Casa Villa in Stamford: Let Them Eat Tacos Restaurant Stamford Mexican Amy Kundrat April 10, 2011 Taco: noun [ta-ko] A flour tortilla wrapped around a variety of proteins and often garnished with cilantro, as prepared traditionally with endless regional Mexican iterations. Add condiments such as cheese and you’re veering into Tex Mex territory. Compare them to the ubiquitious chain with the cute canine spokesperson, and consider yourself kicked out of the will. Best when served from a Mexican grandmother’s kitchen, a truck in Los Angeles or Stamford, CT. There are many who take their tacos seriously. And for the unfortunate few of them who live in Connecticut, at times it can feel like a futile culinary pursuit. The new Casa Villa in Stamford erases many of those painful memories with a new and practically posh incarnation at 622 East Main Street, in the space formerly occupied by Myrna’s. Read More
Michele's Pies (& Cafe) Opens in Westport Ingredients Restaurant Westport Breakfast Kid Friendly Dessert Sarah Green April 06, 2011 Michele's Pies of Norwalk has arrived at its latest home in Westport! Situated at the old Baskin and Robbins location at the corner of Bay Street and the Post Road, Michele's Pies is a welcome newcomer to the area - finally, a great place for a patisserie-style breakfast in Westport. Michele Albano and fiance' Kelly Stuart opened the new pie haven last month and it's time to "sing a song of sixpence!" With a variety of delectable treats, Michele's Pies has something for every craving. From scrumptious CHOCCOLATE/BOURBAN/PECAN to KEY LIME to COUNTRY APPLE to the many savory delights including CHICKEN POT PIE, AUSTRALIAN BEEF, and outrageous LOBSTER QUICHE, Michele's Pies are sure to satisfy. And the pies are just the beginning! The shop opens for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. and serves BEAN & LEAF coffee (single origin, fair trade and organic) out of New London. Read More
Food 411: Name the Restaurant that Served This... Restaurant Food 411 Stephanie Webster April 05, 2011
Behind the Scenes @ Match Restaurant in SoNo Ingredients Restaurant Farm to Table Norwalk Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger April 03, 2011 “Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity” - Voltaire The latest edition of CTBites’ “Behind the Scenes” series is brought to you from Match Restaurant in South Norwalk, where Matt Storch, its owner-chef and Westport native, has been at the helm of the kitchen for over ten years overseeing this highly acclaimed restaurant that creatively promotes today’s Farm to Table philosophy. For those who have never experienced the incredible activity prior to the day’s first customer entering the restaurant, it is a bustle of activity. Chef Matt led us past the floor to ceiling wood burning pizza oven in the back of the dining room and down a flight of stairs to the restaurant’s subterranean kitchen. Read More
Friday Froth: The Cask Republic in New Haven Restaurant Road Trip Beer New Haven James Gribbon April 01, 2011 How about a little food with our beer this week? After all: drinking on an empty stomach, while entertaining in a "hide the women and children" kind of way, is generally not recommended. So let's travel outside of Fairfield County this week (gasp!), and take a road trip to The Cask Republic in New Haven. "The Cask Republic" may sound like early 18th century Tortuga, but owner Christian Burns has forgone rum, anarchy and pirates in favor of more refined surroundings. This point should come as no surprise from the man who also owns The Ginger Man in South Norwalk. The space is mostly wood and leather - a large bar, communal cocktail tables, and booths encourage an atmosphere of fellowship - and then there are the taps. Fifty-three pleasure dispensers line the left wall behind the bar. Fifty-three, plus one cask engine for dispensing cask-conditioned brews and over eighty bottled beers. That gets all six hands of Vishnu clapping furiously. Read More
Caramel Sea Salt Shake @ Filling Station in New Canaan Restaurant New Canaan Kid Friendly Burgers Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger March 29, 2011 CTBites is pleased to present this month’s sneak peak preview of Filling Station’s April 2011 Special Bacon Blue Cheese Burger and its Special Caramel Sea Salt Shake. Although April 1 is normally associated with jokes and pranks on friends and family, the April monthly special burger and shake is neither as it combines some favorite all time flavors. This month’s Special Burger includes the Filling Station's farm raised 75/25 beef with toppings of thick cut bacon, crumbled blue cheese, crunchy deep fried onions, lettuce, tomato and Worcester sauce infused mayonnaise. When I visited Filling Station Co. today, the staff was busy experimenting with the timing of their new non-pressed burger technique for the recently announced Stamford location and I asked if I could try the April burger cooked with this new method. I performed my ritual of cutting the burger in half and saw that the new method produced a perfectly prepared medium rare. My first bite was delicious. Read More
Liana's Trattoria: A Taste of Napoli in Fairfield CT Restaurant Fairfield Italian Robert Zeoli March 27, 2011 PHOTOGRAPHY BY TINA RUPP “I can hear myself speak” was my sentiment shortly after arriving at Liana’s. It’s kind of nice in this age of lofty wine bars and chic locales to find respite at a place on the cozy side that makes an effort to slow the pace down just a little. Despite its small street level space on Tunxis Hill Road in Fairfield, Liana’s Trattoria accommodates a full bar and two high top tables to the left through the entry, with a half wall separating it from the dining room to the right. The ceilings are low and with lights dimmed the ambience is, dare I say, intimate. Liana DeMeglio, who worked for a long time at Pasta Nostra in Sono, greeted and sat us, returning frequently to check on us throughout the meal, while hours before she was in the kitchen making desserts and the ricotta gnocchi renowned by repeat diners. It’s readily apparent that she’s the lady of the house; Read More
Shout Out: Best Japanese in Fairfield County? Restaurant CTbites Shout Out Japanese Stephanie Webster March 27, 2011
It's All Good At Lakeside Diner in Stamford Restaurant Delicious Dives Diner Stamford Breakfast Lunch Kid Friendly Sarah Green March 20, 2011 How many CTbites contributors does it take to order chicken salad, a breakfast burrito, a Grecian omelet, a reuben sandwich, grilled blueberry muffins, pancakes, apple pie, coffee milkshakes and the worlds' BEST homemade donuts to top it all off? Apparently only 3. But the full bellies and groans were all worth it due to the great food and fantastic retro atmosphere at the LAKESIDE DINER in Stamford. Located at the bottom of the ramp of exit 34 off the Merritt, this joint offers the quintessential diner experience. So much so, it has been used as a location in several films including "College Road Trip." It isn't large and it isn't fancy. This is authentic diner fare done right. Mel, I would kiss these grits anytime. Read More
Pinot Party @ BONDA March 22nd Restaurant Wine Dinners Stephanie Webster March 20, 2011 BONDA Chef Jamie Cooper will be hosting a Pinot Wine Dinner Tuesday March 22nd @ 7PM with Fat Cat/Fountainhead pouring their favorite Oregon gems. The boys of Fountainhead will be at Bonda along with Jim Anderson of Patty Green Cellars. It's a Pinot Party and one of the most passionate Pinot experts, Mike Pelletier will be on hand alongside special guest, Jim Anderson of Patricia Green Cellars, featuring ’09 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir. Check out BONDA's tasty menu below: Read More
Wine On The Water @ The Boathouse At Saugatuck Ingredients Restaurant Events Local Artisan Westport Wine Dinners Stephanie Webster March 18, 2011 Spring is a time for rebirth; a time to emerge from hibernation and celebrate new experiences. One of the most exciting new experiences I have recently come across is happening every Tuesday 7-9PM at The Boathouse At Saugatuck. Chef John Holzwarth is coming out of the kitchen and cooking in the main dining room for an immersive weekly wine tasting event, "Wine On The Water." Weather permitting, they will move this party to the beautiful outdoor riverside patio featuring a raw bar and seasonal nibbles. These evenings are geared towards wine appreciation and exploration and if you've had the opportunity to sample the wine list at The Boathouse, you know they have some very unique finds. @ $35 a person, this should become a weekly recurring event in your calendar. Read More
Food 411: Name the Restaurant that Served This... Restaurant Bakery Delicious Dives Dessert Stephanie Webster March 16, 2011
Turning Wine into Water w/ Nicholas Roberts Ingredients Restaurant Events Wine Dinners Stephanie Webster March 15, 2011 On April 2, 2011, Nicholas Roberts Fine Wines & Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro are uniting in a 3 hour gustatory explosion. It’s your opportunity to savor over 50 red-hot wines from Europe and South America while noshing on creations from Chef Rob’s (of Nicholas Roberts in Norwalk) spring menu. Why: Because thousands of children perish daily simply because they lack access to clean water. 100% of all door proceeds and 10% of all sales from the evening will be donated to Turning Wine Into Water, whose mission is making clean water available to some of the world’s poorest populations. The wine lineup will include: Read More
Where to Find Corned Beef & Cabbage on St. Patricks Day Restaurant Holiday Pizza Amy Kundrat March 14, 2011 It's almost St. Patricks Day and chances are good that if you plan on venturing out, your beer will be green and you'll be ordering a plate full corned beef and cabbage, that quintessential dish that March 17th can't seem to shake. So let's embrace it. Maggie over at the Lunch Break Chronicles has compiled this short and beefy list of places she is planning to get her corned beef fix which includes Tigin in Stamford as well as O'Neills in SoNo. In addition to this list, I'd recommend checking out Colony Grill in both the Fairfield and Stamford locations. Word is they'll be offering a special Corned Beef pizza for the holiday. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Yup. A hot oil with corned beef may be my a new annual tradition. Read More
Versailles Restaurant: French Fare in Greenwich Restaurant Bakery French Greenwich Dessert Margie Treisman March 13, 2011 Ah, Versailles. So distant. So unreachable. So . . . French. Well, that’s how our group felt after canceling /rescheduling our planned trip to this well-established Greenwich eatery THREE separate times. As it turns out, each date was snowier, icier and slushier than the one before. It took three snow storms, three snow days and nearly a month, but we finally made it. The new location (a few doors down from the original on Greenwich Ave.) is lovely and trimly elegant. We arrived early for lunch … and it’s a good thing we did. The dining room was full to capacity -- with a line out the door -- by 12:20. Read More
Cocktail Naming Contest Restaurant Cocktails Events Stephanie Webster March 13, 2011 WIN a FREE 3 course Dinner for 2 @ MATCH Restaurant in Sono. Here's How... As promised, we are back with another boozy naming challenge. This time, you are charged with branding Match's new new signature cocktail, a citrusy blend of Tito’s Vodka, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, pressed raspberries and oranges, a splash of Mirabelle Sparkling Wine, and a splash of Absolut Ruby Red...all in a crackling sugared rimmed Flute. If your Cocktail name is selected, it will be featured on their new menu & you will receive a FREE 3 COURSE DINNER FOR TWO @ MATCH Restaurant in South Norwalk. Post your submission below (include email) , or if you're shy, feel free to send it to us directly. We welcome input from readers. If you see a name you like...post your vote! Read More
Fat Cat Pie Co. Wine Room Supper Club Event Restaurant Wine Dinners Stephanie Webster March 11, 2011 Join Fat Cat Pie Co & Fountainhead Wines on March 16th for an evening supper club in their wine room with special guest; winemaker Fred Peterson of Peterson Winery, Healdsburg, CA (Dry Creek AVA) and musical guest; jazz keyboardist Robert Aries. If you are only familiar with Fat Cat's pizza, wait till you see what Chef Herlihy and his team can do next door. These events allow diners to do a deep dive into the world of wine, whether it be a region, or a vineyard. Personally, I'd go just for the Salad Course. Their Chopped Kale Salad with Quinoa and Currants is an excellent addition to their current "Specials" menu, and really worth a try. Check out the full menu below: Read More
