South End: A Modern Tavern Opens in New Canaan Restaurant American New Canaan Beer Comfort Food Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger September 30, 2012 In early July CTbites previewed the opening of South End, the newest addition to the New Canaan restaurant scene. Nearly two months of frenzied activity has confirmed the local appreciation that the creative cuisine of Chef Nicholas Martschenko is alive on Pine Street. Overseeing the front of the house is Keith Siskind, his business partner, and the duo redesigned the interior at South End to create a relaxing atmosphere by intertwining rustic charm with modern comfort. The tables are carefully arranged to allow for pleasant conversation and the overall noise level creates a vibrant buzz without overwhelming intrusion. With upwards of 85 seats, 30 of which are contained around the energetic bar area, South End offers pleasant ambience to enjoy the wonderful cuisine that emerges from the kitchen. The duo’s ambition to create the “Modern Tavern” is a rousing success. Siskind developed an excellent relationship with two local breweries, New Canaan’s Charter Oak and Stamford’s Half Full (Bright Ale) and both are prominently displayed on the taps overlooking the bar. Read More
Sunday Talks & Tastings @ Yale Peabody Museum Restaurant Education New Haven Amy Kundrat September 27, 2012 The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History will host Talks and Tastings, three events in conjunction with the current exhibition Big Food: Health, Culture and the Evolution of Eating. These events, part presentation and part tasting, will be held on Sundays, September 30, October 28 and December 2. September 30: Spice of Life: Boosting Flavor Profiles and Healthy Eating October 28: Oncology Nutrition December 2: Nutrition for Young Children Admission to the Museum is free, but advance registration for these events is required. The Peabody Museum is located at 170 Whitney Avenue in New Haven, CT. Read More
Rhubarb Kitchen: Cooking School, British Style, in Darien Features Restaurant Cooking Classes Darien Education Dessert Melissa Roberts September 26, 2012 As if on cue, the day I attended class at the Rhubarb Kitchen, a cooking school with an emphasis on all things British, the sun disappeared and the weather turned appropriately overcast and drizzly. A perfect backdrop for learning about the delights of the very English ritual of Afternoon Tea. But first, a little about the women who run this show. Rebecca Binks (aka “Becs”) grew up in Kent and learned the highlights of English food from her grandmother, mom, and eight aunts. A former banker and world traveler who has lived in France and Spain, Becs landed in New York City where she met Lisa McMullan. Lisa, an Irishwoman, grew up surrounded by lush farmland and her culinary path is inspired by a true farm to table experience. Lisa practiced as an optometrist, but her love of food always lingered in the background. Read More
WAFU Asian Bistro Opens in Southport Restaurant Asian Chinese Japanese Southport Thai Kid Friendly Sarah Green September 23, 2012 If you Google or Bing the word "Wafu" it translates to "Japanese-style," but when I asked Elaine Chen, the proprietor of the new WAFU Asian Bistro in Southport, her definition was "peace and harmony." The new Wafu, located at 3671 Post Road (formerly Friendly's) seems to be a little bit of both. Chen, from the FUJIAN PROVINCE of China, and her husband (the restaurant's lead sushi chef), have created an ASIAN establishment where Japanese, Chinese and Thai food mesh perfectly in a serene and sophisticated environment. Although it's difficult to telll from the exterior, the decor once inside is New York chic (and perhaps a tiny bit over the top with Swarski Chandeliers and neon-blue lighting). Menus are presented on ipads and you sit comfortably at your glossy tables on your white-leathered booth. Sure, it's a bit shi shi, but shi shi works at WAFU. The food is good for a "multi-culture" menu, the decor is funky and, though it looks fancy, it turns out to be a very kid-friendly establishment. Read More
Ridgefield Chef Swap: Bernard Boisseau & Jeff Taibe Restaurant Ridgefield Wine Dinners Amy Kundrat September 22, 2012 Chefs Bernard Bouissou of Bernard's Restaurant, and Chef Jeff Taibe of Southwest Café will join forces in the kitchen for two, five-course wine dinners in October. Southwest Café owner Barbara Nevins and Bernard's/Sarah's Wine Bar co-owner Sarah Boisseau will host these festive evenings. The classically trained French chef Bernard Boisseau will be embracing hatch chilies, cooking alongside Southwest Café's chef Jeff Taibe for Southwest's annual chile-centric Harvest Wine Dinner on Tuesday, October 2, 2012. Two weeks later on Sunday, October 21, Chef Jeff Taibe will be cooking in the kitchen at Bernard's, teaming up with Bernard for a dinner upstairs at Sarah's Wine Bar, for a contemporary French evening with a twist! Both evenings are $65 per person for 5 courses with 5 wine pairings (tax and gratuity is additional). Read More
Estia Restaurant Brings Greek Cuisine to SoNo Restaurant Greek Norwalk SONO Lunch Nancy Kleeger September 16, 2012 Gavrielides Restaurant Group, the family behind Harbor Lights, Eastside Café, and Overtons, all located in Norwalk, have added yet another egg to their already full basket of food establishments. Recently opened “Estia”, which shows off the Gavrielides family’s Greek roots, is a welcome addition to SONO’s Washington Street. It’s official: This tiny block now proudly boasts a veritable potpourri of cuisine, and with Greek cuisine now on offer, it is fast becoming a diners paradise. Let’s hope Estia, along with its’ neighboring partners in crime can live up to the increasing demand for quality, sophisticated food, so SONO can continue to thrive. Read More
Bartaco Restaurant Offers Gluten Free Menu Restaurant Gluten-Free Port Chester Special Dietary Needs Stamford Mexican Lunch Kid Friendly Maizy Boosin September 14, 2012 Good news for people with Celiacs Disease or those going gluten free. Turns out...bartaco Restaurant is almost completely gluten free! We sent our roving reporter, 9 year old Maizy Boosin, who suffers from Celiac, to test out the menu. See what she found out below... When bartaco opened its first location in Pt. Chester, NY last year, the goal was to serve simple, tasty food in a stylish yet relaxed environment. After having expanded to locations in Stamford, CT and West Hartford, CT, bartaco continues to fulfill its original goal with a considerable bonus: the vast majority of its menu happens to be gluten free. Read More
Last Chance! Bacon Week @ Plan B Burger Bar in Milford Restaurant Cocktails Milford Burgers Cindy Hartog September 13, 2012 How does Plan B in Milford celebrate its 1-year birthday? With a cake? NO! This meat-loving restaurant celebrates with BACON! Bacon Week runs from September 10th - 16th at Plan B Burger Bar in Milford. John Brennan, the executive chef was nice enough to invite me to come opening night. I alerted my cardiologist. Armed with a big appetite and an open mind, I brought my bacon LOVING husband Marc along to help me taste everything on the menu. The meal began with the 3 signature drinks- all made with bacon infused bourbon. Plan B prides itself on its bourbon selection, and I’m a fan. I tried the bourbon straight and it was really nice, with just a hint of the bacon- nothing overpowering. Read More
Shake Shack Opens in New Haven Restaurant New Haven Burgers Amy Kundrat September 12, 2012 Shake Shack has officially arrived in New Haven. The New York hamburger chain opened its first college outpost, and second in the Connecticut, in the state's Elm City on the evening of September 12 to family and friends. It will offially open to the public on September 13, 2012. Shake Shack's founder Danny Meyer may have a not-so-hidden agenda for this first foray to college campuses – his daughter is a freshman at Yale. Facing the New Haven green on Chapel Street, Shake Shack is conveniently near the old campus of Yale University. Its location is an auspicious one – it is about a quarter of a mile away from Louis Lunch, often touted as the birthplace of the hamburger. The menu is similar to its sister restaurants, with a few signature Concretes including the Skull & Cones Concrete (a play on the University's Skull & Bones secret society), a combination of chocolate and vanilla with shattered sugar cones, and peanut butter sauce and chocolate truffle cookie dough, and the Boola Boola Blue Concrete (a reference to Yale's fight song), a combination vanilla custard with blueberry jam and a lemon pie. Shake Shack New Haven is now open at 986 Chapel Street in New Haven and will be open daily from 11 am to 11 pm. Read More
Olio Restaurant Opens in Springdale, Stamford Restaurant American Italian Stamford Lunch Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger September 09, 2012 Olio - [oh-lee-oh] (noun) - a dish of many different ingredients Olio Restaurant, off the beaten path in the Springdale section of Stamford, represents the epitome of a “Hidden Gem.” Located in the space that formerly housed Bella Luna, Chef/Owner Steve Costanzo and his business partner Moira Hyland bring over 36 years of experience to this underserved neighborhood. After two months, the residents are viewing Olio as their local culinary answer to downtown Stamford. Costanzo graduated from the New York Restaurant School and worked in many area restaurants including Baang, Long Ridge Tavern, and Quattro Pazzi (Executive Chef). Hyland is a graduate of the Chef's Training Program at The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, The duo brings their passion and energy to create an eclectic and inviting menu and environment to their dream restaurant. Read More
Half Full Brewery Opens in Stamford Tomorrow! Restaurant Brewery Stamford Beer James Gribbon September 07, 2012 Four years after Conor Horrigan decided to make the leap from regular working stiff to found his own brewery, the dream becomes a reality this weekend in Stamford. Half Full Brewery will be open for tastings and tours tomorrow, September 8 from 12 – 2p.m. Tours of Fairfield County’s newest brewery commence at 12:30 and 1:30, and visitors will have the option to buy filled growlers and take home a generous portion of Half Full’s signature brew: Bright Ale. The crew at Half Full describe their venture thusly: The Half Full Brewery is a “lifestyle” brewery that came to life after Conor decided to quit his day job and travel Europe and the concept behind our brewery is as simple as its name and motto sounds: whether your glass is literally or figuratively “Half Full”, you can “look forward to more…” Read More
CTbites Invites Fall 2012 Lineup Restaurant CTbites Invites ellen bowen September 07, 2012 CTbites Invites is back from summer break with an exciting lineup of insider culinary events and food experiences including Wine Dinners, Cooking Classes, and themed dining events at Napa & Co, Chocopologie, Brasitas, Bernard's, Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro, and SoNo Baking Company. Keep a eye out for these happening in the next few months. For those not yet familiar with our Invites series, CTbites partners with chefs and restaurants all over Fairfielld County (and beyond) to bring our readers innovative culinary-minded events, with behind-the-scenes access and exclusive experiences on some of the most interesting culinary happenings in the region. This past year we hosted over 40 Invites with over 1000 “foodie” attendees! We believe life is too short for bad food. Read More
Shanghai Asian Bistro: Shanghai Opens Second Location in Norwalk Restaurant Asian Chinese Japanese Norwalk Thai Vietnamese Multiple Eaters September 07, 2012 Occasionally, we like to get a few opinions on a restaurant. Here are two shorts from Cathy Siroka and James Gribbon on Shanghai Bistro. If you’re in South Norwalk and want a simple, easy place to go before a movie or out with the kids – try Shanghai Asian Bistro. They recently opened a second location at 124 Washington St., with their first one in Westport at 1715 Post Rd East. Owner, John Jiang, had been carefully looking for a second location for years, and has seen such a huge change in the traffic and excitement in downtown Norwalk, and finally felt that “now was the right time.” While the menu has the Chinese classics like shrimp with duck sauce and General Tsao’s chicken, the restaurant also offers an array of other Asian inspired dishes and many ways to customize your order according to your tastes and dietary preferences. Jiang explains his menu as “all-Asian, not just Chinese, a sampling of the flavors of China, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan.” Read More
Terra Sole: Ridgefield's Hidden Gem Restaurant Italian Ridgefield Lunch Amy Kundrat September 05, 2012 Tucked behind one of Fairfield County’s most charming Main Streets, Terra Sole in Ridgefield beckons. If the weather cooperates, a 70-seat outdoor patio is your best bet. A steady weekday lunch crowd belies this restaurant’s not-so-best kept secret–a weekday prix fixe Italian lunch. Pietro Polini, the owner along with wife Lana, is a constant welcoming presence at the restaurant that pulls its culinary influences from the entire length of Italy. You’ll often find Pietro attentively scanning the dining room and patio and recommending dishes and wines to diners. Although he hails from Northern Italy, he and his family have owned restaurants from Puglia to Rimini. Read More
SoNo Marketplace Opening Soon in Norwalk Restaurant Norwalk Specialty Market Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger September 04, 2012 The SoNo MarketPlace is springing to life at 314 Wilson Avenue in South Norwalk and will change how Fairfield County views food markets. The MarketPlace is the brainchild of John Palino, the New Yorker who oversaw the creation of more than twenty restaurants, bars and nightclubs and the host and co-creator of “The Kitchen Job,” New Zealand’s top rated food focused series. The site, influenced by the ambience of the food courts of France “will combine a seasonal outdoor farmers market with a year-round indoor urban marketplace.” Located within the transforming industrial area of SONO, John Palino, Joe Grasso, and Lindsay Sudel, will revitalize the water view property to create a foodie destination with additional shopping. Palino and Grasso are also taking a personal interest in three of the culinary booths: FLAT WHITE COFFEE, the SONO CANTINA, and GOTTA NIBBLE. Read More
Author of "An Everlasting Meal" Tamar Adler to Speak at The Aldrich Restaurant Author Events Amy Kundrat September 02, 2012 Tamar Adler, a former editor at Harper’s Magazine and former cook at Chez Panisse and Prune will visit The Aldrich on Sunday, September 9 at 3 pm. Tickets are $10 each or free for members. Adler has written a series of essays which, as Alice Waters states in the foreword to Adler’s book, An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace are “...teaching people not just how to cook but how to love to cook.” Read More
5TH Annual Blues, Views & BBQ Festival + CTbites Chef Tent Restaurant BBQ Events Westport kids activity Beer Kid Friendly CTbites Team August 28, 2012 Come on down to the 5th annual Blues, Views & BBQ Festival this weekend, September 1st and 2nd. This event celebrates food, music and family with an exciting line-up of bands, craft beer, barbecue and cooking events, ribs and pie eating contests as well as fun for the whole family. And let's not forget the CTbites Chef Demo Tent on Sept 1st, where 6 top Fairfield County chefs will demo recipes and serve up tasty vittles all day long. Food vendors include: Bobby Q's Bodacious BBQ, Winnie's Jerk Chicken & Fish-Caribean Cuisine, Blue Lemon Restaurant, Dave & Jerry's Hot Dog Trolley-Beef Hot Dogs, French Fries & Fresh Squeezed Lemonade, Bar Q BBQ -Beef Brisket, Smoked Chicken Wings, Melt Mobile -Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Wild Bill's Olde Fashioned Soda, Rolling Cones Ice Cream, Rita's Italian Ice. Aurora's Gypsy Cafe-Desserts, Kettle Corn Read More
Stamford's New Boom Town: A Peek @ Harbor Point's Food Future Restaurant Stamford Lou Gorfain August 28, 2012 First there was Fairway. The legendary grocery market firmly planted a Food Flag at Harbor Point, back when the former industrial peninsula was just a cluster of earth movers, gutted factories and towering cranes in Stamford's South End. Today this 3.5 Billion dollar redevelopment project (maybe America's biggest) teems with residences, offices, retail, and yes, its first restaurants like the new Harlan Social that's just opened across from Fairway Market. "My job over the next couple of years is to transform Harbor Point into a dining hotspot , Jon Sabrowski told CTBites. He's the leasing director of Building and Land Technology, developer of the 100 acre mixed use site. Sabrowski, a restaurant and real estate veteran, agreed to give CTBites an exclusive sneak peek at the Food Future of this amazing, newly minted city within a city. Read More
The Chelsea in Fairfield: A New Chip Off the Old Block Restaurant American Cocktails Fairfield Comfort Food Lunch Kid Friendly Amy Kundrat August 26, 2012 Instantly familiar, yet completely new, Fairfield’s six-week-young The Chelsea has already settled quite nicely into the dining scene. With an Unquowa Place address, a steady lunch and a boisterous evening crowd–its practically a Fairfield County regular. This is thanks in large part to a familiar and accomplished trio of owners responsible for creating many hot spots we know and love: Scott Beck, co-owner of Match and The Loft in South Norwalk; 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 Westport. Beyond the obvious street cred, the palpable success of the restaurant is found in the breeziness of its well-designed space (McHugh’s cozy palette of reclaimed rough sawn wood, white subway tiles and raw glass fixtures) paired with a globally-inspired menu long on classics. The Chelsea’s menu is a witty take on many dishes we all know and love, combined with a consistency of quality that comes from veteran owners and chefs who know the Fairfield County appetite very well. Read More
White Gate Farm Launches 'Farm Kitchen' Cooking Classes Restaurant Cooking Classes East Lyme Shoreline East Farm Fresh Amy Kundrat August 23, 2012 White Gate Farm in East Lyme, CT, a favorite eastern Connecticut farm stand and Dinners on the Farm venue, is unveiling their new commercial "Farm Kitchen" and a series of cooking classes featuring talented Connecticut chefs. The series will officially kick off this Friday at White Gate Farm for what they are calling a "Grand Unveiling" on August 24 at 7 pm ($10 per person). The evening will feature a preview of the hands-on kitchen and farm-fresh hors d'oeuvres, wine and chef's presentations. They will also unveil the full season of classes, dates and participating chefs this evening. Read More
