Kids Review: Wilson's BBQ via AsherZeats Kids Bites Restaurant BBQ Fairfield Southern Lunch Kid Friendly CTbites Team September 18, 2013 “It’s no sin to get sauce on your chin.” - Bishop Tutu Last weekend I got a chance to make the short trek to Wilson’s Barbecue (1851 Post Rd Fairfield, CT ), to enjoy some incredible Pit BBQ. Wilson’s is owned by Ed Wilson, who has competed in and judged numerous BBQ competitions throughout his life. Ed is an extremely kind man, who goes out of his way to talk to everyone who enters his restaurant. He even happily agreed to sit down and talk to me after my fantastic meal, about what makes his food so good. He couldn’t be nicer. When we arrived at Wilson’s we were greeted by Mr. Wilson who said hello and wished us an excellent meal. As I entered the restaurant I noticed the comfy, road-house-esque atmosphere that was filled with memorabilia of his experiences as a chef and owner. When it was time to order, we got a lot! Read More
Farm to Shaker - Connecticut Bartender Challenge in Coventry Road Trip Restaurant Cocktails Amy Kundrat August 06, 2013 Farm-To-Shaker Bartender Challenge is this Sunday, August 11 at the Coventry Farmers' Market. The second annual benefit for the Market is also a competition as the area's best bar chefs compete to turn locally-grown ingredients into great cocktails. For $25 per person (21 and over only) you'll enjoy an afternoon of food and drink in the market barn with emcee WNPR's Chion Wolf and snacks from A Thyme to Cook, music by PORK CHOP EXPRESS. The event is sponsored by Onyx Spirits Company, RIPE Craft Bar Juice, and A Thyme to Cook. Proceeds from this event benefit the Coventry Regional Farmers' Market. To purchase tickets, visit Farm to Shaker. For more information about the Market, visit Coventry Farmers' Market. Read More
Guide To Cooking Classes in Connecticut Ingredients Kids Bites Restaurant Cooking Classes Education kids cooking party April Guilbault July 09, 2013 Give a man a fish and he eats for one day, but TEACH him to how to bone, saute and dress up that fish, well, that’s another story. The school year has come to a close for our under-21s but we know that you hunger (pun totally intended) to learn something new...in the kitchen. Cooking classes abound in our area; some will teach you how to make the perfect french macaron (not to be confused with the American macaroon with two “o’s”), cooling summer soups or regional delights that transport you without standing in pesky security lines. Don your best apron, raise a spatula and proclaim this the summer that you learn some rockin’ cooking skills and new recipes! Summer school has never looked so good. Here is CTbites' Guide To Cooking Classes For Adults & Kids for 2013... Read More
3rd Annual International Food Festival at Olde Mistick Village Road Trip Restaurant Mystic Shoreline East CTbites Team June 07, 2013 Olde Mistick Village Merchants will host the 3rd Annual International Food Festival this weekend on June 8 and 9, 2013, from 11 am to 8 pm on Saturday, and 11 am to 6 pm on Sunday, rain or shine. This event is free and open to the public. The festival will present the best of international cuisines from numerous local restaurants and award winning executive chefs. Participating food purveyors will include: Beachside Catering, Harp & Dragon, Hub's Clam Shack, Johny's Peking Tokyo, Mango's Italian Ice, Mystic Diner & Restaurant, Portuguese Fisherman, Pizza Grille, Semolina Pasta Shop, Taste of India, The Pita Spot, Toasted, Zest Fresh Pastry and more. Read More
Kids Bites: Stew Leonard’s Cookbook, Goat Cheese Scrambled Eggs via Sunday Diners Kids Bites Recipe Sunday Diners March 22, 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). For any one who doesn’t know, Stew Leonard’s is The World’s Largest Dairy Store,and I’m so lucky that it’s right here in Norwalk, CT. I’ve been going to Stew’s since I was a baby. They sell great bagels, fruits & vegetables, fried chicken, and of course… lots of dairy products. Their milk comes from their own cows, on their own farm – you can even see them on live video in the store… and sometimes in Stew’s Little Farm right in the parking lot. My favorite at Stew’s is the ice cream! Stew’s is super fun for kids – there’s lots’ of great displays and there’s always new things to try and taste! Today, instead of going out for breakfast, Dad and I decided to make breakfast at home. There’s a great recipe from their “Winning Recipes Cookbook” that’s written right on the back of their Cage-Free Egg carton label… “Goat Cheese Scrambled Eggs”. It’s really easy to make, with some help from an adult… it’s delicious and healthy. It’s also a lot of fun to cook! Read More
5 Ways Kids Can Help Fight Hunger in CT Kids Bites Volunteer kids activity Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster March 18, 2013 People often write in to CTbites asking how their kids can get involved in helping the hungry in our local community. We decided to go to the source, Connecticut Food Bank, to see how best to assist in their efforts. It turns out there are quite a few ways kids can get involved. Here are some places to begin: Organize a Team to Walk Against Hunger. We just opened Registration for the 2013 Walk Against Hunger, www.ctfoodbank.org/walk. There are now four dates to choose from. There also may be opportunities for young people and families to volunteer at the walk. It’s truly a fun family event. Organize a food drive at school, with a sports team/club or the neighborhood, here’s a link to the info. on our site, http://www.ctfoodbank.org/how-to-help/donate-food Volunteer. Contact Kim Damien, our Volunteer Coordinator to learn about volunteer opportunities for young people and families. There’s volunteer information the CT Food Bank's volunteer page, or you can contact Kim at kdamien@ctfoodbank.org, or call 203-469-5000. Read More
Farmer's Cow Dairy Farm Tours for 2013 Road Trip Litchfield Local Farm CTbites Team February 12, 2013 The Farmer’s Cow announces its full schedule of farm tours for 2013 beginning April through October. During these tours, visitors will be able to walk the farms, meet the farmers and the cows that make the milk, learn about farming, and sample a variety of The Farmer’s Cow fresh local products. All walking tours and events are free and no reservation is required. Information about the events and directions to the farms is available on The Farmer’s Cow website. For more information call 866‐355‐COWS or email farmers@TheFarmersCow.com. Farm Schedule 2013 April 20th, 1 – 3pm: Springtime on the Farm at Graywall Farms 49 Chappell Road, Lebanon, CT Experience springtime on the farm with tours guided by members of the next generation of The Farmer’s Cow farmers. Enjoy a wagon ride to see the fields being prepared to plant the crops that will feed the cows and learn about agriculture in Connecticut. June 8th, 1– 3pm: Connecticut Open House Day Farm Tour at Fairview Farm 199 Route 177, Woodstock, CT Celebrate Connecticut Day with the Miller Family at Fairvue Farm, located next to the historic Woodstock Fairgrounds. Take a wagon ride to tour the dairy barn, learn all about what a cow eats in a day, visit the “milking parlor” where 40 cows at a time are milked, and see the big tractors that work the land. 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
Little House Molasses Snow Candy via "Fix Me A Snack" Kids Bites Features kids activity Recipe Kid Friendly Dessert Fix Me A Snack January 01, 2013 The other day, we finally made Molasses-On-Snow Candy from The Little House Cookbook. And let me tell ya that nothing enlivens a snowy New England day like playing with molten sugar! Last winter, books from the Little House series dominated our bedtime reading. I don’t recall reading them as a child so I was enjoying them as much as the kids were. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s retelling of her childhood transported us back in time. Given our heartfelt connection to the Ingalls family, it’s unclear who likes the whole idea of making foods out of the Little House Cookbook more, me or the girls. Either way, they did a spectacular job making molasses candy. Nobody had to go to the hospital with third degree burns. Another successful day of parenting! Read More
Visions of Gingerbread @ The Stamford Museum Opens Nov 17 Kids Bites Education Holiday kids activity Kid Friendly Sarah Green November 10, 2012 CTbites is proud to be the media sponsor for Stamford Museum and Nature Center's “Visions of Gingerbread: The Sweetest Architects” exhibition. Every year, I buy one of those boxed gingerbread house kits and my kids and I go at it. We glop it together with that glue-like petroleum by-product substance that they call icing, we decorate with the stale jelly beans and mini gum balls they provide, and we call it a day. It’s fun and the kids enjoy it. Do yours? If so, head to the Stamford Museum and Nature Center (SM and NC) this month and next to see how the pros do it. “Visions of Gingerbread: The Sweetest Architects” is the name of the exhibition that the museum is presenting as both a showcase for local bakers and as a fundraiser for the SM and NC. Read More
Octoberfest On The Meadow & Harvest Fest @ Stamford Museum Kids Bites Restaurant Beer Kid Friendly CTbites Team October 09, 2012 A fall family tradition returns to the Stamford Museum & Nature Center on Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21 with the 35th Annual Harvest Festival Weekend. This year, the weekend will be kicked off with a new event for adults-only – Octoberfest On The Meadow at 6:30 pm on Friday, October 19 @ 6:30 PM with proceeds supporting the Stamford Museum & Nature Center. The evening will feature seasonal Oktoberfest brews, as well as Octoberfest favorites including kielbasa with sauerkraut and cherry beer roasted pork shoulder. Guests will be entertained by live music from The Bavarian Boys. The weekend will continue with the Harvest Festival Weekend, an annual family event celebrating the fall season, from 11 am to 3 pm both Saturday and Sunday. Read More
Tour India with Thali's Prasad Chirnomula Road Trip Road Trip Indian CTbites Team August 16, 2012 Indian Master Chefs Prasad Chirnomula and Maneet Chauhan, along with Culinary Instructor Jody Eddy have meticulously planned a gastronomic and cultural journey to India, December 1 - 13, 2012. One way to reach India's heart is through its stomach. Centuries of applied epicurean experimentation have led to several regional centers of India such as the regal Rajasthan. Through formal and informal discussions throughout this journey, Prasad and Maneet will provide invaluable insights of their homeland and guide you through one of the greatest gourmet spice journeys you will ever experience. From the bustling metropolis of Delhi to the serene natural quiet of the Thar Desert, you will explore India and celebrate the tastes and the sights and the sounds, while meeting the people that give India its name and its fame. For a detailed itinerary, pricing and more information about registration, visit www.jhcbh.com. Read More
Beach Donuts in Old Lyme: A Connecticut Cult Favorite Road Trip Restaurant Old Lyme Shoreline East Breakfast Dessert Amy Kundrat July 06, 2012 Like facial hair and irony, the doughnut has received the hipster embrace, ushering in the likes of Voodoo, Dynamo and Doughnut Plant from New York to Portland, making the once doughnut-non grata, cool again. Oblivious to the wax and wane of this food trend, “Beach Donuts” in Old Lyme, Connecticut has steadily and unironically been powering the shoreline with a traditional take on these habit-seeking baked goods for over sixty years. Each Saturday and Sunday in the summer, Ted Powaleny delivers about 125 dozen doughnuts from a kitchen in Clinton to the Shoreline Community Center in Old Lyme, just two blocks from Sound View Beach. From 7 to 10:30 am (or until they sell out), volunteers sell “Beach Donuts” hand-over-fist, with proceeds from the $1 doughnuts, benefitting the Community Center. Read More
Open House @ Thomas Hooker with NoRA Cupcake Truck Road Trip Restaurant Bloomfield Hartford County Beer Amy Kundrat July 06, 2012 The Thomas Hooker Brewery (home to that refreshing summer seasonal, Watermelon Ale) has invited NoRA Cupcake Truck to their twice-monthly Friday Open House, July 6, 2012. The Brewery hosts these events on the 1st and 3rd Friday each month from 5 to 8pm. $10 for pint glass, tasting, and tour (Portion of proceeds go to The Village For Families and Children). Thomas Hooker Brewey is located at Tobey Road in Bloomfield, CT. For more information, visit hookerbeer.com. Read More
Rizzuto’s: A Day of Italian Food, Wine & Cars, June 10th Kids Bites Restaurant Events Italian kids activity Kid Friendly CTbites Team May 30, 2012 On Sunday, June 10, 2012, NOON – 4 PM, Rizzuto’s, located in the Saugatuck community of Westport, has teamed up with The Ferrari Club of America and FIAT of Larchmont for a day-long event filled with Italian food, wine, and cars. The event takes place during the Formula 1 Grand Prix Du Canada race, which will be shown on 2 large screen HD TVs. Race car fans can take a virtual lap around the track in a GoSimRacer Race Car Simulator. Kids feeling the need for speed can race through an on-lot GoGo-Kart track presented byGrand Prix New York Racing. Rizzuto’s is pulling out all the stops with classic Italian dishes and an Italian wine tasting. San Pellegrino will be keeping things cool and Rizzuto’s will be grilling outdoors this year, preparing sausage and pepper wedges and meatball sliders. Read More
Kids Review: Cadiz Tapas in Bethel Kids Bites Restaurant Bethel Gluten-Free Spanish Special Dietary Needs Kid Friendly CTbites Team May 23, 2012 Most of the time at restaurants, I have no idea what to order because there are so many great choices. At Cadiz, however I can choose many different dishes. I can even order ten and share with friends and family. Cadiz is a place where you order several tapas and share among the group. Don’t be fooled though. It is located in the Bethel movie theater but that doesn’t mean it's cheap diner food. Plus, there are some great gluten-free options. My family started out with a basket of bread, a small plate of hummus with baked pita chips, and a bowl of Greek olives. The bread had a crunchy and flaky crust with a soft and warm inside. It tasted amazing; a great way to kick off the meal. Read More
Sun BBQ Fest 2012: June 1 - 3 @ Mohegan Sun Road Trip Restaurant BBQ Amy Kundrat May 04, 2012 Mohegan Sun’s first annual BBQ Fest will be held June 1 - 3, 2012 in the Winter Parking Lot in Uncasville, CT. Headlining this event will be plenty of BBQ, cooking demonstrations, live music and host Mike Petit of NESN’s Grillseekers, as emcee for the three day event. Tickets are $30 per day including 8 food tickets and go on-sale Monday, April 16th at 10am through Ticketmaster.com or at Mohegan Sun’s Box Office. Kids 10 and under get in free (does not include food tickets). The weekend will include loads of BBQ including ribs, pulled pork and classic BBQ chicken from the nation’s best barbeque experts and vendors. Guests will be able to visit the Farmer’s Market featuring Sardilli Produce & Dairy. Competitive Eating Champion Joey “Jaws” Chestnut (famous for his hot dog championship titles) will appear in a rib eating contest on Saturday, June 2 at 4 p.m. Read More
First Annual Wakeman Town Farm Chicken Coop Tour Kids Bites Education Local Artisan Local Farm CTbites Team April 27, 2012 Wakeman Town Farm is giving local backyard chicken fans something to cluck about! Announcing the First Annual Wakeman Town Farm Chicken Coop Tour, in which local chicken coop owners in Westport and lower Weston will open their unique henhouses to the public. Wakeman Town Farm threw down the gauntlet to local chicken-keeping aficionados. We asked: Who wants bragging rights for building the Hautest Henhouse...the Cadillac of Chicken Shacks...the Coop De Ville? The result is Wakeman Town Farm's First Annual Chicken Coop Tour, Saturday, May 5 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., a fun-filled afternoon touring approximately 15 chicken coops in Westport and Weston and enjoying a casual After-Tour Sundae back at the farm, with ice cream generously provided by The Farmer's Cow! Read More
FOODSTOCK: CT Food Writing Conference Road Trip Events Hartford Amy Kundrat March 22, 2012 Celebrated author Amy Bloom will host FOODSTOCK, Wesleyan’s first food writing conference, on Saturday, May 5th, 2012 from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. This event is FREE and open to the public. Online registration is required at www.wesleyan.edu/FOODSTOCK and registration will begin on Thursday, March 22nd. FOODSTOCK will feature talks, Seminars, Book Signings, a Farmers Market, Food Trucks, a Cocktail Party, and more! Speakers and Guests include: Ruth Reichl, Eric Asimov, Faith Middleton, Dorie Greenspan, Molly O'Neill, Jane Stern, Alan Sytsma, Christopher Prosperi, Paolo Villoresi, Serena Palumbo, Natalie Bovis, Cara Eisenpress, Pippa Lord, Fern Berman, Kim Chi-Hoon, Priscilla Martel, Najwa Kronfel, Ashley Rodriguez, Chef Bobo, John Finn , Chichi Wang, Hope Wright-Martell, Donald Siegel, Gaye Tuchman and CTbites! Read More
Behind the Scenes with Fine Cooking Magazine Ingredients Road Trip Education Newtown Amy Kundrat March 01, 2012 Similar to my omnivorous approach to food, I’ve been known to devour almost anything when it comes to food in print. And although I love any and all food magazines, my allegiances bend toward the recipe-driven and away from the trendy and overly-styled. It’s nice to know that some serious time has been logged in someone else’s kitchen before amateur hour and its inevitable chaos, commences in my own. Firmly in the category of “not afraid to get their hands dirty,” Fine Cooking magazine is one of those few who are dedicated to the act of cooking. Their meticulous seasonally-driven recipes reflect a dedication to process and a glimpse into their tireless recipe testing. So when I learned their headquarters and test kitchen also happened to be firmly inside our Fairfield County borders at Taunton Press in Newtown, CT, it only became a matter of time before I invited my CTbites-self for a tour and taste. Read More
