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Thursday Night Throwdown @ Espresso NEAT

Restaurant Coffee Cooking Classes Darien

Amy Kundrat

Interested in showing off those latte art skills? Or perhaps you just want to learn the basics and sip your way through a fun evening. Either way you are in luck. Espresso NEAT in Darien is hosting their inaugural Thursday Night Throwdown (TNT) Latte Art Competition on July 12. A $5 buy-in will get you into the evening's event. This first event of the season is a customer invitational (everyone is invited). Prizes and sponsors to be announced.


Behind-the-Scenes at Fairfield’s Newest Gastropub: The Chelsea

Restaurant Fairfield Opening

Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster

The Chelsea, located in the heart of Fairfield on Unquowa Place, will open in a just under a month in mid-July. The new 80 seat restaurant includes 12 outdoor seats, a lively bar, a global gastropub menu and a hefty dose of whimsy. The trio responsible for creating what will likely be Fairfield County’s newest hot spot are: Scott Beck, co-owner of Match and The Loft in South Norwalk, and Tavern in Monroe; Matt Storch, Chef and co-owner of Match in South Norwalk; and Kevin McHugh, Co-Owner of Grey Goose in Southport and Spotted Horse in Wes


Second Date! Holbrook Farm Dinner with Chef Michael Bick

Restaurant Bethel Farm Dinner

Amy Kundrat

Holbrook Farm and Chef Michael Bick of Some Things Fishy Catering are hosting their second BYOB farm-to-table dinner of the season on Sunday, July 22, 2012, 4 p.m. at Holbrook Farm in Bethel, CT. The event is $55 per person. To make reservations, email or call 914.572.5648 to make reservations.

Their first event of the season was captured by Alicia Ghio of Local Food Rocks. Check out her recap and photos, here.


Ad: Tasti D-Lite, Healthy & Delicious for 20 Years

Restaurant kids activity Advertisement Kid Friendly Dessert

CTbites Team

Tasti D-Lite opened in NYC 20 years ago as a low-calorie alternative to ice cream and quickly snowballed into a frozen dessert mecca with a cult-like following. At their Fairfield location, Tasti D-Lite is bringing their 100+ flavors and all natural ingredients to our community offering health-conscious individuals a dessert that is indescribably delicious. Made with the finest ingredients including real dairy and no artificial sweeteners, Tasti D-Lite is lower in calories, sodium, carbs and sugar than ice cream and leading frozen yogurt brands. 

What makes Tast D-Lite such a guilt-free indulgence? Here's the scoop:


Festivities: Guest Chef @ Westport Farmers' Mkt June 21

Restaurant Chef Talk Farm to Table Farmers Market

CTbites Team

Let the festivities begin! This Thursday, June 21st at The Westport Farmers’ Market, Bill Kaliff Executive chef and Co-owner of Festivities will be providing hungry shoppers with a taste of one of Fairfield County’s premier catering companies.  

Chef Kalif will begin the first of his two demos at 11 am, with a Faro Ancient Grain Pilaf served with fresh sautéed vegetables and arugula sourced from Ambler Farm.  His second dish of the morning, Tabouli with Hearts of Romaine, will be served with his infamous Legacy Olive Oil (which tastes just a little bit like heaven). At 1 pm Chef Kaliff will again show how fun and simple entertaining can be in his second demonstration of the day. Kaliff will be offering a pulled chicken sandwich, served in baby pitas mixed with yogurt, cucumber sauce, and his signature “Magic Sauce” which is known to draw a sizable crowd on its own and is now a staple in my kitchen.


Aux Delices Opens in Westport: Great Food for Busy People

Features Restaurant Prepared Food Specialty Market Westport Breakfast Take Out Lunch Kid Friendly

CTbites Team

Back in Greenwich it was more than 10 years ago that I first walked into Greg Addonizio and Debra Ponzek’s tiny yellow-and-blue striped jewel of a café, Aux Delices. I went there almost every day, unable to resist their lemony ginger tea, inspiring desserts and gourmet take-out items. After I moved to Westport, I literally dreamed about their unbelievably decadent chocolate cake. Now, at long last, my dreams have come true. Aux Delices, which in French means “all the delicious food in life,” has opened a new location...in Westport, centrally located at 1035 Post Road East. With an airy, relaxed French brasserie ambience of copper fixtures, colorful chalkboard menus, and an outdoor patio, it’s the perfect instant getaway. And, while the service is quick and easy, the food however, is anything but fast food-like. With the exception of a few imported specialty items, drinks and cheeses, all foods and pastries are baked on-site, prepared by culinary institute-trained chef Ponzek, who describes her own cooking as “quality, healthy food for busy people.”  

 


Taste and See Cupcakes in Milford

Features Restaurant Bakery Milford Kid Friendly Dessert

Cindy Hartog

Is Taste and See Gourmet Cupcakes in Milford worth a 30-minute drive from Westport? The answer is a resounding “yes”! Recently, I’ve diagnosed myself as cupcake obsessed. There are worse obsessions, right? Through mail order, vacation excursions, and day trips, I estimate I’ve tried more than 50 cupcake purveyors. With complete honesty, Taste and See is my winner.  


Nighttime at Silvermine Market in New Canaan

Restaurant Italian Specialty Market New Canaan Comfort Food

Elizabeth Keyser

The Silvermine Market is kind of like a neighborhood clubhouse.  Make that town hall, says Scott Kaluczky, chef and co-owner of the  gourmet deli.  “Silvermine has a rich history and a strong sense of community,” he says.  The quaint area along the Silvermine River strattles the border of New Canaan, Wilton and Norwalk. The Market is an off-the-beaten path place to have a business breakfast,  or lunch after a visit to the Silvermine Art Center’s classes and shows. But the Silvermine Market also holds a well-kept secret: on Friday and Saturday evenings, it transforms into a candlelit, table-clothed restaurant serving Italian-American and American fare. It’s called Nighttime at Silvermine.


Invite: 6 Course Italian Wine Dinner at Rizzuto's w/ Owner Bill Rizzuto

Restaurant CTbites Invites

CTbites Team

Fresh from a research trip throughout the vineyards of the Italian countryside, Rizzuto's Restaurant and Bar owner Bill Rizzuto will host an all-inclusive 6-course Italian Wine Dinner on Monday, June 25 from 7 to 9 pm for $55 at Rizzutos's newest location in Stamford.  CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.

CTbites readers are invited to share in this playful multi-course Italian meal paired with wine varietals of the Donnachiara Winery in Avellino, Italy.

The 6-course menu begins with Rizzuto's signature antipasti reception. The following courses include a yellow fin tuna crudo, asparagus panna cotta with crispy fried rock shrimp and black truffle vinaigrette, followed by an artichoke confit ravioli, and a 24-hour braised lamb, fresh mint, English peas, and oven-roasted tomatoes. Finishing the savory with a main course of grilled veal sirloin, with sheep's milk ricotta roman "gnocchi," and braised cavolo nero with rosemary fig jus. 


Chef Cosentino, Iron Chef & Author @ William Sonoma

Restaurant Chef Talk Cookbooks Events Specialty Market

CTbites Team

Chris Cosentino: Chef/Partner of Incanto, Boccalone and Pigg, former Iron Chef, and author of the new cookbook, Beginnings: My Way To Start a Meal is the featured chef partner this season at Williams-Sonoma. With his inspired interpretations of Italian dishes and innovative whole animal cooking, Cosentino has proven he’s someone to watch in the culinary world. 

On June 13, 5-7 pm you can join him at William Sonoma for an evening of Chris’s seasonal, Italian-Style first courses. These simple, rustic recipes reflect the chef’s love of cooking – both at home and in the kitchen of his San Francisco restaurant, Incanto and artisan salumeria, Boccalone. 

COST: $75 includes 2-hour demo, a signed copy of the book and dinner!

Please call the store at 203-221-8667 for more information.


Napa & Co. in Stamford Offers Early Bird 3 Course Prix Fixe

Restaurant Farm to Table Stamford

Stephanie Webster

Napa & Co in Stamford is offering a great program this summer for diners who like to eat on the early side. For reservation or walk ins seated before 6:30PM, Napa has created a 3 course menu paired with some excellent wines that can be enjoyed for $53/pp. The menu will change throughout the summer based on what's in season, but this is a great way to sample everything Napa & Co. has to offer at a very attractive price. We've included their current menu below to whet your appetite. 


Terrain Westport Garden Cafe: Farm to Table Fare

Restaurant Farm to Table Westport Farm Fresh Lunch

Melissa Roberts

The construction of Terrain along the Westport Post Road sprouted up faster than a weed; but unlike a weed, Terrain was a welcome sight--desirable and beautiful. I’m unsure who frequents this store, billed as “a shop for eco-friendly growing supplies, home and garden décor” with its $100. terrariums and $2,000. wire tables, but I have noticed a lot of people are eating here. Terrain’s restaurant, the Westport Garden Cafe, with the look of a modern barn in all its refined rusticity--reclaimed wood tables adorned with potted flowers, bulbs suspended from above, and floor to ceiling glass windows--is bright and airy, completely lovely. To match decor, the menu itself is farm-to-table, boasting support for local farms such as Sport Hill, Holbrook, Oakview, The Hickories and Warrups. Alabama chef, Joe Wolfson, Food & Wine’s 2011 People’s Best New Chef from the Gulf Coast, does justice to his ingredients.


Dressing Room Guest Chefs @ The Westport Farmers' Mkt

Restaurant Chef Talk Farmers Market Local Farm

CTbites Team

Please welcome Conor Johnson, one of CTbites' summer interns, who will be covering the local Farmers' Markets throughout the 2012 season. 

This past Thursday at the Westport Farmers’ Market, the grilling, searing, and sautéing began as they kicked off the season with their first of the many scheduled guest chefs.  The first chef featured was Jon Vasst, Executive Chef of The Dressing Room, who awed a sizeable audience as he worked his culinary magic before their hungry eyes.  His first of two demos began at 11 am, the second at 1 pm, with upcoming market guest chefs  Bill Taibe, of LeFarm and Arik Bensimon, of Napa & Co. in the audince to show their support. 

 


CT Invasion: CT Chefs Cook The James Beard House

Restaurant Chef Talk Events

Stephanie Webster

For a chef, one of the most coveted cooking spaces in American is the tiny kitchen that sits in the belly of The James Beard House on West 12th Street, NYC.  The ancient copper pans, the elegant dining room, and the chef's whites that hang on the wall bearing the signatures of accomplished chefs from around the world, carry with them a lineage that celebrates the prolific food writer, cookbook author, and teacher, James Beard. Today, The James Beard house provides culinary inspiration, education, and scholarships, but at the heart of this narrow townhouse is a “performance space” for visiting chefs, the gold standard for any culinary career. Last week, six Fairfield County chefs paid The Beard House a visit, and the meal that resulted was a celebration of CT talent, seasonal ingredients and camaraderie.

 


Rizzuto’s: A Day of Italian Food, Wine & Cars, June 10th

Kids Bites Restaurant Events Italian kids activity Kid Friendly

CTbites Team

On Sunday, June 10, 2012, NOON – 4 PM, Rizzuto’s, located in the Saugatuck community of Westport, has teamed up with The Ferrari Club of America and FIAT of Larchmont for a day-long event filled with Italian food, wine, and cars. 

The event takes place during the Formula 1 Grand Prix Du Canada race, which will be shown on 2 large screen HD TVs. Race car fans can take a virtual lap around the track in a GoSimRacer Race Car Simulator. Kids feeling the need for speed can race through an on-lot GoGo-Kart track presented byGrand Prix New York Racing. Rizzuto’s is pulling out all the stops with classic Italian dishes and an Italian wine tasting. San Pellegrino will be keeping things cool and Rizzuto’s will be grilling outdoors this year, preparing sausage and pepper wedges and meatball sliders.


BONDA En Plein Air Dinners @ Greenfield Hill Grange

Restaurant Events

Stephanie Webster

BONDA Restaurant takes dinner to the outdoors this July with BONDA En Plein Air at Greenfield Hill Grange #133.  BONDA will host a one week series of magical and intimate evenings dining in the open air, “en plein air” from July 11th – 15th @ 6:30 pm nightly. Following a cocktail hour, guests will be invited to a four course dinner (with wine of course!) artfully curated by Chef/Owner Jamie Cooper – all enjoyed in the sweet summer air with a background country orchestra of crickets and birds

Price: $150 per person all inclusive of tax and gratuity, non refundable but transferable, rain or shine.

BONDA will begin taking reservations Monday, June 11th at 10:00 am Call 203.292.9555 or email bondarestaurant@hotmail.com


Nauti Dolphin: New York Style Pizza in Fairfield

Restaurant Fairfield Pizza

Amy Kundrat

If you've ever missed a train or slogged through a daily commute, you know it often comes down to being at the right place at the right time. A few minutes late and you may find yourself recalculating your entire day's schedule. But if pizza is your business, and your ovens are quite literally at the tracks, you're always at the right place at the right time. 

Situated on the northbound side of the Fairfield train station, Nauti Dolphin in Fairfield serves up New York-inspired slices and pies that not only serve clock-watching commuters, but loyal Fairfielders who find themselves visiting the station whether or not they have a train to catch. Paired with fairly inexpensive prices, over ten years, and a constant stream of commuting stomachs, Nauti Dolphin is one of the town's favored neighborhood pizza take-out and delivery joints.


Opening Day @ The 2012 Westport Farmers' Market

Ingredients Restaurant Farmers Market Local Farm Specialty Market Westport

Stephanie Webster

CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY

The Westport Farmers' Market opened today with an official ribbon cutting ceremony attended by members of the Fairfield County community who came to show their support for the market and "living local." First Selectman Gordon Joseloff and State Representative Jonathon Steinberg brandished their scissors with vigor as market shoppers applauded the start of the Westport Farmers' Market season. Also poised for the big day was Chef Jon Vaast of Dressing Room, one of the 23 guest chefs who will be appearing at the market throughout the season doing recipe demos and tastings (more on that later). The crowd was packed with people enjoying their Skinny Pines Pizza, Raus' Cold Romans, Boxcar Cantina Tamales, and Du Soleil Fine Foods...and the rain held out. VIEW PHOTO GALLERY HERE.

 


CTbites Invite: Blue Lemon Cooking Demo & Lunch Recap

Restaurant CTbites Invites Westport Lunch

Meaghan Morelli

Blue Lemon chef Bryan Malcarney can clean, prep and sear a baby squid in just under 10 minutes, all while making small talk with a patio full of hungry diners. In fact, he makes it look pretty easy.

“That’s my job,” the affable chef joked to a lunch crowd last week at a cooking demo organized by CTBites. The lattice and flower enclosed patio was packed with avocational foodies who had jumped at the chance to learn from one of the area’s most established chefs through the CTBites Invites program, which has regular offerings to take people behind the scenes in some of Fairfield County’s most respected kitchens.