Filtering by Tag: Chef's Tasting,Middletown

Arden’s “After Hours” Dinner Series Returns With Guest Chefs+ In Rowayton

Events Restaurant Chef's Tasting Rowayton Norwalk Pop-Up Pop-Up Dinner

Sam Schwab

Rowayton’s Arden’s is continuing their “After Hours” dinner series for the third summer in a row, and we were lucky enough to sit down with owner Jill Lukeman to get a first look at what’s to come. 

For those who aren’t familiar, Arden’s is a neighborhood cafe located in the heart of Rowayton. Its coastal decor and delicious fare makes it the perfect spot to enjoy a delicious breakfast, lunch, or cup of joe. Since opening in 2022, the team has hosted monthly dinners to expand beyond their daytime offerings. 

“We have always been passionate about entertaining our friends and hosting dinner parties at home. When we opened Arden's, we thought why not bring this same spirit to our cafe and offer something that feels like dinner at a friend's house (without the headache of planning and the clean-up!). We are also passionate about music so we incorporated a music element to make the evenings even more unique and intimate,” Lukeman shared with us.

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Tix On Sale: Catskill Cuisine 2024- Celebrity Chefs, Food Festival & Mother's Day Brunch! sponsored post

Features Homepage Food Festival Catskills Celebrity Chef Chef's Tasting

CTbites Team

In addition to the Food Festival, the event will feature a Charity Golf Tournament and exclusive Mother’s Day Brunch both featuring culinary offerings curated by the celebrity chefs. Catskill Cuisine will bring visitors, entertainment, and cuisine together while allowing Sullivan Catskills culinary experts to shine and promote the region’s agritourism and local farms, craft food, and beverage makers.

Thousands of Food Festival attendees will be able to explore Bethel Woods Center for the Arts’ iconic grounds, and take part in tastings, demos, meet and greets, book signings, and a local producer marketplace– all representing the Sullivan Catskills' diverse and delicious bounty. Confirmed celebrity chefs include Andrew Zimmern, Michael Symon, Scott Conant, Marcus Samuelsson, Anne Burrell, Melba Wilson and Geoffrey Zakarian, amongst others.

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Chef David DiStasi Opens MATERIA Ristorante in Bantam, CT's New Culinary Treasure

Restaurant Litchfield Bantam Openings Italian Pasta Fine Dining Chef's Tasting Homepage

Jessica Ryan

Last spring, Materia Ristorante, a most enchanting restaurant nestled in the bucolic town of Bantam in the Litchfield Hills, quietly opened its doors. Like descending upon a picturesque Tuscan villa, entering the scene at Materia is truly an experience from the moment you pull into the driveway. Do allow yourselves to take a moment or two to admire the magnificent setting. The expansive land behind the restaurant, the sights and sounds of the river flowing past all set the stage for what’s to come. You know something spectacular is about to happen.

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Call, Respond, Then Run to RSVP for Beautiful French in West Cornwall

Features Restaurant Seasonal Road Trip Homepage French Chef's Tasting Tasting Menu Tasting Cornwall West Cornwall Litchfield

Andrew Dominick

Several months ago, I’m certain my reaction to my dear friend, Katy, mentioning RSVP was something like, “Yeah. That means respond.” If we’re being technical, it’s actually “répondez s'il vous plait” or translated from French to English, “respond, if you please.”

Until Katy finished her thought by telling me that RSVP a French restaurant in Litchfield County that she heard about from one of her friends who’s a bartender. “He raves about it,” she said.

As is always the case, time passed. We kind of forgot about RSVP and barely looked into it for weeks, even months. Only occasionally we’d briefly bring it up, referring it as “THAT French place in Cornwall.”

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Tix On Sale: Catskill Cuisine 2024- Celebrity Chefs, Food Festival & Mother's Day Brunch! sponsored post

Features Restaurant Pop-Up Dinner Stamford Chef Talk Chef's Tasting

Jessica Ryan

Earlier this week a few of us from the CTBites team made our now seasonal pilgrimage to Prime in Stamford. This time to experience the restaurant’s new TASTING menu.

The summit of cuisine at Prime, the TASTING series is a re-imagined experience in dining. Small tastes are presented in a unique rhythm and play to Chef’s sensibilities on a weekly basis.  In what feels like a restaurant within a restaurant, TASTING places you in the inner sanctum of the kitchen, with the Chef as your guide. The four course TASTING menu is a truly unique table experience.

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Chef's Tasting at The Spread Greenwich with Chef Carlos Baez

Restaurant Chef Pop-Up Dinner Chef's Tasting Greenwich

Stephanie Webster

Let’s be real. Dining out is always a treat. You don’t have to clean up afterwards, and if you’re like me, the menu at almost ANY restaurant is going to surpass what’s going on in my own kitchen. However, if you’re a diner who appreciates experiencing the mind of chef who is executing dishes that are inspired by the season, an “aha” moment, or a desire to experiment, a Chef’s Tasting is the way to take dining to the next level.

It was with this in mind, that I attended Chef Carlos Baez’ monthly Chef’s Table Tasting Dinner, held on the last Thursday of every month at The Spread’s Greenwich location.

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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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