Darien Social is Officially Open for Business

Overlooking Darien's Metro North station, Executive Chef Nick Bilello has reappeared in the kitchen of Darien Social, a modern American "neighborhood bar and restaurant," set to open today. 

Having opened the original Burger Bar & Bistro in South Norwalk in 2006 and worked in the kitchens of Habana and Ocean Drive, Bilello adapted his style and approach to Darien, with a menu that will include “snacks and small plates” such as local oysters, pork belly “BLT sliders” and Swedish meatballs (with foie gravy). An organic beef “social burger” topped with caramelized onion, black pepper truffle mayo, and Shelburne cheddar should also figure prominently on the menu.

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Darien Restaurant Week Starts February 6th

Darien Restaurant Week is on from Monday, February 6 thru Friday, February 10, 2012

What does this mean for you, the diner? For one week only consumers will find great dining deals, have the opportunity to experience new restaurants, and re-visit some Darien favorites.

Participating restaurant will offer a special prix-fixe lunch and/or dinner menu during the entire week. 

Some of the participating restaurants include: Cesco’s Trattoria, Chuck's Steakhouse, Matsuri, Ole Mole, Phil's Grill, Robeks Juice, Rory's Restaurant, Scena Wine Bar & Restaurant, The Goose, Backstreet Restaurant, Café D’Azur, The Melting Pot, and the newly opened Darien Social

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Kids Review: The Melting Pot

Lily Schaeffer is one of our junior reporters. She in the sixth grade and lives in Darien.

How many times have you wished you could try something new and different for dinner but you didn’t know where to go or what to get?  The solution is fondue! You can get freshly grated and melted cheese fondue or rich delectable chocolate fondue for dessert at a restaurant right in Darien, The Melting Pot is located at 14 Grove Street.  At The Melting Pot, you will arrive to a beautiful flowing fountain right outside the door and enter the restaurant to find a welcoming modern atmosphere perfect for a chilly fall night.  The friendly staff will greet you and fill you in on the menu options (we chose lightly spiced cheddar fondue).  Another exciting feature is  after you have ordered, your food will be thrillingly made right before you eyes at your table.  You can sit back and dip delectable tidbits in strategically made melted cheese.   Did I mention the dippable items come in a bottomless supply? 

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Rubbing Elbows At Rory's in Darien

Rory's is a neighborhood bar in search of a neighborhood. Surrounded by the Orvis/Trader Joe's plaza, a nail salon, and an unfinished furniture/firearms emporium on the more commercial end of the Post Road in Darien close to the Norwalk border, Rory's somehow manages to have a "walk up and join the locals" feel. The tiny pub sits on a bit of raised land above Rt. 1 traffic like a little beach cottage above the tide line. Not too many people live within walking distance though, which is why you may find yourself parked next to a Rolls Royce or Ferrari. Maybe it's not your average local pub, after all. 

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espressoNEAT: Home Brewing Class

espressoNEAT in my biased opinion serves the best espresso in Fairfield County. Located in Darien, their baristas are well trained experts, and their devotion to their craft is obvious from the first sip of any of their coffee based beverages. 

For anyone who appreciate a good cuppa, you'll want to check out their home brewing class on November 5th @ 7:30 pm. Learn how to translate espressoNeats's passion for the perfect coffee into your own home. In this one hour session, NEAT will guide you in the fundamentals of buying, storing, grinding, and brewing and help you get the best out of your coffee. 

Who: NEAT folks who like good brew at home

What: 1 hour home brewing basics course

Where: NEAT (20 Grove Street)

When: Saturday, November 5th @ 7:30AM (8 person limit)                

email info@espressoNEAT.com to sign up.

10 Questions with BSF Owner Kory Wollins

One of the ultimate comfort foods, the Hamburger, has obtained main stream culinary acceptance during the past few years as evidenced by the inclusion of gourmet hamburgers on many restaurant menus and recently established restaurants dedicated to these gastronomic delights. On the forefront of this trend, Kory Wollins followed his dream and opened his first Burgers, Shakes & Fries on Delavan Avenue in the Byram section of Greenwich in 2007.  The first time I entered the Greenwich location and spoke with Kory, we had an in-depth conversation about his product, his ambitions and our mutual love for great hamburgers. Years later I still thoroughly enjoy the BSF hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and shakes at the Greenwich and Darien locations, and I have watched the passion that Kory brings to each of his restaurants. 

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World Barista Champion Pulling Shots @ espressoNEAT

Coffee + Chocolate + 1 Coffee Celebrity= Fun. What more could you ask for on a Thursday night?

Come to NEAT this Thursday (August 11) at 8pm to meet the World Barista Champion, Michael Phillips, taste delicious coffees paired with chocolate, and enjoy a late night espresso prepared by Michael himself.

Michael is going to be spending a bit of time this week right here in CT, working with NEAT in their constant pursuit of top notch coffee and deilghtful service.  They are thrilled to be able to host him at NEAT.

He'll be working behind the espresso machine at NEAT a bit as well, so look for him on Friday and Saturday. 

Meet Michael Phillips
In addition to being one of the nicest guys you've ever met, Michael also has quite a resume in the world of specialty coffee.  After winning the US Barista Competition in 2009 and 2010, he took home the World Barista Championship in 2010, making him the first (and only!) from the good ol' US of A to ever win the WBC.  Michael ran the training program at Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea prior to co-founding Handsome Coffee Roasters earlier this year with two of his cohorts from Intelligentsia.

Cafe D'Azur Opens in Darien w/ French-Lebanese Fare

What do you get when you combine a Greek-Lebanese restaurateur with a French chef?  A Mediterranean bistro with brasserie flair. In Darien, a town long on Asian eateries and upscale pub fare, a true ethnic restaurant is a welcome addition. In fact, Cafe D'Azur Mediterranean Bistro & Creperie's opening was highly anticipated by those of us familiar with Myrna's eponymous restaurant in Stamford, a popular lunch spot.  

I dropped in on Cafe D'Azur a couple weeks after it opened

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Behind the Net Pizza @ The Darien Ice Rink

An affinity for hockey or a hot tip was the only way you’d discover Behind the Net, a concession stand in Darien’s ice rink that is serving up slices of New Haven style apizza heaven—until now.

Behind the Net opened on September 1, 2010 in the concession space adjacent to the busy suburban ice rink just beyond Darien’s Post Road.  Home to dozens of youth hockey games and practices, the rink also welcomes open skate nights and is teeming with families, practically guaranteeing a hungry audience. Thankfully for us, word soon spread that mere steps from the ice was purportedly some real-deal New Haven pizza—a pizza style characterized by an adherence to a thin crispy crust, decent charring from a super hot oven, fresh San Marzano tomato-based sauce, and mozzarella.

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Burgers, Shakes, and Fries v2.0 Opens in Darien

"It is the Americans who have managed to crown minced beef as hamburger, and to send it round the world so that even the fussy French have taken to le boeuf hache, le hambourgaire." - Julia Child

The long awaited opening of Burgers Shakes and Fries occurred yesterday in Darien with burgers and dogs grilling, fries frying and shakes shaking. For those, like me, who agree with Julia Child that the hamburger is an American icon, Kory Wollins has mastered the art of the burger and created an incredible rendition of this American classic 

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Reheated: Dorie Greenspan & Darien Restaurant Week

In Connecticut...

Darien Restaurant Week is underway! Info CTbites.com

Free Cold Stone Creamery samples tonight at participating stores. Info DiningAlaCarte.org

Chef Pietro Scotti, of Westport's DaPietro's will offer a Thanksgiving Cooking class on Nov 16 at The Clarke Culinary Center. Info CTbites.com.

Dorie Greenspan will be speaking at the Darien Library on Nov. 18. Info DarienLibrary.org & an interview via CTbites.com.

CT Food Bank has launched a virtual Thanksgiving Day food drive. Info CTFoodBank.org.

Welcome to The Feast, an NBC-owned site that will be all things shop-food-play in regions such as our lovely state of CT. TheFeast.com.

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Reheated: This Week's Top Food News [weekend edition]

Reheated is a twice-weekly round-up of bite-sized food news in Connecticut and beyond.  

In Connecticut...

It's National Pizza Month. If you're in Fairfield County, check-out this post for the best pies around your neighborhood. 

The 5th Annual Harvest Tasting Fundraiser held at Equinox Club in Darien on Oct. 9 features over 60 wines. Info NicholasRobertsLtd.com.

The Pinkberry Grand Opening Party in Fairfield is just days away on Oct. 14 from 6 to 9 pm. Info CTbites.com.

Plan ahead for the Tokeneke Pumpkin Carnival is Oct 16 in Darien featuring Burger, Shakes and Fries, Heights Pizza and Upper Crust Bagels. Info Patch.com.

A few days remain to take advantage of CT Restaurant Week, a few places in Fairfield County and many more options towards New Haven & Hartford. Participating restaurants at CTRestaurant.org.

....and beyond.

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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. 

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EspressoNEAT: Home Brewing Basics Class

espressoNEAT in my biased opinion makes the best espresso in Fairfield County. Located in Darien, their baristas are well trained experts, and their devotion to their craft is obvious from the first sip of any of their coffee based beverages. When I heard they were hosting a home brewing class, I had to share. For anyone who appreciates an excellent cup of coffee, this class is for you.  In this one hour session, NEAT will guide you in the fundamentals of buying, storing, grinding, and brewing and help you get the best out of your coffee. 

Who: NEAT folks who like good brew at home

What: 1 hour home brewing basics course

Where: NEAT (20 Grove Street)

When: Monday, April 12th @ 4PM Price: $10 RSVP: info@espressoNEAT.com

(10 person limit)

Bustling French Bistro & Seafood Fare @ 1020 Post

Don't let the lace curtains and stately brick entrance fool you.  Behind the doors of this new French Bistro, named for its location on the Post Road in Darien,  is an airy room with coffered ceilings and a sleek zinc bar that buzzes--loudly at times--with the chatter of locals every night of the week.  Located within walking distance of the Darien train station, 1020 Post, which opened its doors a little more than a year ago, pulls people in like a magnet for dinner and drinks after work and lunch during the week.

On a chilly Tuesday night, I arrived with four friends to find packed tables and a bustling bar, which was lined with large glasses of Malbec and Pinot Noir. Nearby, people dined on bar stools at one of two tall community tables, where small groups can enjoy a quick bite without a reservation

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