South Beach Wine + Food Festival : MIAbites picks for #SOBEWFF Restaurant Miami Road Trip ellen bowen February 15, 2017 February is our favorite month in Miami as the South Beach Wine and Food Festival and it’s over 65, 000 guests take over Miami Beach and surrounding Miami venues from February 22-26 for 4+ days of Food, Wine, Fun and maybe even a little sun in between all of the over 85 different events and seminars.Now in its 16th year and hosted by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and Florida International University (FIU), the Festival benefits FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. To date, the Festival has raised more than $24 million for the school.So, where to begin? Here are MIAbites picks for best 12 SOBEWFF events with a focus on some of the amazing local chef talent and local venues featured this year in collaboration with many of your favorite Food Network stars. Many events sell out quickly, so check availability and buy your tickets online at www.sobefest.com. ( Pro Tip- Many of the below events have limited discount tickets available on both Gilt City and Groupon.) Read More
Cream & Sugar Café: Dessert Insanity in Bethel Restaurant ice cream Bethel Lunch Homepage Kid Friendly Dessert Jessica Ryan February 12, 2017 Until a few weeks ago Cream & Sugar Café was relatively unknown. Located in the heart of Bethel, the café enjoyed a steady stream of local customers stopping in throughout the day for coffee, crepes and ice cream. Owner Alyce Kallman had been wanting to open a creperie, a nostalgic nod to her childhood in Morocco and after moving to Connecticut from California she set out to pursue this dream. She found the perfect spot that had been an ice cream parlor. One rainy day over winter break this would prove to be pure serendipity. The first Freakshake, The Rainy Day Remedy, was born and with thanks to social medial, word on these larger than life milkshakes started to spread like wildfire. Kids began pouring in, taking their own pictures, sharing them on Instagram, creating a high demand for these insanely large ice cream creations. Read More
Yes Chef! Chef Marcell Davidsen Collaborates with Black Hog Brewing Co. Features Beer Brewery Homepage Amy Kundrat February 10, 2017 I'd like to introduce you to the best, shittiest beer in Connecticut.No, it’s not a slam. In fact, it’s exactly what chef Marcel Davidsen and brewmaster Tyler Jones set out to create when developing Black Hog Brewing Co.'s newest beer, Yes Chef.“Marcel came to me wanting to make a beer for the guys who work hard in his kitchen. After their shifts, they usually drink PBR. So we thought, let’s make a craft beer but keep it simple with just hops and malt, and no additives,” explained Tyler Jones, a chemical engineer and the brewmaster at Black Hog Brewing Co. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events for Week of February 12-19 Restaurant News Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 09, 2017 It’s a Ballast Point & Artisan Cheese Throwdown in New Haven! On Monday February 13, Wine101 will host Jeff Nelson and pair craft brews with artisan cheeses. It runs from 6-8pm and costs $10 per person.Ambler Farm has announced a summer program called “Adventures at the Farm.” Students will learn all about working on a farm, from looking after the animals to tending the gardens to cooking to hayrides. Registration is open. Take a Pre Mardi Gras Class with AMG catering on Wednesday February 28 from 7-9pm. Learn how to make Gumbo, Jambalaya, and Bourbon bread pudding. It costs $78 per person. Read More
Beef, Prunes Chickpeas Slow Cooked Pot Recipe via Silvia Baldini Recipe Features Recipe CTbites Team February 08, 2017 Prunes, chickpeas and ginger combine their forces in to this crammed with hearty flavors slow cooked pot, a perfect combination for a jolt of much needed energy to help us sustain our daily actions.Prunes for fiber, chickpeas for nutrient-rich energy, ginger as an antioxidant and a generous amount of fork tender bits of beef; this pot is a darling at my house on wintery Sunday family dinners, when warmth and restoring strength are very much a necessity. Let’s put power back in to the right hands and the force of sustenance in to our family bellies. Read More
Where To Find Healthy Eats in CT: 2017 Edition Restaurant healthy Best of CT Organic Specialty Market Special Dietary Needs Vegan Vegetarian April Guilbault February 08, 2017 We usually post our “Healthy Eats” roundup at the beginning of January, when everyone is recovering from their holiday-induced food stupors. Indulgence ruled the roost for one-too-many weeks, so January brings a time of detox “get it all away from me” vigilance. After thinking about all of this healthy food, though, we realized that healthy eating isn’t just for those first weeks in January; it’s for all twelve months. I mean, man cannot survive on pork belly and butter alone (can he?). Read More
40 CT Restaurants for Valentine’s Day 2017 Restaurant Holiday Romantic Homepage Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 07, 2017 Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Cupid is coming to Connecticut restaurants bringing romantic dishes, prix fixe menus, decadent desserts, and cocktail specials. These places are making sure love is in the air. Read More
Judy's Bar + Kitchen: American Comfort Food in Stamford Restaurant Stamford American BBQ Comfort Food Brunch Lunch Take Out Jessica Ryan February 05, 2017 I first became familiar Chef Judith Roll at Tabouli Grill when it was in Southport, and was saddened by its closing. I recently learned that she had launched a second and altogether different food concept, Judy’s Bar + Kitchen that can best be described as down-home, comfort with a twist of Southernese. Located on High Ridge Road in a neighborhood that is both retail and residential, Judy is perfectly poised to keep locals (and non-locals) well-fed with her wide array of creative from-scratch cooking. When I arrived, I was thrilled to find plenty of parking, a big bonus for me. Read More
Max Restaurants Opens Neapolitan-Influenced Savoy Pizzeria & Craft Bar in West Hartford Restaurant Pizza West Hartford Hartford County Lunch CTbites Team February 02, 2017 Savoy Pizzeria & Craft Bar, the sleek, new, pizza-centered West Hartford establishment from Max Restaurant Group, is all about the flames.“There is nothing that compares to cooking with fire,” says Dante Cistulli, chef and managing partner of the downtown restaurant, which opened in October. Two wood-fired pizza ovens form the heart and soul of Savoy’s kitchen. The Neapolitan-influenced pizza, the restaurant’s flagship food, is cooked for a short period of time in one oven at 850-900 degrees. Cooking at this extremely high temperature creates a crispy and ever-so-slight char on the outside and a soft and firm inside crust that artisan pizza lovers crave. The other oven provides the heat for the restaurant’s non-pizza items, giving each dish a unique, wood-smoked flavor. Read More
Friday Froth: Strong Drinks...Black Hog, Two Roads Brewery & Litchfield Distillery Features Beer Friday Froth Brewery James Gribbon February 01, 2017 The shadows seem to be growing this January. Winter daylight is all too brief, darkness glooming in through a window you swear was sunny the last time you walked by. It suddenly feels like it's gone dark all the time now. Maybe you feel it, too. And how long to go before the next sunrise? Ugh. The days ahead seem so stretch on to the invisible horizon. Maybe you could use a drink, a 16oz. weight to hang from time's pendulum to speed those dark hours on their way. Make it a strong one, because maybe we can clip off some of tomorrow's darkness while we're at it. Gravity shapes space, as we all know, and space is tied to time, so let's grab a few high gravity beers, and bend the long arc. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events for Week of February 6-11 Features Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 01, 2017 "First Fridays" kicks off this Friday, feb 3rd at the Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield, featuring a "Contemporary Cocktail Party" and nibbles via Festivities Events.86’D: A Culinary Collision is a surprise on many levels! Two surprise chefs will have a showdown at a surprise host restaurant while spectators feast on tasty appetizers and cocktails. The location will be announced just prior to the competition, which takes place on February 6 at 10pm. On Monday February 6, Wood-n-Tap in Newington presents a Victory Brewing Company Beer Dinner. Bill Covaleski, founder of Victory Brewing Company, will guide guests through a four course meal paired with five brews. Tickets are approximately $60 per person, with discounts for parties of 6 or more. Beer and chocolate? Don’t mind if we do! Still Hill Brewery in Rocky Hill will host a beer and chocolate pairing on Tuesday February 7 from 7-9pm. The event features Fascia's Chocolates of Waterbury. Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased online. Read More
Gates in New Canaan: New Chef, Changing Menu for Longtime Institution Restaurant New Canaan American Brunch Comfort Food Lunch Kid Friendly jeffrey schlesinger January 29, 2017 Gates Restaurant has been an institution on Forest Street in New Canaan since 1979. It was sold in 2015, completely redesigned and re-opened last February. The new Gates maintained the relaxed environment with a rustic, Americana décor, with the original gates repurposed around the entrance to the revamped bar, exposed brick-and-wood walls, bistro seating, and an open kitchen. On weekends kids’ teams continued to flock to this town fixture for post-soccer game celebrations, families scheduled weekly Sunday brunches, locals met for a casual lunch, guys sat at the bar indulging in a burger, beer and ballgame, and young adults enjoyed a few late-night drinks and live music. It was still the town watering hole...Gates 2.0. Read More
One Dish: White Sicilian Pizza, Jerry’s Pizza, Middletown Restaurant Pizza Middletown Delicious Dives Lunch CTbites Team January 29, 2017 If Middletown had a taste, it would be Jerry’s Pizza. And if Jerry’s has a signature dish, it is undoubtedly the locally famous white Sicilian pizza. Nothing speaks to the Italian — and specifically Sicilian — identity of the city like this dish. The intense flavor of the pizza is no joke: you either love it or hate it, and those who love it, really, really love it. So much so, in fact, that you have to plan your day around it. The specially made dough for the white Sicilian takes roughly two hours to rise properly. The pizzeria has been around since 1968, when it was opened by Jerry Schiano, an Italian immigrant from Naples. Though Jerry is now retired, his daughter Carmela Lockwood operates the restaurant, and says the recipe comes from her grandmother, who used to make the dish back in Italy. (Her family is not Sicilian, but the style of thick dough is distinctively from the island.) Read More
The Granola Bar Opening Soon in Stamford: Breakfast, Lunch & Killer Coffee Restaurant stam Coffee healthy Breakfast Lunch Opening Stephanie Webster January 29, 2017 The Granola Bar of Westport and Greenwich will soon be opening its doors in Stamford's Harbor Point District as part of an exciting and large scale expansion plan. The Granola Bar has joined forces with Trilynx, an investment and operating platform whose founders have more than 15 years of experience in hospitality brands such as Disney and Starwood Hotels. This new team will take The Granola Bar's breakfast and lunch hot spot beyond the boundaries of CT, but more immediately, will debut the first ever The Granola Bar TO GO at 700 Canal Street in Stamford in spring 2017 (directly across from Fairway Market). Read More
Coconut Fudge Recipe via Marcia Selden Catering Features Recipe kids activity Kid Friendly Dessert Stephanie Webster January 29, 2017 Coconut fans get ready to find a new favorite treat. Made from shredded and desiccated coconut, this is deeply flavorful and almost "healthy." Warning: This fudge is so deliciously decadent that you may not be able to stop eating it. Read More
CT Bars & Restaurants To Watch Super Bowl 2017 Restaurant Events Bar Stephanie Webster January 27, 2017 On Sunday February 5, The Patriots take on The Falcons in Super Bowl LI! Whether you watch the showdown at home or at your favorite restaurant, delicious game-day snacks are a must. These Connecticut restaurants and bars will offer Super Bowl specials and take-out options so you can have the ultimate football party! Read More
Craft 14 Kitchen + Bar Opens In Wilton: American Fare with a Twist Restaurant Wilton American Cocktails Bar Homepage Lunch CTbites Team January 22, 2017 Craft 14 Kitchen + Bar is the sort of place you want to wander into on a winter’s day with its warm, welcoming reclaimed wood interior accompanied by the nostalgic aroma of decades-old wood burning ovens and fireplaces. The restaurant, which opened at the end of last summer, greets a steady stream of diners throughout the day and well into the night, as I was witness to when I went to meet owners Cristina Ramirez and Mario Lopez. Read More
Ki Asian Bistro & Sushi in Danbury's TNT Lover Sushi Roll via CT Magazine Restaurant Danbury Sushi CTbites Team January 20, 2017 CT Magazine waxed poetic about this dish from Ki Asian Bistro & Sushi in Danbury. We hear this isn't the only item on this menu that is worth the trip. Here's what writer Erik Ofgang had to say... Get ready for an explosion of flavor. The TNT Lover roll is made with chopped bluefin toro (the fatty belly meat of tuna), caviar, tempura flakes, scallion and asparagus topped with raw tuna and served with truffle soy sauce. The result is a sushi roll that can redefine your perception of what a sushi roll can be. At least that’s what it did for me. The raw tuna provides a burst of fresh-as-the-sea notes, cut and enhanced by the crunch of the tempura flakes and the rich truffle soy sauce, creating a taste simultaneously sushi and non-sushi. The bistro was opened in 2012 by Chef Benny Chow, a veteran of Nobu restaurant in New York, who trained under Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. I discovered the restaurant earlier this year and have been hooked ever since. Read the full article on CT Magazine. Read More
10 Questions with Peter Crawford of Darien Butcher Shop Ingredients Features Butcher Darien Amy Kundrat January 18, 2017 Darien native and chef Peter Crawford is the culinary braun behind lower Fairfield County's newest destination butchery, The Darien Butcher Shop. The shop focuses on high quality meat and gourmet specialty products, as well as events and catering, not to mention hot pressed sandwiches if you're looking for a new lunch option. We had a chance to chat with Peter, and wanted to know what this carnivore cooks for himself, his preferred cut of meat, and his most memorable meal. Why did you become a butcher? Read More
Where To Find Great Ramen in CT Via CTNow Restaurant Asian Japanese Noodles Vietnamese CTbites Team January 17, 2017 Photo: Suzie Hunter/Hartford Courant This in from CTNow's reporter, Leeanne Griffin... Where's the ramen? It's a common question among food lovers in Connecticut, where the authentic Japanese noodle soup can be scarce, compared to booming scenes in big cities New York and Los Angeles. But ramen's availability has been growing here, as established restaurants have responded to demand, and new noodle bars have popped up around the state in cities and suburbs alike. Here's a guide to some of Connecticut's top ramen (not to be confused with the packaged brand). Tiger Belly Noodle Bar Granby's Tiger Belly opened in August, and a few early visitors balked at the price tag for its pork and vegetable ramens, confusing the dishes with the inexpensive packaged instant noodles, said owner Ki'yen Yeung. Read the complete listing of CT Ramen joints here. Read More
