The Wine Mapp Opens in Greenwich

The Wine Mapp, a unique wine and spirits boutique, recently opened its doors in Greenwich. The store is nicely sized, cozy and intimate. There’s a feeling of warmth at The Wine Mapp that eludes the larger competitors.  

The store is owned by Allyson and Charlie Do of Norwalk. It was Charlie who first had the idea of opening up such a shop after visiting a restaurant in New York City where a waiter came out with a list of wines that were stored on an electric tablet of some sort. He knew, at that moment, that he was going to open a wine shop that would incorporate technology - more specifically, he knew he was going to incorporate the iPad to give customers the best possible shopping experience. 

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ReNapoli: An Education in Pizza in Old Greenwich

What can pizza be? ReNapoli in Old Greenwich answers with one kitchen, two ovens, and three distinct pizza styles. Dining at ReNapoli isn’t just a meal, it's the equivalent of a three-credit course in pizza.

Owner and pizzaoilo Bruno DiFabio has been making pizza for thirty years. A fact made more interesting when you consider he is only 42.  A first generation Italian American, DiFabio was already working the lead sauté station at age 16 in his grandfather's restaurant kitchen. Fast forward a few decades, several restaurants, five World Pizza Championship titles and stints at the famed ovens of Spacca Napoli, Da Michele and Trianon in Naples, and you have the genesis of ReNapoli. 

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Greenwich Food & Wine Festival

The first annual Greenwich 2011 FOOD+WINE FESTIVAL will take place on October 22nd and 23rd to benefit Breast Cancer Alliance. This grand event is presented by Serendipity magazine, and if you like food and celebrity chefs, you'll want to keep reading...

The weekend-long event at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich will include a Culinary Village tent with more than 60 exclusive food, wine and spirit experts, BBQ Grill Masters, Sunday brunch specialties, a Market Place, celebrity book signings, private event tents and live performances by Rusted Root, Entrain and Sister Hazel among others.

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Revisiting Boxcar Cantina in Greenwich

It may draw inspiration from the cantinas of New Mexico and the mid-century Americana of Rt. 66, but Boxcar Cantina in Greenwich is most deeply rooted in the soil of Connecticut. 

Locally sourced and organic ingredients have been a signature of Boxcar’s New Mexican-inspired menu for the past seventeen years well before Farm-to-Table was a claim to fame. With a weekly presence at the Westport Farmer’s Market and a green restaurant certification, the first thing you may notice upon arriving at this Greenwich restaurant are several small raised herb and vegetable garden beds filled with a variety of lettuces, herbs, tomatoes and peppers (depending on the season) that will invariably make it onto your plate. If you're as curious as I was, when I stopped by earlier in the growing season, an impressive lineup of lettuces included: Emerald Oak Lettuce, Mascara Lettuce, Lollo Bionda Lettuce, Lollo Rossa Lettuce, Gourmet Lettuce Mix, and Claytonia. 

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Ad: Big News for Pinkberry Fans...Greenwich & More

Attn. Fairfield County fro-yo lovers. Pinkberry has some big news and great new services coming to their Fairfield location! And if you reside further South, they've got something for you too. Downtown Greenwich store is opening soon.  

Curbside Pick Up

For those times when you need your Pinkberry fix but you don't feel like braving the parking challenges of downtown Fairfield, let the fro-yo come to you. Yes…I kid you not. Just call in your order 15 minutes prior to desired pick up time and sidle (or idle) up to the curb. One of Pinkberry's friendly servers will happily walk your frozen dessert to your car.

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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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China White Opens in Greenwich w/ Authentic Chinese

In Fairfield County, finding top notch authentic Chinese cuisine is akin to finding a little night life…it's slim pickings at best. Filling a void, and satisfying his own craving, Greenwich resident Jody Pennette of cb5 Restaurant Group (Lolita Cocina, Red Lulu, Gabriele's Steak House) decided to take matters into his own hands with the newly opened China White Noodle Bar.

Six years in the making, China White, is a sleek, modern restaurant that prepares real Chinese food…the kind you may have experienced in NYC's China Town. Think ‘dumpling noodle house’ meets ‘Chinatown street vendor,’ prepared by real Hong Kong cooks. As if this is not appealing enough, China White takes the menu one step further, featuring natural chicken, local raised pork, grass fed beef, wild caught seafood, cage-free chicken eggs, organic duck, and organic vegetables. The result is clean, classically sophisticated Chinese cuisine with family-style dining and a subtly hip vibe. 

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Douro: Portugese-Mediterranean in Greenwich

Greenwich: just say that word and you can see fancy convertibles cars slowly driving through the Avenue, white gloved policeman directing traffic, and people carrying shopping bags awaiting for a whistle command to cross the streets. On and surrounding this fashionable Avenue, you will also see lots of eateries, among them Douro, a Portuguese inspired restaurant that opened doors in September of 2009.

With its typical blue tile sign outside the entrance, terracotta floors, and dark wooden tables, Douro might appear to be just another trendy Greenwich restaurant. Good looking people and a good looking staff fill this charming place. Douro sets its standards and fits its West Putman Avenue location like a glove, but this Portuguese/Mediterranean venue  is more than it seems.

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Don't Put That In Your Mouth!

Jeffrey M. Smith, the author of “The Campaign for Healthier Eating in America” and the Executive Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology will be speaking in Connecticut at the Greenwich Audubon Center on April 27 and at the Fairfield Community Film Institute on April 28 on the health implications of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). 

From the Fairfield Green Food Guide: 

Smith’s first book Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating became the world’s best-selling and # 1 rated book on GMOs. His second book, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, is the authoritative work that presents irrefutable evidence that GMOs are harmful. It includes 65 health dangers, linking GMOs to toxic and allergic reactions, thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals.

For more information on Smith and the events, visit Fairfield Green Food Guide.

Gabriele's in Greenwich: A Steakhouse With Italian Roots

An American Italian restaurant dressed in elegant steakhouse clothes, Gabriele's in Greenwich is the bespoke incarnation of Luca's, the Italian restaurant and caterer that's inhabited Church Street for the past fifteen years.

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Versailles Restaurant: French Fare in Greenwich

Ah, Versailles.  So distant. So unreachable.  So . . . French.  

Well, that’s how our group felt after canceling /rescheduling our planned trip to this well-established Greenwich eatery THREE separate times.  As it turns out, each date was snowier, icier and slushier than the one before.  It took three snow storms, three snow days and nearly a month, but we finally made it.

The new location (a few doors down from the original on Greenwich Ave.) is lovely and trimly elegant.  We arrived early for lunch … and it’s a good thing we did. The dining room was full to capacity -- with a line out the door -- by 12:20.

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Fairfield County's Top 10 Spots for Valentine's Dinner

Looking for that perfect restaurant to woo your significant other this Valentine's Day? Try one of these great romantic spots in Fairfield County, CT. 

Schoolhouse - Wilton This quaint renovated schoolhouse is the quintessential special occasion spot (if you can get a reservation). Local ingredients and nuanced flavors highlight this menu.  

Paci - Southport Nestled in the Southport train station, Paci's unique interior combines a renovated freight depot with urban modern chic. This Southport favorite has been serving some of the best Italian fare in FC since 1996. 

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Reheated: An Epic Week for Taco Lovers

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

In Connecticut...

El Charrito, the beloved taco truck located in Stamford's east side, has opened a take-out space in Greenwich.

And not to be left out, Casa Villa, that other beacon of tacos and Mexican fare has opened a second location at 886 East Main Street in Stamford.

As reported last week, bartaco is open in Port Chester, and soon to open in Stamford with tacos and fare inspired by Mexican street food.

Going, going ... The Sun Winefest 2011 is being held on January 29. A great day trip for sampling wine & food from the region. Info via MohegunSun.com.

All you can eat pancakes at participating IHOP's until February 27 (Stamford location may be the closest). What New Year's Resolutions? Via A La Carte Dining Blog.

A perfect tower of tuna tartare at Bernard's in Ridgefield. Via The Feast/Connecticut.

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El Charrito Poised to Open in Greenwich

It's official. The infamous El Charrito taco truck is opening a second location in Riverside (Greenwich), CT on Monday, January 10, 2010. Found most days on the West Side of Stamford at Jackie Robinson Park, The El Charrito truck will be opening a take-out operation based out of a commercial kitchen in Riverside, CT, opening just days after they close their truck for the winter.

This news direct from El Charrito and the Lunch Break Chronicles. Want to get pumped for Monday? Read our CTbites review.

See you Monday!

Moe's Burger Joint in Old Greenwich via The Hamblogger

Photo: Chris Preovolos

It's safe to say we've had burgers on the brain this week. Our recent CTbites Burger Shout-Out is our ode to this quintessential American dish with dozens of readers weighing in on their favorite burger. So when I saw the all-beef-all-the-time blog The Hamblogger touched down in CT at Moe's Burger Joint in Old Greenwich, I knew I had to share the love. The Hamblogger's Chris Preovolos sums up what makes Moe's "a serious hamburger establishment." 

"Situated in a tiny strip mall of sorts along busy Route 1 in what is otherwise the great-granddaddy of waspy suburbs, Moe’s sticks out. A vast majority of the patronage here — including myself — could be classified as proverbial East-Coast-elitists, but that doesn’t stop Moe’s from being a serious hamburger establishment."

Read the full review (and check out some gorgeous burger photos) on The Hamblogger.