Elm in New Canaan Relaunches Afternoon Tea Service Ingredients Interview Restaurant Elm New Canaan New Canaan Afternoon Tea Tea Time Interview Andrew Dominick October 15, 2025 Fridays and Saturdays are for sipping…TEA! Pinky extension for each taste of herbal, green, or black tea is mandatory, of course. On the heels of Elm’s overhaul of their interior and food menu, afternoon tea is back! If it feels like we’ve taken this tea journey once before, we certainly have. Back in 2021, I covered Elm’s spread of scones, bites both savory and sweet, a piping hot teapot, and for an extra charge, and if you desire, a glass (or bottle, if that’s how you get down) of bubbly. Read More
Chefs For Chef Tasting Dinner To Benefit CT Hospitality Foundation Oct 26th Events Features Dinner Events Chef's Tasting Fundraiser CTbites Team October 13, 2025 Gioia, an Italian restaurant, market, gelateria and rooftop space located at 150 Wooster Street, New Haven, is hosting “Chefs for Chef,” a 5-course tasting dinner on Sunday, October 26 beginning at 6pm. In partnership with the Connecticut Restaurant Association, proceeds from the dinner benefit the Connecticut Hospitality Education Foundation, supporting education and opportunity in the local hospitality community. The event will begin with a festive welcome cocktail and passed bites, followed by a five-course dinner featuring a signature dish from each chef with wine pairings. Participating chefs include:Tyler Anderson, Millwright’s RestaurantTim Cabral, Gioia, OrdinaryPrasad Chirnomula, Chef Prasad Indian CuisineMichelle Greenfield, Allium EateryAvi Szapiro, GioiaChelsea Tripp, KouignTickets are $175/pp for café and bar seating (not including tax and gratuity), and $350/pp for VIP Chef’s Counter Seats (only 4 are available!). To purchase tickets, visit https://www.opentable.com/r/gioia-wooster-street-new-haven. Read More
Last Call for Carnitas: Super Taqueria Las Salsas in Bridgeport Closing On October 19 Interview Restaurant Carnitas Bridgeport Mexican Tacos Interview Closing CTbites Team October 09, 2025 After well over a decade serving traditional carnitas and Mexican street food on Bridgeport’s State Street, owner and lifelong taquero, Gil Salvador Perez Hurtado, is shutting down shop at his beloved Super Taqueria Las Salsas. October 19, 2025 will be the final service day for the legendary taqueria which, if you read our story in 2024, began first as a low-key pop up out of Hurtado’s apartment, then became one of the state’s more popular food trucks, before he moved it to a brick-and-mortar location. Read More
It’s A Woman’s World: Bartender + Beverage Manager Kylie Keeley of Bar Bushido in Norwalk Ingredients Restaurant Interview It's A Woman's World Interview Bartender Bar Bushido Norwalk Cocktails Andrew Dominick October 07, 2025 Walk through the doors of Jeff Taibe’s izakaya, Bar Bushido, and chances are, you’ll be greeted by Kylie Keeley, especially if you’re sitting down at her bar. Correction. One of her bars. The pub part of Bar Bushido—where you’ll find yakitori, ramen, karaage chicken, DIY hand rolls, and other Japanese bar bites—is where Keeley says the “drinks match the energy.” The izakaya is a vibe; it’s loud (but with good energy), casual, and a great hangout for any occasion, and it’s where she’s rocking out a drink list of highballs, creative sake bombs, and cocktails ingredients (especially Japanese ingredients) that should spark your curiosity and tickle your tastebuds. At the very back of the space is Bar Bushido’s alter ego, a quieter, more intimate hand roll bar, where Keeley’s cocktails are more focused on highlighting a certain flavor profile. Read More
Delamar Hotels Opens American-Mediterranean Restaurant, Dandelion, in Westport Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Mediterranean Opening Interview Westport Dandelion Westport Delamar Hotels Homepage Andrew Dominick October 03, 2025 Just a mere mile and change from the Delamar Southport and Artisan, founder Charles Mallory’s Greenwich Hospitality Group has opened a new luxury hotel with a restaurant, Dandelion, that’s been booked solid for weeks right out of the gate. “We took ownership of it 2-3 years ago,” says Delamar’s corporate director of restaurants, Hicham Amaaou. “I’ve been working with Frederic Keifer (Delamar’s corporate chef/partner) since Artisan Southport in 2012, then West Hartford, and we created La Plage together from scratch. But this is two separate entities and the food is very opposite.” Read More
Cosetta Pizzeria and Paninoteca Opens in Fairfield from Bailey's Backyard Team Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Pizza Pizzeria Sandwiches Breakfast Coffee Fairfield Opening Homepage Interview Ingredients Andrew Dominick September 30, 2025 In 2024, when I interviewed Sal Bagliavio, the co-owner of Bailey’s Backyard, about his second spot, Taco Dia in Newtown, he very cryptically mentioned that he and chef/co-owner Forrest Pasternack were actively looking to open something else, somewhere else to follow up their taqueria. Cosetta Pizzeria and Paninoteca on the Post Road in Fairfield is that something else—and what it is, simply put, is a more gourmet version of the neighborhood slice shop, plus sandwiches (including breakfast), house-made pastry, and coffee. Read More
Massimo Tullio Opens Neapolitan Inspired Massi Co. in Westport Features Interview Ingredients Restaurant Neapolitan pizza Neapolitan Italian Interview Homepage Westport Opening Andrew Dominick September 21, 2025 The space at 90 Post Road E in Westport has played host to three different restaurant concepts over the past eight years; Jesup Hall (farm-to-table American), then Don Memo (Mexican), and now, Massi Co., a Napolitano style restaurant. At the helm is a familiar face, co-owner of those previous two restaurants, and The Whelk, Massimo Tullio. The switch to Italian came about earlier in the year when Tullio, and his then partner, Bill Taibe, announced they would be going their separate ways with Taibe taking over both Kawa Ni locations in Westport and in Denver, while Tullio would continue operating The Whelk and Don Memo. Read More
What's Geoff Smoking? A BBQ Pop Up at The Country Table in Greenwich Events Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant BBQ Greenwich Pop-Up Interview Comfort Food Andrew Dominick September 16, 2025 Something that Lazlo reflected back on wasn’t his storied culinary career at places like Gramercy Tavern, The Whelk, or Mill Street Bar & Table, it was smoking meats and listening to music. “It was about what brings me back to what my groove was,” he says. “Twenty years ago, I had this little smoker. I’d invite my friends over, crank up the Grateful Dead, have a couple beers, and have a good time.” Read More
WIN 2 Seats On The Connecticut Pizza Trail Bus Tour Oct 1-2 Events Features Pizza CT Pizza Trail CTbites Team September 03, 2025 Governor Ned Lamont today announced a statewide social media giveaway to celebrate the October 1 launch of the Connecticut Pizza Trail. Anyone who reshares CT Visit’s official “Connecticut By The Pie” social post will be entered into a raffle to win two tickets to the Connecticut Pizza Trail event—a two-day bus tour on DATTCO’s one-of-a-kind “Pizza Capital of the U.S.” coach, featuring the state’s most iconic and up-and-coming pizzerias.How to EnterOn Instagram, X, or Facebook, share CT Visit’s official Pizza Trail.Include the hashtag #CTByThePie in your caption.Tag @CTvisit (Instagram/X) or @VisitConnecticut (Facebook). Entries are valid only if all three steps are completed. One entry per person per platform. Read More
Mooooncake Fest Comes To Bridgeport October 11-12 (sponsored post) Features Events Food Festival Events EVENT CTbites Team September 02, 2025 Celebrate the magic of the Mid-Autumn Festival at Mooooncake Fest -- a vibrant weekend of food, culture, and community coming to CT Hartford Amp on October 11-12, 2025.Tradition Meets CelebrationOne of Asia's most beloved holidays, the Mid-Autumn Festival is all about reunion, gratitude, and the beauty of the full moon. At Mooooncake Fest, you'll experience glowing lanterns, authentic mooncakes, and cultural traditions brought to life.A Feast for Every FoodieSavor 90+ Asian food vendors offering street eats, festival favorites, and seasonal specialties, plus 40+ merch stalls with crafts, gifts, and cultural treasures. Read More
Celebrate Shelton Presents 2-Day Fall Food Trucks on the River Fall Edition (sponsored post) Features Events Food Festival Events EVENT CTbites Team August 29, 2025 Celebrate Shelton is bringing their most popular event Food Trucks on the River back for a very special Fall Edition!! This year's event will featuring an amazing lineup of 25+ food trucks, live music by: Mushroom Cloud, The Inside Out, Ros. Co., Doey Joey, Benny Mikula of The Alpaca Gnomes, Seth Adam & more, local artisans & vendors, mobile bar with New Belgium beer & Love Lou wines, Pop-Up Circus performances, and more!$5 Suggested Donation Read More
Norwalk's Best Kept Secret: Magic 5 Pie Co. Makes Sicilian Style Pizza Ingredients Interview Restaurant Pizza Limited Pizzeria Norwalk Ingredients Interview Sicilian Pizza Andrew Dominick August 27, 2025 I can’t put my finger on exactly when it was or where I first saw it, but early in 2025, I spotted a pizza at Magic 5 Pie Co. that left me both curious and confused. Known for their charred, crispy/chewy, light artisan pizza, I noticed a different shape. This one wasn’t round like their everyday pies. It was square. Later in the year while chatting with one of Magic 5’s owners, Shawn Longyear, who co-owns the pizzeria, along with The Spread, and El Segundo with Christopher Rasile, Andrey Cortes, and Chris Hickey, I couldn’t help but ask about it. Read More
Tacos 203 by Taco Guy Opens at South Norwalk Train Station Features Interview Restaurant Tacos Norwalk Tacos 203 Cocktails Grab-n-Go Mexican Homepage Fast Casual Opening Andrew Dominick August 25, 2025 As summer dwindles down in Connecticut, lobster rolls are out, tacos are in. At least that’s the case at the South Norwalk’s Metro-North station’s eastbound side. When the vacant space where LobsterCraft once slung rolls, lobster mac, and bisque, is now home to Tacos 203, a spinoff of Taco Guy. Owner Adrian Hurtado, who started his Taco Guy brand, first as a successful food truck, then a brick-and-mortar in Norwalk’s Wall Street area in 2023, snagged the train station spot by putting in an application bid for it with the Norwalk Parking Authority, not knowing whether he’d get it or not. Read More
Bartender Sam Reyes + Mariposa Taqueria Launch Cocktail Pop Up El Jardín Events Ingredients Interview Restaurant Cocktail Pop Up Danbury cocktails Bartender Pop-Up Homepage Andrew Dominick August 25, 2025 Audrey Hepburn once had a quote about gardens, where she stated: “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” Sam Reyes is thinking about and believing in cocktail culture for tomorrow and a lot of tomorrows that will follow. Ever since Reyes (Mariposa Taqueria’s co-owner/bartender) captured a statewide award in 2023, specifically, a Connecticut Restaurant Association CRAZIES win for Bartender of the Year, he’s taken that W and he’s run with it. Read More
Chef Nick Martschenko Opens Second SE Uncorked in Redding Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant SE Uncorked Redding Georgetown Gastropub Cocktails Burger Interview Bar Opening Andrew Dominick August 13, 2025 Right before New Canaan’s SE Uncorked celebrated its 10-year anniversary, chef – owner Nick Martschenko opened a shiny new sequel of his popular gastropub concept at the end of June in the Georgetown section of Redding. “I knew the area because initially, we looked in Redding for South End, but that idea folded,” Martschenko says. “All these years later, we’re here with Uncorked. Ryan Kundrat helped get me into this place (on Main Street). We wanted it to be this pubby sort of vibe, but you can see it’s a little different in the dining room. It’s still much like the original Uncorked.” Read More
Don't Miss "Reflections of a Summer in Kent at Ore Hill" Dinner August 23rd Events Features Events Pop-Up Dinner CTbites Team August 07, 2025 "Escape to Ore Hill, an intimate, seasonally driven restaurant set in a beautifully restored 18th century farmhouse in idyllic Litchfield County. Executive Chef Ryan Carbone presents a summer tasting menu, featuring the bountiful produce, dairy, and heritage Randall beef from partner Rock Cobble Farm. Prior to returning to his native Connecticut to helm the kitchen at Ore Hill, Chef Ryan was Chef de Cuisine with James Beard Award Winner Debbie Gold in Chicago, then at Jupiter, the second restaurant from the team of the celebrated restaurant King in NYC. Supporting Chef Ryan at Ore Hill and the adjacent casual Tavern Swyft, is Culinary Director and multiple James Beard Award semifinalist® Tyler Anderson, who will be on hand in the kitchen for this exclusive experience.Reflections of a Summer in Kent at Ore Hill is part of the Friends of James Beard Benefit series; events hosted by generous people, businesses, and organizations outside of JBF that provide critical funding for our programs. Each event supports our mission to champion a standard of Good Food for Good® anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability." Read More
Redding Residents Open Georgetown Owl Market & Saloon: Upscale Gastropub + Craft Cocktails Features Interview Restaurant New American Gastropub Redding Cocktails Market Interview Homepage Andrew Dominick July 30, 2025 Owls are, for the most part, a nocturnal species. For the owls that are, they’re probably not used to it being dark on a summer afternoon at 5 p.m. In this case, the “owl” is an owl in namesake, Georgetown Owl Market & Saloon, which experienced a power outage courtesy of a freakishly fast moving, powerful rainstorm on a hot, muggy July day. While brief, strong winds and some fallen branches resulted in a flickering of lights, “Oohhs and aahhs” in the dining room and at the bar, and ultimately, a more dimly lit restaurant than usual. For owners Kate Perry and Gerry Valenti, who opened Georgetown Owl in March of 2025, they rolled with nature’s punch smoothly, moving customers (and deadlifting tables and chairs) into the half of their space that still had electricity, and assuring confused walk-ins that they were still very much welcome. Read More
Renowned and Michelin Recommended Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao Opens in Stamford Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Nan Xiang Nan Xiang soup dumplings Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao Stamford Chinese Homepage soup dumplings Dim Sum Interview Opening Andrew Dominick July 23, 2025 From Flushing, New York, Michelin Guide recommended soup dumplings have made their way to the cluster of restaurants outside of the Stamford Town Center. Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao, a growing Shanghainese micro chain, held its soft opening and introduction to Connecticut at the beginning of June as part of its expansion that includes locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Georgia, Chicago, and soon, again, in our general area when they open in White Plains. Read More
Dogtown Opens Second Location in Bethel With Killer Comfort Food Menu Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Bethel Dogtown Hot Dogs Burgers Fast Casual Interview Opening Andrew Dominick July 10, 2025 Four years ago, when I first covered Bobby Manere’s Dogtown in Milford—where Cali-inspired fast casual and a little bits of his dad’s lower Fairfield County famous Swanky Franks meet—he talked about wanting to open a Dogtown sequel. That time is now, and Bethel, you’re the lucky recipient. Manere broke the Bethel news on my friend, Jeff Spencer’s Sweet’N Up Podcast, when he was a guest alongside Kyle Marcoux, aka, The Vulgar Chef. Read More
Ridgefield Couple Opens Flobee's Featuring Southern Roadside Eats Features Ingredients Ice Cream Interview Restaurant Roadside Eats Southern Food Fast Casual Ice Cream Ridgefield Homepage Interview Burgers Andrew Dominick June 25, 2025 Nadia Blair has fond memories of being a passenger in her parent’s car driving from Katonah through the charming town of Ridgefield to go visit her grandparents in New Haven. She’d constantly bother her mom with “Why can’t we live there?” questions to be told that the reason is because it’s “too far away from the highway.” Spring ahead decades later and Nadia, along with her chef husband Aaron, don’t only live in Ridgefield, but they’ve opened a restaurant where southern eats meet roadside New England charm, named after Aaron’s mother, Florence. Read More
