Ridgefield High School Student Christopher DiFabio Spins Pizza Pies for a Cause Kids Bites Restaurant CTbites Team June 24, 2014 Ridgefield High School Junior Christopher DiFabio will take over the pizza kitchen at ReNapoli in Old Greenwich on June 28 at 3 pm for an hour-long pizza-making competition to raise money for the charity Full Courts Peace. DiFabio will will race the clock, making as many pizzas as possible within the hour. He is asking for sponsors to pledge a dollar for each pizza produced. If the name sounds familiar, it should. Christopher is the son of six-time world pizza champion Bruno DiFabio, owner of 10 pizzerias around the country including ReNapoli and Pinocchio pizzerias in Wilton and New Canaan. Proceeds from the fundraiser will support the building of a basketball court in Havana, which he plans to visit in the fall. He is asking for sponsors to pledge a dollar for each pizza produced. Connecticut residents interested in supporting the cause can contact christopherdifabio@aol.com or Bruno@pizzascience.com, or drop by ReNapoli to submit a pledge. All pledgers are invited to attend a pizza party reception at 7pm, where Christopher and Bruno DiFabio’s award-winning pizzas will be served. Read More
Connecticut's Best Dairy Farm Ice Cream: 2014 Edition Ingredients Restaurant Road Trip ice cream Best of CT Kid Friendly Dessert Lou Gorfain June 22, 2014 With summer finally here, we have updated and expanded our annual roundup of the best dairy farm ice cream in Connecticut. You can’t get closer to farm fresh ice cream than tasting it at farm. Not only do you see the cows, you whiff them, and that aroma is part of the authenticity of the experience, if not the charm. Sure, these farms aren’t close by. But WTD. They’re “Worth The Drive” And worth the lick: usually the freshest, creamiest, and most flavorful retail ice cream available in Connecticut. While Chocolate and Vanilla remain cash cows, dairy farms also offer a greater array of flavors than you’ll find at parlors or in the supermarket freezer case. In fact, farmers have begun to rival restaurant chefs for sheer inventiveness and culinary dairying-doo. So, for your and your family’s guilty or innocent pleasures, we submit our favorite cow-to-cone ice creams … Read More
2014 Food Truck Festival in Hamden Restaurant Food Truck Hamden CTbites Team June 18, 2014 The second annual Hamden Food Truck Festival is taking place this Friday, June 20, from 4:30 to 9 p.m.at Hamden Town Center Park. Over 30 vendors will fill the park, including: SAVORY Caseus, Spuds Your Way, Firedog, Turkey HUT LLC, Fryborg, World Famous Ted's Steamed Cheeseburgers, The Whey Station, Szabo's Seafood Take Out, Prepared Foods and Catering, Mamoun's Falafel Cart, Aurora's Gypsy Cafe, The Soup Girl, Smoke Box BBQ, Uncle D's Blazin BBQ, and Ricky D's Rib shack. SWEET Four Flours Baking Company, LLC, Sugar Bakery & Sweet Shop, NoRA Cupcake Company, Addeo's Italian Ice, Nana's Ice Cream truck, Ben & Jerry's of Canton, CT, Six Pence Pies, Elm City Kettle Corn, DiSorbo's Bakery, Fruit Whirled. Read More
The New Downtown Milford Farmers' Market Seasonal Restaurant Farmers Market Milford Amy Kundrat June 17, 2014 The new Downtown Milford Farmers' Market, led by Market Master and Scratch Baking Manager Alex Malaspinas, will be open every Saturday, now through October 11, 2014 from 9 am to 1 pm. The market is located at 58 River Street in Milford, CT and is easily accessible by train as the lot sits adjacent to the Milford train station. Featured vendors include Scratch Baking, Vaiuso Farms, Rose's Berry Farm, Lisa's Soaps, Dash N' Drizzle, Calandrelli Kettle Corn, Tasty Good Eats, Chiropractic & Wellness Center of Milford, Autumn Rose Flower & Gift Shop, Maple View Farm, and more as the season gets underway. If you can't make it into Scratch Baking in Milford, Alex also shared the bakery's special events schedule this summer: Read More
The Best Tacos in Connecticut: Ultimate Guide Restaurant Darien Fairfield Food Truck Hartford Norwalk Stamford Tacos Mexican New Haven Best of CT Kid Friendly April Guilbault June 15, 2014 There is truly a Mexican restaurant for everyone. There are the quiet ones that scream “authentic! authentic! authentic!” and then there are the more modern ones with the guac that is “hand-slapped” or “slapped to order.” Excuse me? Was it naww-ghty? Mex goes 50 Shades, I see. And if the recent lime shortage (I can’t think of lime-hijackings without giggling, sorry) has you in a tizzy and wondering just how the heck you and your margaritas are going to make it through the summer, just head to these places. Let them figure out the limes, you can figure out how many drinks and how much lime-infused guacamole to have. Here's our list of the 16 Best Taco Restaurants & Trucks in Connecticut. Feel free to add your favorites to the list below. Read More
The Drawing Room in Cos Cob Presents: Artist’s Table Dinner, June 22nd Restaurant Cos Cob Events CTbites Team June 12, 2014 The Drawing Room in Cos Cob has announced a June 22nd date for the next Artist’s Table Dinner Series event. For those unfamiliar with The Drawing Room, it is an intimate gem, with a small dining room and garden patio that extends the tiny restaurant in the warm seasons and a newly remodeled art gallery in the space adjacent to the cafe. “The Artist’s Table”, is a seated, plated dinner, with limited seating, situated right in their beautiful gallery, featuring local farms, artisanal cheeses and fresh, local ingredients, which highlight particular artworks and artists in their current exhibit. This Dinner Series is an exciting combination, bringing together art and food lovers and alike. Their executive chef, Paul Lockely will be teaming up with Bjorn Eicke of Thomas Henkelmann to artfully create a five course dinner inspired by artworks from the current exhibition, "Ebb and Flow." Each course is well thought-out and inspired by the current collection of artwork in the gallery. (See menu below) In other words, each dish is based on a piece of artwork. Read More
Community Table in Washington: A New Bar and Expanded Dining Room Restaurant Farm to Table Washington Organic Bar Amy Kundrat June 09, 2014 Community Table, the Washington, CT restaurant that should be on every serious gourmand’s bucket list, debuted a stunning new dining room and bar this week, kicking off its high summer season with its signature rustic modern style. The four-year old restaurant continues to set itself apart by a seasonally-driven New Nordic-inspired menu. Its talented team, led by James Beard-nominated Executive Chef Joel Viehland, has helped to establish Community Table as one of the region’s best restaurants. The new dining room and bar, designed by architect Peter Talblot working closely with owner Peggy Anderson on the design vision, Read More
Farm to Table @ Bailey's Backyard in Ridgefield Restaurant American Farm to Table Ridgefield Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger June 08, 2014 Bailey’s Backyard opened in 1999, the brainchild of Chef Sal Bagliavio, who oversaw the kitchen for fourteen years. Wanting to spend more time with his family he hired Executive Chef Forrest Pasternack in early 2013 to develop a farm-to-table menu, focused on locally produced ingredients. Born and raised in Western Connecticut, Chef Pasternack’s love of fresh ingredients developed at an early age. His childhood included picking vegetables, fishing the waters of Nantucket Sound, and digging clams in Chatham, Mass.: all to enjoy at family dinner. This passion was both enhanced and refined when he graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America. Post-graduation he sharpened his culinary skills at some of New York’s finest restaurants, including Zoe with Chef David Honeysett, the BLT Restaurant Group with Chef Laurent Tourendel, Eats on Lexington with Chef Jeremy Spector, Employee’s Only and The Brindle Room. His passion for the farm-to-table movement inspired his menus at The SOHO Grand Hotel in lower Manhattan and Terra Restaurant in Greenwich. Since joining Baily’s Backyard, he has dazzled guests with creative combinations and bold flavors. Read More
VanChetta Rolling Rotisserie Food Truck: Outstanding Porchetta Sandwich Restaurant Food Truck Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger June 05, 2014 The food truck craze has officially invaded Fairfield County. Until last year there were less than a handful of colorful food trucks gracing the streets and parking lots of Fairfield County. Last year, the circular driveway outside the Beer Garden at Harbor Point became their go-to location, the choices expanded and lines confirmed that people finally accepted the fact that great food can be both prepared and served from a rolling kitchen. Traditionally limited to a griddle or grill in food preparation, I was intrigued to learn that one housed a rotisserie and excited when I discovered that they served porchetta, one of my favorites. Enter VanChetta Rolling Rotisserie... I checked their Facebook page for their location. Was there fire behind all of this rotisserie smoke? As I approached the brightly colored truck with its bold “VanChetta” adorning the sides and “?YRGNUH” emblazoned on the front, I had a good feeling. The line was several deep and others were already enjoying a variety of Chef/Owner Andy Dolan’s creations at surrounding picnic tables. Read More
Doughnut Day: Best Doughnuts in Fairfield County & Beyond Restaurant Bakery Kids Breakfast Best of CT Kid Friendly Dessert Emma Jane-Doody Stetson June 05, 2014 Friday June 6 is National Donut Day! Yes, it's an actual holiday... it started in 1938 and has been celebrated on the first Friday in June ever since. Back then, making doughnuts proved a complicated ordeal, with people resorting to wine bottles as rolling pins and metal tins as cutting edges. Today, however, several CT restaurants have made doughnuts an art form. As a Stamford resident, I constantly heard people talk about the legendary donuts at the Lakeside Diner. Their rounds are neither ornate nor revolutionary. Instead, the old-fashioned donuts taste just like something Grandma would have pulled out of the oven. The classic cake recipe has a dusting of granulated sugar that pleases children and adults alike. On the other side of the spectrum, Orangeside of New Haven eschews tradition and bakes up SQUARE donuts. It started out as an exercise in frugality; traditional round cutters proved expensive and the square shaped reduced the amount of scrap dough. However, the original design became an instant hit, even recognized by Saveur Magazine as one of the top 50 donuts in the United States. Read More
LobsterCraft Food Truck Opening Brick & Mortar Shop in Darien Restaurant Food Truck CTbites Team June 03, 2014 LobsterCraft, in collaboration with Imian Hospitality, announces the first brick-and-mortar location of the popular gourmet food truck of the same name. LobsterCraft Darien developed out of a relationship formed last summer at Imian’s wildly successful pop-up, The Beer Garden at Harbor Point. The LobsterCraft food truck spent many bustling nights at The Beer Garden, cultivating a loyal following of lobster lovers who track the truck using the full range of social media outlets. LobsterCraft, founded in 2012 by Norwalk-based lobsterman and Coast Guard Captain, Michael Harden, and chef-partner, Trond Fletcher, takes the traditional Connecticut Style lobster roll to the “next level.” The duo’s commitment to perfecting Connecticut’s official state sandwich has earned LobsterCraft a number of awards and accolades, including best food truck and best lobster roll in the state. LobsterCraft rolls are simple, yet elegant combinations of fresh, hot-buttered lobster meat mixed with a pinch of a proprietary 12-ingredient seasoning blend Read More
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Launches Rock ‘n Roast on June 4 Restaurant CTbites Team June 02, 2014 The countdown is on! Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is launching Rock ‘n Roast: a whole-hog barbecue with live music, this coming Wednesday. Here is what you need to know: Read More
CTbites' Best Restaurant Burgers in Fairfield County: 2014 Edition Restaurant Fairfield Norwalk SONO Stamford Westport New Canaan Best of CT Burgers Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger June 01, 2014 National Burger Month draws to a close. What better way to celebrate the conclusion of an entire month of enjoying some incredible hamburgers than announcing the 2014 CTbites' winners of the Best Restaurant Burgers of Fairfield County. More burgers challenged last year’s winners and three were successful, Olio, Mama’s Boy and Bar Sugo. For the second year in a row, the winner is: The Whelk– 2014 Best Restaurant Burger in Fairfield County 1 - The Whelk (Westport) – The Whelk Burger combines a blend rich flavored meat, sweet pickles, cry baby Swiss cheese, two varieties of bacon, crisped onions and onion mayo on a brioche bun. The dry aged blend of short rib, brisket and chuck from Craft Saugatuck Butchery was fantastic. The cheese covered, thick patty sat atop two different varieties of bacon that added saltiness and smokiness, while slices of sweet pickles, a slice of frisée and the onion accented mayo brought additional flavors and textures. Sitting atop the plump patty was a handful of crisped onions. Read More
Cookies for Kids With Cancer: Danbury Bake Sale, June 8 at Danbury Square Restaurant Fundraiser Amy Kundrat June 01, 2014 Cookies for Kids' Cancer will hold a bake sale on Sunday, June 8 at 10 am in Danbury Square in Danbury, CT. “We are determined to raise as much as we can for childhood cancer research,” says the sale’s organizer (and Fine Cooking senior editor), Denise Mickelsen. “We invite everyone interested in volunteering, baking, or stopping by for some delicious treats to do so. Every dollar counts and we need your help!” A national 501(c)3 non-profit, Cookies for Kids' Cancer is committed to raising funds for research to develop new, improved treatments for pediatric cancer, the #1 disease killer of children in the U.S. They provide inspiration and support for individuals, businesses and organizations to raise funds by hosting grassroots bake sales and other fundraising events. The Danbury bake sale will have cookies and other baked goods, raffle prizes, balloons, and much more for the entire family. For more information on the organization, visit the Cookies for Kids' Cancer website, and stay in touch locally at Danbury Cookies for Kids with Cancer on Facebook. Read More
Recap: Chef Jeff Taibe's Rooftop Takeover at Ecco Restaurant Bethel Bill Taibe Farm to Table Amy Kundrat May 29, 2014 Earlier this month, Chef Jeff Taibe led a one night kitchen takeover of the Ecco Rooftop in Bethel, located above La Zingara. The chef and his team prepared a five-course wood-fired feast in the intimate en plein air restaurant. "We chose Ecco because I love the atmosphere. I love how casual it feels sitting on the patio. Another draw was working with the wood-fired oven," said Jeff Taibe. "Plus I wanted to bring some attention to upper Fairfield, there are a lot of hidden gems and great places to go and I feel Ecco is one of them." About 25 people sat under the twinkling lights of the rooftop, enjoying Taibe's creations presented on vintage china from Borrowed, and paired with the evening's signature cocktail, the Paper Plane, a combination of bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice, concocted by mixologist Jeff Marron. Taibe will be the executive chef at brother Bill Taibe's newest restaurant in Westport. Read More
Annual Sunset Picnic at Ambler Farm in Wilton is June 14 Restaurant Farm Dinner CTbites Team May 28, 2014 Ambler Farm has announced plans for their annual "Sunset Picnic – An Evening in the Garden" on Saturday, June 14 from 6 to 10 pm. The evening will be catered by Barcelona restaurant and tickets are $95 members / $110 non-member. Ambler Farm is located in Wilton at 257 Hurlbutt Street. Registration is now open to members, and will open to the general public (space permitting, and tickets are going FAST) on May 15th. Register Here. Read More
Port Chester Hall & Beer Garden is Now Open! Ingredients Restaurant Beer Garden Port Chester Beer CTbites Team May 27, 2014 This just in from the folks at PORT CHESTER HALL: After undergoing a full renovation and transformation into the first ever food hall, beer pavilion and garden in one venue, Port Chester Railroad Station is proud to announce the opening of PORT CHESTER HALL & BEER GARDEN. The Hall will be pouring 12 unique craft beer selections, created by Kelly Taylor, Director of Brewing for Port Chester Hall (in addition to Houston Hall and Flatiron Hall in Manhattan). These specialty beer styles include English, Belgian, German, and American, however all use mostly American ingredients. In addition to the proprietary beer selection, the Hall is serving imaginative cocktails by the in-house mixologist, as well as top shelf spirits and a variety of wines. The station's historic architecture, originally designed in 1890, was preserved and retooled with vintage lighting, seating, and century-old murals. The Pavilion combines the original railroad steel design with communal wood tables and a towering stone fireplace. Read More
Sono Restaurant Week is Back June 8-13th Restaurant Restaurant Week CTbites Team May 27, 2014 Sono Restaurant Week is back this spring with almost 20 restaurants participating in prix fixe menus and great dining deals for lunch and dinner in downtown South Norwalk. Restaurant Week also gives diners the opportunity to check out some new venues in SoNo including: Quartino Trattoria Vineria, Johnny Utah’s (ride the bull while you're there), Sweet Lucy Lynn’s, as well as Dan Kardos' new Local Kitchen & Beer Bar. Participating Restaurants & Price Points Below: Read More
gingerbitz Bakery Opens in New Canaan: A Sneak Peek Restaurant Bakery Specialty Market New Canaan Kid Friendly Dessert Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger May 26, 2014 “gingerbitz” is opening its doors in what owners Andrew and Karen Zuckert call the store’s “dress rehearsal” and CTbites and Hearst Connecticut Media Group were invited for a sneak peek and sample several of Karen’s delicious creations. Described as a bakery and café, gingerbitz is a welcome addition to New Canaan, which has yearned for a local bakery for many years. The longtime dream of New Canaan residents Andrew and Karen Zuckert, gingerbitz represents years of dedication. Karen is well known within Fairfield County for her amazing gingerbread houses that have graced many mantles, as well as featured at numerous holiday festivals. When the opportunity arose to open a bakery in town that would “broader showcase Karen’s talents,” the couple jumped at the opportunity. They painstakingly and meticulously renovated the location, developed relationships with vendors to provide organic products and Andrew embarked on his search for the perfect coffee. Read More
109 Cheese & Wine's Perfect Grilled Cheese Recipe c/o Fairfield County Chef's Table Features Restaurant Cheese Ridgefield Recipe Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster May 23, 2014 In our second week featuring recipes from Fairfield County Chef's Table, we looked no further than Ridgefield to feature 109 Cheese & Wine's excellent grilled cheese sandwich with wild mushrooms. In addition to trying your hand at the recipe below, the shop also makes made-to-order grilled cheese sandwiches in their shop. 109 Cheese & Wine will be hosting a free event with Bernard's Restaurant and Southwest Café at 11 am on May 31 in their upstairs classroom, complete with food from all three restaurants, bubbly and beverages, as well as copies of Fairfield County Chef's Table. Stop by for a snack, and have the chefs and author sign your book! 109 Cheese & Wine109 Danbury Road, Ridgefield, CT 06877 | (203) 438-5757 | 109cheeseandwine.com Owners: Monica and Todd Brown Wild Mushroom Grilled Cheese Sandwich Read More
