Bonda Restaurant is Back...Now in Fairfield Restaurant American Fairfield Margie Treisman October 17, 2010 If you liked Bonda at its former Westport/Saugatuck location, you’ll love its new incarnation in Fairfield’s Greenfield Hill (the former home of La Colline Verte and Fraiche). Sure, we miss Abbondanza – owner/chef Jamie Cooper’s former Saugatuck gourmet deli/catering operation and site of the original Bonda. But we’re excited he’s now focused on the restaurant and taking it to the next level in this new location. It’s a clean, inviting space, with warm orange walls, fresh white trim, vintage posters and comfortable seating. The small, sixty-seat restaurant was nearly filled to capacity when we visited on an otherwise quiet Tuesday evening in October. For good reason. In fact, for at least three very good reasons. Reason 1: The Bond-alicious food. Inventive yet simple dishes, expertly prepared. Although the menu has a classic American backbone, Jamie treats the world as his pantry. Read More
Advertisement: Tasti D-Lite Is Coming to Fairfield! Kids Bites Restaurant Fairfield Kid Friendly Dessert Stephanie Webster October 14, 2010 Good news for Tasti D-Lite fans. Made with natural ingredients, this lower calorie frozen dessert treat is opening its doors in Fairfield CT on October 20th at 1201 King Highway in Fairfield's Staples Plaza. Tasti D Lite has long had a cult following among health-conscious consumers as well as celebrities who line up to enjoy their guilt-free confections. Now Fairfield can enjoy the pleasure of Tasti without the commute, and CTbites readers get a FREE topping during the month of October! The Fairfield store will have nine tables, comfortable couches, and Wi-Fi access. Pair this with 100+ creamy delicious flavors (most of which are gluten free), including Toasted Coconut, Caramel Apple, and Mud Pie…why would you ever leave? Read More
Foxwoods 4th Annual Food & Wine Festival Road Trip Restaurant Events Wine Chat Amy Kundrat October 14, 2010
CTbites Lunch Event: Sugar & Olives Restaurant CTbites Lunch Events Stephanie Webster October 13, 2010 Join us for a spooktacular CTbites Lunch Event @ Sugar & Olives on October 26th. Chef Jennifer Balin is going all "pumpkin" on us with this exciting $20 prix fixe menu (including lobster risotto and a clever twist on the pop tart). Sugar & Olives is known for fresh flavors, locally sourced organic fare, and desserts that are worth the extra gym time...not to mention the beautiful ultra modern lounge-worthy dining space. Check out the menu below: Seatings will be @ 12 & 1PM. Call 203.454.3663 for reservations. Sugar & Olives $20 Prix Fixe Lunch Menu Read More
Ninety+Cellars: Premium Wine for Less Ingredients Features Wine Chat Deanna Foster October 12, 2010 Most of us like name brand products - especially when it comes to food. How often do we drive to different grocery stores to buy our favorite coffee or coveted snack item? Occasionally, I’m tempted to buy a store brand or private label option, attracted by the value and the hope it will taste as good as the name brand I trust, but past disappointments make me skeptical, and more often than not, I move on to the usual suspects to fill my market basket. I admit, my brand loyalties run deep, so I was particularly skeptical when CTbites decided to review 4 bottles of a new discount wine, branded under the label Ninety+Cellars. Yes, images of another Two Buck Chuck sprang to mind, but after our tasting and some research, I am convinced that the Ninety+Cellars is a distinctive label in its own right and it is now available in CT. Read More
Chao Chi: Destination Dining in Northern Fairfield County Restaurant American Newtown Amy Kundrat October 10, 2010 Chao Chi is a collaboration between Elaine Chao, the former restaurant’s owner and Prasad Chirnomula, the new owner and the man behind Thali restaurants. Together they have transformed a former Pan Asian restaurant, into something of a modern American destination for northern Fairfield County, an area better known for farms than fine dining. Read More
$45 Wine Dinner @ The Boathouse for CTbites Only!! Restaurant Events Stephanie Webster October 09, 2010 Due to the great success of our recent lunch @ The Boathouse, Chef John Holzwarth has decided to treat CTbites one more time with a special dinner event featuring South American wine pairings for CTbites readers only! This beautiful 3 course dinner is a great deal at $45 and will be held on Wednesday October 13th and Thursday October 14th. Check out the menu below and grab yourself a seat by calling 203.227.3399 for reservations. CTbites $45 Wine Tasting Dinner Menu Read More
Skillet Eggs & Potatoes from "The Parsley Thief" Kids Bites Features Recipe Breakfast Kid Friendly katie vitucci October 07, 2010 Katie Vitucci is a Norwalk resident and the Founder of The Parsley Thief, a blog about food and family. When I was a child, my grandmother's fried potatoes were one of my most favorite things in the world. She cooked them in a cast iron skillet, with nothing else but some oil, until they were perfectly crisped. Then, she would fry an egg on top. Whenever I wasn't feeling well, this is what she would make me...the ultimate comfort food. I recently made some for my kids. They are not potato fans...but, they do like french fries & these are so crispy, they don't taste like typical home fries, which sometimes have a mushy texture. They taste like french fries. They loved them!! So, this has become one of our "Breakfast for Dinner" options. This dish can be modified to suit your taste. Add some garlic, onion, bell or hot peppers...anything. I highly recommend using a cast iron skillet, as it does such a great job of browning the potatoes. Skillet Eggs & Potatoes Read More
This Week In Wine: Dierberg Chardonnay Ingredients Features This Week In Wine Kathleen Hall October 06, 2010 The Dierberg winery is located in the Santa Maria Valley, the northern-most wine appellation in Santa Barbara County in Central California. The Valley tends to be cool and foggy with breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean, resulting in a gentle ripening of the grapes. Fermenting the wine in larger oak barrels – as opposed to smaller oak barriques -- enables the wood flavors to become well-integrated without becoming heavy-handed. Dierberg Chardonnay is a perfect example of the shift in California winemaking towards a more restrained use of oak in Chardonnay. Flavors of golden pear, lemon custard, vanilla and warm spices. Read More
Pinkberry Grand Opening Party Kids Bites Restaurant Events Fairfield Kid Friendly Dessert Stephanie Webster October 06, 2010
This Week @ The Westport Farmer's Market: Chef Nicole Features Ask Chef Nicole Recipe Liz Rueven October 05, 2010 Chef Nicole Straight will present two autumnal dishes to shoppers at the Westport Farmers Market on Thursday October 7th, between 10-2. Balsamic macerated figs with sweetened ricotta (recipe below) is a welcome alternative to baked fruit desserts at this time of year. Straight’s simple and flavorful preparation is assembled in two easy steps. She allows plump, glossy figs to be front and center, accented by the creaminess of sweetened, whole milk ricotta. Her second presentation will be a fall twist on bruschetta. Now that tomato season has sadly wained, Straight concocts an equally appetizing combo of eggplant, apples, butternut squash and onions with honey, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, cayenne and paprika. She hits all of the taste buds in this colorful and nutrient packed assemblage of the season’s highlights. The chef will source all of her veggies, onions, honey and figs from the market that morning. She often turns to SONO BAKING CO. for her bread and will use their baguettes to support her veggie laden topping on Thursday. Read More
Seasonal Beer Picks with Mitch Ancona Ingredients Restaurant Beer Amy Kundrat October 05, 2010 Each fall the world of beer appears to come down with a serious case of seasonal allergies. I’m referring to the abundance of autumnal ales vying for more and more cooler space in our local package stores. While I’m digging around fall seasonals, it would be downright insensitive of me to ignore the popular kid of the seasonal beer world, pumpkin ales which seem to multiply exponentially each year. Rather than allow my novice palate lead us through the promised land of malted grain, I visited Mitch Ancona of Ancona’s Wines & Liquors in Ridgefield to guide me on this year’s best seasonal beer offerings. His walk-in beer cooler is one of the best kept secrets for beer lovers. Read More
Reheated: This Week's Top Food News in CT & Beyond Features Restaurant News Amy Kundrat October 05, 2010 Reheated is a weekly round-up of bite-sized food news in Connecticut and beyond. In Connecticut... Plan your meals around SoNo restaurant week now through October 8. Info CTbites.com SoNo Chef Shootout at Clarke Showroom on Oct. 7. Via CTbites. The Westport Food Revolution hosts a Green Halloween costume swap at Whole Foods Market in Westport on Thursday. Oct 7th. Info. GreenHalloween.org The 5th annual Harvest Tasting fundraiser on Oct. 9 featuring 60 wines at Darien's Equinox Club. Via. NicholasRoberts. Author Coleman Andrews will be speaking in CT Oct 8 @ RJ Julia in Madison, Oct. 14 @ New Canaan Library & Oct 28 @ Old Greenwich Library. Read More
Bobby Flay Is Coming To Stew's Ingredients Features Cookbooks Events Stephanie Webster October 04, 2010 ARE YOU READY FOR A THROWDOWN? Meet bestselling author and Food Network royalty, Bobby Flay, at Stew Leonard's on Saturday, October 30 at 11:00 a.m. WHAT: Bobby Flay, bestselling author and Food Network star, will greet fans and sign his brand new cookbook, BOBBY FLAY’S THROWDOWN! More Than 100 Recipes from Food Network’s Ultimate Cooking Challenge at Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk Saturday, October 30 starting at 11:00 a.m. Twenty lucky fans will win a reserved place at the front of the line to have their book signed. Fans can submit their entries online or the ballot box at any of the Stew Leonard’s stores in Norwalk, Danbury, Yonkers, and Newington. Read More
Black Duck Burger Makes Top 5 List Restaurant Delicious Dives Westport Comfort Food Kid Friendly Burgers jfood October 03, 2010 My latest stop in the Fairfield County Burger Quest brought me to the Black Duck Café in Westport. Located in the shadows of I-95 and overlooking the Saugatuck River I was startled to see a building that looked more like a candidate for a reconstruction project than a restaurant. The structure is not a building at all but a retired ice and refrigeration barge that was originally built in the 1840’s. It was refurbished in the early 1900’s and eventually relocated to its current location in 1961 and sits atop another barge that sank at a time when the Saugatuck River was much deeper. Read More
CTbites Shout Out: What's Your Favorite Pizza in CT? Restaurant CTbites Shout Out Pizza Stephanie Webster October 02, 2010
Great Gear: Navigating The Cook’s Nook Ingredients Features Kitchen Gear Norwalk Specialty Market Deanna Foster October 01, 2010 The Cook’s Nook in Norwalk couldn’t be more aptly named. Twisting through its adjoining rooms, filled to capacity, brings you from one alcove and surprising find to another. As you step into the door, you are faced with a navigation decision: the room straight ahead or to the right? It’s not the last time you’re made to choose, but take heart, there are no bad choices here. Like being lost in the streets of Paris, winding your way from one enchanting street to the next, your shopping experience is more adventure than errand. Read More
The Boathouse Lunch Event Recap Restaurant CTbites Lunch Events Stephanie Webster September 29, 2010 Yesterday's event at The Boathouse was the perfect kick off to the 2010 CTbites & Suzysaid lunch season. The rain may have put a damper on the beautiful patio dining but it did not dilute the enthusiasm in the packed room as we eagerly awaited our first course. Chef Holzwarth surprised lucky diners by adding an unexpected starter to the already intriguing menu. "It felt like a soup day" he stated as bowls of creamy oyster soup plated with a single perfectly roasted oyster in red wine vert jus began to circulate. Crunchy breadcrumbs punctuated the silkiness of both crustacean and chowder. Who doesn't like a surprise…especially when you can eat it? The lunch menu can be found here for your vicarious reading pleasure, but a few highlights were... Read More
Judging The Iron Chef @ The Blues & BBQ Festival Ingredients Restaurant BBQ Events Kid Friendly Sarah Green September 28, 2010 So it turns out that the formation of the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) started as a big joke by Carolyn and Gary Wells and Rick Welch (a.k.a Sir Loin) one fine evening in 1985. They put together a bar-b-que newsletter, called it the "Bull Sheet," and an organization of of fanatical bbq aficionados was formed. Membership at official formation = 12. Since then, the membership numbers have exploded (300,000 at last count) and the light-hearted, half-joking nature of the society has taken a serious turn for the...well...serious! Part of the KCBS's Judges' oath states that each judge shall accept his/her duty to judge objectively and subjectively so that "truth, justice, excellence in Barbeque and the preservation of the American way of life..." may be strengthened and preserved forever. Wow. I think that may be more moving for people than the swearing in of the Commander in Chief. (Commander in Chef, perhaps?) All I can say is this, there was NO joking around during the Iron Chef competition at the Blues, Views, and BBQ's Festival at the Levitt Pavilion in Westport Read More
SoNo Chef Shoot Out @ Clarke Culinary Center Restaurant Chef Talk Norwalk Amy Kundrat September 27, 2010 The Ultimate SoNo Chef Shoot Out will take place on Thursday, October 7th, at 6 pm at the Clarke Culinary Center. This iron-chef-style competition will pit Matt Storch, head chef of SoNo’s Match restaurant and Master Chocolatier Fritz Knipschildt, founder of Café Chocopologie against each other in front of a crowd of 40 lucky guests. The chefs are asked to create three different dishes (an appetizer, entrée and dessert) with just one ingredient. A panel of judges and guest ballots will decide the winner as they taste the recipes paired with wine and the restaurant’s specialty cocktails. Tickets are $125 and will benefit The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County. Read More
