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Entries in Italian (8)

Tuesday

16Feb2010

CTbites SuzySaid Lunch Event: Cafe Tavolini

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 10:59AM

SuzySaid & CTbites are teaming up again for our monthly lunch event. On February 23rd, we will be meeting up at Cafe Tavolini in Bridgeport for a special $15 prix fixe lunch. CTbites has yet to review this one, so help us find the words by sampling the cuisine and submitting your opinion. We're looking forward to seeing you there.

Here's what we're eating:

Appetizer:
Mista, Ceasar or Arugula Salad OR cup of pasta fagioli soup

Entree:

Baked Salmon with a tomato basil cream sauce, served with mixed vegetables and rice.
Penne alla Vodka
Chicken Marsala
Farfelle con Pollo, sauteed chicken, smoked mozzarella, eggplant & spinach tossed in a light tomato scampi butter sauce.

Dessert:
Limecello gelato, Homemade Bread Pudding or Tiramisu

Call 203-335-1111 to make your reservation, and mention CTbites.

Cafe Tavolini 3074 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport 203.335.1111

Osianna Taverna: A Lunch Oasis with Great Value

Deanna Foster |

Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 4:38PM

Going out for lunch carries specific expectations. If you’ve gone beyond the decision to just get a bite to eat, other desires come into play: In addition to good food, you want a certain atmosphere, efficient service, and ideally, a reasonable price. A recent mid-day visit to Osianna Mediterranean Taverna in Fairfield satisfied all our requirements for a delightfully laid back lunch with excellent food that nourished, but didn’t stuff us, and proved to be an exceptional value.

An energetic buzz greeted us when we entered the restaurant

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5 Comments | |

Eating Out | tagged

Lunch,

Seafood

Tuesday

26Jan2010

CTbites Votes: Best Italian in Fairfield County

Stephanie Webster |

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 9:00AM

Who needs Zagat's? Our 5000 CTbites readers have spoken, and they have rated Fairfield County's Italian offerings. Let's check out the numbers:

Quattro Pazzi 21%

Strada 18 17%

Pasta Nostra 16%

Paci 11%

Columbus Park Trattoria 9%

Tutti's Ristorante 11%

Molto 6%

Liana's 9%

Watch for our next CTbites Votes poll coming soon.

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Eating Out | tagged

CTbites Votes,

Italian

Thursday

07Jan2010

All in the Family Bargain @ Tutti’s Ristorante

Christy Colasurdo |

Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 11:00AM

Since I’ve lived up in Connecticut, I’ve been less than impressed with many of the area’s “finest” Italian restaurants. I just can’t wrap my head around a precious $25 dish of angel hair pasta studded with a few shrimps or lobster morsels—a portion that wouldn’t satisfy a seven-year-old

Growing up, my family frequented some of the best Italian restaurants in New York and Long Island. We knew most of the proprietors by name—and they knew ours. I’m not talking about the pretentious, upscale Italian eateries pandering to the facelift and Fendi crowd, but the tiny, authentic holes-in-the-wall catering to folks who know great Italian food doesn’t mean a hose down.

Give me a real family-run Italian joint any day—a laid-back trattoria presided over by the owners, where the entrees, pastas and sauces are homemade, plentiful and most likely prepared and served with a smile by a bonafide member of the family tree. That’s just what you’ll find at Tutti’s Ristorante.

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Pizzeria Molto in Fairfield is Molto Bene

Deanna Foster |

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 1:53PM

Deciding where to go for lunch has always been a highly situational dilemma for me. The right place can depend on my mood, the purpose – are we going just for fun or is there work to be done, the number of people involved and the occasion, if any. Too often, my stable of choices has seemed just one horse short of a winner. Recently, however, I had two excellent lunches at Pizzeria Molto in Fairfield, one for work and one for pleasure; the food and the atmosphere were just right on both occasions.

Molto occupies a large, corner space in the Brick Walk Promenade and despite its size it is immediately warm and inviting. The front of the room holds an assortment of tables with café chairs; then leads to an expansive space lined by a row of booths on one side and a lengthy bar with red leather studded bar stools on the other. The vibe is reminiscent of a French Brasserie, where you’d be greeted with a hearty “Bonjour”, but the menu and the food definitely shout “Mangia”.

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Eating Out | tagged

Fairfield,

Italian,

Pizza

Sunday

11Oct2009

Food for the Whole Family @ Rizzuto's in Westport

Stephanie Webster |

Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 12:22PM

You could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from local residents when Rizzuto's opened last week in Westport. Situated in the old Conte's location by the train station, this new kid on the block has boasted a packed dining room since opening day. This is remarkable given both the economy (it's reasonable but not cheap), and the cavernous size of the actual dining space. Those who had sampled the fare in the first few days seemed almost surprised by the quality of the food coming from their "Wood Fired" Kitchen and Bar, as if they had given up hope for our town, but now felt renewed. I speak from experience when I say Westport has been waiting a long time for a casual kid-friendly dining space with a little atmosphere and solid food. After the fourth person stopped me in the street to inquire as to whether I had visited this new hot spot, I decided I had best get over there and see for myself what all the buzz was about.

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3 Comments | |

Eating Out | tagged

Saturday

25Jul2009

Local Gelateria Brings Milan to Your Market

Stephanie Webster |

Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 4:49PM

I always enjoy walking into Whole Foods, but last week the trip was extra sweet. A representative from Gelato Giuliana, a local authentic Italian gelateria, was handing out samples of their handmade frozen dessert. Never one to turn down anything sweet, I raced over for their signature LaGiuliana (made with expresso, marscapone, and chocolate) and a personal favorite, coconut. Both were creamy, intensely flavorful, and had that "made that morning" freshness. Here comes the best part...This local Gelateria (with a storefront in Glastonbury), has been for years selling primarily to restaurants like Aqua (Westport), and Mediterraneo (Greenwich), but is now making their artisan gelato available in pints at many local markets including Whole Foods, Garelick & Herbs, A & P Fresh in Greenwich, and Stiles Farmer's Market in Westport. I walked out with containers of Tiramisu and Poma Di Currant, excited to share my find with our dinner guests that evening.

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Ingredients | tagged

Italian,

dessert

Sunday

12Jul2009

Grated Greatness: Julian's Brick Oven Pizzeria

Alexandra Wells |

Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 6:38PM

It would be easy to dismiss Julian’s Brick Oven as yet another one of Westport’s new crop of pizzerias-- with its temporary sign, small unassuming storefront, lack of marketing (heck, for a while you couldn’t even get their number from 411!). But when the pizza is this good, word spreads quickly and your detective powers kick in. Their standard pie is “New Haven Style” (think Pepe’s without the lines). It is chewy, perfectly salted, and sports a thin crust (but not wafer thin like Fat Cat Pie Co.), simple tomato sauce, and wonderfully fresh mozzarella. Their signature wood-burning brick oven, the centerpiece of this small restaurant, adds the finishing touch on this flavorful, highly satisfying pizza.

But what REALLY has me going back to Julian’s and crafting new excuses for mid-week pizza night (last soccer practice? American Idol finale? It stopped raining?) is their grated cheese pizza – 100% Pecorino Romano grated over homemade tasty red sauce

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2 Comments | |

Eating Out | tagged

Pizza,