Filtering by Tag: Korean,Beer Dinner

Dippin Chicken Opens in East Norwalk with Fast Casual Korean Fried Chicken

Features Ingredients Restaurant Korean Fried Chicken Korean Fast Casual Chicken Sandwich Fried Chicken Norwalk Interview Openings Homepage

Andrew Dominick

Fast casual fried chicken is a hot craze that’s seemingly not cooling off anytime soon. Haven Hot Chicken, Birdcode Hot Chicken, the new to Connecticut Dave’s Hot Chicken, and smaller spots like Stamford’s Cwispy Chicken are proof of that. But even newer to the coop is Dippin Chicken in East Norwalk where Korean fried chicken is their menu’s centerpiece.


X Ramen Opens in Southport with Ramen, Dim Sum, Boba + ROBOT SERVERS!

Restaurant Westport Ramen Japanese Chinese Korean Homepage Noodle Soup Asian Food

Jessica Ryan

After hearing so many good things about X Ramen from my friends, I was looking forward to trying it out myself.

The New York inspired Chicken, Ramen and Boba eatery is the concept of two brothers who grew up locally in Fairfield County, in the restaurant biz. The restaurant is located in the former Wafu space. It’s spacious interior is bright and airy and offers plenty of comfortable seating. The vibe inside is youthful and whimsical, with brightly colored anime posters and TVs lining the walls. In the center of the room, overhead, a lovely display of Japanese umbrellas and lanterns hangs overhead. 

X Ramen’s fairly extensive menu is as fun as the decor. The offerings feature various Asian favorites from Ramen to Udon, assorted appetizers from bao buns to fried chicken, dim sum and a creative boba menu offering classic teas, fruit, tease, and fancy “signature” teas and slushies. The dishes are straightforward, simple and uncomplicated, perfectly suited for both the novice as well as the seasoned ‘slurper.’


Hungry Pot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot Opens Location in Westport

Restaurant Korean Korean BBQ hot pot Openings Westport

Andrew Dominick

Those looking to warm up courtesy of a bread bowl of broccoli cheddar soup at 1860 Post Road E in Westport will have to look elsewhere for their Panera fix as the space is now occupied by Hungry Pot, a Korean BBQ and hot pot restaurant. The Westport location of Hungry Pot—which had their grand opening on February 8—is the fifth one of its kind. There are currently four in Connecticut (Danbury, Wethersfield, Manchester, and now Westport) and one in Dartmouth, Massachusetts with a sixth restaurant opening soon in Natick, MA.


Ginger’s Seoul Bar & Grill Opens In Stamford: NEW Korean + Korean Pizza!

Restaurant Opening Stamford Korean Asian Food Asian Desserts Homepage

Jessica Ryan

Last week we had the pleasure of visiting Ginger’s Seoul Bar & Grill in Stamford. This brand new Korean restaurant is conveniently located off the Merritt Parkway on High Ridge Road, and features both traditional Korean fare alongside some surprising culinary twists.

The restaurant’s interior is bright, modern, casual and inviting. One of the things that struck us as different, fun and fascinating was the authentic pizza oven that sits in the middle of the restaurant. Korean pizza? Yes! Inspired by June’s extensive travels, the oven’s exterior design bears a Spanish influence, reminiscent of the Gaudi architecture in Barcelona. June says, Korea, like much of Asia and Europe, has a fascination with cuisines from other cultures and the Bulgogi pizza is June’s answer to merging two different cuisines and cultures. More on that later.  


40+ Spots To Celebrate Oktoberfest In Connecticut 2023

Events Features Holiday Oktoberfest Brewery CT Beer Events EVENT Festival Beer Dinner Beer Festival Homepage

April Guilbault

“Let’s get a drink”. “Come over for a drink!”. There’s nothing more convivial than sharing a drink together with a person or a whole group of favorite persons. And isn’t the ol’ saying -it’s 5 o’clock somewhere? Well, here’s a historical “reason” to raise your glasses high-Oktoberfest, the beloved, ancient event involving mouthwatering beers, so much (too much? never!) merriment and some fabulous lederhosen. Oktoberfest-ivities run pretty much the entire month of September and into October, so there are plenty of chances to raise that stein. And remember, we all put our lederhosen on one leg at a time. Prost!


Yuki’s Kitchen Opens in Westport with Authentic Korean, Japanese & Chinese

Restaurant Opening Westport Japanese Korean Chinese Kid Friendly To-Go Asian Food Noodle Soup Ramen Sushi Homepage

Dana Yee

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Yuki’s Kitchen, a charming Korean, Japanese and Chinese culinary haven that left me utterly impressed and thoroughly satisfied. From the moment I stepped in to this primarily take-out spot, the quaint friendly ambiance and attentive service set the stage for a memorable gastronomic experience. Ken and Yuki Piao, a husband and wife team, have been in the Fairfield/Westport area for more than +10 years and decided in November of 2022 to open a lovely tiny haven of authentically excellent Asian food. We also had the pleasure of enjoying some special dishes prepared by Yuki’s mother visiting from Korea for 2 months.


Best Bowls in CT: Acai, Poke, Middle Eastern, Korean, BBQ & More!

Restaurant Features Bowls Acai Bowl Korean BBQ Best of CT Highlight Healthy Eats Vegetarian Middle Eastern Build Your Own Bowl Greek Homepage

April Guilbault

Whether it’s the dog days of summer or life just has you too busy to be bothered with cooking, some of the simplest, and often the most delicious meals, come in bowls. Chock full of healthy and delicious ingredients like grains, veggies, meats and fish or brimming with fresh fruits and icy smoothy-ness, bowls in all shapes and sizes make eating fun. They are convenient, interesting and delicious-what a trifecta! Here are some of our favorite bowls in Connecticut. Go build one for yourself!


Friday Froth: Beer Dinners at Little Pub- Featuring New England Brewing

Features Friday Froth Beer CT Beer Beer Dinner Craft Beer Brewery

James Gribbon

Anyone who's ever hit happy hour and subsequently remembered they hadn't eaten dinner while staring into a beer at another location sometime around midnight can probably feel the pain of the next morning right now, as you're reading this. Remember that? Well, let's not let that happen again, or allow ourselves to slap late night drive-thru - the FlexTape of Shame - over the leaky bucket of our decisions.

What we need is food with our beers, whether we're adding plates to pitchers and pints at the taproom, or exploring flavor combinations at home. Inspiration struck while I was at my first beer pairing dinner in over two years at The Little Pub in Fairfield, hosted by Greg Radawich, director of brewing operations at New England Brewing Company in Woodbridge. I'll get into what you can have from the brewery and pub, plus a few more ideas to serve as springboards for your own dives into brews and foods.

And if you missed this beer dinner, Little Pub will be hosting another beer pairing dinner with Fat Orange Cat brewery at Little Pub, Fairfield on Tuesday, March 1.


El Segundo Opens in New Haven with Global Street Food

Restaurant New Haven Global Cuisine Thai Korean Mexican Puerto Rican Chinese American Burgers Cocktails Openings Jamaican Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe

What a full circle moment. I first met our editor Stephanie Webster, affectionately known as Boss Lady, almost two years ago at El Segundo in SONO before I started eating myself silly for ctbites. So, I’d say it’s fitting that I get to bring you the news that the segundo El Segundo is opening in New Haven THIS TUESDAY, August 25th. It makes PERFECT sense that a place that consistently delivers super friggin delish-us Global Street Food, land in a town like New Haven, which is a gorgeous microcosm of what our bruised little world has to offer.


Stamford's Winter Wonderland Market & Beer Garden Opens Dec. 6th

Features Beer Beer Dinner CT Beer Pop-Up Bar Stamford

CTbites Team

Half Full Brewery and Mill River Park Collaborative announced today the return of Winter Wonderland Market & Beer Garden to Stamford, Conn.’s Mill River Park.  The Winter Wonderland is intended to celebrate and unite local residents and professionals through a diverse and expanded slate of programming, which will run from Friday, Dec. 6 through Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2020.


Bonchon Chicken Opens In Fairfield: Epically Delicious Korean Fried Chicken + More

Restaurant Take Out Fast Casual Korean Fried Chicken Chicken Wings Fairfield Openings New Haven West Hartford Homepage

James Gribbon

"Bonchon," which means "my hometown" in Korean, has locations in a lot of people's hometowns - around 300 locations from Busan to Bahrain, and now, Fairfield. You may have already eaten at a Bonchon if your home is in New Haven or West Hartford, where they've had locations for a while, but I-95 South was just getting their first taste in the last week or so when I popped my head in the door. Here's a look at what's on the plate at downtown's newest hometown.


East Rock Brewing Company Opens In New Haven

Features New Haven Brewery Openings Beer Dinner CT Beer

James Gribbon

Pull back the hour hand on the clock of geologic time and the land in what was once New Haven begins to fill in. The sandstone rises up, glaciers come and go again in reverse, and the scenery levels off. The view across the water isn't Long Island - the glaciers pulled that land back with them - it's what will become Morocco. Now spin the clock forward again. The continents drift - ice, then not ice again - and the land erodes away until something seems to rise up again: the traprock scarp we know as East Rock. There's a lot of history here, and the newest bit to crop up is East Rock Brewing Company.


Beers & Bites August 15th Tickets On Sale Featuring Skinny Pines & Chef Geoff Lazlo

Features CT Beer Beer Dinner Food Truck Stamford Events

Stephanie Webster

Half Full Brewery and CTBites are beyond excited to bring you this year's most creative and collaborative food and beer-pairing event series. Not to be missed, "Beers & Bites" 2018 pairs limited release beers from Half Full Brewery with totally off-menu food items from some of Fairfield County's best chefs and food truck operators. Tickets for our August 15th event with Skinny Pines pizza truck & Chef Geoff Lazlo are going fast, so get your tickets now! 


Bull Pan BBQ Brings Authentic Korean Fare to Stamford 

Restaurant Korean Asian Stamford Lunch Homepage

Lou Gorfain

With his sleek and spacious Bull Pan emporium now open on lower Summer Street in Stamford, Paul Ma plans to introduce the region to a fun, mouth-watering secret: Korean BBQ.

Of all Asian cuisines, Korean may be the most flavor forward, zestier than Japanese and considerably more authentic than the Chinese-American imposters that clutter our culinary landscape. Although its savory flavors appeal to a Western palate, this iteration of Asian food is the least known in America.  Outside of the K-Towns in New York and California, Korean restaurants have not been easy to find in the hinterlands. 


Nibble: CT Food Events For April 29- May 6

Features Events Beer Dinner Pop-Up Dinner

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

The 5th Annual Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival in Ridgefield starts Saturday May 5 at 11am and runs through Sunday 5pm. The Event will be held at the Historic Lounsbury House at 316 Main Street. Tickets: $10 for adults and $5 for students. Children under 12 are FREE.

Sunday, April 29th, Half Full Brewery is hosting a pig roast with Hoodoo Brown BBQ. Doors open at 12:00 for beers, starting at 1:00 Hoodoo will be serving up BBQ Wings (tossed in Red Bee Honey Sauce), and a Pig Roast that will feature a whole hog, apple-vinegar slaw, slider buns, cornbread, and mac and cheese. Reserve tickets here.

Tickets for The Schoolhouse at Cannondale’s Farm to Fork series go on sale May 1. Each evening includes a cocktail hour, a farm tour, and four locally sourced courses under the stars by Chef Tim LaBant. It takes place at Millstone Farm in Wilton, CT.

On Monday April 30, head over to Terrain Garden Café in Westport for “Dishing Local.” CTbites and the Westport Farmers Market welcome foodies to a food-focused evening and open forum in the terrain Garden Cafe. They’ll gather with some of the local food community's leading talents to discuss the latest trends, everyday eating, and tips and secrets from farmers and restaurateurs. This event is free and open to the public. Food and beverage available for purchase.

On Tuesday May 2, Fairfield Cheese Company presents “Cheese 102: Beyond the Basics with Arethusa Farm.” The class will expand on the basics and delve into cheese making, history, science, and more. Plus, taste plenty of cheeses and complementary wines. Tickets are $50 and the class runs from 7-9pm.

CLASP Homes 14th TASTE OF WESTPORT will take place on Thursday May 3 from 6-9pm at the Westport Inn. Enjoy samplings of specialty dishes from Amis, Harvest Wine Bar, Hummock Island Oysters, Pearl at Longshore, Saltwater, Bobby Q’s Cue & Co., Tablao, and more. There will be plenty to drink as well! Tickets are $75 prepaid, $85 at the door.


Recap: Beers & Bites at Half Full Brewery with Knot Norms and Hapa Food Truck

Features Homepage Dinner Events Beer Dinner CT Beer CTbites Invites

Andrew Dominick

Did you ever hear the one about the food truck chef and the restaurant chef at a local brewery? 

Wait, that’s a real thing. There’s no punchline. 

What I’m talking about here is the first ever Beers & Bites event that was held on April 5, 2018 at Half Full Brewery in Stamford. Beers & Bites is a collaboration between CTbites, Half Full Brewery, local food trucks and chefs. 

The idea behind Beers & Bites is to team a food truck chef and a restaurant chef to collaborate on a menu that gets paired with Half Full’s thirst-quenching brews. Think of it as a beer dinner where you won’t leave feeling overstuffed; it’s just enough food and drink. For $50 you get four-courses, four beers (refills were common so it’s a little more than four), a commemorative Beers & Bites snifter glass, and a damn good time in a non-pretentious, not overcrowded taproom. 


Nibble: CT Food Events for April 2-9

Features Events Wine Dinners Beer Dinner Homepage

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford hosts A Taste of History 2017 on Monday April 3 at 5pm.  The evening begins with a premier reception at 5pm and culminates with a food tasting, a cocktail tasting, music, a tour, and art inspired activities. 

Fermented beverages are prevalent, but what about fermented foods?  Learn about them and their health benefits at the Barrel Room in North Canton, CT on Monday April 3.  The class will cover foods like water kefir, milk kefir and kimchi. 

Connecticut Hops For Hope returns for its second benefit, Beers For Brittany, on Sunday, April 23rd. The event will be held at the brand new Counter Weight Brewing in Hamden, and 100% of ticket sales, in person donations, and on site raffle ticket sales will benefit Brittany Vellucci, a young woman fighting through brain cancer. Tickets go on sale tonight at 7p.m. RIGHT HERE


Nibble: CT Food Events for Week of March 20-27

Features Events Wine Dinners Beer Dinner

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

On Monday March 20, Mikro Beer Bar in Hamden invites you to a Kent Falls Brewing Beer Dinner.  Chef Mike Fox will create a four course dinner to complement craft brews.  The event is limited to 50 people, so get your tickets soon. 

Which is better: beer or wine?  The question is difficult and divisive… but Fairfield Greenwich Cheese Company will help you decide!  Beer and wine will go head-to-head alongside a cheese plate to see which makes for the best pairing.  Join them at the Greenwich location on March 21 from 7-9pm and the Fairfield location on March 23 from 7-9pm.  It costs $50 per person. 

On Wednesday March 22, Cask Republic South Norwalk and Allagash Brewing Company are teaming up for a beer dinner.  Chef Carl will prepare a five course menu that will be paired with six Allagash beers.  It costs $85 per person and advanced reservations are recommended. 


Community Table & Kent Falls Brewing Co. Host Beer Dinner July 26

Restaurant Beer Dinner Brewery Washington

Amy Kundrat

Community Table & Kent Falls Brewing Co.
 are teaming up for a special evening of food and beer on July 26. Executive Chef Marcell Davidsen has collaborated with Barry and Derek at Kent Falls Brewing Co. on a summer-inspired menu fit for Connecticut locavore beer lovers. 

"We are very excited to host this event, and share some great beers and great food. And there might be a few surprises too," said Marcell Davidsen.

We have a sneak peek of the menu, which at last count is 7 courses and 6 beers, and as many reasons to get excited for this evening at Community Table. Tickets are $75 per person. Reservations are available on OpenTable.com.

July 26 Menu

Sourdough Bread
Toasted hay butter

Smoked Trout & Squash Blossom

Hazelnut crème 

Beer: Lade Øl 4.8 % Abv. 
A farmhouse ale brewed with smoked hay. This beer takes on delicate notes of sweet grass, vanilla and spice notes from the hay complementing our house yeast culture.  

Friday Froth: Two Roads Nor'yeaster Preview + "Junk Food" Pairing via Marcia Selden Catering

Beer Beer Dinner CT Beer

James Gribbon

Flowers are popping up everywhere this spring, even in our beer. TomorrowMay 7th, will see a special bottle release at Two Roads Brewing Co. in Stratford, featuring their newest creation, Roads Garden. The spring  Nor'yeaster event will also include limited supplies of Framboise Noir, a black raspberry lambic, and Road 2 Rouen, the brewery's "wild, Franco-Belgian IPA," based on Road 2 Ruin DIPA.

A sold-out, ticketed preview event was held this past Monday, when the brewery's tasting room is regularly closed, and CTBites was able to taste several of Two Roads' smaller production run beers, paired with "re-imagined junk food," via event partner Marcia Selden catering.