Embody Fitness Gourmet Opens New Location in Darien Restaurant Darien healthy Juice Bar Juice Cleanse Take Out Stephanie Webster April 07, 2017 After nine years, EMBODY FITNESS GOURMET has a new location in Darien, at the Palmer’s Market Shopping Center (380 Heights Road). This is one of three Embody grab-n-go healthy organic locations; the others residing in New Canaan and Westport. Embody is our go-to spot for protein shakes, juices, and salads. In Darien, they have also started serving Intelligentsia coffee--one of the top coffee roasters in the country. Embody's menu embraces all forms of lean proteins and nutrient dense vegetables and fruits in their menu creations, many of which pair well together allowing customers to mix and match items for an entire day's worth of nutrition. My personal favorite...The Almond Buzz, a perfect combination of almond butter, almond milk, bananas, cacao and protein powder. Read More
Aperol Flip Recipe via Olives and Oil in New Haven Features Recipe Cocktails Recipe Recipe Video New Haven Bar Katharine Ortiz April 06, 2017 What is “electric Italian?” It is defined by well executed small plates, wood fired pizzas, and perfectly rendered cocktails, all to be found at Olives and Oil in New Haven. The menu is overseen and curated daily by Executive Chef and recent ’40 under 40’ winner John Brennan, who cooks traditional Italian cuisine in a funky retro location. Superb visuals, food, and of course cocktails await you. Olives and Oil was gracious enough to invite me in to sample a few of their cocktails recently.We enjoyed a perfect Aperol Flip (recipe and tutorial below) as well as a classic Negroni Sbagliato - with a house pressed ice cube for JUST that finishing touch. Bartenders don’t ALWAYS give up their cocktails secrets, so enjoy making this at home or try it the next time you’re in New Haven. Read More
Easter Cooking: Wild Alaskan Halibut A La Cataplana Recipe c/o Chef Renato Donzelli of Basso Cafe Recipe Features Recipe Seafood Chef Talk Holiday healthy Stephanie Webster April 06, 2017 Cataplana is a Portuguese seafood dish originating in the southern region of Portugal in Algarve, and it is about as traditional a Portuguese dish as you can get. It uses a copper cooking device also called a Cataplana which unique to the Algarve region. If you don’t have this vessel you simply can use a pan with a lid.This dish we are going to make is a variation using a fresh fish like Halibut, littleneck clams, and Spanish chorizo. Cataplana is perfect for making this dish because it efficiently contains the flavor and heat of the contents in the dish to provide a uniquely flavored and scented dish, simply without any fuss. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events for Week of April 9 - 16 Features Events News Homepage Emma Jane-Doody Stetson April 05, 2017 On Tuesday April 11, Kitchen ZINC in New Haven will host a fundraiser to benefit the Connecticut chapter of the ACLU. Admission includes tastes of KZ Artisan Pizza, with beverages purchased upon consumption. 25% of sales will be donated. Millwrights and Bottle Stop Wine & Spirit Superstore are teaming up for a tapas style wine and food pairing on April 12, 2017. Stay at the restaurant for dinner afterward and get 10% off your bill. It runs from 6-7:30pm and costs $40 per person. Call (860) 651-5500 to reserve.Fresh Salt in Old Saybrook has debuted a new spring menu. Under Chef d’ Cuisine Gese Rodriguez, they are using fresh seasonal ingredients to offer an assortment of new salads, sandwiches, soups, pastas, mains, and more. Try the new dishes for lunch or dinner. Reservations are recommended, and may be made by calling 860-395-2000. Read More
Donut Crazy Opening in West Hartford Restaurant West Hartford Bakery Dessert Coffee Breakfast Stephanie Webster April 04, 2017 West Hartford is about to get their very own Donut Crazy. Let the gluttony begin! The latest location in the donut empire will be at 993 A Farmington Ave in West Hartford, right across from Bartaco. Renovation is currently in the works and they expect to open this summer. West Hartford will feel lighter and brighter than the clubby New Haven location, but will share most of the same features. This follows closely on the heels of their recent opening at the Westport Train Station. I'd say CT is digging their donuts. However, doughnuts aren't all Jason Wojnarowski, Donut Crazy founder, has to offer. They will also be serving ON TAP nitro coffee, cold-brew coffee, iced teas and chocolate milk using Arethusa Farm’s milk and Shearwater's fair trade Coffee. In addition, they will be serving made-to-order breakfast sandwiches, also available on a glazed donut if you dare! For folks who prefer something more savory, they will have bagels & lox and avocado toast. The bakery team also makes muffins and sconces from scratch and will continue to surprise guests with some really special confections. Read More
28 Places For Easter in CT: 2017 Edition Restaurant Holiday Homepage Emma Jane-Doody Stetson April 04, 2017 Easter- one of the most egg-cellent holidays- is on Sunday April 16. Restaurants across Connecticut are creating special Easter menus, from the traditional to the more festive. Be sure to make your reservations soon so that you can celebrate with some-bunny special.Redding Roadhouse, Redding, will host an Easter buffet with a cold station, cheese and charcuterie display, pastries, an omelet station, waffle bar, hot buffet, and more. There will even be appearances by the Easter bunny.Norwich Inn, Norwich, presents an Easter brunch from 11am-3pm. The spread features pastries, an omelet station, a raw bar, carving station, dessert, kids' options, and more.Present Company, Simsbury, will serve Easter brunch starting at 10:30am.L’escale, Greenwich: L'escale's Easter brunch will include a raw bar, country table, an omelet station, a breakfast station, desserts, and more. Join them from 11am-4pm.Bernard’s, Ridgefield will serve Easter brunch and dinner on Sunday April 16. Brunch runs from 11-12:30pm while dinner runs from 1:30-6pm. Read More
PizzaCo Opens in Stratford: Bruno DiFabio Creates Garage-Fired Pizza Restaurant Stratford Pizza Lunch CT Beer Kid Friendly Celebrity Chef Homepage James Gribbon April 02, 2017 The first hot rod movement was sparked by people who realized cast off objects still had plenty of potential. Kids walking to school in post WWII America passed junkyards where derelict Model T Fords, relics even then, baked in the sun. An after school job's income could net you one of those heaps, and with it came your first taste of independence. Dropping in a salvaged flathead V-8 could make that old bucket loud, fast, and dangerous. The sexy combination was like flypaper to teenagers and young veterans, and their creativity launched an American culture.Newly opened PizzaCo, just across the street from Two Roads Brewing Company, is one such hot rod. Once the site of several thoroughly defunct gas stations, the old place has been cleaned up, given a new paint job, and had its own motor swap. The driving engine is now a Marra Forni oven. They call their pizza "Garage Fired," and PizzaCo's edge was hiring world champion Bruno DiFabio to create it. Read More
Paczki at Eddy's Bake Shop in Ansonia: A Serious Pastry Features Ingredients Bakery Ansonia Polish Dessert Connecticut Magazine March 31, 2017 Of the many immigrant groups that have shaped the state of Connecticut throughout the decades and centuries, the Polish have been among the most prominent. (And not just in New Britain!) On Main Street in Ansonia, across the street from the Europol Deli (where you can take home a full Polish dinner) is Eddy’s Bake Shop, where one can find one of the state’s most popular versions of the Polish delicacy, paczki (pronounced PUNCH-key). Resembling a doughnut, the paczki is traditionally stuffed with a filling, such as a jam or custard. So beloved in Ansonia and the Naugatuck Valley is Eddy’s paczki, that every February the bakery hosts a paczki-eating contest, in which contestants have five minutes to eat as many as possible. Read More
Custom Meats, 100% Locally Sourced, Butcher Opening in Fairfield Ingredients Features Butcher Fairfield Specialty Market Ingredients Homepage Anna Bendiksen March 30, 2017 Custom Meats, a 100% locally-sourced, traditional whole-animal butchery, is slated to open this spring at 1903 Post Road in Fairfield.This next-door neighbor to Isabelle et Vincent French Bakery plans to serve non-GMO, nitrate-free, fresh meats raised on organic principles.Sourcing beef, pork, lamb, and poultry from small farms in Connecticut and New York, everything will be cut and prepared in house, including dry-aged beef, sausages, and various prepared foods. Farm-fresh local eggs, raw milk, and seasonal vegetables will also be offered. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events for April 2-9 Features Events Wine Dinners Beer Dinner Homepage Emma Jane-Doody Stetson March 29, 2017 The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford hosts A Taste of History 2017 on Monday April 3 at 5pm. The evening begins with a premier reception at 5pm and culminates with a food tasting, a cocktail tasting, music, a tour, and art inspired activities. Fermented beverages are prevalent, but what about fermented foods? Learn about them and their health benefits at the Barrel Room in North Canton, CT on Monday April 3. The class will cover foods like water kefir, milk kefir and kimchi. Connecticut Hops For Hope returns for its second benefit, Beers For Brittany, on Sunday, April 23rd. The event will be held at the brand new Counter Weight Brewing in Hamden, and 100% of ticket sales, in person donations, and on site raffle ticket sales will benefit Brittany Vellucci, a young woman fighting through brain cancer. Tickets go on sale tonight at 7p.m. RIGHT HERE. Read More
Fennel-Pear Salad with Grapes + Pecans via Marcia Selden Features Recipe Recipe healthy Marcia Selden Catering March 29, 2017 We couldn’t be happier that spring is here! Savor the season with this light and yummy Fennel-Pear Salad. It's packed with flavor and just takes a few minutes to prepare. Read More
Lock City Brewing to Open Stamford Tap Room & Brewery via Hey Stamford! Features Beer Beer Garden CT Beer sta Stamford Homepage Hey Stamford! March 28, 2017 If you’ve attended any craft beer festival in or around Connecticut over the last several years, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered Lock City Brewing Company. Coming late Spring, you won’t have to attend your favorite beer fest to sample their brews. Lock City Brewing Company is putting the finishing touches on a brand new homebase, right here in Stamford. Head brewer, Michael Bushnell, and co-founder Patrick Casicolo, (sales and marketing) plan to open their flagship location in the Glenbrook/Springdale section of Stamford. I had a chance to meet with Michael Bushnell recently, where he walked me through the space and talked about their plans. Read the complete article on Hey Stamford! Read More
Where Do Local CT Chefs Eat Out? Chef Jon Vaast of Rothbard's Features Chef Talk Chef Jessica Ryan March 28, 2017 Welcome to our 4th installment of "Where Do CT Chefs Eat Out?" Do they prefer to go home and relax? Or do they like to go out? If the latter, what are some of their favorite places, locally and beyond? Do they might have any secret hole in the wall places and would they be willing to share these with us? Thus far, we have uncovered the eating habits of Matt Storch, Cody of Hoodoo Brown BBQ & Chris Gonzales of Hapa Food Truck. This week, we speak with Chef Jon Vaast of Rothbard's. Read More
Thai Kit: Top Notch Thai Cuisine Found in Fairfield Restaurant Thai Fairfield Lunch Home Delivery Take Out Asian Homepage RealGuy March 26, 2017 The passage of time is strange. The distant past and the very recent can bend back on each other and almost touch, and what was once long ago can feel as real now as the blossoming of first love, as the comforting aroma of mom’s home cooking… Lately when I’m in the mood to go back up the river of time to that place in Southeast Asia that destiny would see us go just once, I visit Thai Kit on the Post Road in Fairfield. It's a brand new Thai restaurant with a couple of advantages over some other places I have tried. If you find yourself in the neighborhood, or if you live in the neighborhood, just past the McDonalds at the circle in Fairfield heading toward Black Rock on the left-hand side, Thai Kit is a delicious destination well worth exploring. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events For March 27-April 2 Features News Events Dinner Events CT Beer James Gribbon March 25, 2017 Washington Prime’s Georgetown location has announced a Tuesday night dinner special. The prime rib roast 2-course dinner includes your choice of salad, a 16 oz. prime rib, and a side of mashed potatoes.On Wednesday March 29, AMG Catering will offer a “Spring Chicken Class.” Learn to prepare healthy and exciting chicken dishes using seasonal spring ingredients. It costs $90 per person and goes from 7-9pm.New Haven’s Shell & Bones Oyster Bar has an all new brunch cocktail menu. Four new cocktails will be offered alongside their “Breakfast Bloody Mary.” There will also be three non-alcoholic drinks. Join them for brunch Friday-Sunday after 11am. Read More
Amis Trattoria Opens March 31 in Westport w/ Epic Italian: 10 Questions with Chef Brad Spence Restaurant Italian Westport Chef Talk Lunch Celebrity Chef Homepage Opening Andrew Dominick March 24, 2017 You know that Bedford Square Building and Firehouse at 59 Post Road East in Westport that’s been under construction for a while? Well, it’s finally coming to fruition. On March 31, two occupants will crack the doors and open to the public, Anthropologie, and the place we’re here to talk about, Amis Trattoria. Why are we excited about this? Amis is owned by The Vetri Family, with Chef Marc Vetri at the helm, a chef who is widely regarded by his peers as one of the best Italian cooks in the U.S. If the whole women’s clothing and home décor concept and a restaurant opening in the same space seems confusing, well, there’s a story here. Read More
Viceroy Publik House Opening in Stamford: British & Indian Pub Fare + Live Music Restaurant Stamford Indian Pub Bar Lunch Gastropub Opening CTbites Team March 23, 2017 Taking a page from history, from what is now referred to as the “British Raj”, the British rule over the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947, Viceroy Publik House pays homage to this now proud British and Indian cultural connect, offering a high energy English pub setting featuring London curry, pakoras and pints, and an edgy live music venue which is just as diverse as its menu. Located in Downtown Stamford, CT, Viceroy Publik House brings together these two cultures, rich in history and with a strong food and drink identity found in pubs throughout London. Viceroy will be opening in April of 2017. Read More
25 Epic Desserts to Eat in Fairfield County Before You Die via Spoon University Restaurant Dessert Best of CT Kid Friendly Homepage CTbites Team March 23, 2017 Our friends over at Spoon University published this super sweet article. In case you missed it, this is a solid Fairfield County dessert roundup. NOTE: Vespa is Westport has since closed, so cross that chocolate layer cake off the list. People often associate good food with big cities like New York or LA. The truth is good food is everywhere - you just have to know where to look for it. Even Fairfield County which is made up of 24 small Connecticut cities and towns, boasts some incredible food. Here's a list of the most epic desserts in Fairfield County. 1. Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcake at Cake Box Read More
Stew Leonard’s Limited Edition Chocolate Bunny Milk Features Ingredients Dessert Kids Kid Friendly Holiday Homepage Stephanie Webster March 22, 2017 A half-gallon glass jug of Stew’s Chocolate Bunny Milk will be available for $5.99 starting in early April at all five Stew Leonard’s locations. Stew Leonard’s signature farm fresh milk is mixed with creamy milk chocolate to create a sweet, irresistible chocolate milk that tastes just like a classic chocolate Easter bunny. Stew Leonard’s milk is delivered fresh to our stores from award-winning dairy farms in upstate NY and is free from artificial growth hormones (rBST) and antibiotics. The milk will only be available for a limited time.Check for the Stew Leonard's location near you here. Read More
Guinness™ & Two Roads Brewing To Collaborate on 2 Small Batch Beers Features Ingredients Beer CT Beer Brewery Stephanie Webster March 21, 2017 Guinness & Co., based in Norwalk CT, and Two Roads Brewing Company, based in Stratford CT, today announce two small batch beers brewed in collaboration and to be released in May of 2017. The first collaboration will be brewed at the Open Gate Brewery, St James’s Gate in Dublin, Ireland, and will be served to visitors of the Open Gate Brewery taproom. The second beer will be brewed shortly afterwards at Two Roads Brewing Co.’s brewery in Connecticut and will be served to visitors at the brewery. Read More
