My Mix Creative Kitchen: Healthy Eats & Bold Flavors in Greenwich Restaurant Breakfast Lunch healthy Greenwich Salads To-Go Take Out Vegetarian Vegan Jessica Ryan December 31, 2017 Mix Creative Kitchen is the latest to grace the ever-growing and increasingly popular health-focused, quick serve restaurants in the area. Located near the bottom of Greenwich Avenue on Elm Street, a brightly lit café style eatery now occupies the longtime vacant space. The restaurant was created on the premise of bringing together “fast food” and “real food,” a theme that seems to be trending in Fairfield County. As I walked in and surveyed the premises, noting the salad and bowl areas as well as the items in the refrigerated sections I was reminded of other local favorites; The Granola Bar, Organika, B.GOOD and Freshii and was curious to see how this would stack up against the competition. Read More
CTbites Staff Picks For Top CT Eats of 2017 Restaurant Features Best of CT Homepage CTbites Team December 29, 2017 2017...Ah, what a year. As we welcome 2018, full of promise, and hopefully, less national drama, it is important to celebrate the restaurants, chefs, dishes, and dining experiences that helped us get through 2017. 2017 heralded some great openings from both chefs we know and love, as well as some newcomers. Here's our list of Top Eats for 2017 from the CTbites staff. Every team member and contributor has chosen their own unique way to throw down their favorites. Enjoy, and start making your reservations for 2018. Read More
Barbacoa Smoke House Opening in Fairfield Restaurant Fairfield BBQ Opening CTbites Team December 27, 2017 FairfieldCitizen online has some great news for meat lovers. Trademark Fairfield, the first mixed used building constructed under the transit-oriented overlay on Commerce Drive, has its first commercial tenant.The Town Plan and Zoning Commission Tuesday unanimously approved a compliance application for Barbacoa Smoke House.The restaurant described itself in the ZBA application as “smoked barbeque with a Mexican overture.” its website tells patrons it provides “always fresh food with a pinch of cheeky fun.”“I, for one, am very happy to see they’ve landed a tenant for the anchor spot in this building, right on the corner,” Chairman Matthew Wagner said. “It’s really great to see.” Read More
Fujiya Ramen in Middletown: Tokyo-style ramen with New York vibe Restaurant Japanese Asian Ramen Middletown Comfort Food Opening Middletown Press December 26, 2017 Looking for great ramen? Middletown Press has the scoop on the new Fujiya Ramen...straight from Tokyo. Fujiya Ramen opened in August at 425 Main St. and already, the restaurant has become somewhat of a hangout for Wesleyan University students, according to Andy Liu, owner.Whenever there’s an event at the school, students come out to the restaurant to socialize, eat and take advantage of the wifi, he said. The vibe of the eatery, especially when the students are congregating, reminds him of similar establishments in New York City.“I go to New York a lot because in New York (ramen is) very popular,” Liu said. “Young people like it because ramen is really fast and pretty healthy food.”Liu, who has been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years and also owns Sakura Garden in Windsor and Royal Buffet in Manchester, was impressed the first time he visited a ramen restaurant. “I said this is a really good idea — really modern,” he said.He talked to a friend in Tokyo who has Fujiya Ramen restaurants in Tokyo, New Jersey and Albany, New York, and suggested they join forces. Liu found a head chef who was originally from Japan and his friend sent a crew from Japan, including additional chefs and servers, he said.“That’s why our ramen (dishes) are different because we have people from over there,” Liu said. “It’s almost the identical ramen as in Tokyo.” Read More
Lorca Coffee Bar Opens Second Location in Cos Cob Greenwich Restaurant Cos Cob Greenwich Coffee Breakfast Lunch Specialty Market Homepage Stephanie Webster December 20, 2017 Lorca Coffee Bar has just opened their second location in Cos Cob, CT inside Fleisher's Craft Butcher shop. Coffee + Meat...works for me. The menu at Lorca Greenwich will be slightly different than that at their Stamford location. They will still be serving up some of the best coffee in CT alongside baked goods and breakfast treats, including their manchego, sage pesto, and egg breakfast sandwich. However, they have leveraged the new relationship with Fleishers's and improved upon their "classic" - bacon, egg and cheese by adding a house-smoked tomato jam and using Fleisher's bacon.They will also be adding empanadas made with Fleisher's chorizo, cheddar and salsa, and a Spanish tortilla that owner, Leyla Jenkins, has been making since she was a little girl. This is a typical Spanish frittata made with potatoes, onions, and eggs and served with a side salad and some smoked paprika aioli. Breakfast bowls and salads will be found on the menu in the near future. Lorca Coffee Bar @ Fleisher's Craft Butcher 160 E. Putnam Avenue, Cos Cob Read More
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Joint Opening In Original Swanky Frank's Spot Restaurant Caribbean Jamaican Norwalk Opening Stephanie Webster December 19, 2017 While it was sad to see the original Swanky Franks close its doors, 2018 will breathe new life into this old school roadside restaurant spot at 182 Connecticut Ave. in Norwalk. A Jamaican jerk chicken joint will be opening soon featuring a Caribbean menu complete with Jerk Chicken, Jerk Pork and all the fixins. We will keep an eye out for the opening date, but it looks like you wont have to wait long Read More
DoughLuv Edible Cookie Dough Cafe Opens (+ Gluten Free & Vegan Available) Restaurant Features Dessert Bakery ice cream kids activity Kid Friendly Colchester Andrew Dominick December 17, 2017 One of this year’s tastiest food trends is edible cookie dough. One could argue that cookie dough was always edible, but the term refers to the use of heat treated flour that eliminates bacteria and pasteurized eggs to reduce the risk of food-borne illness. It’s likely something you never thought about as a kid when you scraped the cake batter or cookie dough bowl clean while mom did all the baking. If you’re reading this in 2017, eating all that dough didn’t harm you one bit, and you’ve seen a cookie dough resurgence in the U.S.—in “edible” form, of course—at supermarkets, dessert shops, and food trucks. In Colchester, Connecticut, there’s a sweet shop that’s dedicated to cookie dough and other cookie dough related sundaes, milkshakes, and pies...DoughLuv. Read More
25+ CT Restaurants for Christmas Eve & Christmas Brunch: 2017 Edition Restaurant Best of CT Holiday Homepage Emma Jane-Doody Stetson December 17, 2017 Santa may love milk and cookies, but if you’re craving gourmet prix fixe menus and specialty cocktails this holiday season, Connecticut restaurants have you covered. These popular places are open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or both. Get the gift of delicious food this Christmas!Washington Prime, Norwalk: Washington Prime's SoNo location will have a Christmas Eve brunch with seatings at 11am, 12:30pm, and 2:15pm. Later, join them for Christmas Eve Dinner at 5pm, 6:45pm, and 8:30pm. They will be closed on Christmas Day.Basso Cafe, Norwalk: Basso Café in Norwalk will have a Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve, December 24. Join them from 5pm onward.Fresh Salt @ Saybrook Point Inn, Saybrook: Fresh Salt at Saybrook Point is open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Christmas Eve brunch will take place from 10:30am-2pm. On Christmas, join them for a special buffet from 11am-5pm.L’escale, Greenwich: L'escale is open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Days. On both days, they will offer a 3 course prix fixe menu for $75 a person.J House, Greenwich: J House in Greenwich is open on Christmas Day for both brunch and dinner. The 3-course prix fixe dinner will last from 5-8pm for $60 per person. Brunch is from 10:30am-2:30pm and is a 2 course prix fixe for $45. Read More
Chefs Hit the Right Notes at Reverie Kitchen in Branford via New Haven Register Restaurant Branford Lunch Breakfast American Comfort Food CTbites Team December 15, 2017 This just in from The New Haven Register.When Paul Staley, the celebrated chef and owner of Branford’s Reverie Kitchen, was growing up in Madison, he had a paper route. One Thanksgiving, he folded a menu for rolls and pies into each New Haven Register. Soon, his customers were asking if he could make them the same for Christmas.“I used the money I earned to pay for cooking classes with Jacques Pepin,” said the genial 53-year-old, who went on to hone his skills at the Culinary Institute of America, then worked as a sous chef in all-world restaurant Nikolai’s Roof in Atlanta, where the five-course prix fixe dinner once had a one-year waitlist.“The food was elevated,” Staley said with palpable enthusiasm on a recent afternoon at Reverie Kitchen, the Branford Hill bistro with the sublime cuisine and the improbable location alongside a cleaners, one story below a nail salon, and amid a throng of fast-food joints.“We used everything with the best ingredients. We were constantly pushing the envelope,” said the Madison resident, who was also a pastry chef at Robert Henry’s (now Union League Cafe) in New Haven and once cooked for Pope John Paul II. Read More
MECHA Noodle Bar Takes Over EGGZ Food Truck For The Winter Restaurant Food Truck Breakfast Asian Lunch Homepage Stephanie Webster December 13, 2017 Did you hear the one about the #tapas place and #noodle spots taking over the #breakfast #foodtruck?!?! The team from MECHA Noodle Bar as well as Mézon and Pho Vietnam has taken over the EGGZ food truck this Winter Fri-Sun 8AM-12PM on Holbrook Farm aka EGGZ TAKE OVER. They will continue to serve EGGZ Truck's “brekkie sandos”, as he calls it, and adding some Mecha-Mezon flavor into the daily inspiration side. They will run the truck until January or until they "can’t take the cold any longer."When we asked MECHA owners Tony Pham and Richard Reyes, WHY, Pham says "Things came together where Matt was going into hibernation for the Winter and we saw how important the truck was to Holbrook. We also wanted to have some fun and work with the elements. It’s not everyday you can make a camp fire, see the sun rise, and hear chickens in the background." Go check out this amazing mashup of Asian inspired breakfast eats at Holbrook Farm in Bethel Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 8AM-12PM. Read More
Local Chocolatier, Truffle Shots of Essex CT Named Country’s Best Chocolate Gift By Forbes Magazine Restaurant Essex Chocolate Dessert Specialty Market Gift Guide CTbites Team December 12, 2017 Forbes magazine recently named local chocolatier, Truffle Shots of Essex, Connecticut among the country’s best chocolates for gift giving this holiday season. Forbes "loved the Fig and Balsamic shot—with aged balsamic and fig ganache as well as the Chipotle Cinnamon—dark chocolate ganache with a whiff of cinnamon and a slight kick from the chipotle."Truffle Shots® brand chocolate truffles are the Chocolate Award-winning creation of mother-daughter chocolate lovers in Essex, Connecticut. The duo has replaced the chocolate shell of a traditional chocolate truffle with a sealed shot glass to create new levels of truffle indulgence.The decadent, silky ganache of Truffle Shots® brand chocolate truffles melts on the tongue in sensory bliss in 30+ amazing flavors like Fig Balsamico, Tellicherry Cardamom, Caramel Beurre Noisette, Bumbleberry, Miel Habanero, Castelvetrano Olive, and Ginger, to name a few. Read More
190 Main Bar & Restaurant: New Tapas Eatery Opening in Westport Restaurant Westport Tapas Bar Opening CTbites Team December 07, 2017 New bar & restaurant opening in Westport as reported by WestportNow. A new bar and restaurant, 190 Main, opens Dec. 15 at 190 Main St., according to Melissa Gorman, co-owner with Sam Alang. Gorman said the eatery offers small plates and tapas featuring seafood specialties. Gorman is a Weston resident who grew up in Savannah, Georgia where she previously managed several restaurants. The 190 Main Street space was previously occupied by the Vine Wine Room that closed in July and the the Luxe Wine Bar, which closed in April 2016. The restaurant offers lunch Thursday through Sunday and dinner every day, according to Gorman. Read More
Market Place Kitchen & Bar Opens in Newtown Restaurant Newtown Avon Danbury Woodbury Organic Local Farm American CTbites Team December 06, 2017 Market Place Hospitality group is delighted to announce the grand opening of their newest location, Market Place Kitchen & Bar Newton, this Friday, December 1st. The restaurant will be open to the general public for dinner and is located at: The Village at Lexington Gardens, 32 Church Hill Road, Newtown, CT. With sister locations in Avon, Danbury, and Woodbury, Market Place Kitchen & Bar is 100% locally owned and operated and committed to sourcing local ingredients and working with local farmers.Managing Partner Eli Hawli says: “We are delighted and honored to be a local business supporting local farms. As our Market Place family continues to grow, we will continue to provide the same quality of craft cocktails and chef driven cuisine which we know all of our wonderful customers want and expect from us Read More
Chef Prasad Chirnomula's ‘India’ Restaurant in New Canaan Closes Features Restaurant New Canaan CTbites Team December 05, 2017 Sad news from NewCanaanite.com.Just over 18 months after opening, India restaurant on Main Street has closed, its owner said.India Restaurant on Main Street in New Canaan has closed. Credit: Michael DinanChef Prasad Chirnomula said he’s closing the downtown eatery which since April 2016 has served classic Indian cuisine and signature dishes, as well as five other locations due in part to “longer structural income versus debt issues.”He added that the restaurant itself did not fare well enough to support the considerable costs of operating it.“I love the town, I love the people there but if you can look at Main Street alone the whole street looks empty, everything is for lease,”Chirnomula said. “And I think I have been in New Canaan and I have seen the peak and Main Street was nice and busy—parking was always an issue, but I think right now almost no businesses are open on Main Street. There are not enough diners. I don’t know. Does New Canaan have too many restaurants? It’s definitely a supply-and-demand issue. I love the restaurant where I am, but we just could not afford to keep the restaurant. It is just very expensive.”A note affixed to the door on India ended with this teaser: “Please stay tuned for ‘Special Announcements.’ ”Read the complete article here. Read More
Bar Lupa in Westport Brings Italian Twist on Tapas Restaurant Italian Westport Lunch Tapas Spanish Opening CTbites Team December 05, 2017 In Italian, stuzzichino means a snack, or appetizer, or nibble. Assaggio, similarly, means a small amount of food or drink.From Italian to Spanish, both translate roughly to tapas, an Iberian food culture that pairs small servings of food with drink in a laid-back setting.It’s the kind of cuisine and vibe that Massimo Tabbacco and Miguel Angelo D’Onofrio, co-owners of the recently opened Bar Lupa, want to achieve at their redesigned space on the Post Road in Westport.“It’s little portions, so you can taste a variety of things,” Tabbacco said. “It’s basically the same thing as Spanish tapas. But here in America, they know the word tapas more than stuzzichino.”To avoid confusion, the items are listed on the menu as “Italian tapas,” but the dishes are inspired by Tabbacco’s and D’Onofrio’s respective upbringings — in Rome and Sao Paolo, Brazil, which has a large Italian population — and shared experience working in Italian restaurants throughout Fairfield County, as well as New York City.Read the complete article on Westport News. Read More
Millwright’s: Chef Tyler Anderson Creates Inspired New England Cuisine in Simsbury Restaurant Simsbury American Local Artisan Local Farm Special Occasion Celebrity Chef Outdoor Dining Homepage Catering Lou Gorfain December 02, 2017 Four years. That’s the time Tyler Anderson devoted to perfecting his signature dish, Tapioca Custard. A lush confection of clams, bacon, onion, potato and fennel, the delicacy perfectly defines the wizardry of this celebrated chef … a magical spin on homespun.The small portion is intentionally introductory, a riff on a classic New England starter. As if by sorcery, the custard conjures “all the flavors of clam chowder.” Anderson conceived the dish as a tribute to the meal – and the moment -- that super-charged his culinary life. “I went to the French Laundry in 1997 when Tomas Keller was in the kitchen,” he recalls. “Up to then I had been cooking mainly to meet women and go drinking with my buddies.”He began the feast with Keller’s classic, Oysters and Pearls, a sabayon of pearl tapioca with beau soleil oysters and white sturgeon caviar. “I took the first bite,” he remembers. “And at that exact second understood that cooking could be more than just cooking.” He pauses and grins. “It made me smile. I was happy. I now had a passion to make people happy.” Read More
50 CT Restaurants and Venues for Holiday Parties 2017 Features Restaurant Best of CT Holiday Catering Events Homepage Emma Jane-Doody Stetson November 30, 2017 At exactly 12pm on Thursday November 23, Santa Claus concluded the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and officially ushered in the holiday season! For those looking to throw the ultimate holiday bash, popular Connecticut restaurants and venues can provide fantastic backdrops for the festivities. These places have party spaces and packages that are perfect for your soirees!Schoolhouse at Cannondale, Wilton: The Schoolhouse in Wilton can help you throw a holiday cocktail party starting at $45 per person. Offerings include Crab Stuffed Mushrooms, Mini Baked Brie, Beef Tenderloin Canape, and more.Brasitas, Norwalk: Brasitas in Norwalk and Stamford both have private rooms.Two Roads, Stratford: Two Roads Brewery in Stratford has a private events room that holds 75 seated or 160 standing. You can also schedule private tours for groups larger than 10 and smaller than 20.Heirloom, New Haven: At Heirloom in New Haven, use their private dining room or The Study at Yale, their penthouse space.Roger Sherman Inn, New Canaan: The Roger Sherman in has a number of rooms of all different sizes for your private holiday party: The Blue Room (14), the Terrace Room (80), the Hunt Room (30), the Ivy Room (30), the Garden Room (70), the WineRoom (36), and the Porch (70). Reception style can accommodate between 20-200 guests.less Read More
Spigot Beer Opens in Norwalk, Pouring A Unique Beer List Restaurant Features CT Beer Beer Brewery Specialty Market Norwalk SONO Homepage Andrew Dominick November 29, 2017 There’s no shortage of good quality craft beer flowing from the taps of multiple bars and restaurants in South Norwalk. On the flipside, Washington Street has seen a few brewpubs bomb. Now there’s a new beer bar on the block, and before you scoff, and say to yourself, “Really? Another one?” let us tell you what’s different about Spigot Beer.The first thing you’ll notice is it’s in SoNo, but just slightly out of reach of the main drag. Then you must find it. At least four people saw a photo I posted, some who live on the same street, and still had no idea where Spigot is located. It’s across from the post office and Klaff’s, at the very end of the strip of stores that houses Nagoya, right before the Webster Lot entrance near the front of the 50 Washington Street building. You’re welcome. Read More
Chef Tim LaBant of The Schoolhouse to Open Old School Pizza Spot in Wilton Restaurant Wilton Pizza Kid Friendly Lunch Italian Opening CTbites Team November 28, 2017 This just in from GoodMorning Wilton...It’s big news in the foodie world when you hear that the Schoolhouse at Cannondale chef and owner Tim LaBant is expanding his culinary footprint and opening up a second restaurant. The award-winning chef is known for melding farm-to-table creativity with fine dining, so you can only imagine what kind of white tablecloth, haute cuisine will spring from LaBant’s imagination.Pizza.That’s right, LaBant will be opening up a pizza place, called Parlor, right here in Wilton, in a space at River Park Shopping Center.Yep, a pizza place in a shopping center. Light years from what you think of when you think Tim LaBant, Schoolhouse Restaurant chef/owner.LaBant laughs at the image. “There’s a reason for that.”He wanted to open Parlor in the center of town and for it to have a different vibe–something of a cross between the old school pizza parlors that CT is known for and a lively, great, neighborhood space.“I think there’s something humble about an old school pizza parlor. Look at like a place like Pepe’s, something that’s just got linoleum everywhere. It’s got an amazing product and they’re packed all the time for a reason, because their product is great, and they care about one thing–pizza and the people that are there,” LaBant says. Read More
Grano Arso Opens with Beautiful Contemporary Italian & Perfect Pasta Restaurant Chester Italian Pasta Homepage Hope Simmons November 26, 2017 Step inside the former Chester Savings Bank and you’ll find a wealth of treasures. Not from the vault—they’ve got designs on that for a private dining area, actually. The richness of what’s fresh, local and unique is coming straight from the heart and kitchen of Chef Joel Gargano. With his wife and partner, Lani, together, they’ve brought his vision to life in twelve short weeks. “It’s all been up here—in my head—for years,” Joel said.In his younger 20s, when Joel Gargano dreamed of owning a restaurant someday, he kept telling himself, “I’m never gonna open an Italian restaurant. The last thing Connecticut needs is another Italian restaurant.” But luckily, as he learned more about food, he changed his mind. Because Grano Arso is Italian food as it’s meant to be-- true to the chef’s philosophy—and that of Italian food, in general: fresh ingredients, a menu to change with the seasons, not making it fussy. And you can take that to the bank.He’s been “handling dough” since he was thirteen, when he joined his dad at Castellon Brothers Bakery in Branford. “I would work the night shift with my dad on Saturday nights and wash dishes after school. I learned a lot with my dad. Read More
