Salad Dressing Roundup: Make Your Own! Features Ask Chef Nicole Chef Talk Recipe Nicole Straight March 29, 2010 Often, when I peek into peoples' refrigerators, I see upon the shelves a multitude of bottled salad dressings. Everyone loves salad but many don't know how easy it is to make a delicious homemade vinaigrette. The basic proportion of a vinaigrette are 3 parts oil, 1 part tangy (vinegar, citrus). Add some salt and pepper, find yourself a left over jam jar with a good lid, and you are ready to start dressing. Note: I can not stress the importance of having a tightly fitted lid, as I’ve spilled more dressings when I’ve gone to shake it. Here are a few tried and true recipes I make in my house. You'll never buy bottled again! Try these simple recipes for Classic French Dijon Vinaigrette, Asian Balsamic Vinaigrette, Latin Vinaigrette, Creamy Blue Cheese Vinaigrette and Caesar Salad Dressing. Read More
CLOSED A Taste Of Charleston: Southern Cuisine In Norwalk Restaurant Norwalk Southern Comfort Food Kid Friendly Sarah Green March 28, 2010 Frankly my dear, you SHOULD give a damn! OK, so Tara was in Atlanta, and Rhett Butler is no where to be found. But for a flavorful and thoroughly authentic southern meal, harness up the horses and giddy-up to A Taste of Charleston at 195 Liberty Square in Norwalk. This charming and relatively new restaurant located just over SONO’s “Stroffolino” Bridge is serving up some amazing southern cuisine, South Carolina’s finest, complete with fried chicken, collard greens and catfish po-boys. A Taste of Charleston Southern Cuisine is a labor of love, co-owned by Chris and Catherine Reed and their partner Chris La Rose; the Reeds had a dream of re-creating culinary memories of their childhood trips down south, and La Rose was immediately on board. Mr. Reed, “…grew up on my grandmother’s cooking” and the magical smell of Grandma Daisy’s kitchen is just what the team at A Taste of Charleston is attempting to recreate. They are succeeding. Read More
Chef Talk: Passover Planning w/ Tabouli Grill's Chef Judy Features Chef Talk Stamford Recipe Stephanie Webster March 26, 2010 When contemplating my Passover planning this year, I once again pulled out the old tried and true recipes from my family's ancestral Jewish bubbie playbook. But somehow this year I felt I needed a break from the past, or at least an update. I knew just whom to ask for help; Chef Judy Roll of Tabouli Grilll in Stamford. I had gotten wind of her Passover menu (seen below) and had been keeping it in the back of my mind as a solid contingency plan if things went awry in the kitchen. Chef Judy was happy to help out with a few suggestions that were both kid and adult friendly. Armed with her Passover Fattoush Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette, Matzah chips, and Scallion, Cottage Cheese, and Matzoh Meal Latkes I was ready for action...and now you are too. Read More
CTbites Lunch Recap: The Dressing Room Restaurant CTbites Lunch Events Stephanie Webster March 25, 2010 Our 4th CTbites lunch event at The Dressing Room was a huge success. CTbites readers filled the elegantly rustic dining room of this classic Westport eatery. With this beautiful backdrop, people met up for a quiet lunch or connected with large groups of girlfriends (those parties were considerably more boisterous). The CTbites masthead was well represented with almost everyone in attendance, and there was a nice steady buzz as people settled down to the business of eating. The lunch began on a festive note with specially selected organic wines and a sweet, but not cloying, signature Proseco cocktail. This "Sweetheart" drink featuring Wild Alpine strawberries is the brain child of John Cronin whom you will often see behind the bar, and it has achieved beverage fame. Jon Vaast, the new Executive Chef at DR, created a Spring menu with great local ingredients and refined flavors. Read More
What Makes Great Chili? Where to Sample in FC? Ingredients Features Events Recipe Comfort Food Stacy Lytwyn Maxwell March 24, 2010 Stacy Maxwell is the author of the upcoming book, El Cheapo Gourmet—Thinking Outside the Restaurant Box: The Best Homemade Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner in Connecticut. Chili with…corn? Absolutely….That’s what some of the evening’s guests at this past winter’s Connecticut Audubon Society Center’s Adirondack Night felt about the three corn-laden crock pots full of chili while others at the event felt: absolutely not! Without doubt, the bright, sunny specks of color added aesthetic appeal to the Adirondack, Sweet and Vegetarian-style dishes that provided the main fare for one of three major annual fundraisers. Of course, when the palate is involved, beauty amounts to beans. As I sampled a cup full of chili while chilling next to a guest who was also hankering down on his eats, I commented, “Perhaps the corn in the chili is a Yankee tradition.” While chewing intently on the kernels, he shrugged off my assumption, saying, “This belongs somewhere in northern New York—far north.” Chidings in the chili world are not new. Back in the 1980s, I was part of a television crew Read More
El Charrito Taco Truck in Stamford: Paradise on Wheels Restaurant Food Truck Stamford Tacos Mexican Amy Kundrat March 22, 2010 I have a reputation among my friends and family as being a bit taco obsessed. I do not deny this. So when El Charrito, Stamford's infamous taco truck re-opened for business on March 1st after closing for the long cold Connecticut winter, to say I was looking forward to my first taco of the year is a bit of an understatement. Ecstatic is more like it. I was literally counting down the days. Some look for the first crocus popping through the earth as a sign of spring, but for me it may be the arrival of the El Charrito taco truck. What makes El Charrito such a sought-after foodie destination? It has to be a combination of their traditional and hearty Mexican tacos and the hard-working duo, Carols and Alex who have put it on the Connecticut culinary map. You can count on traditional Mexican style tacos ranging from carnitas, a slow-cooked pork, to Lengua, an even more tender offering of cow tongue. A double tortilla shell envelops each taco topped off with chopped raw onion, fresh cilantro and a few lime wedges. Although they craft some seriously delicious tacos, El Charrito also offers diversity in the form of a daily menu and specials ranging from tamales, moles and huaraches should one ever tire of the taco. Read More
The Filling Station: Grass-Fed Fast Food Burgers For All Restaurant Organic New Canaan Lunch Kid Friendly Burgers Stephanie Webster March 20, 2010 Walking up to The new Filling Station Co. in New Canaan last weekend, you would have thought they were giving away free food. Lines of families snaked through the tight burger joint, all eager to sample the long awaited kid and price-friendly fare. But the huddled masses were not just here for a bargain priced burger. The Filling Station, with it's retro-modern street appeal, has a value proposition that is hard to beat for consumers who care about the food they eat. Everything served at The Filling Station is organic, grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone free. Let me tell you, devouring hamburgers, dogs, and shakes has never felt so right. For some parents (myself included), this is the holy-grail and reason enough to travel for a fun for the whole family meal, but I needed to sample the goods before I was sold. With the prospect of comparing these grass-fed burgers to those of the competition, we entered en masse with a party of 6. Read More
"Outstanding In The Field" Comes to Wilton August 25th Restaurant Events Stephanie Webster March 19, 2010
Want A Free Kitchen Makeover? New TV Show Casting CT Features Events Stephanie Webster March 19, 2010 Do you have a friend or loved one who has a real passion for cooking but is trapped in an outdated, nonfunctional or just plain ugly kitchen? Now's your chance to nominate him/her to receive a kitchen worthy of a gourmet chef for free! We are currently casting dynamic homeowners who love to cook but are in desperate need of a completely new kitchen. We're also looking for you. ..our accomplice in this mission. If selected, you would help our team install a state-of-the-art kitchen for the frustrated foodie in your life. ACT NOW. They're casting the series IMMEDIATELY! RIVR Media is based out of TN produces shows for DIY, HGTV, Food Network, Animal Planet, A&E, etc. They are casting homeowners in CT, or cities that are within an hour or so of NYC (ex. Stamford, Greenwich, Darion, etc). This is a “reality” show – one similar to those on HGTV or Extreme Home Makeover on ABC. Good luck! If you're interested in nominating a cook and being a part of our exciting new show, please email them the following information: Read More
Green Gourmet To Go in Bridgeport Ingredients Features Bridgeport Organic Elizabeth Keyser March 19, 2010 Originally written for the Fairfield Green Food Guide. It’s way too soon to change the name to Green Rock, but Black Rock is getting greener. Green Gourmet To Go, offering local, organic vegetarian and vegan meals, will open on Fairfield Avenue in April (yes I know the photo says March, but dates slip). The attractive little storefront, with its soothing celedon walls and coppery silk curtains will offer healthy and environmentally conscious hot and cold lunches and dinners. Chef-Owner Linda Soper-Kolton was a lifelong food lover and dedicated home cook before she decided to attend the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. The recent NGI graduate is inspired. She wants makes to make eating healthy meals easy and approachable. “I’ll serve burritos, but healthy burritos,” she said in a recent interview. Think burritos filled with sweet potatoes, kale, black beans and grains. Her Dixie burger is made from black-eyed peas and sweet potatoes and served with chipotle sauce. Her hummus and avocado wrap gets punch and crunch from shiitake “bacon” crisps. Read More
Bon Appetit Cafe: Wilton’s Petit Star Restaurant Wilton Lunch Christy Colasurdo March 18, 2010 For as long as I can remember, Roget Martin presided over Voila! in Fairfield, a jam-packed French bistro housed in a homey, red shingled building across from the Town Green. Then, one day, Voila! had disappeared and, in it’s place stood the very fine Osianna, an upscale Mediterranean newcomer and a worthy replacement. Still, I wondered what had happened to the affable and ruddy-cheeked Roget, who, as maître d’, had lovingly presided over Voila!, sharing jokes and stories and dispensing large pours of Beaujolais to throngs of happy repeat diners. Imagine my surprise when a friend introduced me to Bon Appétit Café, a charming yet unassuming French café, tucked into the Stop and Shop plaza in the heart of Wilton. Though Roget was nowhere in sight when I entered, his fingerprints were all over the place. Though the décor and vibe were night and day from Voila! to Bon Appetit, the food and service were a dead giveaway. Whereas Voila! was known for its rollicking Saturday night scene and standing-only room crowds, Bon Appetit is first and foremost a casual neighborhood lunch and dinner spot, popular for both dining in and takeout. Ladies who lunch have put it on the map Read More
Kid-friendly Cooking Project for Stir-Crazy Adults Kids Bites Features Holiday kids activity Recipe Kid Friendly Jennifer Spaide March 15, 2010 For those of you with functioning ovens and kids home from school, here is a tasty time consumer. For creative great tasting "homemade" cookies in a pinch, try this shortcut from Jennifer Spaide of Greenchic.com. As a chef it’s important to know your weaknesses in the kitchen. And I am fully willing to admit that mine is baking. If it’s more complicated than emptying a mix into a bowl, cracking a few eggs, and whisking, don’t expect me to do it well. So you can imagine the panic that pulsed through me when I was asked to bake cookies for some gift baskets. What, me? Really?! But I was up for the challenge… or the cheat. Don’t tell, but I decided to pull a Sandra Lee and take some “semi-homemade” help from the grocery store by purchasing premade sugar cookie dough. I chose an all-natural brand because it’s a little healthier (no trans fats or high fructose corn syrup). With the basic batter under control, and a little stress off my shoulders, I was free to get creative with the flavors & fillings. I decided to make three different kinds of cookie: Chocolate Cherry Almond, Ginger Sesame Coconut, and Orange Fig Thumb Drops. These recipes are so simple it's genius (not to toot my own horn, but “Toot toot”). Read More
Ask Chef Nicole: Latin Roasted Pulled Pork Features Ask Chef Nicole Chef Talk Recipe Kid Friendly Latin American Nicole Straight March 11, 2010 I don't know about you, but in my family, the one meal that is unanimously savored is pulled pork. With three kids, it's a minor miracle if nobody turns their nose up when we sidle up to the table, but everybody loves the shredded, juicy, tender "other white meat." Sweet, spicy, savory...any way you make it, it's good. We traditionally go BBQ style, but eager for a change from the vinegary sweetness of this recipe, I asked Chef Nicole to come up with an alternate version. She suggested this spicier cousin, Latin Roasted Pulled Pork. What I like about this recipe is that it requires almost no work and you don't need a slow-cooker to make it. Sure, you can use yours if you own one, but when we taste-tested this recipe I quickly realized I didn't miss the equipment. If you are cooking for kids, just leave out the jalapeno. It still tastes great. Note: If you are looking for a quick BBQ pulled pork recipe, check out the Screamin' Meanie Pulled Pork Bites from our Halloween party snacks post. Latin Roasted Pulled Pork Read More
CT Bites Lunch Event @ The Dressing Room Restaurant CTbites Lunch Events Stephanie Webster March 10, 2010 Wednesday, March @24th, come join CTBites and SuzySaid for a special lunch event at The Dressing Room. This 3 course prix fixe menu is only for our readers, and a great value at $18. $6 Specialty cocktails and wine will be offered. If you haven't sampled their new menu, this is the perfect opportunity. Check out the custom menu below. Diners will get FREE goody bags with eatable treats from local vendors as well as special value coupons. Call NOW to reserve your spot and tell them CTbites sent you. (203) 226-1114. Lunch will be served from 11:30-3. Read More
Flavorful Lunch Bargain @ Thai Pearl in Ridgefield Restaurant Asian Ridgefield Thai Lunch Amy Kundrat March 10, 2010 If you're looking to give your brown bag a break or if you just can't face another sandwich, you'd be hard pressed to find a better and more affordable lunch alternative than Thai Pearl in Ridgefield. With a prix fixe lunch menu featuring ten traditional Thai dishes and three courses starting at just $8.95, I'd say it's easily one of the most affordable and most satisfying lunches in town. On a recent snowy afternoon, I began with the shumai as a warm and savory amuse bouche to start the meal. A combination of shrimp, tofu and vegetables fill three wonton wrappers. I presume these are steamed and then pan fried given their chewy exterior and crisp edges, and then finished with a chili and soy sauce. The other lunch appetizer options include soup, salad or spring roll. One course down, two more to go. Read More
Breakfast Solution: Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro Restaurant Brunch Norwalk Breakfast Lunch jodie semel March 08, 2010 Before I met my husband, I gave nary a thought to the most important meal of the day. I’d rather sleep. But since becoming enlightened to the art of eating this meal, weekend breakfasts have become sacrosanct to my family. One of our houses of worship is Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro, located in an indistinct shopping center in Norwalk. The food snob in me has learned that you cannot judge a restaurant by its geography. Such is life in suburbia – some restaurants are in strip malls. They are not all as transporting as this one. Robert Troilo, owner and chef, was schooled at the French Culinary Institute in New York and it shows, both in his inspired cooking and its artful presentation. Equally impressive is that he seems to always be there, greeting customers warmly, cooking in the open kitchen, serving and waiting on tables. Last summer, at a friend’s suggestion, I ventured to the strip mall at 75 Main Street for a Saturday night dinner (read our review). The food was so outstanding, we asked the requisite question of each distinctive restaurant in Fairfield County: “Are you opened for breakfast?” Read More
Chef Talk: Barcelona's Spicy Lobster Salad Features Chef Talk Seafood Recipe Stephanie Webster March 04, 2010 Here is our second installment from the Barcelona Cookbook, Spicy Lobster Salad. This recipe will have you craving those Summer lobster runs to Massachusetts. It is simple, fresh and delicious, but has a little kick giving it that signature Barcelona flair. Spicy Lobster Salad Read More
Behind the Scenes @ Napa & Co: Iron Chef Mushrooms Restaurant Stamford Recipe Farm Fresh Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger February 28, 2010 Napa & Company in Stamford, one of the elite restaurants in Connecticut, was founded several years ago and immediately created a frenzy of activity along Summer Street. Proprietors, Mary Schaeffer and Charles Morgan, have been fixtures within the high-end Stamford restaurant scene for many years and have raised the culinary bar in Fairfield County. They are known for their menu's dedicated farm-to-table approach with a focus on locally sourced seasonal ingredients, and an outstanding wine list. The kitchen is presided over by the very talented Executive Chef Arik Bensimon, whose youth belies his extensive experience. Raised in a restaurant family, he began cooking at the age of 14. After graduating from the CIA he worked at top NYC dining establishments including Le Cirque and Picholine. Chef Arik's unique ability to stay calm and focused sets the tone for this uncharacteristically non-frenetic commercial kitchen, and allows his efficient and friendly kitchen staff to produce an incredible array of inspired creations. In thinking how to best present the well established Napa & Company to the CTbites community, we asked if we could combine an “Iron Chef” single ingredient concept with a trip behind the scenes to watch Chef Arik in action. Chef Arik was quick to accept our challenge (which included my assisting in the kitchen). And now, Napa & Company meets Iron Chef…MUSHROOMS!!! Read More
A Guide to Fairfield County 2010 CSAs Ingredients Features Delivery Service Local Farm Organic healthy Farm Fresh CTbites Team February 26, 2010 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a means for consumers to buy a share in a farm's seasonal production directly from the farmer. Consumers benefit from buying local, farm fresh, high quality produce at an attractive price and farmers benefit from pre-selling the harvest. It’s a clear win-win. CSA members typically pick up their weekly shares at the farm or a location in their community, but a new CSA option is delivered to your door! Community pick up locations generally involve a small volunteer commitment, perhaps two hours per season, during which the site is readied and broken down for weekly share distribution. CSA membership is not for everyone because in such a partnership arrangement, the consumer shares both the bounty of the farm's harvest and some of the risks inherent in farming. We have lost so much farmland in Connecticut that less than one percent of our residents earn a living by farming. Eat well, support your local farmer and do your bit to preserve farmland by buying a CSA share in one of our precious organic or IPM (Integrated Pest Management) farms. Back in January I announced that it was CSA registration month and shared that two organic farms were expanding and had opened their lists to new CSA families: Sport Hill Farm in Easton and The Hickories in Ridgefield. The CSAs from these two farms quickly sold out. The good news is that there are still a few CSAs open for new subscribers, but you should act quickly if you want to secure a share. Read More
Roasted Beet & Watercress Salad w/ Toasted Walnuts Features Ask Chef Nicole Chef Talk healthy Recipe Stephanie Webster February 23, 2010 People are often daunted by the prospect of proper beet handling and cooking. Personally speaking, I always order them when dining out because I lack the will to cook them at home. Recently, I sat in on one of Chef Nicole's cooking classes, where Balsamic Glazed Roasted Beets with Toasted Walnuts & Grapefruit Over Watercress was on the menu. Watching the simple preparation of this delicious dish helped me turn the corner. Beets can be found year round at your local grocer although the small tender beets are generally in season only from June through October. High in nutrients and low in calories, these sweet earthy root vegetables are great solo or in salads like the one below. The acidity of the balsamic vinegar and the grapefruit work well to counterbalance the sugary beets, while the toasted walnuts provide great texture and crunch. Make this dish for your next dinner party or as a light healthy lunch. Balsamic Glazed Roasted Beets with Toasted Walnuts and Grapefruit Segments Over Watercress Read More
