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Friday Froth: What's In A Name?

Ingredients Features CT Beer Friday Froth Beer

James Gribbon April 03, 2015

The waiter gave me a look that said "Dude - work with me here," because I was mumbling. It started like this:

Him: "What'll you have?" A perfectly reasonable question, and not an unexpected one, given that I'd just sat down. So I replied:

"Nmm nmm."

"What?"

"Nmm nmm... ee."

And that's when I got the look. So I said it louder, biting off each word:

"Nummy Nummy, please."

Dammit.

Look, I get it - it's fun to name your beer something ridiculous like "Buttface" or "Even More Jesus," but please, I humbly beseech you, the brewers of the world: please don't make it something I'm embarrassed to order in public. That said...

Christian Petroni of Fortina Pizza Shares Mom's Easter Pie Recipe

Features Holiday Italian Recipe Comfort Food

Stephanie Webster March 25, 2015

When we asked Fortina's Christian Petroni to share an Easter recipe, he turned to an Italian classic...his mother. Much of Petroni's culinary inspiration is derived from a richly food-centric childhood just outside of Naples, and this Easter recipe is no exception. Christian's mother's cooking can often be spotted on the menus of Fortina Pizza (Armonk, Ryebrook & Stamford coming soon), and now on CTbites. Thanks to Fiorella & Christian Petroni for sharing a little bit of their holiday with this ultimate comfort food Recipe for Easter Pie. What type of "pie" you ask. This recipe features: salami, sweet provolone, ricotta and eggs...enough said.

Passover Dessert Shopping Guide via Kosher Like Me Blog

Features Holiday Kosher

Stephanie Webster March 24, 2015

This incredible guide to all things Passover dessert comes from one of our fellow writers, Liz Rueven, of Kosher Like Me. This is the uber guide for those who wish to BUY, not cook their Passover sweets. Amen.

I love it when my readers tell me what they need! So when M. phoned to ask where oh where should she buy her Passover desserts, we took the challenge and got to work looking for the best of the best.

For those strictly kosher or not so much, those on the west side or the west coast, we’ve got your freshly baked, professionally made Passover dessert options covered.

Read the complete article: Leave the Passover Baking to the Experts.

Passover Brisket w/ Beet & Bone Marrow Pureé Recipe c/o Chef Arik of Le Farm

Features Holiday Recipe

CTbites Team March 19, 2015

When CTbites asked Chef Arik Bensimon of le Farm to create a Passover recipe for our readers, he truly embraced both the request and the holiday. Not only has Arik reinvented the classic Passover Brisket (sorry Nana), but has orchestrated a dish that uses almost all of the ingredients found on the traditional Passover Seder plate. The roasted bone, horseradish, bitter herbs...they're all in there. He has even found a culinary use for the oh-so-sweet Manischewitz wine.

Whatever holiday you celebrate this spring, add this recipe for Brisket with Beet & Bone Marrow Pureé to your library. It's simply delicious.

Sweet and Savory Quick Bread Recipes via Marcia Selden

Features Recipe Breakfast Dessert

Marcia Selden Catering March 12, 2015

We love a quick bread, they’re a breeze to throw together, freeze beautifully, and are a great activity if you are with your kids and looking for something to do.

Enjoy a slice with a bowl of soup or a steaming cup of tea, and you have all the trappings of a sweet perfect day. The folks at Marcia Selden Catering have shared their favorite sweet and savory quick bread recipes. Enjoy our recipes for: Earl Grey Zucchini Quick Bread; Almond Butter, Honey, Banana Quick Bread; Sundried Tomato and Pesto Quick Bread & Prosciutto & Gruyere Quick Bread. You’ll want to try them all!

Bounty Food Truck & Lobstercraft Join To Feature Surf'n'Turf Catering

Features Restaurant Seafood Burgers

James Gribbon March 04, 2015

A snowy night found guests piled into the close confines of 284 Tokeneke Rd. in Darien to sample offerings from the combined menus of Lobstercraft and Bounty food truck. The two outfits have come together to expand their catering services for private parties, weddings and both special events, and we have your first look.

"We thought the surf and turf idea between the best lobster and the best burger would make a great combo," Captain Mike Harden of Lobstercraft told CTBites. "We are working on bringing Bounty under the same roof so you can come to one place and get whatever you like."

Da Legna: New Haven's Best Kept Pizza Secret

Features Restaurant Pizza New Haven

Amy Kundrat February 22, 2015

Da Legna is the best kept secret for New Haven pizza lovers. But it shouldn’t be.

Ask a friend who lives or works in New Haven for their favorite pie, and steel yourself for a slew of anecdotes, a bit of Elm City history, and maybe even a neighborhood geography lesson – Wooster v. State Street. Then, after declaring their allegiance to one of the “big three,” lean in, because your friend may end their (a)pizza diatribe with an almost conspiratorial whisper of “Da Legna,” the two-year old State Street restaurant devoted to wood-fired pizzas, Italian tapas, and a refreshing lack of pretense.

The Rob Roy Cocktail: A Manhattan with a Kilt

Features Cocktails Recipe

Amy Kundrat February 09, 2015

When the winter doldrums set in, and the temperatures flirt with zero, I set my sights firmly on brown spirits. Whisky, not whiskey, to be exact. A dram will usually do the trick, but on occasion I like to sully that perfect spirit by making it the foundation of a Rob Roy cocktail.

If you can reconcile the fact that you’re meddling with the perfection that is scotch, with sweet vermouth and bitters, then you’ve found your perfect century-old cocktail. It’s essentially a Manhattan with a kilt, which is a fitting description seeing as it was created in New York’s Waldorf Astoria in 1894 for an opera based on the Scottish folk hero and outlaw Robert Roy MacGregor.

There is something about peated scotch and a roaring fire, but an unpeated or blended whisky for your Rob Roy will also do the trick.

Holiday Flip Cocktail Recipe via Sean Nye of Match in SoNo

Features Cocktails Recipe

Stephanie Webster December 23, 2014

Looking for the perfect Holiday Cocktail recipe for your festivities? Sean Nye has mixed up a little something special for CTbites, from his new post, behind the bar of Match in South Norwalk.

Sean hails most recently from Walrus & Carpenter, as well as Bodega and South End in New Canaan. Jusy sayin...the man knows how to make a drink.

Enjoy this truly delicious recipe for the "Holiday Flip" made with Applejack Brandy, cardamaro and nutmeg. And if you're simply too tired from opening presents, just go order one at Match.

Holiday Flip Cocktail Recipe

Kids & Adult Cooking Classes @ Aux Delices

Features Cooking Classes Education Kids kids activity kids cooking party

CTbites Team December 17, 2014

Aux Delices' 2015 Winter/Spring Kids & Adult Cooking Class Schedule has just been announced. Aux Délices offers cooking classes for adults and children at their professional catering kitchen in Stamford. Classes are generally held on Wednesday evenings for adults and Sunday afternoons for children. Classes are hands-on for children and both participation and demonstration for adults.

Their focus is to teach easy, interesting and seasonal food preparation, utilizing a variety of cooking techniques. The chef instructors are from Aux Délices, as well as from well-known restaurants in Fairfield County and New York City. Lynn Manheim, the Cooking School Director does an incredible job engaging and challenging both children and adults, while teaching students the basics of cooking along the way.

View the complete schedule below...For more information, click here.

The Year-Round Gin & Tonic

Features Cocktails

Amy Kundrat December 12, 2014

The gin and tonic has become one of my favorite year-round cocktails. Now before you shout INFIDEL or HERESY and run for the torches to scare me and my cocktail into hibernation until the summer equinox, hear me out.

The first rule of a year-round G&T: the gin must be considered carefully. If you’re looking for guidance here, you can’t go wrong with the St. George Terroir Gin, which grounds this G&T with an earthy bite of “Douglas fir, California bay laurel, coastal sage, and other evocative botanicals.” One whiff and you’ll instinctively look over your shoulder for the bear that modeled for the label. Trust me, this is the gin you want for a cold weather G&T.

Next, find yourself a clean and crisp tonic. I recommend and will rarely stray from Q Tonic. Don’t even think about desecrating the G&T with a tonic like Schweppes, or please don’t tell me about it because I WILL judge you harshly.

Marcia Selden Catering’s Best Holiday Hors D’oeuvres

Features Entertaining Recipe

Marcia Selden Catering December 11, 2014

The holidays are right around the corner, and you know what that means…. parties, parties and more parties! Whether you’re hosting or bringing, we’ve got you covered with this season’s most delicious hors d’oeuvre recipes, including: Polenta Bites with Mushroom Duxelle; Chevre & Fig Jam Tartlettes; Gruyere & Red Pepper Jelly Tartlettes & Poached Shrimp with Assorted Dipping Sauces. Your guests will think you hired a caterer!

Greenwich Cheese Company Opens in Cos Cob, via Owners of Fairfield Cheese Co

Ingredients Features Cheese Cos Cob Greenwich Specialty Market

CTbites Team December 10, 2014

Laura Downey and Chris Palumbo, co-owners of Fairfield Cheese Company, will open Greenwich Cheese Company at 154 East Putnam Avenue in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich, CT, December 11, 2014.

Building on the success of Laura and Chris’ popular Fairfield Cheese Company, which opened in 2009, the new location will carry on the tradition of offering the area’s best selection of cut-to-order from larger wheels, artisanal and farmstead cheese from around the world and artisanal cheeses from here in the US, in addition to an array of small batch handmade charcuterie and specialty food accompaniments.

Laura and Chris take their craft seriously and are both the only retail owners in Connecticut to be American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professionals (ACS CCP), a certification that only a few hundred people have nationwide. Adding to the talented team is Greenwich store manager Kevin DeFreitas who brings 15 years of cheesemongering experience to this new endeavor and has worked with such industry pros as Ken Skovron from the Darien Cheese Shop.

How To Create The Classic Holiday Cocktail Bar via Sheila Barton Catering

Features Catering Cocktails Entertaining

Sheila Barton December 10, 2014

Sheila Barton is a local caterer with a flair for food styling. After watching her work her magic at several parties, we asked her for a few tips on creating your own "Classic Cocktail Bar." Here are her tips...

I thought it would benefit many to talk about how to set up the perfect holiday cocktail bar. Not only are the essentials so very important, but so are Style, Texture and Taste. I am always about creating an experience..starting with your eyes and ending with taste. Even if you can only afford to serve one great wine and one great beer, you can still do it with style. If you can throw in a classic craft cocktail or two, more the merrier!

So to first create Style, it is important to create a feeling of glamour and fun. You do this with visual appeal using different heights and Texture.

Winter Cooking Classes @ The Schoolhouse at Cannondale

Features Chef Talk Cooking Classes

CTbites Team December 07, 2014

If you're still looking for the unique gift for that special person. Give them a memorable experience that is both fun & useful. Sign them up for a cooking class at The Schoolhouse at Cannondale Restaurant in Wilton Ct. In fact, sign up with them. Chef Tim LaBant & his staff will be sharing their years of experience each Tuesday evening beginning in February. You'll also savor the finished culinary delights after the class. The schedule and focus for each evening is as follows:

February 3...Winter Braising and knife skills
February 10...Appetizers and ingredient pairing guidlines
February 17...How to prepare our most favorite soups and stocks
February 24...Duck cookery and grain preparation
March 3...Fish cookery; wet and dry cooking methods.When to use each method

Friday Froth: Around A Square State With Stubborn Beauty, Black Hog and Overshores

Features Restaurant Brewery Local Artisan Beer

James Gribbon December 05, 2014

What shape is Connecticut? Kind of a cleaver-shape, I think. I live down in the that cleaver's handle - along with you, by statistical probability - and the myriad horrors of highway travel in Connecticut tend to keep me there, but I'm wired to explore. If Lando can escape the Sarlacc, I can get out of Fairfield freaking County.

This is especially useful as I paddle my canoe up the rivers of craft beer this state has to offer, because breweries don't usually spring up next to yacht clubs, son. Train that spyglass further afield, and you'll spot Stubborn Beauty Brewing Company in increasingly craft beer dense Middletown, Black Hog Beer Company in Oxford, and Overshores Brewing Co. in East Haven. It's about time I gave each of them their due.

Chef Pat Pascarella of Bar Sugo to Host Cooking Classes

Features Cooking Classes

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger December 04, 2014

Chef Pat Pascarella of Bar Sugo in Norwalk announced that he will conduct a new series of cooking classes beginning in Jan 2015! For those readers who have visited Bar Sugo and enjoyed his great meatballs, pastas and entrées, these classes will give the secrets for creating some of these delicious dishes at home.

There are currently six scheduled classes:

Fresh Pasta Workshop – Saturday January 24^th at 11:00am
Mama's Kitchen: Meatballs 101 – Saturday February 7^th at 11:00am
Art of Braising – Tuesday March 3^rd at 7:00pm
Pizza Workshop – Tuesday April 7^th at 7:00pm
Farmer's Harvest & Feast – Saturday May 16^th at 11:00am
Cooking with Seafood - Tuesday, June 2^nd at 7:00pm

2014 CT Food Lovers Holiday Gift Guide

Ingredients Features Restaurant Entertaining Gift Guide Holiday Specialty Market Wine Shop Dessert

April Guilbault December 03, 2014

Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Gift giving-choosing a gift for another person that is resonant of their personality and interests-is a true art. How do we know this? We know this by the sheer number of Yankee Swap and White Elephant parties that we have all attended. You thought those salt and pepper shakers in the shape of ugly, primitive holiday carolers would be perfect for me...um, why? And thus, yet another odd gift enters the rotation of passed-along, re-gifted gifts. On the flip-side, we all hopefully have experienced the joy that comes when we do find that perfect gift. The thrill of watching the unwrapping and the smiles that follow! This holiday season, we would like to help you in your pursuit of That Perfect One....

We bring you the CTbites 2014 CT Food Lovers Gift Guide. Start shopping!

Chef Matt Storch's Recipe for "Day After Turkey & Waffles"

Features Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe Breakfast

Matt Storch November 28, 2014

Every Thanksgiving, we ask our friends in the Chef community for their favorite holiday recipes. This year we got a last minute entry from Chef Matt Storch of Match Restaurant & The Chelsea with a great idea for all those leftovers. Ok...that picture above...it's not turkey...those are chicken livers, but it's the best we could do on short notice. Here is Matt Storch's Day After Turkey & Waffles Recipe.

Cast Iron Roasted Fruits & Vegetables Recipe from Chef Arik of Le Farm

Features Thanksgiving healthy Recipe

CTbites Team November 26, 2014

Arik Bensimon, Chef de Cuisine at Le Farm, has always been an innovator when it comes to cooking. His roots run deep with French technique, but the ingredients always come first. We liked the simplicity and deconstructed quality of his Thanksgiving side dish. Not only is the recipe absolutely beautiful but it preserves and highlights the integrity of the seasonal ingredients. Enjoy Chef Arik's recipe for Cast Iron Roasted Fruits & Vegetables.