Filtering by Tag: Design,Underground Dinner

Design Watch: CT Restaurant Designer Christian P. Arkay-Leliever

Features Design Restaurant Design Interiors Q & A Homepage

Jessica Ryan

I first met Christian a few years ago at Rooms with a View, a premier charitable design event that takes place annually at Southport Congregational Church. He was tasked with the almost-impossible assignment of transforming a commonplace chapel space into a pop-up dining venue fit for an elegant gala. I was eager to see what this larger than life man (he’s 6”5’!) with an equally as large personality would come up with. When told me that he was going to turn the mundane space into a floral covered café under a starlit sky I thought to myself, “Ok this is really cool,” followed immediately by “How the hell is he going to do that?” 

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Introducing The Charles Underground: Darien Butcher Shop's After Hours French Alter Ego

Features Restaurant Darien Darien Butcher Shop Underground Dinner French Homepage

Andrew Dominick

It’s past 6 p.m. The Darien Butcher Shop is closed. You cruise by and you see people inside. Some are standing, others are sitting at community tables, and they’re all probably enjoying a glass of vino while they chat, laugh, and catch up.

You can’t walk in for a slab of bacon or a thick, bone-in ribeye, so what’s actually happening?

Four days per week, Peter Crawford transforms his business into The Charles Underground, a French-inspired eatery, and the shop’s after-hours alter ego.

The Charles is where Crawford, a former New England Culinary Institute graduate who has worked with Charlie Palmer, Jean-Georges, Neil Gallagher, and Terrence Brennen, gets to step back into his passion as a classically trained French chef.

Foie gras and dry-aged steak? Sure. Homemade boudin blanc sausage with Robuchon potatoes, and morel mushroom sauce? They have done that, too.

Lending a helping hand in the front of the house is someone you might recognize from his time at Kawa Ni. Anthony Rinaldi acts as a restaurant jack-of-all-trades at The Charles, whether he’s waiting and bussing tables or assisting in the kitchen with cooking and occasionally washing dishes.

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Friday Froth: The Art Of Craft Beer Comes To Three Sheets

Features Beer CT Beer Design Exhibition

James Gribbon

What if each drop in the ocean of American craft beer landed with a splash of new color? Thousands of breweries, making hundreds of thousands of beers, each rippling and bouncing with individual personality. Beer brewing is an art, yes, but in the process it also supports artists who make their own contribution to what brewers create, and drinkers see. This December, Three Sheets and The 16oz. Canvas will present The Art Of Craft Beer, featuring artists who add color to the craft beer scene of Connecticut.

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The Epitome of Cool Sub-Zero’s Bold New Look Fits in Almost Any Kitchen sponsored post

Features Kitchen Gear Design Kitchen Design

CTbites Team

PRO refrigeration, Sub-Zero’s boldest, most iconic design, was an instant hit when it came on the scene several years ago. Its 48” wide all stainless or stainless with glass refrigerator door designs changed the face of kitchens throughout the country. Now this bold, professional look is finally available in a 36-inch-wide model. This means the stunning PRO look and unparalleled features can fit into almost any kitchen.

“Everything about this new Sub-Zero is spectacular,” explained Marco Barallon, the corporate showroom director for New England’s Official Sub-Zero/Wolf/Cove Showroom and Test Kitchen. “For designers who are looking for a new way to make a stunning kitchen statement, you can create a six-foot-wide food preservation armoire by placing two 36” PRO units side by side – one with a left hinge, the other with a right – with the glass doors, this is like nothing you’ve ever seen in kitchen design. Beyond the show-stopping look, discerning homeowners love the features.”

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The Epitome of Cool Sub-Zero’s Bold New Look Fits in Almost Any Kitchen sponsored post

Features Catering Entertaining Design

Marcia Selden Catering

The presence of food as edible décor is unexpected and exciting! People eat with their eyes, so before they even take a seat their mouths are watering just looking at your table! Beautiful tablescape design, incorporating food, is the key to these spectacular tables. 

Holiday theming and scheming can be a little overwhelming so eliminate the stress with these terrific ideas from a few of our recent events:

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The Epitome of Cool Sub-Zero’s Bold New Look Fits in Almost Any Kitchen sponsored post

Features Kitchen Gear Design Entertaining

CTbites Team

Every two years Clarke, New England’s Official Sub-Zero/Wolf/Cove Showroom and Test Kitchen, hosts its Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Contest to celebrate the best kitchen designs in the six New England states. On May 10th, Clarke awarded $15,000 in prize money to first and second place winners in three categories: Traditional Kitchen, Contemporary Kitchen and Transitional Kitchen. This year, two of the six awards went to kitchen designers in Connecticut. Veronica Campbell of Deane Inc. received the first-place award for a transitional kitchen, while Gerard Ciccarello of Covenant Kitchens & Baths won second place in the traditional kitchen category.

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Fortina Launches "Underground" Culinary Experiences

Features Restaurant Underground Dinner Rye Brook Pop-Up Dinner Catering

Stephanie Webster

I initially held off on sharing my tasting notes for Fortina's epically unique "underground" dinner last week, as it felt like a tease to share an eating adventure that could not be experienced by our readers. Well, all that has changed. The private dinners that began as a way for the Fortina culinary team to stretch their legs, experiment with flavors and dishes, and ultimately serve to inform new menu items, can now be booked by YOU. Here is a little inside scoop on last week's carefully orchestrated 8 person dinner/performance, complete with 10 courses, alcoholic icees, an opera singer, a comedian, escargot served on a VCR, and heck of a lot of fun. 

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Bring the Outside In for the Perfect Al Fresco Meal via The Local Vault (sponsored)

Recipe Design Outdoor Dining

CTbites Team

Every year we eagerly anticipate the joy of great summer weather and dining al fresco but considering some of the complications that come with the territory (irritating insects, aggressive bees and the heat!) it comes as no surprise that the term ‘al fresco’ is borrowed from Italian and actually means "in the cool air." And what better time to dine in the cool air than during the fall season? 

Here at The Local Vault we have paired up with CTbites to trade tips on the best way to enjoy the rest of the crisp fall air before we all head inside for the winter.  So grab your cashmere sweater and a glass of Chianti and follow along!

In the world of interior design the term “bring the outside in” is well known and well advised in order to create a beautiful and serene home. 

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The Epitome of Cool Sub-Zero’s Bold New Look Fits in Almost Any Kitchen sponsored post

Recipe Design

CTbites Team

The Local Vault is an online luxury consignor of home décor and furniture offering easy access to a curated collection of high-end furnishings, bridges the gap between brick and mortar and online shopping with its personalized service, it’s like shopping with your best friend.

Eating “in-season” is a major movement in food right now, and it completely makes sense. Why would you want to eat last season’s previously-frozen produce if you can have something picked fresh from the garden instead? 

The same principal applies to home décor. There’s a seasonality to it, meaning that certain styles just aren’t right for certain seasons, like wool throw blankets in the summer, for example, or linen when it’s -5 outside. The solution: Think about your home the way you think about your salad bowl (yep, we just made that comparison!). You want to fill it with what feels fresh now.  

Here, a few examples to help you fill your home with life this season. 

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NyHaven in New Haven: A New Nordic Pop-Up

Restaurant Chef Talk New Nordic Underground Dinner New Haven

Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster

NyHaven, a one-time pop-up new Nordic dinner in New Haven on March 3, blew away a couple dozen diners lucky enough to purchase seats to the 15-course dining experience showcasing some of the most daring and inventive food in Connecticut. Conceived by Chef Simon Marcell Davidsen with fellow Community Table chef Tommy Juliano, they teamed up with John Ginnetti of 116 Crown, who not only generously offered the kitchen and dining space for NyHaven, but also paired each snack and course with an appropriate "cocktail."

An indelible evening marked by a provocative menu, curious cocktails, and a house filled with appreciate gourmands, we attempted to capture the meal in not just words, but an interview with Chef Simon Marcel Davidsen, photos of each course, and 116 Crown's video of the NyHaven experience:

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Ny Haven: A Nordic Inspired Pop-up with Chefs Marcell Davidsen & Tommy Juliano at 116 Crown

Restaurant Chef Talk Underground Dinner

Amy Kundrat

Photos: Signe Birck

TICKETS HAVE GONE ON SALE! Tickets

A 13 course Nordic-inspired menu is the inspiration for Ny Haven, a one-time pop-up dining collaboration between chefs Marcell Davidsen and Tommy Juliano, that will take place at 116 Crown on March 3, 2014. Ny Haven is a play on words. In Danish, Ny means New, and Haven means garden. In Copenhagen, Nyhavn is a main gathering point for people to meet at cafés to eat and drink. 

The chefs, best known for their culinary risk-taking and locavore approach at Community Table in Washington, CT, will descend upon the kitchen of 116 Crown in New Haven for a single night for 25 lucky gourmands. 

"We are very excited to showcase our style of new New England cuisine, and Nordic influenced cooking, to New Haven," said Davidsen. "With my Danish background and Tommy's New England approach on desserts."

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WestportREADS Dining Series featuring “My Life In France,” by Julia Child

Education Underground Dinner

ellen bowen

Shortly after docking in Le Harve, Julia Child had the lunch that changed her life.  It was sole meuniere, and Julia said "It was the most exciting meal of my life. " Julia and Paul Child lived in Paris and Marseilles from 1948 to 1954, and it was during that time Julia developed the love of French food and the skills that made her famous.  Paul fell in love with Julia because she was always herself, and America fell in love with her for the same reason.  My Life in France tells the story of Julia Child's life:  how she came to be an expert on French cuisine, revolutionize the writing of cookbooks and become the world's first celebrity chef.

Each January, The Westport Library selects a book and an author to be celebrated by the entire community through their popular WestportREADS program. 

This year’s selection, the iconic autobiography , My Life in France, by Julia Child, tells the inspiring, and at times humorous story of a young woman’s discovery of  France, fine food, and a passion for cooking. 

In conjunction with this event, CTbites is holding a curated dinner series, “Dine Around Town With Julia,” offering the opportunity to dine and sample many of her most famous dishes; Boeuf Bourguignon, Coq Au Vin, Poisson Meuniere, and Cassoulet in a private setting with local chefs and in local restaurants in celebration of what would have been Julia Childs 100th year.   The dinners, priced at $100 pp, include 3 courses, 2 glasses of wine, tax and tip and are limited availability.  A portion of the proceeds benefits programming for the Westport Library. 

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Westport Farmers' Market Fundraisers Feature Mystery Location & Chef Lineup

Restaurant Farmers Market Underground Dinner

CTbites Team

This year, the Westport Farmers’ Market will turn its annual Fork It Over fundraiser into four dinners on four different nights, featuring some of the area’s most celebrated chefs.

The chef list reads like a Who’s Who of the Fairfield County culinary scene: Matt Storch (Chelsea and Match), Bill Taibe (LeFarm and The Whelk), Michel Nischan (Dressing Room, featuring Johnny Vaast), Tim Lablant (Schoolhouse Restaurant) and Jeff Taibe (Oak & Almond) to name just a few, are planning meals and menus unlike anything you’ve come to expect from them, and featuring ingredients from Norm Bloom, Sport Hill Farm, Fort Hill Farm, Oxhollow Farm, Craft Butchery, and others.

The catch?

WFM will tell you when, but not where (at least, not until the day before). And they’re not telling who, either.

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Underground Dinner: Plum Luv Foods Pops Up at Butcher’s Best

Restaurant Chef Talk Newtown Underground Dinner

Jeanette Chen

This past Sunday, a group of us were six of the lucky 40 folks to nab tickets to a "hip" six course menu put on by Plum Luv Foods at Butcher's Best in Newtown, CT, showcasing sustainable local produce, seafood and grassfed meats. This was a sold-out event, even after adding ten more tickets than had been sold at previous dinners.
For the past few months, Chef Plum and Sous Chef Kern have been hosting Underground Dinner ("pop-up dinners") in Connecticut, where they take over a space for the evening, and prepare dinner in a casual, local setting.
No one in our group had ever been to a pop-up dinner, but we knew we were in for a fun night when we were greeted with a glass of bubbly champagne with local blueberries as soon as we walked in the door.
Take a peek at the menu ~ this particular evening, Chef Plum showcased grass-fed meats from Shiregate Family Farm (carried by Butcher's Best), local grown produce (from Farming 101 and Holbrook Farm), and fresh fish and oysters caught right off the Connecticut shoreline.
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Dinner Underground in Newtown CT with Chef Plum

Restaurant Events Newtown Underground Dinner

Nicole Straight

I wasn’t sure what to expect as we entered the butcher, but were warmly greeted with a glass of champagne by Chef (Chris) Plum himself and were shown to our table.  Butcher’s Best deli and butcher in Newtown, CT has been transformed twice in 2013 to offer 30 lucky diners one of Plum’s "Dinner Undergound" culinary evenings. I was lucky enough to enjoy night #2.  

Chef Plum is a graduate from The Culinary Institute of America with over 18 years of experience. He has worked all over the east coast in five-star hotels and resorts, as well as small neighborhood restaurants. Plum-Luv-Foods was born in 2006 and since then has brought whole farm foods to families, small parties, Broadway actors, executives, Food Network and network TV. 

Plum’s happy demeanor shines through his food.  His inventive style and clever riffs show both his appreciation for food and simple enjoyment of offering his guests thoughtfully created dishes.  As each course is served, Plum tells us about where the food is from, his inspiration and why he chose to marry the components. 

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Souterrain #5: Bill Taibe Hosts Underground Dinner

Restaurant Underground Dinner Bill Taibe Events

Stephanie Webster

Bill Taibe and his team of chefs hosted Souterrain Sunday night, #5 in his series of underground pop-up dinners featuring local ingredients, unexpected locations, and good company. Ironically, Souterrain #5 was originally scheduled during last October's spectacular Nor'easter, and while Halloween did go on, Souterrain had to be cancelled.  This year, dinner prevailed, and guests were delighted to find themselves at The Westport Arts Center on the last day of the appropriately themed FOODIES art exhibit. (The location is only divulged 12 hours before the event). 

Bill Taibe considers Souterrain his "third restaurant, one without walls, where people come together at communal tables and share a unique culinary experience." The menu for Souterrain does not always follow a strict narrative, but Sunday's meal was truly an ode to duck. Green olives with roasted garlic cloves were cooked in duck fat. There was Duck Ham, Duck Liver & Huckleberries, and a spectacular Duck Confit. Corn bread drizzled with maple syrup paired beautifully with the foie and huckleberries, and a Brandade (Salt Cod Puree) made it into the first course, providing a taste of the sea. John Baricelli, of Sono Baking Company, even created a special olive bread for the evening. VIEW PHOTO GALLERY

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leFarm's Souterrain #4 @ Sport Hill Farm

Restaurant Farm to Table Local Farm Underground Dinner Farm Dinner

Stephanie Webster

CLICK ON ABOVE IMAGE TO LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY

Dauntingly overcast skies would not deter the guest list of 50 or so people who only 24 hours before the recent Souterrain event were summoned to Sport Hill Farm in Easton CT for a Sunday brunch. Bill Taibe's latest culinary adventure would be unique in both the mid day time slot (leFarm does not serve brunch, and according to Chef Taibe...never will), as well as the presence of a film crew shooting a TV pilot during the meal. But the stars of the show were the menu, the shared experience, and the magnificent backdrop of Patti Popp's sustainable Sport Hill Farm.   Check out the photo gallery here. 

And here's what we ate:

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