If you’ve followed the evolution of Two Roads Brewing Company, it’s quite something. Since the main brewery opened in 2012, one thing they kept doing is continuing to evolve. Not including a laundry list of beer releases, Two Roads went onto open a second facility next to their Hop Yard six years ago that you now know as Area Two Experimental Brewing. Following Area Two and all their fun, funky small batch drops, and in no particular order, Two Roads got into making canned cocktails, non-alcoholic beer, distilling (we’ll have a few teasers on that), and they even purchased the former PizzaCo across the street and turned it into Two Roads Food Hall & Bar and next door, Two Roads Tee Box, a golf simulator, making it a full-blown “campus.”
When brothers Sam and Javier Reyes took over the reigns of Mezon Tapas Bar from their older brothers Richard and Juan, and flipped the concept over to Mariposa Taqueria in 2020, focusing on tacos and Latin American street food, they had big plans on the horizon. Sam, who’s coming off a 2023 Bartender of the Year win at the Connecticut Restaurant Association’s CRAZIES Awards, took that award and the recognition it brought to launch a series of cocktail competitions to highlight area bartenders so they can show off their full display of skills to local cocktail lovers.
The former ON20 Restaurant, known for its soaring views of the Connecticut River and other area landmarks, has been fully renovated and reimagined, with even more stunning panoramic vistas of the capital city. The industrial-chic interior has an expansive bar, an open kitchen with gleaming stainless-steel appliances, private dining spaces and jaw-dropping glimpses of the sky from nearly every vantage point.
ON20, a celebrated white tablecloth establishment for many years, closed during the uncertainty of the pandemic in 2020, but two years ago, Hartford Steam Boiler’s leadership began reaching out to key people to start conversations about reopening the restaurant.
Breaking BBQ news from Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque. We’ll bring you more on this exciting opening very soon!
Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque (Mighty Quinn’s), the acclaimed NYC-born restaurant known for its all-natural slow-cooked meats, announced today the grand opening of its new location at The Waypointe in Norwalk (11 Merwin Street). The opening will kick off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Greater Norwalk Chamber and Mayor Harry Rilling on December 18 at 3 p.m., ahead of the grand opening on December 20. As part of the opening celebration, Mighty Quinn’s will donate 10% of all grand opening sales to Norwalk based charity Filling in the Blanks, which works to fight childhood hunger.
For those unfamiliar with Mighty Quinn’s, it was the first authentic barbeque experience in a fast-casual setting after co-founder, Pitmaster, and CT resident, Hugh Mangum smoked brisket and pulled pork out of a mobile smoker hitched to his pickup truck in Williamsburg (Brooklyn). The brand’s process begins with the best, all-natural meats and poultry, seasoned with perfect spice blends and then smoked with wood for many hours until the perfect harmony of smoke, flavor and time emerges.
“Yale asked me if I was interested in the space, and I took it as a challenge. A small space, few tables, no pizza – I was able to focus on fine dining.” I’m in New Haven, talking with chef Danilo Mongillo about Strega, his second restaurant of the same name, but with a very different concept.
“You have excellent food here – French, Spanish, American – and I took bringing this level of Italian to downtown, not in competition, but just to bring more good food here. That was the challenge.”
The first time I ate at Strega was the location in Milford (both restaurants are just off the corners of their respective city greens) and I’d returned many times for his creations which were just a little different – the way a sentence is altered when the pen is in a different hand – and made with exceptional ingredients. I ask if the new Strega is based on anything regionally Italian, and he shakes the question off, moving in another direction.
“Fine dining is about the technique. It’s about the balance of the flavors – something sweet, something sour – and the balance with the wine. The balance of the bite.”
Almost a year ago, I covered Crust Issues, brought to you by longtime restaurant guy, John Nealon. I’ve since gotten addicted to several of his pizzeria’s signature grub, namely the outside the box, but creative rectangular, crispy, cheesy, garlic buttery pizzas and the pounded out crunchy coated cutlets—especially the spicy chicken scarp.
It doesn’t help (or maybe it does) that it’s a flat one-mile drive away to get my fix.
Nealon has some cool ideas for the evolution of Crust Issues, one that I’ve consistently bothered and pressured him about (I’ll keep it a secret unless it actually happens), and he’s recently mentioned installing a bar for future cocktail program.
But there’s a weekly tasting he’s been doing every Saturday from 7:30 – 9 p.m. that’s a super casual, fun, tasty, incredibly reasonably priced (it’s $40 per person including beer, wine, soda, or water), and you’ll leave happy, fat, and ready for bed.
The uber-talented team that brought us Hachiroku Shokudo & Sake Bar, Hachiroku Handroll Bar, and most recently The Loop by Hachiroku, (Japanese marketplace), has done it again. The Wine Bar at The Loop opened a few weeks ago, and it is already drawing wine enthusiasts from all over the state of CT, seeking both their unique wine portfolio and outstanding Izakaya Japanese cuisine.
The Wine Bar at The Loop is a collaboration between Hachiroku’s Yuta Kamori and Ungrafted Selections’ Jason Black and Adam Bitker, purveyors of conscientiously farmed, handcrafted wines from small, independent growers. The partnership is magical with each brand delivering a “best in class” offering backed with deep knowledge and a desire for excellence, but with none of the fussiness that sometimes happens in the wine world. The Wine Bar is laid back, smart, sublime with that slight edginess we’ve come to expect from Hachiroku. It’s a vibe and we are here for it.
If you live in CT, you likely have heard the name, Chef Ashley Flagg. She has been the executive Chef at the iconic Millwright's in Simsbury for five years, and has worked in the industry for over fourteen. Flagg is now getting ready to head out on her own, and has signed a lease for a new spot at 1046 New Britain Ave in West Hartford. The restaurant will be called The Laurel and it is slated to open its doors in early 2025. Are we excited? Heck yeah we are.
The name, The Laurel, is an ode to Flagg’s grandmother who inspired her love of cooking. It is also s a nod to the Connecticut state flower, an appropriate choice, as Flagg is a strong supporter of sourcing close to home. The concept is centered around globally inspired shareable plates utilizing the best local purveyors, farmers, and artisans.
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.
Fine dining isn’t dead, despite what René Redzepi might say or think, as he gets ready to shutter the doors of what’s been considered one of the best restaurants in the entire world for nearly twenty years. West Hartford has been missing this ‘option’ in dining for a very long time, up until now. Located at 43 Lasalle Road amid restaurant row, are two gentleman working incredibly hard to bring back the ‘tasting menu’ and the full experience that goes along with it, if you choose. You should choose. Head Chef Tim East brings with him a very diverse background in food as he’s worked at several high profile restaurants around the state with some very notable chefs including Todd English and Bobby Flay. He is no stranger to West Hartford either, as he oversaw the much loved Besito in Blueback square that closed over a rental agreement dispute. Most recently however, he took on a leadership role at the storied Cavey’s in Manchester where he developed a love of French cuisine along with many of its techniques. Tim carries all of this experience and knowledge along with his passion, to a restaurant that is focused on its changing the narrative from what it was before he arrived, to what it is capable of under his leadership, a true destination restaurant amongst the West Hartford food scene.
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.
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.”
Haven Hot Chicken, which brings Nashville Hot Chicken and “Not Chicken” to the area as one of the first fully dedicated Nashville Hot Chicken concepts in New England, today announced that it will be opening its third location in Norwalk, Connecticut. Located at 596 Westport Avenue, the 2500 square foot location will feature the brand’s signature menu of crispy, crunchy, juicy, spicy, delicious chicken and vegetarian options ranging from Country (not spicy) to Haven (extremely spicy), along with their beloved fries, sides and seasonal limited-time offerings. The group recently opened its Orange location in June 2022, and its first, flagship location in the heart of New Haven in October 2020.
Renowned Celebrity Chef Todd English and global entrepreneur Keith Burkard recently announced the formation of their newest joint venture, EHG, The English Hospitality Group. Featuring dozens of restaurants, hotels, nightlife venues and ghost kitchens, both domestically and internationally, EHG has positioned itself as a leading global operator, owner and developer by identifying opportunities that think beyond the traditional hospitality business model.
As part of this new initiative, English has announced that In Stamford, CT, EHG will debut a 80,000-s.f. immersive, discovery destination Todd English food hall and global art exhibition that will encompass a web 3.0 era consumer experience to wow the masses. It is destined to be a focal point for all to visit in the tri-state area and East Coast.
If you don’t know Dave Kuban from Dave’s Planet Pizza, you really should go introduce yourself. Sure, he runs Planet Pizza’s highly successful Norwalk location, but this restaurateur offers so much more to the Norwalk community beyond pizza and oversized grinders. Dave is the guy who will unfailingly step up to help his neighbors or support a local fundraising effort. Whether he rolls in with his pizza truck to raise money for a family whose house has burned down overnight, or is feeding the homeless in the midst of Covid, he has been there for Norwalk for 30 years, and continues to be an anchor with his mobile pizza truck and storefront.
Now, Kuban has a new project underway, and again, he has stepping up to support Norwalk. Kuban and his brother in law have taken over Marinelli’s deli in the town’s Strawberry Hill neighborhood. Marinelli’s was an institution, serving Norwalk for over 70 years, and locals were devastated to see it shut its doors in the midst of the pandemic. Kuban is taking the reins to preserve the heritage and community spirit that Marinelli’s had embodied.
For the four Reyes brothers, the butterfly is a symbol that pays homage to their mother, representing her strength and signifying a rebirth. In the midst of the restaurant industry’s toughest times, Javier Reyes says such a symbol is what we need most. That’s why he and his family have closed the doors of their popular Mezon Tapas Bar & Restaurant, and have opened a new Latin restaurant in Danbury. Fittingly, they’ve named it the Spanish word for butterfly, “mariposa”, that embodies the boldness of their mother.
Last February, we reported on the famed Brooklyn based Ignazio’s Pizza and their upcoming opening on the Post Road in Westport. We are very pleased to announce that it’s go time! Ignazio’s will be opening their doors, and their pizza ovens, on Monday, November 11th, and we couldn’t be more excited for their signature thin crust pies. CTbites had the pleasure of speaking with owner Louis Termini, who, as it turns out, has strong pizza ties to Connecticut, and big plans for the new Westport digs.
West Hartford, Connecticut is about to get a bowl full of sunshine with the opening of PLAYA BOWLS in Blue Back Square this November. Serving up bowls and smoothies made from açaí, pitaya, coconut, greens, chia, banana, and oatmeal, Playa Bowls uses the freshest high-quality ingredients, with sustainability and community in mind.
Furthermore, on Opening Day (exact date and time to be announced in the coming weeks on instagram at @playabowlsweha), the first 50 people in line will get a FREE bowl or smoothie of their choice!
