Hot Buttered Rum Cocktail Recipe via Saugatuck Grain & Grape Features Recipe Cocktails Entertaining Recipe Jeff Marron December 10, 2013 When the leaves on the trees in New England start to fall, my cravings for cocktails change a bit. I tend to lean towards drinks that will warm me up next to the fire. The aromatics of cinnamon and clove just seem to pair so well with the scents that come from the fireplace. To me, a Hot Buttered Rum cocktail is the essence of New England in Winter. This is an easy drink to prepare. You build it in a coffee mug. There isn't any stirring or shaking or muddling. You don't have to be an expert mixologist to make a perfect Hot Buttered Rum. You just need a dark, aged rum. Here, I use my favorite, Ron Zacapa 23 year old. You can certainly use other brands, as Ron Zacapa can reach premium prices. Some less expensive options that work well in this drink would include El Dorado 12 year or 15 year, Angostura 5 year or 7 year, Diplomatico Anejo Rum or Blackwell Jamaican Rum. Read More
Cassoulet and Carburetors: A Fall French Country Picnic Road Trip French Amy Kundrat November 08, 2013 What do 18 vintage cars and a hundred miles of Connecticut and New York roads have to do with creating the perfect french country picnic? The short answer–everything. The long answer? Each spring and fall, Matthew L. deGarmo, Ltd., a vintage automobile broker from Norwalk, hosts a series of fall tours for his clients and friends inspired by a shared passion for driving and the art of the automobile. “My passion for selling vintage sports cars comes from an even deeper passion for driving them. That sentiment is what gave birth to the rallies we organize... an opportunity to get these fantastic cars out of the garage and on to the open road where they belong.” said deGarmo. The rally welcomes cars no later than 1974 and often limits his rallies to about 15 cars per tour. Read More
Brooklynite Cocktail Recipe via Saugatuck Grain & Grape Features Recipe Cocktails Recipe Jeff Marron October 15, 2013 This is an older cocktail I modified during my research of local honey. Other than the Bee's Knees cocktail, I wanted to find another "staple cocktail" to use with honey from Red Bee Apiary. This is a delicious adaptation on the classic Daiquiri. Instead of using simple syrup, orange blossom honey syrup is used. I have used many rums in this recipe and I keep falling back on Ron Zacapa 23 year old from Guatemala disregarding the recommended Jamaican rum. This particular rum is soft and subtle with a rich molasses sweetness that finishes with notes of light caramel outlined in Madagascar vanilla bean. The flavor profile of this rum is just a perfect balance between the acidic lime juice and the floral orange blossom honey. Read More
Yale's Foodtober Events Celebrate & Examine Our Food Culture Road Trip Restaurant Events NYC New Haven Amy Kundrat October 01, 2013 This October, the Yale Alumni Association of New York is co-sponsoring Foodtober, a month of food-related events and activities in NYC in association with numerous shared interest groups, alumni organizations, and community partners. These events are open to the public. Touching on food culture, creation, politics, business, media, history and science, Foodtober uses food as a common thread to explore and share the great diversity of our community. These events, from small restaurant dinners in the outer boroughs, to an International Food Fight at the Yale Club of New York hosted by Jacques Pépin, will raise funds to support the Yale Sustainable Food Project and Just Food. For more information or to register for an event, visit: http://yaany.org/foodtober/ and/or purchase tickets on EventBrite. 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
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
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
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
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
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
Road Trip: Ballo Italian Restaurant & Club @ Mohegan Sun Road Trip Restaurant Italian Road Trip Andrew Dominick November 01, 2011 A month ago I contributed an article about John Tunney’s latest creation, Ballo Italian Restaurant & Social Club. Now, I am pleased to bring you a sneak peek at not just the décor, not just a menu preview, but of the reason we are all here, for the food. But first, let me take you on a brief tour of this restaurant/bar/dance club/lounge. Remember that preview article? All that construction and the pictures of what it will look like? Seeing those photos is one thing, seeing this place in person is another. The wraparound marble bar, the sphere-like hanging lamps, the giant lanterns, and the fireplaces, give Ballo a glow unlike any other restaurant in Mohegan Sun Casino. Read More
Road Trip: Ballo Italian Restaurant & Social Club @ Mohegan Sun Road Trip Restaurant Italian Andrew Dominick August 26, 2011 Restauranteur John Tunney, owner of the popular Mexican restaurant Besito in Hartford, expects to wow you with his 12th and newest restaurant, Ballo. The word “Ballo” is Italian for “dance.” Diners can expect the usual eating and drinking, but you can do what the name says and dance as well. Ballo Italian Restaurant and Social Club will join Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse, Todd English’s Tuscany, and Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain at Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino this September. Even though Ballo is still under construction, Tunney’s idea is unique, and when he speaks, you can imagine how original this new restaurant will be from the usual. Read More
Tour India with Thali's Chef Prasad Chirnomula Road Trip Chef Talk Road Trip Indian Amy Kundrat July 20, 2011
Zee Burger in Woodbury: A First Beefy Bite Road Trip Restaurant Woodbury Lunch Burgers Amy Kundrat June 05, 2011 When news first broke that Carole Peck, our east coast answer to Alice Waters, would be opening a burger joint adjacent to her popular farm-to-table Good News Café in Woodbury, the first thing I did was clear my calendar. The second thing I did was ask the obvious question. Was this the same Carole Peck who has been running the Café in Woodbury since 1993, hosting culinary trips to France and espousing local farms? Burgers? Carole, really? Actually it makes perfect sense that Peck, who has been committed to sourcing locally and seasonally for Good News Café for almost twenty years, would want to widen her spectrum and open a more accessible establishment using the same approach that has won her accolades and a loyal following. Fueled by an extended financial recession, the inexpensive luxuries of the gourmet burger joint formula has been trending in Connecticut. Peck has joined the fray staying true to her signature style – by creating the farm stand version of the burger joint. Read More
A Foxwoods Food & Wine Festival Wrap-Up Road Trip Restaurant Chef Talk Wine Chat Amy Kundrat November 10, 2010 Restaurants from New York City to Boston descended on the 4th annual Foxwoods Food and Wine Festival at MGM Grand at Foxwoods. A weekend-long event, the Festival featured celebrity chef dinners, cooking demonstrations, and dozens of restaurants and wine vendors showcased at two “Grand Tasting” events on Saturday and Sunday. Read More
