The long awaited grand opening of Bar Rosso is scheduled for next Thursday May 12th and CTBites previews its gastronomic delights for this latest edition of “Behind the Scenes.” We returned and discussed the restaurant’s culinary vision with Dan Kardos, the Executive Chef, as he finalizes his interpretations of dishes from throughout Italy and met with Mary Schaffer who described her team’s conceptual design.
“Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity” - Voltaire
The latest edition of CTBites’ “Behind the Scenes” series is brought to you from Match Restaurant in South Norwalk, where Matt Storch, its owner-chef and Westport native, has been at the helm of the kitchen for over ten years overseeing this highly acclaimed restaurant that creatively promotes today’s Farm to Table philosophy.
For those who have never experienced the incredible activity prior to the day’s first customer entering the restaurant, it is a bustle of activity. Chef Matt led us past the floor to ceiling wood burning pizza oven in the back of the dining room and down a flight of stairs to the restaurant’s subterranean kitchen.
CTBites is pleased to present this month’s sneak peak preview of Filling Station’s April 2011 Special Bacon Blue Cheese Burger and its Special Caramel Sea Salt Shake. Although April 1 is normally associated with jokes and pranks on friends and family, the April monthly special burger and shake is neither as it combines some favorite all time flavors.
This month’s Special Burger includes theFilling Station'sfarm raised 75/25 beef with toppings of thick cut bacon, crumbled blue cheese, crunchy deep fried onions, lettuce, tomato and Worcester sauce infused mayonnaise.
When I visited Filling Station Co. today, the staff was busy experimenting with the timing of their new non-pressed burger technique for the recently announced Stamford location and I asked if I could try the April burger cooked with this new method. I performed my ritual of cutting the burger in half and saw that the new method produced a perfectly prepared medium rare. My first bite was delicious.
"It is the Americans who have managed to crown minced beef as hamburger, and to send it round the world so that even the fussy French have taken to le boeuf hache, le hambourgaire." - Julia Child
The long awaited opening of Burgers Shakes and Fries occurred yesterday in Darien with burgers and dogs grilling, fries frying and shakes shaking. For those, like me, who agree with Julia Child that the hamburger is an American icon, Kory Wollins has mastered the art of the burger and created an incredible rendition of this American classic
“Sustainability,” “Farm to Table,” “Locavore.” These all describe a culinary trend toward using locally raised ingredients. This philosophy has created a groundswell of top-tier restaurants in Fairfield County including Napa &Co., LeFarm, Harvest Supper, The Schoolhouse at Cannondale, Nicholas Roberts, and The Boathouse. But Brendan Walsh, owner-chef of Brendan’s at the Elms in Ridgefield, has been creating some of the best locally sourced “farm to table” food in Fairfield County for over ten years.
It's the morning after. You swore the night prior that you would never look at turkey again, much less eat it. Alas, you walk downstairs, open the fridge and there it is staring you in the face. Not wanting to waste this tasty bird, one has to get creative....but not another sandwich...Turkey Pot Pie.
Photos: c/o Michael Stern, Roadfood.comThe Lake Zoar Drive-In is located on Route 34 in Monroe (many Navigation systems do not recognize the website town of Stevenson) slightly less than 7 miles east of I-84. This stand-alone burger and dog shack has occupied this same stretch of beach overlooking Lake Zoar for over 20 years and the current owners have been grilling burgers and dogs for over 17 years; they must be doing something right. That something is a burger with plenty of toppings, some of the best French Fries in Connecticut plus a soda...all for under $10.
Photo: Kate SchlesingerMargherita Aloi, the Owner/Chef of Aloi in New Canaan, brought her culinary talent and vision to New Canaan several years ago. Raised in a small town in Piedmont, Italy, she entered the Culinary Institute of Barolo at the age of fourteen. After working for several years in Italy she was recruited by the renowned Pino Luongo, the chef and owner of New York’s La Madri Restaurant (and author of one of my favorite cookbooks “A Tuscan in the Kitchen”). She arrived in the US at the tender age of 18 and assumed the position of Pasta Chef at Le Madri, and subsequently advanced to its Executive Chef in 1998. Fortunately for New Canaan, in 2004 she visited and fell in love with our small town. Margherita accepted the position of Executive Chef at Bel Mare, the predecessor restaurant at the Aloi location, reinvented the restaurant and subsequently purchased the building. Aloi offers both inside and al fresco dining. The interior space is intimate and the décor is subtle and relaxing. The al fresco dining on Aloi’s terrace is one of my favorite places to dine on a warm evening with my wife and friends.
Photo Credit: Natasha Montero“Déjà vu all over again” – Yogi Berra
In April 2006, Cherry Street East suffered the greatest catastrophe that can strike any business when it became engulfed in flames. A total loss; many loyal patrons stared at the charred remains of their local pub, their beloved hangout, and the place that since 1977 had served one of the best burgers in Fairfield County. Cherry Street East was a piece of the fiber of the New Canaan community and patrons were concerned that Cherry Street East would become a distant memory. In a true tribute to the owners John and Mary Bergin, the local residents formed an alliance with the owners to reconstruct an exact replica of the original building. The eclectic clientele returned and include local business people sharing an appetizer and burger for lunch, several regulars holding court, and families out for a burgers and fries dinner.
With the building rebuilt to its former glory would the legendary burgers return?
Napa & Company in Stamford, one of the elite restaurants in Connecticut, was founded several years ago and immediately created a frenzy of activity along Summer Street. Proprietors, Mary Schaeffer and Charles Morgan, have been fixtures within the high-end Stamford restaurant scene for many years and have raised the culinary bar in Fairfield County. They are known for their menu's dedicated farm-to-table approach with a focus on locally sourced seasonal ingredients, and an outstanding wine list.
The kitchen is presided over by the very talented Executive Chef Arik Bensimon, whose youth belies his extensive experience. Raised in a restaurant family, he began cooking at the age of 14. After graduating from the CIA he worked at top NYC dining establishments including Le Cirque and Picholine. Chef Arik's unique ability to stay calm and focused sets the tone for this uncharacteristically non-frenetic commercial kitchen, and allows his efficient and friendly kitchen staff to produce an incredible array of inspired creations.
In thinking how to best present the well established Napa & Company to the CTbites community, we asked if we could combine an “Iron Chef” single ingredient concept with a trip behind the scenes to watch Chef Arik in action. Chef Arik was quick to accept our challenge (which included my assisting in the kitchen). And now, Napa & Company meets Iron Chef…MUSHROOMS!!!
What is the attraction of Colony Grill in Stamford? What creates almost a cult-like fascination, while simultaneously evoking harsh criticism? Why do regulars protect their turf so dearly? And most importantly, what is a Hot Oil pie?
Colony has a pizza reputation that extends for decades. The walls are adorned with numerous Military and team photos from the 50’s and 60’s plus other local heroes. Twelve stools, six booths, four TVs and two video games occupy the room with a long and always occupied bar, while the second room contains ten booths and twelve additional seats around tables. The kitchen is in the back where you can see a stack of oven-ready pies, each awaiting the requested toppings. The bar offers four beers on tap plus other varieties in bottles housed in the refrigerator behind the bar.
Colony ONLY serves pizza. Upwards of 1,000 in-house and take-away pies are created on a normal Saturday or Sunday