Make Your Refrigerator Disappear. Integrated vs. Built-In Overlay @ Clarke? (sponsored post) Features Kitchen Gear CTbites Team March 26, 2014 For CTBites readers, fresh ingredients are key and proper food preservation is the way to maintain them. Three generations ago, Sub-Zero introduced refrigerators and freezers that were the same depth as standard kitchen counters. And they have been improving on the concept ever since. With the exception of those homeowners who love the look of an iconic gleaming stainless steel Sub-Zero refrigerator (and there are many), most people have long wished they could make their refrigerator disappear, while still keeping food preservation close at hand. If your online research or a visit to your kitchen designer has turned up terms like "integrated" and "overlay" refrigeration, you may be like many homeowners who find this choice confusing. In fact, that is one of the questions most often asked of the consultants at Clarke, New England's Official Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom. The original Sub-Zero Built-in Refrigerator requires a countertop depth of no less than 26-3/16". With a Built-In Sub-Zero, you can help to disguise your refrigerator or freezer by putting a cabinetry panel (overlay) on the face of the refrigerator, freezer or combination. The face of the appliance will blend with your kitchen, but you will still know it is an appliance. Read More
Friday Froth: Take The Black Ingredients Restaurant CT Beer Beer James Gribbon March 21, 2014 Springing forward is an effective way to A) add more light to the day, and B) feed the wailing vacuum where Morning People's souls would otherwise reside. Morning people are real-life Dementors who funnel away our sleep, and schedule 8a.m. meetings in their quest to rob us of the precious joy of living, but I say no. No cheap bagels can replace my repose, no tray of institutional eggs, and no bacon cooked under a clothes iron is worth my limited hours on this Earth. So I turn my back on the light, and embrace the dark. Tell 'em, Ray. As you have no doubt already read here on CTBites, The Ginger Man in South Norwalk revived their Great Wall of Stouts last week, allocating fifteen taps to the blackest of beers, and even going so far as to darken their trademark copper tap wall. Highlights of the event included a 2011 vintage of the impeccable Imperial Stout Trooper from New England Brewing, the deservedly popular Founder's Breakfast Stout (made with coffee, naturally), boozy, heavy offerings which drink like a meal, Read More
The Weekly Nibble: Upcoming Food News & Events Ingredients Restaurant Beer Dinner Cooking Classes Events Wine Shop Wine Tasting Emma Jane-Doody Stetson March 21, 2014 Monday March 24, Plan B in Stamford presents “Distill it with Willett.” Five courses will be paired with bourbon and bourbon cocktails… and they’ll use bourbon in every single course! 6 pm. $75pp, tax and tip included. Also on the 24th, Napa & Co in Stamford presents “A look at Sauvignon Blanc the hot white grape!” They’ll guide you through a global look at the varietal in New Zealand, Sancerre, Russian River, Napa Valley, South Africa and Washington! $45pp. 6:30pm. Brewery Ommegang comes to Harlan Social on Tuesday, March 25th for a 5-course menu paired with their beers. $70 plus tax and tip. 6:30- 9:30pm. Call 203.883.8000 to reserve seats. Event Menu: Tuesday March 25, Barcelona in West Hartford presents “New England Beers & Tapas.” In celebration of March Madness, Chef Eric is going to prepare some savory tapas to pair with some of New England’s thirst-quenching beers. $29 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations: 860.218.2100 March 25 is “Good Meats! An Evening with Charcuterie” at Fairfield Cheese Co. 7-9pm. Call 203.292.8194 for more information. Wednesday March 26 is the “Iron Bar Gala” at Plan B Burger Bar in Milford. Read More
Sign Up for Sport Hill & Stone Gardens Farms CSA's w/ Easy Pickup @ Wakeman Town Farm Ingredients Local Farm Farm Fresh CTbites Team March 11, 2014 Wakeman Farm CSA Pickups Thursday or Friday? Just pick your day! Wakeman is offering not one - but TWO - CSAs to provide you with fresh-picked produce all season long. One is from Sport Hill Farm in Easton, the other is from Stone Gardens Farm in Ridgefield. Both are for pickup at Wakeman Town Farm Choose your day! Organic Sport Hill Farm CSA is accepting applications through 3/31. Order now and receive weekly produce delivery every Friday at Wakeman Town Farm! To order, click here: Sport Hill Farm Organic CSA Friday Pickup A Note from Organic Farmer Patti Popp, of Sport Hill Farm in Easton: We have extended the 2014 CSA deadline until 3/31/14 for pick up at Wakeman Town Farm Sustainability Center on Friday afternoons 1-7 or at Black Rock Farmers Market Saturdays 9-1. Our CSA program runs twenty weeks. Usually begins the first week of June through mid-October. We are mainly a vegetable production farm, we grow watermelon and cantaloupes. Cooking is a must. Please e-mail me for an application if this seems like a good fit for you and your family.Farmgal596@gmail.com Read More
Bonnat & Pralus Venezuelan Chocolate Tasting Re-Cap Ingredients Dessert Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger March 10, 2014 Spending Valentine’s Day with your sweetheart is fantastic, tasting and learning about great chocolates with your sweetheart is even better. While many were eating at restaurants, enjoying romantic dinners at home, or enjoying a concert or sporting event, a group of chocolate novices and enthusiasts met at Olivette Oil in Darien and were educated on the finer points of high-end chocolates by Analiese Paik, trained chef, chocolate aficionado, and Editor of The Fairfield Green Food Guide. The table was pre-set with five different chocolates, a rating card and a flavor wheel. Normally, the chocolates would have disappeared in a nano-second but the group was instructed to sit and relax. Analiese presented an incredibly detailed and comprehensive overview of the process that converts the bean pods of the Theobroma cacao (“food of the Gods”) tree to chocolate. All of the chocolates that we would sample were from Venezuela and included Bonnat Puerto Caello, Bonnat Chuao, Bonnat Hacienda El Rosario, Pralus Venezuela, and Pralus Chuao. Read More
Bodega Hits The Road w/ The Bodega Food Truck Catering Features Restaurant Food Truck Tacos Mexican CTbites Team March 05, 2014 Bodega Taco Bar continues to make its mark on Fairfield County with the addition of the Bodega Food Truck hittin’ the road this month. The rolling vibrant green mobile might as well be named the party bus as it already being booked for private parties, school functions and outdoor events – and the paint’s not even dry yet! Fans of Bodega’s innovative and edgy, while authentic and fresh cuisine, will now have the opportunity to follow their favorite cuisine to a street corner near them or grab a taco while partaking in a local event. This taqueria on wheels will also be the centerpiece of Bodega’s thriving catering business. The team has created a catering menu that straddles the line between “fine” and “fiery” with ease. From a Burrito Bar and Taco Party, to passed hors d’oeuvres of Tuna Tataki and Smoked Chicken Albondigas, party goers are assured to have a unique experience. Bowls of hand slapped guacamole, pico de gallo, and cucumber mango salsa with fresh corn tortilla chips are a true crowd pleaser, as are roasted veggies with poblano agave yogurt dip and ceviche bowls with vibrant citrus shrimp and scallops. That deli sandwich platter at the office lunch meeting is transformed with hearty “tortas” such as; Argentinian grilled hangar steak with chipotle aioli, greens and queso fresco; Grilled Chicken with black beans, goat cheese and pickled onions; Grilled Portabella with truffle red pepper aioli and crispy kale; and the Baja Fish Wrap with mango cucumber salsa. Read More
Friday Froth: The Good Earth Ingredients Beer James Gribbon February 28, 2014 Someone - I don't recall who, and I'm forced to paraphrase here - once said the amazing thing about books is that a writer who may be hundreds of miles away or hundreds of years dead can speak directly from their mind into that of the reader. A recipes is the same, because what is a recipe but another cook speaking into your head and guiding your hands? A recipe is thus a combination of people and ingredients - ideas of taste and texture made physical manifest. In this way a chef is the same as a brewer, and a dish is like a beer. Artisinal foods and beers are the result of obsessive dedication to recipes using prime ingredients to produce an idealized flavor. How much closer can you get to your ingredients than visting the actual dirt from which they spring? That's the idea behind Victory Brewing Company's Ranch series of double IPAs. The name comes from Victory working with family owned hop farms, which are sometimes called hop ranches, as if the hops detach themselves and wander the moonlit world when the humans aren't watching. Victory worked with growers from Roy Farms, Carpenter and Seagal Ranches, and and Perrault Farms, among others, to create this series. Read More
The Ginger Man Hosts 2nd Annual Great Wall of Stouts Ingredients CT Beer Beer CTbites Team February 28, 2014 The Gingerman in South Norwalk is hosting their second annual Wall of Stouts running from March 10th - March 16th. They will be taking over 26 of their lines just like last year's event to pull some amazing beer from their private vintage collection. Vintage bottles will also come out of the back room this year. If you're serious about your Stout, here's where you'll want to be. Read More
Sun WineFest 2014 @ Mohegan Sun: The Recap Ingredients Celebrity Chef Wine Shop Wine Tasting Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 26, 2014 Mohegan Sun’s annual WineFest is my Super Bowl. Before the big game, football aficionados took to twitter in anticipation of the showdown. I, too, waged a full out blitz on social media- enthusiastically counting down til I could try some great wines and see my favorite chefs back in action! For the Super Bowl, avid fans suited up in team apparel and NFL jerseys. I also donned some fancy getup; my yearly uniform is a pink shirt bedazzled with “Wine Diva” and a sparkly headband. Some people love calfskin; I love food, wine, and fun. From the moment I entered the Convention Center, it was apparent that this year’s festival was bigger than ever. Media members are granted an additional hour to peruse the venue. Last year there was a handful of us and it was easy to get a preview of what was to come. This year, however, it seemed that people everywhere were vying to cover the event. Media members were elbow-to-elbow before the doors even opened to the public. It was an extravaganza! The SunWineFest’s signature event is its Grand Tasting, which spans the weekend. Read More
Valhrona Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta, Salty Caramel, Malt Ice Cream Shake via Parallel Post Features Recipe Dessert CTbites Team February 25, 2014 Parallel Post in Trumbull is currently celebrating National Chocolate Lover's Month during February, and will also honor American Chocolate Week during the week of March 17th. Parallel Post is overseen by James Beard nominated Chef Dean James Max, and serves up modern-American cuisine focused on seasonal ingredients. To celebrate the joy of chocolate, Chef Max will be sharing a few of his chocolate inspired recipes with CTbites, the first is this amazing Valhrona Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta, Salty Caramel, Malt Ice Cream Shake. Yes please! Read More
Friday Froth: Steam Heat Ingredients Features CT Beer Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon February 21, 2014 The business of craft beer is expanding rapidly. Every Friday Froth column I've ever published on this site has been a celebration of that fact. I - and I'd guess you, if you're reading this - revel in the vast landscape of offerings which slake our thirst, delight our palette, and expand our notions of what beer can be. An article in the March issue of Forbes stated there are over 2,700 craft breweries in the U.S. right now, and the industry is currently worth roughly $100 billion per year. Unfortunately, that's money worth fighting for. Lawyers in the employ of San Francisco-based Anchor Brewing Company have taken legal action against Hartford craft beer touchstone City Steam Brewery over the use of the word "steam." As of this week, I am officially boycotting Anchor beers until they drop this petty lawsuit, and I encourage anyone who cares about the craft beer landscape of Connecticut to do the same. Here's why... Read More
Homemade Apple Fashioned Cocktail Recipe via Luxe Wine Bar Ingredients Features Cocktails Entertaining Recipe Jeff Marron February 12, 2014 Living in Connecticut, we are spoiled by the abundance of apples that are fresh out of the neighboring orchards. If you didn't make it out this past Fall to pick your own apples at Beardsley’s Cider Mill in Shelton or Silverman’s Farm on Sport Hill Road in Easton, you need to put that on your agenda next season. It’s fun for the whole family. If the crowds aren’t your thing, and you want a real farm experience, then definitely go buy local apples from Sport Hill Farm, just passed Silverman’s on the right heading north on Rt59. To enjoy your local fruit and vegetables over the winter months, you need to preserve them. This can be accomplished in any number of methods. Some people like to pickle their vegetables while others may turn the fruit into spreads and jams. I like to use my fruit to make syrups for cocktails. My Apple Cordial recipe has to be one of my favorites to make and to drink. Although it takes several days to make the syrup, it’s not a laborious task at all. In execution, however, this cocktail is definitely a labor of love. The good news is that once all the prep is complete and it’s in your glass, you’ll realize that your efforts were worth it. It’s delicious. Another great alternative is to visit me at Luxe Wine Bar in Westport, where I will be happy to make one especially for you. The apple bitters and apple brandy can be purchased at Saugatuck Grain & Grape, also in Westport. Read More
The Weekly Nibble: Upcoming Food News & Events Features Restaurant Events Wine Shop Wine Tasting Dessert Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 07, 2014 February 10-11, Caseus Fromageria & Bistro in New Haven will offer an evening of “Sweets & Treats.” This popular class has become a Caseus tradition every February. 6-7:30pm. Approximately $40pp. More Info Here. Tuesday February 11, learn how to make “Barcelona Classics” at Barcelona in New Haven. Included in the class are gambas al ajillo, potato tortilla, chorizo and figs, and more. 7pm. $25 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Also on Tuesday, Fairfield Cheese Company will offer a class called “Parmigiano Reggiano Academy.” Parmigiano Reggiano is often referred to as the “King of Cheese” and by tasting you can learn the difference that aging makes in authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese at 16-, 24- and 36-month stages. $45pp. Info here. Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes a wine tasting event not to be missed! On Wednesday February 12, try SEXY wines poured by award winning winemaker António Maçanita. SEXY wines were recently featured at the Mohegan SunWineFest. The free event will take place from 5-8pm at Turnpike Wines in Fairfield. Walrus and Carpenter (home of the killer fried chicken) will host a beer dinner on February 13th, featuring a line up from the Victory Brewing Co. roster and some signature Walrus-flavors to match. Email Adam: roytman@walruscarpenterct.com or call 203.333.2733. Read More
Sochi Party Food Recipes via Marcia Selden Catering Features Catering Entertaining Recipe Marcia Selden Catering February 06, 2014 We are totally psyched for the Winter Olympics! What’s better than sitting on your sofa, surrounded by lots snacks and watching the fittest athletes in the world compete for gold?! Why not throw a Winter Olympics Sochi Party? Here are our favorite Russian inspired recipes to enjoy while you watch the Opening Ceremonies on February 7th at 7:30 pm. So get your vodka chilled, and invite friends to come wearing their favorite ushanka (Russian hat). Read below for the following recipes: Russian Blini, Caviar Torte, Farshirovannye Yaytsa~ Stuffed Eggs, & a classic cocktail recipe, the White Russian. Read More
Valentine's Day Roundup: CT Gifts, Eats & Vacations for Your Loved One Ingredients Features Restaurant Gift Guide Holiday Travel Dessert April Guilbault February 02, 2014 “My love for you is like a red, red rose” said the venerable Robert Burns, but maybe, just maybe it’s like a truffle making class or a sassy, classy Valentine cocktail. Every love is different, right? Valentine’s Day typically bubbles over with all things red, pink and sparkly. Boxed chocolates abound (some left in the box, half-bitten into) and romantic dinners are de rigueur. But, as with everything in life, it’s good to mix it up a bit to keep things fresh-dare to be different! This year, maybe try something new with your Valentine that will create a memory for years to come; take a cooking class together, go to a theme dinner, try a salt cave, stay overnight at a local, romantic hotel. Sometimes, a mini-vacation in your own backyard can be the most fun and deliciously decadent. So start with a red, red rose and branch out from there... Read More
Friday Froth: BigBrew NYC News and Alex Le Rouge Ingredients CT Beer Events Beer James Gribbon January 31, 2014 Every once in a while I like to spike the gruel of my disjointed ramblings in this column with some actual news, which is why I'm going to lead off by telling you all about a beer festival that is about to happen a short drive/train ride away pretty soon. The Big Brew NY Beer Festival will have its inaugural event on Saturday, February 8th, at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.The organizers expect 1,500 to 2,500 people, which is positively tiny by beer fest standards, so there should be plenty of access to over 300 beers. General admission tickets are $50, designated drivers get in for $10 (in advance) and VIP tickets, which allow access to more beers, an extra hour of tasting time, and a buffet designed by Chef Anthony Goncalves of 42 The Restaurant, go for $80 in advance, or $90 at the door. All attendees will have the opportunity to discuss beer and food pairing with John Holl, author of The American Craft Beer Cookbook, and are invited to 42 The Restaurant for an after party and a 10% discount on their bill.I discussed the impending launch of this year's batch of Igor's Dream Russian Imperial Stout in the last edition of Friday Froth, Read More
The Spread's Poblano & Corn Chowder with Fresh Crabmeat Features Chef Talk Entertaining Recipe Comfort Food CTbites Team January 30, 2014 Get ready to rumble. Chowdafest is this weekend at the Webster Bank Arena, where 28 chefs will battle it out for "best of," and then Superbowl eating goes into full swing. The Spread in Sono under the direction of Chef Carlos Baez, will be competing for the first year at Chowdafest in the "Creative Chowder" category. Chef Baez may be a rookie to Chowdafest but he certainly is no rookie in the kitchen. Check out his very simple and delicious recipe for Poblano & Corn Chowder with Fresh Crabmeat. Make it for your Superbowl party or skip the work and sample some at Chowdafest before the big game. Read More
"American Craft Beer Cookbook" Beer Food Pairing Seminar @ Mohegan Sun Features Recipe Cookbooks CTbites Team January 21, 2014 Based on recipes from the recently released American Craft Beer Cookbook, the seminar will lead attendees through a five course tasting and pairing event featuring a Grafton Village Cheese Course, three selections from sea, farm & field, and dessert. This event will take place on Friday, January 24th, Mohegan Sun Resort, 7:00pm-8:30pm Led by industry veterans Dave Hartmann & John Holl, the seminar is designed to enlighten on how the primary and broad ranging flavors in craft beer complement, contrast with and accentuate what we dine on – whether from a wide variety of hops, malt, yeast, special ingredients or even the water used in brewing itself. At least five different Long Trail beers will be in the seminar – some easy to find, some uncommon, some never before released. Attendees will also receive a fine quality Spiegelau crystal tulip tasting glass to further enhance their tasting experience. Read More
Healthy Stew Recipe Roundup from Marcia Selden Catering Features Recipe Recipe CTbites Team January 18, 2014 Phew...you’ve made it through another frantic holiday season. It seems life has been one giant party from Halloween through New Year’s. It’s now time to relax a bit! While many people feel blue during January, we love to enjoy the slower pace. Feel the warmth and quiet while enjoying one of these wonderful hearty, stews. We've got easy recipes for Truffled Italian-Style Beef and Porcini Stew, Spicy Pork Posole & Moroccan Chicken Tagine. Try any one of these at home on a cold winter's night. Read More
Friday Froth: CT Pour Tour At Two Roads, Plus Reviews And Assorted Nonsense Ingredients Restaurant CT Beer Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon January 17, 2014 Mark Twain once said the best thing about writing was having written. I tend to enjoy drinking more than having drunken (which is to say, I like drankin'), but it's especially nice to have a built-in justification. Todd Ruggere has given all of us in the Constitution State just such an excuse with the CT Pour Tour, in which he will drink at least one beer this year in all 169 towns in Connecticut, and raise money at every stop for Yale Children's Hospital. Todd has published a list of when and where he'll be over the course of 2014, and I caught up with him at the CT Pour Tour launch party at Two Roads in Stratford this past Saturday. Todd spent 2013 completing his first pour tour, traveling through all 351 towns in his home state of Massachusetts. Read More