Filtering by Tag: Dining Guide,Darien

Swizzles Frozen Yogurt Opens This Weekend

Restaurant Darien Kid Friendly Dessert

Amy Kundrat

There is a new tart yogurt kid in town. Swizzles Frozen Yogurt is opening this week in Darien and Wilton with a third store in Ridgefield slated to open early this summer.  Opening parties offering free yogurt are scheduled for Swizzles Darien on Saturday, April 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Swizzles Wilton on Sunday, April 17 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Swizzles will sell its yogurt at $.59 per ounce and will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday.

Behind the Net Pizza @ The Darien Ice Rink

Restaurant Darien Pizza

Amy Kundrat

An affinity for hockey or a hot tip was the only way you’d discover Behind the Net, a concession stand in Darien’s ice rink that is serving up slices of New Haven style apizza heaven—until now.

Behind the Net opened on September 1, 2010 in the concession space adjacent to the busy suburban ice rink just beyond Darien’s Post Road.  Home to dozens of youth hockey games and practices, the rink also welcomes open skate nights and is teeming with families, practically guaranteeing a hungry audience. Thankfully for us, word soon spread that mere steps from the ice was purportedly some real-deal New Haven pizzaa pizza style characterized by an adherence to a thin crispy crust, decent charring from a super hot oven, fresh San Marzano tomato-based sauce, and mozzarella.

Burgers, Shakes, and Fries v2.0 Opens in Darien

Restaurant Darien Comfort Food Lunch Kid Friendly Burgers

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

"It is the Americans who have managed to crown minced beef as hamburger, and to send it round the world so that even the fussy French have taken to le boeuf hache, le hambourgaire." - Julia Child

The long awaited opening of Burgers Shakes and Fries occurred yesterday in Darien with burgers and dogs grilling, fries frying and shakes shaking. For those, like me, who agree with Julia Child that the hamburger is an American icon, Kory Wollins has mastered the art of the burger and created an incredible rendition of this American classic 


Reheated: This Week's Top Food News [weekend edition]

Darien Pizza Farm Fresh

Amy Kundrat

Reheated is a twice-weekly round-up of bite-sized food news in Connecticut and beyond.  

In Connecticut...

It's National Pizza Month. If you're in Fairfield County, check-out this post for the best pies around your neighborhood. 

The 5th Annual Harvest Tasting Fundraiser held at Equinox Club in Darien on Oct. 9 features over 60 wines. Info NicholasRobertsLtd.com.

The Pinkberry Grand Opening Party in Fairfield is just days away on Oct. 14 from 6 to 9 pm. Info CTbites.com.

Plan ahead for the Tokeneke Pumpkin Carnival is Oct 16 in Darien featuring Burger, Shakes and Fries, Heights Pizza and Upper Crust Bagels. Info Patch.com.

A few days remain to take advantage of CT Restaurant Week, a few places in Fairfield County and many more options towards New Haven & Hartford. Participating restaurants at CTRestaurant.org.

 

....and beyond.


Coffee Cupping (Tasting) @ espressoNEAT

Ingredients Coffee Darien Events

Stephanie Webster

Have you ever wondered why coffee houses bother with options at the brew bar? Do you think you could tell the difference between a $3 cup and a $6 cup if you tasted them side by side? Yes, much like wine, coffee has different varietals, single origin beans, as well as organic options. EspressoNEAT would like to invite you into their coffee obsessed world for an afternoon of sniffing, sipping, slurping, and spitting. (Nobody can handle all that caffeine at once.) They will be using a few handy tools to help keep track of what you're drinking and your discerning palate will never approach a cup of coffee in quite the same way. 


Bustling French Bistro & Seafood Fare @ 1020 Post

Restaurant Darien French Seafood Breakfast Lunch

CTbites Team

Don't let the lace curtains and stately brick entrance fool you.  Behind the doors of this new French Bistro, named for its location on the Post Road in Darien,  is an airy room with coffered ceilings and a sleek zinc bar that buzzes--loudly at times--with the chatter of locals every night of the week.  Located within walking distance of the Darien train station, 1020 Post, which opened its doors a little more than a year ago, pulls people in like a magnet for dinner and drinks after work and lunch during the week.

On a chilly Tuesday night, I arrived with four friends to find packed tables and a bustling bar, which was lined with large glasses of Malbec and Pinot Noir. Nearby, people dined on bar stools at one of two tall community tables, where small groups can enjoy a quick bite without a reservation


A Festival of Flavor @ Little Thai Kitchen

Restaurant Darien Delivery Service Greenwich Stamford Thai Lunch

Stephanie Webster

It was a Saturday night and I was tired of the standard nouveau American fare. I was in the mood for the spicy sweet flavors of Thai cooking, but where to go in Fairfield County? A friend whose taste buds I trust told me her go-to spot was Little Thai Kitchen or LTK, with Greenwich, Darien, and NYC locations. We opted for Darien, (right across from the train station) and our party of four headed out in the pouring rain to seek out dinner. 

Walking into LTK is sort of like walking into a West Elm catalogue. It is modern and sleek with splashes of bright color giving it a nice clean design. The two dining spaces to either side of the front door are small, as a good chunk of their business is take-out, but we found that with the lights dimmed it was surprisingly cozy and well appointed. We took a seat next to the large corner window and discreetly checked out the food on the other guests' tables. It looked good. It smelled good. We quietly prayed to whatever God worked for each of us that we had found some decent Thai food in this town.


Wine Chat: Wine Pairings for Fall Flavors

Ingredients Features Darien Fairfield Ridgefield Specialty Market Westport Wine Chat

CTbites Team

Fall is here.  And beyond the obvious weather changes: frost alerts, foliage color and the end to most farmers’ markets, there are other exciting changes in the lives of wine enthusiasts: Fall marks the start of the red wine drinking season!

Sure we drink red wine in the Summer, but enthusiasm for the darker reds is tempered by the weather, and the kind of red wine experiences that appear easily from a slight chill in the air can at best be forced in the heat of outdoor dining.  

But as the leaves start falling and people begin to spend more time indoors, out comes the Le Creuset for stews, Emile Henry for roasts, the cast iron skillets for, well, that restaurant style pan seared rib eye. We all know that wine is made for food – and Fall food is made for red wine.  

So, here, in an inaugural ditty on wine in CT Bites, we wanted to share with you not only our unfettered enthusiasm (break out the mandolines – we’re talking the kitchen variety not featured instrument in Rod Stewart’s Maggie) for the high season of food and wine with some recommendations about what to try and buy across the next few months leading up to Winter. (See our local resource guide with recommendations below.)


EspressoNEAT Opens in Darien...Coffee Done Right

Restaurant Coffee Darien Tea And Coffee Dessert

David Webster

After moving back to CT after 7 years in Seattle, there were a number of adjustments I had to accept in making Fairfield County my home (again). Some were trivial, like relearning how to drive in the snow, while others were more signficant:  Income taxes and humidity for example. But no other trade-off was as frustrating as my fruitless search for a great cup of coffee.

I'm happy to report that while humidity and taxes may be here to stay, my espresso quest is finally over.

You may be wondering what I'm making such a fuss about. You might be thinking "Aren't there Starbucks all over the place? Doesn't America Run on Dunkin? What's the difference?" If so, I'd say we have much to discuss. You see, coffee is actually a lot like wine. Both require an obsession with quality sourcing, solid application of repeatable scientific methods, and an attention to detail that borders on compulsion. Think I'm crazy? Here's a primer on the subject. And for better coffee at home, here's some further reading.

Overwhelmed? Intrigued? Good. Because I'm going to make this very simple for you.

If you want a great cup of coffee, of any variety, get your next caffeine fix at Espresso NEAT.


The Robeks Tart-gasm

Restaurant Cos Cob Darien Fairfield Stamford healthy Dessert

Sarah Green

Photo: Stephanie WebsterFairfield County women have a little secret… and it isn’t sweet. Don’t tell, but hordes of us find time in our day to sneak into Robeks to experience our daily rapture. Simply, it’s Tart - paradise in a Styrofoam bowl. Plain, unadulterated ecstasy, this frozen treat at only 112 calories for a small (157 for a medium) is hardly sinful. It is delicious on its own but can be smothered in coconut, dappled with raspberry, sprinkled with chocolate chips, textured with granola, the choices are endless. But the slightly sour, wonderfully light, frozen indulgence is best on its wicked own.