Filtering by Tag: Christmas Eve,Food Network

60+ Connecticut Restaurants & Caterers for Christmas (2023 Edition)

Features Christmas Christmas Eve Catering Guide Guide Homepage

Carly Terzigni

The lights and decorations are up, the presents are wrapped, and the only thing left to do is figure out what to eat on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There are a ton of unique traditions around these two days – dinner at 2:00 in the afternoon, Feast of the Seven Fish, brunch with mimosas – and you may choose to cook at home or head out to one of the state’s many fine restaurants. And, if you choose to stay at home but want to take some of the work out of prepping Christmas Dinner, several restaurants and markets are offering meals to-go.

If you’re in that second category, this guide will be a helpful tool in determining what restaurants are going to be open for the holiday! Not every business will be open on Sunday, December 24, or Monday, December 25, but the ones that are will typically offer special brunches, lunches, or dinners to celebrate Christmas. We’ve broken this guide up by county to make it easier to find a restaurant near you – Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, New London, Middlesex, and Windham. Simply scroll down to the region of the state you live in (or the region of the state you’re visiting family!) and check out which restaurants are open on December 24 or 25. Happy holidays!


60+ Restaurants & Caterers for Christmas Eve & Christmas in CT: 2022 Edition

Features Restaurant Christmas Eve Christmas Guide Holiday Guide Caterers Homepage

April Guilbault

Sparkles and decorations, music and merriment, parties and gift-giving and of course, holiday dining. New traditions to begin or a revisiting of favorites from year’s past. We all have those special dishes or holiday sweets that make us pause as nostalgia fills our hearts. For those reasons and more, it is one of the most wonderful times of the year. We would like for you to be able to create new memories with those you love, so we have compiled a list of Connecticut eateries that are going above and beyond for the holiday season. They are categorized by county-Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Windham-so you don’t have to waste time researching, you can just swan dive into celebrating the season. From our plates to yours, Happy Holidays. May it be delicious!


Pastry Chef Kim Wood of Le Banh Patisserie On Food Network's Spring Baking Championship February 28th

Features Cooking Contest Food Network Cooking Competition TV Series Pastry Chef

Stephanie Webster

Pastry Chef Kim Wood of French Bakery, Le Banh Patisserie in Simsbury is competing on the upcoming season of Spring Baking Championship, premiering Monday February 28th at 8PM on Food Network and streaming on Discovery+.

Molly Yeh is bringing the farm straight to Spring Baking Championship putting her own colorful spin on every challenge this season, inspiring the bakers to create eye-popping, delicious, and Spring-forward treats to impress judges Duff Goldman, Kardea Brown and Nancy Fuller. Only one lucky baker will be crowned this year's Spring Baking Champion and walk away with $25,000!

Twelve bakers enter the Spring Baking barn and are challenged to create delicious desserts featuring the freshest fruit and flowers the farm has to offer. You know who we’re rooting for!


50+ Restaurants & Caterers for Christmas Eve & Christmas in CT: 2021 Edition

Features Restaurant Christmas Eve Christmas Holiday Catering Dining Guide Homepage

April Guilbault

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and with it comes plenty of wonderful eats! For your Christmas celebrating on the day or the eve, restaurants and caterers in all corners of the state have lovingly assembled delicious menus, kits and take out packages for you and your family. What a gift-spending time together, enjoying a beautiful meal and not being holed up in the kitchen. Wishing you all a very merry and delicious holiday!

Here are 50+ restaurants and caterers for your Christmas festivities.


Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern on State Competes on Chopped May 26th!

Features Food Network Chopped Celebrity Chef Competition TV

Stephanie Webster

Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern on State in New Haven will get involved in some competitive “Pork-y fun” on Food Network’s CHOPPED, May 26th, 9PM. The battle: High On The Hog.

Tune in to watch the competition. Chefs are elated to get a “nose to tail” pork theme for their battle, and the gorgeous cuts of premium meat in the first basket don't disappoint. A Bloody Mary with a special surprise adds to the porky fun in the second round. Then something fizzy and something "offal-ly" difficult to incorporate in a dessert are part of the final challenge.


Chef Eric Felitto of Tasty Yolk Competes on Food Network's Chopped Champion May 5th

Features Celebrity Chef Chef Food Network Homepage

Stephanie Webster

Chef Eric Felitto of Tasty Yolk has some big news to share. May 5th is his 35th birthday, (also Cinco de Mayo), Tasty Yolk’s 4 year anniversary, AND….wait for it…he will be competing for the world to see on Food Network’s Chopped Champion. Big day eh?

His episode of Chopped Champion will air at 9pm on May 5th. When asked about the experience Felitto said “it was definitely intense. The whole episode was based off of the showmanship a fight night, so there was a lot of filming and trash talking before we even cooked anything.” “They didn’t come to the restaurant to shoot like they did when I competed in 2018. Instead they had us shoot selfies on our phones…and then filmed it as if we were literally showing up to a fight.” “It was a great experience, and I was pumped when they called me back for the Champion round.”

Felitto couldn’t share any details, for obvious reasons, but he did share one of the “secret” ingredients…ESCARGOT!! Oh boy…Have fun with that.

Chef Felitto says he will probably run a special at the store front location on May 5th to coordinate with the airing. Stay tuned for more details and tune in on The Food Network.


40+ Restaurants for Christmas Eve & Christmas in CT: 2019 Edition

Restaurant Christmas Holiday Christmas Eve Homepage

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Thanksgiving has passed and snow is on the ground… it’s almost time for Christmas!  It’s a festive time of year, but also a busy one full of shopping, cleaning, decorating, baking, and travelling.  Why not save some time on the cooking?  These 40+ CT restaurants are open on Christmas Eve and Christmas with special menus, festive cocktails, and more.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from your friends at CTBites!


Chef Brian Lewis To Appear on Beat Bobby Flay May 30th

Features News TV Food Network Celebrity Chef

Stephanie Webster

Cheer on CT’s own Chef Brian Lewis, of The Cottage and OKO, as he competes on Beat Bobby Flay, airing Thursday, May 30th @10PM.

“We taped this episode months ago and I’m excited for everyone to see this episode of ‘Beat Bobby Flay.’  Just as I cook my heart out in the kitchens at OKO and The Cottage, I gave it my all for the competition. Tune in to see if I had the chance to go head to head with Bobby!” says Chef Lewis.

The episode is intriguingly titled “Bye Bye Birdie,” and features Food Network's Michael Symon and Jet Tila working hard to outsmart their good friend Bobby Flay. They bring in one of his proteges, Chef Rebecca Weitzman, and fine dining's finest, Chef Brian Lewis, to muscle Bobby out of his kitchen.


Chef Christian Petroni Live on CTbites Hot Dish Podcast

Features Podcast Celebrity Chef Food Network

Stephanie Webster

Beb! It’s the CTbites’ Hot Dish Podcast Episode you’ve all been waiting for. This week we sit down with Next Food Network Star, Chef Christian Petroni…oh yeah…he also owns Fortina Pizza (all 5 locations). Petroni gabs about his summers in Italy, growing up in the Bronx, how he “learned” to cook, and the epic importance of cheesy garlic bread. Join us chez Webster, and have a listen here.


Chef Ryan Durant of Branford's Assaggio Competes For Food Network's "Sexiest Chef Alive"

Features Interview Celebrity Chef Chef Talk Food Network

James Gribbon

Ryan Durant, owner and executive chef of Assaggio in Branford, has been picked to compete for the title of "Sexiest Chef Alive" on the People Magazine/Food Network joint venture show by the same name, airing November 1st. CTBites spoke with chef Durant about the experience.

How did you get involved with the show?

People magazine randomly called me, one of the servers picked up the phone and they said it was something with the magazine's sexiest man issue. It had to do with a cooking segment I did on "Better Connecticut" with Scot Haney three years ago.