Hunan Pavilion: Chinese in Fairfield for 22 Years

I’d been lamenting the lack of good Chinese food in Fairfield County, a complaint I’ve shared with quite a few food lovers here, including a friend who’s a Westport transplant from Singapore. To stop my whining, said friend took me to her family’s favorite Chinese restaurant in Fairfield, Hunan Pavilion. Ever since, I haven’t been deprived of good Chinese nearby, and now neither will you. 

Hunan Pavilion has been in the same Post Road location in Fairfield for 22 years and it’s very good. But to insure a truly exceptional experience, skip over the conventional menu and jump right to the Shanghai Bund Select (or Shanghai New Menu), an edited list of house specialties and an eclectic mix of Shanghai, Szechuan, and Hunan cuisines. Also ask for the menu in Chinese, even if you don’t speak a word of any dialect. The Chinese menu isn’t overly extensive, and if you aren’t shy about it, the staff will patiently translate, and this is where the hidden treasures can be found. 

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Nothin' But Bars: Best Granola Bar in CT?

In a world all about “grab and go,” I was happy to stumble upon “Nothin' But” snack bars after a spinning class at Joy Ride in Westport recently. That same week, we spotted them at the Westport Farmers’ market and the Village Market in Wilton. Seems that the chewy little bars, packed with ‘nothin’ but’ organic oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruits and hand-mixed with organic cane sugar, olive oil and honey have found a cult following in Fairfield County. Not only are these the tastiest and most nutritionally dense snack bars we’ve tried (not too dry, not too sweet, loaded with fruits, nuts and all-natural ingredients), they’re also packaged in re-sealable Ziploc bags so that you can eat half in the morning and save the other half for a midday pick-me-up (if you have the willpower).

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Tim’s Philly Steaks Opens in Norwalk

Tim’s Philly Steaks opened on Westport Avenue in Norwalk several weeks ago and I am not one to resist the calling of bread, meat, cheese and grilled onions. So I braved the weather to try one of my favorite sandwiches, and I was not disappointed. 

Many years ago I was taught that eating a cheesesteak is always performed while in “the position.” This entails standing with your legs positioned directly beneath your shoulders, a slight bend forward at the waist, a second bend at the neck with your jaw protruding and always use two hands on the sandwich. The goal is to avoid any of the delicious ingredients landing on your chest or stomach. So when I sampled Tim’s cheesesteak while seated at a table (there are three booths and four tables inside) it was an unusual feeling, but I still assumed “the position” of leaning forward and I successfully consumed the sandwich sans accident 

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Norwalk's Valencia Luncheria is Moving!

“Valencia Luncheria customers will never have to wait in line again” says Michael Young, owner of the Norwalk eatery that has achieved cult-like status in the minds and stomachs of Fairfield County diners. After 6 years of arepa driven success, Valencia is growing up and getting bigger...much bigger in fact. Michael Young tells CTbites that Norwalk's Valencia Luncheria will be moving to a new location, possibly as soon on April 1st (no joke) just 600 feet down the street. While the menu and look and feel will not change, the address will.  Put it in your nav systems; 164 Main Street will be the new home to Chef Young’s authentic Venezuelan beach food. 

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Cactus Rose Cantina -- Santa Fe Meets Wilton

“What’s a nice Greek girl like you doing running a place like this?” I ask Maria Pertesis, who with her mother Katrina, has just opened Cactus Rose, a vibrant new Southwestern themed cantina in Wilton.    “My family has owned a Greek diner in Fairfield for almost 40 years,” she offers. “So my mother and I wanted to try something new and exciting.”  

And that’s exactly what these amazing women have wrought.  Under their husbandry, the former Mediterranean Grill in the Wilton Center has blossomed into a fun-filled, warm, and welcoming hacienda. Indeed, the restaurant came up almost overnight, as if itself a desert flower.

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MESA- Modern Mexican on Fairfield's Black Rock Tpke

There's a new muchacha in town, and her name is MESA! Bold as brass and situated in what has been, at least during my 10 years in Fairfield County, a most unlikely zone, this modern Mexican is worth its weight in oro. It is fair to say that my last choice when picking an ethnic food destination has always been Mexican. (Having been to Mexico many times, and having eaten the absolute freshest delicious food there, I have always found American-Mexican to be heavy, loaded with too much cheese and way too saucy.)  But the times they are a'changin and Mesa is making its way to the top of my destination list. Why you may ask? I'll tell you. 

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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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o.a.t.s: A Modern Take on Granola

What does “o.a.t.s.” stand for? Outrageously addictive tasty snack?   Obscenely arduous to stop [eating]? Yes, but no. Simply put, o.a.t.s. is oats. Plus a handful of other identifiable ingredients (all of which I can pronounce), combined to create a truly delicious “granola for the foodie.”

o.a.t.s. granola was developed only a year ago by two Westport women, Julie Gaines and Dana Noorily. Both women are busy moms – between them they have five kids under the age of seven – and passionate foodies.  Disappointed by commercial granolas, Julie set out to bake her own at home.  After sharing the results with Dana, they joined forces, selling hundreds of mason jars of the granola through friends and family last holiday season.  

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Ambler Farm Maple Syrup Tap-a-Tree Family Events

Maple Syrup Tap-a-Tree

Training dates: Saturday, February 11th from 11am - noon and Sunday, February 12th from 12:30 - 1:30pm.

In this extremely popular program, your family will learn the science and history of maple syruping by being a hands-on part of the process. You will choose a tree at the Farm and hang your bucket that will collect sap. We will boil down the sap in our sugar shack and send each family home with their very own bottle of Ambler Farm maple syrup. Enrollment Limited: This program sold out quickly in previous years so please do not wait to sign up. The number of trees at the Farm is limited, so we are unable to accommodate late requests or wait lists. Classes are $60 per family if members, $65 for non member family. Register here + more information. 

Middlebrook Maple Syrup Program

This 6 week program runs from early February through mid-March. Students in grades 6-8 will meet after school on Thursdays until 4:10. They will tap over 50 trees

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Rizzuto’s Italian Kitchen in Stamford

Rizzuto’s Italian Kitchen opened in Stamford this past November as the fourth location in Bill Rizzuto's casual Italian dining concept. With restaurants already in Bethel, Westport and West Hartford, tireless and engaging owner Bill Rizzuto chose the Stamford spot (near the Greenwich border) embracing the open space with tri-level dining, a formidable bar and a central beamy oven. Interested to see how they adapted to their Stamford address and eager to try our hand at making our own pizza, we dropped by for a behind-the-scenes look at their kitchen, the new gas-powered pizza oven and what objects of our affection that oven could create for us hungry souls.

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Hope Pizza in Stamford: Best Greek Pizza in Western CT?

"Gooey," that's what my late great mother craved in her pizza, and this woman loved food more than any person I've ever known. ("Don't talk to me," she would admonish. "I'm eating."}

Well, Mom would have devoured the pizza at Stamford's Hope Pizza, maybe the best of the thirty some Greek pizzerias hidden throughout Fairfield County. What makes Greek pizza gooey is what distinguishes it from the more heralded Connecticut Italian pizzas. Bearing no New Haven char, Colony heat, Batali chic, much less any passionate defenders or detractors in the food press or blogosphere, Greek Pizza flourishes under the radar, boasting few fancy frills, though, admittedly, more oil.

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Chocolate, Pecan & Orange Biscotti c/o Nicole Straight

Holiday cookie time is just around the corner, so if you are starting to gather recipes like we are, you will want to add this one to the "virtual" stack. Chef Nicole Straight likes to keep it simple for all those busy cooks out there. This recipe is no exception. Get some decorative boxes and give the gift of cookies this holiday season. 

Chocolate, Pecan and Orange Biscotti

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The Whey Station Grilled Cheese Truck in Middletown

Jill Moskites works the grill while her husband, Josh, takes lunch orders from a hungry crowd.  It’s a cold Wednesday afternoon in October, perfect for what The Whey Station is serving up -- gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, hearty, “truckmade” soups and specialty hot dogs.  Fortunately for all of us, The Whey Station is the newest local addition to the handful of food trucks hitting the streets.

It’s a new endeavor for the Moskites, who until recently were familiar faces at their family’s gourmet foods shop, The Wild Raspberry in Cromwell, and together they have about 19 years restaurant and specialty foods experience.

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Ola Granola: Fairfield County Mom Creates Super Snack

Ola Granola has been available in grocery stores from Maine to New Jersey for almost two and a half years, and it has already made a big splash with the crunchy crowd. And it was developed right here in Fairfield County. 

 “It always tastes really fresh and natural” says Stamford mom, Elise Klein, “I even keep it in the refrigerator!”

And that is what most people like about Ola. “It’s made from the kinds of things you would find in your pantry like cinnamon and maple syrup. The flavors are all natural,” says Dina Houser, Fairfield county mom and the founder of the brand.

Inspired by her mother’s recipe, Dina has been making granola for years

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Chilibomb Opens in Fairfield: Calling All Chiliheads!

Calling all chiliheads:  On a portion of Fairfield's Black Rock Turnpike that should be dubbed “restaurant row,” sits a newly opened storefront restaurant, Chilibomb.

The brainchild of Stamford native, Peter Weberg Jr., Chilibomb is the first in the area to serve an impressive array of mouthwatering chilis in addition to having created an Oscar worthy brand for his business. Peter started making chili simply because, he liked it...a lot. From there, he started entering his chili into the numerous fairs and chili contests around the area.  You may have also known him back in the late 80’s when he ran a food truck called Buffalo Pete’s serving hot dogs ‘n’ chili.  After jobs in the food industry behind the scenes, he decided it was time to bring his chili dream to life. “Chilibomb,” aptly named after his hot selling chili of yester year, was finally coined and trademarked in 2008.

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