Filtering by Tag: Farm Fresh,Newtown

Taco Dia Opens in Newtown from the Bailey’s Backyard Team

Features Interview Restaurant Ingredients Openings Newtown Homepage Interview Mexican Tacos Cocktails

Andrew Dominick

On the heels of their quarter century anniversary, Bailey’s Backyard, and its original and forever owner, Sal Bagliavio have a sequel. And no, it’s not following in the exact footsteps of Bailey’s—one of Connecticut O.G. farm-to-table restaurants. Ristorante numéro dos for Bagliavio and chef/partner Forrest Pasternack, who returned to Bailey’s recently, are entering the world of tacos with Taco Dia—because every day is taco day, not just Tuesdays.

If you’re at least a little familiar with Bailey’s, Bagliavio and Pasternack entering the realm of Mexican cuisine isn’t that shocking. Bailey’s is very New American, and if you’ve eaten there, Mexican pops up on the menu frequently, and especially on their Wednesday night Market Table tasting menu.

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Guide to Connecticut's "Pick Your Own" Fruit Farms

Features Pick Your Own Farms Farm Fresh kids activity Local Farm Homepage

Carly Terzigni

It’s summer, which means it’s time to head to your local farm for some fruit picking! It doesn’t get fresher than picking your own fruit straight from the source, especially when they’re in season! Organized by county, the following farms have at least one type of seasonal fruit available during the year as a pick-your-own experience.

Note that the following fruit harvest seasons are approximate as it varies from year to year depending on a number of factors, including weather. With the warm temperatures we’re seeing this June, some picking seasons may move along faster than usual. This means strawberry season could wrap up early, but blueberries and raspberries could start early, too. Check with the farm you wish to visit to confirm current fruit availability.

Here is an approximation for some of the more popular fruits you may want to pick this year.

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It’s a Woman’s World: Amanda Eng of Kash & Liv Coffee Creations

Ingredients Interview Coffee Coffee Shop It's A Woman's World Interview Newtown Sandy Hook

Andrew Dominick

From corporate America to…coffee?!

That’s exactly what Amanda Eng did. And now she’s making waves with her craft coffee concoctions that have included creative, original flavored lattes, cold brews with fruity sweet cream cold foams, and decadent cups of hot cocoa.

Amanda, and her coffee biz that’s named after her twins, Kash and Liv, is seemingly everywhere in the Newtown with pop ups at PTA meetings, to Newsylum Brewery, and others. Now with a home base inside of Uncle Matt’s Bakery and Café in nearby Sandy Hook, you’ll at least always know where to find her for your caffeine fix.

I recently caught up with Amanda to get Kash & Liv Coffee Creations’ origin story, to talk coffee and coffee inspiration, and what’s in her very near future.

Grab a cup (of her coffee if you have access) and check out our Q&A!

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PopUp Bagels Opening Retail Walk In Locations in Fairfield & Newtown

Restaurant Opening Fairfield Newtown Bagels Breakfast

Stephanie Webster

Connecticut’s beloved bagel brand, PopUp Bagels, kicked off four years ago when Goldberg and his cousin Jeff Lewis started making bagels for family and friends in the midst of the pandemic. Rave reviews led Goldberg to launching a backyard preorder pickup bagel biz that sold out time and time again. PopUp would then take their bagels on the road, opening…well…everywhere.

if you don’t already know what PopUp Bagels is all about—are fresh bagels, served to the customer piping hot, NOT pre sliced, and artisan schmears. The original concept required pre-orders of a dozen bagels, but when they launched their NYC location (to VERY long lines I might add), they spearheaded their new retail model. This was then replicated in Greenwich, where guests can walk up and order 3 bagels and a schmear for $12.

Popup Bagel’s NEW Newtown opens this weekend, March 22nd with pre-ordering only Friday, Saturday Sundays, but starting next week, the Newtown spot will be open every Wednesday-Sunday for for both pre-sale and walk in.

UP NEXT is their Fairfield location opening June 1st in the old Lobster Craft spot.

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Zesto Market & Juicery in Newtown: Vegan, Organic, Locally Sourced & Delicious

Ingredients Interview Restaurant Vegan Newtown Smoothies Healthy Eats healthy Health & Wellness

April Guilbault

We’ve all walked into rooms that hum with energy. That special kind of vibrancy you can feel in the air, or in the spirit that pours from the people in your midst. In my recent travels, this inspiring energy was felt within the space that is Zesto Market & Juicery in Newtown.

Zesto Market & Juicery is, with its colorful logo and window art, a small establishment that one could easily pass in their daily rounds as it sits on a fairly busy street. I, myself, whizzed by it on my first trip there. However, one should take note of this establishment because it is dishing out huge helpings of good vibes in the form of healthful food and wellness knowledge. Great vibes, actually. These folks are buzzing with enthusiasm about eating clean, nourishing food and they are excited to share it with the community.

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Bottega and Craft Kitchen Owners Open Quattro Osteria in Newtown

Features Interview Restaurant Italian Chef Chef Talk Newtown Openings Homepage

Andrew Dominick

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.

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Arden’s Opens in Rowayton with Beautiful Seasonal Breakfast & Lunch Menu

Restaurant Homepage Rowayton Openings Breakfast Lunch Farm Fresh Local Farm Coffee Sandwich Eggs

Jessica Ryan

It’s Nantucket meets the Mediterranean. Arden’s, Rowayton’s newest eatery, is a community cafe offering up simple seasonal fare that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.

Inside the beachy décor is minimalist with hints of flea-market vintage finds. You’ll find antiquated oyster tins, vases filled with vibrant fresh flowers, beechwood furniture, a curated marketplace with specialty gourmet food items, locally fabricated linens alongside local honey, assorted spices, hot chili oil in beautiful glass jars, ceramics and other wonderful finds. Wonderful, whimsical floppy rattan shades resembling oversized straw hats hang from light fixtures overhead. Arden’s welcomes you in immediately with a warm embrace that doesn’t want to let you go.

Stay a while and linger over a simple menu of salads, sandwiches and toasts. While the concept is simple the recipes are elevated using ingredients from several local purveyors including Wilton’s Millstone Farm and Darien-based Flour Water Salt Bread, Nit Noi Provisions and Ilse coffee. Ingredients matter at this health-forward café. At the helm of the kitchen is Moises Aguilar formerly with Southend Backend. Here he is tasked with delivering the ultimate flavor profile from the simplest of ingredients which he has clearly mastered.

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Baldanza Moves to Wilton & Takes Over The Schoolhouse

Features Interview Restaurant Wilton Farm Fresh Italian brunch lunch Homepage

Andrew Dominick

School is officially back in session in the Cannondale neighborhood of Wilton. We’re not talking education but rather The Schoolhouse’s new “teachers,” Angela and Sandy Baldanza and their son, Alex.

Before the family’s move to the historic Cannondale School, they were restaurantless. No, you aren’t crazy to imagine that they had a few restaurants at one point. They owned and operated Baldanza Cafe for 8 ½ years in New Canaan with six of those spent where SE The Back End is now. They even ran Baldanza Bistro in Darien behind Ten Twenty Post.

“When COVID hit, we closed that space (Darien) because it was too small for outdoor seating,” Angela says. “We took a lease at 21 Forest (in New Canaan). A few months in, we received complaints from the condo board there. We cut our losses there and our Darien lease ended. And we only left 17 Elm because of the place in Darien, so we were left with no restaurants at all.”

Cue the 1872 building we’ve all known as The Schoolhouse at Cannondale under Tim LaBant and most recently the home of Hugh Mangum’s popular Rise Doughnut pop-up who subleased from LaBant for a year. LaBant, who had a 14-year run at The Schoolhouse decided not to renew for a few reasons. “I left to focus on Parlor Wilton and the new Parlor Darien,” he says. “My lease was up and in these crazy times, I decided not to renew.”

All of the moving, and the closings, led to a coincidence.

“Ironically, Tim has our old spot in Darien where he opened Parlor and we took over The Schoolhouse on July 1,” Angela says. “Here we are, and we love being here. Sandy and I used to come here for dinner when we had a break from our restaurant. We love Tim.”

At this iteration of Baldanza, diners can anticipate a local, organic, and homemade approach. Brioche and Tuscan bread are sourced from Balthazar Bakery, while the naturally leavened, freshly milled sourdough comes from 123Dough Bakery in Pound Ridge. They also get seasonal produce from Connecticut farms, citing Wilton’s own Ambler Farm as a primary supplier and seafood is by way of New Wave Seafood in Stamford.

The approach to “local and fresh” applies in the kitchen where Baldanza’s longtime chef, Rodrigo Pacheco executes a menu mostly curated by Angela and Sandy. Pasta, as you’ll see in a hearty pappardelle Bolognese, is made in-house, as is the fluffy ricotta gnocchi tossed in roasted tomato vodka sauce, the cheese ravioli, and the tagliatelle caprese with buffala mozzarella and cherry tomato sauce.

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The Westport Farmers' Market Is Back for the 2021 Summer Season with 50+ Vendors

Features Ingredients Farmers Market Westport Healthy Eats Farm To Table Farm Fresh Ingredients Farm Stand Local Artisan Bread Bakery Food Truck

CTbites Team

The need to eat strikes in many different forms. Craving something healthy? At The Westport Farmers’ Market, you can grab some freshly grown produce to satisfy that yearning. Want something refreshing? Stop by the handmade popsicle stand to cool down. How about something sweet? Head to the various artisan bakers selling freshly baked pastries and bread.

After a brief intermission from the end of their winter season back in March, the Westport Farmers Market has reopened to serve the community fresh produce, baked goods and everything in between. Open Thursdays from 10-2 on Imperial Avenue in Westport, the market is something you will not want to miss.

With over 50 vendors determined to provide market-goers with healthy and fresh products, Westport residents can look forward to grabbing organic, local ingredients to prepare a healthy meal, or even a pre-made breakfast or lunch… after visiting all the other vendors…of course.

Visit the Westport Farmers Market to enjoy goods from any of their over 50 vendors or check out a few of our favorites below!

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Good Old Days Pizza: Matt Stanczak's New Newtown Joint for Za

Restaurant Newtown Pizza Openings Take Out To-Go Comfort Food Kid Friendly Lunch Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe

Look. I’m a lover not a fighter. So, when it comes to Pizza-in-Connecticut politics, I usually stand on this side of the pie. HOWEVER, I will always have an opinion. Here’s what I’ve concluded thus far: like coffee shops that seem to be on every corner, there’s always room for another slice. And, as Matt Stanczak, the mastermind and magic wand wielder behind Good Old Days Pizza agrees, as long as each shop is doing a little something different...then why not!?

So, let’s get our fric-on, shall we?

Talk about doing a little something different, the frico on Good Old Days’ “Detroit-Inspired” classic squares are such tasty, drool-worthy, dream-inducing corners of heaven. I’m not kidding. I think I’d go over and over again just to pick frico off everyone’s pie. Ok, maybe not amidst a pandemic, but you get what I mean. Salty, crispy and chewy brown bites of cheese that are like the edges of nonna’s lasagna. If that’s not all, the thick red sauce is bright, and the dough looks like it should be dense and heavy, but it’s not.

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Roasted Spring-Dug Carrots with Pistachio Dukkah & Crème Fraîche from Lauren Braun Costello

Features Recipe Recipe Farm Fresh Farm To Table Healthy Eats

CTbites Team

This recipe can be made with regular, conventional orange carrots, but spring-dug rainbow carrots from the farmer’s market are a colorful celebration of time and place like no other. Seasoned with a pistachio dukkah (an Egyptian nut-herb-spice blend traditionally made instead with hazelnuts, plus sesame seeds, coriander, mint, cumin, and salt and pepper), the flavors are both unexpected and familiar. Crème fraîche, with its creamy, sour finish is the icing on this proverbial carrot cake. Fresh microgreens complete the dish, offering more visual and textural contrast.—Lauren Braun Costello

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Berkshires Direct: Farm-to-Consumer Delivery To Your Doorstep

Features Ingredients Subscription Box Farm to Table Farm Fresh Farm To Table Delivery Service

Stephanie Webster

Chefs realized a long time ago that “farm to table” was more than a phrase, it was a healthier way to eat, tasted better and improved the diversity of local economies by helping make farming economically viable. In addition, this growing trend has another major benefit, increasing access to a wide range of different food options across our community.

We, in Connecticut, are incredibly lucky with access to a large and growing number of farms and farmers’ markets, but sometimes a visit to that local farm stand during its business hours is difficult. For people who are not members of a CSA (community supported agriculture) program and would still like to incorporate ultra-fresh products into their everyday lives, CT based Berkshires Direct now gives customers greater access to the resources of farm-fresh products delivered to your home. They are based in Connecticut and currently making deliveries in Connecticut and NYC (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens).

CTBites Readers USE CODE CTFriends10 for 10% off your first order!

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Marygold’s on Main Opens in Newtown From Chef Neugold of The Foundry Kitchen & Bar

Restaurant Newtown Openings American Pizza Cocktails Seafood Oysters

Kristin L. Wolfe

Walking along Newtown’s Main Street has always felt like stepping back in time. From dark painted Colonials with bright colored doors to a classic, yellow Federal house or the more decorative Queen Anne, you know every home has a story and the spirits of the town’s past are within reach. And, like the best pieces of historical fiction, Marigold’s on Main gives us a sense of two worlds. There’s something so exhilarating about being inside a place that has been revived from the past. Time stands still in the middle of yesterday and today. The space feels at once old and new; and, although there are thoughtful nods to another time on the menu, it is as inventive and fresh as you’d hope a new place would be. Not to mention, with Chef Clark Neugold at the helm, you know as worlds collide, he’ll still invent something that stands on its own.

Run by Chef Neugold and his wife Kate, of Foundry Kitchen & Tavern, and barely a mile down the road in Sandy Hook (see CTbites Feb 2019 for info), they know a thing or two or three about breathing new life into an old space. And, despite the setbacks Covid has undoubtedly thrust upon the industry, Marygold’s is off to a successful start. Alongside Chef Neugold, Derek Kustanbauter as Chef de Cuisine, and Steve Roth as Sous Chef, the team has brought forth a menu Connecticut diners will surely want to try.

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Newtown's NewSylum Brewing Co. is a Pandemic Success Story

Restaurant Features CT Beer Beer Beer Garden Newtown Brewery Openings

Connecticut Magazine

Connecticut Magazine checks out NewSylum Brewery in Newtown. Here’s their review.

It was not the grand opening anyone envisioned.

NewSylum Brewing Co. owners Mark Lennon, David Kingsley and Mark Tambascio had been planning their brewery for several years as a taproom-centered operation. One that took full advantage of their unique location in Newtown within a historic building at what was formerly Fairfield Hills Hospital, a psychiatric facility on a 100-plus-acre campus with more than a dozen buildings.

NewSylum Brewing Co. in Newtown opened during the coronavirus pandemic in a historic building in the former Fairfield Hills Hospital, a psychiatric facility.

Then the coronavirus hit.

The brewery was slated to open the first week in May, but Connecticut was still shut down and the taproom the owners had envisioned as the centerpiece of their business couldn’t be opened. “We had to shift gears from our original plan,” Lennon says.

They hadn’t planned on canning their beer but quickly contracted with a mobile canning company, and began offering curbside pickup.

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Guide To Connecticut's Dairy Farmers: Shop Locallly!

Features Ingredients Local Farm Local Artisan Farm Fresh Dairy Farm Farm Stand CT Farms Homepage

CTbites Team

Connecticut dairy farmers selling directly to consumers are not caught up in the milk-dumping situation because they do bottling and distribution themselves. Here is Connecticut Food & Farm’s list of Connecticut dairies who sell milk and dairy like half & half, butter, and yogurt direct to you at their stands or via delivery NOW. This provides you reliable sourcing of the freshest product and the best profitability for the farm.

We have not included ice cream although some make it, we have focused on the basics here. You can click through to their websites to see the other products they have available at their locations.

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Westport Farmers’ Market Launches Pilot Farmers' Market Program

Ingredients Features Farm Fresh Farmers Market Specialty Market

Stephanie Webster

The Westport Farmers’ Market understands the value of the local food community, and the importance of access to healthy fresh food…food that has traveled a lesser distance and handled only by the purveyor and buyer. We know this local food community is important to our economy as it keeps the money spent by you and then the vendor here supporting our neighbors.

Market Director Lori Cochran says “We, also, know we will find our way back to our gathering place on Imperial Ave and eventually back to Gilbertie's next winter BUT for now, it is in our blood to get you local food. To do so, we are launching a pilot farmers' market program under the strictest guidelines for shopping and collection of your purchases. The well being of you, ourselves and our vendors is the utmost priority.”

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BD Provisions Opens in Fairfield: Gourmet Bulk Food Shopping

Features Specialty Market Grocery Store Bulk Shopping Openings Fairfield Newtown Tea And Coffee Education Shopping

CTbites Team

Bulk shopping isn’t exactly a new concept but bulk shopping that’s zero waste is something we get excited about. BD Provisions, with locations in Newtown, and now at the Brick Walk in Fairfield CT, takes this familiar concept and gives it a breath of fresh air with a new, environmentally friendly spin. 

Less is more, especially here. Less waste means more product which means greater savings and more fun, but you really need to head over to experience it yourself. 

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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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