Friday Froth: Mexican Lager, Made In Connecticut Features Brewery CT Beer Brewery Beer Beer Garden Friday Froth James Gribbon June 22, 2023 Despite expert credibility having recently taken several cannonballs below the waterline, and 60-degree sweater weather remaining in abundance, summer - they tell us - has officially arrived. The days are near their longest, and the months start with “J”, so we must grudgingly accede they have a point. This time each year, in a migration as timeless and majestic as the great herds of the Serengeti - Nutmeggers can be seen dragging our coolers to beaches and backyards. What are we drinking? Hard seltzer! NO! I mean, yes, but also: shut up. We are drinking:Very cold.Easy drinking.Usually Mexican lager. Corona, Pacifico, Modelo, ET C.Why do we drink these? Because 1&2, but also... it’s what we’ve always done. Why are you thinking about this?BECAUSE I’ve been noticing Connecticut brewers have been trying out the style in increasing numbers, they are delicious, and more people should know, which has always been the entire point of this column. Read More
Beer Garden at Shippan Landing Opens for 2023 Season (via Hey Stamford!) Features Beer Garden Stamford Hey Stamford! May 08, 2023 This just in from Hey Stamford!A seasonal favorite in Fairfield County, the Beer Garden at Shippan Landing has officially re-opened for the 2023 season. Tucked away in Shippan Landing, a 17-acre office park located right on the water, the Beer Garden is an outdoor oasis with a rotating roster of craft beer, a variety of creative food trucks, live music, and a slate full of special events throughout the Spring, Summer and early Fall. Following their grand opening on April 21, The Beer Garden at Shippan Landing are currently opened Thursday 4PM – 10PM, Friday 4PM-12AM, Saturday 12PM-12AM, Sunday 12PM-9PM. The Beer Garden at Shippan Landing is located at 290 Harbor Drive. For more follow @beergarden_shippanlanding on Instagram or visit www.beeratthelanding.com Read More
Bottega and Craft Kitchen Owners Open Quattro Osteria in Newtown Features Interview Restaurant Italian Chef Chef Talk Newtown Openings Homepage Andrew Dominick December 03, 2022 Bottega Italian Kitchen + Bar, Craft Kitchen + Bar, and now, with the very quiet opening of Quattro Osteria in Newtown, we officially have a trio.The “we” is the partnership between Michael Hayek (Square One Bar & Grill in Danbury) and Jasson Arias, who was the brains behind the popular food truck, Rice & Beans. Read More
30+ Spots to Celebrate Oktoberfest 2022 in Connecticut Brewery Features Events Oktoberfest Festival Beer CT Beer Beer Garden Holiday Homepage April Guilbault September 10, 2022 Hops is on the brain and Oktoberfest is on the calendar. It’s that delightful time of year to gather with friends, German-style! Chomp into a giant pretzel, grill a brat, raise a stein (or 20, if you are partaking in a competition), and then toast, toast, and toast some more. Across our state, Oktoberfest celebrations are happening and you’ve simply got to get in on one of them. A better time will not be had! Prost! Read More
314 Beer Garden Opens at Former SoNo Marketplace Features Restaurant Craft Beer beer Beer Garden ct beer BBQ Norwalk Andrew Dominick September 30, 2021 Some of you may remember the multi-vendor and artist space known as SoNo Marketplace at 314 Wilson Avenue. Don’t worry if you think it passed you by, it was sadly only open for a blink. But if you do recall, the courtyard area of the “market” was always set up for events and an outdoor bar with draft lines. Some years ago, SoNo Marketplace did host a chili cookoff and a pig roast with Half Full Brewery.In 2021, that patio space has been resurrected as 314 Beer Garden, complete with 13 taps and all the essential biergarten décor with Adirondack chairs, picnic tables, string lights, and a massive fire pit smack dab in the center of it all.314’s intro beer list on draft and in cans included a strong Connecticut brewery presence. New England Brewing Co.’s signature, hoppy Sea Hag and Supernaut were both available, as was Evenflow, a crushable lager from Hamden’s own No Worries. Read More
Good Old Days Pizza: Matt Stanczak's New Newtown Joint for Za Restaurant Newtown Pizza Openings Take Out To-Go Comfort Food Kid Friendly Lunch Homepage Kristin L. Wolfe April 24, 2021 Look. I’m a lover not a fighter. So, when it comes to Pizza-in-Connecticut politics, I usually stand on this side of the pie. HOWEVER, I will always have an opinion. Here’s what I’ve concluded thus far: like coffee shops that seem to be on every corner, there’s always room for another slice. And, as Matt Stanczak, the mastermind and magic wand wielder behind Good Old Days Pizza agrees, as long as each shop is doing a little something different...then why not!?So, let’s get our fric-on, shall we?Talk about doing a little something different, the frico on Good Old Days’ “Detroit-Inspired” classic squares are such tasty, drool-worthy, dream-inducing corners of heaven. I’m not kidding. I think I’d go over and over again just to pick frico off everyone’s pie. Ok, maybe not amidst a pandemic, but you get what I mean. Salty, crispy and chewy brown bites of cheese that are like the edges of nonna’s lasagna. If that’s not all, the thick red sauce is bright, and the dough looks like it should be dense and heavy, but it’s not. Read More
Marygold’s on Main Opens in Newtown From Chef Neugold of The Foundry Kitchen & Bar Restaurant Newtown Openings American Pizza Cocktails Seafood Oysters Kristin L. Wolfe January 21, 2021 Walking along Newtown’s Main Street has always felt like stepping back in time. From dark painted Colonials with bright colored doors to a classic, yellow Federal house or the more decorative Queen Anne, you know every home has a story and the spirits of the town’s past are within reach. And, like the best pieces of historical fiction, Marigold’s on Main gives us a sense of two worlds. There’s something so exhilarating about being inside a place that has been revived from the past. Time stands still in the middle of yesterday and today. The space feels at once old and new; and, although there are thoughtful nods to another time on the menu, it is as inventive and fresh as you’d hope a new place would be. Not to mention, with Chef Clark Neugold at the helm, you know as worlds collide, he’ll still invent something that stands on its own.Run by Chef Neugold and his wife Kate, of Foundry Kitchen & Tavern, and barely a mile down the road in Sandy Hook (see CTbites Feb 2019 for info), they know a thing or two or three about breathing new life into an old space. And, despite the setbacks Covid has undoubtedly thrust upon the industry, Marygold’s is off to a successful start. Alongside Chef Neugold, Derek Kustanbauter as Chef de Cuisine, and Steve Roth as Sous Chef, the team has brought forth a menu Connecticut diners will surely want to try. Read More
Newtown's NewSylum Brewing Co. is a Pandemic Success Story Restaurant Features CT Beer Beer Beer Garden Newtown Brewery Openings Connecticut Magazine August 21, 2020 Connecticut Magazine checks out NewSylum Brewery in Newtown. Here’s their review.It was not the grand opening anyone envisioned.NewSylum Brewing Co. owners Mark Lennon, David Kingsley and Mark Tambascio had been planning their brewery for several years as a taproom-centered operation. One that took full advantage of their unique location in Newtown within a historic building at what was formerly Fairfield Hills Hospital, a psychiatric facility on a 100-plus-acre campus with more than a dozen buildings.NewSylum Brewing Co. in Newtown opened during the coronavirus pandemic in a historic building in the former Fairfield Hills Hospital, a psychiatric facility.Then the coronavirus hit.The brewery was slated to open the first week in May, but Connecticut was still shut down and the taproom the owners had envisioned as the centerpiece of their business couldn’t be opened. “We had to shift gears from our original plan,” Lennon says.They hadn’t planned on canning their beer but quickly contracted with a mobile canning company, and began offering curbside pickup. Read More
Half Full Brewery Opening 2nd Stamford Location (via Hey Stamford!) Features Stamford Brewery Beer Garden CT Beer Openings Hey Stamford! January 11, 2020 I remember it like it was yesterday, the doors would open a few days later and I had just left my first interview and brewery tour with founder and “Chief Hoptimist,” Conor Horrigan. Between his passion for the brand and the fact that Stamford was about to get its first craft brewery, I remember being really excited! Cut to today. Not only has that little Waterside brew pup been churning out some fantastic award winning beer, they’ve also become a key member of the Stamford community. So, what’s next for Conor’s team? How about an expansion! Over the holiday break , Half Full Brewery announced that they have signed a lease for a second Stamford location at 575 Pacific St. Read the complete article on Hey Stamford! Read More
BD Provisions Opens in Fairfield: Gourmet Bulk Food Shopping Features Specialty Market Grocery Store Bulk Shopping Openings Fairfield Newtown Tea And Coffee Education Shopping CTbites Team November 20, 2019 Bulk shopping isn’t exactly a new concept but bulk shopping that’s zero waste is something we get excited about. BD Provisions, with locations in Newtown, and now at the Brick Walk in Fairfield CT, takes this familiar concept and gives it a breath of fresh air with a new, environmentally friendly spin. Less is more, especially here. Less waste means more product which means greater savings and more fun, but you really need to head over to experience it yourself. Read More
Elicit Brewing Company Sneak Peek Info & Opening November 18 Features Beer Garden Beer CT Beer Brewery Openings Manchester CTbites Team November 11, 2019 It's go time! After much work, construction, beer brewing, game assembly, mixology, and kitchen testing, Elicit (located at 165 Adams St, Manchester, CT) is ready to bring the FUN to Manchester - and you're invited!Elicit Brewing Co. will be an American-style beer garden featuring a range of food from pizzas and sandwiches to smaller style plates including wings and pretzels. The brewery is expected to be open Monday through Friday late afternoon through late night, with more hours on the weekends To learn more about Elicit Brewing Co., follow us on Instagram (@ElicitBrewing), visit their website: http://elicitbrewing.comIf you would like to get in BEFORE THE PUBLIC, THEY ARE ACCEPTING RSVP’S FOR The PRE-opening weekend EVENTS. Read More
20+ Places for Oktoberfest in CT: 2019 Edition Features Oktoberfest Holiday Festival CT Beer Beer Garden Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson September 08, 2019 It may be called OKTOBERfest, but 2019’s Oktoberfest festivities are kicking off as early as September! Breweries are creating their own German inspired beers while popular restaurants are providing their own renditions of bratwurst and more. Get your lederhosen ready… Oktoberfest 2019 is here!The Hops Company, DerbyThe Hops Company will be hosting its 4th annual Oktoberfest on Sunday, October 13, 2019 beginning at 12:00pm. Featuring Von Trapp Brewery, the day will include live bands, giveaways, and specialty casks. A highlight of The Hops Company’s Oktoberfest is the Stein Hoisting Contest. Each winner will receive an overnight stay for two at the Von Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT.Half Full Brewery, StamfordOktoberfest in the Park, presented by Half Full Brewery, returns to Stamford on September 27 & 28. Festivities include food trucks, a Pop-Up Beer Garden, and Live Music from a variety of local and regional acts. The festival is held in support of the Mill River Park Collaborative and takes place on The North Lawn & Grand Steps in Mill River Park in downtown Stamford. Troupe429, NorwalkSaturday October 5 is PRIDEtoberfest at Troupe429 in Norwalk. The free event features plenty of drinks, food, and live performances. Sandy Hook Craft Beer Festival, NewtownJust in time for your Octoberfest parties comes the Sandy Hook Craft Beer Festival. There are currently over 45 breweries signed up and 6 food trucks. Additional vendors will provide food, candy, spirits and other shopping fun. Join them Saturday October 15 from 1-5pm. Read More
BD Provisions: Gourmet Bulk Food Shopping That’s Really "Out of the Box" Features Ingredients Shopping Specialty Market Grocery Store Newtown Ingredients Coffee Jessica Ryan April 16, 2019 Bulk shopping isn’t exactly a new concept – we’ve been filling the trunks of our cars and SUVs with oversized products from those mammoth box stores for years. But bulk shopping that’s zero waste is something we don’t often see. BD Provisions, in Newtown, takes this familiar concept and gives it a breath of fresh air with a new, environmentally friendly spin. Less is more, especially here. Less waste means more product which means greater savings and more fun, but you really need to head over to experience it yourself. At BD Provisions you’ll find 270 carefully curated products sold by the pound in massive sustainable containers. Products range from dehydrated and powdered superfoods. You won’t want to pass by the creative, flavored rice, quinoa and soup blends that will enhance any weeknight dinner. Of course there are plenty of healthy snack options from the most beautifully colored wasabi coated soybeans, beautiful and delicious dried, crunchy beets, spicy chick peas, a wide selection of nuts both raw and flavored. Gorgeous beans and pastas. Beautiful aromatic spices, a generous selection of the most beautiful tea blends. Read More
Half Full Brewery Winter Beer Garden To Open in Stamford's Mill River Park December 7th Features Brewery Beer Garden Pop-Up Bar Stamford CT Beer Beer CTbites Team November 30, 2018
Bear's Smokehouse Opens The Stack In New Haven: BBQ, Brewpub & Music Restaurant BBQ New Haven Openings Bar Outdoor Dining Kid Friendly Beer Garden CT Beer Lunch Comfort Food American Homepage James Gribbon November 09, 2018
20+ Places To Celebrate Oktoberfest in CT: 2018 Edition Features Holiday Oktoberfest Beer Garden CT Beer Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson September 05, 2018 Fall is here! That means spice pumpkin lattes, apple picking, Halloween shopping, and of course… Oktoberfest! Connecticut restaurants, farms, museums, and fairgrounds are holding their own versions of the German holiday. These places are serving up German-inspired cuisine, brews, music, entertainment, and more. We will continue to update this list as venues announce events. Check back for more events throughout the month. Read More
Friday Froth: An ESB Or Three? Features Beer CT Beer Beer Garden Brewery James Gribbon August 31, 2018 This week we're going to look at some beers which could be confused for the country's least glitzy style, the Extra Special Bitter, or ESB. Most people who had access to beer, legally or not, in the Cro-The problem with taste sensations is their inevitable ubiquity. Like a new song quickly overplayed into agonizing repetition, the new hotness becomes common as mud or lobster mac and cheese. Bloody Mary gimmicks are an excellent example. Magnon craft beer era of the 1990s will remember Red Hook ESB. It was a good touch bitter, with a sharp roast and a twinge of sweetness to its malt-forward profile. English inspired bones fleshed out by a toddling American craft beer industry, it sold a ton as a delicious change of pace from Bud/Miller/Coors/Molson/Corona, and was to be one of the first brands bought and ruined by "Big Beer," in this case Anheuser-Busch. Read More
Friday Froth: Kent Pils, Two Roads Spills on Area 2, And A Hazy IPA That Kills Features Ingredients CT Beer Beer Garden Beer Brewery James Gribbon August 24, 2018 This week in Friday Froth we're going to toss back a beer in the middle of a trend, a new creation in an old style, and some brewery news which leads us to an aged beer.And now, as another James May say, the nyeewws:I recently was among the first few dozen civilians to ever see the inside of Two Roads' new mixed fermentation secondary brewery, Area 2. First announced in 2016, this new on-site facility in Stratford will focus on sour, barrel aged, and wild ales - all the little organisms bursting with possibility, and voted most likely to make your wine or Bud Light drinking friends say "This is beer?!?" Read More
Friday Froth: Roadtrip To New England Brewing Company Features Beer CT Beer Beer Garden Brewery Woodbridge James Gribbon July 27, 2018 We're taking Friday Froth on the road this week, and making the trip to New England Brewing Company in Woodbridge. You can practically hit NEBCo from the Merritt Parkway if you had a t-shirt cannon or severely misjudged your speed upon taking exit 59. You should do this (not overcooking the exit, I mean - and standing on the highway firing large projectiles is probably some sort of Nanny State "offense," come to think of it), but you should nonetheless take the drive because the beer at the end is, as anyone living in the state for more than three weeks can attest, quite good. Read More
Harlan Haus Beer Hall Opens in Bridgeport January 10 Restaurant Beer Garden Beer CT Beer Bridgeport German Comfort Food Bar Homepage Jessica Ryan January 06, 2018 Five years ago Chef Stephen Lewandowski launched Harlan Social in the heart of the new and emerging South End area in Stamford. Named after his son Harlan, the modern American gastropub quickly rose into a mainstay for locals. Harlan Publick would open next, in the heart of SoNo. The local favorite offers creative comfort food and a wide offering of beverages. On January 10th, Harlan Haus, the German-inspired Bier and Wurst hall, will open to the public, in the historic People’s Bank Building built in 1917. A century later the well preserved, 7,000-square-foot space perfectly marries the historic Neoclassical elements with today’s modern influences. Most of the building’s architectural details remain well preserved from the elegant light fixtures above, to the curved teller bank wall that separates the bar area from the rest of the restaurant. Harlan Haus is poised for success with its promise to offer superb, innovative, family-friendly fare in a social setting. Read More
