KLAFF’S Gets Cookin’ Winter Chef Series 2013 Restaurant Chef Talk Cooking Classes CTbites Team January 29, 2013 Throughout the month of February, Klaffs Norwalk and Danbury’s beautiful home design stores will welcome some of Fairfield County’s talented chefs into their kitchen showrooms. To highlight this impressive appliance store and the many kitchens found at Klaffs, guest chefs will be demonstrating their cooking prowess with a series of FREE cooking demonstrations and food samplings every Saturday afternoon in February from 12-2 pm. Chefs from Morello Italian Bistro in Greenwich, Bar Sugo in Norwalk, Cotto Wine Bar in Stamford & WAFU Asian Bistro in Southport are just a few of the chefs being featured in this series. View the complete chef lineup below: Read More
Westport Farmers' Mkt Cabbage Recipe Contest Winner Features Farmers Market Vegetarian Recipe CTbites Team January 29, 2013 With 15 entries and some stiff competition, the judges Nancy Roper and Bill Taibe ate their way through traditional and not so traditional cabbage dishes. After careful consideration and much deliberation, a winner was announced with two dishes tied for second place. Drumroll.....Chef Selma Miriam and Noel Furie, owners of Bloodroot Vegetarian Restaurant, were winners with their S'chee (Russian cabbagesoup) recipe. Their soup was delicious topped with a dollop of sour cream and pinch of dill. The women of Bloodroot have been supporting local and organic before these terms were even considered part of our daily lingo. Check out their winning recipe below: Read More
Picador Opens in New Canaan: Tapas Restaurant French Greek Spanish Tapas New Canaan Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger January 27, 2013 The culinary landscape of New Canaan now includes the vibrant cuisine of the Iberian Peninsula with the opening of Picador, the second restaurant of owner Alan Basaran. Located on Elm Street in the space formerly occupied by Harvest Supper, the interior’s décor offers a warm and inviting environment as backdrop to the region’s vibrant cuisine. Copper-topped tables and a wrap-around leather-covered banquette fill the entire back and side walls with additional copper-topped tables with dark leather chairs occupying the remainder of the space. The walls are adorned with plates, mirrors and sconces; reminiscent of the region. Read More
Pinkberry Opens in Downtown Westport Restaurant Frozen Yogurt Fairfield Kid Friendly Dessert Stephanie Webster January 25, 2013 Attention Pinkberry fans: This frozen yogurt mecca has a new location in Westport, and it is officially open for business. Head on over to 111 Post Road East in Downtown Westport for your next fro-yo fix. Read More
February Baking Classes at Scratch Baking in Milford Features Bakery Cooking Classes kids activity Kid Friendly Dessert Amy Kundrat January 25, 2013 On the heels of a sold-out January class schedule, Scratch Baking in Milford has expanded their class offerings for February to include Croissant 101, Artisan Breads I & II, Treats for your Sweet, Valentine's Day, Breakfast Pizza & Quiche Basics. To reserve your spot, call 203.301.4396 or email Scratch. Croissant 101OFFERED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH &REOFFERRED FEBRUARY 26TH from 6-9PMCroissants are one of the most awarding pastries to make. Learn the in’s and out’s of croissant making in this three-hour class. We will demonstrate how to mix croissant dough and laminate croissant dough and then for the best part, hands-on croissant making. You will learn how to make croissants, pain au chocolat and the very popular monkey bread. Don’t worry, you will be getting a goody bag with these pastries for tomorrow’s breakfast.. that is if you can wait that long! Read More
Bedford Post’s Signature Spiked Hot Chocolate Ingredients Features Cocktails Recipe Dessert CTbites Team January 24, 2013 Meng Chiang, Beverage Director at Bedford Post has created a savory spiked hot chocolate that will warm you up on even the chilliest of winter days. Inspired by a chocolate truffle, the decadent drink is a twist on traditional hot cocoa with Stolichnaya Vodka Salted Karamel and raspberry framboise. A swirl of White Godiva Liqueur Whipped Cream and a sprinkling of chopped macadamia nuts on top are sure to satisfy any sweet-tooth. Bedford Post’s Signature Spiked Hot Chocolate 1 cup of hot chocolate, preferably dark chocolate or salted dulce de leche 1/2 oz Stolichnaya Vodka Salted Karamel 1.0 oz Clear Creek Distillery Raspberry Framboise Topped with White Godiva Liqueur Whipped Cream, chopped macadamia nuts optional Read More
Cooking Class @ Bernard's in Ridgefield Features Cooking Classes CTbites Team January 22, 2013 Class is in session @ Bernard's in Ridgefield. Join Chefs Chef Bernard and Sarah Bouissou on Tuesday, January 29th for an evening of cooking and education as they teach you how to prepare a wonderful 4 course meal. Hors d’oeuvre, appetizer, entrée & dessert will be demonstrated, along with many helpful tips and tricks throughout the evening. Then, the best part, guests will sit down and enjoy the meal they have prepared. MENUHors d’oeuvre – Ratatouille & Herb Cheese Tart Appetizer – Celery Root &Truffle Soup Entrée – Lamb Stew with Creamy Polenta & Roasted Carrots Dessert – Pear & Almond Tart 6:30 pm – cooking demo of hors d’oeuvre, appetizer, entrée and dessert – the dinner to follow! $75 per person – beverages, tax & gratuity are additional Read More
Elm Restaurant's Chef Brian Lewis Offers Cooking Classes Features Cooking Classes CTbites Team January 22, 2013 Chef Brian Lewis and Elm Restaurant in New Canaan are beginning a series of hands-on cooking classes to illustrate the flavors of the season, tempt the palate and teach the aspiring little chefs in the family. On Wednesday January 30 from 11am to 2pm, Chef Brian Lewis will teach various methods of creating healthy and delicious winter dishes. The recipes will feature winter greens and roots and how best to complement these ingredients with citrus & grains. In addition the main event will prepare a salt-baked Branzino, an age-old technique that creates a moist and luscious presentation. The cost of this event is $90 and includes hands-on instruction, recipes and a three-course lunch. The second class is schedule for Wednesday, February 20 for the “lil’ chefs.” You can drop off your aspiring chefs (minimum age 9 years old pleas) at 11AM for a three-hour cooking class during Winter Break and Elm will guide them through the making of pasta with tomato sauce plus that good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies. The fee per child for this class is $45 and includes instruction, recipes and lunch at the chef’s table. For more information, check out the elm restaurant web site. Read More
Bistro Latino: Chef Rafael Palomino Comes to Old Greenwich Restaurant Celebrity Chef Greenwich Spanish Latin American Lou Gorfain January 20, 2013 Acclaimed chef, author and restaurateur Rafael Palomino recently opened Bistro Latino in the space first occupied by Boxing Cat Café and then Greenwich Tavern in Old Greenwich. The vast dining room has been done over in dark wood flooring which is flanked by racked walls that flaunt an extensive portfolio of international wines. Palomino won his food-star stripes when he opened Sonora in Manhattan almost two decades ago, introducing Manhattan to Nuevo Latino cuisine, and earning raves from the city’s food critics. Sonora's wild success inspired Rafael to bring his unique cooking style to satellite restaurants in New Haven, Tuckahoe, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Sonora now lives in Port Chester. Despite its name, Greenwich's Bistro Latino is not really Nuevo Latino since the dishes are more of Spain than Latin and South America. Rafael has created a menu that features European tapas and paella -- which he anoints with flavors from his Columbian and Queens roots. "Spanish bathed in Picante Style," is how the restaurant describes it. As a result, Bistro Latino is really more about invention than tradition. Read More
Casa Villa: Beloved Taco Joint Opens in Bridgeport Restaurant Bridgeport Delicious Dives Tacos Mexican CTbites Team January 16, 2013 Stamford's beloved Mexican restaurant Casa Villa opens a new location in Bridgeport TODAY. The menu will be very similar to that at their East Main Street location, including their signature al pastor tacos and tamales. Congratulations to owner Alvino Villa and his team! Hacienda Villa is located at 2810 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport CT. Click here to read our review of CASA VILLA Read More
Rustico Trattoria: Traditional, Tasty Italian in Westport (sponsored post) Restaurant Gluten-Free Italian Special Dietary Needs Westport CTbites Team January 13, 2013 Wherever you are from, a meal at RUSTICO is like coming home. From the kitchen of Chef Miguel Angelo D'Onofrio, exquisite and thoroughly Italian dishes are only a heartbeat away. This family owned and operated establishment has been open for a year showcasing Chef Miguel's talents and passion for Italian cuisine. Chef Miguel was born in Brazil and his mother is from Spain, but he is all ITALIAN on his father's side and these roots run deep. From traditional recipes, handed down from generation to generation yet modernized by Chef Miguel's creativity, a meal at RUSTICO is a delicious culinary experience. Using only the highest quality meats and fish - no hormones or antibiotics of any kind - and sourcing only the freshest ingredients, Chef Miguel prepares each dish to perfection. For 25 years he worked as an executive chef in Connecticut and was most recently co-owner of Finalmente Trattoria, also in Westport. Now in his own space he prepares dishes that originate from the passion that is Italia, RUSTICO is an extension of Chef Miguel's history. Read More
The Great Wall of Stouts Beer Event @ The Ginger Man Restaurant Beer Dinner Norwalk Beer Stephanie Webster January 10, 2013
Food 411: Name The Restaurant That Served This... Restaurant Food 411 Italian CTbites Team January 10, 2013
Kids Review: Vietnam Palace in Stratford via AsherZeats Restaurant Asian Delicious Dives Stratford Vietnamese Kid Friendly CTbites Team January 09, 2013 Asher is an 8th grader at Fairfield Country Day School. He has a true passion for food and started his blog, AsherZeats, in September of 2012. Asher reviews everything from Michelin starred restaurants to great dives. This review originally ran on AsherZeats. “Anyone who tells a lie has not a pure heart, and cannot make a good soup. “-- Ludwig Van Beethoven. This Saturday we traveled to Vietnam Palace (a new restaurant, opened this past June) located at- 955 Ferry Boulevard, Stratford, CT in a very busy shopping center. When we entered, we noticed two very cool statues of lions and a statue of a Buddha. The ceilings were filled with many upside down umbrellas and the restaurant was extremely clean. We also saw that it was a family run business (the best kind of business) with a very small number of people working there. When we were seated, we were greeted by an EXTREMELY friendly Husband/Wife pair who could not be any nicer. Read More
Scratch Baking Debuts Classes for 2013 Features Bakery Cooking Classes Kid Friendly Dessert Amy Kundrat January 05, 2013 Kick-off 2013 with Scratch Baking in Milford. Due to popular customer demand, owner Leslie Flick and the Scratch team will be sharing their baking prowess in two new classes to be offered in January: Breakfast Pizza & Quiche 101 and Artisan Breads. These small, two-hour classes (limited to 8 per class) will be held at Scratch's Milford location, and participants will head home with a hefty to-go box of Scratch treats. For more information or to reserve your spot, call 203.301.4396 or visit ScratchBakingCT.com/classes. CLASS #1: Breakfast Pizza and Quiche 101OFFERED: TUESDAY, JANUARY 15 & JANUARY 29 from 7-9PM In this two-hour class we will start by making quiche dough... Learn the method for making the flakiest, most buttery crust quiche and tart crust that you will ever sink your teeth into. We will then go onto our Breakfast Pizza, quite possibly the most popular item at Scratch Baking. You can’t go wrong with a thin whole wheat crust topped with seasonal veggies and finished with organic local eggs. Don’t worry, we will give you a box of each items to go. Read More
Pasta Bolognese in Fairfield County Roundup: Part I Restaurant Fairfield Greenwich Italian Norwalk Pasta Stamford New Canaan Jeff Schlesinger & Lou Gorfain January 04, 2013 Mangia, Mangia Mangia…and Mangia again. Pasta Bolognese..a dish so embedded in the DNA of Italian culture that the Italian Academy of Cuisine registered a recipe for "classic Bolognese ragù" with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. The recorded recipe calls for beef from the plate section, unsmoked pancetta, carrot, celery, onions, tomato purée, meat broth, dry wine, milk, salt and pepper, plus a small amount of cream as an option to finish the sauce. There are numerous variations and nuances in the design, flavor, ingredients and most importantly the partner on the plate, the pasta, traditionally a taggliatelle. What started as a simple idea within CTbites to find and recommend a few good Pasta Bolognese dishes in Fairfield County took a life of its own as more suggestions led to more great sauces, which led to, well more great sauces. Over the last several weeks, the two of us have enjoyed some great Pasta Bolognese preparations (and several that were not so good) to give our readers a list of recommended restaurants that serve delicious versions of this traditional Italian fare. It is not all encompassing, is listed alphabetically and we look to our readers to offer other suggestions of restaurants that serve their favorite Pasta Bolognese to be included in next year's search. And this is only part 1…there were too many for just one list of recommendations, so stay tuned for part 2 in the near future. Buon Appetito!!! Read More
Little House Molasses Snow Candy via "Fix Me A Snack" Kids Bites Features kids activity Recipe Kid Friendly Dessert Fix Me A Snack January 01, 2013 The other day, we finally made Molasses-On-Snow Candy from The Little House Cookbook. And let me tell ya that nothing enlivens a snowy New England day like playing with molten sugar! Last winter, books from the Little House series dominated our bedtime reading. I don’t recall reading them as a child so I was enjoying them as much as the kids were. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s retelling of her childhood transported us back in time. Given our heartfelt connection to the Ingalls family, it’s unclear who likes the whole idea of making foods out of the Little House Cookbook more, me or the girls. Either way, they did a spectacular job making molasses candy. Nobody had to go to the hospital with third degree burns. Another successful day of parenting! Read More
CTbites Staff Picks for TOP EATS OF 2012 Restaurant Top 10 Eats Best of CT Stephanie Webster December 31, 2012 It's that time again...time to reflect on the year that has passed, and look forward to what is yet to come. For the food obsessed in Fairfield County, 2012 was a stellar year. The restaurant scene literally exploded with some very notable openings, and 2013 promises to continue the trend. As we say good bye to 2012, we asked the CTbites Team to list the restaurants at which they spent the most time eating throughout the year. What you see below are the STAFF PICKS for TOP EATS OF 2012. Let us know your favorite spots as well. Happy New Year from CTbites. Read More
Cooking Classes w/ "Dinners at the Farm" Chef Rapp Features Chef Talk Cooking Classes CTbites Team December 28, 2012 Want to cook effortless, mouthwatering dishes for your guests this holiday season or anytime? Then register today for White Gate Farm's series of Farm Kitchen cooking classes featuring the Dinners at the Farm Chef Jonathan Rapp on January 8, 9 or 10 -- Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday -- 3:00 to 9:00 pm. Chef Rapp will be coming down from his red truck where he orchestrates his magical dinners during the summers, allowing for a hands on cooking experience. COOKING FROM THE GROUND UP, is Jonathan's simple fresh approach to cooking in season. Learn uncomplicated farm-to-table cooking by first heading out to the fields and greenhouses with Jonathan and White Gate farm manager Susan Mitchell. Gather beautiful organic produce for the evening's four-course menu that students and chefs develop together. Then it's back to the kitchen where the team will prep and cook. Finally, participants will sit down together with some exceptional wine and enjoy the "fruits" of their labor. Read More
10 Questions w/ Chef Mario LaPosta of Tarry Lodge Interview Restaurant Chef Talk Italian Pizza Westport CTbites Team December 27, 2012 Mario LaPosta is the self proclaimed "pizza obsessed" Chef @ Tarry Lodge in Westport. Here are a few things you probably didn't know about this pizzaioli whose Margherita pizza placed in the top ten of the world pizza championships. Plus: Don't miss Mario's recipe for Mussels En Scapece. Marinated Mussels with wine, saffron and red wine vinegar (seen below). If you had unexpected guests arriving at your home for dinner in 1 hour, what would you whip up? I would make homemade sauce and meatballs. Sunday sauce is something that my family has been blessed with making exceptionally well; it is easy to make in an hour by substituting meatballs instead of slow cooking beef or pork. What is the last dish you cooked for yourself? Turkey Chili, in an effort to lose weight so I can fit into a tux on my wedding day, and in honor to watching my Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. What are your guilty pleasures in terms of food? I dream about food 24/7 so everything tends to be a guilty pleasure for me, but I like the combination of sweet and savory; Pork Belly with Apple Mostarda at Tarry Lodge and Foie Gras with Cinco Cebollas at Casa Mono represent this best. Read More
