Rainbow Thai Opens in Westport Restaurant Asian Thai Westport Sarah Green February 10, 2013 Yes, Virginia, there IS a great Thai food to be found in Fairfield County. The new RAINBOW THAI at 5 Bridge Street in Westport is just what Virginia (and all the rest of us who feared that a great, local Tom Yum Gung soup might not really exist) ordered. RAINBOW THAI is tiny and, not to its advantage, finds itself in that ill fated location in the Bridge Market complex that hasn't to date been a lucky spot for restaurants. Many an eatery has peaked and faded faster than a shooting star in this locale but I think Rainbow Thai has staying power. Why? The food is just so damn good. Read More
Family Style Sunday Dinners at Norwalk's Strada 18 Restaurant CTbites Team February 06, 2013 South Norwalk's Strada 18 restaurant has kicked-off a series of "Family Style Sunday Dinners." These successive winter Sundays will feature pre-determined menus served "family-style"with a set price (ranging from $30 to $35 per person, child pricing available). Reservations are required in advance of each Sunday dinner. Upcoming Sunday Dinners: February 10, February 24, March 10, March 24. For more information and a list of menus, please visit www.strada-18.com. Read More
Kids Review: Greenleaf Organic Bakery & Café in Wilton Kids Bites Restaurant Bakery Organic Wilton Lunch Kid Friendly Dessert Sunday Diners February 06, 2013 This article first ran on Sunday Diners, a kid's guide to the best diners and breakfast joints in Fairfield County, Connecticut and beyond. Written by 4th Grader Alex (with a bit of help from his dad). Usually, at this time of the year, many people make resolutions to eat healthier or not eat junk food all of the time. One of the ways that you can do this is by eating more organic foods which are healthier for you. Today, we went to Greenleaf Organic Bakery and Café, in Wilton, where everything is organic, fresh and TASTY! The first thing I noticed when I walked in were the displays of amazing pastries, croissants, cupcakes, tarts and the BIGGEST chocolate chip cookies I have ever seen. The second thing you notice, is how good it smells! The walls are decorated with photos of food and fruit, and it is a good place for kids and adults too. I looked at the menu before we left the house and already knew what I wanted — The Fruit Explosion - Fresh organic cream, layered with organic strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, yogurt, granola, all topped off with chocolate hazelnut spread. It was beyond good and… healthy at the same time. It was also BIG! Do you know what else was BIG? The Organic Hot Chocolate – which is made with real melted organic chocolate and whipped cream – it was GIANT! Bigger than our cereal bowls at home – now that’s BIG! Read More
Sun Winefest Recap: One Woman's Search for the Best Bottles Restaurant Celebrity Chef Events Wine Chat Wine Tasting Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 05, 2013 It was the calm before the storm. As I strolled into the SunWineFest before the doors opened to the public, the ballroom appeared almost peaceful. Exhibitors casually erected their stands and freely moved about the space. Within an hour, that all changed. People stood packed shoulder to shoulder and attempted to elbow their way through the throng for tastes of wine. The crowd surged with energy, and my heart raced with excitement. For some, the Mohegan SunWineFest is one giant party: an excuse to get buzzed with friends, blow off steam, and sample as many wines as physically possible. For others, the event is a valuable opportunity to find exceptional bottles. Read More
Community Table in Washington CT Restaurant American Farm to Table Litchfield Local Farm Amy Kundrat February 03, 2013 In the Litchfield County town of Washington, the two-year old Community Table and its team led by Executive Chef Joel Viehland, stands at the center of a tight network of farmers, foragers and discerning diners. Born from agrarian collaboration rather than co-opting it, Community Table was built around the notion that a restaurant serving its community must not only serves its diners, but act with respectful stewardship of the land. This translates to sourcing seasonally, locally and sustainably, as well as pickling, drying, fermenting and composting. Read More
New Haven Meatball House Restaurant Late Night Beer New Haven Comfort Food Amy Kundrat January 31, 2013 As a part of our ongoing effort to cover more of the state, we will be publishing more frequent, shorter posts on some of our favorite spots in New Haven, Hartford and beyond. If you have a place you love or would like us to cover, please email us! New Haven Meatball House Cuisine: Comfort Food, Late Night Dining, Craft Beer Price: Less than $10 (per entrée)Our Highlights: Chicken meatballs with pesto, beef meatballs with tomato sauce, black garlic mashed potatoes, spiked milkshakesHours: Open Daily, Monday - Thursday at 5 pm, Friday - Sunday 11:30 amOnline: Official Website | Facebook Four types of meatballs, four types of sauces and three ways to eat them. Do the math and that could keep any comfort food-seeking foodie returning to explore the menu at New Haven's Meatball Shop on Chapel Street. Owner Bob Potter, the man behind New Haven's popular meat mecca, Prime 16, and the East Rock neighborhood tequilar bar, c.o. jones opened New Haven Meatball House in mid-2012. Read More
Harvest Wine Bar & Restaurant Opens This Week in Greenwich Restaurant American Greenwich Italian Steakhouse Opening Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger January 30, 2013 Harvest Wine Bar & Restaurant, the latest venture of the Sigueza brothers, Vicente and Kleber, owners of Scena Restaurant in Darien, Cava Wine Bar & Restaurant in New Canaan and 55 Degrees in Fairfield, opens this week in Greenwich at 372 Greenwich Avenue. With large windows beckoning the guests, the modern interior is dominated by wood, stone and leather. Wood-topped tables are all hand-made and surrounded by leather backed chairs. Individual lights descend from the ceiling to create a whimsical touch to the otherwise masculine décor. The rear wall is half glass and sunsets will create an inviting end to the day to enjoy one of the signature cocktails with many of the fruit and vegetable additions juiced on site. The menu is best described as “food inspired by the American tradition,” a steak house that meets Little Italy and embraces the sea and the farm to table movement. Read More
KLAFF’S Gets Cookin’ Winter Chef Series 2013 Restaurant Chef Talk Cooking Classes CTbites Team January 29, 2013 Throughout the month of February, Klaffs Norwalk and Danbury’s beautiful home design stores will welcome some of Fairfield County’s talented chefs into their kitchen showrooms. To highlight this impressive appliance store and the many kitchens found at Klaffs, guest chefs will be demonstrating their cooking prowess with a series of FREE cooking demonstrations and food samplings every Saturday afternoon in February from 12-2 pm. Chefs from Morello Italian Bistro in Greenwich, Bar Sugo in Norwalk, Cotto Wine Bar in Stamford & WAFU Asian Bistro in Southport are just a few of the chefs being featured in this series. View the complete chef lineup below: Read More
Picador Opens in New Canaan: Tapas Restaurant French Greek Spanish Tapas New Canaan Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger January 27, 2013 The culinary landscape of New Canaan now includes the vibrant cuisine of the Iberian Peninsula with the opening of Picador, the second restaurant of owner Alan Basaran. Located on Elm Street in the space formerly occupied by Harvest Supper, the interior’s décor offers a warm and inviting environment as backdrop to the region’s vibrant cuisine. Copper-topped tables and a wrap-around leather-covered banquette fill the entire back and side walls with additional copper-topped tables with dark leather chairs occupying the remainder of the space. The walls are adorned with plates, mirrors and sconces; reminiscent of the region. Read More
Pinkberry Opens in Downtown Westport Restaurant Frozen Yogurt Fairfield Kid Friendly Dessert Stephanie Webster January 25, 2013 Attention Pinkberry fans: This frozen yogurt mecca has a new location in Westport, and it is officially open for business. Head on over to 111 Post Road East in Downtown Westport for your next fro-yo fix. Read More
Bistro Latino: Chef Rafael Palomino Comes to Old Greenwich Restaurant Celebrity Chef Greenwich Spanish Latin American Lou Gorfain January 20, 2013 Acclaimed chef, author and restaurateur Rafael Palomino recently opened Bistro Latino in the space first occupied by Boxing Cat Café and then Greenwich Tavern in Old Greenwich. The vast dining room has been done over in dark wood flooring which is flanked by racked walls that flaunt an extensive portfolio of international wines. Palomino won his food-star stripes when he opened Sonora in Manhattan almost two decades ago, introducing Manhattan to Nuevo Latino cuisine, and earning raves from the city’s food critics. Sonora's wild success inspired Rafael to bring his unique cooking style to satellite restaurants in New Haven, Tuckahoe, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Sonora now lives in Port Chester. Despite its name, Greenwich's Bistro Latino is not really Nuevo Latino since the dishes are more of Spain than Latin and South America. Rafael has created a menu that features European tapas and paella -- which he anoints with flavors from his Columbian and Queens roots. "Spanish bathed in Picante Style," is how the restaurant describes it. As a result, Bistro Latino is really more about invention than tradition. Read More
Casa Villa: Beloved Taco Joint Opens in Bridgeport Restaurant Bridgeport Delicious Dives Tacos Mexican CTbites Team January 16, 2013 Stamford's beloved Mexican restaurant Casa Villa opens a new location in Bridgeport TODAY. The menu will be very similar to that at their East Main Street location, including their signature al pastor tacos and tamales. Congratulations to owner Alvino Villa and his team! Hacienda Villa is located at 2810 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport CT. Click here to read our review of CASA VILLA Read More
Rustico Trattoria: Traditional, Tasty Italian in Westport (sponsored post) Restaurant Gluten-Free Italian Special Dietary Needs Westport CTbites Team January 13, 2013 Wherever you are from, a meal at RUSTICO is like coming home. From the kitchen of Chef Miguel Angelo D'Onofrio, exquisite and thoroughly Italian dishes are only a heartbeat away. This family owned and operated establishment has been open for a year showcasing Chef Miguel's talents and passion for Italian cuisine. Chef Miguel was born in Brazil and his mother is from Spain, but he is all ITALIAN on his father's side and these roots run deep. From traditional recipes, handed down from generation to generation yet modernized by Chef Miguel's creativity, a meal at RUSTICO is a delicious culinary experience. Using only the highest quality meats and fish - no hormones or antibiotics of any kind - and sourcing only the freshest ingredients, Chef Miguel prepares each dish to perfection. For 25 years he worked as an executive chef in Connecticut and was most recently co-owner of Finalmente Trattoria, also in Westport. Now in his own space he prepares dishes that originate from the passion that is Italia, RUSTICO is an extension of Chef Miguel's history. Read More
The Great Wall of Stouts Beer Event @ The Ginger Man Restaurant Beer Dinner Norwalk Beer Stephanie Webster January 10, 2013
Food 411: Name The Restaurant That Served This... Restaurant Food 411 Italian CTbites Team January 10, 2013
Kids Review: Vietnam Palace in Stratford via AsherZeats Restaurant Asian Delicious Dives Stratford Vietnamese Kid Friendly CTbites Team January 09, 2013 Asher is an 8th grader at Fairfield Country Day School. He has a true passion for food and started his blog, AsherZeats, in September of 2012. Asher reviews everything from Michelin starred restaurants to great dives. This review originally ran on AsherZeats. “Anyone who tells a lie has not a pure heart, and cannot make a good soup. “-- Ludwig Van Beethoven. This Saturday we traveled to Vietnam Palace (a new restaurant, opened this past June) located at- 955 Ferry Boulevard, Stratford, CT in a very busy shopping center. When we entered, we noticed two very cool statues of lions and a statue of a Buddha. The ceilings were filled with many upside down umbrellas and the restaurant was extremely clean. We also saw that it was a family run business (the best kind of business) with a very small number of people working there. When we were seated, we were greeted by an EXTREMELY friendly Husband/Wife pair who could not be any nicer. Read More
Pasta Bolognese in Fairfield County Roundup: Part I Restaurant Fairfield Greenwich Italian Norwalk Pasta Stamford New Canaan Jeff Schlesinger & Lou Gorfain January 04, 2013 Mangia, Mangia Mangia…and Mangia again. Pasta Bolognese..a dish so embedded in the DNA of Italian culture that the Italian Academy of Cuisine registered a recipe for "classic Bolognese ragù" with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. The recorded recipe calls for beef from the plate section, unsmoked pancetta, carrot, celery, onions, tomato purée, meat broth, dry wine, milk, salt and pepper, plus a small amount of cream as an option to finish the sauce. There are numerous variations and nuances in the design, flavor, ingredients and most importantly the partner on the plate, the pasta, traditionally a taggliatelle. What started as a simple idea within CTbites to find and recommend a few good Pasta Bolognese dishes in Fairfield County took a life of its own as more suggestions led to more great sauces, which led to, well more great sauces. Over the last several weeks, the two of us have enjoyed some great Pasta Bolognese preparations (and several that were not so good) to give our readers a list of recommended restaurants that serve delicious versions of this traditional Italian fare. It is not all encompassing, is listed alphabetically and we look to our readers to offer other suggestions of restaurants that serve their favorite Pasta Bolognese to be included in next year's search. And this is only part 1…there were too many for just one list of recommendations, so stay tuned for part 2 in the near future. Buon Appetito!!! Read More
CTbites Staff Picks for TOP EATS OF 2012 Restaurant Top 10 Eats Best of CT Stephanie Webster December 31, 2012 It's that time again...time to reflect on the year that has passed, and look forward to what is yet to come. For the food obsessed in Fairfield County, 2012 was a stellar year. The restaurant scene literally exploded with some very notable openings, and 2013 promises to continue the trend. As we say good bye to 2012, we asked the CTbites Team to list the restaurants at which they spent the most time eating throughout the year. What you see below are the STAFF PICKS for TOP EATS OF 2012. Let us know your favorite spots as well. Happy New Year from CTbites. Read More
10 Questions w/ Chef Mario LaPosta of Tarry Lodge Interview Restaurant Chef Talk Italian Pizza Westport CTbites Team December 27, 2012 Mario LaPosta is the self proclaimed "pizza obsessed" Chef @ Tarry Lodge in Westport. Here are a few things you probably didn't know about this pizzaioli whose Margherita pizza placed in the top ten of the world pizza championships. Plus: Don't miss Mario's recipe for Mussels En Scapece. Marinated Mussels with wine, saffron and red wine vinegar (seen below). If you had unexpected guests arriving at your home for dinner in 1 hour, what would you whip up? I would make homemade sauce and meatballs. Sunday sauce is something that my family has been blessed with making exceptionally well; it is easy to make in an hour by substituting meatballs instead of slow cooking beef or pork. What is the last dish you cooked for yourself? Turkey Chili, in an effort to lose weight so I can fit into a tux on my wedding day, and in honor to watching my Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. What are your guilty pleasures in terms of food? I dream about food 24/7 so everything tends to be a guilty pleasure for me, but I like the combination of sweet and savory; Pork Belly with Apple Mostarda at Tarry Lodge and Foie Gras with Cinco Cebollas at Casa Mono represent this best. Read More
The Spread Hosts A "Mad Men" New Years Eve Bash Restaurant Holiday CTbites Team December 26, 2012 Still trying to figure out how to spend New Years Eve? Hmmm...What would Don Draper do? The Spread is hosting a Mad Men themed event that sounds like the perfect combo of good food and good fun...Here's the lineup. 7-8:30 pm Cocktail hour/Raw bar: Specialty drinks from late 50's/early 60's; Blue point oysters and anything else Chef Arik Bensimon finds fresh from the sea. 9-11 pm 5 course dinner: Black bass carpaccio, Cabbage and chanterelles, Lobster Thermidor, Roast lamb, Cheese course; Dessert Read More
