Bill Taibe Opening Jesup Hall in Downtown Westport March 7th Restaurant Westport American Bar Cocktails Comfort Food Lunch Homepage Stephanie Webster March 01, 2017 One of Connecticut's most highly anticipated restaurant openings is nearing go time in downtown Westport. Bill Taibe and the team from Kawa Ni and The Whelk will open the doors to a new concept next week, Jesup Hall, located in Westport's old Town Hall. In Jesup, Taibe and Chef Daniel Sabia have created a community hangout, a restaurant that serves honest food, "the food we want to eat," says Sabia. In fact, there is nostalgia in both the menu and the concept. The Jesup family played a huge role in Westport's early years and our goal was to create something that felt like it had patina and age, says Taibe" The kitchen reveals a similar sentiment in its large cuts of meat, big salads, extensive burger menu, and popovers you'll wanna stash in your purse. With elegant vintage wallpaper, antique fixtures, warm tones and high ceilings, Jesup Hall is Westport's new local hangout. Read More
Top Picks For Eating In With UberEATS Restaurant Features Homepage To-Go Home Delivery Delivery Service New Haven Stamford CTbites Team February 28, 2017 The UberEATS app launched in Connecticut this past summer and it hasn’t taken us very long to get totally addicted to the on-demand food delivery platform. Ideal for next-level work lunches when it’s too hectic to leave the office, or dinner when the fridge is empty and you just can’t bring yourself to cook, UberEATS delivers from top restaurants across Fairfield, New Haven, and, as of last week, Hartford Counties. Here are some of our top picks across CT for great bites, delivered. Read More
Back to The Schoolhouse At Cannondale For Vegetarian Wednesdays Restaurant Vegetarian Wilton Special Dietary Needs Homepage American Farm to Table CT Farms Jessica Ryan February 26, 2017 Poised to celebrate its 10th year with Chef Tim LeBant at the helm, The Schoolhouse at Cannondale has long been on my radar. When a friend recently asked me to dinner I jumped at the chance. Nestled among the charming shops at the Cannondale train station, the one room schoolhouse is as delightful from the exterior as it is inside. A small entryway outfitted with a tiny bar area is separated from the dining area by a small curtained doorway, while many framed accolades set the mood for an excellent meal. Read More
3 Spots For Afternoon Tea in CT: Culture Tea, Tea W/ Tracey & The Drawing Room Restaurant Features Tea And Coffee Lunch kids activity Dessert Fairfield County Foodie February 21, 2017 ndeed, there is something so deeply relaxing and enjoyable about the ritual of afternoon tea. That one hour in the middle of the day where you take a break from whatever it is you were doing. That chance to get away from the race we call life. An excuse to share quality time with family and friends… or, heck! even a little bit of “me” time. Ah! Don’t you just love the pampering and all the delightful eats on those dramatic 3-tiered servers. The beautiful china, the dainty bites of food, the soothing hot tea of your choice – made especially for you. How divine! Read More
Yao’s Diner: Authentic Chinese Cuisine in Orange, CT Restaurant Chinese Asian Orange Delicious Dives Noodles Homepage Kid Friendly Ramin Ganeshram February 19, 2017 It would be easy to drive by Yao’s Diner in Orange without a second glance. Housed at the end of a small shopping plaza, the restaurant which features authentic Chinese cuisine is unassuming on the outside and equally unpresumptuous within but from the time you step into the foyer you get a sense that this eatery is something different.The first restaurant by Guangmin Yao and his wife Xuan Chen, Yao’s occupies the space that was Lisiano’s Italian restaurant for thirty years. Silent partners Charles Eaton and his wife are proprietors of the popular Q’s in Norwalk. The pair are world travelers with a passion for authentic East Asian cuisines. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events For Week of February 19-26 Features Restaurant Events Homepage Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 16, 2017 On Tuesday February 21, CT baristas and coffee enthusiasts will gather at Newtown’s Café Xpresso for a Latte Art and Espresso Drink Throwdown. Representatives from NEAT, The Granola Bar, Source Coffee, New Morning Market, Dolce Café, N2 Coffee, and more will present their creations to local coffee roasters, the media, and food industry professionals. The general public is invited to witness the competition… and enjoy samples from Café Xpresso’s from-scratch menu. Celebrate Johnny Cash’s birthday at Walrus + Carpenter in Bridgeport. On Thursday February 23, they invite you to their fourth annual bash starting at 7:30pm.Fairfield Greenwich Cheese Company hosts Fondue Pop Up Dinners this week. Visit the Fairfield location on February 22 from 7-9:30pm and the Greenwich location on February 23 from 7-9:30pm. Read More
South Beach Wine + Food Festival : MIAbites picks for #SOBEWFF Restaurant Miami Road Trip ellen bowen February 15, 2017 February is our favorite month in Miami as the South Beach Wine and Food Festival and it’s over 65, 000 guests take over Miami Beach and surrounding Miami venues from February 22-26 for 4+ days of Food, Wine, Fun and maybe even a little sun in between all of the over 85 different events and seminars.Now in its 16th year and hosted by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and Florida International University (FIU), the Festival benefits FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. To date, the Festival has raised more than $24 million for the school.So, where to begin? Here are MIAbites picks for best 12 SOBEWFF events with a focus on some of the amazing local chef talent and local venues featured this year in collaboration with many of your favorite Food Network stars. Many events sell out quickly, so check availability and buy your tickets online at www.sobefest.com. ( Pro Tip- Many of the below events have limited discount tickets available on both Gilt City and Groupon.) Read More
Cream & Sugar Café: Dessert Insanity in Bethel Restaurant ice cream Bethel Lunch Homepage Kid Friendly Dessert Jessica Ryan February 12, 2017 Until a few weeks ago Cream & Sugar Café was relatively unknown. Located in the heart of Bethel, the café enjoyed a steady stream of local customers stopping in throughout the day for coffee, crepes and ice cream. Owner Alyce Kallman had been wanting to open a creperie, a nostalgic nod to her childhood in Morocco and after moving to Connecticut from California she set out to pursue this dream. She found the perfect spot that had been an ice cream parlor. One rainy day over winter break this would prove to be pure serendipity. The first Freakshake, The Rainy Day Remedy, was born and with thanks to social medial, word on these larger than life milkshakes started to spread like wildfire. Kids began pouring in, taking their own pictures, sharing them on Instagram, creating a high demand for these insanely large ice cream creations. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events for Week of February 12-19 Restaurant News Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 09, 2017 It’s a Ballast Point & Artisan Cheese Throwdown in New Haven! On Monday February 13, Wine101 will host Jeff Nelson and pair craft brews with artisan cheeses. It runs from 6-8pm and costs $10 per person.Ambler Farm has announced a summer program called “Adventures at the Farm.” Students will learn all about working on a farm, from looking after the animals to tending the gardens to cooking to hayrides. Registration is open. Take a Pre Mardi Gras Class with AMG catering on Wednesday February 28 from 7-9pm. Learn how to make Gumbo, Jambalaya, and Bourbon bread pudding. It costs $78 per person. Read More
Where To Find Healthy Eats in CT: 2017 Edition Restaurant healthy Best of CT Organic Specialty Market Special Dietary Needs Vegan Vegetarian April Guilbault February 08, 2017 We usually post our “Healthy Eats” roundup at the beginning of January, when everyone is recovering from their holiday-induced food stupors. Indulgence ruled the roost for one-too-many weeks, so January brings a time of detox “get it all away from me” vigilance. After thinking about all of this healthy food, though, we realized that healthy eating isn’t just for those first weeks in January; it’s for all twelve months. I mean, man cannot survive on pork belly and butter alone (can he?). Read More
40 CT Restaurants for Valentine’s Day 2017 Restaurant Holiday Romantic Homepage Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 07, 2017 Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Cupid is coming to Connecticut restaurants bringing romantic dishes, prix fixe menus, decadent desserts, and cocktail specials. These places are making sure love is in the air. Read More
Judy's Bar + Kitchen: American Comfort Food in Stamford Restaurant Stamford American BBQ Comfort Food Brunch Lunch Take Out Jessica Ryan February 05, 2017 I first became familiar Chef Judith Roll at Tabouli Grill when it was in Southport, and was saddened by its closing. I recently learned that she had launched a second and altogether different food concept, Judy’s Bar + Kitchen that can best be described as down-home, comfort with a twist of Southernese. Located on High Ridge Road in a neighborhood that is both retail and residential, Judy is perfectly poised to keep locals (and non-locals) well-fed with her wide array of creative from-scratch cooking. When I arrived, I was thrilled to find plenty of parking, a big bonus for me. Read More
Max Restaurants Opens Neapolitan-Influenced Savoy Pizzeria & Craft Bar in West Hartford Restaurant Pizza West Hartford Hartford County Lunch CTbites Team February 02, 2017 Savoy Pizzeria & Craft Bar, the sleek, new, pizza-centered West Hartford establishment from Max Restaurant Group, is all about the flames.“There is nothing that compares to cooking with fire,” says Dante Cistulli, chef and managing partner of the downtown restaurant, which opened in October. Two wood-fired pizza ovens form the heart and soul of Savoy’s kitchen. The Neapolitan-influenced pizza, the restaurant’s flagship food, is cooked for a short period of time in one oven at 850-900 degrees. Cooking at this extremely high temperature creates a crispy and ever-so-slight char on the outside and a soft and firm inside crust that artisan pizza lovers crave. The other oven provides the heat for the restaurant’s non-pizza items, giving each dish a unique, wood-smoked flavor. Read More
Gates in New Canaan: New Chef, Changing Menu for Longtime Institution Restaurant New Canaan American Brunch Comfort Food Lunch Kid Friendly jeffrey schlesinger January 29, 2017 Gates Restaurant has been an institution on Forest Street in New Canaan since 1979. It was sold in 2015, completely redesigned and re-opened last February. The new Gates maintained the relaxed environment with a rustic, Americana décor, with the original gates repurposed around the entrance to the revamped bar, exposed brick-and-wood walls, bistro seating, and an open kitchen. On weekends kids’ teams continued to flock to this town fixture for post-soccer game celebrations, families scheduled weekly Sunday brunches, locals met for a casual lunch, guys sat at the bar indulging in a burger, beer and ballgame, and young adults enjoyed a few late-night drinks and live music. It was still the town watering hole...Gates 2.0. Read More
One Dish: White Sicilian Pizza, Jerry’s Pizza, Middletown Restaurant Pizza Middletown Delicious Dives Lunch CTbites Team January 29, 2017 If Middletown had a taste, it would be Jerry’s Pizza. And if Jerry’s has a signature dish, it is undoubtedly the locally famous white Sicilian pizza. Nothing speaks to the Italian — and specifically Sicilian — identity of the city like this dish. The intense flavor of the pizza is no joke: you either love it or hate it, and those who love it, really, really love it. So much so, in fact, that you have to plan your day around it. The specially made dough for the white Sicilian takes roughly two hours to rise properly. The pizzeria has been around since 1968, when it was opened by Jerry Schiano, an Italian immigrant from Naples. Though Jerry is now retired, his daughter Carmela Lockwood operates the restaurant, and says the recipe comes from her grandmother, who used to make the dish back in Italy. (Her family is not Sicilian, but the style of thick dough is distinctively from the island.) Read More
The Granola Bar Opening Soon in Stamford: Breakfast, Lunch & Killer Coffee Restaurant stam Coffee healthy Breakfast Lunch Opening Stephanie Webster January 29, 2017 The Granola Bar of Westport and Greenwich will soon be opening its doors in Stamford's Harbor Point District as part of an exciting and large scale expansion plan. The Granola Bar has joined forces with Trilynx, an investment and operating platform whose founders have more than 15 years of experience in hospitality brands such as Disney and Starwood Hotels. This new team will take The Granola Bar's breakfast and lunch hot spot beyond the boundaries of CT, but more immediately, will debut the first ever The Granola Bar TO GO at 700 Canal Street in Stamford in spring 2017 (directly across from Fairway Market). Read More
CT Bars & Restaurants To Watch Super Bowl 2017 Restaurant Events Bar Stephanie Webster January 27, 2017 On Sunday February 5, The Patriots take on The Falcons in Super Bowl LI! Whether you watch the showdown at home or at your favorite restaurant, delicious game-day snacks are a must. These Connecticut restaurants and bars will offer Super Bowl specials and take-out options so you can have the ultimate football party! Read More
Craft 14 Kitchen + Bar Opens In Wilton: American Fare with a Twist Restaurant Wilton American Cocktails Bar Homepage Lunch CTbites Team January 22, 2017 Craft 14 Kitchen + Bar is the sort of place you want to wander into on a winter’s day with its warm, welcoming reclaimed wood interior accompanied by the nostalgic aroma of decades-old wood burning ovens and fireplaces. The restaurant, which opened at the end of last summer, greets a steady stream of diners throughout the day and well into the night, as I was witness to when I went to meet owners Cristina Ramirez and Mario Lopez. Read More
Ki Asian Bistro & Sushi in Danbury's TNT Lover Sushi Roll via CT Magazine Restaurant Danbury Sushi CTbites Team January 20, 2017 CT Magazine waxed poetic about this dish from Ki Asian Bistro & Sushi in Danbury. We hear this isn't the only item on this menu that is worth the trip. Here's what writer Erik Ofgang had to say... Get ready for an explosion of flavor. The TNT Lover roll is made with chopped bluefin toro (the fatty belly meat of tuna), caviar, tempura flakes, scallion and asparagus topped with raw tuna and served with truffle soy sauce. The result is a sushi roll that can redefine your perception of what a sushi roll can be. At least that’s what it did for me. The raw tuna provides a burst of fresh-as-the-sea notes, cut and enhanced by the crunch of the tempura flakes and the rich truffle soy sauce, creating a taste simultaneously sushi and non-sushi. The bistro was opened in 2012 by Chef Benny Chow, a veteran of Nobu restaurant in New York, who trained under Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. I discovered the restaurant earlier this year and have been hooked ever since. Read the full article on CT Magazine. Read More
Where To Find Great Ramen in CT Via CTNow Restaurant Asian Japanese Noodles Vietnamese CTbites Team January 17, 2017 Photo: Suzie Hunter/Hartford Courant This in from CTNow's reporter, Leeanne Griffin... Where's the ramen? It's a common question among food lovers in Connecticut, where the authentic Japanese noodle soup can be scarce, compared to booming scenes in big cities New York and Los Angeles. But ramen's availability has been growing here, as established restaurants have responded to demand, and new noodle bars have popped up around the state in cities and suburbs alike. Here's a guide to some of Connecticut's top ramen (not to be confused with the packaged brand). Tiger Belly Noodle Bar Granby's Tiger Belly opened in August, and a few early visitors balked at the price tag for its pork and vegetable ramens, confusing the dishes with the inexpensive packaged instant noodles, said owner Ki'yen Yeung. Read the complete listing of CT Ramen joints here. Read More
