Founded in 1719, well before the Revolutionary War, Litchfield is an idyllic town in the pastoral hills of northwest Connecticut that is richly steeped in history.
In recent years, given its proximity to both NYC and Boston—each just over a two-hour drive away—Litchfield has become a popular destination for urban dwellers to unwind in the quiet of the countryside.
Catering for this clientele is a growing list of outstanding eateries, including the well-established Arethusa group, chef David DiStassi’s outstanding Italian restaurant Materia Ristorante, plus Ore Hill, Community Table and more culinary gems nearby…not to mention the Litchfield Distillery.
It is also increasingly a destination for boutique hotels and inns. There’s the Mayflower Inn (part of the prestigious Auberge Resorts Collection) and newly opened The Abner in downtown Litchfield. But the one that’s caught my eye is Lost Fox Inn, which opened in June 2024.
This just in from Chef Bill Taibe and Massimo Tullio, the team behind Kawa Ni, The Whelk & Don Memo.
After 12 incredible years of partnership, Bill Taibe and Massimo Tullio are announcing a new chapter in their professional lives as they transition to pursue independent goals. The duo, known for their exceptional contributions to the culinary landscape, will part ways amicably and continue their legacies with individual ventures.
Effective immediately, Bill Taibe will take over the ownership and operations of Kawa Ni Westport and Kawa Ni Denver. At the same time, Massimo Tullio will assume ownership of The Whelk and Don Memo, both located in Westport, CT.
The Connecticut culinary community came together last night to celebrate hard work, passion and excellence in the field. Winners from each of the eight counties around the state and the eight winners were – Materia Ristorante in Bantam (Litchfield County); Bar Rosina’s in Greenwich (Fairfield County); Restaurant Bricco in West Hartford (Hartford County); Hachiroku Shokudo & Sake Bar in New Haven (New Haven County); Monet’s Table in Tolland (Tolland County); The Essex in Old Saybrook (Middlesex County); Trigo Wood Fired Pizza in Willimantic (Windham County); and The Port of Call in Mystic (New London County). The overall winner who was named 2024 Connecticut Restaurant of the Year went to Bar Rosina’s, who earned the award over the other seven county winners and twenty-four total nominees.
If you live in CT, you likely have heard the name, Chef Ashley Flagg. She has been the executive Chef at the iconic Millwright's in Simsbury for five years, and has worked in the industry for over fourteen. Flagg is now getting ready to head out on her own, and has signed a lease for a new spot at 1046 New Britain Ave in West Hartford. The restaurant will be called The Laurel and it is slated to open its doors in early 2025. Are we excited? Heck yeah we are.
The name, The Laurel, is an ode to Flagg’s grandmother who inspired her love of cooking. It is also s a nod to the Connecticut state flower, an appropriate choice, as Flagg is a strong supporter of sourcing close to home. The concept is centered around globally inspired shareable plates utilizing the best local purveyors, farmers, and artisans.
The Litchfield Inn, a family-owned, luxury boutique hotel in Connecticut's idyllic countryside, is partnering with two talented New England chefs for pop-up dinners in March and April.
Known for his role as Executive Chef and owner of Chef's Table at Little Dipper in Brooklyn, Connecticut, Chef Brian Paszko is excited to bring beloved his farm-to-table dining experience to The Litchfield Inn for two very special dinners on Saturday, March 16 and Saturday, March 23. Ticket holders can look forward to a multi-course tasting menu with beverage pairings with complimentary canape and prosecco upon arrival. Tickets are priced at $110 per person, excluding tax and gratuity, with 25 tickets available. Vegetarian substitutions will be available, as well as non-alcoholic beverage pairings.
On Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6, 2014 James Beard Semifinalist and 3x Chopped Champion Evan Hennessey, Executive Chef and owner of Stages at One Washington and The Living Room in Dover, New Hampshire, will be offering a dining experience similar to the one found at Stages at One Washington. Guests can expect a multi-course tasting menu consisting of dishes that showcase the bounty of ingredients native to New Hampshire that are prepared with traditional Scandinavian and Japanese techniques. Canape and prosecco will also be provided upon arrival. Tickets are priced at $110 per person, excluding taxes, gratuity, and beverage pairings, with 12 tickets available. Optional wine pairings and non-alcoholic pairings will be available for an additional fee. Please note that Gluten-free allergies can be accomodated, however, vegan, dairy-free, and shellfish allergies cannot be accommodated for Evan's events.
As a judge for each of the first two years of SoNo1420’s Blaze Whiskey Competition—that’s four rounds total, by the way—one of the best drinks I tasted came from a bartender I hadn’t heard of before, but from a place I’ve not only been to, but wrote about in the past.
Olivia Olsen is the head bartender behind the stick at ATC South Street, Carlos Perez’s hip taqueria in Litchfield.
Ask Forrest Pasternack about being back in Ridgefield and he’ll tell you that “there’s nothing quite like home.”
Already well traveled in this area and in New York as a renowned chef at several acclaimed restaurant, Pasternack may be best known to locals from his five-years when he headed up the kitchen at the O.G. farm-to-table restaurant Bailey’s Backyard from 2013 – 2018.
After a handful of years away, Pasternack is back!
But where’s he been all this time?
Well, a bunch of places and one big one at the same time.
A few months ago I had the privilege of visiting Arethusa Dairy Farm to attend a special cheese tasting event which coincided with Connecticut’s Agriculture Week. The event was a celebration for their Europa cheese, an aged Gouda, that had just been awarded “Best in Show” in the US Championship Cheese Contest.
Hot dogs have been around in various shapes and sizes for centuries, some say dating back to 700 BC; today they are a staple at Fourth of July and church BBQs and grabbing a red hot at Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium was always my go-to food. Natural casing, foot-long, knockwurst, beef, pork, chicken, veggie, tofu, cheese conies, they have been a part of the American culinary scene since forever. There is something special about the salty-spicy combo, the ease of eating, the number of toppings that make them even better…sometimes they are the canvas, sometimes they are the art.
Finding a great and fun hot dog in CT has been an adventure, so when I read that Gooseboro Drive-In in Bantam was awarded the best hot dog at the Litchfield Fair, it definitely hit my radar.
Chefs Cycle is a fundraising endurance event featuring award-winning chefs and members of the culinary community-fighting childhood hunger outside the kitchen. Since 2015, the culinary talents who take part in Chefs Cycle raise critical funds, which No Kid Hungry uses to help communities across the country feed kids. Chef Luke Venner of Elm Restaurant in New Canaan, CT, is preparing for his 2nd year in the Chefs Cycle event. We sat down with him to discuss the importance of this fundraiser and the hopefully inspire other chefs to join him in 2024!
It is with GREAT pleasure that I re-introduce you to an old school CTbites writer who has recently moved back to the Nutmeg state (where he belongs). His name is Jeff Schlesinger, AKA “Jfood.” Welcome back!
As you travel through the rolling hills of Litchfield County, you are mesmerized by its beauty, the intertwining of scenic farms, silos and barns dating back hundreds of years nestled amongst wineries, with their vines reminding you of the connection to the land. Surrounding the bucolic town of Litchfield, the gastronomic options are staggering, from brilliant Italian, to farm-to-table dinners that will satisfy your wildest culinary desires to glorious ice cream. About a mile west of the Litchfield common sits a small, unassuming, side of the road, hidden gem, Meraki, serving some of the boldest combinations I have tasted in quite some time.
Less than a year ago, we introduced readers to Stamford branch of The Taco Project, a fast casual Mexican restaurant whose roots began in Tarrytown in 2014.
Since April of 2022, The Taco Project and its brand grew even more outside of its existing Westchester locations (Tarrytown, Yonkers, Pleasantville, Bronxville) and its High Ridge Road spot in Stamford, as they’ve set their sights on the Florida market and opened up shop in Coral Springs.
Greeting someone in Connecticut with an enthusiastic “Aloha!” or flashing them with a very chill hang loose hand gesture isn’t really our deal in the Nutmeg State. But on Tuesday afternoons at Bar 140, it’s totally rad to let out your inner Hawaiian during Umebroshi Food’s weekly pop-up.
CTbites is very proud to be a media sponsor for year one of the exciting event below, an event that celebrates the culmination of Black History Month. We share that honor with The New Canaanite, where writer, Laura Ault, originally posted this article detailing the Stand Together Against Racism (S.T.A.R)’s Soul-Fête event, going down on March 2nd. Here’s the scoop. Grab your tickets now before they sell out!
With their customary knack for creating connection, Stand Together Against Racism (S.T.A.R) has created an immersive cultural celebration. Soul-Fête, which will explore the culinary journey from Africa to America, will welcome you to the Carriage Barn at New Canaan’s Waveny Park on March 2nd from 7-9 P.M., wrapping up Black History Month in an unforgettable way. Music will be provided by local band The Misfits, and chef Damon Sawyer of Bridgeport’s 29 Markle Ct. will take us through the past, present, and future of Black food. What’s in store for us? Well, for one, there will be a mac ‘n’ cheese tasting.
If you listen to Marc Taxiera talk about his style at his newly opened Mamaroneck restaurant, Augustine’s Salumeria, he speaks about it passionately.
“It’s born in Italian cooking, but I’m using ingredients from the market, things that turn us on,” he says. “My food was always about taking ingredients that we can get and showcasing them in the best way. Most Italian tends to be heavy on the sauce, fried calamari, chicken parm, but we’re taking the seasons and playing with it, doing it a little differently.”
“Mixing records is very similar to balancing tastes if you can imagine that. The lows of a record are like beets to me. That funk, the color of it. It’s a deep sound. You add shallots, it’s like a string session. That was a major component into my transition to being a chef. I knew what balancing sound was. Same thing as ingredients.”
A quote like that one could only come from a former musician, turned chef.
I’ll be the first to admit that since Rosina’s opened, it has become my toxic trait. And I mean that in the best way possible. I’ve eaten there for dinner, I’ve attended several happy hours and one industry night, and I’ve celebrated a birthday there.
Full transparency, Jared Falco, Rosina’s co-owner and executive chef, is a good friend of mine. I’d like to say I go so often to visit him, and that is partially true, but Jared, I’m sorry, it’s for the pasta. Still love you, bro!
Bottega Italian Kitchen + Bar, Craft Kitchen + Bar, and now, with the very quiet opening of Quattro Osteria in Newtown, we officially have a trio.
The “we” is the partnership between Michael Hayek (Square One Bar & Grill in Danbury) and Jasson Arias, who was the brains behind the popular food truck, Rice & Beans.
Ask any Fairfield County food truck fanatic what their favorite one was over the past handful of years and they’re likely to mention Nosh Hound if they know what they’re talking about.
The stacked sandwiches, the tacos, the burgers, and the bowls, and yes, even the “F” word…FUSION. It all really worked for Nosh Hound. I, for one, sought out Sam and Maycie Ralbovsky’s truck at every Mill River Park event. My final Nosh Hound memory was at Half Full’s Oktoberfest in Downtown Stamford when I obliterated a pork schnitzel sandwich.
