The WattyMelon Flip Flop Cocktail c/o Watsons Catering Ingredients Features Cocktails CTbites Team July 28, 2015 Summer means cocktails – preferably accompanied by fresh fruit, flip flops and a not a care in the world. Watson’s Catering has a refreshing take utilizing RIPE, one of our favorite craft juices, called the Watty Melon Flip Flop that is sure to become one of your summer evening staples. The WattyMelon Flip Flop Cocktail Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients: ½ shot glass of Tito’s vodka 1 shot RIPE margarita mix (lime sour) Read More
Rothbard Ale + Larder, European Beer Bar, To Open In Westport (By Walrus + Carpenter Team) Restaurant Beer Garden German Westport Beer Opening Stephanie Webster July 28, 2015 Walrus + Carpenter owners, Adam Roytman and Joseph Farrell, are teaming up again with a new restaurant concept in downtown Westport. This new venture, housed in the cozy subterranean dining space that was once Tierrra, will maintain the casual neighborhood vibe diners have grown accustomed to at Walrus, but this duo will leave the BBQ in Black Rock and head to Europe for a completely different approach to comfort food. Westport has its first European Beer Bar (right by Old Town Hall). Rothbard Ale + Larder will open this fall with a menu focused on Central European fare. Rothbard will draw inspiration from the cuisines of Alsace, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland, with a little Northern Italy thrown in for good measure. A preview of the menu in progress reveals specialties including Spatzle, Mussels, Rabbit Goulash, Steak Frites (Fleisher’s), housemade Jagershnitzel and Raclette, (a Swiss cheese, melted table side and draped over potatoes, bacon and onions). Hearty fare will be complimented by more delicate salads and fish entrees. “There will be something for everyone” says Roytman. Farrell and Roytman are particularly enthusiastic about the “For The Table,” section of the menu where diners can order entrees for 4, in the communal spirit of a true beer hall. Read More
Best Warm Lobster Rolls On The Connecticut Coast: 2015 Update Restaurant Delicious Dives Lobster Seafood Lunch Lou Gorfain July 26, 2015 Welcome to the end of July, summer’s center point. The perfect time for our annual quest to find the best of Connecticut's official pleasure of summer: warm, buttery lobster rolls. At the suggestion of readers, chefs, CTBites staff and a food critic or two, we've added an array of food trucks, pounds, shacks, and even a high end restaurant to our previous portfolio (see 2014 edition here). So take a ride up the balmy Connecticut coastline. We start in the southwest and head northeast, as CTBites forages the best warm lobster rolls in America. Read More
Friday Froth: 3 Cold Beers For A Hot Day Ingredients CT Beer Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon July 24, 2015 No. Just no, NYC commissioner of the Department of Health, Mary Bassett - I will not avoid drinking beer on scorching hot summer days. Yes, I will drink some water, because I am not an idiot, but you can take a cold beer from my (still mostly warm), dead hand. Thankfully, this is 'murica, where many a dilapidated package store is hung with signs advertising the coldest beer in town (following Strong Bad's motto: "A One That Isn't Cold Is Scarcely A One At All"), thus saving us all from aloe vera vitamin drinks and the resultant loss of will to live. A crisp beer on a hot day is a joy forever, as the poet probably said, so this week we're going to check out three hot weather beers, canned for your lawn mower riding, golf bag stuffing, back yard sitting pleasure. Read More
Downtown Milford Farmers' Market Kids Day on August 1 Restaurant Farmers Market Milford CTbites Team July 24, 2015 The Downtown Milford Farmer's Market will be hosting a Kid's Day featuring the characters Anna and Elsa from the animated movie Frozen, sponsored by Sensitive Care Pediatrics Dentistry in Milford, CT. When: Saturday, August 1st Where: Downtown Milford Farmer's Market 58 River Street, Milford, CT What: Carnival-like experience for kids of all ages - Live appearance from Disney's Anna and Elsa - Face Painting - Balloon Animals - Games and Raffles - Kid's Clothing and Accessories Market begins at 9am - 1pm Kids activities begin at 9:30 -1 Read More
Crazy Taco-Mex Food Truck: Great Carnitas Taco Restaurant Food Truck Tacos Mexican Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger July 23, 2015 The food truck craze continues and I visited Crazy Taco-Mex. The simply decorated truck includes a Sombrero with the rim in the shape of a handlebar moustache. The menu includes Tacos ($3.50) Quesadillas ($6), and Burritos ($7). I was interested in Tacos and ordered three, a steak, a carnitas and a chicken. The menu states that each is topped with onions, cilantro and salsa verde. Read More
Annabelle's Natural Ice Cream Now Being Sold @ Gingerbitz in New Canaan Ingredients Restaurant ice cream Ingredients Kid Friendly Dessert Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger July 22, 2015 In a town that offers the best gelato in Fairfield County, New Canaan has been void of the same quality ice cream. That has now changed as Gingerbitz on Elm Street is now selling scoops of Annabelle’s Ice Cream from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. When I heard the news I headed straight to Gingerbitz to sample. Nestled alongside the cakes, pastries, woopie pies and the Stumptown coffee, Gingerbitz offers four rotating varieties. With the scorching temperature this past weekend, there were several people lined up to order a cone or a cup of the current selections; Triple Chocolate, New Hampshire Pure Maple Walnut, Raspberry Chocolate Chip and Salty Caramel. A quick look on Annabelle’s website describes the ice cream a “super premium, 16% butter fat, kosher®, natural ice cream with NO additives or artificial colors.” Each of them were extra-creamy, dense and full of great flavors. The chocolate was my favorite. The richness of the chocolate was elevated by chocolate chunks and a dark fudge. Read More
Lugano Wine Bar & Salumeria Opens in Greenwich Restaurant Greenwich Italian Salumeria Tapas Wine Bar Bar Emma Jane-Doody Stetson July 19, 2015 Going out for a meal can be an incredibly rewarding experience. There is a reason restaurants are a popular spot for a night out and a number of people proudly refer to themselves as “foodies.” However, it can also be a downright chore. Do I brave the downtown traffic? Where do I park my car? How do I get there? Will there be a table for me? Lugano Wine Bar and Salumeria, newly opened in Greenwich, alleviates all of those hassles. The Italian inspired restaurant sits just off of exit 6 from I-95 on East Putnam Avenue in Riverside, far removed from the droves of people downtown. It has its own lot next to the restaurant for easy parking as well as a valet service. Indoors, the space is approachable, yet impressive. When you walk through the front doors, you enter a spacious bar with plenty of seating and room to stand and mingle. Wine glasses elegantly line the bar’s counter, as if inviting patrons in for a drink. Just off of the bar to the right is a large dining room with high ceilings and a dome that serves as a skylight. It is light and open, lined with large windows. Lugano even boasts a private dining room for special functions, or for guests who prefer a quiet dining experience. The lovely space was the impetus for the restaurant. Read More
Guide to CT Wine & Spirit Shops for Summer 2015 Ingredients Features CT Beer Cocktails Specialty Market Wine Shop April Guilbault July 15, 2015 If there is one sound that can make you think of a hot summer day, it is the clink of ice in a big, tall glass. Ka-chink, clink, clink. Does a fizzy sound follow on the heels of those ka-chinks? Is there a ker-plop of a citrus wedge tumbling into that cool pool of refreshing, fizzy goodness? Ahhhh...and this is the sound that follows all of those...Ahhhh. Hello, icy cold craft beer, hello tart and tingly gin and tonic, hello creamy pina. It’s so nice to see you again. To make you overflow with summer lovin’, we have found spirit shops around the state that will put the ka-chink-clink-clink in your future... Read More
Bailey's Backyard in Ridgefield: 2 CTbites Writers Explore Their New Summer Menu Restaurant Farm to Table Ridgefield CTbites Team July 12, 2015 When Sal and Forrest invite you to a summer tasting menu, you say yes first and ask questions later. That would be Sal Bagliavio, owner of Bailey’s Backyard in Ridgefield, and Forrest Pasternack, the restaurant’s executive chef. The two have been the creative force behind the restaurant’s New American menu since its reinvention just two years ago. The story of Bailey’s actually goes back to 1999 when Sal, a chef himself, renovated the then coffee shop into a beloved Ridgefield restaurant that he ran for over a decade. Eager for a new chapter but happy to remain in Ridgefield, he reimagined it as a New American restaurant driven by seasonal ingredients and local purveyors in 2013. Over the past two years, Bailey’s has solidified its place in the Fairfield County dining scene thanks to the adventurous culinary spirit of Chef Pasternack and the dedication of Bagliavio. Read More
Miya's Sushi Announces CSA/Fishery Limited to 12 Memberships Ingredients Features CSA Fish New Haven Amy Kundrat July 12, 2015 Photos: Andrew Sullivan Miya's Sushi in New Haven, led by Chef Bun Lai, is launching a first-of-it's-kind CSA/Fishery set to launch this August. Membership includes a monthly delivery of 6-8 servings of seafood for 5 months at a cost of $800, with delivery included (free to New Haven area, additional costs may apply to regions beyond). Here is the announcement and details from Bun Lai: Miya’s Sushi is thrilled to announce the first installment of the member-driven Allies in Sustainable Food. This first season will be limited to a dozen memberships, beginning in August and ending in December of 2015. By being a member of Allies in Sustainable Food, you are supporting the experimentation and research of a small, local, innovative restaurant. Due to high food and labor costs, Miya’s operates on a thin margin, so your financial support will go directly into the development of our most groundbreaking off-the-menu approaches to sustainable eating. Read More
Pick Your Own Blueberries Opens Today @ Bishop's Orchards in Guilford CT Ingredients Features Local Farm Pick Your Own kids activity Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster July 10, 2015 Pick-Your-Own Blueberries is NOW OPEN at Bishop's Orchards in Guilford CT. Today is Opening Day with weekday hours 8am-1:30pm, Saturday 8am-4pm, and Sunday 9am-4pm. Blueberry season lasts about 6-7 weeks, up until late August. Blueberry admission is FREE into the field. You MUST pay for what you pick, by the pound. The field location for Blueberry picking is at their Main Orchards located off of New England Road. Remember to always call their PICK line before heading out at 203-458-PICK. Weather and crop availability are always a factor so hours and locations can change at anytime. If strawberry season was any indication of what is to come with blueberries, we are all in for a real treat! Read More
Homespun Mexican at Mexicali Rose in Bethel and Newtown Restaurant Bethel Newtown Mexican Kid Friendly Amy Kundrat July 05, 2015 Mexicali Rose is the type of small town dive you might take for granted if you grew up with it in your backyard (like I did), or you selfishly want to keep it to yourself (like I do). As a kid growing up in Newtown, I knew it was preferable to its Subway strip mall neighbor, but it wasn’t until I logged many thousands of miles of travel and dozens (hundreds?) of taco joints, that I truly saw this place. Homemade tortilla chips, walls covered in a clutter of Mexican folkloric kitsch, a handful of enamel top tables, and one very kind family that owns and runs the restaurant make Mexicali Rose one of my favorite hidden northern Fairfield County gems. Read More
Aarón Sánchez & Chris Batemen Unveil Seasonal Menu At Paloma, Stamford Restaurant Celebrity Chef Stamford Lunch Latin American Lou Gorfain July 03, 2015 After a bloggers’ tasting at Paloma in Stamford’s Harbor Point, CTBites sat down with Chef de Cuisine Chris Bateman to review the menu -- and his creative relationship with celebrity chef-owner Aarón Sánchez. Bateman is a culinary prodigy. Fresh from CIA, the young chef opened Four Seasons Restaurants and Hotels around the world. So debuting Paloma last summer wasn’t his first big time rodeo. Sánchez may be its star, but Bateman runs the day-to-day show. We wondered how much the celeb is involved in the creation of Paloma’s menu. “Very much,” Bateman replies. “We work closely. But he’s wide open to my ideas, and listens really well.” The unshaven, still youthful chef, sporting jeans and a Yankee cap worn backwards, confides, “Aarón is the reason I’ve stayed here. I love cooking with him.” Read More
Lithos Restaurant in Darien: New Greek in Town Restaurant Darien Greek Homepage Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger June 28, 2015 Lithos Restaurant opened in April serving an array of Greek specialties from a house made hummus to individually prepared crocks of Moussaka to a full selection of dinner entrées including fish, meats and chicken. Located at the eastern edge of Darien in the building that formerly housed Anthony's coal fired pizza, Lithos redecorated the interior to a lighter feel with blues, taupes and fixtures to inspire a Mediterrean softness. There is a long bar in the rear of the dining area, tables, booths and a large dining table that seats 10-12 to the right of the space that can be secluded by a sliding curtain. This month the restaurant commenced lunch service with a fixed price ($16 on my visit) 3-course special that includes an appetizer sampler, a choice of entrées and a dessert of yogurt, honey and fruit. Read More
Meet the Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream Team at Barrett Bookstore in Darien on July 11 Restaurant Events ice cream Homepage Amy Kundrat June 28, 2015 Laura O'Neill and Connecticut natives Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen started Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream in 2008 with pair of buttercup yellow ice cream trucks and a mission to revitalize traditional ice cream making by using only whole, natural ingredients. Less than a decade later the business has grown to include several bricks and mortar shops, a fleet of trucks, and a gorgeous new cookbook with 100 classic and new ice cream recipes. Barrett Bookstore in Darien will be hosting a talk with authors Ben and Laura on Saturday, July 11 at 12 pm with a Q/A session, book signing, and of course, an ice cream tasting. Read More
Pho Hong Thom: A Must Eat Vietnamese Gem in Bridgeport Restaurant Asian Bridgeport Delicious Dives Vietnamese Sarah Green June 28, 2015 Here’s a little secret...SHHHH!!! We got a tip from those in the know - and by that I mean some of Fairfield County’s finest chefs - that the place “around town” for truly authentic Vietnamese Pho is PHO HONG THOM on Wood Ave in Bridgeport. Naturally, we FORCED ourselves to give it a try. Tiny, unpretentious, even down-right plain, patrons come here for the food, not the decor. But they come. Empty when we arrived at 11:30 but jam packed by noon, PHO HONG THOM draws ‘em in and keeps ‘em coming back for more. Here’s why: PHO HONG THOM gets its name from Hong and Thom Nguyen, owners of this family-run establishment in the heart of Bridgeport. Originally from a tiny village near Hanoi, the Nguyen family are “all in” with sons and a daughter helping out whenever possible. This is family cooking at its best and you get a hint of that as a mosaic of flavors greet your nose upon arrival. Broth is at the heart of this menu - and I’ll tell you what Pho.. Read More
Back 40 Kitchen: Modern Farmhouse with Organic Mission to Open in Greenwich this July Restaurant Farm to Table Greenwich CTbites Team June 21, 2015 The Back 40 Farm Group will open Back 40 Kitchen this July on Greenwich Avenue, a modern take on organic farmhouse cuisine. Back 40 Kitchen will be a haven for those seeking healthy, organic food without sacrificing sophistication. The restaurant will source the majority of its produce from Back 40 Farm, an 85-acre family-owned organically managed farm in Washington, CT, as well as other regional organic and sustainable farms and purveyors. Read More
Friday Froth: Beers At The Beach With Beer'd Brewing Ingredients CT Beer Events Beer James Gribbon June 20, 2015 The first ever Beers At The Beach micro-fest went down at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk earlier this month, and CTBites was there to give you a look. The party's host, Ken Tuccio of the Welcome To Connecticut podcast, created the event to showcase in-state breweries which don't have large distributions, and give people a chance to try the beers and meet the people who make them. The guest of honor on June 11th was Beer'd Brewing of Stonington. Burgers and hot dogs were provided by Ripka's Beach Cafe as part of the party, and shrimp, clams and oysters were also on ice for bites al fresco. Beer'd took the opportunity to launch their new imperial amber, Get To The Choppa! Read More
Boothbay Lobster Company Opening in Stamford's Harbor Point: Wicked Fresh Maine Seafood Restaurant Seafood Stamford Opening Lou Gorfain June 18, 2015 It’s official. The Boothbay Lobster Company will be opening its first restaurant in early 2016 at Harbor Point in Stamford. In fact, owner David Galin had just finished hanging up the announcement sign in the window of the new location, when we asked about his plans. Since Boothbay is Lobster Haven in Maine, our first question had to be, “Connecticut Lobster Roll or New England Lobster Roll?” “Both,” Galin said, grinning. “And either way, we’ll serve tail, knuckle and claw meat in a really good bun.” The restaurant concept is so fresh that Galin and his somewhat silent business partner are still refining the details, but “fresh” is the operant theme: seafood plucked directly from the cold waters of Maine immediately trucked to Harbor Point. When the concept is further embellished, Galin promised to give CTBites readers a very early preview. This we can leak. Read More
