The former Easton Village Store on Sport Hill Road has a new tenant and it’s a chef you know. Award winning chef, Prasad Chirnomula, and his business partner, Ron Berry, have transformed the space into Gourmet United, a takeout and delivery-based concept that, with Chirnomula involved, definitely features his lauded Indian cuisine alongside Mexican food under one roof.
Chefs that have a bustling restaurant never take a full month off. For Luke Venner, “vacation” wasn’t pina coladas in the Caribbean, nor was it one of his fishing or hunting excursions. Instead, he was mostly in New Canaan, at Elm, remixing popular dishes, creating new ones, and reimagining and renovating the entire dining room. Don’t freak out. Your beloved Double-Double was unharmed in the process. But the dining room? Transformed. And it’s something that Venner—who’s in his 10th season as Elm’s executive chef and co-owner—has been meaning to tackle for quite a while. Talk to him about it and you can tell he’s feeling refreshed about all of it.
Since 2014, Genee Habansky’s Herbaceous Catering Co. has made the rounds all over. Catering, sure, but you’ve most likely come across her, if not at a private party, then it’s been at an event somewhere in Fairfield County (and beyond). If not there, then maybe you’ve picked up her food at the Westport Farmers Market where Herbaceous is a steady vendor. Habansky’s philosophy when it comes to her catering business is all about caring for the environment, plus, seasonality, locality, and super fresh as it pertains to ingredients she uses, something she became passionate about, first, at culinary school, then at Paul Newman’s The Dressing Room and her other stints at places like Pagano’s Seafood, Heirloom, Walrus + Carpenter, and Centro.
Chris Gonzalez is never surprised when people (including me) bring up Hapa Food Truck, specifically THAT burger. You know the one. Juicy grass-fed beef, a thick strip of tender pork belly, ultra caramelized onions, Vermont cheddar, lettuce and tomato, all between an eye catching purple ube bun. Admit it. You miss it. But those days are gone and these days are now. Gonzalez, now the chef at Kawa Ni, has, along with owner Bill Taibe, created another show stopper of a burger that’ll have you talking. That is, if you can get your hands on one.
Mrs. London's Cafe & Bakery has announced the sale of its Westport location to Maman, (@_mamannyc) the popular NYC based Provençal-inspired café, created by co-founders Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte. Maman will bring its fan-favorite salads, sandwiches, made-famous-by-Oprah Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies to the Westport community.
Maman, known for its cafés, bakeries, and event spaces, features a menu that celebrates childhood favorites from the South of France and North America. This will be their second CT location, after their launch in Greenwich.
Downtown Westport’s newest restaurant, Sushi Jin, has quickly become a hotspot. Located by the parking lot on Elm Street (across from Serena & Lily), Sushi Jin offers an expansive menu with authentic Japanese fare. The food is delicious and the decor is upscale, but the overall atmosphere is inviting. The space is long and narrow with options to sit at a standard table, an intimate booth, the bar, or sushi counter. Regardless of where you dine, you’ll immediately notice all of the decor details; the walls are lined with intricate wooden patterns, a Japanese technique called Kumiko, and the wood details are carried all the way to the ceilings.
The restaurant is run by a husband and wife duo, whom you’ll most likely spot while dining there —though they’re both very shy, so there’s a good chance they won’t introduce themselves as the owners. Their love story started around 20 years ago while they were both working at a restaurant in Flushing; he was in the kitchen and she was a server. As they were building out Sushi Jin, owner He Chen, kept a big surprise from his wife for several months: he named the restaurant “Jin” after her. Currently, the pair lives in Queens with plans to relocate closer soon.
Have a conversation with Seleste Tan for just a few minutes and the word that comes to mind is “humble.” Tan’s bakery, Lady Wong Patisserie, with two locations in New York City, speaks about it like she never expected it to be the megahit that it is. “I did it for a hobby during the pandemic and I never thought it would be big,” she says shyly. Her confections, inspired by flavors from her home country of Singapore, and travels throughout Southeast Asia, are her muse. And that hobby? It turned into national coverage in all the big food publications and then some.
Everything you’ve heard about Adrian Hurtado and his Taco Guy brand opening a new taqueria in Norwalk are true, even if some of the details weren’t originally clear or correct.
Numero tres for Hurtado, if we’re counting the taco truck first, then his Wall Street spot second, is Tacos 203, not Carnitas Michoacán, regardless of what you may have heard. Tacos 203 will be inside of Metro-North’s South Norwalk Station and the concept won’t resemble the fare that Hurtado’s fans have experienced from the truck or his restaurant.
You’re visiting your favorite Neapolitan pizzeria. Almost always, the person “manning” the wood-fired oven is, well, a man. Shattering that mold is Alexandra Castro, whose love story with pizza began when she was a kid in her home country of Colombia. Making pizza in her youth, must have sparked something, because Castro went to culinary school, worked her way through the industry, and ultimately landed her locally at The Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges, and after that, as head chef at Pizzeria Magpie in Montreal, known for its Neapolitan pizza.
Fast casual fried chicken is a hot craze that’s seemingly not cooling off anytime soon. Haven Hot Chicken, Birdcode Hot Chicken, the new to Connecticut Dave’s Hot Chicken, and smaller spots like Stamford’s Cwispy Chicken are proof of that. But even newer to the coop is Dippin Chicken in East Norwalk where Korean fried chicken is their menu’s centerpiece.
When the popular Venezuelan-meets-Mexican mashup, Mil Sabores, vacated their original brick-and-mortar at 2043 Fairfield Avenue and went onto opening a bigger restaurant further down the street, they left their digs to another tenant, even if it is for a limited run. Lao Cocina, a Laotian and Puerto Rican fusion spot, that’s mostly takeout, is filling out the rest of that lease. Created by the husband-and-wife team of April Khanthaphixay, her husband, Daniel Colon, and Daniel’s uncle Sergio, they’re mixing their respective cultures for a new kind of concept.
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 a homebrewing hobby runs in the family, it’s only proper to open a brewery, isn’t it? That’s at least what happened in the Guda Family, whose brewery, Sly Bandit, may have caught your eye while on Route 7 in Wilton near the Norwalk line. Owned by Dave, who’s retired from the information technology world, Wendy, a former New Cannan High School math teacher who still teaches at CT State Community College Norwalk, and their son, Mike, who left his job as a market research executive to brew beer full time.
One sunny day in Bethel, I was interviewing Sara Oberhammer at her spot, Soulber Kitchen & Market, over lunch, smoothies, and at least one caffeinated beverage. That’s when a smiling face burst through the door with a cookie delivery. Dani LeBlanc and I met ever so briefly, but right after she left, Sara said, “Have you had her cookies?”
Less than a year ago, we covered Amanda Eng in our Q&A series, “It’s a Woman’s World,” with a focus on her coffee pop up, Kash & Liv Coffee Creations. Along with popping up all over the Newtown, Sandy Hook, and Danbury areas, Eng found a home as a coffee vendor inside of Uncle Matt’s Bakery and Cafe in the fall of 2023. Just over a year later, right before the holiday season, Eng teamed up with her customer-turned-friend, Meghan Jefts, to open a spot of their own. At AM Coffee & Co. in Southbury, Eng, a self-professed coffee nerd since she was 14, is continuing her coffee journey that saved her from corporate America.
Sakarin Seedasome recalls a memory from 2017 when he was in San Diego. He walks in after work, wanting a beer, when he wondered, “Wait. What is this place?” “I love craft beer,” he says. “I think they had 20 or so taps, wine as well. I was confused at first, wondering if I had to buy a full 16 ounces of each one, but no, you pay per ounce. I was like, ‘Oh my god. I can try all of these.’ I stayed there all night.” Now one of the owners of Hop & Vine Taproom, which opened in Downtown Stamford in early January 2024, Seedasome and his partners Matthew Ventura and Connor Rasmussen, wanted to get it open much, much sooner. The problem? They couldn’t because it wasn’t legally possible.
After hearing so many good things about X Ramen from my friends, I was looking forward to trying it out myself.
The New York inspired Chicken, Ramen and Boba eatery is the concept of two brothers who grew up locally in Fairfield County, in the restaurant biz. The restaurant is located in the former Wafu space. It’s spacious interior is bright and airy and offers plenty of comfortable seating. The vibe inside is youthful and whimsical, with brightly colored anime posters and TVs lining the walls. In the center of the room, overhead, a lovely display of Japanese umbrellas and lanterns hangs overhead.
X Ramen’s fairly extensive menu is as fun as the decor. The offerings feature various Asian favorites from Ramen to Udon, assorted appetizers from bao buns to fried chicken, dim sum and a creative boba menu offering classic teas, fruit, tease, and fancy “signature” teas and slushies. The dishes are straightforward, simple and uncomplicated, perfectly suited for both the novice as well as the seasoned ‘slurper.’
Westport, get excited. The highly-anticipated opening of Fatto a Mano is happening this Wednesday, February 12. If you’re not familiar with Fatto a Mano already, we’re guessing the name rings a bell. The Italian bakery moved to Westport about two years ago and sells at the weekly Westport Farmers Market and directly out of their kitchen space located at 971 Post Road East (next to Pop Up Bagels).
The new storefront has been a long time coming for founder Pierluigi Mazzella, who originally started Fatto a Mano out of his home kitchen under the Connecticut cottage food operation license back in 2022. Since then, Mazzella has quickly made a name for himself and his artisanal bakery; Mazzella was named the 2022 Baker of the Year by the Connecticut Restaurant Association, his Panettone was featured on Martha Stewart’s Roku channel series, and Forbes even dubbed him the “Prince of Panettone.”
After much anticipation Lyfe Café finally opened its doors and to much fanfare. Offering both grab and go as well as sit down breakfast and lunch options, the newest café to grace Westport’s bustling restaurant scene is the latest collaboration of Gino Riccio and Dimitri Pantzos. The dynamic duo (who also happen to be uncle and nephew) have already seen smashing success with Pizza Lyfe (just up the street), a favorite among locals and non-locals alike. Riccio, a longtime veteran of the restaurant scene, is also the owner of Quattro Pazzi and Organika.
Dimitri and Gino have spent nearly a year perfecting recipes. Everything at the café is made from scratch, and when you get the opportunity to eat there yourself, you’ll notice the quality immediately. I daresay they have perfected the croissant, with its crisp and flaky exterior, and layers of soft buttery goodness beneath. You’ll have to decide if you’re a traditionalist or wanting to try one of their viral offerings like the Tiramisu or White Chocolate Pistachio which sell out quickly, and after sampling one, I can see why. The sandwich rolls are also made in-house as are the bagels, and as a born and bred New Yorker, they pass my test – and I am very particular.
In the middle of 2024 at my dear friend, Anne Grossman’s Rebel Daughter Day, I just about stopped in my tracks when I saw what was on one of the vendor’s tables. Boxes of beautiful, chocolatey brigedeiros, alfajores, and an array of different hand rolled truffles and baked goods that weren’t just from Latin American countries, but a mixture of confections we’re familiar with in the states, too. Silvia’s Kitchen, created by Silvia MacLean, is the face behind the brand, and she bakes out of Rebel Daughter Cookies’ commercial space where you can preorder for pickup or delivery, plus you can find her sweets at various stores and farmers markets in the general area.
