Filtering by Tag: Farm Fresh,Holiday Guide

50+ CT Spots to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2025: Bars, Restaurants, Breweries & More

Features St. Patrick's Day Holiday Guide

Carly Terzigni

The doldrums of winter are behind us, and spring is starting to show some signs of life around Connecticut. In addition to milder temperatures and the first flowers starting to pop up, restaurants around the state are preparing their specials for St. Patrick’s Day! Don’t be fooled by March 17 falling on a Monday this year, as these restaurants are ready to party. If you prefer to stick to the weekend, there are plenty of events and menu specials leading up to the holiday, too.

Whether you are looking for a green beer, a corned beef dinner out with friends, or a catering menu to bring St. Patrick’s Day to your home, the following businesses are ready to celebrate. This guide is organized by county so you can quickly locate a restaurant near you that’s taking part in the St. Patrick’s Day festivities.


40+ Places For Great Holiday Pies in Connecticut (2024 Edition)

Features Thanksgiving Holiday Holiday Guide Pie Guide Dessert Highlight

Hannah Goodman

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. 


Guide To Connecticut Halloween Parties, Events, Bars & Restaurants (2024 Edition)

Features Halloween Holiday Guide Homepage

Carly Terzigni

It’s time to get spooky! Halloween is right around the corner, and restaurants across Connecticut are preparing to throw festive parties and host seasonal gatherings with plenty of decorations, costumes, and ghoulish menu specials. 

Whether your vibe on Halloween is to order from your favorite pizza place as you hand out candy or you want to go all-out and attend a lavish costume party until the wee hours of the morning, there’s an event for you happening in late October! There are events for all ages as well, with the littlest trick-or-treaters to the young at heart having plenty of options this month to celebrate the season. You’ll also find businesses across Connecticut featuring Día de Muertos celebrations in early November.

We’ve broken this guide up by county so you can easily find a Halloween event nearest you! 


Norwalk's Hidden Gems: Perfect Venues for Corporate Holiday Festivities sponsored post

Features Homepage Norwalk Catering Events Private Dining Private Party Holiday Guide

CTbites Team

As the holiday season approaches, finding the perfect venue for your corporate holiday party in Norwalk, CT is key to setting the right tone for celebration. From classic restaurants to modern event spaces, Norwalk offers a range of venues designed to accommodate every style of corporate gathering. Join us as we discover seven standout locations known for their charm, amenities, and ability to create memorable experiences for your team.


Guide to Connecticut's "Pick Your Own" Fruit Farms

Features Pick Your Own Farms Farm Fresh kids activity Local Farm Homepage

Carly Terzigni

It’s summer, which means it’s time to head to your local farm for some fruit picking! It doesn’t get fresher than picking your own fruit straight from the source, especially when they’re in season! Organized by county, the following farms have at least one type of seasonal fruit available during the year as a pick-your-own experience.

Note that the following fruit harvest seasons are approximate as it varies from year to year depending on a number of factors, including weather. With the warm temperatures we’re seeing this June, some picking seasons may move along faster than usual. This means strawberry season could wrap up early, but blueberries and raspberries could start early, too. Check with the farm you wish to visit to confirm current fruit availability.

Here is an approximation for some of the more popular fruits you may want to pick this year.


50+ CT Spots to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2024: Bars, Restaurants, Breweries & More!

Features St. Patrick's Day Irish Holiday Guide Homepage

Carly Terzigni

Winter is quickly coming to a close, and things are starting to look a little more GREEN around the state of Connecticut. That can only mean one thing…St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner! Whether you celebrate for the corned beef, the Guinness, or simply to enjoy the company of family and friends, there are plenty of restaurants around the state offering menu specials and events. This guide is broken up by county so you know exactly where to go to find the perfect St. Patrick’s Day festivities.


100+ CT Restaurants, Caterers & Farms for Thanksgiving 2023

Features Restaurant Thanksgiving Catering Caterer Holiday Guide Homepage

Carly Terzigni

We don’t have to explain how big of a deal Thanksgiving dinner is. Arguably, it is one of the most highly anticipated meals of the year – not just for the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pie, but for the time spent with loved ones. 

Some years, you want to go all out and embrace your inner Martha Stewart. There are businesses in Connecticut ready to supply you with the highest quality fresh turkey. Other years, you want to kick back and let someone else do the cooking. There are countless restaurants and catering companies across the state ready to take your order for a fully prepared meal. Or, maybe, you want to switch things up and take the family gathering on the road – as you might imagine, there are tons of excellent Connecticut restaurants open on Thanksgiving with special menus just for the holiday.

For your convenience, the guide is organized by county – simply find yours to see what local options are available! We have also made note of which locations are providing Vegan options this year. And, finally, if you want to pick up a fresh turkey to cook at home, there is a section devoted entirely to Connecticut farms at the bottom of the guide. The time is now to make your Thanksgiving dinner plans, and either place your orders for a catered meal or book those reservations at your favorite restaurant! 


Guide To Connecticut Halloween Parties, Special Events, Bars & Restaurants (2023 Edition)

Features Halloween Events Holiday Holiday Guide Homepage

Carly Terzigni

There’s a chill in the air, the leaves are turning, and the sun is setting earlier and earlier each day. That can only mean one thing – Halloween is right around the corner! Restaurants across Connecticut are celebrating the season with an array of special events to take part in. Whether you want to find something for the family or for a fun date night the weekend before, there are plenty of parties to choose from (many of which include costume contests, so be sure to dress up!). And on the night of Halloween (don’t forget it’s on a Tuesday this year), there are even more special events in case you want to take this year off from passing out candy to trick-or-treaters.

It won’t take too long to find a spot in the state to dance the night away this Halloween while you enjoy a bite to eat with a specialty-themed spooky beverage. Check out what the restaurants below are offering, and be sure to check ahead of time if they recommend making a reservation.


75+ CT Restaurants, Caterers & Events for Mother's Day (2023 Edition)

Features Mother's Day Holiday Holiday Guide Homepage

Carly Terzigni

Flowers are blooming and temperatures are rising, which can mean only one thing – Mother’s Day is right around the corner! Flowers and hand-written cards aside, Mother’s Day is a great opportunity to treat that special person in your life to a memorable outing. Restaurants around Connecticut are preparing for the big day with special brunch and dinner menus that any mom would enjoy. 

Show that special mother, grandmother, aunt, wife, sister, cousin, friend, or any important “mom” figure in your life just how much you appreciate them by treating them to a special meal at any of the restaurants listed below. Just like our other dining guides, this one is organized into county so you can easily look up which local restaurants are offering a specialty Mother’s Day menu. 


CT Easter Dining & Catering Guide (2023 Edition)

Features Easter Holiday Guide Catering Homepage

April Guilbault

“In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, you’ll be the grandest lady (or fella) in the Easter Parade..”, or so the song goes. The bonnets and parades may have gone by the wayside since that song was a hit, but Easter dinner, with its traditional ham, springtime vegetables, and pastel-colored desserts, remains something to look forward to. Gather your family and friends (and fellow jelly-bean lovers), and enjoy a beautiful day with good food and celebration of a new season.


60+ CT Restaurants, Bars & Caterers To Celebrate New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day (2022 Edition)

Features New Years Holiday Guide Events Homepage

Carly Terzigni

It might be hard to believe, but we are just days away from bidding adieu to 2022. With a new year right around the corner, restaurants all around Connecticut are preparing to ring in 2023 with specialty a la carte menus, prix fixe dining experiences, live music, and plenty of champagne to toast with at midnight. Whether you are looking for a special dinner earlier in the evening or a full-blown party to midnight and beyond, there is something happening on December 31 for just about everyone.

If something on this list strikes your fancy, make sure you call ahead to book a reservation. Have a happy and healthy new year!


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!


Arden’s Opens in Rowayton with Beautiful Seasonal Breakfast & Lunch Menu

Restaurant Homepage Rowayton Openings Breakfast Lunch Farm Fresh Local Farm Coffee Sandwich Eggs

Jessica Ryan

It’s Nantucket meets the Mediterranean. Arden’s, Rowayton’s newest eatery, is a community cafe offering up simple seasonal fare that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.

Inside the beachy décor is minimalist with hints of flea-market vintage finds. You’ll find antiquated oyster tins, vases filled with vibrant fresh flowers, beechwood furniture, a curated marketplace with specialty gourmet food items, locally fabricated linens alongside local honey, assorted spices, hot chili oil in beautiful glass jars, ceramics and other wonderful finds. Wonderful, whimsical floppy rattan shades resembling oversized straw hats hang from light fixtures overhead. Arden’s welcomes you in immediately with a warm embrace that doesn’t want to let you go.

Stay a while and linger over a simple menu of salads, sandwiches and toasts. While the concept is simple the recipes are elevated using ingredients from several local purveyors including Wilton’s Millstone Farm and Darien-based Flour Water Salt Bread, Nit Noi Provisions and Ilse coffee. Ingredients matter at this health-forward café. At the helm of the kitchen is Moises Aguilar formerly with Southend Backend. Here he is tasked with delivering the ultimate flavor profile from the simplest of ingredients which he has clearly mastered.


Baldanza Moves to Wilton & Takes Over The Schoolhouse

Features Interview Restaurant Wilton Farm Fresh Italian brunch lunch Homepage

Andrew Dominick

School is officially back in session in the Cannondale neighborhood of Wilton. We’re not talking education but rather The Schoolhouse’s new “teachers,” Angela and Sandy Baldanza and their son, Alex.

Before the family’s move to the historic Cannondale School, they were restaurantless. No, you aren’t crazy to imagine that they had a few restaurants at one point. They owned and operated Baldanza Cafe for 8 ½ years in New Canaan with six of those spent where SE The Back End is now. They even ran Baldanza Bistro in Darien behind Ten Twenty Post.

“When COVID hit, we closed that space (Darien) because it was too small for outdoor seating,” Angela says. “We took a lease at 21 Forest (in New Canaan). A few months in, we received complaints from the condo board there. We cut our losses there and our Darien lease ended. And we only left 17 Elm because of the place in Darien, so we were left with no restaurants at all.”

Cue the 1872 building we’ve all known as The Schoolhouse at Cannondale under Tim LaBant and most recently the home of Hugh Mangum’s popular Rise Doughnut pop-up who subleased from LaBant for a year. LaBant, who had a 14-year run at The Schoolhouse decided not to renew for a few reasons. “I left to focus on Parlor Wilton and the new Parlor Darien,” he says. “My lease was up and in these crazy times, I decided not to renew.”

All of the moving, and the closings, led to a coincidence.

“Ironically, Tim has our old spot in Darien where he opened Parlor and we took over The Schoolhouse on July 1,” Angela says. “Here we are, and we love being here. Sandy and I used to come here for dinner when we had a break from our restaurant. We love Tim.”

At this iteration of Baldanza, diners can anticipate a local, organic, and homemade approach. Brioche and Tuscan bread are sourced from Balthazar Bakery, while the naturally leavened, freshly milled sourdough comes from 123Dough Bakery in Pound Ridge. They also get seasonal produce from Connecticut farms, citing Wilton’s own Ambler Farm as a primary supplier and seafood is by way of New Wave Seafood in Stamford.

The approach to “local and fresh” applies in the kitchen where Baldanza’s longtime chef, Rodrigo Pacheco executes a menu mostly curated by Angela and Sandy. Pasta, as you’ll see in a hearty pappardelle Bolognese, is made in-house, as is the fluffy ricotta gnocchi tossed in roasted tomato vodka sauce, the cheese ravioli, and the tagliatelle caprese with buffala mozzarella and cherry tomato sauce.


The Westport Farmers' Market Is Back for the 2021 Summer Season with 50+ Vendors

Features Ingredients Farmers Market Westport Healthy Eats Farm To Table Farm Fresh Ingredients Farm Stand Local Artisan Bread Bakery Food Truck

CTbites Team

The need to eat strikes in many different forms. Craving something healthy? At The Westport Farmers’ Market, you can grab some freshly grown produce to satisfy that yearning. Want something refreshing? Stop by the handmade popsicle stand to cool down. How about something sweet? Head to the various artisan bakers selling freshly baked pastries and bread.

After a brief intermission from the end of their winter season back in March, the Westport Farmers Market has reopened to serve the community fresh produce, baked goods and everything in between. Open Thursdays from 10-2 on Imperial Avenue in Westport, the market is something you will not want to miss.

With over 50 vendors determined to provide market-goers with healthy and fresh products, Westport residents can look forward to grabbing organic, local ingredients to prepare a healthy meal, or even a pre-made breakfast or lunch… after visiting all the other vendors…of course.

Visit the Westport Farmers Market to enjoy goods from any of their over 50 vendors or check out a few of our favorites below!


Roasted Spring-Dug Carrots with Pistachio Dukkah & Crème Fraîche from Lauren Braun Costello

Features Recipe Recipe Farm Fresh Farm To Table Healthy Eats

CTbites Team

This recipe can be made with regular, conventional orange carrots, but spring-dug rainbow carrots from the farmer’s market are a colorful celebration of time and place like no other. Seasoned with a pistachio dukkah (an Egyptian nut-herb-spice blend traditionally made instead with hazelnuts, plus sesame seeds, coriander, mint, cumin, and salt and pepper), the flavors are both unexpected and familiar. Crème fraîche, with its creamy, sour finish is the icing on this proverbial carrot cake. Fresh microgreens complete the dish, offering more visual and textural contrast.—Lauren Braun Costello


Berkshires Direct: Farm-to-Consumer Delivery To Your Doorstep

Features Ingredients Subscription Box Farm to Table Farm Fresh Farm To Table Delivery Service

Stephanie Webster

Chefs realized a long time ago that “farm to table” was more than a phrase, it was a healthier way to eat, tasted better and improved the diversity of local economies by helping make farming economically viable. In addition, this growing trend has another major benefit, increasing access to a wide range of different food options across our community.

We, in Connecticut, are incredibly lucky with access to a large and growing number of farms and farmers’ markets, but sometimes a visit to that local farm stand during its business hours is difficult. For people who are not members of a CSA (community supported agriculture) program and would still like to incorporate ultra-fresh products into their everyday lives, CT based Berkshires Direct now gives customers greater access to the resources of farm-fresh products delivered to your home. They are based in Connecticut and currently making deliveries in Connecticut and NYC (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens).

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Guide To Connecticut's Dairy Farmers: Shop Locallly!

Features Ingredients Local Farm Local Artisan Farm Fresh Dairy Farm Farm Stand CT Farms Homepage

CTbites Team

Connecticut dairy farmers selling directly to consumers are not caught up in the milk-dumping situation because they do bottling and distribution themselves. Here is Connecticut Food & Farm’s list of Connecticut dairies who sell milk and dairy like half & half, butter, and yogurt direct to you at their stands or via delivery NOW. This provides you reliable sourcing of the freshest product and the best profitability for the farm.

We have not included ice cream although some make it, we have focused on the basics here. You can click through to their websites to see the other products they have available at their locations.