Prasad Chirnomula Opens Chef Driven Meal Delivery Service, Gourmet United Interview Restaurant Features Indian Mexican Fast Casual Takeout Delivery Interview Easton Homepage Andrew Dominick June 10, 2025 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. Read More
Hartford Taste Returns with 30+ Restaurants, Music & Conversation Features Events Events CTbites Team May 21, 2025 Downtown Hartford will be teeming with live music and an eclectic variety of local cuisine by restaurateurs in the region as the city welcomes back Hartford Taste, presented by The Hartford, Friday and Saturday, June 6-7, on Pratt and Trumbull streets. The 2025 event will feature more than 35 restaurants, 30 musical acts, live visual art and a brand-new cultural stage experience called The Kitchen Table – Good Food & Good Conversation, where chefs, mixologists and creatives will share live demonstrations, storytelling and interactive dialogue about what food and culture mean in Hartford today.The Hartford is the presenting sponsor for the third year in a row and will continue to cover all vendor fees, allowing restaurants and food businesses to participate at no cost. Read More
Elm in New Canaan: Phase 2.0 Features Renovations and Remixed Menu Features Interview Restaurant Elm New Canaan New Canaan Luke Venner Homepage Interview Menu Update Andrew Dominick May 15, 2025 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. Read More
It’s A Woman’s World: Genee Habansky of Herbaceous Catering Co. Ingredients Interview It's A Woman's World Caterer Catering Farm To Table Interview Andrew Dominick May 13, 2025 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. Read More
Menu Highlight: Kawa Ni in Westport Introduces "The Katsu Burger" Ingredients Interview Restaurant Kawa Ni Westport Japanese Burger Andrew Dominick May 09, 2025 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. Read More
Celebrate Shelton Announces Food Trucks on the River (sponsored post) Events Features Events EVENT Food Truck Live Music Shelton CTbites Team May 06, 2025 Celebrate Shelton, a private city-wide initiative in its 11th year is thrilled to announce Food Trucks on the River, and several exciting community collaborations. Food Trucks on the River, an exciting two-day festival will take place on Friday, May 30th, from 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM, and Saturday, May 31st, from 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM at Veterans Memorial Park in Downtown Shelton. In case of inclement weather, a rain date is set for Sunday, June 1st. Read More
TIX On Sale! CHEFS ON STAGE at The AMP: Chefs Brian Lewis & Damon Sawyer Events Features Events Stephanie Webster May 05, 2025 CTbites & The Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater are excited to announce a NEW DINNER SERIES taking place ON STAGE this Summer. The first event will be held on June 7th at 6PM, with James Beard Nominee CHEF BRIAN LEWIS of The Cottage & OKO alongside CRAZIES “Chef Of The Year” Finalist CHEF DAMON SAWYER of 29 Markle Court. These chefs will be creating a very special dinner for ONLY 150 guests!GET YOUR TICKETS HERE Tickets are $175pp.The evening will include 4 courses of extraordinary food, live music, cocktails, wine & the unique experience of dining on the same stage on which your favorite band has performed.All proceeds will benefit FILLING IN THE BLANKS, the Norwalk based organization that fights childhood hunger. Read More
Inaugural Taste of SoNo Event On May 22nd To Benefit CT Foodshare (sponsored post) Events Features Events CTbites Team April 28, 2025 Join Anna and Raven of Star 99.9 & CT Foodshare for the Inaugural Taste of SoNo on May 22nd.Taste of SoNo will feature a curated lineup of Fairfield County’s best restaurants and drink purveyors. Proceeds from the event benefit Connecticut Foodshare and help fight food insecurity across the state. Taste of SoNo will include a silent auction, premium cocktails, live demonstrations, and live entertainment. The event is hosted by Anna and Raven of Star 99.9. Event Details: Date: Thursday, May 22nd Time: VIP session begins at 6PM and general admission is at 7PM Location: The SoNo Collection (Magnificent Room), 100 North Water Street, Norwalk, CT 06854 Tickets are available now! Get your General Admission or VIP tickets today at: donate.ctfoodshare.org/sono Read More
Seleste Tan of Lady Wong Patisserie & Chef Mogan Anthony Open La Bistro in Greenwich Features Interview Restaurant French Pastry Pastry Chef Greenwich Homepage Interview Opening Andrew Dominick April 26, 2025 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. Read More
Guide To Kentucky Derby Events & Parties in Connecticut (2025 Edition) Events Features Kentucky Derby Events Homepage Carly Terzigni April 25, 2025 Are you ready for the most exciting two minutes in sports? The 151st running of the Kentucky Derby takes place on Saturday, May 3, and TVs will be tuned in at restaurants across the state. Whether you’re looking for a spot to catch the race with friends or you want an all-out extravaganza where you can sport your favorite fascinator, there’s a Derby event in Connecticut for you! Check out the restaurants and businesses below that are hosting special events for the Derby. Keep in mind that the post time is just after 6:50 PM – don’t miss it! Read More
Preview: Taco Guy Opening Tacos 203 at the South Norwalk Train Station Features Interview Restaurant Opening Norwalk Preview Tacos Mexican Homepage Interview Andrew Dominick April 23, 2025 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. Read More
It’s A Woman’s World: Pizzaiolo Alexandra Castro of Everything Dough Interview It's A Woman's World Pizza Cooking Classes Pop-Up Neapolitan pizza Interview Andrew Dominick April 22, 2025 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. Read More
Lao Cocina Opens in Bridgeport: Laotian X Puerto Rican Fusion Cuisine Features Interview Restaurant Interview Bridgeport Puerto Rican Laotian Latin Fusion Homepage Opening Andrew Dominick March 23, 2025 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. Read More
Two Roads Brewing Company Launches Dinner Pairing Series- A New Brewery Experience Events Features Brewery Ingredients Interview Tasting Menu Brewery Two Roads Brewing Company Craft Beer Spirits Distillery Interview Homepage Stratford Beer Andrew Dominick March 20, 2025 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.” Read More
Spacecat Brewing Company in Norwalk Debuts Food Truck + New Cocktail Program Brewery Ingredients Interview Spacecat Brewing Company Norwalk Burgers Fried Chicken Sandwich Food Truck Brewery Cocktails Homepage Andrew Dominick February 26, 2025 The next time you’re enjoying a pint in Spacecat Brewing Company’s taproom, that tray of burgers that just went by IS NOT courtesy of Shake Shack’s Shack Truck. Right out back by Spacecat’s appropriately named patio, “The Litterbox,” is their own brand-new food trailer where the brewery smashes burgers, grills up Connecticut’s own Hummel Bros. hot dogs, and fries to perfection a crispy chicken sandwich. Read More
Stamford's Hop & Vine Taproom Wrote Connecticut's Self-Pour Bill Features Interview Restaurant Stamford Craft Beer Homepage self pour Interview Gastropub Beer Andrew Dominick February 19, 2025 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. Read More
Mariposa Taqueria in Danbury Debuts Latin Dinner Series Ingredients Interview Restaurant Mariposa Taqueria Latin American Danbury Tasting Menu Tasting Andrew Dominick February 10, 2025 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. Read More
It’s A Woman’s World: Silvia MacLean of Silvia’s Kitchen in Norwalk Interview It's A Woman's World Baker Bakery Interview Norwalk Andrew Dominick February 04, 2025 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. Read More
Rye Bird Opens in Fairfield with Southern American Comfort Food Features Interview Restaurant American Southern Cocktails Interview Fairfield Homepage Opening Andrew Dominick January 09, 2025 Since April of 2024, a new restaurant by the name of Rye Bird, located in the longtime former home of Isla in Fairfield, teased a tasty, affordable, neighborhood restaurant concept. Operated by Post Road Hospitality, Rye Bird officially cracked open its doors on October 19 after hosting some patio preview parties prior to its grand opening. Rye Bird’s founder and president Frank Klein hopes it’ll catch on as the “next neighborhood joint” for a bunch of reasons. Read More
First Look: Mighty Quinn's BBQ Opens at The Waypointe in Norwalk Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant BBQ Norwalk Mighty Quinn's BBQ Interview Homepage Opening Andrew Dominick January 07, 2025 Most Connecticut residents who were unfamiliar with Hugh Mangum before he and his family started making donuts in Wilton four years ago, may be oblivious to a few tidbits. Mangum, you see, isn’t only a French Culinary Institute graduate who worked under Jean-Georges Vongerichten, but he’s the founder of the popular Mighty Quinn’s BBQ. Now that his family’s donut shop, Rise Doughnuts, has gone from a pop up to its own physical location, paired with the fact that the Mangums reside in Wilton, the time to open another Mighty Quinn’s in nearby Norwalk in the former Bobby Q’s and the short lived Lechon Smokehouse space at The Waypointe. Read More
