What's Happening Sweet Tot? Restaurant Delicious Dives Recipe Comfort Food Kid Friendly Amy Kundrat April 27, 2011 Photo: Via Flickr user cassaendra No, I'm not cat-calling you, but these fried pillows of sweet potato certainly called to me on a recent trip to Burgers, Shakes & Fries. A nice respite from the french fry with an unfortunate name that when used, makes one feel as if they are bleeding brain cells, the sweet potato tot boasts a shape that maximizes its fried surface area with an interior brimming with sweet potato goodness. Read More
"Chopped" Chef Bynum Brings Beach Burgers to Norwalk Restaurant Norwalk Kid Friendly Dessert Burgers Multiple Eaters April 24, 2011 Our contributor Jfood and readers Andrew Dominick and Toni Tiller get to the soul of Chef Bynum's new Beach Burger in East Norwalk. Here's what they had to say….. Jfood on Beach Burger: If you are like me, you watch the Food Network and wonder how the chefs on Chopped develop each dish and how do they really taste? To sample the results of Chopped Champion Chef Marc Anthony Byrum’s renditions of hamburgers, residents of Norwalk need only drive to a restaurant on First Street to taste some inventive hamburgers being prepared at The Beach Burger. Housed in a non-descript white building across the street from his business partner Anthony Luciani’s Frosty Cone, the pair are delivering very good burgers at incredibly reasonable prices. Read More
Mango Sorbet via The Parsley Thief Features Recipe Kid Friendly Dessert katie vitucci April 20, 2011 This time last year I posted about my addiction to Champagne mangoes..also known as Ataulfo mangoes. These differ from traditional mangoes in that they are brighter yellow in color, have a smoother texture & are sweeter. I love mangoes in general, but this variety is truly something special. They have a super smooth texture & are very sweet. I saw them at the grocery store last week, in season once again & I bought a bunch. I bought so many that I couldn't eat them all before they became overly ripe...so soft I had no idea what to do with them. I was going to dice & freeze them to add to my "smoothie bag"--My smoothie bag is where I add fruit that has ripened too much to eat, but will still be great in smoothies. But, this time I decided that these mangoes needed something special. I decided to make some mango sorbet. Read More
The Best Movie Popcorn in Fairfield County Ingredients Restaurant Comfort Food Best of CT Kid Friendly Lou Gorfain April 19, 2011 YOU’LL LAUGH. YOU’LL CRY. YOU’LL MUNCH. Forget the sliders at Butterfield 8 or the pepperoni pizza at Remo’s. The tastiest treat along Stamford’s Bedford Avenue could be the popcorn served at the Avon Theater. Like its magnificent art-deco neon marquee, Avon’s popcorn is iconic. Always fresh, these tiny cumulus clouds lightly coated in pure butter, melt in your mouth and stir remembrances of times past: double features, dark balconies and stolen kisses. Popcorn may be the main profit maker at every movie house in Fairfield County, but there’s a lot of disparity, especially between chains and independents. The popcorns served by three independents get my nominations for Best Performance by a Popcorn. Read More
Harvest to Heat Cookbook: A Farm-to-Kitchen Journey Ingredients Features Cookbooks Farm to Table Farmers Market Recipe Deanna Foster April 19, 2011 Cookbooks used to be written for those who loved to cook or for those who needed to cook. Today’s food-centric culture has added breadth and depth to the genre. Food lovers and home cooks look to chefs not just for instruction, but for inspiration. “Harvest to Heat, Cooking with America’s Best Chefs, Farmers, and Artisans” by Darryl Estrine and Kelly Kochendorfer goes one step beyond, showcasing the local farmers, ranchers and artisans who serve as muse to those esteemed chefs. The result is a celebration of the symbiotic relationship between farmers and chefs and the masterpieces created by their combined efforts. Read More
Gabriele's in Greenwich: A Steakhouse With Italian Roots Restaurant Greenwich Italian Seafood Steakhouse Amy Kundrat April 17, 2011 An American Italian restaurant dressed in elegant steakhouse clothes, Gabriele's in Greenwich is the bespoke incarnation of Luca's, the Italian restaurant and caterer that's inhabited Church Street for the past fifteen years. Read More
Swizzles Frozen Yogurt Opens This Weekend Restaurant Darien Kid Friendly Dessert Amy Kundrat April 15, 2011 There is a new tart yogurt kid in town. Swizzles Frozen Yogurt is opening this week in Darien and Wilton with a third store in Ridgefield slated to open early this summer. Opening parties offering free yogurt are scheduled for Swizzles Darien on Saturday, April 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Swizzles Wilton on Sunday, April 17 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Swizzles will sell its yogurt at $.59 per ounce and will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday. Read More
Easter & Passover Eats in Fairfield County, CT Ingredients Features Restaurant Holiday Breakfast Dessert Stephanie Webster April 12, 2011 Easter & Passover are just around the corner, and we've been vigilantly scoping out interesting holiday sweets & savories, restaurant reservations, and catering tips to share with you. Here are a few nibbles to get you started on your holiday planning, but this is just a sampling. If you have come across an holiday event or product find, please let us know by posting a comment below. What's Easter Without Chocolate? Belgique Chocolatier in New Canaan is Easter central with 3-feet high chocolate rabbits weighing in at approx. 23 pounds. They also make smaller sizes, as well as chocolate nests with chocolate/hazelnut speckled eggs, chocolate hens and chicks, chocolate eggs to fill with chocolates, bunnies pulling carts with chocolate eggs, etc. Read More
Homemade Matzo c/o Tabouli Grill's Judy Roll Features Holiday Recipe Judy Roll April 12, 2011 Chef Judy Roll of Tabouli Grill has been making matzo for her family for years because nobody should be made to suffer through the "cardboard-y" boxed brands. This recipe differs from the classic version as she brushes the matzo with olive oil and then sprinkles with sea salt and za'tar. Hey..why not? It's amazingly simple. Try it in your home this Passover. Read More
Casa Villa in Stamford: Let Them Eat Tacos Restaurant Stamford Mexican Amy Kundrat April 10, 2011 Taco: noun [ta-ko] A flour tortilla wrapped around a variety of proteins and often garnished with cilantro, as prepared traditionally with endless regional Mexican iterations. Add condiments such as cheese and you’re veering into Tex Mex territory. Compare them to the ubiquitious chain with the cute canine spokesperson, and consider yourself kicked out of the will. Best when served from a Mexican grandmother’s kitchen, a truck in Los Angeles or Stamford, CT. There are many who take their tacos seriously. And for the unfortunate few of them who live in Connecticut, at times it can feel like a futile culinary pursuit. The new Casa Villa in Stamford erases many of those painful memories with a new and practically posh incarnation at 622 East Main Street, in the space formerly occupied by Myrna’s. Read More
Chef Talk: Lolita Cocina's Blanco Sangria Features Chef Talk Cocktails Amy Kundrat April 07, 2011 The Blanco Sangria is a take on the classic red sangria with citrus and brandy. From Lolita: "We start with white wine and build up all the flavors we imagined would be present in the ‘perfect white sangria’. A little vanilla from vanilla vodka, a nice floral- honeyed component from Lillet Blanc and a touch of citrus from Citronage – a bracing orange liqueur. To play up our summertime ideal, we add ripe peaches, lychees, pineapple and grapes. Over ice, it makes you forget you are in CT, but rather on the Mexican Riviera, feet in the sand." Read More
Michele's Pies (& Cafe) Opens in Westport Ingredients Restaurant Westport Breakfast Kid Friendly Dessert Sarah Green April 06, 2011 Michele's Pies of Norwalk has arrived at its latest home in Westport! Situated at the old Baskin and Robbins location at the corner of Bay Street and the Post Road, Michele's Pies is a welcome newcomer to the area - finally, a great place for a patisserie-style breakfast in Westport. Michele Albano and fiance' Kelly Stuart opened the new pie haven last month and it's time to "sing a song of sixpence!" With a variety of delectable treats, Michele's Pies has something for every craving. From scrumptious CHOCCOLATE/BOURBAN/PECAN to KEY LIME to COUNTRY APPLE to the many savory delights including CHICKEN POT PIE, AUSTRALIAN BEEF, and outrageous LOBSTER QUICHE, Michele's Pies are sure to satisfy. And the pies are just the beginning! The shop opens for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. and serves BEAN & LEAF coffee (single origin, fair trade and organic) out of New London. Read More
Food 411: Name the Restaurant that Served This... Restaurant Food 411 Stephanie Webster April 05, 2011
Chef Nicole: Thai Meatballs with Dipping Sauce Features Ask Chef Nicole Thai Recipe Kid Friendly Nicole Straight April 04, 2011 I made these Thai Meatballs with Dipping Sauce last week for my family and they were devoured in record time. Served in a lettuce leaf or over rice, they are big on flavor, but are not overly adventurous for little palates. These are perfect for busy families as the prep time is minimal. Try them in your house, and let us know what you think. Read More
Behind the Scenes @ Match Restaurant in SoNo Ingredients Restaurant Farm to Table Norwalk Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger April 03, 2011 “Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity” - Voltaire The latest edition of CTBites’ “Behind the Scenes” series is brought to you from Match Restaurant in South Norwalk, where Matt Storch, its owner-chef and Westport native, has been at the helm of the kitchen for over ten years overseeing this highly acclaimed restaurant that creatively promotes today’s Farm to Table philosophy. For those who have never experienced the incredible activity prior to the day’s first customer entering the restaurant, it is a bustle of activity. Chef Matt led us past the floor to ceiling wood burning pizza oven in the back of the dining room and down a flight of stairs to the restaurant’s subterranean kitchen. Read More
Friday Froth: The Cask Republic in New Haven Restaurant Road Trip Beer New Haven James Gribbon April 01, 2011 How about a little food with our beer this week? After all: drinking on an empty stomach, while entertaining in a "hide the women and children" kind of way, is generally not recommended. So let's travel outside of Fairfield County this week (gasp!), and take a road trip to The Cask Republic in New Haven. "The Cask Republic" may sound like early 18th century Tortuga, but owner Christian Burns has forgone rum, anarchy and pirates in favor of more refined surroundings. This point should come as no surprise from the man who also owns The Ginger Man in South Norwalk. The space is mostly wood and leather - a large bar, communal cocktail tables, and booths encourage an atmosphere of fellowship - and then there are the taps. Fifty-three pleasure dispensers line the left wall behind the bar. Fifty-three, plus one cask engine for dispensing cask-conditioned brews and over eighty bottled beers. That gets all six hands of Vishnu clapping furiously. Read More
Caramel Sea Salt Shake @ Filling Station in New Canaan Restaurant New Canaan Kid Friendly Burgers Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger March 29, 2011 CTBites is pleased to present this month’s sneak peak preview of Filling Station’s April 2011 Special Bacon Blue Cheese Burger and its Special Caramel Sea Salt Shake. Although April 1 is normally associated with jokes and pranks on friends and family, the April monthly special burger and shake is neither as it combines some favorite all time flavors. This month’s Special Burger includes the Filling Station's farm raised 75/25 beef with toppings of thick cut bacon, crumbled blue cheese, crunchy deep fried onions, lettuce, tomato and Worcester sauce infused mayonnaise. When I visited Filling Station Co. today, the staff was busy experimenting with the timing of their new non-pressed burger technique for the recently announced Stamford location and I asked if I could try the April burger cooked with this new method. I performed my ritual of cutting the burger in half and saw that the new method produced a perfectly prepared medium rare. My first bite was delicious. Read More
