Coffee Classes at Espresso NEAT in Darien

Everyone has their favorites, and Espresso NEAT is definitely one of our favorite coffee places here at CTbites. Now with two locations (Darien, and a small shop in Greenwich), their devotion to the craft of caffeine delivery is bar none.

In addition to fueling their customers, they are also offering a series of educational classes for the month of May. 

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Bodega Taco Bar Opens in Darien

The upscale, inspired Mexican street food and vibrant bar scene that Bodega has ushered in to Fairfield, has migrated south, opening in Darien this past weekend. The trio behind the original Bodega—Michael Young, Luis Chavez and Mario Fontana—have continued to perfect a brash menu that embraces the Americas, skewing from South America to North, and settling centrally on Mexico. In a markedly larger setting, the new Darien outpost has successfully duplicated much of the same menu, from antojitos to mezcal, with a few noteworthy additions. Bodega will be officially open starting Monday, November 12 at 5 pm for dinner, and will be open 6 nights a week Monday through Saturday, and open for lunch and brunch beginning January 6, seven days a week.

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Rhubarb Kitchen: Cooking School, British Style, in Darien

As if on cue, the day I attended class at the Rhubarb Kitchen, a cooking school with an emphasis on all things British, the sun disappeared and the weather turned appropriately overcast and drizzly. A perfect backdrop for learning about the delights of the very English ritual of Afternoon Tea.

But first, a little about the women who run this show. Rebecca Binks (aka “Becs”) grew up in Kent and learned the highlights of English food from her grandmother, mom, and eight aunts. A former banker and world traveler who has lived in France and Spain, Becs landed in New York City where she met Lisa McMullan. Lisa, an Irishwoman, grew up surrounded by lush farmland and her culinary path is inspired by a true farm to table experience. Lisa practiced as an optometrist, but her love of food always lingered in the background.

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Scena Wine Bar & Restaurant in Darien

Scena Wine Bar & Restaurant in Darien has been serving top notch, modern interpretations of Italian cuisine under the direction of Executive Chef Eben Leonard for close to 3 years. It is one of three restaurants owned by brothers Vicente and Kleber Siguenza (a fourth is schedule to open in Greenwich later this year) including Cava Wine Bar in New Canaan and 55 Degrees Wine Bar and Restaurant in Fairfield. 

Chef Leonard traces his culinary passion to his early childhood in Chatham, New York when he prepared monthly dinner menus for his mother. As a teenager, Chef Leonard met his first mentor, Chef Urs Bieri, at the Elm Court Inn in Massachusetts, when Bieri hired him to work as a “chef” at the age of fifteen,

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Bodega Taco Bar to Open in Darien

According to the Lunch Break Chronicles, Bodega Taco Bar will be opening in Darien at 980 Post Road this fall.

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Thursday Night Throwdown @ Espresso NEAT

Interested in showing off those latte art skills? Or perhaps you just want to learn the basics and sip your way through a fun evening. Either way you are in luck. Espresso NEAT in Darien is hosting their inaugural Thursday Night Throwdown (TNT) Latte Art Competition on July 12. A $5 buy-in will get you into the evening's event. This first event of the season is a customer invitational (everyone is invited). Prizes and sponsors to be announced.

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Estia's American Opens in Darien: Breakfast & Beyond

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.

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Best Burgers in Fairfield County: 2012 Edition

“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

Forget the fish, hold the pasta, toss the vegetables to the side…May is National Burger Month, thirty-one days dedicated to one of my favorite culinary creations …the hamburger. And in honor of this great event, CTbites is please to highlight both the places that were included in the two Recommended Hamburger Lists from 2011 plus additional establishments from my continuous search for scrumptious hamburgers. 

Here (in alphabetical order) is a list of recommended hamburgers from Greenwich to Westport to enjoy during National Hamburger Month.

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Beloved Hamptons Sustainable Chef brings Estia’s to Darien

For two decades, former Darien restaurateur Colin Ambrose has been at the forefront of the sustainable food movement, originally in Amaganset, and now in Sag Harbor, Long Island with his popular café, Estia’s Little Kitchen. Here, the practice of growing his own fruits and vegetables on the restaurant’s property, and obtaining the rest of the ingredients from local farmers whenever possible, was never a gimmick. It was simply how he chose to source his food in order to maintain the high standards he set for the restaurant.

The second incarnation of Ambrose’s beloved restaurant concept is coming to Darien in the form of Estia’s American, a charming café that will offer breakfast, lunch and a juice bar, then transform itself into an urbane restaurant and bar for dinner service. Located in the newly developed brick walk section of a busy downtown, Estia’s American intends on filling a niche in the culinary landscape with its simple, clean, vibrant foods

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Darien Social: A First Taste of

Several years ago, my friend and I looked into buying a bar. The space had been a sort of crusty old dive for years, stopping just short of "biker bar," but had since closed and remained so for a few trips around the Sun. Someone else picked it up by the time we got our act together, and it was just as well, because that left us able to spend many hours and ducats there - meeting neighbors, sinking pints, and possibly singing "Werewolves of London" from the loft until the other patrons consented to do the "Awoooo" part - instead of worrying about if the night's special was selling and how many soda logs we'd ordered. Friends were made in this place. News, gossip, and phone numbers were exchanged, and local business and political deals were done. Another place or two were probably the town bars, but this was the local pub. 

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