Ancona’s Market is 90 Years Young

A familiar fixture in Ridgefield for the past ninety (!) years, Ancona’s Market will celebrate their anniversary this Saturday, July 24 with an open house and evening benefit.

The day-long open house will be “in full-swing by noon” and feature activities for children, live music and tasting stations from many vendors including Ola Granola, Simmons Family Farm Yogurt, Arethusa Farms Milk, and Wave Hill Bread. You can also stop next door at Ancona’s Wines and Liquors to sample their usual Saturday tastings from 12 noon to 3 pm and 3 to 6 pm or stroll through what has to be one of the most diverse and well-stocked walk-in coolers around (and also where you’ll find me).

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A Truly Excellent Apple Pie @ Stew Leonard's

It's a few hours before your guests arrive for that big family BBQ. You're scrambling to get the prep done before the doorbell rings….and oh no…you realize you forgot the dessert!!  Fear not my brave Fairfield County residents. Stew Leonard's has the perfect solution for you…and you'd never guess it wasn't homemade. 

Named "best pie in America" by Gourmet Magazine as well as the Wall Street Journal (a dubious food critic, but we'll go with it), Stew's is now carrying The Elegant Farmer's "Apple Pie Baked In A Paper Bag." I know what you're thinking. 1. Stew's? Really? and 2. Doesn't the bag go up in flames? Yes and no. 

We were introduced to this gem by a CTbites reader, and had to check it out for ourselves. This Wisconsin based pie shop uses apples fresh from their farm, and they make their pies just how I like them.

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Cheese Wheels: Smile and Say, “CHEESE!”

There’s something udderly amazing going down in Fairfield County.  MOOOOVE over Pizza and  Taco truck and make way for the new cow in town! For the sophisticated palate, Westport’s Mirabelle Cheese Shop is going portable with "CHEESE WHEELS."  Andrea Itin, co-owner (with her husband) of the Fromagerie since 2008, has decided to go mobile, and she’s coming to a Farmers’ Market or private function near you. Here’s the (not-so!) skinny:

No matter what you’re into, there’s curd for you! Headed to your favorite wine shop for a tasting? Don’t be surprised if you see a reproduction 1940’s Tear Drop Trailer parked in the lot. As you pass, wafts of delectable cheese caress your nostrils and you go inside for a glass. As you sip the wine merchant’s favorite red of the month, you will be treated to divine local cheese on top of Isabelle et Vincent’s (1903 Post Road in Fairfiled) crusty baguette. Paired perfectly, cheese and wine are a marriage made in heaven. Another wine, another cheese, and you are in the zone.  

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Crave-Worthy From Trader Joe's

My husband hates shopping with me. It can take me a full 20 minutes to get down a "good" aisle as I'm always looking for new and interesting products. Trader Joe's is one of my favorite places for time-wasting as they are constantly coming up with unusual and unexpected grocery items with interesting ingredient combinations. Who didn't love the seaweed puffed corn balls, the chocolate covered edamame, or the 80 ways to use the Acai berry? If you roast an Acai berry in cayenne is it still healthy?  

On a recent trip to Trader Joe's I came across an item on the end-caps that had previously gone unnoticed…Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds with Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar. The description was mouthwatering all by itself. I must admit I have a weakness for salted confections, or really anything with that sweet-salty combo that has become so popular of late. I dropped them into the cart, and now rue the day as I have been addicted ever since. 

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Whole Foods Market Opens in Darien

On Monday night, I joined the 1,900 person throng that descended on the new Whole Foods store in Darien for a "Sneak Peak Party."  My two boys and I were treated to dozens of tastings, all from local vendors, that spanned the perimeter of the store, from appetizers to desserts. 

First up was raw oysters, handed over by Captain Northrop, a local aquaculture farmer who informed us that the shellfish were pulled from the water in Westport just an hour-and-a-half ago. They were large, fresh and worthy of any reputable raw bar. Other raw offerings at the store include clams and other oysters, plus tuna, salmon, eel and shrimp sashimi.

We sampled sashimi tuna steak, served Tataki syle with Whole Food's wasabi aioli

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The Olive Market: Georgetown's Eclectic Treasure

Upon entering The Olive Market in Redding, you can’t help but be surprised by the unique setting.  Envision Pottery Barn mixed in with a little Williams Sonoma, add a dash of Murray’s Cheese Shop…well, you get the picture.  The Olive Market's menu, under Chef Fernando, displays a similarly intriguing fusion of foods with influences from Uruguay, Portugal, Italy, and Spain. Here you will find everything from empanadas, tapas and fondue, to paninis and pizzas. They also sell cheeses and olives by the pound and have a very browse-worthy home goods store attached to the café. The store stays open until the restaurant closes so there’s plenty of time to check out the goods while waiting for your food to arrive.  

Dining tables are nestled amongst shelves lined with a beautiful array of gourmet food items like olive oils, flavored salts, fondue pots, and cooking tools. I even found O & Co. White Truffle Oil which I thought I could only purchase in Grand Central.  Terrazzo tiles, dark blue ceilings and vibrantly colored paintings add to the eclectic, warm atmosphere. 

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GourMom's Homemade Organic Salsa & Simmer Sauce

Sarah Galluzzo  waits with great anticipation for the ground to thaw and the spring to arrive in CT. OK,  we are all yearning for spring.... but her product depends on it! GourMom's  USDA certified organic salsa and simmer sauce is her scrumptious creation.  She is committed to using LOCAL and CERTIFIED ORGANIC ingredients for this chunky, choc full o'flavor salsa.  As a salsa enthusiast,  I was enthralled by her story and her product. We chatted at the Pantry in Fairfield, one of her retail outlets,  and she explained about the launching of this super local, super delicious product. Her excitement was contagious as she shared her story.

In 2008 Galuzzo decided to get serious about selling her salsa and test the market.  She had been dubbed "GourMom" by friends and family

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School is Back in Session @ Fairfield Cheese Company

Fairfield Cheese Company classes are back in session and school has never been this delicious. Whether you are a cheese novice looking for a an introduction to the basics, or a cheese-aficionado seeking to expand your knowledge on a specific variety, they've got the class for you. 

I jumped at the chance to attend one of these sessions back in October and spent some time with owners Laura and Christopher who lead these entertaining and informative evenings. If you would like some background on Fairfield Cheese Company, check out our review, "Cheese 101."

With wine pairings from Harry's Wine & Liquor, this is the perfect way to break out of that dinner-and-a-movie date night rut. If you attend any of the classes below, let us know what you think!

Cheese School Class Schedule-Spring  2010

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Beautiful Baked Goods @ CakeSuite

Westporters have had their cake prayers answered with the recent opening of Michelle Klem's designer cake boutique and bakery storefront  CakeSuite.  Actually, given CakeSuite's proximity to I-95, pretty much everybody in Fairfield County should be feeling pretty lucky.

CakeSuite opened just before Christmas but launched officially last week with a festive tasting event. Eager to sample the goods at this new sweet shop, we arrived hungry. The retail space is a bright, pristine, white tiled bakery with a glass case filled with trays of cookies and other elegant treats. The work area of this bakery is in full view for all you cooking voyeurs. For this celebration, Michelle had prepared a generous variety of miniatures to taste. Supporters and cake lovers mingled in the bakery, sipping champagne and nibbling on the irresistible cookies and cakes. The tiered trays were piled high, but S. and I managed to taste everything.

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Maine Shrimp Are Coming to Norwalk!

The season for sweet, Maine shrimp is here but not much, if any, makes it to Fairfield County. That’s about to change. 

Yesterday’s New York Times had an article about Maine shrimp that said the season is so bountiful this year that “the State Department of Marine Resources has extended it to May 1.” How crazy are foodies about these shrimp? According to the same article Community Supported Fisheries programs where consumers sign up to receive “frozen hand-peeled shrimp in five one-pound bags once a month for five months” are popular but the closest drop sites are in Brooklyn. The article’s end note states that the shrimp are sold “fresh in the shell in Manhattan for $9 a pound at Wild Edibles at Grand Central Market.” 

Don’t go to Manhattan or ask your spouse or friend to do you a favor and pick some up at Grand Central, because you can get them at 1/3 the price of their Manhattan brethren this Saturday from 10-2 at the new Norwalk Indoor Winter Farmers’ Market at 61-65 Wall Street.

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