Filtering by Tag: Bethel,Milford

Microcreamery of CT: Highlighting The Best of Connecticut's Ice Cream

Ice Cream Restaurant Milford Cheshire Woodbridge Ice Cream Dessert Kid Friendly Opening

Callie Weyers

Microcreamery of CT… Wait a minute, that's new. Did I get that right?

Yes, you heard that right. Microcreamery of CT has been serving the New Haven county community since 2022. Just recently, they opened the doors of a new location across from the Shell on South Main Street nestled right in downtown Cheshire. 

The Microcreamery model arose from the owner Shahan Kukreja adapting the concept of a microbrewery,

“Instead of doing local beers, why don’t we do all the local ice cream so that I can kind of give people a tour of local ice creams”

Kukreja says. Featuring nearly 90 hand selected flavors compiled from local Connecticut companies such as Praline’s, Arethusa, and Big Dipper, Microcreamery of CT has options for everyone. 

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Papa's Pizza: Pie Perfection in Milford

Restaurant Milford Pizza Homepage

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

I love discovering places that get very little fanfare, are the heart and soul of the owner(s), and absolutely kill it. Papa’s Pizza in Milford is one of those places and is the epitome of a hole in the wall on the side of the road that deserves recognition for some killer pizza.

The original Papa’s Pizza is located closer to Walnut Beach versus downtown Milford (where Papa’s Pizza II is located), and I was getting a little nervous as the soccer ball at the end of the purple line on Waze was quickly approaching, and there was no sign of Papa’s. On my right there was a bakery, a breakfast joint and a parking lot. As I slowed to a crawl and stared into the lot (my apologies again to the people in the car behind me), the far section of the white building had two red words above a small window, “Papa’s Pizza.”

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Soulber Kitchen & Market Expands from Bowl Delivery Business to Full Service Café in Bethel

Features Interview Restaurant Healthy Eats Interview Bethel Vegan Gluten-Free Openings

Andrew Dominick

Sara Oberhammer recalls the day she got her driver’s license at 16. The first thing she did was cruise around her hometown of Bethel to apply to jobs in the hospitality industry. She even quit high school softball so she could waitress.

In February of 2024, just a mere three-minute walk away from where she got her foot in door at Greenwood’s Grille & Ale House, Oberhammer, who’s mostly been a bartender later in her restaurant career, now has a spot of her very own. And it has nothing to do with mixing cocktails, pouring drafts, or serving pub food.

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Old Street Hot Pot Opens in Milford With Dim Sum All Day & Hot Pot

Restaurant Hot Pot Chinese Chinese New Year Dim Sum Milford Asian Homepage

Jessica Ryan

There’s Chinese food and then there’s authentic Chinese food. Old Street Hot Pot in Milford offers diners an incredible Chinese experience – from authentic Dim Sum to original hot pot. 

Don’t let the American strip mall exterior fool you (but do take note of the fabulous H Mart at the end of the block!) Once you walk through the doors you’ll forget where you are. You’ll be transported into a large space that combines traditional and contemporary elements with a large modern wooden architectural feature that stands within the existing building. Painted murals peer down from the ceiling through the wooden structure. The ambiance is created by a mix of wooden accents, vintage Chinese artwork, and soft lighting. Tables are arranged to accommodate both small and large groups, with cozy booths lining the walls. The space is designed to evoke a sense of cultural authenticity while maintaining a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for guests. A private dining room featuring an enormous round hot pot table that seats 16, making it the perfect entertaining space. The restaurant’s total seating capacity is 135.

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Don Rene Taqueria: Tasty Mexican + Fusion Tacos and More in Milford

Interview Features Restaurant tacos Milford Fast Casual Homepage Interview

Andrew Dominick

At the beginning of 2023, CTbites covered a new Latin American restaurant in Norwalk called Alma Bistro, owned by Alma Miranda and Ulises Jimenez. It was at Alma Bistro where my memory was jogged when Miranda mentioned that Jimenez, who wasn’t present on the day of our visit, is also the owner and head chef at Don Rene Taqueria in Milford.

Don Rene had been on my Windows Notepad program that serves a double purpose as a calendar where I keep a running list of places I’m interested in covering. I know, I’m so organized.

Three months after that article went live, I found myself kicking it with Jimenez at his super busy taqueria where Mexican tacos and apps are the canvas, but it’s also where Jimenez flexes his creative chops and blends in flavors from other cultures.

Jimenez, who’s from Mexico originally, opened Don Rene in 2021 in the growing Milford Downtown that already includes a Colony Grill location, Scratch Baking, Archie Moore’s, and the outstanding Strega.

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Former Nosh Hound Food Truck Owner Maycie Ralbovsky Joins Broken Symmetry as Executive Chef

Brewery Features Interview Restaurant Brewery Chef Talk Tasting Tasting Menu Tacos Mexican Craft Beer beer Homepage Broken Symmetry Bethel

Andrew Dominick

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.

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Dogtown: West Coast Meets East Coast Fast Casual Dogs, Burgers, + More from Son of Former Swanky Franks Owner

Features Interview Restaurant Milford Burgers Hot Dogs Fast Casual Homepage

Andrew Dominick

If you’re a hot dog connoisseur in Fairfield County, you surely remember the legendary roadside eats at Swanky Franks. It’s safe to say that a lot of us still miss the ripper style dogs, THAT CHILI, and the fresh cut skin-on fries that were served to you in a plentiful heap.

Things like that have a way of coming back. Well, almost.

For Bobby Manere Jr. there is a full circle kind of feeling at Dogtown, located in a half commercial, half residential area off of a busy main road in Milford.

If Manere’s last name sounds familiar, it should. His father, Robert Manere Sr., was the fourth owner of Swanky Franks from the late 1980s until the later 2000s. He might be the Swanky Franks head hot dog honcho that a younger generation remembers the most.

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Taproot 2.0: Chef Jeff Taibe Launches Southeast Asian Menu...And It's Delicious

Restaurant Bethel Openings Asian Southeast Asian Chef Talk New Menu Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe

“It was like having a sparkler in your mouth,” says beloved Connecticut Chef Jeff Taibe on his early food experiences in Singapore.

Many of us regular CT diners are familiar with his passion and talent for cooking, and his following is testament enough to know that his food….well, sings. There’s even been pomp and accolades from the big whigs, and “Best Ofs,” and yet, he’s been holding out on us. Joking aside, he has flung his flair for Southeast Asian cuisine our way for some time through Kawa Ni, in Westport and, more recently at the original Taproot, and, even more recently, from the On the Fly food truck. BUT, after twenty years-ish, he’s ready to pull out all the stops and bring us his love affair with Singapore on a plate, every single day. Well, the days they are open.

Having spent time in Singapore first as a teen baseball player, then again as a serious cook, you can imagine how that “sparkler” left a lasting impression. Chef Taibe says, he just had to have that depth of flavor on the new menu. “I remember the Miang Kum (which is actually Thai); or The Mee Goreng that he’d have three times a week for lunch. He’d have dosa and chai tea most mornings in Little India or the chicken murtabak, “at 2 in the morning, while a bit tipsy; it woke me right up with how perfect of a bite of food it was.”

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Rice & Beans Food Truck Owner Opens Bottega Italian Kitchen + Bar in Bethel

Features Restaurant Italian Pizza Cocktails Bethel Homepage

Andrew Dominick

About a year ago, while having a few beers at Decadent Ales, I was formally introduced to Jasson Arias, the owner of the popular Rice & Beans food truck. It was there that I got in on a conversation between he and Chris Gonzalez of Hapa Food Truck. Arias talked about wanting to take that next step in the food industry and open a physical restaurant.

Fast forward to now. Arias has graduated from food truck to brick-and-mortar with his newest venture, Bottega Wood Fired Kitchen + Bar.

Bottega, though, is a completely different concept than the delicious, photogenic bowls Arias has become known for. Bottega, translated from Italian to English, means shop, and at this “shop” they’re firing up Neapolitan style pizza along with reimagined Italian classics, and they made damn sure the bar program wouldn’t be an afterthought.

How Arias got here from that chat at a brewery all those months ago isn’t that crazy of a story. “It’s not as complicated as it might seem,” he says. “The space was open. It used to be a wood-fired concept as well, but it was more traditional.”

The space he’s talking about used to be the Rizzuto’s Italian Restaurant & Bar in Bethel.

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Taproot & Redding Roadhouse Owners Take Over The Holbrook Farm Business

Features CT Farms Farm Fresh Local Farm CSA Bethel Farm Stand

Maddie Phelps

More than 40 years ago, John and Lynn Holbrook purchased 12 acres of land in Bethel, Connecticut to open their very own family farm. With a mere 2 acres available for farming, the Holbrooks were tasked with maximizing space while remaining environmentally friendly. The rest is history.

While the Holbrooks still own the spectacular farmland, as of this past March, four new faces have joined the farming family. Jeff Taibe, Stephanie Sweeney, and Sean and Erin Reilly decided to tackle the business side of things when the previous tenant opted not to renew her lease. With Taibe and Sweeney owning their restaurant, Taproot, and the Reilly’s owning the Redding Roadhouse, the four decided to merge the Bethel and Redding communities with Holbrook Farm as their link.

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Don't Miss Chef Jeff Taibe's Monthly Bushido Pop-Up Dinner at Taproot in Bethel

Restaurant Bethel Japanese Organic Local Artisan Sushi Pop-Up Dinner Homepage

Andrew Dominick

When Jeff Taibe opened Taproot in the second half of 2017, our Amy Kundrat summed up this Fairfield County gem beautifully. “Creative, seasonal, down-to-Earth, and hyper-local” (because damn near every ingredient comes from Connecticut farms) are all words she used. That summation is dead-on accurate. 

And yeah, you should run there. I wish I listened to her closing sentence and didn’t wait so long for a stellar culinary experience. Bethel isn’t THAT far, and Taproot is worth the drive. When I did go, I deserved the ribbing. “Hey, man! It only took you a f*cking year to get here!” Taibe joked. 

From the shareable, addictive apps, to carefully crafted cocktails, and braised pork cheeks that flaked apart with a slight twist of my fork, it was my favorite meal in Connecticut in 2018. 

All of the above is a well-deserved shout-out, but I’m not giving you a Taproot update. I’m dishing on the restaurant’s one-Sunday-per-month mood swing called “Bushido.” 

Bushido, as you can probably surmise, is a Japanese pop-up concept. The birth of Bushido is a story in itself. 

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Fryday Every Day? Fryborg Truck Opens Restaurant in Milford

Restaurant Comfort Food Milford Food Truck Burgers Hot Dogs Openings Homepage

Andrew Dominick

When food trucks in Connecticut started to become more prevalent, there was one I remembered well. The name “Fryborg” definitely stood out, and the fact that they specialized in hand-cut fries didn’t suck either. I first stumbled upon Fryborg around the time Two Roads Brewing Company opened in Stratford, so that “stumble” was a real one after multiple pints in the brewery’s upstairs tasting room. It was then that Fryborg’s bacon, egg, and cheese fries and their marinara-laden pizza fries perfectly complimented my buzz. If I had to render a guess, I’m not in the minority on similar experiences.  

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Zaragoza Tapas Bar: Excellent Tapas & Award Winning Cocktails in New Milford

Restaurant Milford Tapas Lunch Spanish Mediterranean Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe

Zaragoza’s tapas bar opened in New Milford in April 2016. The CTBites crew covered them a few months before their official opening and shared owner Artie Praino’s anticipation of a long-time dream come true after years in the deli business. Now, two and a half years later, they are a much beloved, popular spot for delicious, creative plates and cocktails.

Fully informed by several Zaragoza regulars that I was sure to be delighted, my belly gurgled for a new tapas experience. I’ve had the pleasure of going to Spain a few times, so, admittedly, morsels from those adventures like ceviche, calamari, and chorizo propelled me to the restaurant with little hesitation. I was eager to taste what their twist on the classics would be.

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Mecha & Mézon Launch Eat Justice Food Truck

Restaurant Food Truck Bethel Noodles Asian Breakfast Brunch American Latin American Catering Homepage Local Farm

Stephanie Webster

Mecha Noodle Bar & Mézon owners, Tony Pham and Richard Reyes, are excited to announce the launch of their new food truck, Eat Justice. The truck will open its window to the public on Friday, June 15th, at Holbrook Farm in Bethel. The Eat Justice food truck rolls into the CT food scene with some pre-existing street cred, and we're not just talking about our beloved noodle slurping shop founders. Beneath the new pink origami pig exterior resides the bones of the EGGZ food truck, purchased from Matt Stanziato. Lucky us, the truck will continue to feature EGGZ' killer breakfast sandwiches, but Pham and Reyes will expand the menu to include "Daily Inspirations" ranging from Banh Mi to a classic Cubano. Bonus... you don't need to hunt down the Eat Justice truck. It will reside at Holbrook Farm every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 8am-1pm, like clockwork. This is a great reason to head to Bethel. 

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Bethel’s Broken Symmetry Offers San Diego-Inspired Burritos in Brewery Setting

Restaurant Brewery Mexican Bethel Openings Beer CT Beer

Connecticut Magazine

We are happy to share this exciting burrito news from Connecticut Magazine.

The opening-night crowd filed into the postcard-worthy red building that was once a railroad station but had just officially become Broken Symmetry Gastro Brewery. Eight-hundred pints of beer were poured as people thronged around tables, overflowing into the aisles and then outside onto a patio area.

Many, like me, were intrigued that a new brewery had opened in the Greater Danbury area. But that wasn’t the only reason we left work early and endured long lines and unintentional, mosh pit-like jostling.

We were there for the burritos.

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Rustica, the Successful Italian Eatery in Chester, Opens a Second Location in Milford

Restaurant Milford Italian Comfort Food Lunch

Connecticut Magazine

Connecticut Magazine's Mike Wollschlager reports on a new Italian find in Milford. 

You don’t have to be Italian to truly appreciate an authentic Italian meal. Conchi and Vicente Contreras, natives of Ecuador and owners of Rustica Ristorante, are proof positive you don’t have to be Italian to prepare one, either. The wife-and-husband, do-it-all duo behind the successful restaurant in Chester opened a second Rustica location last October on Boston Post Road in Milford.

“Fresh ingredients bursting with flavor” is a description that can apply to anything on the menu, which is meticulously planned and executed. The selections change with the seasons, but when a dish proves to be a major hit with customers, it will stay.

Vicente and Conchi came to the U.S. in the mid-’90s and began working at Paci Restaurant, which at the time was a new eatery at the Southport train station. Paci was their entry into Italian cuisine. It was also their education. “I worked all the positions in the restaurant,” Vicente says.

Rustica Ristorante 1573 Boston Post Road, Milford 203-301-4010

Read the complete article at Connecticut Magazine. 

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Lebanese Market & Cuisine in Bethel: A One-of-a-Kind Find

Restaurant Bethel Middle Eastern Lunch Comfort Food Delicious Dives

Connecticut Magazine

Connecticut Magazine shares a unique Middle Eastern find in Bethel, Lebanese Market & Cuisine. 

Restaurants have so overused the word “fresh” when describing their ingredients that it has been stripped of most of its meaning. But when chef Hassan Bou Hodiv of Lebanese Cuisine in Bethel says he only uses “fresh” ingredients, he means it. Like, really means it.

The shelf life on the restaurant’s tabbouleh: 30 minutes.

“After a half-hour, it’s not good for a customer,” he says.

This is hard to believe, but take a bite of this tabbouleh filled with bright green parsley and mint, accented by finely chopped onions and tomato coated in olive oil and lemon juice, taste the way the flavor of each ingredient pops, crisp and clean, and your doubts will evaporate.

The tabbouleh is the best I’ve had and the other Middle Eastern cuisine offered at the restaurant — including addictive falafel sandwiches and shawarma — is as good as, and arguably better than, any you can get in New York City. Though it has little online presence, an unassuming location on Stony Hill Road in Bethel, and a name that lacks flair, Lebanese Cuisine is an elite restaurant.

It was opened five years ago by Sam Baddour. A few years ago, Baddour brought Hodiv onboard as chef and partner and says he told him, “It’s your restaurant. Do whatever you want.”

Hodiv transformed the spot, drawing on the culinary traditions taught to him as a child in Lebanon. “My grandmother, always she cooked. I helped her,” he says. He moved to the U.S. in 2004, and prior to his work at Lebanese Cuisine he ran Falafel House in West Haven.

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