Sweet Maple Mustard Roast Pork Tenderloin Recipe via Local Food Rocks Features Recipe Recipe Holiday Bloggers Thanksgiving CTbites Team November 15, 2017 This tangy yet sweet maple mustard roast pork tenderloin recipe brings together seasonal flavors in an easy-to-make-meal, perfect for a Sunday family dinner (or holiday entrée).This Sunday pork roast idea came about thanks to Avon Prime Meats in Avon, CT. This local market packs a lot into it's 4,500 square feet. Front and center is their meat counter. They sell only Prime (highest grade of beef) or Premium Choice meats.Many of the meats they carry are traceable to the farm of origin. They also work with local farms offering local, grass fed and all natural meats as well. Sepe Farms, Blue Slope Farms, and Cream Hill Farm are among their local farm partners. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events For Week of November 19-26 Features EVENT Emma Jane-Doody Stetson November 15, 2017 Every Friday and Saturday from 10am-2pm, the new GrayBarns on the Silvermine River hosts a pop up market featuring the incredible local baker, Flour Water Salt Bread. Then on Sunday November 26, Washington Prime will have a Homecoming Family Brunch Buffet. Join them for one of 3 different seating times: 11AM, 12:30PM, and 2PM. The price per person is $34.95 per person and includes a complimentary bloody mary, mimosa, or bellini. Children are $19.95 and tots under 4 are free. Diners can help feed the hungry while eating at their favorite local restaurants. CTbites is pleased to have joined forces with Food Rescue US to launch Hunger Bites, a program allowing restaurants and diners to join together in the fight against hunger. If you see the Hunger Bites logo at your local restaurant, please consider donating $1 on your guest check, $1 = 20 fresh, nutritious meals to people in need in your community. Participating restaurants include: The Cottage in Westport,Whelk Jesup Kawa Ni, Match Restaurant, Cask Republic South Norwalk,Mill Street Bar & Table, Taproot Restaurant, The Stand Juice Company,Match Burger Lobster, Nom-eez Winfield Street Coffee & Deli Tarry Lodge The Spread & The Ginger Man GreenwichPrime: An American Kitchen and Bar in Stamford’s Harbor Point now offers a “Power Lunch.” When you order the two-course $24 price fixed lunch, they guarantee you’ll be in and out in 35 minutes from when your order is taken. Prime is open for lunch from 12:00pm - 3:00pm, Monday through Saturday. Read More
Rye Ridge Deli - Deli Dining Returns to Main Street, Westport Restaurant Deli Lunch Breakfast Kid Friendly Westport CTbites Team November 14, 2017 We sent two CTbites contributors to the new Rye Ridge Deli in Westport. Here's the scoop...When Oscar’s Deli announced it was closing in July 2016, Westporters were saddened to lose what felt like the last vestige of the “small town” local businesses on Main Street. For 42 years, Oscar’s was known as the community meeting place for locals, families and aspiring politicians, all presided over by its owner, the late Lee Papageorge , who many a day watched the comings and goings from his iconic barber chair. Many of us waited to hear what would replace the popular spot, and there was a collective sigh of relief when it was announced that Rye Ridge Deli, based in Rye, NY with locations in Rye and Stamford would take over the spot. Read More
Hunger Bites: Diners Eat Out To End Hunger Features Fundraiser Stephanie Webster November 14, 2017 Starting November 15th, diners can help feed the hungry while eating at their favorite local restaurants. CTbites is pleased to have joined forces with Food Rescue US to launch Hunger Bites, a program allowing restaurants and diners to join together in the fight against hunger. If you see the Hunger Bites logo at your local restaurant, please consider donating $1 on your guest check, By giving just $1 today on your bill you'll provide 20 fresh, nutritious meals to people in need in your community.Participating restaurants include: Bartaco, Barcelona, The Cottage in Westport,Whelk Jesup Kawa Ni, Match Restaurant, Cask Republic South Norwalk,Mill Street Bar & Table, Taproot Restaurant, The Stand Juice Company,Match Burger Lobster, Nom-eez Winfield Street Coffee & Deli Tarry Lodge The Spread & The Ginger Man Greenwich Read More
SHU Szechuan Restaurant: A Hidden Chinese Gem In Fairfield Restaurant Chinese Asian Fairfield Lunch Special Dietary Needs Noodles Homepage Ramin Ganeshram November 12, 2017 When I mentioned that I was visiting SHU restaurant in Fairfield, someone inevitably said, “I didn’t know Sacred Heart University opened a restaurant!”A common misunderstanding but, in fact, SHU is local slang for Chengdu, the capital city in China’s Szechuan province. Think of it like calling Philadelphia “Philly” or San Francisco “Frisco”SHU, on the Post Road in downtown Fairfield is the second outpost of the popular restaurant created by Chef Xinyu Huang, three years ago. Huang spent much of his career as a culinary arts professor in Chengdu before emigrating to the United States and working in restaurants in Chinatown and Connecticut.“My goal was to create a restaurant that was dramatically different from American Chinese food,” said Huang, through a translator. “The cuisine of Szechuan is considered one of the great culinary styles of China, and I wanted to share authentic dishes with both American and Chinese American diners.” Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events For November 13 - 21 Features Events Stephanie Webster November 10, 2017 CA based "make-your-own" pizza venue, Pieology Pizzeria, opens November 17th in Stamford with a FREE PIZZA party. Think pizza, music, games, and fun - on the House.Every Thursday, Kawa Ni presents a reverse “Happy Endings” happy hour from 9:30-10:30pm. There will be food and drink specials, as well as sake bombs.Hartford's Taste of the Nation® for No Kid Hungry will bring together award-winning chefs and mixologists from the region on Monday November 13. The evening will include cocktail and dessert receptions and a multi-course seated dinner prepared by New England’s best chefs. Space is limited; advance ticket purchases are required.On Tuesday November 14, the Fairfield location of the Fairfield Greenwich Cheese Company presents “Gruyère Past and Present: A Deep Dive with Glenn Hills of Columbia Cheese.” Join them for a discussion on the history, craft and commerce of Gruyere, and of course sample it with a nicely paired wine from the region! It is $50 per person and lasts from 7-9pm. Hog River Brewing Co., based in Hartford, will start hosting local chefs in their tap room. They will begin the winter season on November 14 with Brasato Italian Street Eats. They will serve a 5-course Italian menu paired with five of our beers, including some first time releases. Tickets are $55 per person, plus tax and an 18% gratuity. Read More
Pieology to Open at Stamford Town Center + FREE PIZZA DAY Nov 17th Restaurant Pizza Stamford Lunch Hey Stamford! November 10, 2017 This just in from Hey Stamford!...Just weeks after the opening of their latest restaurant, — Rascal Flatts — the doors of the Stamford Town Center’s newest tenant are about to open. Pieology, a fast-casual pizza chain, plans to open its ‘restaurant row’ shop on November 17th, when they will be hosting a a FREE PIZZA DAY featuring music, activities, and of course FREE PIZZA.Living in Fairfield County that name may not be familiar to you. But the California-based chain has been around since 2011 and includes about 140 stores across the country with plans to open even more within the coming year.Read the complete article here. Read More
Chef François Kwaku-Dongo Brings a Fresh Culinary Vision To New Canaan’s Beloved Roger Sherman Inn Restaurant Norwalk Chef Opening Stephanie Webster November 09, 2017 Celebrated Chef Francois Kwaku-Dongo spearheads the reinvention of the Roger Sherman Inn, a historic landmark in New Canaan for nearly a decade. The stunning New England restaurant and 17-room Inn will undergo a significant culinary transformation as it remakes itself for the 21st century.Chef Kwaku-Dongo is introducing a seasonally-inspired menu, showcasing fresh, locally-procured ingredients. The menu is a culinary tour of New England, its coastal seafood, local family farms, and talented artisans. Using these East Coast ingredients as the foundation for quality and flavor, Chef Kwaku-Dongo applies techniques honed in some of the most demanding kitchens in the country. Read More
"The Impossible Burger" Now Available at all CT Bareburger Locations Restaurant Features Stamford Ridgefield Lunch Vegan Vegetarian Special Dietary Needs Homepage Burgers Andrew Dominick November 09, 2017 Elk, beef, duck, bison, lamb and turkey are just some of the proteins used in burgers at Bareburger. The microchain makes sure their burgers are more than just meat-based, and keep vegetarians and vegans in mind with offerings that already include the Farmstead, made from sweet potatoes and wild rice, and the Guadalupe, a black bean and roasted corn burger. Recently, Bareburger has slowly started to roll out another all-natural vegan burger that supposedly tastes close to, or like beef.Created by Impossible Foods and CEO/founder/scientist Pat Brown, and appropriately named The Impossible Burger, this meatless option is solely made from plants. It’s made up of wheat and potato proteins for a familiar beef burger-like texture, vitamins, amino acids, sugars, and uses konjac (from Japanese yams) and xanthan (made by fermentation) as binders for the patty. It also uses a molecule called heme, which carries oxygen in our blood. Heme is in every living thing, plants included, and makes our blood red. Since red meat contains large amounts of heme, The Impossible Burger uses heme made from fermentation, and gives it a meatier taste than most vegan or veggie burgers on the market. It uses two fats, coconut oil and soybeans to give it that much needed sizzle effect when it hits the grill. Read More
The Spread Opening Greenwich Location This Month: Sneak Peek Restaurant Greenwich American Lunch Brunch Bar Cocktails Homepage Stephanie Webster November 06, 2017
Godavari South Indian Restaurant Opens In Norwalk Restaurant Indian Norwalk Lunch Homepage Ramin Ganeshram November 04, 2017 A testament to the evolving palate of Fairfield County, South Indian restaurant chain Godavari has opened in the former Burger King location on the Post Road in Norwalk, just past Bow Tie Cinemas.While there is no shortage of many excellent Indian restaurants in the area they tend to follow a uniform menu of what native South Asians recognize as “Indian restaurant food”, a cuisine based mainly on the foods of northern India and less often cooked at home.The menu at Godavari also features many of these specialties, especially those that have become beloved by American diners like Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken, and Tandoori meats but it’s the staggeringly extensive menu of dishes from around the subcontinent that really make this franchise restaurant shine. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events For Week Of November 5-12th Features Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson November 03, 2017 Tavern on Main's "RAUS in the HAUS" with Donny Raus will take place Friday November 10 from 6:30 pm until closing. Donny will make coffee cocktails using his signature Cold Roman blend while the kitchen will whip up several dishes using RAUS coffee. Brasitas in Norwalk will have a Tequila Tasting Dinner on Wednesday, November 8 at 7pm. Four courses will be paired with tequila-based cocktails. The event costs $65, plus tax and tip. On Thursday November 9, Kawa Ni will host a Japanese Whisky Dinner. The evening will include 6 courses paired with 6 complementary whiskies. It begins at 6:30pm and costs $125 per person, plus tax and gratuity.The Westport Farmers’ Market and Fleishers Craft Butchery have joined to sponsor the film, Unbroken Ground: Revolutions Start from the Bottom, at the Fairfield Theater Company on Monday November 6. Read More
Donut Crazy Launches the “Cruffin” Croissant-Muffin Hybrid Ingredients Features Bakery Dessert Kid Friendly Breakfast Doughnuts New Haven Shelton Westport Bridgeport Homepage Stephanie Webster November 02, 2017 Donut Crazy, a local, family-owned eatery specializing in unique donut flavors (lovingly called Dailies & Crazies), announced a tasty new menu item called the “Cruffin.” The croissant-muffin crossover is the company’s way of celebrating the first sugar-filled year of its New Haven location near Yale University. The “Cruffin” will be available at all Donut Crazy locations for $4.25, starting on Friday November 3, weekends only and while supplies last. The “Cruffin” has quickly become the food world’s newest bakery obsession, much like the “Cronut” before it. The buttery, flaky pastry is shaped like a muffin and filled with different flavors. Donut Crazy plans to offer coconut, dulce de leche, chocolate mousse, and pumpkin. More exciting flavors to come! Read More
Stew Leonard’s Delivered To Your Door with Instacart Features Ingredients Home Delivery Delivery Service Stephanie Webster November 01, 2017 Family owned and operated Stew Leonard’s today announced Stew’s Fresh Delivery Powered by Instacart, the technology-driven, nationwide on-demand grocery delivery service. Starting Wednesday, November 1, 2017, same-day grocery delivery service will be available to 365,000 households within a 20-30 minute drive of Stew Leonard’s farm fresh food stores in Norwalk, Danbury, and Newington, Conn. as well as in Yonkers, Farmingdale, and East Meadow, N.Y.Customers who sign up for Stew’s Fresh Delivery by February 1, 2018 using code stewsexpress will have free delivery on orders over $35 for up to a year. Read More
Beekman Boys Dinner at Terrain: All Hail the Beet Tops! Features Events Cookbooks April Guilbault November 01, 2017 If there is one word that factors prominently in the Beekman Boys’ lexicon, it is community-knowing and growing with one’s neighbors. To gather around tables together. To support each other’s endeavors or to get to know each other more. Hell, it’s to experience this thing called life. Together.Although one recent October evening was warmer than usual, the balmy temps only added to the convivial gathering at Terrain in Westport. It was a celebratory gathering to mark the new cookbook by Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, founders of Beekman 1802 lifestyle company. This book, their sixth, sends out the call to “Have a seat!” and enjoy an assortment of dishes that they have created along with their Sicilian neighbor, Rose Marie Trapani. A sampling of these dishes was highlighted this evening. Read More
Paul’s Pasta in Groton: Best Freshly Made Pasta in CT? Restaurant Pasta Italian Groton Lunch Noodles Homepage CTbites Team November 01, 2017 Dare I say they have some of the best freshly made pasta in the state? Yes! I’ll tell anyone who asks — Paul’s Pasta serves my favorite pasta dishes in Connecticut. This family-owned pasta shop is nearly as old as I am, and I have two decades of experience dining at Paul’s Pasta to share with you in this review.If the tell-tale sign of a great restaurant is a crowded establishment with smiling customers eating with gusto, then Paul’s Pasta is definitely one of the best in the state. When coming during the height of mealtimes, Paul’s Pasta always has a waiting list, but this shouldn’t dissuade visitors — turnaround times are generally not substantial and the wait is always worth it. Reservations are not accepted. Read More
Southern Connecticut Wine Company Invites You To Make Your Own Wine Features Ingredients Education Cooking Classes WIne Wine Tasting Vineyard Wallingford Emma Jane-Doody Stetson October 31, 2017 In 2016, Forbes Magazine claimed to have discovered the “secret to happiness.” “Spend money on experiences, not things,” they told their readers. CNN took it one step further. “That's in part because the initial joy of acquiring a new object, such as a new car, fades over time as people become accustomed to seeing it every day…,” they reported. “Experiences, on the other hand, continue to provide happiness through memories long after the event occurred.”Those looking to invest in a meaningful experience can find a solution tucked away in Wallingford, just off the highway, but hidden from view. Southern Connecticut Wine Company, located in an unassuming garage-like building behind the railroad tracks, affords people the unique opportunity to create their own wine over the course of a season. I had the chance to be an honorary co-op member for the day and witness a little bit of what they have to offer. Read More
The Cook and The Bear in West Hartford: A Barbecue (and Bourbon) Lover’s Dream Restaurant BBQ Bar West Hartford Lunch Catering Comfort Food Kid Friendly Homepage CTbites Team October 29, 2017 There’s something in the air at The Cook and The Bear. And we’re pretty sure it’s the scent of deliciously smoked brisket. Or maybe pastrami, or barbecue chicken. Whatever it is, we’re loving it.The Cook and The Bear is brought to you by two well-known local chefs: Tyler Anderson and Jamie McDonald. A two-time nominee of the Best Chef Northeast James Beard Award and contestant in the upcoming season of Top Chef, Anderson is known to please palates at Simsbury's popular fine dining restaurant Millwright's, offering farm-fresh New England fare in a rustic setting. Jamie McDonald's Kansas City-style barbecue has led him to conquer the local food scene as well, with his fast-casual Bear's Smokehouse (located in Windsor and Hartford), his wood-fired pizzeria Blind Pig Pizza Co. in Hartford, and the recently opened Chango Rosa, serving Latin cuisine in the former Hot Tomatoes space at Union Station.Located in West Hartford’s popular Blue Back Square, The Cook and The Bear instantly pulls you in with its rustic chic charm (and you know, that smoky aroma). Walk into this cozy spot, and you’ll know what we mean. With its exposed ceiling and garage door-turned-window, it has a cool industrial feel that’s new and trendy. But it still holds that classic cozy vibe thanks to striped wood tables, sink-in-your-seat booths, a fire wood lined wall, and checkered napkins. Because no barbecue spot is complete without checked napkins. Read More
Lao Sze Chuan Authentic Szechuan Cuisine Opens in Fairfield with Gingko Restaurant Chinese Fairfield Milford Lunch Take Out To-Go Opening Stephanie Webster October 28, 2017 More exciting CT openings! Beloved Chinese restaurant Lao Sze Chuan, whom you may know from their immensely popular Milford location, has finally opened their doors to their second CT location, Gingko. Lao Sze Chuan's new Fairfield restaurant is located at 923 Post Road and is hands down, the best place to go when craving authentic Szechuan cuisine in CT.Lao is part of a small chain started by Chef Tony Hu, who made a splash in Chicago with four Chinese restaurants devoted to the concept of “gourmet authentic Szechuan.” The Tony Gourmet Group, now has restaurants all over the world. The menu is extensive and includes everything from Hot Oil Dumplings to Diced Rabbit with Peanuts, and Hot and Sour Eel with Cellophane Noodles.What do we like to eat there? Read our review of Lao Sze Chuan here, and find out. It's all excellent. See you there. Read More
Layla's Falafel Opening in Westport October 30th Restaurant Middle Eastern Mediterranean Westport Take Out To-Go Lunch Delicious Dives Opening Stephanie Webster October 27, 2017 We have waited patiently, and the time has come. We reported back in April that the family run Layla's Falafel, cooking up some of the best take out Middle Eastern food in CT, was scheduled to open in Westport. The time is NOW. This Monday, October 30th, Layla's will open its doors at 1537 Post Road East. Read More
