Gold Coast Gourmet: Freezer...Meet Mark Ingredients Delivery Service Home Delivery Sarah Green May 22, 2012 Freezer, meet Mark. Mark Seigel, owner and purveyor of GOLD COAST GOURMET for the past 22 years, will be your freezer's best friend - reliable and ALWAYS there when you need him. I was lucky enough to be referred to Mark by a Westport friend (he only works by referrals, no door-to-door harassment) and just in the nick of time. With Memorial Day weekend and the warm summer months approaching, there is enormous potential for a lot of home entertaining with many "Mom, I also brought the rest of the team home for dinner " possibilities. If you are like me, this can cause some major anxiety. This year, no problemo. Gold Coast Gourmet provides home delivery of prime meats, gourmet seafood and much, much more. The great thing about this service is that you are purchasing items by the "box" meaning that most things come in individually wrapped, perfectly manageable, flash-frozen portions. Read More
Blue Laws Officially End Sunday, May 20th Ingredients Specialty Market Wine Chat Beer James Gribbon May 17, 2012 It's not quite as momentous as the end of Prohibition, but Connecticut now has its own Repeal Day, as Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a bill Monday to end our state's archaic Blue Laws. And on American Craft Beer week, too. Way to go, Guv'na. Connecticut liquor stores will now be allowed to operate from 10a.m. - 5p.m. on Sundays, and choose one item per month to offer at a 10% discount. This last item was the lone concession to proponents of blue law repeal who sought the end of the state's mandatory minimum pricing practices. Discounts had previously been outlawed. Like most of the other measures signed into law by Gov. Malloy, this decision came down to the economic bottom line. Read More
Aventine Hills Wine Importers: Italian Wine Made Local Ingredients Wine Chat CTbites Team May 16, 2012 If you're reading this article, you're most likely adventurous…at least when it comes to food. You look to CTbites.com as a guide for new culinary experiences, so we'd like to take this opportunity to broaden your horizons from the plate to your glass. Allow me to introduce Jodi and Garrett Stonehouse of Aventine Hills Wine Importers with wines featured at local restaurants including Paci, Quattro Pazzi, Osianna, Aqua, Tarantino's, Fat Cat, Rowayton Seafood, and The Schoolhouse, just to name a few. It all began back in 2006 when Jodi and Garrett discovered a love of Italy, and more specifically of the wine in Italy. Read More
Class is in Session at 109 Cheese & Wine Ingredients Cheese Education Fairfield Amy Kundrat May 15, 2012 School is back in session, and I don't mean the kind that requires boarding a yellow school bus. I'm talking about an education involving terms like bloomy, soft-ripened, blue-vein, washed-rind, and brined or full bodied, flowery or peppery. Ridgefield's 109 Cheese & Wine Shop's Spring/Summer class schedule is out with a full offering for any level of wine, craft beer & cheese appreciation. These classes expertly led by owner, Monica Brown, a wine and cheese connoisseur who, along with her experienced team, is dedicated to bringing a curated selection of the best products from around the corner to around the world to 109. Check out the full line up below: Read More
The Naptime Chef: Local Chef Fits Great Food into Family Life Features Cookbooks Recipe Kid Friendly Jessica Ryan May 09, 2012 When Kelsey Banfield became a mother she quickly learned that organization was necessary to successfully run a household. Babies are unpredictable in their needs and they can easily wreak havoc on the day’s plans. A fussy baby needs tending to. Clutter piles up, as does laundry as well as those lists of things we need to accomplish. Many of us have been there and our babies are much older. While we can better organize our days, we’re still incredibly busy and there never does seem to be enough time in our day. So while Kelsey utilizes her daughter’s naptime to get things done, those of us without napping children can carve out some time during the day where we can do the same, whether it be morning, afternoon or evening. Whether we have newborns, active toddlers or busy teenagers with heavy schedules, Kelsey’s approach to fitting great food into our lives is one that can be adapted by us all, and you can share her secrets in her new cookbook, "The Naptime Chef, Fitting Great Food into Family Life." Read More
White Oak Farm & Table Jams: Worth a Taste Ingredients Breakfast Dessert sherri daley May 08, 2012 I’ve never turned down a free sample. I’m shameless. I go back for seconds. I eat those stubs of hot dogs dipped in mustard at Stop & Shop, the weensy little mini-meals served in tiny paper cups at Trader Joe’s, curls of glamorous artisanal cheeses from a display of food and flowers at Balducci’s, chocolate at Garelick & Herbs, a taste of wine at my neighborhood liquor store. Especially wine, but they don’t usually let you go back for seconds and thirds. This time I was snarking a free hunk of freshly-baked bread at Billy’s Bakery in Fairfield and a lovely young lady offered me a free spoonful of jam: strawberry-lemonade, blueberry-basil, or pineapple-kiwi. I chose the blueberry, primarily because I was intrigued by the basil, although they seem to be putting basil in a lot of things lately. I had a basil shortbread cookie last summer. Here is where the blueberry-basil jam became more than a free sample; it was the beginning of a beautiful culinary relationship. Read More
Sweet & Simple® Cookies...Baked Locally, With Love Features Restaurant Local Artisan Fairfield Kid Friendly Dessert Margie Treisman May 03, 2012 Cookies are, by definition, hard to resist. Fairfield resident Michelle Jaffee has made resistance even more difficult with her new line of cookies, Sweet & Simple, adorable in their individual cellophane wrappers, brown and white labels and retro daisy logo. What’s more, the label proclaims, they’re “baked with love.” We at CTBites like to support the local, entrepreneurial spirit. (Plus – let’s face it -- we don’t hate eating cookies.) So we set out to sample the sweets. Read More
Beach Burger’s "Create Your Own" Burger & Milk Shake Contest Ingredients Giveaway Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger May 02, 2012 CTbites and Beach Burger of Norwalk are proud to announce the 2012 “Create-a-Burger & Milkshake” Contest. CTbites readers will have the unique opportunity to design 2 new items on Beach Burger’s menu: The signature "2012 CTbites Hamburger & CTbites Milk Shake. The winning combos in each category will be included on the Beach Burger menu, and the two winners will be treated to four combo burgers and any 4 milkshakes from the Beach Burger. The rules are pretty simple… 1. Choose the toppings that you believe would make the ultimate combination using Beach Burger’s all natural beef patty OR 2. Design a new combination milk shake 3. Post your burger and/or milk shake combos below. Read More
Friday Froth: Draft Day Gems Ingredients Beer James Gribbon April 27, 2012 You never know where you might find your next exiting pint, the next star in your personal rotation. You will see some familiar, trusted brands while scanning the shelves during a trip to the adult candy store, but the familiar can become the routine, and routine can become stagnant - a word we try to avoid in the pursuance of Life Well-Lived. Our taste buds are continually regenerating, so let's go ahead and give those new recruits a chance to shine. The NFL draft started last night and continues today and tomorrow, so I thought we'd choose a few draft picks of our own this week. Enough with the set up: the first pick in the inaugural CTBites Beer Draft 2012 is: Magic Hat Encore. Read More
Home Brewing Basics Class @ espressoNEAT in Darien Ingredients Coffee Stephanie Webster April 26, 2012 I've said this before, but espressoNEAT, in my biased opinion, serves the best espresso in Fairfield County. Located in Darien, their baristas are well trained experts, and their devotion to their craft is obvious from the first sip of any of their coffee based beverages. Here's the info on their next home brewing class on Thursday May 31st. Do you like the coffee you get at NEAT? Did you know you could enjoy that coffee without even leaving your house? No, we’re not starting a delivery service, but we are relaunching an educational series that will equip you to make a stellar cup of coffee in the comfort of your own home and bathrobe. We’ll guide you in the fundamentals of buying, storing, grinding, and brewing and help you get the best at home as well as at NEAT. _________________________ Class size is limited to 8 people for maximum learning and tasting. Email education (at) espressoNEAT.com or ask someone NEAT to sign up. $10/person, includes 10% off whole bean coffee & Clever brewers after class. Check back here to find out about upcoming dates! Thursday, May 31 @ 7:00PM : Brew Methods Class Read More
Foodie Fridays @ Sport Hill Farm in Easton Features Cooking Classes Easton Education Farm Fresh CTbites Team April 25, 2012
Beer Talk: The Basics of Aging Beer w/ The Ginger Man Ingredients Education Beer CTbites Team April 19, 2012 Andrew Hoenig is the Beverage Director at the Ginger Man, located in Norwalk CT. So winter came and went. Actually, it never really got here, did it? And I bet you’ve got a few “big” bottles of winter beer left over. What to do, what to do…I have a suggestion that involves not drinking that leftover beer. There are many beers out there that will last for years to come, some improving with age, much like a fine wine. So start a vintage beer collection! Let’s clear up any confusion about when in the life cycle is the best time to drink your beers. Truth is, it entirely depends on the style of beer. Lagers and Pilsners demand freshness, as do any light bodied and low alcohol ales. Traditionally you are encouraged to drink these beers within the first 3 months of their life. Most hoppy beers will lose their best bright citrusy aroma and bitter flavor characteristics over time, yielding a relatively flat tasting beer behind. So, if you get your hands on some Ithaca Flower Power IPA bottles, drink ‘em up! Read More
MOM 100 Cookbook Author @ Westport Public Library Features Author Cookbooks Education Kid Friendly CTbites Team April 18, 2012 Katie Workman, author of the new hit cookbook The Mom 100 Cookbook is coming to the Westport Public Library on Thursday, May 10 at 10:00 a.m. Katie Workman is the founding editor in chief of Cookstr.com and a mother of two. In The Mom 100 Cookbook she delivers solutions to the 20 most common cooking dilemmas that every modern mom faces, providing recipes and tips for parents who are so baffled by their kids’ food preferences that mealtime has become a minefield. Katie Workman will talk about her new cookbook The Mom 100 Cookbook, answer questions from the audience, and give a book signing. Ok mothers...here's what people are saying about this new compendium: “One of the best cookbook authors of her generation.” — BOBBY FLAY “These are the 100 recipes everyone needs!” — INA GARTEN Read More
Video: Napa's Chef Arik Bensimon Demos Roasted Sea Bass w/ Polenta & Mushrooms Features Chef Talk Entertaining Recipe Video Seafood Recipe CTbites Team April 12, 2012
Friday Froth: Bibliophile Ingredients Beer James Gribbon April 06, 2012 Peace, as elusive as it can be on a macro scale, is oftentimes attainable with three simple elements: a comfortable chair, a glass of something within easy reach, and a good book. The difficulty of holding the tenuous balance of a yoga pose forces one to focus mind and body on that one action. If the mind wanders, so too does the body, and suddenly there's that worn out spot on your mat, and oh hell - everyone just saw that didn't they? You topple not just out of your pose, but back into reality. For the moments before, though, there was only the confluence of mind and body floating in a meditative innerspace. Withdrawn from the world's nettlesome preoccupations, there was peace. Similarly, good stories allow us to disengage from reality; to take a restful break from life. Actively experiencing food and drink, really thinking about what you taste, also takes focus. Read More
Lamb Bacon with Chef Paul Desiano Features Ridgefield Recipe Amy Kundrat April 04, 2012 A fixture in Ridgefield's marketplace, Cello Restaurant seems to be in a perpetual state of experimentation. The last dining experience I had there was at an East meets West Sake dinner (Paul is Italian and his wife is Japanese) where their mult-course menu blended their native cuisines, pairing them with wine and sake. Running into Paul at The Marketplace (a group of artisan gourmet food and craft shops) in Ridgefield one afternoon, the conversation turned to his latest passion for the interesting cuts of meat he is procuring from Craft Butchery in Saugatuck. Although I was intrigued to share a 36-hour Confit of [Pork] Jowel, it seemed a bit ambitious for the majority of home cooks who may not yet have sprung for a sous vide supreme. So we settled on sharing his recipe for lamb bacon. Paul pairs this to the jowl dish which is served with a rosemary parsnip puree and braised red cabbage. Chef Paul Desiano's Lamb Bacon Recipe Read More
Double L Market in Westport: Fresh As Fresh Can Be… Ingredients Local Farm Specialty Market Westport CTbites Team March 29, 2012 Although I love the idea of cooking healthy, organic food, some days I only make it as far as whatever fits in the microwave, leaving me and my family eating far too much frozen mac and cheese. When I see a farmer’s market, I worry how much time and money it will take to prepare all the food that ends up sitting in the refrigerator. But other times, like today, when I visit Double L market, I realize it’s not so hard to cook healthy, real food. In fact, it can be fun. And you might be even learn something. Read More
In the News: Don't be Fooled by GMOs Talk on April 1st Ingredients News Christy Colasurdo March 24, 2012 The Westport Farmers’ Market, The Wakeman Town Farm, and Right to Know CT invite you to join them for a discussion on the dangers of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in our foods. Don't be Fooled by GMOs taking place on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at Westport Inn on 1595 Post Road East Westport, 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm This is a hot-button issue, as there is a bill circulating to require CT to label foods with GMOs, which would make CONNECTICUT the FIRST state to pass a mandatory GMO labeling bill. Last week, the bill passed with a 23-6 vote in the Environmental Committee. This is historic and unprecedented. Read More
AMG Cooking School in Wilton: Learn While You Eat Features Cooking Classes Education Wilton kids cooking party Recipe ellen bowen March 23, 2012 It must have been good karma to take over the former Wave Hill bread kitchen in Wilton, because the AMG Cooking School, which opened it’s doors in July, has truly found the right ingredients for success. Alison Milwe-Grace and her partner, Olivia Savarese, are not new to cooking having run a catering and event planning business for years. When the professional kitchen space at the old Wave Hill Breads came on the market, they saw an opportunity and jumped at the chance to open a cooking school. They have been hosting both adult and kids classes ever since. The good friends added their own personal touch to the space. Gone are the wooden bread racks and flour dusted floors. A cozy candlelit living room and dining area serves as the entrance, while the kitchen features a huge work area complete with famous chef quotes on chalkboards to serve as inspiration. Read More
Video: Chef Matt Storch Demos Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs w Pea Puree Features Chef Talk Entertaining Recipe Video Recipe Stephanie Webster March 22, 2012 Live from CTbites global headquarters, Chef Matt Storch of Match Restaurant launches the CTbites Chef Demo Video series. Watch and learn people. Matt Storch's recipe for Pomegranate-Orange Braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs With Pea Puree takes a classic winter dish and re-imagines it for spring with vibrant fresh peas. Get great tips as you watch Chef Storch review the basics of braising in this beautiful dish. If you have a chef or recipe you would like to see on CTbites, let us know. Read More
