The Pop Shop Market – Making a Pop Up Debut in Fairfield

The Pop Shop Market is popping up in Fairfield this weekend!  The first of 4 yearly Pop Shop Markets will be making its debut at the Fairfield Theatre Company’s warehouse and parking lot on Saturday, June 1^st.  People of all ages are invited out to experience the European-style open-air market.  Kelly Scinto, Andrea Espach and Ashley Kane, founders and curators of the Pop Shop Market wanted to create a unique experience unlike any other pop up shop.  “We wanted to plan a fun day; one that would bring shopping, food, drinking and music together,” says Scinto.  

The Pop Shop Market will feature a variety vendors from all over the area, showcasing items such artwork, jewelry, and repurposed furniture by local artists, designers and merchants.  All this shopping will surely leave you hungry!  Or perhaps it is the all the incredible local food that will draw you out this Saturday.  The Pop Shop Market has recruited some of Connecticut’s most popular food trucks!  Grab a lobster roll from LobsterCraft, a meatball grinder from the Local Meatball, some California-style fish tacos from Taco Pacifico, fries from Fryborg, and top it all off with some soft-served ice cream from Cowabunga Food Truck.

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Ten Best Restaurant Burgers: Greenwich to New Haven 2013

One year, hundreds of miles, close to thirty pounds of various cuts and blends of meat, thousands of fries…searching for the ten best hamburgers.

Nestled between Shad Roe, Bahn Mi, Shrimp & Grits, Nonni's Meatballs and Montauk Black Bass was “The Burger.” It was the equalizing dish amongst the best chefs in the area.  As I tasted the creativity that each of the chefs placed into their version of this 100+ year old tradition, I was in awe. The combinations were brilliant, how the flavors balanced and complemented each other, the choices that they made to place their individual mark on this dish, each was unique. 

Most of the meat was sourced locally, many from the same vendor with slight variations in blend and grind...some used a medium-grind while others requested a third, finer grind. Cheese and bacon played a major supporting roll, and the choices varied amongst the chefs.

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The Local Meatball Food Truck Rolls into Fairfield County

There is a new food truck on the block in Fairfield (well, not so much food truck as in food car – Smart Car to be exact).  The Local Meatball is rolling into town and making its debut this Saturday, April 6^th, dishing out meatballs on the Town Green in Fairfield, made with local, organic ingredients.  Meatballs, a comfort food of many, no longer need to be served over spaghetti to complete a meal.  The Local Meatball is proving these balls stand great on their own!  

Wanting to share his passion for meatballs with the town, chef and Fairfield resident Michael DiStassio started The Local Meatball.  “Meatballs are such a simple idea, but they resonate with so many people,” says DiStassio.  The Local Meatball was revealed online on March 9^th, National Meatball Day and “People have been so responsive to the idea,” added DiStassio.  

Working from his grandmother’s recipe, DiStassio has tweaked it slightly to come up with a variety of 5 different kinds of balls that will rotate weekly. 

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Best Brunch Restaurants in Fairfield County

...is something wonderful to be seen. In between daily meals one and two is something very delightful for you. How Dr. Suess-y, eh? Wedged in-the-between is the one and only: Brunch. With a capital B, thank you very much. Brunch is divine. You can roll out of bed late and into a perfectly wonderful, relaxed meal that begs to be savored. It lingers beyond the lunch hour and helps you cruise effortlessly into dinner. 

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food” says a quote that I stumbled upon recently. I think that is pretty darned accurate, especially when it comes to this meal. Here, for you, is a collection of some lovely spots to help you turn this noun into a verb...so go forth and brunch! 

Did we miss one of your favorite Brunch spots? Let us know...

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Tutto Pasta in Fairfield: Fresh Pasta & More Made Daily

When Harry’s Liquor Store and the Fairfield Cheese Shop decided to tear down the wall they shared between them, customers could wander back and forth, tasting wine and snacking on crackers and cheese.  It was the perfect symbiosis of oenophiles and cheesemongers. It couldn’t get any better. But yeah. It could. And it did.

Brothers David and Andrew Tavolacci, who sold fresh pasta and sauces at their little and much- loved store in Georgetown, made a smart decision to move to Fairfield and share the parking lot with Harry’s. Now we can shop for the trifecta of food – wine, cheese, and pasta – without re-parking the car.

Tutto’s is where you go to purchase fresh pasta and home-made sauces, Wave Hill Bread, pesto, soups, and a variety of specialty foods.

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Pasta Bolognese in Fairfield County Roundup: Part I

Mangia, Mangia Mangia…and Mangia again.

Pasta Bolognese..a dish so embedded in the DNA of Italian culture that the Italian Academy of Cuisine registered a recipe for "classic Bolognese ragù" with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. The recorded recipe calls for beef from the plate section, unsmoked pancetta, carrot, celery, onions, tomato purée, meat broth, dry wine, milk, salt and pepper, plus a small amount of cream as an option to finish the sauce. There are numerous variations and nuances in the design, flavor, ingredients and most importantly the partner on the plate, the pasta, traditionally a taggliatelle.

What started as a simple idea within CTbites to find and recommend a few good Pasta Bolognese dishes in Fairfield County took a life of its own as more suggestions led to more great sauces, which led to, well more great sauces. Over the last several weeks, the two of us have enjoyed some great Pasta Bolognese preparations (and several that were not so good) to give our readers a list of recommended restaurants that serve delicious versions of this traditional Italian fare. It is not all encompassing, is listed alphabetically and we look to our readers to offer other suggestions of restaurants that serve their favorite Pasta Bolognese to be included in next year's search.

And this is only part 1…there were too many for just one list of recommendations, so stay tuned for part 2 in the near future.

Buon Appetito!!!

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Eren’s Grill: Regional Turkish Cuisine in Fairfield CT

The first thing I noticed when I walked into Eren’s Grill was the neatness and precision of the refrigerator case.  Platters of perfectly aligned kebabs await the grill. Bowls of bright-red-hued eggplant-tomato salad and  pale, fluffy humus.  Glistening rows of dark-green stuffed grape leaves.  Then Eren, a young man wearing chef’s white’s embellished with the Turkish flag, stepped out from the open kitchen and proudly started telling me about his fresh and homemade food.

Fairfield’s new and only Turkish restaurant is a small joint in a strip mall. With just a few tables, it does a lot of take-out and catering. Whether eat-in or take-out, it’s a welcome addition to the Tunxis Hill section of Fairfield, a neighborhood that could use more good food. And the food here is good: fresh and full of flavor.  Ottoman cuisine has a long and noble history, and Eren – who was head chef of the Athens’ Tike, an international group of Turkish restaurants in places like London, Cyprus and Kiev -- for 8 years -- is proud to put his signature on it. “I want to play a little,” he says.

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Quattro Pazzi: Molto Popular... In Stamford & Fairfield CT

"Good food. Good prices. People will come." That was the recipe for success my Russian Grandfather formulated when he opened his world-famous Indianapolis delicatessen a century ago.

Biagio “Gino” Riccio must have channeled Grandpa. His jam-packed Quattro Pazzi restaurants in Stamford and Fairfield are testimony to what happens when you serve delicious fare at fair prices. People flock … making QP one of the most popular Italian restaurants in Connecticut. (In fact, over 5000 CTBites readers voted Quattro Pazzi as the best Italian in Fairfield Country.)

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Mini Treats & Hand-Held Sweets Book Signing with Abby Dodge

Popular cookbook author and baking expert Abby Dodge will be at Fairfield University Book Store to sign copies of her latest cookbook, Mini Treats & Hand-held Sweets. The event will be held on November 11 from 12 noon to 2 pm and will be at the Fairfield University Bookstore located at 1499 Post Road in Fairfield, CT. [Google Map]

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The Pantry in Fairfield: Market & Catering for Food-Lovers (sponsored post)

You won't believe what's in our PANTRY! Located at 1580 Post Road in Fairfield, Ct, The Pantry is much more than a food shop - it is Mecca for foodies as well as a one-stop-shop for busy consumers. Established in 2003 through the collaborative effort of chefs & food lovers, The Pantry has blossomed into a bustling marketplace stocked with an array of products and services for today's savvy clientele.  What have they got? Top quality butchered meats & seafood (delivered daily from various New York markets), award winning desserts and pastries (the bakery has received "Best Desserts in Fairfield County" from Fairfield Weekly for 9 consecutive years), restaurant quality prepared foods & catering services, a full deli and salad bar, groceries, produce and floral & customized gift baskets. Whether you are looking for a freshly tossed salad,  pan seared salmon with citrus, basil & olive oil or a chocolate chip cookie - The Pantry is the place to shop. This Pantry is stocked!!

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