American backbone, Jamie treats the world as his pantry.

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Chao Chi: Destination Dining in Northern Fairfield County

Chao Chi is a collaboration between Elaine Chao, the former restaurant’s owner and Prasad Chirnomula, the new owner and the man behind Thali restaurants. Together they have transformed a former Pan Asian restaurant, into something of a modern American destination for northern Fairfield County, an area better known for farms than fine dining.

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The Gray Goose: Classy Comfort in Southport

I've always enjoyed getting GOOSED. Now, I can get goosed whenever I want to and it won't even make my husband jealous. In fact, I'm sure he'll enjoy getting GOOSED too at THE GRAY GOOSE, a tasty new lunch and dinner spot in Southport. The menu is classy, interesting and full of simple creative dishes, prepared with skill by executive chef Tom Carney (previously of Spazzi in Fairfield.) The restaurant, which formerly housed The Wine Knot, is situated in a charming, 100 year old building, creating an idyllic spot for restaurant developer Kevin McHugh, (previous co-owner of Little Pub in Ridgefield, Match, and the Loft Martini Bar in Sono) and his business partner, Tommy Febbraio. With fresh and inviting decor, McHugh and Febbraio have utilized reclaimed materials to create old wood floors, exposed beams and stone fire places (inside and out) and added modern lighting to juxtapose and to induce a crisp new feel.

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A Hidden Gem Shines in Norwalk

Last Saturday night we followed an anonymous tip from a ctbites reader...a reader I need to thank. Apparently, in a small shopping center off Main Street in Norwalk sat a food gem, a hidden treasure with beautifully prepared organic and local sustainable produce..or so this reader said. The restaurant was Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro. The restaurant's web site revealed a catering company open for breakfast, lunch and Thur.-Sun. dinner dining. We were skeptical as we pulled up to the non-descript exterior, flanked by Hot & Speedy Pizza. However,  as we walked past the glass case of wonderful looking prepared foods, the thrill of finding something undiscovered was upon us. We were directed to a casual but pleasant dining room with about 10 tables. Candles and trees donned with Christmas lights provided relaxed lighting, while chalk signage covering several black board painted walls gave a whimsical flourish to this minimally designed space. We handed over our wine (as it is BYOB) and hoped for the best. Spoiler alert....It was one of the most inventive and delicious meals I have had in Fairfield County. If this is the first you are hearing of Nicholas Roberts..make this your next meal out.

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CLOSED!! Fraiche in Fairfield: Eclectic Comfort Food

Once upon a time, in a tiny strip mall on Hillside Road in Fairfield, there lived a most unusual and slightly confused restaurant named Fraiche. Fraiche wasn’t sure if it was a bistro or a burger bar; it didn’t know if its decor was very modern (a la Jonathan Adler - complete with fake deer heads) or remarkably old fashioned (not unlike my grandmother’s apartment, complete with chipped antique china plates on the walls); it hadn’t made up its mind whether to lure you into its intimate back room or interrogate you with its incredibly bright lighting (remedied immediately upon request). But one thing was for sure - there was no confusion about the quality of food. The food at Fraiche - it's ecclectic, it’s inventive, and of course - it's fresh!

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