Gretchen Thomas of Barcelona Wine Bar Launches “Gretchen’s Selections” Ingredients Recipe Wine Bar Wine Chat Wine Shop Emma Jane-Doody Stetson December 06, 2015 Exciting news from Barcelona Wine Bar and Barteca Restaurant Group! Selections from their award-winning wine list, recognized by publications like Wine Spectator and The Wall Street Journal, are now available online. Newly unveiled “Gretchen’s Selections” features approximately 25 wines that are directly imported and offered to Barcelona’s guests. Each wine was hand-selected by Gretchen Thomas, acclaimed Wine and Spirits Director for Barteca Restaurant Group. “I’m always looking for great wines for the Barcelona wine program, whether they are sold through my trusted suppliers or not,” says Thomas. Sometimes she comes across amazing bottles here at home. Vineyards will ship wines to her or she will be introduced to someone in the area doing something new and exciting. Other times, her quest takes her overseas. Read More
Great Cakes & Cupcakes at Forever Sweet Bakery Ingredients Recipe Bakery Catering Kid Friendly Dessert CTbites Team November 24, 2015 Forever Sweet Bakery is celebrating its third anniversary as one of the most creative bakeries for cupcakes, cake pops, and special occasion themed cakes. Located off the beaten path in a strip mall on New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk, CTbites visited on opening day several years ago and over the last three years the bakery has received numerous accolades including the 2014 & 2015 Best of the Gold Coast Cupcakes. CTbites recently returned to Forever Sweet to confirm the original impression and taste the expanded offerings of cupcakes that owners Sky and Frances Mercede have created. Over the years, their cakes have been featured at many political victory parties and charity events including the Connecticut Food Bank, the Westport Little League and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Sky and Frances believe in giving back to the community as often as possible. Read More
Video: Tofu Master Minh Tsai Talks Tofu and Sustainability at Yale Ingredients Chef Talk Video Amy Kundrat November 09, 2015 Minh Tsai, investment banker turned tofu master, is speaking at Yale this week about the intersection of tofu and sustainability. Watch the event live on Tuesday, November 10. From Yale CBEY: Meet Minh Tsai, the investment banker turned tofu master, and learn about his company Hodo Soy, an artisanal tofu supplier from Oakland. Minh has been a pioneer in getting chefs and large institutions to use tofu including Chipotle (heard of sofritas?) and Costco. This talk is sure to entertain and inspire and provide an enlightening discussion on how traditional recipes (along with Masters students) can be used to change our future impact on the earth. Read More
Friday Froth: Iceland And Sweetwater Come To Connecticut Ingredients Beer CT Beer Friday Froth James Gribbon November 06, 2015 Reykjavik and Atlanta usually don't have anything in common besides yours truly, but we've all come full circle this week. The daisy chain works like this: I love Iceland, and have done some work for the country here in the U.S. which allowed me to to visit the land of fire and ice, eat hákarl, and learn the correct pronunciation of Eyjafjallajökull. I also have a degree in history from the University of Georgia, where I became acquainted with Sweetwater Brewing Company. Just recently, Two Roads and Evil Twin conspired to produce Geyser Gose, using Icelandic ingredients, and Sweetwater made their Connecticut debut. Hell yes. Read More
bfresh Grocery Store Opens in Fairfield with Fresh New Shopping Experience Ingredients Features Fairfield Specialty Market Jessica Ryan November 05, 2015 Not another grocery store… Not something else to create more congestion to our already congested Post Road… These were my thoughts when I heard that yet another grocery store was coming to town. Read More
14 Places For Great Holiday Pies in CT Features Bakery Entertaining Holiday Dessert April Guilbault November 04, 2015 Holiday season is heeeere, with its feasts and parties, and let’s be honest, you can’t really have too much pie, now can you? Note: with the brief exception of a kooky aunt who, after a post-Thanksgiving bout on the tread mill, did wearily proclaim “Too....Much....Pie!” but that’s another story for another time. So where to go for the best pies with the flakiest crusts, sweetest streusel toppings and the most flavorful fillings? We’ll be happy to tell you. Get those dessert plates ready and, um...you might want to loosen that belt. Here are 14 places to buy great holiday pies in CT. Read More
Westport Farmers’ Market Heads Indoors Saturday Nov. 14th Ingredients Farmers Market CTbites Team October 28, 2015 As the temperatures start to dip and winter approaches, we must bid a fond farewell to what has been a phenomenally successful summer season. While we continue our Ten Year Anniversary we celebrate the fifth year of our winter market. We are thrilled to announce the start of the Winter Westport Farmers’ Market which will officially begin on Saturday, November 14 at 10:00am. The market will return for our fifth season at Gilbertie’s Herb Garden on Sylvan Lane in Westport. We will operate Saturday, November 14 – March 12 from 10:00 – 2:00. Read More
Shortbread: The Queen Bee of Cookies Made Sweet + Savory via Marcia Selden Features Recipe Dessert Marcia Selden Catering October 26, 2015 Shortbread is the star of the cookie world—made almost entirely of butter and sugar, we bet you can’t eat just one! Sweet shortbread is perfect for dipping into hot tea while savory ones pair well with soup or are delicious with cheese. Marcia Selden Catering & Event Planning shares two of their favorites with us. These cookies won’t last long when you put them out, so be sure to grab one fast before they are all gone! Read More
Junzi Kitchen Opens in New Haven Features Restaurant Asian Chinese New Haven Lunch Amy Kundrat October 23, 2015 Photo: Reed Immer, Junzi Kitchen A chun-bing (spring-pancake), is traditionally eaten to celebrate the arrival of spring in chinese culture. Its origins as a humble culinary tradition are tied to the Qin dynasty (265 - 240 ad), when chun-bing was prepared with fresh spring ingredients to signal the spring harvest and a return to the land. It’s become a year-round staple in northern China where you can find it in street carts, restaurants, and on sunday dinner tables. And now on 21 Broadway in New Haven at Junzi Kitchen which opened this week. Junzi co-founders Ming Bai, Wanting Zhang, and Yong Zhao grew up in a transitional time in northeast China when the population was experiencing many modernizations. Instead of growing food on their own, supermarkets became a predominant food source for families out of convenience, but it was clear that something special was being lost in the process. Nostalgia for the spring flavors of home led the fellow Yale grad students to launch Junzi Kitchen. "I wanted to show people that Chinese food can be simple, healthy, and satisfying, something you can eat every day," said co-founder Yong Zhao. The result is an experience that challenges the way you think about Chinese food. Read More
Happy Hour at Elm City Social in New Haven Features Restaurant Happy Hour Editor's Pick Bar New Haven Amy Kundrat October 21, 2015 Elm City Social has entered New Haven’s burgeoning craft cocktail scene with an exhaustive and inventive array of cocktails and a variety dining options from mid-day to late night. Venturing into the Elm City Social bar during Happy Hour, I had but a simple mission – to quickly refuel with a cocktail and a few snacks before an evening event. I knew I had come to the right place when I noticed the cocktail menu was equal to, if not greater than, the dining options. So first, those cocktails. The Rubber Ducky is a shaken cocktail made from a combination of a citra hop-infused New Amsterdam Gin, basil, grapefruit, lemon, with sparkling water. First sip, my eyes quickly narrowing, I found myself put off (turned on?) by the hoppy notes. Second sip, a bit of offense but also wonderment, “how did an IPA get in my cocktail?” From that point until my last sip, I was impressed by the equal parts confusion and compulsion on my palate. Well done. Also, there is an actual rubber ducky floating in your drink. Bonus points for cheekiness. Read More
Holiday Catering Guide: 14 Fairfield County Caterers Who Do It All Features Catering Entertaining Holiday Best of CT April Guilbault October 18, 2015 Holiday party for 4…10…50…100? It all takes effort to entertain well and create a memorable and delicious event for your guests. So, as we embark on another lively holiday season, get a little help. Ok, a lot of help (you’ll be sooo much happier for it!). Have that party catered! Lucky for you, we have assembled a delightful list of area caterers and restaurants that will, literally, bring something amazing to the table. So make the call, invite the guests, and enjoy your holiday season’s get-togethers right along with everyone else. It is our gift to you. We bring you our Holiday Catering Guide: 14 Fairfield County Caterers Who Do It All! Read More
Blackrock Farmers' Market Halloween Hootenanny Ingredients Events Farmers Market CTbites Team October 11, 2015 Black Rock Farmers Market (BRFM) presents a hoot of a party to celebrate the closing of our 2nd season. Join them for an afternoon of corn hole games, barn dancing, beer tastings, a pig roast by Walrus + Carpenter, local eats, and live music, from 1-5pm. Proceeds will directly benefit our 2016 season. The event will be family-friendly and include a haunted house. Come in costume to trick or treat through the market. Halloween Hootenanny Lineup Beer tasting with Two Roads Brewing Company and other local breweries Pig roast by Walrus + Carpenter Corn hole tournament from 1-3pm – REGISTER HERE Live music from KC Sisters, G Rockwell & The Still River Ramblers Barn dancing led by Bill Fischer, the Dance Caller from 3-5pm Haunted house Lounge area & bonfire Read More
Meet "The Cheese Nun" in Bethlehem at the Farmstead Festival Ingredients Cheese Festival CTbites Team October 06, 2015 On Saturday October 17 take a drive to Litchfield County to enjoy the fall foliage and enjoy the richness of the local, handcrafted fare offered by the Farmstead Festival at Percy Thomson Meadows Farm, 78 Thomson Road in Bethlehem. The festival, organized by Artisan Made Northeast and Percy Thomson Meadows Farm, begins at 11 a.m. and runs through 5 p.m. and features handcrafted cheeses, wine, meats, condiments, chocolates, baked goods, produce, an educational pig roast and entertainment. As an added incentive, Sister Noella Marcellino, “The Cheese Nun,” will make an appearance at the festival and participate in a question and answer session in the education tent. She is internationally recognized as one of the foremost experts in the art of natural-milk cheese making. She received her PhD in microbiology from the University of Connecticut, and was awarded a Fullbright grant to study cheese making in France. Her focus was the Auvergne, in central France, and the study of fungal populations in the many cheese caves of the region. For her work, she received the prestigious French Spirit Food Award. Read More
Friday Froth: I Give You IPA...Firefly Hollow, Victory & Beer'd Brewing Co. Ingredients CT Beer Beer James Gribbon October 02, 2015 We're going to ignore the seasonal background noise this week, and focus on the always topical subject of IPAs. Two of the beers we taste in today's Froth are Connecticut originals, and I'm also taking the opportunity to introduce the newborn Vital IPA from Victory Brewing. A single can of this last made its way into my sinister grasp a few days before its official introduction to the world, and your first look is below the jump.First, though, I have to geek out about some Firefly Hollow trivia...Firefly is located in Bristol, and run by partners Rich Loomis, Bill Collins, and brewmaster Dana Bourque. Two out of three at UConn grads, and I've mentioned their beers here before. A while back I had the opportunity to try another one of their beers, Lil Troll session IPA. As the name suggests, this one is just under 5% abv, and pours golden with a big head. The hop aroma is earthy, and maybe even a bit sour on the nose. Read More
The Stand Juice Company Opens 3rd Location in Westport, CT Features Restaurant Juice Bar Juice Cleanse Westport healthy CTbites Team September 17, 2015 The Stand Juice Company, whose mantra is, Life, Fueled by Plants, is about to open its third location in Westport, CT. Carissa and Mike Hvizdo, are the life force behind Fairfield County’s feel-good The Stand Juice Company. The Stand has been serving up plant based juices, snacks, sandwiches and baked goods since 2005. The business has flourished over the last 10 years and the duo’s standing within the local sustainable food community is palpable among industry jocks, farmers, and loyal consumers. The excitement surrounding The Stand Juice Company’s newest location at 1200 Post Road East in Westport only further celebrates the enjoyment and healthful benefits people have been experiencing since Carissa and Mike first made their mark in the organic juice world in 2005 with their original location on Wall Street in Norwalk. Read More
Friday Froth: Love The Harvest Ingredients CT Beer Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon September 11, 2015 Screw pumpkin beer and the sell sheet it rode in on. Screw it in September, and double-dog screw it in August, when I first start seeing it in stores. The fact I wasn't arrested for petty vandalism last month is a minor miracle. If you complain about summer being over to soon while ordering a late fall seasonal I hope you step in something wet while wearing socks. Such are the depths of my disdain. I say all this, even though I don't dislike pumpkin beers as such, because the end of summer and early fall are excellent times for beer. Hops and grain are both being harvested this time of year, and I encourage you to take full advantage of the brilliant little season between light, summer beers, and the heavy, spiced beers of winter, because that middleground is fertile, delicious,and short-lived. Let's do this. Read More
Hosting a Kids Cooking Party: Tips & Kid-Friendly Recipes via Marcia Selden Catering Kids Bites Features Kids kids activity Recipe Kid Friendly Marcia Selden Catering September 10, 2015 Marcia Selden Catering & Event Planning, a top caterer in Stamford, CT, loves kids and enjoys teaching them all about food. They host cooking parties for kids and adults in their commercial kitchen space and they know a thing or two about cooking and partying at the same time. Kids cooking parties have become a super popular birthday party theme, and it’s easy to see why. Children love to be part of the action especially when they get to ‘help out’ in the kitchen. Food is one of life’s pleasures, and preparing it is tons of fun too. Here are some of their top tips for having a fun, interactive party for kids between 6-12 that won’t leave your kitchen looking like a war-zone. Read More
Friday Froth: 3 Beers for Day, Dusk and Dark Ingredients Beer James Gribbon September 04, 2015 The summer wind-down is on us, but I am holding onto the season like a starfish attacking a clam. The days are starting their slow slide, and I've been thinking about light changing over to dark, so that will be our theme this week - day to dusk to demonic. Day Southern Tier Tangier is your high-noon-in-summer brew. It's a session IPA - light in alcohol and color - but heavily dosed with Azacca hops and tangerine peels to arrive with swirling flavor. Tangier pours a cloudy amber with a thick head. The flowery Azaccas pair excellently with the citrus in the creation of a very, very nice drink that is more IPA-ish, than straight up IPA. Sometimes a beer can get in its own way, and the heavier malting of other citri-fied IPAs like grapefruit Sculpin can sometimes lend them a bit of drag in some situations, but Tangier's weight and execution make it outstanding for hot, humid days. Read More
Friday Froth: Negative And Positive Ingredients CT Beer Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon August 28, 2015 I like beers from Otter Creek and Jack's Abby, but their collaboration beer, Joint Custody, is a can full of nope. Thankfully it's also exceedingly rare, so chances are you'll be spared from drinking one. I don't usually talk about bad beer experiences in this column - and feel free to skip down to the two contrasting examples I give below - but this one's been nagging at me. The collective German heritage of the OC and JA brewmasters inspired them to seek out two newborn German hop strains, Huell Melon and Mandarina Bavaria, in the creation of what they call a Nouveau Pilsner. Joint Custody pours cloudy gold, and has a slightly odd lemony scent - both fine - and then you take a drink and taste fresh Band-Aid. There is the unmistakable pils malt underneath, but what in the hell with this plasticky flavor? In beer-nerd terms, we sometimes call this ortho-chlorophenolic, because it's a medicinal smell/flavor which usually comes from residual sanitizers, or using chlorinated water to make the beer. I don't think that's what happened here, we're dealing with seriously talented brewers, so the only remaining explanation is they've done this on purpose. Read More
Mini Rhubarb Hand Pie Recipe c/o Watson's Catering Ingredients Features Recipe Dessert CTbites Team August 19, 2015 Mini Rhubarb Hand Pies from Watson's Catering Rhubarb is technically a vegetable, although we love to cook it in pies, purée it into sauces, and preserve it into jam as if it were a fruit. Watson's Catering shares their turnover-like take on this vegetable, a fun way to enjoy the sweetness of this tart vegetable. Read More
