Filtering by Tag: Contest,Gastropub

Stamford's Hop & Vine Taproom Wrote Connecticut's Self-Pour Bill

Features Interview Restaurant Stamford beer Craft Beer Homepage self pour Interview Gastropub

Andrew Dominick

Sakarin Seedasome recalls a memory from 2017 when he was in San Diego. He walks in after work, wanting a beer, when he wondered, “Wait. What is this place?” “I love craft beer,” he says. “I think they had 20 or so taps, wine as well. I was confused at first, wondering if I had to buy a full 16 ounces of each one, but no, you pay per ounce. I was like, ‘Oh my god. I can try all of these.’ I stayed there all night.” Now one of the owners of Hop & Vine Taproom, which opened in Downtown Stamford in early January 2024, Seedasome and his partners Matthew Ventura and Connor Rasmussen, wanted to get it open much, much sooner. The problem? They couldn’t because it wasn’t legally possible.


Contest: Win a Full YEAR of New Haven Pizza from Info New Haven x CTbites

New Haven Restaurant Pizza New Haven New Haven Pizza Contest

CTbites Team

In recent weeks, New Haven-style apizza has been big in the news, with feature stories splashed across such publications as The New York Times and The New Yorker. To the surprise of some, “apizza” is no typo. Apizza is a culinary cornerstone. Now that we’re on the same pie, let’s talk about how your readers can win free apizza for a year for National Pizza Day (February 9).


Little Barn To Open Second Location in Shelton

Features Shelton Openings American Gastropub Family Friendly

CTbites Team

Guess what! The uber family-friendly, American pub, Little Barn, is opening a second location in Shelton CT.

The first Little Barn opened in Westport 8 years ago serving us casual pub fare, with their new American menu. Given the success of the Westport location, the owners decided to expand. They chose Shelton for the second location as it is a town with dynamic growth and development and they wanted Little Barn to be a part of Shelton’s future.

Little Barn’s comfort food menu varies from burgers and tacos to healthy salads and Buddha bowls. They also feature many craft beers and signature cocktails, and bar is ALWAYS hopping. We have enjoyed Little Barn’s commitment to supporting local bands and have spent many a fun night listening to live music at the “barn.”

The Shelton location, which will have a large outdoor patio, will be open mid-summer 2021 and will have live music on the weekends.


And The Winner of The Taco Daddy Cocktail Naming Contest Is...

Features Contest Giveaway

Stephanie Webster

The Taco Daddy team has crowned a winner for their Cocktail Naming Contest. It was tough. There were some solid names from people all over CT, but we are pleased to announce that...

The winner of the Taco Daddy Cocktail Naming Contest with her winning name "Let The Beet Drop" is Nicole Thornton. Congrats Nicole!

A huge thank you to all those who participated, and we will be back soon with another Cocktail Naming Contest soon


Taco Daddy Cocktail Naming Contest: WIN FREE DINNER FOR 2 @ Taco Daddy!

Features Contest Cocktails Giveaway

Stephanie Webster

Game on! We're back with another cocktail naming contest. WIN FREE DINNER FOR TWO AT the uber-fun taco mecca, TACO DADDY in Stamford. Here's How...

  1. Review the ingredients list below.

  2. Get creative! Enter YOUR original Cocktail Name in the comments section under this post.

  3.  If your Cocktail name is selected, it will be featured on their cocktail menu & you will receive a FREE DINNER FOR 2 at Taco Daddy.


GIVEAWAY: WIN Lidia Bastianich's Autographed Book, "My American Dream"

Features Contest Giveaway

CTbites Team

Happy Holiday! CTbites is GIVING AWAY a signed copy of Lidia Bastianich’s new book, “My American Dream” for one lucky boy or girl who has been good in 2019.

TO ENTER: Comment below and tell us why YOU NEED THIS BOOK. Winners must be CTbites newsletter subscribers. You can subscribe here.

CTbites was recently invited to a special media tour of the This Old House. The incredible Lidia Bastianich was in attendance on behalf of Clarke Kitchen Appliances in Norwalk (where she films her show, Lidia’s Kitchen)…the company who outfitted the Idea House’s kitchen with Sub-Zero and Wolf Appliances.

That day, Lidia was kind enough to sign a copy of her book for one of our readers. May the biggest Bastianich fan win. Good luck!  


Chef Emily Mingrone Opens Tavern on State in New Haven: A Delicious Take on Traditional Tavern Fare

Restaurant New Haven Gastropub Bar Cocktails Comfort Food Tavern Homepage

Jessica Ryan

Tavern on State, owned by Chef Emily Mingrone, is the latest to join the dozens of exceptional restaurants in the New Haven area. I was fortunate to check out the new digs, sit down with Emily, and sample some of the exciting items on the menu.

The restaurant boasts a tavern vibe, but perhaps more in appearance than what’s on the plate. Rich, warm woods welcome you inside a space that seats about 45 (with an additional 45 outdoors) but this is where your notion of tavern starts and ends.

Traditional tavern fare might include burgers and fries, nachos and the like, but a menu that features a blue cheese & truffle burger with thick bacon & red onion on English muffin, Spicy crispy chicken skins & chicharrones, Fried cheese curds with smoked tomato dip, or chilled oysters with yuzu kosho & cucumber, is anything but traditional. 

The menu here is as eclectic as it is sophisticated; it raises high the burger bar. It is tavern fare reimagined, and certainly for the more discerning palate that can see beyond a standard plate of fish and chips, jalapeño poppers, calamari, and pepperoni pizza. I have had plenty of tavern fare in my day, and tavern fare doesn’t look or taste like this.


Cocktail Naming Contest! Name This Bar Sugo Cocktail & WIN $100 Gift Card

Features Cocktails Contest Giveaway

Stephanie Webster

WIN a $100 gift card for Bar Sugo!! Here's how...

It's time for another cocktail throw down! Bar Sugo’s Mixologist Seth Hiravi has decided to trust the fate of their new signature cocktail to the naming skills of our CTbites readers.  If your cocktail name is selected, you will win a $100 gift card for Bar Sugo (cocktails included). 

Here are the ingredients for the cocktail in need of a name:


Brick Walk Tavern Opens in Fairfield, from Char Restaurant's Chef Snyder

Restaurant Openings Fairfield American Gastropub Lunch Bar

CTbites Team

Friends since college and now partners, Chef David Snyder and former financial exec turned restaurateur Ted Vincent, introduce their first joint venture in the form of Brick Walk Tavern, a stylish and food-centric restaurant and gathering place located in the burgeoning Brick Walk neighborhood of Fairfield, Connecticut.

Menu highlights include; not your average house-made chips and onion dip; chili garlic crispy shrimp laced with radish, cilantro, and green onion; Tuscan kale and Brussels sprout salad tossed with polenta croutons, dried cranberries, and lemon truffle vinaigrette; the French onion burger topped with 4-hour braised onions, veal jus, and gruyere cheese on a house made bun; pan-roasted cod over white beans, chorizo, charred tomato, and a roasted poblano broth; classic jambalaya  of creole rice with tasso and andouille, jumbo shrimp and chicken; and steak frites, 10 oz hanger steak with a 72 hour red wine sauce, served with crispy truffle parmesan fries.


The Tavern at GrayBarns Opens in Norwalk- Silvermine Tavern Magically Reimagined

Restaurant New Canaan Norwalk American Lunch Farm to Table Gastropub Breakfast Brunch Homepage

Lou Gorfain

“It’s a 21st Century iteration of a 19th Century Inn,” Robert promised. So, before the six of us scattered to warmer climes for the winter, we chose the newly opened Tavern at GrayBarns for our farewell dinner. 

After a pre-prandial toast, our party was served an un-presupposing bread and butter plate. Standard fare? Hardly. Executive Chef Ben Freemole had us at first bite.

That homespun bread perfectly captures the ethos of Andy Glazer’s sweeping reconstruction and fortification of the legendary Silvermine Tavern and Inn, its footprint reduced by almost a third. In this new “Haven of Refuge,” both décor and dining dazzle, no detail taken for granted, not even a humble bread and butter starter.


Pub Fare Extraordinaire at Inishmor Pub in Colchester

Restaurant Colchester Pub Gastropub Lunch Bar Comfort Food Homepage Burgers

Hope Simmons

Meet Alex Levere—his roots may be French and German, but the luck of the Irish is clearly smiling upon him. He grew up in the restaurant industry on the shoreline, spent some time in Europe—specifically, you guessed it, in Ireland—in his early 20s, then Boston during his college years and beyond.

“Long story short, the economy crashed, I graduated, and there was nothing really going on, so I was bartending at a place, and they offered me an assistant management job. So, I took that, then I went to manager. Then I went to general manager and, right before the place was sinking, the head chef quit, so I took over the kitchen. I was like, I know I can do this, and I did it, but it was too little, too late. And that’s when we came across this place!” Now he’s turning out some truly inventive flavors at the Inishmor Pub in Colchester.


Viceroy Publik House Opening in Stamford: British & Indian Pub Fare + Live Music

Restaurant Stamford Indian Pub Bar Lunch Gastropub Openings

CTbites Team

Taking a page from history, from what is now referred to as the “British Raj”, the British rule over the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947, Viceroy Publik House pays homage to this now proud British and Indian cultural connect, offering a high energy English pub setting featuring London curry, pakoras and pints, and an edgy live music venue which is just as diverse as its menu. Located in Downtown Stamford, CT, Viceroy Publik House brings together these two cultures, rich in history and with a strong food and drink identity found in pubs throughout London. Viceroy will be opening in April of 2017. 


Young Shoots Digital Photography Contest Kids 8-18

Features Contest kids activity

Lynn Felici-Gallant

WFM is proud to announce the second annual Young Shoots digital photography contest for budding artists ages eight to eighteen. The competition, jointly sponsored by the Westport Arts Center and Westport Farmers’ Market, provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their creativity through the digital photography medium while showcasing the local color and vibrancy of the Westport Farmers’ Market. 

Lori Cochran-Dougall, Executive Director of the Westport Farmers’ Market, says that “partnering with the Westport Arts Center on the Young Shoots competition is the perfect way to mix food, youth and art while having a good time. We are thrilled to celebrate our local youth photographers again this season.” 

Photo submissions are due by August 14th, with this year’s winners to be displayed at Norwalk’s Sugar and Olives. Young Shoots photographers will find submission guidelines at the Westport Arts Center website. 


Rothbard Ale + Larder: Westport's European Gastropub

Restaurant Beer Gastropub German Westport Comfort Food

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

Rothbard Ale + Larder opened in Westport last November, the second restaurant by Chef Adam Roytman and his business partner, Joseph Farrell. The pair also own Walrus + Carpenter in Bridgeport. Roytman and Farrell’s original idea was to recreate a German beer hall, but as the concept of the restaurant progressed, the vision was slightly modified to design a restaurant that would offer comfort food based on the regional cuisines of central Europe including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Alsace, Switzerland, with an occasional side trip to Italy.

Access to Rothbard is a throwback to a 1920's speakeasy, with its unassuming side entrance leading to the lower level. Once inside, you are surrounded by a central European ambience, with its reclaimed wood and brick walls and cement and metal beams protruding from the ceiling. To the left of the entrance is a bar with several high-tables plus nine stools in front of antler-topped beer taps, plus a refrigerator that houses up to 45 traditional and unique European beers including Einbecker, Tripel Karmeliet, Del Ducato, Christian Drouin and Abbaye. Wine, aperitifs, an array of Schnapps and Absinthe are also available. With low-lighting illuminating the entire space, the atmosphere is very European gastro-pubbish.

 


First Look: Rothbard Ale + Larder European Gastropub Opens in Westport

Restaurant Beer Gastropub German Westport Comfort Food

Stephanie Webster

Rothbard Ale + Larder European Gastropub quietly opened its doors last week in downtown Westport. The menu focuses on central European fare with dishes drawing inspiration from the cuisines of Alsace, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland. The beer and wine list mirror this sentiment, and a beautiful interior renovation transports diners to a cozy chalet in the depths of the Bavarian Alps. Chef Adam Roytman's commitment to both the cuisine and "larder" concept are tangible in every detail of this new speakeasy-esque venture with longtime partner Joseph Farrell (Walrus + Carpenter).  From the crispy schnitzel and rich hearty bratwurst (house-made) to the authentic absinthe fountain and German beer steins, Rothbard Ale + Larder is the real deal.