Farm Fresh Summer Sandwich Recipe Features Ask Chef Nicole Recipe Farm Fresh Nicole Straight July 03, 2009 I recently accompanied Chef Nicole Straight from Time to Eat to the Westport Farmer's Market where she helped me navigate (and identify) some interesting and unique local ingredients. I was looking for a great sandwich to bring to my 4th of July picnic. Her beautiful Summer Sandwich was the perfect answer, and can be seen below. Read More
Meli Melo: A Taste of Paris in Greenwich Restaurant French Greenwich Breakfast Lunch r2d2 July 01, 2009 There aren’t too many places in Fairfield County I’m excited to go to when meeting a friend for lunch, but Meli Melo (French for ‘hodgepodge’) in Greenwich is one of the few places that always comes to mind. It is an authentic Parisian crêperie, serving both sweet and savory crêpes, luscious sandwiches, hearty salads, and a wide variety of soups… not to mention homemade ice cream, sorbet, and any combination of smoothie you could possibly conjure up. Read More
Why Backyard Chickens? How to Start Your Flock Features Going Green Recipe Farm Fresh Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster June 30, 2009 It seems that recently more and more people in Fairfield County are putting up chicken wire…and it isn’t to keep the deer out. If you have always wanted a “pet” and are tired of paying $4 a dozen for free-range organic eggs, why not buy yourself some chickens? We recently spoke with a local chef on the benefits of backyard chickens, and she offers some compelling reasons to raise these pecking “pets”. Then, we’ll take the work out of starting your own flock, and help you source your CT birds, and build your very own coop. It requires less work than you think. Read More
CT Berry Picking Season is ON Features healthy kids activity Recipe Farm Fresh Nicole Straight June 24, 2009 One of the things I look forward to every summer is heading out to the local farms to pick berries. There are a couple of great farms in Southern CT that are not over run with the NY crowd, and I will share them if you promise not to tell the others… Read More
Isabelle et Vincent French Bakery...Ooh La La! Restaurant Bakery Fairfield French Breakfast Dessert Stephanie Webster June 23, 2009 When I ask my children what treat they prefer, I used to hear only chants of ice cream... or rich frosted cupcakes. Since Isabelle et Vincent opened their seventh-generation patisserie and chocolate shop in Fairfield, I now hear pleading for croissants, brioche, mille-feuiiles, and chocolate eclairs. In addition to the perfectly flakey, buttery pastry crust, and the melt in your mouth chocolate desserts, Isabelle et Vincent makes some of the best baguettes in the area. For $3.50, you can take home any variety of multi-grain, tomato-basil, onion-bacon, or the classic... that is if you can make it home without consuming the entire loaf in your car. Read More
For the Busy Chef: Asian Watercress Pesto Features Recipe Farm Fresh Nicole Straight June 22, 2009 Local chef Nicole Straight, of Time to Eat, is dedicated to good, healthy food and the techniques that make it easy for parents and busy people to enjoy cooking and eating 15-minute meals. Here is her recipe for Asian Watercress Pesto inspired by a trip to the local Farmer's Market. It freezes beautifully if you happen to have a run on watercress. It's delicious tossed in with udon noodles, smeared on salmon then roasted or even used as a thinned out sauce for steak. Read More
Colossally Delicious Salad @ Jordan's in Norwalk Restaurant Greek Norwalk Pizza Italian Sarah Green June 21, 2009 It’s not always Greek to me, but in the case of Jordan’s Kitsa Pella Salad, just call me Zorba! Jordan’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, located near Stew Leonard's in Norwalk offers an enormous variety of Greek and Italian fare. It's kid-friendly, reasonably priced, and all good, especially the pizza. But the Pella salad topped with grilled chicken is to die for. Read More
Village Gourmet-Chinese Food Done Right Restaurant Chinese Norwalk Pauline Rhoads June 21, 2009 Photo Pauline RhoadsI’ve been going to Village Gourmet in Norwalk for years for what is hands down, the best Chinese food in the Westport/Norwalk area. Loyal customers have seen this local treasure tucked away in the Cranbury Shopping Center grow from a take-out place with a few small tables to a larger, full service restaurant that now serves wine and beer. I’ve tried it all, and it’s all exceptionally good. Here’s what to order: Read More
Chef Watch: Maria Marchetti...The Real Thing Features Pauline Rhoads June 19, 2009 Maria Marchetti, chef/owner of Columbus Park Trattoria in Stamford, who is known for her restaurant’s homemade pasta, had just prepared fresh tagliatelle for our lunch, which she had just made a few minutes earlier. Maria makes all of the pasta for Columbus Park Trattoria, along with the family’s two other restaurants, Osteria Applausi in Greenwich and Tarantino's in Westport. In addition to making all the pasta by hand for the family’s three restaurants, Maria does private parties in people’s homes and teaches cooking classes in the upstairs dining room of Columbus Park Trattoria, which has its own kitchen. Read More
Homemade Pasta – You'll Never Go Back Features Pauline Rhoads June 19, 2009 Years ago, a friend gave me an Imperia hand-cranked pasta machine as a housewarming gift. It sat in my kitchen cabinet gathering dust because, truth be told, I was afraid of it. Flipping through food magazines one day while in line at the grocery store checkout, I came across a “how to make your own pasta” article in Cooking Light. Instead of skipping over the subject as usual, or telling myself dry pasta will do just fine thank you, I paid attention to the easy to follow photographs and simple ingredients and wondered, could it be this simple? I felt especially daring and decided to make fresh ravioli with ricotta and spinach. Read More
The Robeks Tart-gasm Restaurant Cos Cob Darien Fairfield Stamford healthy Dessert Sarah Green June 18, 2009 Photo: Stephanie WebsterFairfield County women have a little secret… and it isn’t sweet. Don’t tell, but hordes of us find time in our day to sneak into Robeks to experience our daily rapture. Simply, it’s Tart - paradise in a Styrofoam bowl. Plain, unadulterated ecstasy, this frozen treat at only 112 calories for a small (157 for a medium) is hardly sinful. It is delicious on its own but can be smothered in coconut, dappled with raspberry, sprinkled with chocolate chips, textured with granola, the choices are endless. But the slightly sour, wonderfully light, frozen indulgence is best on its wicked own. Read More
Musings on Cannoli: Tutti Invitati, Westport Restaurant Westport Italian Dessert Jenny Vynerib June 16, 2009 Photo: Stephanie WebsterHands down, my favorite dessert is the cannoli. It always has been. As a young child, my family used to drive downtown in New York City to Ferrara’s Bakery on Grand Street, or Veniero’s Pastry Shop on East 11th Street for their dreamy, creamy creations. Read More
