Filtering by Tag: Hotel,Armonk

Destination Dining: A Beautiful Stay At Lost Fox Inn In Litchfield

Restaurant Features Litchfield Litchfield County Road Trip Homepage Hotel

Noah Schwartz

Founded in 1719, well before the Revolutionary War, Litchfield is an idyllic town in the pastoral hills of northwest Connecticut that is richly steeped in history.

In recent years, given its proximity to both NYC and Boston—each just over a two-hour drive away—Litchfield has become a popular destination for urban dwellers to unwind in the quiet of the countryside.

Catering for this clientele is a growing list of outstanding eateries, including the well-established Arethusa group, chef David DiStassi’s outstanding Italian restaurant Materia Ristorante, plus Ore Hill, Community Table and more culinary gems nearby…not to mention the Litchfield Distillery.

It is also increasingly a destination for boutique hotels and inns. There’s the Mayflower Inn (part of the prestigious Auberge Resorts Collection) and newly opened The Abner in downtown Litchfield. But the one that’s caught my eye is Lost Fox Inn, which opened in June 2024.


Bar Max Opens At Hartford’s Goodwin Hotel

Restaurant Hartford Opening Cocktail Lounge Bar Menu Bar Hotel

Leeanne Griffin

It’s been a year since Max Hospitality officially took over the bar at Hartford’s Goodwin Hotel, but after a two-month renovation period in the fall, Bar Max now boasts a fresh look with a brand-new menu. 

The Hartford-based restaurant group, with multiple eateries throughout Hartford County and western Massachusetts, expanded its territory in the capital city by partnering with the Goodwin Hotel in early 2024. Restaurateur Tyler Anderson, who had previously operated Terreno Restaurant and Bar Piña in the space, closed his concepts there as he moved on to new projects, including a culinary director role at Ore Hill & Swyft in Kent. 

It was a natural fit, as the boutique hotel is right next door to its flagship Max Downtown, said Steven Abrams, Max Hospitality’s vice president, who is a partner in Max Downtown and the group’s other city restaurant, Max’s Trumbull Kitchen. But the owners decided not to launch another restaurant out of the Terreno space. 


Delamar Hotel Launches Afternoon Tea Service at All Locations

Restaurant Features Afternoon Tea Tea Time Dessert Events TEA Hotel

Jessica Ryan

The Delamar Hotels have added yet another offering to their ever-growing list of experiences. They recently launched their Afternoon Tea program which can be enjoyed at all of their locations.

We recently paid a visit to Artisan in Southport to get the tea on this new offering. Guests can enjoy this Afternoon Tea every Wednesday from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. For $50+ per person you will enjoy a variety of signature sandwiches, pastries and desserts as well as a selection of green, herbal or black tea served in your own individual teapot.


Former Hell’s Kitchen Finalist Megan Gill is Cooking at Hotel Marcel's BLDG in New Haven

Features Ingredients Interview New Haven Restaurant New Haven Sustainable Openings Homepage Chef Hotel

Andrew Dominick

While driving (read, stuck in traffic) along I-95 in New Haven, right by the IKEA, how many of you have noticed the rectangular cubed shaped building with the small windows and the void almost in the middle? You’ve clearly seen it countless times. But if you’re like me, you probably always wondered “what the heck is it?”

Designed by modernist architect, Marcel Breuer, the building in question which began construction in 1968 and was completed in 1970, was the home of the Armstrong Rubber Company first, then Pirelli Tire in the late 80s into the late 90s. After Pirelli vacated, the space sat vacant for a long time. IKEA purchased it in 2003—and removed a piece of it— and owned it until 2019 when it was purchased by the development firm, Becker + Becker, who would develop it into a net zero energy hotel, that right now, is operated by Hilton Hotels’ Tapestry brand. But within this hotel, there is a restaurant. And that restaurant has to operate like its hotel does, completely sustainable. And at this restaurant, that’s named BLDG, they needed a chef at the helm who believes in all of this through and through.

That’s where Meghan Gill comes in.


Destination: TWA Hotel and Paris Café by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at JFK airport

Restaurant Features Travel Road Trip Hotel JFK Airport Breakfast Lunch

ellen bowen

Looking for a unique staycation or an overnight in NYC before an early morning or late night flight? Then the iconic Eero Saarinen designed TWA terminal and TWA Hotel at John F Kennedy Airport offers visitors a trip (before the trip) down memory lane back to the 1960’s, to when the TWA flight center first opened in 1962. 

TWA filed final bankruptcy and the TWA terminal closed in 2001.  The building remained empty until Morse Developers along with MCR Hospitality purchased the building and added 500 rooms in two hotel towers and reopened as the TWA Hotel in 2019. 

An overnight stay includes access to the rooftop infinity heated pool and Après Ski styled Pool Bar and Café.  Plush robes are in every room and the pool is open year round untill10:30 pm and is a fun experience overlooking the runways as you sit in the “poolcuzzi” sipping a cocktail and watching the planes take off or land. 


The Wharf Restaurant at Madison Beach Hotel Reimagined with NEW Crow's Nest Lounge

Features open Hotel Cocktails Vacation Madison

Carly Terzigni

Warmer weather is right around the corner, and you may find yourself along the Connecticut shoreline this spring or summer looking for a romantic dinner or a fun night out with friends. With seaside communities ramping up for the busy season ahead, we were invited to check out the re-christening of The Crow’s Nest, the bar and lounge area found within The Wharf Restaurant at Madison Beach Hotel. 

The restaurant and bar have been mainstays at the hotel since the building was rebuilt in 2012, and new this season is the re-imagined lounge area dubbed The Crow’s Nest. We were able to get a sneak peek at the beautiful space ahead of its opening to the general public, and we can safely say that this will once again be a popular summer destination for both overnight guests and those passing through town for the day.


Chef Tyler Anderson Presents "Room Service at the Goodwin", A Theatrical, Interactive 3-Course Private Dinner Experience

Features Restaurant Hartford County West Hartford Private Party Private Dining Dining Experience Pop-Up Dinner Hotel

CTbites Team

weHartford, in partnership with Chef Tyler Anderson and the Goodwin Hotel, is pleased to announce a unique and COVID-safe dining experience beginning January 8th, 2021, running Thursday through Sunday dinner seatings through the winter.

Room Service at the Goodwin: Yes-or-No Morgan, is the first event of its kind. Select hotel rooms at The Goodwin have been transformed into private dining spaces for up to four people. Each party will enjoy a theatrical, interactive three-course dinner experience, curated by Chef Tyler Anderson, with clues, hints, and performances that unveil details and secrets about the life of the historic American businessman JP Morgan, a Hartford local and frequent visitor to The Goodwin Hotel.


Tony’s at the JHouse Hotel: Come For Tony, Stay For the Fine Casual Dining

Restaurant Greenwich Hotel Italian American

Jessica Ryan

Tony Capasso has developed quite the reputation earning himself quite the following. After spending nearly 20 years at Valbella! and Gabriele’s Italian Steakhouse, the veteran Maître d’ now has a steak place of his own at the JHouse, a boutique hotel in Greenwich. Tony is warm, affable and charming. He has a special way with his customers as he circles around to each table offering quick yet challenging trivia questions for all to answer. His eyes twinkle. His smile is infectious. 


Chef Michael White Opening Campagna at Bedford Post Inn

Restaurant Bedford Celebrity Chef Hotel

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

News from Campagna Restaurant at the Bedford Post Inn...it is partnering with the Altamarea Group and Michelin-starred Chef Michael White. Joining Chef White at Campagna are Executive Chef PJ Calapa, the former chef of Ai Fiori and Costata and Chef di Cuisine Devin Bozkaya, whose experience includes the outstanding Inn at Little Washington in Virginia.

The upscale sister to The Barn, the menu will focus on Chef White’s world renowned Italian cuisine with a few American twists to adhere  to the surroundings of the 19th Century Bedford Post Inn.  The menu features incredible options including pork shoulder ravioli with cacio e pepe; risotto with Barolo, short rib, and bone marrow; pan seared halibut with sunchokes, caponata, artichokes and salsa verde and a filet of beef with bone marrow crust, pomme puree and porcini sugo.

Campagna at the Bedford Post Inn 954 Old Post Road, Bedford, NY 914-234-6386


Winvian in Litchfield Hills: Farm Dinner & A Little History

Hotel Litchfield Road Trip Travel

Cindy Hartog

Ever since a friend mentioned to me his unforgettable experience  visiting Winvian in Litchfield Hills, Connecticut, I have always kept it on my “to do” list.  In fact, when my daughter and I perused the website, she prematurely decided that it was to be her future wedding venue. So, when I received an email announcing a farm dinner event, my daughter and I jumped at the opportunity. Arriving at Winvian on June 11, 2014 was reminiscent of the approach to a French chateau, along with the service, culture, and class that such an experience entails. 

In 1775, Dr. Seth Bird, an eccentric but respected physician known for bringing a coffin along on his house calls, built a home for himself and his family in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. It was a white clapboard beauty, aproned with meadows and woods, and a comfort and sustenance for the generations.

In 1948, the Smith family bought the historic Bird estate and named it Win-Vian, a combination of the first names of Winthrop Smith and his wife Vivian. They raised a son, bounteous fruit and vegetables, and livestock on the property (today the luxury Spa stands where the pigpens once did but offers a rather nicer kind of mud treatment).


CT Guide to Outdoor Dining: 40+ Restaurants for Summer

Restaurant Armonk Bethel Darien Fairfield Norwalk Outdoor Dining Patio Stamford Stratford Westport New Canaan Best of CT

April Guilbault

There are some ingredients in this world that, when you add them to anything, they pretty much make it spectacular. Bacon, for example. It would probably make a sneaker taste good. “Air” is another ingredient. Air-a bizarre ingredient on an episode of Chopped? No. Air, as in fresh air. Eating outside. Have you noticed that when you eat a lobster roll outside on a deck overlooking the ocean, it makes you happy? Or eat a grilled burger at a picnic table on a warm summer evening?  Or sip a frothy cappuccino at a sidewalk cafe? What is the common ingredient here? Fresh air. Good food combined with a hefty dose of the outdoors.

And lucky for you, we’ve put together a long list of our favorite eateries (40+) that have lovely outdoor dining spaces. 

If we missed an outdoor venue you frequent, please share your find below. 

For more Summer Eats see our Guide to The Best Warm Lobster Rolls on the CT Coast. 


CTbites Staff & Chef Picks for TOP EATS OF 2013

Restaurant Armonk Bridgeport Danbury Fairfield Norwalk Washington Westport New Canaan Best of CT

CTbites Team

As food writers, photographers, and chefs, we have the pleasure of eating a lot of really great food. Fairfield County has experienced something of a restaurant explosion over the past year, as new chefs move in and move on, and menus expand. We've endeavored to expand our coverage beyond those borders, seeking to cover more of the state and sharing those experiences that are worth seeking out. Instead of coming up with a top ten list ourselves, we asked the CTbites extended family to share some of their most memorable meals and dining experiences this past year. 


"My Signature Dish," Chef Jodi Bernhard of Fortina in Armonk

Restaurant Armonk Chef Talk Italian My Signature Dish

Lou Gorfain

"My Signature Dish" is a new CTbites column featuring a rotating cast of chefs, and the dishes that define their cooking style, or simply make them happy to fire up the stove. 

Jodi Bernhard hardly hesitated when choosing her signature dish at Fortina, Christian Petroni’s "casually hip" Italian restaurant in Armonk.  Her eyes gleaming, she said, "It's our Pork Braciole." Braciole, hip? 

If you grew up Italian, you probably hold memories of Braciole near and dear.  This classic rolled, stuffed meat roast, usually serves as centerpiece for those sprawling homemade Italian dinners that lazily linger across Sunday afternoons into evening.  Braciole invokes home.  And family.   Instant Nostalgia.

Ok, so how does a chef modernize a memory?  Autograph a treasured family photo? 

“That is the gist of our approach at Fortina,” Jodi explained. “ We try to not stray too far from ‘mom's’ version, but still make it a restaurant dish with our stamp on it.  We are true to simplicity and flavor.”

The notion of putting  “Mom’s dish” on Fortina’s playful, hip menu was Christian’s, one of the restaurant’s owners.  (Patroni and and Jodi once cooked together at Barcelona in nearby Greenwich.) Though she and Christian work as collaborators, the task of “restaurantizing” this homey meal was largely up to Bernhard.  


Cooking with Fire: Fortina in Armonk

Restaurant Armonk Italian Pizza Comfort Food Kid Friendly

Amy Kundrat

Cooking with wood fire has a preternatural, almost primal appeal. You could argue that as cavemen, it was our first foray into comfort food. The intense heat and smoke has the power to transform otherwise unassuming ingredients. The six-month old Fortina in Armonk, begins with this deceptively simple ethos–Italian food, cooked simply, in wood fired ovens–and elevates it with a thoughtful culinary execution and a familiar, if familial, disarming vibe.

There is a complexity to the simplicity,” said Rob Krauss, one of Fortina’s three partners along with John Nealon and Christian Petroni, nailing what makes the restaurant’s cuisine tick. I’m fairly certain Krauss is also referring to the restaurant’s team, an extended family of sorts that works equally hard at the food as they do cultivating the culture at Fortina

More than the sum of its wood-fired parts, Fortina relies on the culinary prowess and Italian heritage of partner and Executive Chef Christian Petroni, formerly of Barcelona Greenwich, as both muse and ringleader. “My background is Italian, I grew up spending summers in Ponza. One of my favorite restaurants is Peasant. As a young cook, Frank de Carlo was an inspiration as a chef. I was intrigued by cooking in wood ovens. There is something about it that is so gratifying. It’s a beautiful thing.” Along with chef de cuisine Jodi Bernhard, formerly of Barcelona, the kitchen has the creative chops responsible for its daily printed menu.

 


Fortina Restaurant: Casually Hip Italian Opening in Armonk, NY

Restaurant Armonk Greenwich Italian Pizza Stamford Comfort Food Kid Friendly

Nancy Kleeger

Fairfield county residents will be soon crossing the border (passports not required)-- into Upper Westchester County's suburb of Armonk, after this week's opening of Fortina.  Chef Christian Petroni, recently Executive Chef of Greenwich's Barcelona Restaurant, is joined by John Nealon, ex-GM of the same provenance and Nealon's childhood friend, Rob Krauss as business partners. Both Nealon and Krauss originally hail from Westport.  Petroni, a local himself, is also co-owner of Cooked & Co., in Scarsdale.

Recalling the many memorable meals he had eaten during his time spent in Italy, Petroni's vision was to bring Italy's simple authentic flavors, cooking methods and presentation to the dishes he serves at Fortina. This vision is executed with the help of 2 wood burning ovens imported straight from Naples, Italy which serve as a focal point in the main dining room. In fact with the exception of just a few menu items, everything is cooked in these fiery hearths...even a pasta dish or two! (And you should hear Petroni when he speaks of his ovens...like a proud new Papa )