Filtering by Tag: Hotel,Middletown

Destination Dining: A Beautiful Stay At Lost Fox Inn In Litchfield

Restaurant Features Litchfield Litchfield County Road Trip Homepage Hotel

Noah Schwartz

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.

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Bar Max Opens At Hartford’s Goodwin Hotel

Restaurant Hartford Opening Cocktail Lounge Bar Menu Bar Hotel

Leeanne Griffin

It’s been a year since Max Hospitality officially took over the bar at Hartford’s Goodwin Hotel, but after a two-month renovation period in the fall, Bar Max now boasts a fresh look with a brand-new menu. 

The Hartford-based restaurant group, with multiple eateries throughout Hartford County and western Massachusetts, expanded its territory in the capital city by partnering with the Goodwin Hotel in early 2024. Restaurateur Tyler Anderson, who had previously operated Terreno Restaurant and Bar Piña in the space, closed his concepts there as he moved on to new projects, including a culinary director role at Ore Hill & Swyft in Kent. 

It was a natural fit, as the boutique hotel is right next door to its flagship Max Downtown, said Steven Abrams, Max Hospitality’s vice president, who is a partner in Max Downtown and the group’s other city restaurant, Max’s Trumbull Kitchen. But the owners decided not to launch another restaurant out of the Terreno space. 

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Delamar Hotel Launches Afternoon Tea Service at All Locations

Restaurant Features Afternoon Tea Tea Time Dessert Events TEA Hotel

Jessica Ryan

The Delamar Hotels have added yet another offering to their ever-growing list of experiences. They recently launched their Afternoon Tea program which can be enjoyed at all of their locations.

We recently paid a visit to Artisan in Southport to get the tea on this new offering. Guests can enjoy this Afternoon Tea every Wednesday from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. For $50+ per person you will enjoy a variety of signature sandwiches, pastries and desserts as well as a selection of green, herbal or black tea served in your own individual teapot.

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Former Hell’s Kitchen Finalist Megan Gill is Cooking at Hotel Marcel's BLDG in New Haven

Features Ingredients Interview New Haven Restaurant New Haven Sustainable Openings Homepage Chef Hotel

Andrew Dominick

While driving (read, stuck in traffic) along I-95 in New Haven, right by the IKEA, how many of you have noticed the rectangular cubed shaped building with the small windows and the void almost in the middle? You’ve clearly seen it countless times. But if you’re like me, you probably always wondered “what the heck is it?”

Designed by modernist architect, Marcel Breuer, the building in question which began construction in 1968 and was completed in 1970, was the home of the Armstrong Rubber Company first, then Pirelli Tire in the late 80s into the late 90s. After Pirelli vacated, the space sat vacant for a long time. IKEA purchased it in 2003—and removed a piece of it— and owned it until 2019 when it was purchased by the development firm, Becker + Becker, who would develop it into a net zero energy hotel, that right now, is operated by Hilton Hotels’ Tapestry brand. But within this hotel, there is a restaurant. And that restaurant has to operate like its hotel does, completely sustainable. And at this restaurant, that’s named BLDG, they needed a chef at the helm who believes in all of this through and through.

That’s where Meghan Gill comes in.

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Destination: TWA Hotel and Paris Café by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at JFK airport

Restaurant Features Travel Road Trip Hotel JFK Airport Breakfast Lunch

ellen bowen

Looking for a unique staycation or an overnight in NYC before an early morning or late night flight? Then the iconic Eero Saarinen designed TWA terminal and TWA Hotel at John F Kennedy Airport offers visitors a trip (before the trip) down memory lane back to the 1960’s, to when the TWA flight center first opened in 1962. 

TWA filed final bankruptcy and the TWA terminal closed in 2001.  The building remained empty until Morse Developers along with MCR Hospitality purchased the building and added 500 rooms in two hotel towers and reopened as the TWA Hotel in 2019. 

An overnight stay includes access to the rooftop infinity heated pool and Après Ski styled Pool Bar and Café.  Plush robes are in every room and the pool is open year round untill10:30 pm and is a fun experience overlooking the runways as you sit in the “poolcuzzi” sipping a cocktail and watching the planes take off or land. 

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The Wharf Restaurant at Madison Beach Hotel Reimagined with NEW Crow's Nest Lounge

Features open Hotel Cocktails Vacation Madison

Carly Terzigni

Warmer weather is right around the corner, and you may find yourself along the Connecticut shoreline this spring or summer looking for a romantic dinner or a fun night out with friends. With seaside communities ramping up for the busy season ahead, we were invited to check out the re-christening of The Crow’s Nest, the bar and lounge area found within The Wharf Restaurant at Madison Beach Hotel. 

The restaurant and bar have been mainstays at the hotel since the building was rebuilt in 2012, and new this season is the re-imagined lounge area dubbed The Crow’s Nest. We were able to get a sneak peek at the beautiful space ahead of its opening to the general public, and we can safely say that this will once again be a popular summer destination for both overnight guests and those passing through town for the day.

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Chef Tyler Anderson Presents "Room Service at the Goodwin", A Theatrical, Interactive 3-Course Private Dinner Experience

Features Restaurant Hartford County West Hartford Private Party Private Dining Dining Experience Pop-Up Dinner Hotel

CTbites Team

weHartford, in partnership with Chef Tyler Anderson and the Goodwin Hotel, is pleased to announce a unique and COVID-safe dining experience beginning January 8th, 2021, running Thursday through Sunday dinner seatings through the winter.

Room Service at the Goodwin: Yes-or-No Morgan, is the first event of its kind. Select hotel rooms at The Goodwin have been transformed into private dining spaces for up to four people. Each party will enjoy a theatrical, interactive three-course dinner experience, curated by Chef Tyler Anderson, with clues, hints, and performances that unveil details and secrets about the life of the historic American businessman JP Morgan, a Hartford local and frequent visitor to The Goodwin Hotel.

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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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Tony’s at the JHouse Hotel: Come For Tony, Stay For the Fine Casual Dining

Restaurant Greenwich Hotel Italian American

Jessica Ryan

Tony Capasso has developed quite the reputation earning himself quite the following. After spending nearly 20 years at Valbella! and Gabriele’s Italian Steakhouse, the veteran Maître d’ now has a steak place of his own at the JHouse, a boutique hotel in Greenwich. Tony is warm, affable and charming. He has a special way with his customers as he circles around to each table offering quick yet challenging trivia questions for all to answer. His eyes twinkle. His smile is infectious. 

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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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Chef Michael White Opening Campagna at Bedford Post Inn

Restaurant Bedford Celebrity Chef Hotel

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

News from Campagna Restaurant at the Bedford Post Inn...it is partnering with the Altamarea Group and Michelin-starred Chef Michael White. Joining Chef White at Campagna are Executive Chef PJ Calapa, the former chef of Ai Fiori and Costata and Chef di Cuisine Devin Bozkaya, whose experience includes the outstanding Inn at Little Washington in Virginia.

The upscale sister to The Barn, the menu will focus on Chef White’s world renowned Italian cuisine with a few American twists to adhere  to the surroundings of the 19th Century Bedford Post Inn.  The menu features incredible options including pork shoulder ravioli with cacio e pepe; risotto with Barolo, short rib, and bone marrow; pan seared halibut with sunchokes, caponata, artichokes and salsa verde and a filet of beef with bone marrow crust, pomme puree and porcini sugo.

Campagna at the Bedford Post Inn 954 Old Post Road, Bedford, NY 914-234-6386

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Winvian in Litchfield Hills: Farm Dinner & A Little History

Hotel Litchfield Road Trip Travel

Cindy Hartog

Ever since a friend mentioned to me his unforgettable experience  visiting Winvian in Litchfield Hills, Connecticut, I have always kept it on my “to do” list.  In fact, when my daughter and I perused the website, she prematurely decided that it was to be her future wedding venue. So, when I received an email announcing a farm dinner event, my daughter and I jumped at the opportunity. Arriving at Winvian on June 11, 2014 was reminiscent of the approach to a French chateau, along with the service, culture, and class that such an experience entails. 

In 1775, Dr. Seth Bird, an eccentric but respected physician known for bringing a coffin along on his house calls, built a home for himself and his family in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. It was a white clapboard beauty, aproned with meadows and woods, and a comfort and sustenance for the generations.

In 1948, the Smith family bought the historic Bird estate and named it Win-Vian, a combination of the first names of Winthrop Smith and his wife Vivian. They raised a son, bounteous fruit and vegetables, and livestock on the property (today the luxury Spa stands where the pigpens once did but offers a rather nicer kind of mud treatment).

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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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