Shout Out: What Are Your Favorite Food Sites? Ingredients Features Restaurant CTbites Shout Out Stephanie Webster January 23, 2011
Reheated: Ice Bar @ Lolita & a CT Winter Wine Trail Amy Kundrat January 21, 2011 Reheated is a twice-weekly round-up of bite-sized food news in Connecticut and beyond. In Connecticut... Hankering for a weekend road trip? The Litchfield Hills is hosting a winter wine trail now through March with six participating wineries. Via CTnow.com. Ice Bar! Lolita Cocina in Byram has opened an ice bar until the temps render it a puddle. Great photo over at Greenwich Time. Back by popular demand, Tuesday night trivia @ Burger Bar Sono beginning this Tuesday at 7PM. #64: Stew Leonard's position on the Fortune Magazine Best Companies to Work For List. Fortune's Full List. Anthony Bourdain will appear in Stamford on February 12 at Stamford's Center for the Arts. A Tequila & Tapas Tasting will be held at Southwest Cafe on January 25 at 7 pm featuring PaQuí tequila. Tickets are $65 per person. Call Southwest Cafe for reservations. Stew Leonard Jr. will be speaking at the Woodway Country Club in Darien on January 26. More info: Patch New Canaan. Learn the "Secrets of Burgundy" with French Chef Emilie's cooking class on January 28. ...and beyond. Read More
The Milkman Co. Brings Dairy to Your Doorstep Ingredients Delivery Service Home Delivery Local Farm Deanna Foster January 21, 2011 Ed Hartz is a milkman with a mission. He wants to “revolutionize the food distribution system” by taking us back to the days when milkmen delivered local dairy products to our doors. Even if you don’t remember pulling glass milk bottles from a galvanized container stationed by the back porch door, it’s likely you can picture the image. Ed’s goal is to turn that image into reality and revive the tradition of the milkman in Fairfield County. With a truck painted like a Holstein, he has aptly named his new business The Milkman Company, and he is working to spread the word that the Milkman is back and better than ever with deliveries of milk (including raw milk), eggs, cheese, yogurt, meats and other farm fresh products. Read More
Connecticut, the Hamburger State? Restaurant Burgers Amy Kundrat January 20, 2011 A Hamburger Today shared this 'Food by State' map which assigns a food to each state. In a move that may both excite teenagers and strike fear in Cardiologists, our dear Connecticut is apparently the Hamburger state. Perhaps this is based on that famous New Haven institution Louis Lunch, the purported founder of the beefy sandwich, or the inimitable steamed burger from Ted's in Meriden. Either way, we do seem to have quite the burger provenance. So Nutmeggers, do you think this is correct? If one food could really represent Connecticut, what do you think it should be? Read More
Spring 2011 CSA's Are Open for Registration via FGFG Ingredients Features Local Farm Organic Stephanie Webster January 19, 2011
Chai Spiced Quinoa Porridge via Healthy Living Blog Features Recipe Breakfast Comfort Food Kid Friendly CTbites Team January 18, 2011 On cold winter mornings, there's nothing like a hot bowl of whole grain porridge to start the day off right. Whole grains take longer to digest and they release their sugars slowly, so they make you feel satisfied longer. My standard breakfast whole grain is oatmeal, but other whole grains such as quinoa, millet, wheat berries, amaranth or brown rice can easily be substituted for oatmeal, and make breakfast that much more interesting as they all have different textures and consistencies. I came up with this Chai Spiced Quinoa Porridge recipe because I love the warm spices in chai tea. Topping this hot breakfast cereal with fresh berries and walnuts makes this breakfast cereal fun to eat and adds a burst of extra nutritional value. Read More
Chowdafest in Westport: Chefs Get Ready to Compete Ingredients Restaurant Events Stephanie Webster January 18, 2011 Get ready to Chowda! On February 5th the third annual Chowdafest competition will be held in Westport from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m at Bedford Middle School. More than 20 different chowders, soups and bisques will be available for sampling. This fun-for-the-whole-family event will raise money for the Connecticut Food Bank. Last year’s Chowdafest brought in enough money and canned food for The CT Food Bank to provide 15,000 meals. Come on down and show your support while you vote for your favorite entry prepared by the great group of local restaurants below: Read More
Reheated: A New Location for Michele's Pies Amy Kundrat January 18, 2011 Reheated is a twice-weekly round-up of bite-sized food news in Connecticut and beyond. In Connecticut... Michele's Pies is opening a new location in Westport in the former Baskin Robins location. Anthony Bourdain will appear in Stamford on February 12 at Stamford's Center for the Arts. A new indoor winter Fairfield Farmers' Market on Saturdays, 10 to 1, at the Fairfield Grange. Bernard's Restaurant is hosting Monica & Sarah's Excellent Birthday Dinner this Friday, Jan. 21. Tickets $95, reservations via Bernards. Milford's Got Chef Truck has a new location at the Train Station. Via Mobile Food News. Toscana Restaurant in Ridgefield will present a Brunello & a Burger dinner for $39.99 a person on Wednesday, January 19. Via RidgefieldCTBlog. Read More
Bartaco, Portchester Opens ... Stamford is Next Restaurant Portchester Stamford Mexican Comfort Food Kid Friendly Amy Kundrat January 16, 2011 Warning. Entering the new sprawling beach shack-inspired restaurant bartaco in Port Chester may leave you with a case of geographical amnesia. Between the five steps it takes to reach the bar from the door, you’ll be transported to a surf shack in Montauk or Baja, any memory of the city of Port Chester erased once you’re surrounded by its white washed walls. And better (closer) yet, a land-locked version will be coming to Stamford soon. Read More
Reheated: CT Food News & Events [weekend edition] Amy Kundrat January 14, 2011 Reheated is a twice-weekly round-up of bite-sized food news in Connecticut and beyond. In Connecticut... We go behind-the-scenes with Bar Rosso a new urban style trattoria opening soon in Stamford. We should all throw parties like this. Monica of 109 Cheese & Wine and Sarah of Sarah's Wine Bar are hosting a special wine dinner at Bernards in Ridgefield on January 21 to celebrate their joint birthdays in food & wine style. Strictly soups & salads, Wah Lah opened this week in Bethel, a few doors down from Pizza Lauretano. Finding Asia in Bridgeport, writer Elizabeth Keyser discovers a gem. Via Fairfield County Weekly. Ambler Farm is hosting a Food Drive to benefit the Wilton Social Services Food Bank to honor the memory of Martin Luther King on January 17. Lower Fairfield County is swimming in great tacos. In case you missed it, here is the news about El Charrito, Casa Villa, and bartaco. The New York Times reviews Pine Social in New Canaan, a spot we love for it's beautiful marble bar and cozy location on Pine Street. ...and beyond. Read More
Friday Froth: Expand Your Horizons Ingredients Beer James Gribbon January 14, 2011 Have you ever noticed that most people think music radio is terrible? iPods, Pandora, LastFM and SiriusXM have pretty much taken over the listening landscape. Listen to one station for more than a few hours, and you’ll start to hear the same songs over and over again. Multiply these hours by days and weeks and the audience becomes absolutely stultified. It’s the same with beer. We need variety to keep ourselves involved in what we consume, and this column is all about variety’s special spice. As such, we’re going to take a three-stop trip across the country this week to expand our horizons. We’ll travel with the Sun and start on the East coast, specifically Ipswich, Mass., where we’ll find Mercury Brewing and Distribution Company Read More
Behind The Scenes @ Bar Rosso's Stamford Opening Restaurant Italian Stamford Lunch Stephanie Webster & jfood January 13, 2011 In case you haven't noticed, something is afoot in the old Bennett's Steak House on Stamford's Spring St. as the countdown begins on one of the most anticipated restaurant openings in Fairfield County, a venture that brings together the restaurant acumen of Napa & Co.'s Mary Schaeffer, and the culinary talent of Chef Dan Kardos, most recently of Harvest Supper in New Canaan. Combine this team with an inventive rustic Italian country menu (including a wood burning oven), a bar-centric two-story space, inventive homemade Italian inspired cocktails, and the buzz amongst the foodie obsessed is warranted. CTBites had an exclusive sneak peek into their pre-opening plans, interior renovation, and the much anticipated working menu of the inventive interpretation of traditional Italian fare that will become Bar Rosso. Read More
Shout Out: What's The Best Dish You've Eaten in FC? Restaurant CTbites Shout Out Stephanie Webster January 12, 2011
Reheated: An Epic Week for Taco Lovers Greenwich Stamford Amy Kundrat January 11, 2011 Reheated is a twice-weekly round-up of bite-sized food news in Connecticut and beyond. In Connecticut... El Charrito, the beloved taco truck located in Stamford's east side, has opened a take-out space in Greenwich. And not to be left out, Casa Villa, that other beacon of tacos and Mexican fare has opened a second location at 886 East Main Street in Stamford. As reported last week, bartaco is open in Port Chester, and soon to open in Stamford with tacos and fare inspired by Mexican street food. Going, going ... The Sun Winefest 2011 is being held on January 29. A great day trip for sampling wine & food from the region. Info via MohegunSun.com. All you can eat pancakes at participating IHOP's until February 27 (Stamford location may be the closest). What New Year's Resolutions? Via A La Carte Dining Blog. A perfect tower of tuna tartare at Bernard's in Ridgefield. Via The Feast/Connecticut. Read More
The Naptime Chef: Success While the Kids Sleep Features Cookbooks Recipe Jessica Ryan January 11, 2011 In her former life, pre children, Kelsey Banfield of Fairfield CT, (The Naptime Chef), worked for Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital’s Development office where she helped to create a cookbook to benefit the hospital. It was titled Park Avenue Potluck was published by Rizzoli in 2007. Here, Kelsey learned the ins and outs of the publishing industry and all it takes to put a cookbook together. Little did she know that she would be developing a cookbook of her own just years later...while her kids slept. Read More
SAILS American Grill Opens in Rowayton Restaurant American Norwalk Rowayton Lunch Christy Colasurdo January 09, 2011 When the River Cat shuttered its doors in March, after 12 years on Rowayton’s main drag, the closure of the beloved neighborhood restaurant and bar left a gaping hole in Rowayton’s dining and social scene. So when I returned to check out the recently launched SAILS, a new American bistro with a spiffed up nautical vibe, I wasn’t surprised that the highly polished teak bar was three-deep with old-timers and new fans, making themselves right at home in a familiar, yet completely transformed haunt. Read More
Local Find: Vande Rose Farms Artisan Bacon Ingredients Features Specialty Market Stephanie Webster January 06, 2011 In my family, bacon reigns supreme. As a dinner party guest or Webster clan member, you will find bacon fat, lardon, or bacon strips, in almost every dish coming out of the kitchen. For this reason we have made it a full time to job to cull the Fairfield County market in search of great tasting bacon. Recently we came across a find that is worth noting as you head out on your next shopping trip in search of cured pork. Cooks Illustrated did an exhaustive taste test of artisan bacon in 2008, ranking Vande Rose Farms Artisan Dry Cured Bacon, Applewood Smoked at the top of the list. Brands it beat out were Applegate Farms, Niman Ranch, Nodine's, and North Country Smokehouse. Previously we had to satisfy our pork craving by mail ordering our Vande Rose bacon, but we found it at Balducci's in Westport for $8.99 (It is not sold at their Greenwich location). This is significantly less expensive than the mail order price from Vande Rose. Stock up...but leave a few boxes for us. Read More
Local Chef Competes in Obama’s LET’S MOVE Campaign Kids Bites Events kids activity Recipe Liz Rueven January 06, 2011 CRUSTLESS QUINOA AND KALE QUICHE was served and critiqued in elementary school? That is precisely what happened last month as 200 fourth and fifth graders at Holland Hill Elementary School in Fairfield tasted the dish they had voted to “try” in response to First Lady Michelle Obama’s LET’S MOVE! campaign to combat childhood obesity. Green Gourmet to Go chef and owner, Linda Soper-Kolton jumped on the opportunity to participate in the nation wide contest to create a tasty, highly nutritious, child friendly dish by approaching her own son’s elementary school Principle, Frank Arnone. Lucky for the students and the chef, Mr. Arnone loved the idea of involving his students in the process of discussing ingredients and tasting the contest entry. Read More
