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CT Farm To Table Week: Celebrate Local

Restaurant Events Local Farm

Stephanie Webster

To celebrate the bounty of our local harvest, CT restaurants have gotten together to bring the farm to you with "CT Farm to Table Week." During the week of September 26-October 2, 2010, over 80 restaurants, caterers and schools across CT will be participating in this first ever CT Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week. Restaurants will be serving special prix fixe menus as well as a la carte options exclusively featuring local producers and vineyards. This is the perfect excuse to both check out some new spots as well as support local CT agriculture.

The list of participating vendors and venues for Fairfield County are below. Detailed menus for each participant can be found here. 

Fairfield County Participants:

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Navaratna: Vegetarian Indian in Stamford

Restaurant Stamford Vegetarian Indian Lunch

Liz Rueven

Given the "Worth It" rating from the NY Times, it was easy to rally a group of hungry enthusiasts to join me at Navaratna for lunch last week. Navaratna is the newest Indian restaurant in the ever expanding dining scene in downtown Stamford. This packed lunch spot is unique in that it features Southern Indian cuisine that is strictly vegetarian (and certified Kosher).  As a lover of Indian food, I was intrigued, and we descended upon Navaratna to explore its distinctive menu.
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Red Lulu Opens in South Norwalk

Restaurant Events Opening

Amy Kundrat

South Norwalk can add another notch to it’s ample dining belt with newcomer Red Lulu. A sister restaurant to the vibrant scene that is Lolita Cocina in Byram, Red Lulu opened last night with an over-the-top party introducing this “Mexican speakeasy with a luxe twist” to the well-dressed masses. 

The menu strikes some very familiar notes to Lolita’s inspired Mexican: bbq ribs with a coffee, chocolate and orange glaze; flautas; blackened grouper tacos; and carnitas to name just a few eye-catching bites.

Staying true to its SoNo address, the bar and lounge are front and center, housing impressive collection of tequilas

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Bernard's: Tapas, Paella & Wine Dinner

Restaurant Events Wine Dinners

Stephanie Webster

Don't miss the unique opportunity to try out one of CT's top restaurants, Bernard's in Ridgefield, at their end of summer "Tapas, Paella & Wine Dinner."  Inspired by a recent trip to Barcelona, Bernard and his wife Sarah (of Sarah's Wine Bar at the same location) are teaming up with local wine merchant Cellar XV to offer up this very special evening. The event will feature sangria, Spanish wines, and tapas galore served (if weather permits) in their beautiful garden. If you haven't eaten at Bernard's, this is a great way to sample this very special restaurant. 

Sunday, September 12th at 6:00 – In the Garden  

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Lake Zoar Drive-In: Burgers & Dogs With a View

Restaurant Delicious Dives Monroe Comfort Food Kid Friendly Burgers

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

Photos: c/o Michael Stern, Roadfood.comThe Lake Zoar Drive-In is located on Route 34 in Monroe (many Navigation systems do not recognize the website town of Stevenson) slightly less than 7 miles east of I-84. This stand-alone burger and dog shack has occupied this same stretch of beach overlooking Lake Zoar for over 20 years and the current owners have been grilling burgers and dogs for over 17 years; they must be doing something right. That something is a burger with plenty of toppings, some of the best French Fries in Connecticut plus a soda...all for under $10.
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Great Deals @ Westport Restaurant Week

Restaurant Events

Stephanie Webster

Celebrate Westport's thriving food scene and get some great deals on dining at Westport Restaurant Week. From Sunday, August 29 through Saturday, September 4th participating restaurants (including Da Pietro's Manolo, and Thali) will offer a special prix fixe lunch and dinner menu. With prices this reasonable, eating out could easily become a daily habit (and that's just fine with me).  

$10.10 or $15.10 – Lunch for One OR $20.10 – Lunch for Two

$20.10 or $30.10 – Dinner for One

Note: The number of courses and inclusion of beverages may vary. (excludes tax and gratuity)

“Thali is really looking forward to introducing our restaurant to more people, “says Chef/Owner Prasad Chirnomula,” We’ve put together a very special menu for Restaurant Week.”

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Old School Charm @ Sycamore Drive-In Diner

Restaurant Bethel Delicious Dives Comfort Food Kid Friendly Burgers

Amy Kundrat

Many things have changed over the last fifty years, but don't bother mentioning that to the Sycamore. The diner and carhop in Bethel, CT has been serving the same burgers, root beer floats and fries since 1948. While our dining habits have ebbed and flowed from those early carhop days, from TV dinners, chinese take-out and sushi rolls to today's preoccupation with farm-to-table dining, the Sycamore has been steadfast in their devotion to the diner.
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New Haven Food & Wine Festival

Restaurant Events New Haven

Amy Kundrat

Food, wine and tennis are on the menu this week at New Haven's third annual Food & Wine Festival on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 from 5 – 7:30pm. The Festival will feature twenty restaurants serving up some of their most well-known dishes as well as a chance to meet renowned chef and author Jacques Pepin. The event is held at the 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis tournament at Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale.

Participating restaurants include: 116 Crown (Small Plates), Barcelona (Spanish), Basta Trattoria (Southern Italian), Bentara (Spicy Malaysian), Bespoke (Modern American), Caseus (Fromagerie/Bistro), Central Steakhouse (Steak/Seafood), Claire’s Corner Copia (Vegetarian), Foster’s (Modern American), Geronimo (Southwestern), Ibiza (Creative Spanish)

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Labor Day @ A Taste of The Litchfield Hills

Restaurant Events

Amy Kundrat

For many of us, Labor Day weekend signals the end of summer, the start of the daily school grind, and a reluctant sayonara to lazy summer weekends. It is also this time of year, we should look to our fellow gear heads who celebrate this painful transition in style with A Taste of The Litchfield Hills during the Rolex Vintage Festival at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT.

Part car show, part vintage car race and all food festival, A Taste of Litchfield Hills celebrates its 25th anniversary as Connecticut's oldest food and wine festival with oustanding food, wine, live entertainment and shopping featuring local restaurants, purveyors from Litchfield County including wine from its sponsors Hopkins Vineyard, Miranda Vineyard and White Silo Winery.
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A Family Meal for CT Bloggers

Restaurant Bloggers Events

Amy Kundrat

Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro in Norwalk served as the Fairfield County back-drop for a gathering of over twenty food writers, several courses of food and wine and an abundance of foodie conversation on a recent Thursday evening.

More akin to a restaurant's family meal than sybartic ritual, these blogger gatherings mimic our restaurant muses shared meals before the evening's storm, than mere navel-gazing. Our gatherings offer an outlet to talk shop and let it all hang out within the comfort of our own kind, fellow food writers who can be a notoriously solitary (and at times) picky bunch. And naturally we'll choose to do so in some of our favorite Connecticut establishments. It's a tough job but somebody’s gotta do it.

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The Gray Goose: Classy Comfort in Southport

Restaurant American Southport Comfort Food Lunch

Sarah Green

I've always enjoyed getting GOOSED. Now, I can get goosed whenever I want to and it won't even make my husband jealous. In fact, I'm sure he'll enjoy getting GOOSED too at THE GRAY GOOSE, a tasty new lunch and dinner spot in Southport. The menu is classy, interesting and full of simple creative dishes, prepared with skill by executive chef Tom Carney (previously of Spazzi in Fairfield.) The restaurant, which formerly housed The Wine Knot, is situated in a charming, 100 year old building, creating an idyllic spot for restaurant developer Kevin McHugh, (previous co-owner of Little Pub in Ridgefield, Match, and the Loft Martini Bar in Sono) and his business partner, Tommy Febbraio. With fresh and inviting decor, McHugh and Febbraio have utilized reclaimed materials to create old wood floors, exposed beams and stone fire places (inside and out) and added modern lighting to juxtapose and to induce a crisp new feel.
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LeFarm Goes Underground with "Souterrain"

Restaurant Events Farm to Table Westport Farm Fresh Underground Dinner

Stephanie Webster

Last Sunday harkened the beginning of a fresh new culinary offering in Fairfield County…a dining experience without walls and without rules. It represents the next generation of the "family" table, bringing people together with just their love of food as the communal bond. Is your interest piqued? It should be. When you make THIS reservation, you won't have an address. You definitely won't know what's on the menu. But you will know one thing for sure…this surprise dinner party is going to be extraordinary because Bill Taibe of LeFarm gastronomic fame is the man behind "Souterrain." For those of you who need brushing up on your High School French, underground dining has finally made its way out of the urban centers and into Fairfield County. 
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Ferris Acres Creamery: From Cow to Cone

Restaurant Newtown ice cream Kid Friendly Dessert

Amy Kundrat

On any given evening, cars line the street, a herd of cows gently moo, and families stand in line to enjoy a 150+ year old farms’ ice cream confections at Ferris Acres Creamery in Newtown.  If the Creamery were a character in a movie, it would be straight out of central casting. I can almost hear the talent scout now.

“Yeah, we're looking for a quaint dairy farm nestled in a bucolic town on a quiet country road. A friendly herd of cows would be great, yeah.... and let’s toss in some green rolling hills and make sure there are plenty of smiling families standing by.”

Ferris Acres Creamery has been attracting such smiling families and ice cream-avores who are attracted to the farm's location and the playful variety of over 30 flavors, many of them locally inspired including Cow Trax (peanut butter ice cream with caramel swirls and mini chocolate chips) Route 302 Moo (chocolate ice cream with swirls of fudge and chocolate chips), the M.J Rell (mint chocolate chip with green sprinkles) Stony Path (their version of rocky road) and my personal favorite Elvis’ Dream (vanilla ice cream with chunks of bananas, peanut butter swirls and chocolate chips).

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Omanel: Authentic Home-Style Portuguese

Restaurant Bridgeport Portuguese Lunch

Leticia Schwartz

Leticia Schwartz is the author of The Brazilian Kitchen. She knows a thing or two about Portuguese cooking. This is her first review for CTbites. 

If I could transport a restaurant to different country, I would. Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, a city that lives and breaths Portuguese culture, I savored the Iberian fare. There, I could literally dine on a different salt cod dish every day of the year. These days, however, for reasons that bear no explanation, Portuguese food in Brazil has become synonymous with "expensive food." Fortunately, I have found a way to satisfy my Iberian cravings locally. Located in Bridgeport CT, just off route 8, Omanel offers all the dishes I grew up with – traditional Portuguese cooking -- with zero fuss.  The menu here is identical to the "expensive" menus in Rio, but the prices couldn't be more different. Rio deserves a restaurant such as this. In fact, the venerable Mark Bittman once said "The food can blow you away." 

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Dining & Music @ Old Lyme's Midsummer Festival

Restaurant Author Old Lyme Road Trip Shoreline East

Amy Kundrat

This weekend the town of Old Lyme will host the Midsummer Festival, a two-day celebration featuring concerts, exhibitions, and a heavy dose of Connecticut food, farms and food writers this Friday, July 30 and Saturday July 31 in the town’s historic district.

In addition to concerts, exhibitions and workshops for kids, the Midsummer Festival boasts a great-line up for gourmands, which is where we gladly come in, beginning with an en plein air market featuring Connecticut grown produce and products. On Friday evening, Dinners at the Farm will be serving picnic dinners out of their “Chuckwagon” for $25 a person and will be back at it on Saturday serving breakfast and lunch in an outdoor cafe on Saturday for Festival-goers.

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