Microcreamery of CT… Wait a minute, that's new. Did I get that right?
Yes, you heard that right. Microcreamery of CT has been serving the New Haven county community since 2022. Just recently, they opened the doors of a new location across from the Shell on South Main Street nestled right in downtown Cheshire.
The Microcreamery model arose from the owner Shahan Kukreja adapting the concept of a microbrewery,
“Instead of doing local beers, why don’t we do all the local ice cream so that I can kind of give people a tour of local ice creams”
Kukreja says. Featuring nearly 90 hand selected flavors compiled from local Connecticut companies such as Praline’s, Arethusa, and Big Dipper, Microcreamery of CT has options for everyone.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, the NYC born and nationally beloved brand known for its made-from-scratch dairy and vegan ice creams, will open a scoop shop in Westport on February 6. The launch marks a return to its roots for co-founders Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen who are Fairfield County natives and whose ice cream journey began here twenty years ago.
In celebration, Van Leeuwen Westport will offer $1 scoops on opening day (Feb. 6) from 3pm-5pm and free totes to the first 100 customers beginning at 3pm.
The scoop shop will also showcase a special limited-time offering created by Westport-based cookbook author and creator Julia Dzafic (@lemonstripes). The vegan sundae features scoops of strawberry shortcake ice cream and banana pudding ice cream, and is topped with sprinkles, hot fudge and a “party hat” AKA a sugar cone.
Fayyaz Bhinde and his wife, Rida Niazi, used to travel from their home in Meriden to New York City whenever they wanted a halal smash burger. When they first got married, they’d head to the city two hours each way, for dinner and dessert. After they became parents, they realized traveling with a toddler would be much more difficult.
When their daughter was a year old, they tried to make the trip to New York for dinner and got stuck in a snowstorm on the way back, enduring bumper-to-bumper traffic from Greenwich to New Haven while their child was “crying her lungs out,” Bhinde said. At that point, they decided “never again” to the lengthy travel, and began thinking about opening their own restaurant closer to home.
Chances are you’ve seen Japanese souffle pancakes on Instagram or TikTok – tall, thick and fluffy confections that jiggle at the slightest movement, topped with maple syrup, powdered sugar and berries. These have been hard to find in Connecticut, but they’re on the menu at a Simsbury Asian-fusion cafe that opened earlier this year.
Blossom Cafe owners Amanda Liu and Albert Zhang traveled through Asia last summer and fell in love with the cafe cultures in the countries they visited, coming back home to Connecticut inspired by what they’d seen.
Get those stretchy pants out of the deep, dark depths of your closet…don’t worry, we all have a pair! Once a year, these pants are necessary, as holiday excitement overtakes the part of the brain that tells us we’re full. We fight that voice that tells us to stop, that third and even fourth helpings of mashed potatoes and red wine aren’t going to help us cope with that obnoxious uncle your mom sat you next to out of spite. You know what will help? Pie and pie only. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, as you can eat as much as you want without being judged, though they’ll still try. But keep your head held high, as this year you can brag about the wonderful pies you’ve spent hours upon hours picking out. You even preheated the oven and scooped out perfect balls of vanilla ice cream. So don’t let anyone tell you that you did nothing, because ice cream is not easy to scoop.
All throughout Connecticut you can find plenty of delicious pie options, whether you want your pies fruity, custardy, creamy, or gluten free. As they say, Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful, and while we celebrate our family, friends, furbabies, and crazy uncles we’ve never met, it is important to recognize the true Thanksgiving savior: pie. Lucky for you, this guide is organized by county, so scroll down to find yours! Gobble, gobble.
Nestled in the hills of Litchfield County’s charming New Milford’s Bank Street is Sparrow Bar and Restaurant. John Bourdeau who’s been a fixture in the restaurant scene since opening Lucia Ristorante right next door, Main Street Grill in Watertown, and The Owl Wine & Food bar in nearby New Preston, has teamed up with Chef Mike Sorenson, formerly at the acclaimed Foundry Restaurant in Newtown. Here Bourdeau hangs up his chef’s hat and leaves the menu entirely up to Sorenseon who has created an eclectic, global selection with influences from South America to Asia. You won’t find specials on the menu as it tends to get changed up every few days.
Bourdeau who once owned a successful high end cabinetry business in New York City was greatly influenced by the food scene there and those exposures have parlayed into his, thus far, successful restaurant career. Sparrow, which has been open since mid-December, is already showing signs of success. “The response has been so overwhelming,” he told us. “People come in to check us out and then return with friends.” He’s modest with receiving compliments and credits his team, some of which have been with him for 15 years, since his Lucia days. “The restaurant isn’t mine, it’s ours,” he explains.
One of the many quintessential summer experiences in Connecticut is driving out to your favorite ice cream shop for a frozen treat. Across the state, seasonal ice cream shops are open for the season, and year-round locations ramp up production to make sure everyone’s sweet tooth is satisfied. Whether your dessert of choice is ice cream, gelato, or Italian ice, there are numerous options for you to try. And, thanks to the abundance of dairy farms in the region, there is no shortage of farm-fresh ice cream, either!
This handy guide will help you find ice cream shops that are ready to serve you this summer. Many of these locations have daily specials and rotating flavors, so be sure to visit again to try the latest menu items. This guide has been separated into counties so you can easily find the ice cream shops nearest you. Cheers!
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.
The quiche Lorraine was fluffy, flaky, and mile-high, served with a crunchy wedge salad on the side. Crab Cakes Benedict glistened alongside seasoned home fries, while tender slices of smoked salmon with cream cheese and capers on a bagel made the New York transplants at our table nod with approval. Mimosas and Bloody Marys appeared and disappeared, as did the occasional espresso martini; our server was on-the-spot and full of wit.
Were we at a boutique hotel, a swanky resort, or a storied antique tavern? No: our delightful Sunday brunch, which easily stretched out into a two-hour party, was at 168 York Street, a laid-back gay bar on the lower level of a brownstone in downtown New Haven. The 30-seat dining room is simple and somewhat bare-bones, and the prices are equally modest: all the entrees on the brunch menu are just $12. Jumbo omelettes with veggies and meats of your choice? $12. French toast, Birds in a Nest (just like Mom used to make), even steak and eggs? Each dish only $12. Miraculous but true, and all prepared by Eddie Swanson, who has been the man behind the pan at 168 York Street for 27 years. Eddie has always managed to create big flavors in a tiny kitchen – seriously, it measures 10 by 16 feet -- with generous portions and appealing plating (orange slices are always a plus).
The CTBites team paid a visit to Gioia right before it opened last fall— you can read about it here. This past weekend, CTBites returned to check out the newly launched brunch menu where you’ll be sure to find everything your brunch-craving heart desires. In typical fashion, we browsed the menu with discerning eyes, deciding which items seemed particularly delicious as well as photo-worthy. While doing so we nibbled on some Weekend Pastries – a selection of 3 different baked treats served with honey butter and a fruit preserve. Included was a flaky cherry turnover loaded with fruit and a cornmeal scone. This was not your run of the mill scone; this one was particularly light. The cornmeal added a lovely texture and a touch of sweetness which paired beautifully with the honey butter. These were joined by an old-fashioned glazed cake doughnut, reminiscent of eras past — the kind you want to dip into your cappuccino and savor slowly.
In a small shopping center off a main thoroughfare in Wallingford, CT, across from a McDonald’s and a Rite Aid, a unique bakery is challenging the status quo of baked goods in central Connecticut. At Kouign, Chef Chelsea Tripp is giving classical Patisserie a facelift, creating innovative pastry concepts like cranberry brie danishes and blueberry cardamom scones in an area that has historically lacked culinary distinction.
“It was a lot of chocolate on chocolate when we opened here in 2021” Tripp says with a wry smile. As someone who’d “rather eat a cheeseburger than a slice of cake,” Tripp creates pastries that meld sweet and savory in unexpected ways, with a menu that changes each week. “People find it weird at first, but then they try it and enjoy it,” she says, describing how she incorporates ingredients such as miso and turmeric into her sweets. “It just works – I promise I won’t steer you wrong,” she declares.
Lady Wong, one of New York City’s hottest bakeries, is now delivering to Connecticut and Westchester. With its innovative desserts rooted in Southeast Asian tradition, the bakery has evolved from a pandemic era delivery service to one of New York City’s hottest bakeries. Founded by the dynamic Greenwich, CT-based husband and wife duo, Mogan Anthony and Seleste Tan– Lady Wong will give Fairfield County and Westchester foodies something they've been missing — a special occasion cake or pastry that’s at the center of their table and conversation.
Little Riggs sits on the edge of the Stuart, McKinney National Wildlife refuge on the Long Island Sound. Riggs opened 6 months ago from Chef John Kronfeld, who operated the very successful breakfast truck, The Chef Truck, until he opened Little Riggs, transitioning his uniquely delicious breakfast menu into a sit down experience. To call this place a hidden gem isn’t wrong, but this clichéd term is a tad overused these days… It’s like a half buried treasure. Among the locals it isn’t buried at all, and they have taken it by storm.
This little outpost that seats just 30 in the wintertime, is slightly larger than a hole in the wall and certainly significantly more elevated. It’s the type of place you want to go to for a leisurely comforting breakfast on a Sunday morning, but it’s not just a breakfast joint, offering significantly more than just morning fare, and lucky for those of us who do love breakfast food, we can now enjoy it beyond traditional breakfast hours. Kronfeld will be launching dinner service this week, and we will be the first in line.
Hartford Baking Company announces a new location in South Windsor! It's expansion time! Again! Hartford Baking Company is delighted to announce that they will be adding a fourth retail location in the Spring of 2024. The new cafe will be located at 150 Sullivan Ave in South Windsor CT, and will have the same vibe, menu, and bread selection of the two current West Hartford locations, plus an expanded menu and some other exciting new offerings.
In various rankings online, stuffing generally comes in first place on the Top 10 list of Thanksgiving foods. I personally cannot argue with that for one hot second. Desserts such as pumpkin or chocolate pie have hovered around 5th or 6th place, respectively, wistfully lagging behind mac and cheese and mashed potatoes but ahead of the love-it-or-hate it green bean casserole.
Earlier this summer, I was in attendance for one of the friends & family previews of The Benjamin, a new French – American restaurant in Ridgefield that took over the historic property that was once home to Bernard’s and Sarah’s Wine Bar.
Sweet Ashley’s, the adored Norwalk ice cream spot, which has been around for 30 years has reopened this spring in time for a delicious summer! Frank Lanzo (Former owner of Nordic Fish in Fairfield) and his wife Judie, longtime Norwalk residents, decided to take over the business. As ice cream lovers with culinary experience, it seemed like a no brainer.
“I’ve got a culinary background, I cooked my whole life, I went to culinary school in the eighties… now I heard this was for sale and what a great thing to keep going,” Frank Lanzo said. “I’ve been in Norwalk now for twenty two years, I live very close, who doesn’t love ice cream?
Ice cream on a hot day. Ice cream on a rainy day. Ice cream for dinner or to delight a toddler. Ice cream just because. It’s summer and all of these reasons are 100% legit. Hell, any time of the year they are, right? Connecticut currently ranks #15 in the US for the most ice cream consumed (zippia.com) nationally. However, NY, NJ, VT, and RI eat more…guess this list is just what we need to show them what us Nutmeggers are made of. Or at least, what we enjoy on a hot summer afternoon. Grab a cone, enjoy the drips, and have a summer piled high with the creamy, dreamy stuff. One more thing: for your ease of finding these sweet establishments, we have broken the list down by counties in CT!
maman, NYC’s beloved French Bakery & Café, is expanding to Connecticut with its first location in Greenwich (98 Greenwich Ave). Opening June 18th, the Provençal-inspired café, created by co-founders Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, will bring its fan-favorite salads, sandwiches, made-famous-by-Oprah Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies to the Greenwich community.
In true maman fashion, the decor will feature florals, signature toile print, and vintage and antique furniture, all drawing inspiration from the South of France. Brokered by Brand Urban, Greenwich’s full-service real estate advisory and brokerage company, maman Greenwich is the perfect spot to savor a morning coffee or pastry or grab brunch or lunch with friends. With 2,300 sqft of space, maman Greenwich is also the perfect spot to host events with your closest friends and family.
Maman Greenwich will be open Monday - Friday from 7:30am - 6pm and Saturday-Sunday from 8am - 6pm. On opening day, Maman will have a cookbook signing with Elisa from 10am-12pm, and a Father’s Day Special, serving a complimentary S’mores A La Minute Cookie for dads with any purchase!
Who doesn’t enjoy a cookie? Decadently giant or sublimely bite-sized, spanning traditional flavors of sugar, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter or new-fangled recipes that include everything but the kitchen sink. Sweet, sweeter, sweetest. Then there’s the Great Debate: chewy or crispy? Where do you land? Are you a dunker, a nibbler, or a late-night snacker? Cookies are the universal dessert and knowing where to get good ones makes life all the sweeter. Dunk away…
Enjoy our sweet GUIDE TO THE BEST COOKIES IN CONNECTICUT.
