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.
SHOP LOCALLY at these 9 Connecticut dairy farms this holiday season. Here’s where you can find delicious eggnog, made in CT, and in some cases, delivered to your doorstep!
Ding, dong, ring, ring, ca-ching, ca-ching…time for holiday shopping! From the small to the large, from tours to classes, we have a wonderfully tasty listing assembled for you that could quite possibly take care of all the people on your list (naughty folks not included). We are all about making the holidays easier and well, just more delicious in every way possible for you. So, from us to you, our scrumptious readers and followers, we wish you a truly Happy Holidays!
Ah, the hunt for the perfect gift. Or least a really, really, good one. Where to start? Don’t we go through this every single year (we do) and swear each year our shopping will being in July! Well, if you haven’t begun to purchase or ponder, we’ve got a good-make that great-list right here that will have you on your way to pulling out the almighty Sharpie and cross, cross, crossing things off your list. Is there any more divine feeling? Well, maybe finding that perfect gift! Happy shopping everyone!
To truly depict the joy I feel around Bridgewater Chocolate finally opening a storefront in Southern Fairfield County, after over 25 years in business up North, I may need to quote myself from a previous 2021 CTbites article. I feel the same way, biting into one of their outstanding toffees or coconut igloos today, as I did a year ago, but now, I can hop in my car and grab a box, because their confections are available at their new Westport location, opening September 15th.
With locations in Brookfield and West Hartford, Brand Director, Marlene Steiner says, “Westport’s retail experience will be the blueprint for their flagship stores moving forward.” The customer will be introduced to product in new ways, with clean modern lines, an expansive “build your own box” display, and for the first time ever, a dedicated tasting area at the front of the store. Steiner states, “so much of what we do is about tasting the product, and we love to tech people more about what makes Bridgewater so unique.” In fact, Bridgewater Chocolates, if you’re not familiar, is a sought after luxury chocolate brand shipped around the world. “ Westport watch out….this is dangerous.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.