Judy's Bar + Kitchen Opens in Stamford with Low Country BBQ Restaurant BBQ Stamford Breakfast Lunch Kid Friendly Lou Gorfain May 18, 2016 Judith Roll, creator of the popular Tabouli Mediterranean Grill in Stamford, felt that the dining neighborhood north of Bullshead was underserved. “The area needed something a little hip,” she told CTBites recently. “So I thought, take a chance, and try Barbecue.” As if by wizardry, wisps of sweet hickory smoke were soon wafting over High Ridge Road, not far from the Merritt, as Judy’s Bar + Kitchen opened its doors to a diverse (and hungry) local crowd. Even though she bills her dinner dishes as “Low Country,” Judith made no pilgrimage to Memphis and Carolina to study the nuances of time, temperature, cuts and woods. Rather she stayed in the neighborhood and developed her menu out of a culinary sensibility honed at CIA and the kitchens of gifted chefs like Wolfgang Puck. “Simple and fresh are my style,” she says. “Good meat, cooked low and slow, what more do you need to know?” Read More
The Pine Leaf Opens in New Milford with Chef Joel Viehland Restaurant Milford Organic Outdoor Dining Breakfast Lunch Amy Kundrat May 18, 2016 The Pine Leaf opened this week in New Milford under the leadership of chef/owner and three-time James Beard nominee, Joel Viehland. Located along the Aspetuck River, The Pine Leaf will be serving what they describe as "simple, light breakfasts and fresh, seasonal lunch fare" with a focus on organic and local ingredients. For those of us who know and love Viehland's cooking from his time at nearby Community Table, (check out our 2013 restaurant review of CT), this is definitely an opening we have been eagerly anticipating. We look forward to exploring New Milford's newest breakfast and lunch hot spot. In the meantime, check it out and let us know what you ate and what you think! Read More
Battle of the Chefs Culinary Showdown At Founders Hall June 5 Restaurant Ridgefield Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster May 17, 2016 On Sunday, June 5, from 4-7 pm, three chefs will match sharp knives and quick wits in an exciting culinary showdown to benefit Founders Hall in Ridgefield, CT. Chefs Beck Bolender (One Twenty One, North Salem), Frank Bonnaudet (Sucré Salé, Ridgefield), and Jehan S.de Noüe (formerly Chez Noüe, Ridgefield, now JSN Catering and Albano Appliance, Pound Ridge) will open a basket of surprise ingredients in front of an audience of over 200 and, in just 60 short minutes, compete to create the winning entrée. A panel of food experts, including John Barricelli of SoNo Baking Company, master chef Ron DeSantis, director of culinary excellence at Yale University, and Brendan Walsh, dean of culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America, will judge the chefs on their creativity, craftsmanship and culinary results. Amy Kundrat, executive editor of the award-winning regional food blog CTbites will once again referee this showdown. Read More
Wright's Steakhouse Opens May 16 in Centerbrook, CT Restaurant Centerbook Shoreline East Steakhouse CTbites Team May 16, 2016 Brought to you by the folks behind River Tavern, Otto Pizza and Dinners At The Farm, Wright's Steakhouse will will open on May 16 in an old Victorian in Centerbrook, CT. A peek at the menus hint at a vibrant take on the traditional steakhouse, here is an early peek at the dinner menu and the smaller bar menu. For more information, visit: www.wrightssteak.com Read More
Miro Kitchen Opens in Fairfield With Chef From Hapa Food Truck Restaurant Asian Fairfield Hawaiian Tacos Comfort Food Lunch Jessica Ryan May 15, 2016 With much anticipation and excitement Miro Kitchen recently opened its doors on Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield. The new eatery is the collective brainchild of Eugene Kabilnitsky, former owner of Tomato and Basil, and Hapa Food Truck’s Chris Gonzales. I recently sat down with the two to talk about the inspiration behind this creative collaboration. “My wife and I were both working from home and we found ourselves going to the Hapa Food Truck at least twice a week,” Kabilnitsky told me. “We couldn’t get enough! At the time I was set to open another Italian restaurant at this location and was in the process of hammering out details.” But then he started to wonder whether the Hapa concept might work in the restaurant space. He joked that after visiting the truck 100 or so times he shared his idea with Chris, and subsequent conversations led to the current partnership, and Miro, an expansion of the wildly popular Hapa Food Truck, was born. The best way to describe the cuisine is to say it is a play on Pacific, Asian and Hawaiian street food with an American twist, mixing the exotic with the familiar. Read More
Friday Froth: Big Fuzzy Double And The Harpooned Whale, New England Brewing Ingredients Beer CT Beer Friday Froth James Gribbon May 13, 2016 Feel free to argue with me in the comments, but New England Brewing Company is currently the biggest whale in Connecticut. Unlike the white whale which drove Ahab mad and dragged him to his doom, no number of obsessive trackers will soon be bringing it down. NEBCO finished doubling the capacity of its brewery over the winter and in short order released a huge batch of its more sought after beers to multiple bars just in time to coincide with St. Patrick's day. My base of operations that night was Walrus+Carpenter in Black Rock because they were having a Van Morrison tribute band, and the list of things I will fight you over is not long, but it includes "Astral Weeks." I was several Supernauts and a long awaited Gandhi-Bot deep when I sensed a disturbance in the force, as if thousands of apps had fired up at once, and looked up to watch a steady trickle of bros and bro-ettes flow in, order no drinks, and peruse not a single menu. They just waited. These, then, were the Untappd zombies. Cannibalistic brain-eating being so 20th century, the horde was utterly uninterested in music, roast pig, fried chicken, or a tap list filled with excellent beer - they wanted cheeeeeck-iiiiinnnnsss. It was five minutes before the hour, and the tap was about to open on Fuzzy Baby Ducks. Thumbs hovered - twitching, aching - over phones. Read More
Opening Day of the Westport Farmers’ Market is May 19: Raise a Glass to Food & Community Ingredients Events Farmers Market Lynn Felici-Gallant May 13, 2016 Michael Pollan once said, “The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community.” Nowhere is that sense of family and community more alive than at the Westport Farmers’ Market. Join your friends and meet new ones on opening day this Thursday, May 19th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 50 Imperial Avenue. Gather in the center of the market at noon to raise a glass of green juice compliments of The Stand, Fairfield County’s premier vegan-inspired food and juice bar. This yearly ritual kicks off a celebration of local, healthful, delicious food, farming, and community, and is where market organizers unveil the year’s Friend of the Market bags. For a yearly contribution of $40, Friends of the Market are the backbone of the WFM, supporting educational and other activities for clean eaters of all ages. In turn, Friends are rewarded with weekly discounts from over 45 vendors. Read More
Fire Up Some Fun at Sun BBQFest at Mohegan Sun Restaurant BBQ Events Festival CTbites Team May 12, 2016 Photo courtesy of CTNOWBrace yourself for a grillin’ and chillin’ good time at Sun BBQFest. On June 11th & 12th, sink your teeth into the best barbeque around with festivities featuring celebrity BBQ Chef — Myron Mixon, live music, beer trailers, barbeque showdowns, local vendors, food trucks and so much more! Tickets are $5.00 per day and go on sale Friday, April 1st through the Mohegan Sun Box Office. Kids 6 and under get in free. The weekend of the event, tickets for entry are available at the gate along with food and drink tickets. Eat, Drink, Compete Get in on all the BBQ action and decide who reigns supreme during the People’s Choice Contest all weekend long. Purchase $2.00 samples from 20 participating Kansas City BBQ Society teams and cast your vote for the ultimate best at Sun BBQFest. Competition remains fierce on Saturday with a Rib Contest fromNoon to 2:30pm followed by a Wing Challenge from 6:00pm to 8:30pm. For $5.00, each contest offers a sampling of 5 wings or 5 ribs for you to judge! A portion of the proceeds benefits the Sun BBQFest official charity, Operation BBQ Relief. Read More
Ultimate Guide To Berry Picking in CT (2016 Edition) Ingredients CT Farms Local Farm Pick Your Own kids activity Anna Bendiksen May 11, 2016 “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, dear,” my maternal grandmother told me over and over again when I was growing up in the Midwest. Grandma, may she rest in peace, always had berry patches in her backyard for pies to please the most hard-hearted male guest, but if she could have seen the scale and abundance of Connecticut berry farms, she would probably, as we used to say, have fainted dead away. Prairies are not made for berries; woodlands are. Since it’s true that the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach, too, I’ve developed a passion for the annual ritual of visiting local pick-your-own farms for strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. The argument for going to pick-your-own farms, when one has the time, is unassailable. It does not get more local than this, unless, like my Grandma, you want to grow your own (another unassailable idea but beyond the scope of this article). Berries in season are at their peak of freshness and nadir of price, and one also has the satisfaction of knowing that one is supporting farmers in one’s community. Read More
A New Era for Bethel’s Holbrook Farm Ingredients CT Farms Farmers Market Local Farm Specialty Market farm fresh Jessica Ryan May 11, 2016 Founded by John and Lynn Holbrook, Holbrook Farm in Bethel has been family run and operated for the past 40 years. The farm is small by most people’s standards. Although it is situated on 12 acres only two are used for production. From these two acres yield an abundance of produce. While not certified organic, the land is clean of pesticides and herbicides, using plants that attract beneficial insects. Weeds have a special place in the ecological mix as well. Last week I took a trip up to the farm to meet with Jess Wong, the new manager who gave me a tour of the property. Wong was brought on to manage the property and grow the farm to a new level of productivity. A Skidmore graduate, she dabbled in marketing for a while before realizing that she missed being outdoors and working with her hands. Wong started volunteering at the farm assisting the former manager, handling minor projects and social media Last December John told her that he wanted to retire and asked if she would run the farm and the market. Wong was elated. She had big plans for the farm which included a new greenhouse and renovating the store. But greenhouses are expensive. Enter Tony Pham and Richard Reyes of Mecha Noodle Bar, and Mezon, and their new program, Eat Justice, a movement of restaurants on a mission to transform taste and tradition to pride and progress. Read More
The Tasty Yolk Food Truck Rolls Into Fairfield w/ Gourmet Breakfast Sandwicheses Restaurant Fairfield Food Truck Breakfast Lunch Emma Jane-Doody Stetson May 10, 2016 Two chefs and a banker walk into a bar… It sounds like the start of a joke, but it’s actually the start of a “yolk!” Chefs Eric Felitto and Jason Cade of The Chelsea teamed up with their friend and banker, Michael Bertanza to create The Tasty Yolk food truck located at 4700 Park Avenue in Bridgeport. Despite the rain, the truck made its debut on Thursday May 5 to lots of customers eager to try their gourmet twists on breakfast sandwiches. “Every year, we try to figure out how we’re going to make our fortune,” jokes Felitto. “We finally decided to use our skills and make a food truck.” The trio makes for the perfect team. Felitto, Chef at The Chelsea, can coordinate with Sous Chef Cade so that someone can attend to the truck while continuing to work at the restaurant. Meanwhile, Bertanza works just across the street at Fairfield Bank. It’s easy for them to come together. Read More
Dinner & Craft Cocktails At Sugar & Olives in Norwalk: New Spring Menu Restaurant Brunch Cocktails Farm to Table Norwalk Organic Lunch Dessert Jessica Ryan May 08, 2016 Recently some members of The CTBites team and I had the opportunity to revisit and sit together at Sugar and Olives in Norwalk to try out the new springtime menu. For those of you who have not yet visited (what are you waiting for?!) Sugar and Olives was established by Westport resident, Jennifer Balin, in 2008. Her goal was, and remains, to educate diners and cultivate the relationship between farms and families. She is committed to serving local food, and nearly all the items on the generous menu come from within the state, including milk, cheese, eggs, fruit, vegetables, beef, pork, poultry and fish, as well as wine, beer and spirits. This three star Certified Green Restaurant serves brunch five days a week and dinner three nights a week. Read More
MilkCraft Nitrogen-Churned Ice Cream Opens May 9th in Fairfield Restaurant Fairfield ice cream Kid Friendly Dessert Stephanie Webster May 07, 2016 It's official. Fairfield just became the luckiest town in all of CT. On May 9th, MilkCraft will be opening at 1215 Post Road in the Brick Walk area of Fairfield, selling the creamiest ice cream in the universe. Why you ask? Milkcraft serves Nitrogen-churned ice cream, a process that freezes the cream so quickly that those pesky ice crystals that can form when the ice cream freezes slowly, never materialize. The end result is simply the smoothest creamiest ice cream you've ever tasted, with a mouthfeel like no other frozen confection. But wait...it gets better. Milkcraft will be serving their nitrogen- churned dessert in Instagram ready "Creameebun" donut sandwiches, and Hong Kong-inspired "Bubblecones." More details on Milkcraft coming soon. Get excited CT. Read More
The Westport Farmers' Market Opens May 19 for 2016 Summer Season! Ingredients Farmers Market CTbites Team May 05, 2016 Thursday, May 19, the Westport Farmers’ Market (WFM) will kick off the 2016 summer season, celebrating fresh, local food and the community that supports us. WFM cultivates community, nurtures an appreciation of real food and the work that goes into growing it. WFM has blossomed into a market that boasts 45 vendors, food trucks, chef demos, yoga, organic eats, children’s programming and even a pizza truck. Thanks to thousands of shoppers from all over Fairfield Country, WFM’s Thursday market is a destination not to be missed. What do we have in store for 2016? Plenty of old friends, along with some new faces. Look for integrated chef involvement, expanded children’s programming, and some gorgeous new Friends of the Market bags and offsite fun and educational events. Join the market at 12:00, high noon, to toast local food with organic green juice donated by The Stand. Don’t miss the opening day festivities, Thursday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The WFM is located at 50 Imperial Avenue, in Westport. Read More
Cafe Dolce in Norwalk: Exceptional European Desserts, Coffee & Lunch Restaurant Bakery Coffee Pasta Tea And Coffee Lunch Take Out Dessert April Guilbault May 04, 2016 Some cups of coffee begin in Africa. Others in South America. This cup of coffee began, so to speak, in...Hungary. Norbert Dudas and Zoltan Bona, two friends who were hospitality and culinary students back in the day, eventually made their way to the United States. They pinpointed Fairfield County in particular, looking for a place to set up shop and show people what they could do. The result is the convivial, welcoming Cafe Dolce in Norwalk with its decidedly European atmosphere. Said one regular customer on my recent trip there “It’s the best kept secret...but not for long, I’m sure!”. At that, she threw her hands in the air, cradled and shook her head as she embarked on her snacking quandary (oh, the peril!)...which treat to enjoy? This cafe, with its steaming cup and rolling pin logo (a nod to their coffee and baked goods, of course), has “hand-crafted” written all over it. Read More
HAPA Burger is Creative, Bold and Delicious Restaurant Food Truck Burgers Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger May 03, 2016 Almost a year ago I visited Hapa Food truck and ordered three tacos. Little did I know that the smiling face of owner Chris Gonzales, who prepared those delicious tacos was hiding an incredible talent of delivering bold, balanced and creative cuisine. After I finished the tacos he told me I needed to try the burger. I was too full at the time and told him I would come back. Shame on me for waiting a year. Since that time Hapa has developed quite a following and Chris recently opened Miro Kitchen in Fairfield, and a colleague who visited Miro told me it was fantastic. Well…fast forward and I recently returned to Hapa for the burger. The smiling face of Chris was replaced by an equally smiling and friendly face of his wife, Nicole. I ordered the HAPA burger with fries and she asked if I liked Brussels sprouts, of course I do. The HAPA burger consists of grass-fed beef topped with pork belly, Vermont cheddar, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, house aioli, encased in HAPA’s signature ube bun. Read More
Latte Art Throwdown at NEAT Westport. And The Winner Is… Ingredients Coffee Tea And Coffee ellen bowen May 03, 2016 I had no idea. Like most people, I enjoy a good cup of coffee. My personal preference being a latte, the Americanized version of a cappuccino, but with a more densely foamed steamed milk. So when I was invited to represent CTbites as one of three judges at this past weeks Latte Art Throwdown at NEAT Westport, frankly I envisioned a couple local baristas serving up some prettily topped lattes. Hearts, Flowers, Tulips, etc. Little did I know, but being a barista has taken on a new respect in the coffee world. Third Wave coffee, Single origin, specialty coffee, French Press, pour overs and simple are words that have crept into our vocabulary as true coffee aficionados seek out the best baristas in local independent coffee houses. NEAT is one of the original boutique coffee houses in CT, opening its first location in Darien, and in the last year coming to Westport in the former Vigilante Fire House on Riverside Ave. This past week, they hosted their first Latte Art Throwdown, a judged bracket style competition not for the faint of heart barista. Read More
Brew Pub Planned for Former Bethel Train Station Restaurant Bethel Brewery Pub CTbites Team April 29, 2016 Photo: Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media We are VERY excited about this week's Bethel food news covered by our friends Hearst Connecticut: Several local entrepreneurs hope to open a brew pub in the former train station, which they believe will bring a new demographic to downtown [Bethel]. Lisa Tassone, owner of La Zingara on P.T. Barnum Square, and several partners have been discussing a brew pub when space at the station became available. Bethel Cycle closed last fall after operating in the building for about five years. “As soon as we walked into the space we knew it was a perfect fit,” said Tassone, who opened La Zingara about 13 years ago. Chris Sanzeni, an experienced brewer, said the historic building and the artistic nature of making beer is a perfect fit — adding Smirnoff vodka was produced for the first time in the building next door. Read More
Donut Crazy Doughnuts Now Available in Bridgeport's Black Rock Neighborhood Ingredients Restaurant Bridgeport Doughnuts Breakfast Take Out Kid Friendly Dessert Jessica Ryan April 29, 2016 I recently headed over to Donut Crazy’s newest location in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport with Jessica Grutkowski, owner of the Buzz Truck, who shared that she will be adding this local vendor to her offerings. While I fully admit I have never met a donut I didn’t like, these aren’t your typical donuts; they’re indulgent and decadent, and enormous! As you step inside you’ll notice how physically different this donut joint is. Most don’t share a space with a Vietnamese restaurant, which in this case is the recently opened Nom Eez. So I asked Jason Wojnarowski, founder of Donut Crazy about this curious new home and this most unusual pairing, because as I saw it, Pho and donuts don’t necessarily go hand in hand. Wojnarowski, a builder by profession, was hired by Matt Storch (owner of Nom Eez) to renovate Match a couple of years ago. What resulted was not only a friendship but the current Pho-Donut partnership. Read More
Top 25 CT Food Trucks: New Haven & Beyond (2016 Edition) Available For Catering All Over CT Restaurant Recipe Catering Food Truck Emma Jane-Doody Stetson April 27, 2016 We recently told you about the array of food trucks travelling the streets of Fairfield County and bringing delicious food straight to you (view Top 20 Fairfield County Food Trucks here). New Haven, and its surrounding areas, is also a hub for some truly excellent food trucks! They also have a bevy of food carts. From sweet cupcakes to aromatic java to finger-lickin’ good barbeque, there is a diverse assortment of mobile cuisine to savor. Here are 25 Food Trucks & Carts in New Haven and beyond worth visiting. The Cheese Truck, New Haven: The Cheese Truck brings grilled cheese sandwiches, soup, sausages, salads, and more to the streets of New Haven. It comes from the team behind Caseus, the popular New Haven bistro. The Little Red Seafood Truck, Shelton & New Haven: Nothing captures summertime in New England more than fresh seafood. The Little Red Seafood Truck is an offshoot of Szabo's Seafood, located in Shelton. They have seafood sandwiches like the scallop roll, lobster roll, and salmon burger. They also have soups and salads. Farm Belly, New Haven: The Farm Belly food truck and caterer brings farm-fresh food to the streets of New Haven. They visit local farms and farmers’ markets to find produce, meat, and dairy. One of their signature items is the egg-and-cheese sandwich, made with local eggs and farmstead cheese. They even make their own ketchup and hot sauce. Cowabunga, CT: The Cowabunga Food Truck has soft serve ice cream and grilled selections. They use pasture raised, grass fed beef. Try one of their tasty burgers, like their signature Cowabunga Burger. It comes with pepper jack, bacon, grilled onions and peppers. Book the truck for an event, or select their Backyard BBQ package. Read More
