Filtering by Category: Restaurant,Seasonal

Brunching at The National in Greenwich

Restaurant American Brunch Greenwich Bar Lunch

Jessica Ryan

Christmas was in the air in Greenwich this past weekend as the town’s Annual Holiday Stroll offered something for everyone: a chance to meet Santa, a ride in a horse drawn carriage, and for me, the opportunity to try out The National’s Holiday Brunch. 

I had not yet been to Chef Geoffrey Zakarian’s newest and his first restaurant in Greenwich. The celebrity chef has appeared on The Today ShowGood Morning America, and CBS Morning Show and has starred in many Food Network programs including Chopped, The Next Iron Chef and Cooks vs. Cons, the network’s newest show.  


Hidden Gem: El Paraiso Mexican Restaurant in Bridgeport

Restaurant Bridgeport Delicious Dives Mexican Lunch Kid Friendly

Elizabeth Keyser

The first thing to do when you sit down at a sturdy wood table at El Paraiso Mexican Restaurant is order an agua fresca.  These icy fruit drinks are made to order; the grinding blender drowns out the Mexican t.v. and music, and soon you’re sipping the most refreshing beverage. My favorite is the melon or watermelon, depending on what they have in the kitchen. Mango is sweeter. I haven’t tried the tamarindo. 

El Paraiso is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Bridgeport. It’s on Madison Avenue, near Capitol. The white gates covering some of the windows make it look closed, but inside, especially on weekends, El Paraiso is bustling and welcoming, the room filled with families with children. The waitresses smile. Speaking Spanish is an advantage, but by no means necessary. 


21 CT Restaurants Open for Christmas Eve & Christmas 2016

Restaurant Events Holiday

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Over the river and through the woods… to delicious restaurants we go!  From New Canaan to Essex to Mohegan Sun, some of Connecticut’s best restaurants are hosting holiday festivities on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day itself.  Be sure to make your reservations early… seats fill up quickly!

  1. Fresh Salt at Saybrook Point, Saybrook: On Saturday December 24, guests can enjoy holiday inspired dishes like Mascarpone-Butternut Ravioli, Ricotta Meatballs, and Srirachi-style Calamari at Fresh Salt at Saybrook Point. On Christmas Day, they will have an extensive buffet from 12-6pm.
  2. Pearl at Longshore, Westport: Pearl in Westport will celebrate Christmas Eve with a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner.
  3. The Whelk, Westport: Open for Christmas Eve dinner with their regular menu and a few specials TBA.
  4. Basso Cafe, Norwalk: On Christmas Eve, Basso Cafe in Norwalk will serve dishes off of its regular menu as well as some newly created dishes prepared specifically for the evening. They will be closed on Christmas Day.
  5. Roger Sherman Inn, New Canaan: Open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, they have a special menu in honor of the holiday, which features dishes like a Roasted Filet Mignon and Lobster Thermidore

10 "Must Drink" Cold Weather Cocktails in Lower Fairfield County CT

Restaurant Cocktails Recipe Bar Best of CT

Andrew Dominick

It’s been a warm autumn, and while we’ll all hope the same for the upcoming winter season, we know it just won’t last. Chilly temperatures are inevitable and let’s face it, your puffy coat, skully, and gloves may not cut it. You need something else to warm up your soul, something that will always be there for you at various bars in lower Fairfield County…Cocktails. 

I recently visited my favorite bars around the county to seek out the best seasonal cocktails. While this is MY list, I did try my best to switch up the flavor profiles and the spirits used, otherwise they’d be all bourbon and whiskey based, or it would be a list of Old Fashioneds and Sazeracs. There are some clear liquors involved, as well as warm beverages and seasonal flavors such as apple, cinnamon, clove, and even carrot. 

I tried my best to include every city or town up 95 from Greenwich to Westport, but that wasn’t the end result. I wanted to go further north but this “research” would’ve stretched into another season. I found that Norwalk and Westport had the most seasonal stuff going on when it comes to booze, so don’t be offended if your favorite bar in your neighborhood didn’t make it. It doesn’t mean I didn’t like it, I just simply met my quota for this list, and my liver told me to “just stop already.” 

Hopefully this helps with your drinking adventures, and hopefully you have some cold weather cocktail suggestions at your most frequented haunts, because we’re all always looking to warm our souls with good libations.  


Ch'i Public House Opens in SoNo - Exceptional Asian-Inspired Cuisine

Restaurant Asian Chinese Japanese Norwalk SONO

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

Ch’i Public House opened in late November in the space formerly occupied by Ocean Drive and Red Lulu on Washington Street in SoNo. The forces behind the new Asian-inspired restaurant are Rob Moss, Marco Siguenza and Dave Studwell, owners of neighboring Washington Prime. Overseeing the kitchen is Executive Chef Mark Taruna, whose long career spans attending the French Culinary Institute and working as the Sous Chef for Nobu Matsushisa at Nobu. He subsequently joined The Food Network and ran the Iron Chef kitchen where he worked with Morimoto, Mario Batali and Bobby Flay. He brings a new level of creativity to many classic recipes with bold flavors and textures, from the simplest dumpling to the most complex sauces.

 


Room 112 Opens in Sono: A Modern Day Speakeasy in Connecticut

Restaurant Cocktails Late Night Norwalk SONO Bar

Jessica Ryan

Room 112 is shaking up the pulse of the lively SoNo restaurant scene. A modern-day speakeasy with a rock’n’roll edge, and eclectic, modish décor recently opened its doors at 112 Washington Street.  Owner Isaac Patrick Camoro’s vision was clear the minute he walked into the then empty space. 

Room 112 conjures up images of an urban garage meets underground lounge. Eclectic and unconventional this new bar is a truly unique experience; the antidote to the typical Fairfield County bar scene. The main level, framed in exposed brick, offers the perfect canvas for local artists to showcase their talent, thus lending themselves perfectly to the bar’s eclectic furnishings and lighting. Downstairs, a “man-cave” style game room includes a pool table, dartboards, shuffleboard, a jukebox, several HD TVs and a sleek bar.


Art’s Deli in Westport Soon to be Winfield Street Italian Deli

Restaurant Deli Italian Westport Lunch

CTbites Team

More exciting Westport deli news from WestportNow.

Westport’s iconic Art’s Deli at 13 Post Road West, near the intersection of Riverside Avenue, is under new ownership. 

Art’s Deli, 13, Post Road West, will become Winfield Street Italian Deli. 

Breno Donatti, the new owner, also owns Norwalk’s Winfield Italian Deli, 69 Winfield St., and, since February, Winfield Street Espresso & Panini Bar, 4 Railroad Place, across from the Westport Metro-North Railroad Station in Saugatuck.

He said the name of the Post Road West business will be renamed Winfield Street Italian Deli once all town-required permits are approved and issued. 

Read the full article on WestportNow. 


BunBurgerBun Food Truck - Gluten, Soy & Nut-Free Burgers, Fries & More

Restaurant Food Truck Norwalk SONO Special Dietary Needs Comfort Food Kid Friendly Burgers

Maizy Boosin

Hi, my name is Maizy. I'm 13 years old, love food, and have celiac disease. When I heard about BunBurgerBun, a food truck that specializes in gluten free burgers and fries, I had to go try it out. 

Arriving at the truck in Stamford, I was instantly impressed by the menu because it had all the favorites. I ordered three things while I was there: The sweet and salties, The Jammer burger, and the chicken tenders with a side of fries. 

My absolute favorite thing that I ate was the Jammer: A burger on a gluten free peasant bun with house-made pickles and a bacon relish. I love pickles and those on the BunBurgerBun truck are fantastic. They are made with mustard seeds, onions and have this great classic pickle taste, but with a hint of a spicy undertone. When I took my first bite of the burger, the first flavor was vinegar. This came from the pickles, as well as the amazing bacon relish.


Rye Ridge Deli Opening in Oscar’s Space in Downtown Westport via Westport Now

Restaurant CTbites Lunch Events Deli Stamford Westport Comfort Food

CTbites Team

This corned beef related news just in from WestportNow.

Westport’s Main Street is getting a Deli back. Rye Ridge Deli will open next year in space long occupied by Oscar’s Delicatessen, 159 Main St.

Partners Mike Ventorino and Scott Martin today in the future home of Rye Ridge Deli and Restaurant at 159 Main St..  Partners Scott Martin and Mike Ventorino will open the third Rye Ridge Deli sometime early next year, they said today. Other Rye Ridge Delis – described as a New York Kosher-Style Deli and Restaurant—are in Rye Brook, N.Y. and Stamford.

Oscar’s closed in August a week before the death of longtime owner Lee Papageorge after a 42-year presence on Main Street. “I got a lot of calls after it closed, asking me to take a look at it,” said Martin, an eight-year Wilton resident. “We signed the lease around Halloween.”

Read the full story on WestportNow.


2016 Holiday Gift Guide For The CT Food Lover

Restaurant Recipe Gift Guide Holiday Best of CT

April Guilbault

Festive Foodalicious Finds ...and FAAABulous ones, we might add! For friends, family (this alliteration is getting fun isn’t it?), and frenemies alike. We have scouted and compiled a list of great gadgets, unique tableware, fun and memorable experiences, sugary sweets, and superb savories for all of the gift recipients in your life this season. So have fun while shopping! Buy one, buy two, buy with that perfect person in mind and think of the smiles and happiness you are sharing with them. How perfectly fabulous, right?

Here are 20 local CT gift ideas for your favorite food lover.


The Fez, Moroccan in Stamford Gets An Update: Belly Dancing, Live Music and Great Fare

Restaurant Live Music Moroccan Stamford Bar Lunch

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Ever since its debut in 2010, The Fez in Stamford made a name for itself as an eclectic hotspot.  Around the corner from Napa and Company and across the street from Barcelona Wine Bar, the Fez offered an alternative experience: nightclub vibes, live music, crimson walls, esoteric wines by the glass, and Spice Route cuisine.  When it closed its doors in the summer of 2015 for renovations, its followers (including me!) didn’t know what to expect.  I recently had the opportunity to visit The Fez 2.0 for myself.  They invited me to participate in a five-course Chilean Wine Dinner, and I eagerly accepted.

It turns out that The Fez 2.0 is largely the same- and I mean that in the best possible way.  New owners Fred and Nancy Laist embraced the original features that defined The Fez in its previous era.  The menu includes many of the same items.  Live music remains at the forefront.  (They are already booked up Thursday-Sunday through March of next year!)  Kristen tends the bar.  The interior, though expanded to include more seating, continues to feels small and intimate.  The stage remains at one end of the restaurant, with a handful of tables and booths in front of it.  Red walls still complement dark wood and varied upholstery.


Neat & Festivities Now Hosting Custom “Pop Up Parties” at Neat in Westport (sponsored)

Restaurant Catering Entertaining Holiday

CTbites Team

Neat, a favorite coffee café in Westport and Darien and Festivities, the award winning special event catering and event design company have joined together to offer “Pop Up Parties."

With craft cocktails by Neat and foods by Festivities, party givers can select from several party ideas.  From cocktail parties, interactive foods stations or plated dinners and with global traditions to home traditions, Festivities has created offerings that are delicious and fun! (two very important words). 


Top Dining Picks for Art Basel Miami via MIABites

Restaurant Miami

ellen bowen

Art Basel Miami and Miami Art Week November 29- December 4th welcomes over 75,000 art enthusiasts from around the world for a week of huge tented shows like Untitled, PULSE, Art Miami and Spectrum, gallery and museum shows and private and intimate art shows at private homes.  But, Miami also offers an amazing array of dining and late night options, some of which were highlighted in this past weekends, New York Times “36 Hours in Miami”( insert NYT link? ).  

If you are headed to Miami for Art Basel, here are MIAbites Top picks. 

Dinner reservations are necessary and should be made in advance if possible. 


Pacific Rim Cooking At Miro Kitchen in Fairfield: Menu & Chef Update

Restaurant Chinese Fairfield Hawaiian Japanese Lunch

James Gribbon

Change is at hand at Fairfield's Miro Kitchen after the end of their collaboration with HAPA, but the new menu for this autumn and winter retains Miro's signature flavors. CTbites was recently invited to take a tour of the food style restaurateur Eugene Kabilnitsky and executive chef Howard McCall have dubbed "Pacific Rim," with ingredients influenced by Hawaii, China, Japan, and the Philippines.  

The eating area is a bright space, with white walls and darker seating on the right, and a full length bar running down the left. The bar has a respectable selection of craft beer on tap, in addition to wines selected specifically to match the flavors of the food. Cocktails likewise blend with the food, using ingredients like nigori in the Saketini, and Thai chili in the Thaigarita and the Tom Yum, which tasted like boozy lemon grass tea shot through with spiky kaffir lime.


Guy Fieri’s Foxwoods Kitchen + Bar at Foxwoods Opens Nov. 25th

Restaurant American Celebrity Chef Foxwoods Opening

Stephanie Webster

Foxwoods® Resort Casino, Big Night Entertainment Group (BNEG) and Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri are excited to announce the opening of Guy Fieri’s Foxwoods Kitchen + Bar at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Friday, November 25 at 11:00 a.m.

This fall, chef, restaurateur, author and host of Food Network’s top-rated show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, is bringing his love affair with food to BNEG’s impressive roster of award-winning dining and entertainment venues which include GEM Italian Kitchen, Nightclub & Lounge, Red Lantern Boston, Red Lantern Foxwoods, Scorpion Bar Patriot Place, Scorpion Bar Foxwoods, High Rollers Luxury Lanes & Lounge, Shrine, and Empire Asian Restaurant & Lounge. The new restaurant is located on the casino level of the Grand Pequot Tower. 


Zapata Mexican Restaurant Opens in South Norwalk (sponsored post)

Restaurant CTbites Lunch Events Cocktails Norwalk SONO Bar Mexican Kid Friendly

CTbites Team

Located in the heart of historic South Norwalk, Zapata Mexican Restaurant crafts authentic Mexican cuisine in an area rich in history and vibrant in color, Zapata Mexican Restaurant proudly contributes to this energetic environment. This is our second location, the original is located in Palisades, NY where our family-owned and operated restaurant has thrived for over 20 years. Many of our customers come in and ask why SONO? The answer is simple, SONO lacked an authentic Mexican restaurant with fresh ingredients, amazing margaritas, and smiling faces. Freshness is what we believe in and what we thrive on. We personally choose all our produce, and all of our ingredients. We are in a society where fresh and healthy is key! To ensure the highest quality, we also cook all of our products with olive oil to keep it healthy and always tasting delicious.  

Soul Tasty Opens in Stamford: Southern Food from the Soul to the Table

Restaurant BBQ Delicious Dives Southern Stamford To-Go Comfort Food Lunch Kid Friendly

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

Fairfield County offers some of the best food in the country, from trucks to fine dining, and when a restaurant serves food from the soul, it is special, it is uplifting, it makes you overjoyed. Every now and then I visit a new place that fits all these categories. Stephanie Webster, my CTbites partner, and I were looking for a new place for a lunch meeting and we chose Soul Tasty...we wanted to see what the buzz was about. It is located on Main Street in Stamford at the end of a dead end that doubles as the entrance to a pedestrian bridge and parking is incredibly difficult, have patience, it is worth it.

Soul Tasty is the brain-child and dream of Chef Jean Gabriel, Jr. When you walk in, you can feel the love. The walls are brightly painted, a little graffiti on the rear counter pronouncing FEED YOUR SOUL and a colorful menu above the hot trays holding the products of the chef’s homage to the Southern recipes of his grandmother.


14 Places For Great Holiday Pies in CT 2016

Restaurant Recipe Top 10 Eats Best of CT Dessert

April Guilbault

Holiday season is heeeere, with its feasts and parties, and let’s be honest, you can’t really have too much pie, now can you? Note: with the brief exception of a kooky aunt who, after a post-Thanksgiving bout on the tread mill, did wearily proclaim “Too....Much....Pie!” but that’s another story for another time. So where to go for the best pies with the flakiest crusts, sweetest streusel toppings and the most flavorful fillings? We’ll be happy to tell you. Get those dessert plates ready and, um...you might want to loosen that belt.

Here are 14 places to buy great holiday pies in CT.


Nibble: CT Food Events for Week of Nov 21st - Nov 28th

Restaurant News

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

This Thanksgiving consider GIVING to a hungry neighbor who can't feed themselves. DONATE to CT Food Bank or Community Plates

After 20 Years The Loft in South Norwalk will announce it’s final Last Call on Saturday night November 26th after a closing party celebration.

Fleisher's still has turkeys available to order for your Thanksgiving table!

On Tuesday November 22, learn how to put a Spanish twist on traditional Thanksgiving dishes at Barcelona West Hartford.  The class runs from 7-9pm and costs $29, plus tax and gratuity.

Try Happy Hour at Harlan Social!  Monday-Thursday from 4:30-6:30pm, enjoy $5 craft beers and $6 wines by the glass.  This offer is at the bar side only.


The Brunch Box Food Truck: Get Your Breakfast & Lunch on In Stamford

Restaurant Brunch Food Truck Stamford Breakfast Lunch Kid Friendly

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

The Brunch Box opened several months ago, delivering numerous breakfast and lunch sandwiches at locations around Stamford, with occasional visits to surrounding areas and private parties. Jimmy Marcella, a Stamford native developed the concept of The Brunch Box after a lifetime of preparation; as far back as he could remember he wanted to own a restaurant. As a teen Jimmy worked at a local Italian deli in Westchester, scrubbing dishes, mopping floors, stocking soda, eventually prepping, making chicken cutlets and chopping parsley by the case. He saved his money for his self-education, Omakase at 16, elegant dining at 18. He subsequently worked at the Hudson Hotel in Manhattan, toured with his manager and eventually returned to Stamford; he was now ready to fulfill his dream. Jimmy decided to start with a food truck, where he could experience that personal one-to-one interaction with each customer. He thought that “Brunch” was the differentiator from the other food trucks in the area and The Brunch Box was born.