Filtering by Tag: Burger,Middletown

Menu Highlight: Kawa Ni in Westport Introduces "The Katsu Burger"

Ingredients Interview Restaurant Kawa Ni Westport Japanese Burger

Andrew Dominick

Chris Gonzalez is never surprised when people (including me) bring up Hapa Food Truck, specifically THAT burger. You know the one. Juicy grass-fed beef, a thick strip of tender pork belly, ultra caramelized onions, Vermont cheddar, lettuce and tomato, all between an eye catching purple ube bun. Admit it. You miss it. But those days are gone and these days are now. Gonzalez, now the chef at Kawa Ni, has, along with owner Bill Taibe, created another show stopper of a burger that’ll have you talking. That is, if you can get your hands on one.

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Hoodoo Brown BBQ Serves a Smoked Cheeseburger On Sundays and It’s Awesome

Features Interview Restaurant Hoodoo Brown BBQ BBQ Burger Burgers Ridgefield

Andrew Dominick

I can count on one finger how many times I’ve had a smoked cheeseburger in our general area.

The smoked burger is seemingly elusive. My first came in 2019, in Irvington, at a BBQ joint that’s no longer there. I’m not saying it’s impossible to find one, I’m just saying it’s rare—that’s an on-purpose meat pun.

In Connecticut, two spots where you absolutely can find a smoky, beefy, beast of a burger, are Hoodoo Brown BBQ and Hindsight Barbecue that were both recently named in terrific piece on Texas Monthly (link HERE) that you absolutely should read.

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Los Charros Cantina: Must Eat Mexican In Branford From Chef Colt Taylor

Features Interview Restaurant Colt Taylor Los Charros Cantina Branford Mexican Homepage Interview Tacos Burger

Andrew Dominick

Ask any fine dining enthusiast in our state and there’s a strong chance The Essex, owned by chef Colt Taylor, get a glowing recommendation.

While writing this, it’s important to mention I’ve personally never been to The Essex. I simply know its reputation and I’ve heard the raves from my nerdiest food friends. I’ll get up to Old Saybrook soon, but before I check off The Essex, I wanted to meet Taylor at his other concept, Los Charros Cantina, where the menu marriage is a co-existence of authentic Mexican cuisine and L.A. style Mexican.

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Restaurant L’Ostal Debuts New Bar-Only L’apero Menu

Features Interview Restaurant Darien Happy Hour Cocktails Burger French Homepage

Andrew Dominick

Evolution is part of the progression of any restaurant, even one as damn good as Restaurant L’Ostal in Darien.

Should you need a crash course in L’Ostal’s Provençal cuisine and on chef-owner and 2022 CRAZies “Chef of the Year” nominee, Jared Sippel, we covered all of that HERE a little more than a few years ago.

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Conspiracy: Killer Cocktails & Small Plate Magic in Middletown CT

Restaurant Bar Cocktails Middletown Spirits Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe

The niche at Conspiracy has been very warmly received and has opened up such a great new opportunity for Middletown visitors. Chef Sassi mentioned, “The small plates is something that’s been a passion of mine for several years, so,  to have a place entirely devoted to small plates breaks the mold of the conventional way of eating out. What’s better than experiencing several different dishes and flavors and journeys for the cost of a single regular entree?”

I agree. It’s super smart, very creative, and  gaaa damn delicious.

“Being a craft cocktail bar in Middletown is a hustle,” mentioned owners Mark and Jen Sabo. “We’re not a big city, the town isn’t (yet) a place people 100 percent think of as a destination, so we have to grind and push the boundaries of creativity and innovate and change constantly...our guests respond to variety and innovation, so we are constantly looking to deliver that.”

If it was even possible to manage more tasty bites, my guest and I tried the S'mores,  to finish a journey of exquisite flavors. Like the PB&J, this treat paid homage to its childlike original and yet, had a cooler, dressed up vibe. Toasted graham cracker crumble, marshmallow creme anglaise, spiced chocolate, and brûlée marshmallow all painted on a plate, that was part art, part throwback summer memory.

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Conspiracy Cocktail Bar in Middletown Gets a Sustainable Ramen Menu via CT Magazine

Restaurant Ramen Asian Middletown Noodles Cocktails Bar

Connecticut Magazine

Exciting Ramen news from Connecticut Magazine…

The tables and chairs were not designed with eating in mind and, through no fault of its own, Conspiracyis located more than an hour away from my house. Even so, I can’t wait to go back.

The reason?

One word: Ramen.

OK, three words: Ramen, cocktails and atmosphere.

Let’s start with the atmosphere. Conspiracy is undeniably cool. Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack cool. Accessible by an easy-to-miss doorway on Middletown’s Main Street, the second-floor space has the feeling of a secret club straight out of a film noir. Lounge chairs snake around an L-shaped room with painted-white brick walls. Edison bulbs hang from lofty ceilings, casting their warm light over a showstopping square bar. Behind the bar, bartenders twirl, mix and shake various liquids as they prepare alcoholic elixirs, often from historic recipes.

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Fujiya Ramen in Middletown: Tokyo-style ramen with New York vibe

Restaurant Japanese Asian Ramen Middletown Openings Comfort Food

Middletown Press

Looking for great ramen? Middletown Press has the scoop on the new Fujiya Ramen...straight from Tokyo. 

Fujiya Ramen opened in August at 425 Main St. and already, the restaurant has become somewhat of a hangout for Wesleyan University students, according to Andy Liu, owner.

Whenever there’s an event at the school, students come out to the restaurant to socialize, eat and take advantage of the wifi, he said. The vibe of the eatery, especially when the students are congregating, reminds him of similar establishments in New York City.

“I go to New York a lot because in New York (ramen is) very popular,” Liu said. “Young people like it because ramen is really fast and pretty healthy food.”

Liu, who has been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years and also owns Sakura Garden in Windsor and Royal Buffet in Manchester, was impressed the first time he visited a ramen restaurant. “I said this is a really good idea — really modern,” he said.

He talked to a friend in Tokyo who has Fujiya Ramen restaurants in Tokyo, New Jersey and Albany, New York, and suggested they join forces. Liu found a head chef who was originally from Japan and his friend sent a crew from Japan, including additional chefs and servers, he said.

“That’s why our ramen (dishes) are different because we have people from over there,” Liu said. “It’s almost the identical ramen as in Tokyo.”

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One Dish: White Sicilian Pizza, Jerry’s Pizza, Middletown

Restaurant Pizza Middletown Delicious Dives Lunch

CTbites Team

If Middletown had a taste, it would be Jerry’s Pizza. And if Jerry’s has a signature dish, it is undoubtedly the locally famous white Sicilian pizza. Nothing speaks to the Italian — and specifically Sicilian — identity of the city like this dish. The intense flavor of the pizza is no joke: you either love it or hate it, and those who love it, really, really love it. So much so, in fact, that you have to plan your day around it. The specially made dough for the white Sicilian takes roughly two hours to rise properly. The pizzeria has been around since 1968, when it was opened by Jerry Schiano, an Italian immigrant from Naples. Though Jerry is now retired, his daughter Carmela Lockwood operates the restaurant, and says the recipe comes from her grandmother, who used to make the dish back in Italy. (Her family is not Sicilian, but the style of thick dough is distinctively from the island.)

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Pho 170 Opens in Middletown: Vietnamese + Thai Cuisine Gets Top Marks

Restaurant Asian Middletown Noodles Thai Vietnamese Homepage

Hope Simmons

“That’s it,” I overheard a man say with a smile, holding his takeout order as he joked about having come in four days in a row. The word is out downtown...Pho 170, M’town’s newest/latest, is busy. The service is friendly and attentive, showing this new kid on the block is already in the groove, cranking out fresh and delicious dishes—both Vietnamese and Thai.

It’s not been quite three weeks since Viengthong Charonesuk opened the doors to her newest restaurant. And, unlike so many other spots when they first get started, everything’s well under control. Even on a night when they were one person short on the waitstaff, they pulled everything off without a hitch. Vieng hails most recently from Bann Thai in Cheshire, and she’s run restaurants in other locations across the state as well. Little things, like making sure you have extra plates when you share a dish, aren’t overlooked. And it’s always a nice touch when your water glass is refilled before you even need to ask.

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Great Gatsby Moonshine Ball & Cocktail Contest in Middletown Celebrates Prohibition Era

Restaurant Cocktails Middletown

Amy Kundrat

The producers of Onyx Moonshine, a Connecticut liquor distillery, are hosting The Great Gatsby Moonshine Ball on September 27, 2013 from 8 pm to midnight at the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown, CT. 

The prohibition era-inspired event will bring together 15 restaurants for a cocktail challenge. Each restaurant will compete by creating a custom jarred infusion using fruits, vegetables and herbs, with Onyx Moonshine 111, the company's higher proofed version of its moonshine. 

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Krust Pizza & Bourbon Bar in Middletown

Restaurant Cocktails Middletown Pizza Lunch

Emily Cahill

We are excited to begin bringing you even more content from across the state of Connecticut, welcoming new voices into our mix, and experimenting with the occassional shorter, more tactical posts. To that end, we are pleased to welcome Emily Cahill, the newest addition to the CTbites team covering one of our favorite new spots in Middletown. - Stephanie Webster + Amy Kundrat

Photo: Nick CaitoKrust Pizza Bar

Cuisine: Wood-fired pizza, Bar
Price: $10- $15
Our Highlights: Specialty pizzas, bourbon and cocktails
Hours: Mon – Closed. Tues-Thur 4pm – 1am, F&S 4pm-2am, Sun 4pm-1am
Online: http://krustpizzabar.com/

Wood-fired pizzas, a softly lit interior, and a seemingly infinite bourbon list sets the stage for NoRa neighborhood newcomer Krust. Owners Rich Garcia and Kevin Wirtes introduced the Middletown eatery in mid-January 2013, showcasing a concise but creative menu of beautifully executed artisan pies. Whether it’s the rustic pine paneling, amber glow of bar shelves brimming with bourbon bottles, or smoky aromas permeating the space from the wood burning oven, one thing is evident: Krust is a delicious and welcome addition to Middletown’s bar and restaurant scene.

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The Whey Station Grilled Cheese Truck in Middletown

Restaurant Food Truck Middletown Comfort Food Lunch Kid Friendly

CTbites Team

Jill Moskites works the grill while her husband, Josh, takes lunch orders from a hungry crowd.  It’s a cold Wednesday afternoon in October, perfect for what The Whey Station is serving up -- gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, hearty, “truckmade” soups and specialty hot dogs.  Fortunately for all of us, The Whey Station is the newest local addition to the handful of food trucks hitting the streets.

It’s a new endeavor for the Moskites, who until recently were familiar faces at their family’s gourmet foods shop, The Wild Raspberry in Cromwell, and together they have about 19 years restaurant and specialty foods experience.

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