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
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
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
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
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
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
The Stand Juice Cleanse: 5 Days Without Food Ingredients Fairfield Norwalk Special Dietary Needs healthy Jane Beiles March 21, 2012 Can a diehard food lover survive 5 days without solid food? I love food. I love to eat it…raw food, cooked food, gourmet food, diner food, farm-to-table food, bar food. My first paychecks came from restaurants – seating or serving those seeking food. Decades later, I now earn my living taking photos…and yes, you guessed it, the subject matter of which is, quite often, food. So how in the world did a food-lover like me end up committing to spend 5 day chewing exactly none? Read More
Never a Dull Moment: How the Pros keep their Knives Sharp Ingredients Chef Talk Education Kitchen Gear Lou Gorfain March 15, 2012 For this article, CTBites spoke with many of Fairfield County’s top chefs, butchers, and professional knife sharpeners. These pros were very blunt about the knives used in most home kitchens: they are dull. Especial fancy “trophy-ware.” “A cook with a dull knife,” suggests Fairway’s top butcher Ray Venezia, “is like a sharpshooter with a water pistol.” Much like a gun slinger out of the Old West, this modern-day Paladin has Knives and Will Travel. He carries his complete cutting arsenal in a sleek case … but all that's inside are just two gleaming Victorinox Forshner rosewood knives -- a 6" boning blade and a 12" cemeter – a steel and whetstone. Read More
Help the Hungry: Join Millstone Farm's “Glean Team” Ingredients Farm to Table Local Farm Volunteer CTbites Team March 13, 2012 The Millstone Farm “Glean Team” made its first visit to the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County on Friday, February 24 with a donation of 32 pounds of spinach gleaned from The Hickories, a family-owned farm in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Gleaning at The Hickories was the first of what Millstone’s patrons and farmers intend to be a regular occurrence throughout the 2012 growing season. The goal of Betsy and Jesse Fink, owners of Millstone Farm, is to gather and train a volunteer task force that will harvest fresh food offered up by local farmers and deliver it to those in need. Read More
Stew Leonard’s: "Taste of CT" Wine, Beer & Spirits Tasting Ingredients Wine Tasting Beer CTbites Team March 12, 2012 Stew Leonard’s Wines of Danbury invites customers to a complimentary “Taste of Connecticut” wine, beer and spirits tasting on Saturday, March 31 from Noon – 7:00 p.m. This tasting is celebration of local Connecticut producers who will be pouring samples for customers to taste throughout the day. The schedule is as follows: Read More
MELT Market & Cafe in Bridgeport: Go ahead and MELT Ingredients Restaurant Bridgeport Catering Cheese Entertaining Specialty Market Lunch Sarah Green March 11, 2012 Do you feel the need, the need for cheese? Introducing MELT Market and Cafe, the spectacularly gooey love child of former Westport-based Mirabelle Cheese Shop owners Andrea and Damon Itin. MELT, located in the up and coming section of Bridgeport at the corner of Lafayette Circle and Fairfield Ave is sleek and spacious with high tops as well as regular tables for seating and warm inviting color tones. The 2,200 square foot space seats plenty but if tables were pushed aside, this could be a fantastic place for a private function. But enough about things spatial, on to the celestial - this is a cheese lovers' nirvana - What's for sale ? MELT is the purveyor of European as well as local cheeses Read More
Cocktail Contest: Barcelona Restaurant & Wine Bar Ingredients Cocktails Spanish Stephanie Webster March 11, 2012 WIN a FREE DINNER for TWO at Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bar. Here's how.. You all did such a superior job with our recent cocktail contest, we decided to throw the gauntlet down once again. If your Cocktail name is selected, it will be featured on Barcelona Restaurant's new drinks menu & you will receive a FREE DINNER FOR TWO @ any Barcelona Restaurant (+ YOUR new cocktail). "YOUR NAME HERE" Cocktail Recipe: 2 bar spoons of diced cucumber ½ oz. Simple Syrup 1 oz. Lime Juice ½ oz. St. Germain 1 oz. Vizcaya 12 yr. Rum 1 dash hellfire bitters pimenton/sugar dipped cucumber slice Post your submission below (include email) , or if you're shy, feel free to send it to us directly. Cocktail names must be submitted by March 31st. Read More
Friday Froth: Stop Making Sense Ingredients Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon March 09, 2012 Normally, this lede would be filled with some bit of esoteric ephemera wherein we'd compare the universe-building in the novels of Iain M. Banks to the lifestyle of the Hopi nation or some such, but we've been getting a little spacy lately, and I felt it was time to take it back to basics. If you want to talk katsina spirits and the socioeconomic theory of intangliation, come drinking with me some time, but for now, let's just talk beer. Read More
Friday Froth: Winter Sky Ingredients Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon March 02, 2012 We're going to look backwards and forwards this week. We're going to borrow something from November and give thanks for how good we have it, and boost our spirits as we look forward to spring. Our Yankee ancestors made it through bleak winters with barely any fresh food, and in an agrarian economy there wasn't even work to divert their cabin fever. Breaks from the desperate monotony came in the forms of weekly hymns or the occasional cholera outbreak. Well, that may not be strictly true, there was also smallpox, but in addition to smallpox, and considerably more preferable, there was beer. A little brewer ingenuity gave rise to bigger ales with deeper colors and increased potency to hold the cold and dark at bay and transform the winter months from merely bearable to enjoyable. That same tactic works to this day, and this can be found for the next month or so wherever you can find Smuttynose. Read More
Behind the Scenes with Fine Cooking Magazine Ingredients Road Trip Education Newtown Amy Kundrat March 01, 2012 Similar to my omnivorous approach to food, I’ve been known to devour almost anything when it comes to food in print. And although I love any and all food magazines, my allegiances bend toward the recipe-driven and away from the trendy and overly-styled. It’s nice to know that some serious time has been logged in someone else’s kitchen before amateur hour and its inevitable chaos, commences in my own. Firmly in the category of “not afraid to get their hands dirty,” Fine Cooking magazine is one of those few who are dedicated to the act of cooking. Their meticulous seasonally-driven recipes reflect a dedication to process and a glimpse into their tireless recipe testing. So when I learned their headquarters and test kitchen also happened to be firmly inside our Fairfield County borders at Taunton Press in Newtown, CT, it only became a matter of time before I invited my CTbites-self for a tour and taste. Read More
Spring/Summer 2012 CSA's Are Open for Registration Ingredients Farm to Table Local Farm Stephanie Webster February 29, 2012 Attention locavores or really anyone interested in getting farm fresh produce while supporting our local farming community. According to Analiese Paik of The Fairfield Green Food Guide, the 2012 Spring CSA's are open for registration and opening up new shares at several farms. This is your chance to share in our local harvest. Act fast however, these CSA's fill up quickly. Click here to view the complete list of CSA's via the Fairfield Green Food Guide. along with detailed information on how to contact these farms and get started on a whole new way of enjoying farm to table food. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs are partnerships between an individual farm and a community of supporters, providing a direct link between the production and consumption of food. CSA members make a commitment to support the farm throughout the season, and assume the risks and bounty of growing food along with the farmer or grower. Read More
