Dinners at the Farm Tickets on Sale TODAY= Great Gift

The 7th season of Dinners at the Farm has just been announced...just in time for holiday shopping. Every summer Dinners at the Farm brings their celebrated benefit dinner series to local Connecticut farms by hosting amazing multi-course feasts of just from the earth food, cooked fresh that day. They'll be dicing, chopping, sautéing and plating delicious locally grown food in the fields of host farms including Barberry HIll Farm, Scott's Farm & Greenhouses and White Gate Farm for 12 glorious summer nights in 2013.

And, as with every year, these dinners are benefits. Dinners at the Farm will be donating $20,000 towards the critical work of our beneficiaries CitySeed, CT Farm Land Trust, Working Lands Alliance,Region 4 Schools and NEW this year, The New Connecticut Farmer Alliance, a group of emerging farmers working to grow and sustain new farms in Connecticut ensuring a viable agricultural future. Visit their schedules and tickets page for more details and to purchase tickets. 

Farm dinners make great gifts, just in time for the holidays. View our PHOTO GALLERY here. 

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SoNo Market Place Opens December 1st in Norwalk

A week prior to the official opening on Saturday December 1^st, SoNo Market Place decided to sponsor a soft opening on November 23^rd and I decided that tasting some good local food was a whole lot better than fighting the crowds at the mall.

All of the food purveyors were in full test-mode and my first stop was Flat White Coffee to taste the coffee described to CTbites by owner, John Palino, back in September. This was a creamy blend of rich coffee and steamed milk, a brand brought over from New Zealand, and one that should meet with great success in CT. 

But it's not just about coffee at SoNo Market Place. With over 20 food vendors and eateries, this European style market is poised to be a foodie destination. Guests lined up at Wise Guys Pizza for New Haven style pies; Norm Bloom served up fresh oysters and clams straight from the Norwalk waters, and Fish & Chips were on the menu from Gotta Nibble.  Caterering company, Festivities, has a permananet spot here with their take-out biz, "Party Express." Local specialty purveyors and well known brands such as Knipschildt Chocolatier, Wave Hill Breads, and Nothin' But Granola have also opened shop at the market. 

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White Truffle Wine Dinner @ Bar Sugo in Norwalk

For More information or to make a reservation: CALL: (203) 956-7134 or EMAIL: info@barsugo.com

Bar Sugo is located at 102 Wall St. Norwalk, CT 06854

Morello Italian Bistro: Toning it Down in Tony Greenwich Town

With high-end restaurants like Thomas Henkelmann, Rebecca’s,  Jean Louis,  L’escale, and Polpo, the Greenwich food scene is hallmarked by special occasion dining.   Though lush and lux, the cuisines are rough on wallets and waistlines.     

At first blush, Morello’s on Greenwich Avenue seems to be part of that plush world.   The setting, a landmark Beaux Arts bank building woven with spectacular arches and ceilings tiled in golden amber by the Catalan architect Rafel Guastavino, Jr,  may be the most lavish, sexiest dining space in all of Connecticut.   Moreover, the bistro is part of the exclusive restaurant portfolio belonging to international jet setter and billionaire Marlon Abela, a collection that includes Michelin star eateries in London, as well as a Voce in Manhattan and Bistro du Midi in Boston.    

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Martel Restaurant & Stew's Wines Team Up for Champagne Dinner

Who doesn't love a good wine dinner? And don't bubbles make it just a little bit better?

Stew’s Wines in Norwalk is hosting a Duval-LeRoy Wine Champagne dinner on Thurs, Oct 25 with Martel Restaurant in Fairfield (www.martelrestaurant.com).  This four course menu features a tasty menu paired with the perfect Duval-LeRoy champagne. The event starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $85/pp.  To purchase tickets, readers can call restaurant manager Marty Levine at 203-292-6916 and he’ll take a reservation for the event. 

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Ridgefield Chef Swap: Bernard Boisseau & Jeff Taibe

Chefs Bernard Bouissou of Bernard's Restaurant, and Chef Jeff Taibe of Southwest Café will join forces in the kitchen for two, five-course wine dinners in October. Southwest Café owner Barbara Nevins and Bernard's/Sarah's Wine Bar co-owner Sarah Boisseau will host these festive evenings.

The classically trained French chef Bernard Boisseau will be embracing hatch chilies, cooking alongside Southwest Café's chef Jeff Taibe for Southwest's annual chile-centric Harvest Wine Dinner on Tuesday, October 2, 2012. Two weeks later on Sunday, October 21, Chef Jeff Taibe will be cooking in the kitchen at Bernard's, teaming up with Bernard for a dinner upstairs at Sarah's Wine Bar, for a contemporary French evening with a twist! Both evenings are $65 per person for 5 courses with 5 wine pairings (tax and gratuity is additional).

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Dutch Henry Winery Wine Dinner @ Dressing Room

Dressing Room in Westport is hosting a few events this Spring that are worth that cost of that baby sitter. The first is a special wine dinner with Dutch Henry Winery on Wed April 18th featuring guest speaker Deborah Bazzano-Banhos of DoValle Wines. Dutch Henry Winery specializes in small lots of Handcrafted wines producing 5,000 cases annually, and was named one of the “top five” wineries to visit while in Napa by the Wall Street Journal. These wine dinners are informative and the pairings are impeccable. Check out the delicious menu below courtesy of Chef Jon Vaast:

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CTbites Invites: Coromandel Wine Dinner Recap

“The goal of this evening is so you will dare to order a glass of wine next time you dine at a restaurant.” Those were the words of Coromandel’s managing partner, chef, and jack of all trades, Gopi Nair at the latest CTBites Invites event where Indian cuisine was paired with wines from around the world. 

But wine with Indian food? It is possible. Apparently wine was popular among Indians thousands of years ago but as time passed the country became integrated which resulted in wine becoming all but obsolete. Nair explained to the dining room of food fanatics that he did not grow up pairing wine with food but people should not stray from marrying the two. “You can come to an Indian restaurant and order wine,” Nair said. “You don’t have to order beer or a martini.” 

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Cheers to CAVA Wine Dinner @ Barcelona Restaurant

If you're in the neighborhood and like your bubbles, don't miss the "Cheers to CAVA Wine Dinner" on Thursday, April 12th at Barcelona Restaurant in West Hartford, 7pm.

Champagne is one of the world’s most profound and expensive wines, usually only drank in times of celebration. However, Spain has its own popular sparkling wine created in the exact same style as its French counterpart, called Cava. While never bearing the generally high price tag as to Champagne, Cava is just as enjoyable and inspiring. As a self-declared “bubble head,” Gretchen Thomas, Wine & Spirits Director for the Barcelona Restaurant Group, is throwing a wine dinner showing off her favorites from several Spanish regions and their uncanny ability to pair well with even the heaviest and most flavorful dishes - a good thing since their Executive Chef, Adam Greenberg, is known for his creativity. This promises to be one of the most eye-opening food and wine pairing event of the season.

$45 per person, plus tax and gratuity.  

For reservations, email gretchen@barcelonawinebar.com 

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5 Course Winemaker's Dinner @ Darien Social

If you got sold out of our PHO-nomenal Vietnamese Dinner at Match for April 4th, here's something else you can do that night. The new Darien Social is hosting an exclusive five-course winemaker's dinner at 10 Center Street, Darien on Wednesday, April 4th 2012 at 7pm.

Jeremy Kreck, winemaker at Mill Creek Winery in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County, will showcase and discuss his estate-grown wines. Mill Creek is a true family-owned boutique winery whose wines have won some of the most prestigious awards in California

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