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Best Warm Lobster Rolls in Connecticut: 2016 Updated Edition

Restaurant Lobster Seafood Best of CT

Lou Gorfain

Enough of the Lobster Salad roll vs. Warm Lobster roll debate.   After all, when dining on whole steamed lobster, only a land lubber would first chill the meat, lather it in mayo, and sprinkle on some celery. Whole lobster is best devoured warm and buttery.  Just like a Connecticut Lobster Roll. Our state lays claim to the warm lobster roll because it was first created at a Milford café named Perry’s sometime in the twenties.   Elsewhere in New England, warm lobster rolls are rarely served.

Since 2014 CTbites has celebrated summer with a survey of Connecticut Lobster Rolls available along the shoreline.  We stand by our past evaluations since those versions of rolls remain relatively consistent from year to year.  After all, the three simple ingredients of a warm lobster roll -- bread, butter, and meat – never change.  Such variables as doneness, toppings, and cuts are not an issue.

So for 2016, at the suggestion of readers, chefs, and staff, we add a dozen new restaurants, trucks, and drive-ins to the 2015 portfolio. This list represents the NEW additions. 

And CTbites even ventured mid-state, far from the shore, for one of the best lobster rolls in Connecticut.  Which is where we begin …


El Segundo Opening in Downtown Sono: The Spread Team + Global Street Food

Restaurant Norwalk SONO Tacos Kid Friendly

Lou Gorfain

The Spread was the first: hip, smart, happening.  Contemporary Sono. 

El Segundo, by definition, will be The Second.  This time:   Street.  Urban. Old World Global. 

“We’ll have street food from each of the 7 Continents,” said Chris Hickey as he recently gave CTBites a preview of The Spread team’s new joint set to open in early August.   Hickey and co-owners Andrey Cortes, Chris Rasile, Shawn Longyear and Executive Chef Carlos Baez envision an international playground for the palate.

“We’re going to have some fun,” Chris promised, grinning.   

Open the corrugated metal garage door, and the vista is a courtyard boasting a fountain, storefronts, and looming apartments.  A piazza in Naples?  A market in Buenos Aries. A food fair in Bangkok.     

Inside the restaurant, you’re on a side street.   The vibe is almost Third World.  The predominant motif is that corrugated sheeting – the humble material that shelters much of the earth’s population. A wall is painted in the brilliant graffiti of Duster, New York’s notorious tagger.    On the wall, a subway door and a Number 6 Train to Duster’s Bronx.  Its boogie.  Its street food.  


Sneak Peek at Boothbay Lobster Company in Stamford, Something Wicked Fresh This Way Comes

Restaurant Lobster Seafood Stamford Lunch

Lou Gorfain

Every start-up dream begins with two words:  what if?

Once upon a time, David Galin and his buddy George Craig fantasized opening their own unique restaurant. But they were young and fate was very fickle. So each forged a highly successful non-culinary career -- in academics (David) and finance (George).  A generation later, the two pals found themselves fishing up in Maine; and on a sudden whim, once-upon-a-time magically became now.

What if they brought the seaside Maine Lobster Shack experience -- and all its Wharf to Table freshness -- to Fairfield County?  

Voila: The Boothbay Lobster Company, a unique concept restaurant at Harbor Point in Stamford, which opens for real next week.  Galin and Willie Craig  (George’s son, a partner in Boothbay, and himself fresh out of college) offered CTBites an exclusive sneak peek at a dream come true.  

“’Wicked Fresh’ is our pledge,” Willie told us.   Pulled fresh from clean, cold Maine waters, the seafood will be rushed by BLC’s refrigerated vehicle down the coast to Stamford.   “We don’t believe in tanking our lobster,” David added, explaining that holding crustaceans in tanks causes the meat to deteriorate, affecting its fresh texture and taste.   “This is why we source from day boats rather than commercial vessels,” he said.  That way he can guarantee that his lobsters haven’t been stressed for a time in the ship’s hold.


Community Table & Kent Falls Brewing Co. Host Beer Dinner July 26

Restaurant Beer Dinner Brewery Washington

Amy Kundrat

Community Table & Kent Falls Brewing Co.
 are teaming up for a special evening of food and beer on July 26. Executive Chef Marcell Davidsen has collaborated with Barry and Derek at Kent Falls Brewing Co. on a summer-inspired menu fit for Connecticut locavore beer lovers. 

"We are very excited to host this event, and share some great beers and great food. And there might be a few surprises too," said Marcell Davidsen.

We have a sneak peek of the menu, which at last count is 7 courses and 6 beers, and as many reasons to get excited for this evening at Community Table. Tickets are $75 per person. Reservations are available on OpenTable.com.

July 26 Menu

Sourdough Bread
Toasted hay butter

Smoked Trout & Squash Blossom

Hazelnut crème 

Beer: Lade Øl 4.8 % Abv. 
A farmhouse ale brewed with smoked hay. This beer takes on delicate notes of sweet grass, vanilla and spice notes from the hay complementing our house yeast culture.  

Foraging with Chef Bun Lai of Miya’s Sushi in New Haven

Restaurant Chef Chef Talk Seafood New Haven Sushi

ellen bowen

To Forage:  The word forage means to use wander or search for food or provisions. 

So when I was invited to James Beard nominated and passionate foraging chef, Bun Lai’s farm in upstate Connecticut for lunch, I half expected we would forage for much of our meal.  

When I saw on Instagram that Bun and his friend, Greg Grinberg from Actual Food had been diving the prior day for clams for lunch, I knew I was in for a treat. 

Chef Bun Lai is a passionate advocate for sustainable farming and eating and sources much of the food he serves at his New Haven sushi restaurant, Miya’s, from his own gardens, from the wooded forest around his 10 acre farm in Woodbridge, CT and from Long Island Sound.   His popular restaurant has been a New Haven destination for over 35 years, originally opened by his mother, who is still involved today. 

To visit with Bun is a lesson in locally sourced produce, with no pesticides or flavor or color enhancements.  He and Greg described foraging as, “the most natural way of eating… the “gathering” part of the hunter/gatherer”. 


Mezón Tapas Bar and Restaurant in Danbury – From the Heart, From the Home

Restaurant Caribbean Danbury Tapas Latin American

Lou Gorfain

Even though it’s one of the largest cities in Connecticut, Danbury was once regarded as a restaurant wasteland. The downtown eateries catered to a family demographic who sought a reasonably priced menu that took few culinary chances.   Very mid-century. However, in the past few years, a vibrant international food scene has burgeoned on the city’s west side.   The cuisines are sophisticated, diverse, and creative, reflective of 21st Century dining.

Many credit Richard Reyes’s Mezón Tapas Bar and Restaurant with transforming Mill Plain Road into destination dining. The year was 2011.  Reyes was then a former Wall Street Executive who decided to come home to Connecticut and open a restaurant where people could dine on food prepared in the Latin tradition of his family. From the heart. From the home. Richard was all of 25 … and Mezón posed far more of a risk than even the stock market. At the time, Mill Plain Road was dotted with a string of mostly red-sauce Italian/American restaurants. “Sure, we were taking a chance,” he recently told us, “But we helped break the mold.”   

Rich invited CTbites to sample some of the Latin and Caribbean fare that has attracted Mezón’s diverse and discerning clientele from across the region. Though the Paella and the Churrasco are the most popular dishes on the menu, Reyes had other ideas for our feast.


Save the Date: Taste of Fairfield October 9, 2016

Restaurant Fairfield

CTbites Team

Fairfield is home to so many terrific restaurants and talented chefs. TownVibe and Fairfield Magazine have announced plans to celebrate Fairfield’s dynamic food scene by organizing Taste of Fairfield on Sunday, October 9, 2016, from 1pm to 5pm, held in the outdoor tented patio area of Southport’s Delamar Hotel.

Guests will enjoy tastes and sips from more than two dozen restaurants and specialty markets from the Fairfield area, all in the courtyard of the Delamar and Artisan Restaurant. In addition to fine cuisine, craft cocktails, artisanal wine, craft beer, and sweets, there will be live music and roving entertainment.


The Nook in Black Rock: Communal Private Dining...The Secret's Out

Restaurant Black Rock Bridgeport Pop-Up Dinner

Jessica Ryan

Along came Carol, and then she opened The Nook, a private dining experience in Black Rock.

The secret is about to get leaked. All who’ve visited The Nook can’t stop singing its praises - they’ll say how wonderful it is. What, exactly, is The Nook? And, if all these people have heard of The Nook, why hadn’t I?

The concept was created by chef and caterer Carol Lentini and her husband and partner Mark Mojcher. Located in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, it is best described as a communal private dining experience. The eatery features one community table set in the middle of a long room offering an artistic and whimsical air with walls painted in a cheery bright pink, on which hang large colorful paintings.

More private dining room, less public restaurant, we felt like guests, not customers. While you wait for dinner you can mingle with the others and introduce yourself; you’ll meet your neighbor and maybe even become fast friends. Two things should be noted - This isn’t the place for a quiet romantic evening out, and it’s BYOB.


New Haven's Historic Bar Reopens: Welcome Back Anchor Spa

Restaurant Cocktails New Haven

Amy Kundrat

It's back.

Anchor Spa, one of New Haven's most iconic drinking establishments has been brought back to life thanks to Yale alumnus and restauranteur Karl Franz Williams (67 Orange Street, Solomon & Kuff). Renovated with an emphasis on evoking the 1930's spirit of the original Anchor Spa while infusing the space with thoughtful modern touches, Anchor Spa is poised to take its place among Connecticut's most stylish and storied bars.  


CTbites Invites: Happy Hour on the Kawa Ni Rooftop for $39

Restaurant CTbites Invites

ellen bowen

Are you still kicking yourself for missing the CTbites Happy Hour on the Patio at Artisan last month?  No worries… CTbites is excited to offer a second chance to celebrate Summer 2016,  this time on the wonderful outdoor rooftop patio of Kawa Ni Westport on Wednesday July 13th from 5:30-7:30 pm      ( Raindate Thursday July 14th )  Buy your tickets here http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2566107

Overlooking the Saugatuck River, and watching the boats, kayaks and paddleboarders drift by is a special bonus to the evening which for $39 includes Chef Jeff Taibe's creative and delicious appetizers and two beverages of your choice.  Enhancing the patio experience are two familiar faces, Carissa and Maddy, from The Stand Juice Bar. They bring with them both their sparkling personalities, as well as some of The Stands juices and a specialty cocktail blend called "Pick Your Poison", to enjoy while nibbling Kawa Ni's Izakaya appetizers like :

Pork Spring Rolls
Mini Tofu Pockets
Peekytoe Crab Rangoon
Ebi Sticks
Kani Salad
Broccoli Salad


Guide To The Best Dive Bars In Southwest Connecticut c. 2016

Restaurant Delicious Dives Bar

Lou Gorfain

Dive Bars aren’t necessarily dives.

Take Casey’s Tavern in Stamford.  Secluded on a dead end side street just off downtown, its windows are veiled, its entrance shadowy.  What’s behind the curtains? 

Well, step inside and be amazed.  The crowd is convivial, the decor beguiling, and the joint jumping.  A song blasts on the juke, but it’s buried under the laughter and yak.  Behind a highly polished hardwood bar, mirrors and bottles glisten.  Out the back door, a sun-splashed patio beckons.  And on each table – there’s an extensive menu to ponder.

So is Casey’s a dive?  

“No, no,” Seamus Costigan tells us. ”We don’t attract trouble.”   He should know.  Costigan is not only the guy behind the stick, but the affable owner of this Irish pub.  It is said once Seamus meets you, he never forgets your name or your drink.

These days the term “Dive Bar” doesn’t imply bikers, broken bottles and bloody bathrooms.  Rather, a true Dive serves as a neighborhood gathering place, where regulars can dive in*, grab a quick (or long) one at an affordable price,  shoot pool or darts,  argue sports and politics, or just b,s. about life and love.  No one comes in to be lonely … or leaves broke.  

When you belly up to the bar, there’s no need to order.  The ‘keep is already pouring.  

Seamus nods and grins. “I guess we’re a dive bar, then.  I know exactly what time my regulars come in, their drink, and what they eat.”

In a modern Dive, the food is as much a draw as the liquor and the laughter.   So forget about microwaved burgers and dogs, stale chips, or soggy Slices.  The new breed Dive caters to customers who aren’t just thirsty, but hungry for a tasty meal without breaking the bank.   

Gourmet dining? At times.  Complexity, not really.  But solid eats, definitely.  In fact, some dishes are farm fresh and healthy. 

Herewith, we curate the best eats we found at some selected SW Connecticut Dives …

 


Instabites: Brunch in Niantic, Fleisher's Burger, Kent Falls Brewing, Fairfield Farmers' Market, Bill's Seafood

Restaurant Fairfield Kent Niantic Shoreline East Westport

Amy Kundrat


Guide To Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurants in CT

Restaurant Organic Vegetarian healthy vegan

April Guilbault

Summer is here and that means road trips! Day trips! Exploring this great state of ours with its interesting nooks and crannies! You know, there is always one Big Kahuna of a question when out-and-about (besides, of course, “Where is there a good public restroom?”) and that would be: ”Where can we eat??!”. Aaaaannnd the answer goes on to get a bit more complicated when there’s a vegetarian or vegan in your traveling band of explorers. But thankfully, we have you and your veggie-eaters covered. Great spots all over the state to dine in a delightfully meat-free fashion. Many of these eateries even cater to gluten-free diners, too. Check the websites ahead of your travel time and you are good to go! Be off, young men and women! p.s.-You might be interested in taking a detour through Hamden on July 23rd for their Compassion Fest. It’s a gathering to promote the ideas of kindness, equity, and compassion AND there will be lots of vegan food there. 

Here are 16 delicious vegetarian & vegan Restaurants in CT.


Burger Review: Prime Burger in South Norwalk

Restaurant Norwalk SONO Burgers

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

Are you looking for an inexpensive burger for lunch? Maybe some fries and a soda to join the burger? If they are all offered as a lunch special, even better. With my obsession with burgers, and my annual Best “10” burgers in southwest Connecticut behind me, I decided to try the moderately priced, newly opened Prime Burger in SoNo. Located next to The Spread, one of my Best “10” burgers, the SoNo location is the second in the area, after the original opened in Ridgefield several years ago.

Prime Burger offers beef, salmon, turkey, chicken and veggie burgers from $6.50-$8.00 with free (sauces, onion, lettuce, tomato, etc.) and $1.00 toppings (cheese, chili bacon, etc.), a la 5-Guys. The menu also includes hot dogs, grilled cheese, chicken tenders and salads (you can add a patty or grilled chicken). If you enter from the street your journey begins near the rear, where you place your order. I ordered the $10 lunch special, which included a cheeseburger, fries and a beverage.


Guide to Kids Summer Cooking Camps & Classes in Connecticut: 2016 Edition

Restaurant Cooking Classes Kids kids activity kids cooking party

April Guilbault

Kids and Summer vacation: No homework! No school! No tests! The beach! Playing with friends! Sleeping in! More friends! Camp! Baseball games! Swimming! Fun! Fun! Fun!

Parents and Summer vacation: WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE KIDS?!

Rest easy. Chill. We have some ideas that you will benefit from in more ways than one. Day classes, culinary camps, learning about where food comes from and then what the heck to do with it-you’re little (or big) foodie will be in their element. With any luck, junior will be able to make *you* a back-to-school breakfast by the end of the Summer. Ohhhh, yeahhhhh.

AMG Catering

Wilton

www.amgcatering.com/kids-camp

Choose your week, choose your cuisine. Proceed to cook and eat your way around the world. Well, in an almost-Anthony-Bourdain kind of way. At AMG Catering in Wilton, traveling the world is the theme for the summer cooking sessions that will introduce your “Chefs in Training” (CITs for those in-the-know) to a wide array of dishes. These hands-on classes will have the CITs working in a professional kitchen and learning cooking skills that will have them creating “Street Food”, “Regional Dishes” from across the U. S, and a variety of “Small Plates”. The junior chefs (ages 10-15) will top it all off with a cooking competition on the last day. Watch out, Food Network. A word of note: these kitchens are not allergy-free kitchens. Everything and anything (nuts, shellfish, dairy) is cooked here. Cost is $475 per week, $900 for two weeks, or $1350 or three weeks.   

 


Solid Choices at Tavern 489 in Glenbrook, Stamford

Restaurant Italian Stamford Lunch

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

The newest addition to the Glenbrook neighborhood is Tavern 489, located at 489 Glenbrook Road, sharing the building with the newly relocated and reopened Tawa Restaurant (reviewed here). The building has a long history in the neighborhood, it originally housed the Moosehead Bar decades ago (thank you “Hey Stamford”).

The brainchild of owners Eric Monte and Partner/Executive Chef Regis Saget, Tavern 489 offers an eclectic menu, paired with various beer and wine selections in a rustic environment. The fully redesigned interior emphasizes wood and stone to create an setting reminiscent of an Adirondack mountain lodge, complete with exposed M-Trusses, a canoe dangling from the ceiling, a full front-to-back 18-seat wooden bar, additional wooden high-top tables plus a large wooden “picnic” table, all drawing focus to the imposing floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace in the rear. The walls are adorned with photos of Ernest Hemingway who, in addition to winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, was, according to Monte, the ultimate outdoorsman, a true man’s man, and his photos fit the rustic, outdoorsy feel that he was striving to achieve. 


Catch a Healthy Habit in Fairfield: New Summer Menu, Raw, Vegan, Gluten Free

Restaurant Juice Bar Smoothies Special Dietary Needs Vegetarian healthy vegan Raw

Jessica Ryan

Unassumingly tucked away amongst the store-fronts in downtown Fairfield is Catch a Healthy Habit. Maybe you’ve not been in a while…maybe you’ve never been at all, or you’ve been curious, but you’ve never been. The Cafe has been in Fairfield for over six years and in New Haven for two years prior to opening in Fairfield.

This casual, health-based, raw, gluten-free and vegan eatery focuses on clean eating. Their products are organic and non-GMO and the tastes and presentations are delicious and beautiful. They recently launched their new Spring/Summer menu and Stephanie Webster, armed with her camera, and I had the opportunity to stop in and sample some of the newest goodies to grace the menu. The food is gorgeously plated, visually stunning, allowing the naturally vibrant colors of spring to take center stage. As the weather heats up and we shed our outer layers we still need to satisfy our hunger without feeling weighted down.


Celebrating The Scandinavian Midsummer Festival in CT

Restaurant Events Festival

Anna Bendiksen

When I married a fellow Yale grad student whose parents came to this country from Norway, I was struck by how intensely my newly adopted culture focused on light. There was the magic of Norwegian Christmas, when it seemed that every window in Oslo shone with candles lit against the darkness. At the opposite end of the year, there was the solstice at Midsummer, which has also been an occasion for partying it up since pagan days. Summer visits to a family farm north of the Arctic Circle brought grilling, beer, and card games in the brilliant light of the midnight sun. 

While Connecticut residents, being well south of the Arctic, can count on dark summer nights, you do not have to visit Scandinavia, or even claim family connections, to celebrate Midsummer. You just need to be able to appreciate that there’s something about this peak of sunlight hours that invites us all to lighten up and Let It Go. It’s a rare person who could not use the reminder.

The solstice technically falls on June 20th, but Midsummer parties typically take place from June 19th through the 25th. Locally organized festivities include the Scandinavian Club of Fairfield’s annual celebration complete with a Maypole, a Swedish tradition. This year it’s on Saturday, June 25th, at noon, at 1351 South Pine Creek Road, Fairfield, CT 06825.


Friday Froth: A Trip To Barcade New Haven, Video Games + Beer

Restaurant Beer CT Beer Delicious Dives Bar New Haven

James Gribbon

Maybe it's just the freshness of a mind before it reaches pickled adulthood, but childhood memories seem more permanent. I can't remember breakfast on most days, but I recall hopping on bikes with a few friends, ditching our mother-mandated helmets, and riding down to Vic's Variety on Paradise Green in Stratford to buy Crybabies and play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on a stand up, four player arcade game. 

Nintendo and Sega Genesis had killed video game arcades as dead as iTunes killed record stores until four guys in Williamsburg thought "What if we bring them back, but with beer?" That was 2004, and in the ensuing years the Barcade franchise has spread around New York, to New Jersey, Philly, and now, New Haven. It was once again time to get my Hadouken! on.

Travel time driving to Barcade is variable, in my case 3 hours in traffic. But by the time I arrived I was seriously ready to blow something up. Centipede, Galaga, Punch Out, four player X-Men and Ninja Turtles, Ms. Pac Man... take your pick, they're all still 25-cents to play. 

Green & Tonic Opens 5th Location in Downtown Westport w/ Juices, Smoothies & Plant-Based Food

Restaurant Gluten-Free Organic Vegetarian healthy vegan Take Out

CTbites Team

Green & Tonic opened today in downtown Westport, bringing its own unique brand of cold-pressed juices, smoothies and plant-based food. Located at 70 Jesup Road in the nexus of Westport’s shopping district, this new grab-and-go location will offer organic cold-pressed juices, smoothies, cold brew coffee and a full plant-based menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner including acai bowls, soups, salads, savory wraps, rice bowls, snacks and chia dessert items.  The store will be hosting a Grand Opening party on Thursday, June 16 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm to introduce the store and will offer complimentary food and beverages. And for those unable to make the first party, Green & Tonic will host another community party also open to the public on Thursday, June 23 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. Hours are Monday – Friday 7:00am – 7:00pm, Saturday 8:00am – 6:00pm and Sunday 9:00pm – 5:00pm.