Dinners at the Farm Opening Weekend Restaurant Events Farm to Table Local Farm Organic Stephanie Webster July 14, 2011 CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY Last Thursday marked the opening weekend of Dinners at the Farm's 2011 season. This year, Jonothan Rapp of River Tavern Restaurant and his team of top notch chefs will park their big red truck at two farms; Barberry Hill Farm in Madison, CT and White Gate Farm in Old Lyme. Dinners at the Farm started in 2007, long before "farm to table" fare became mainstream, and they continue to delight guests with exceptional menus, farm tours, and insight into the life of a farmer in CT. View the Photo Gallery here. "Dinners at the Farm is a series of benefit dinners celebrating Connecticut's local farms, food and community as a way to generate awareness of the importance and vitality of our local farming community and the delicious, wholesome and abundant food it provides us. Recreating a sense of connection to farming, cooking and eating is what Dinners at the Farm is all about." --Dinners at the Farm A portion of every dinner goes to the non-for-profit community benefiting organizations such as Connecticut Farmland Trust, Slow Food Connecticut, CitySeed, Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Pantries, and Working Lands Alliance. Read More
Artisan, Farm to Table Opens in Southport at Delamar Restaurant Farm to Table Local Artisan Southport Farm Fresh Lunch Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster July 13, 2011 Artisan, a "farm to table New England-inspired" restaurant opens tonight, July 13, 2011 at the Delamar Hotel in Southport, CT. “We wanted Artisan to feel comfortable, as if you have been invited to enjoy a weekend in the country,” says Chef Kieffer, a native of Paris and resident of Fairfield County. “And we want the food to match the feel of the restaurant; a place that is casual and very comfortable yet that also reflects quality and excellence.” Previewing the space during an opening party is a biased occasion, admittedly, but it’s also one of the best ways to understand intentions as well as gauge reactions. Dining experience non-withstanding, mission accomplished Artisan. Read More
Blueberry Season Opens TODAY @ Bishop's Orchards Ingredients Local Farm healthy kids activity Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster July 13, 2011
Tim LaBant @ The Westport Farmers' Mkt Restaurant Liz Rueven July 12, 2011 Tim LaBant, Chef and owner of The Schoolhouse Restaurant at Cannondale, will be cooking at the Westport Farmers’ Market on July 14. LaBant will be cooling his fans with HERBAL SNOW CONES as the temperatures continue to hold steady in the 90’s. Simple foods and icy treats are what we crave in this weather and LaBant obliges. Herb infused simple syrups mixed with freshly squeezed juices combine to make FRUIT FLAVORED HERBED ICES served in paper cones. Stroll the market with his refreshing creation and note the exotic combinations of distinctive flavors like GREEN TEA PEAR, WATERMELON BASIL, WATERMELON MINT, LEMON PRICKLY PEAR or PINEAPPLE PEPPER. LaBant sources regularly from his neighbors at Millstone Farm in Wilton. He may surprise shoppers with an additional dish, utilizing ingredients he discovers from other vendors at market. I’ve heard murmurs about a mixed green salad with cherries, mint and Beltane’s goat cheese. We can only hope. Read More
Celebrating Bastille Day in Connecticut Restaurant Events French Holiday CTbites Team July 12, 2011 On Bastille Day, everyone is a little bit French. Each year on July 14, citizens of France, francophones and francophiles across the globe celebrate La Fête Nationale or Bastille Day, France's independence day that commemorates the storming of the Bastille in 1789. Here is where you can go to celebrate this national French holiday, including a Supper Club, Street Fairs, and a Country French Buffet. Read More
“Hot” Wine Picks for the Summer Ingredients Features This Week In Wine JoAnn LoGiurato July 12, 2011 JoAnn LoGiurato is a Certified Wine Specialist and the owner of Dancing on Grapes. Deck parties, outdoor picnics, grillin’ and chillin’…. summer is definitely upon us, and so is the summer wine dilemma. What to drink now? Hmm, many people believe that summer is all about white—au contraire! Here are 11 of my favorite wine sips for summer, including a couple of delicious reds and a rosé for those not afraid to “drink pink.” All of them are available at one of your favorite Fairfield County wine shops. If you can’t find the exact wine you’re looking for, ask the merchant to show you something similar—heck, it’s just fermented grape juice. Taste, experiment, and have fun with it! Read More
China White Opens in Greenwich w/ Authentic Chinese Restaurant Stephanie Webster July 10, 2011 In Fairfield County, finding top notch authentic Chinese cuisine is akin to finding a little night life…it's slim pickings at best. Filling a void, and satisfying his own craving, Greenwich resident Jody Pennette of cb5 Restaurant Group (Lolita Cocina, Red Lulu, Gabriele's Steak House) decided to take matters into his own hands with the newly opened China White Noodle Bar. Six years in the making, China White, is a sleek, modern restaurant that prepares real Chinese food…the kind you may have experienced in NYC's China Town. Think ‘dumpling noodle house’ meets ‘Chinatown street vendor,’ prepared by real Hong Kong cooks. As if this is not appealing enough, China White takes the menu one step further, featuring natural chicken, local raised pork, grass fed beef, wild caught seafood, cage-free chicken eggs, organic duck, and organic vegetables. The result is clean, classically sophisticated Chinese cuisine with family-style dining and a subtly hip vibe. Read More
Friday Froth: Bats, Balls, Pils and Hops Ingredients Friday Froth Road Trip Beer James Gribbon July 08, 2011 Does everyone still have all their fingers after Monday's festivities? You do? Great, because we should really play some catch. Baseball's midsummer classic is coming up, and those of us so inclined are by now completely engrossed in America's pastime. Even those who don't like the game can't escape the news of Derek Jeter's impending 3,000th hit, and everyone should go to Cooperstown: home of the baseball hall of fame and Brewery Ommegang. Ommegang is an American brewery which specializes in Belgian style beers. They're pretty damn good at it, too, having taken top awards from Belgian brewers in Belgian beer contests in Belgium. Read More
Summer Specials & A New Salad @ Filling Station Co. Restaurant New Canaan Lunch Kid Friendly Burgers Multiple Eaters July 06, 2011 Here's the latest on Filling Station Co's July burger and shake and an introduction to the new Filling Station Co Salad. The July 2011 Filling Station Special Burger and Shake combines a full flavored hamburger with a sweet flavorful tribute to one of my favorite fruits with the BBQ Cheeseburger and a delicious Peaches and Cream Shake. The BBQ Cheeseburger includes the Filling Station’s farm-raised cheeseburger topped with house made BBQ sauce, griddled onions, thick cut bacon, and pickled jalapeño peppers. There are several bold flavors in this month’s offering. The Filling Station’s thick cut bacon continues as a favorite of mine and the griddled onions added a nice crispy, flavorful addition. I am usually not a big fan of spicy additions and the jalapeño peepers were a concern, but pickled jalapeños are making an appearance on many menus this summer and I have grown to enjoy the pickled variety. Read More
Connecticut Wine Festival 2011 Ingredients Restaurant Events Wine Chat Wine Tasting Amy Kundrat July 05, 2011 Explore then the best of Connecticut’s wineries under one "roof" at this year's Connecticut Wine Festival on Saturday, July 30 and Sunday July 31 at the Goshen Fairgrounds. Included in the $25 price of admission ($20 in advance) are wine tastings, a commemorative festival wine glass and tote bag, specialty food samples, a craft fair and live music. Read More
Top Ten Burgers from Greenwich to Westport: Part 1 Restaurant Delicious Dives Best of CT Kid Friendly Burgers Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger July 03, 2011 Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro The Fourth of July is finally here and grilling season is in full swing. CTBites has been taking advantage of this wonderful time of year by undergoing a broad sampling of burgers from the coastal towns of Fairfield County CT. We are pleased to present our dining guide to the “Ten Recommended Burgers from Greenwich to Westport.” We know we have some more eating to do. Part 2 coming soon. Read More
Dr. Mike's Ice Cream in Bethel via NBC Connecticut Restaurant Bethel ice cream Amy Kundrat July 01, 2011
Friday Froth: Loud and Proud Ingredients Features Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon July 01, 2011 "I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. ... It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." - John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 2, 1776.That's right, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence two days before they voted in favor of the profoundly important Declaration. Our national celebration should actually be held two days before it is. Friday Froth: come for the beer nerdery, stay for the history dorkism. Feel free to bust both out at your cookouts on this king of three day weekends. Read More
Food 411: Name the Restaurant That Served This... Restaurant Food 411 Stephanie Webster June 30, 2011
A Taste of Litchfield Hills 2011 Restaurant Events Litchfield kids activity Amy Kundrat June 30, 2011
Hidden Gem: The Blue Cactus Grill in Norwalk Restaurant Delicious Dives Norwalk Burgers Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger June 29, 2011 The Blue Cactus Grill is a hamburger and sandwich shop off the beaten path in Norwalk, up the street from the Norwalk Hospital. Vic Amereno, the owner, brings 20+ years of experience overseeing kitchens in Connecticut and Arizona to this location where he prepares southwestern influenced fare. Hamburgers, cheesesteaks (beef or chicken), wraps, salads, and other assorted sandwiches complement his house made potato chips, lemonade, iced tea and a delightful “cactus slaw.” Vic’s hamburger is the star of the menu. Blue Cactus begins with a daily delivery of a 70/30 blend of beef sourced from Omaha Beef Company in Danbury, based on a 50-year old recipe that has changed little in the interim. Read More
July 4th Strawberry S'mores Kits c/o Peace Tree Desserts Ingredients kids activity Kid Friendly Dessert Stephanie Webster June 28, 2011 July 4th just got sweeter. Peace Tree Desserts is serving up Sustainable Seasonal Strawberry S'mores this 4th of July. For those of you who have sampled their Classic Chocolate S'mores c/o Skinny Pines Pizza at your local farmers' market, you know Peace Tree does a s'more justice. These S'mores Kits are ideal hostess gifts or one stop shopping for a high end night by the campfire. The S'mores Kit is handcrafted in small batches with local and organic ingredients, and includes homemade graham crackers made with local honey and Wild Hive Farm's organic whole wheat flour, strawberry marshmallows made with local strawberries, and Taza's organic stone-ground chocolate. Each kit makes 6 s'mores. If this doesn't make you hungry, check out their S'mores Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOg5SxBKolo Read More
Fairfield County Reports: The El Bulli Experience Restaurant Road Trip Multiple Eaters June 28, 2011 Poised to close at the end of the season, El Bulli has been fielding millions of reservation requests for the relative few coveted tables that remain to experience Chef Ferran Adria's operatic meals in Roses, Spain. This mecca for molecular gastronomy has been in the sights of two regular CTbites readers, a professional chef, Matt Storch of Match Restaurant in Sono, and a professional eater, Chris Grimm, who recently visited El Bulli and have graciously shared their experiences with us. Read More
Brunch @ Bartaco in Port Chester Restaurant Brunch Port Chester Mexican Breakfast Amy Kundrat June 26, 2011 Thanks to Bartaco, your brunch options just got a whole lot more interesting. Lazy weekends, newsprint-stained hands, Bloody Marys and now tacos are firmly in the domain of this weekend morning ritual. The popular Port Chester taco joint owned by the Barcelona Group, has recently unleashed a brunch menu for Saturdays and Sundays that is a fitting extension of the brand’s signature breezy Mexican beach food. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this scene, think Mexican street food influenced by the tides (and an enviable location on the Byram River) with a backdrop fit for a Hampton's weekend of beach-going and people watching minus the traffic on the LIE. Read More
Douro: Portugese-Mediterranean in Greenwich Restaurant Greenwich Mediterranean Portuguese Lunch Latin American Leticia Schwartz June 23, 2011 Greenwich: just say that word and you can see fancy convertibles cars slowly driving through the Avenue, white gloved policeman directing traffic, and people carrying shopping bags awaiting for a whistle command to cross the streets. On and surrounding this fashionable Avenue, you will also see lots of eateries, among them Douro, a Portuguese inspired restaurant that opened doors in September of 2009. With its typical blue tile sign outside the entrance, terracotta floors, and dark wooden tables, Douro might appear to be just another trendy Greenwich restaurant. Good looking people and a good looking staff fill this charming place. Douro sets its standards and fits its West Putman Avenue location like a glove, but this Portuguese/Mediterranean venue is more than it seems. Read More
