Can a diehard food lover survive 5 days without solid food?
I love food. I love to eat it…raw food, cooked food, gourmet food, diner food, farm-to-table food, bar food. My first paychecks came from restaurants – seating or serving those seeking food. Decades later, I now earn my living taking photos…and yes, you guessed it, the subject matter of which is, quite often, food. So how in the world did a food-lover like me end up committing to spend 5 day chewing exactly none?
Food trucks have been a growing trend for the last few years. The L.A. Times reported on one of the first food trucks to gain massive popularity, a fusion of Korean, Mexican, and barbecue back in 2009. And a recent article from USA Today about food trends in the U.S. hailed the food truck, what was once the “roach coaches” for construction workers at lunch time, as the hot new thing.
But the street-side vendor is certainly nothing new. New York City has been rife with dirty water dogs. And, you can’t turn a corner without bumping into a falafel stand. Roam the urban alleyways from India to Vietnam and some of the tastiest foods can be had from street vendors. Although, be sure to bring your Pepto-Bismol with you.
Here in Connecticut, we’ve got coffee trucks, cupcake trucks, even a cheese truck. Quel surprise! Fairfield is now home to a freshly made crepe and waffle truck., Christophe's Crepes
I’d been lamenting the lack of good Chinese food in Fairfield County, a complaint I’ve shared with quite a few food lovers here, including a friend who’s a Westport transplant from Singapore. To stop my whining, said friend took me to her family’s favorite Chinese restaurant in Fairfield, Hunan Pavilion. Ever since, I haven’t been deprived of good Chinese nearby, and now neither will you.
Hunan Pavilion has been in the same Post Road location in Fairfield for 22 years and it’s very good. But to insure a truly exceptional experience, skip over the conventional menu and jump right to the Shanghai Bund Select (or Shanghai New Menu), an edited list of house specialties and an eclectic mix of Shanghai, Szechuan, and Hunan cuisines. Also ask for the menu in Chinese, even if you don’t speak a word of any dialect. The Chinese menu isn’t overly extensive, and if you aren’t shy about it, the staff will patiently translate, and this is where the hidden treasures can be found.
Hearty souls splashed through the rain Dec. 7 on the way to Barcelona Restaurant in Fairfield, and were rewarded with a tornado of pork. Old world cheeses supplied by event host Michele Buster of Forever Cheese sat on the tables, piled on wooden boards, and would be joined by small blocks of quince jam and a roast suckling pig that ought to be legally classified as a mind-altering substance, but the star of the show, from start to finish, was a shoulder of cured Iberico ham.
Calling all chiliheads: On a portion of Fairfield's Black Rock Turnpike that should be dubbed “restaurant row,” sits a newly opened storefront restaurant, Chilibomb.
The brainchild of Stamford native, Peter Weberg Jr., Chilibomb is the first in the area to serve an impressive array of mouthwatering chilis in addition to having created an Oscar worthy brand for his business. Peter started making chili simply because, he liked it...a lot. From there, he started entering his chili into the numerous fairs and chili contests around the area. You may have also known him back in the late 80’s when he ran a food truck called Buffalo Pete’s serving hot dogs ‘n’ chili. After jobs in the food industry behind the scenes, he decided it was time to bring his chili dream to life. “Chilibomb,” aptly named after his hot selling chili of yester year, was finally coined and trademarked in 2008.
I’m tough on crêperies. I can’t help it. I’m constantly comparing their crêpes to the ones of my French childhood summers spent in Brittany, the northwest peninsula of France and the crêpe’s birthplace. My great-grandmother made them in her two room farmhouse –– she poured the mixture of buckwheat flour, salt and water onto a billig, a hot, round, buttered, grill surface, then with her rozell, a small toothless rake, she spread this batter into a fifteen-inch-round sphere the thinness of butterfly wings. As the batter bubbled there and the edges browned, she coaxed the half cooked, wobbly, crepe onto her long, wooden spatula and flipped it over, intact. The crêpe continued cooking this way until completely golden, signaling to her to scrape this fragile delicacy gently off the billig with her spatula. From here she held the hot crêpe between her fingertips and the spatula. She then placed it onto a waiting plate, setting the crêpe down with the same carefulness as though she was putting a drowsy baby onto a pillow.
As a recent Westport transplant from New York City, one thing I find myself pining for from my former life is good sushi. A recent visit to ShikiHana in Fairfield has changed all that. Located in a strip mall in Fairfield, ShikiHana has the nondescript atmosphere of countless Japanese restaurants, but the surprise is in the food: some of the freshest, well prepared sushi I’ve had in a while.
Liz Rueven is a CTbites contributor and the founder of a new blog, Kosher Like Me.
The Stand Juice Company opened a second location in Fairfield , CT five weeks ago and they are rockin’ already. Carissa Dellicicchi and Mike Hrizdo, the dynamic husband and wife duo behind the Stand in Norwalk (opened in 2006), complement each other perfectly.
Carissa is the cook and creative force and Mike is the organizer and funny man. They first met in Miami at a raw foods market and bonded over their love for organic vegetarian eats and their passion for exploring the connection between better eating and healing the body.
Attn. Fairfield County fro-yo lovers. Pinkberry has some big news and great new services coming to their Fairfield location! And if you reside further South, they've got something for you too. Downtown Greenwich store is opening soon.
Curbside Pick Up
For those times when you need your Pinkberry fix but you don't feel like braving the parking challenges of downtown Fairfield, let the fro-yo come to you. Yes…I kid you not. Just call in your order 15 minutes prior to desired pick up time and sidle (or idle) up to the curb. One of Pinkberry's friendly servers will happily walk your frozen dessert to your car.
The following is our first mother & daughter review. Jessica Ryan is in the 7th grade.
Rebecca: The other day my mother, brothers and I went to try Chip’s, a new restaurant on Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield (where Blockbuster’s was) for lunch. The restaurant was busy, sunny and clean. As soon as we walked in a waiter brought us to a booth by the window. The restaurant is spacious with lots of tables in the middle and booths all along the sides. There were a couple of large TVs hanging from the ceiling and we could see the kitchen from where we were sitting.
School is back in session, and I don't mean the kind that requires boarding a yellow school bus. I'm talking about an education involving terms like bloomy, soft-ripened, blue-vein, washed-rind, and brined. Fairfield Cheese Company's Fall/Winter cheese class schedule is out with a full offering for any level of cheese appreciation. Check out the full line up below:
Lovers of Bánh mì, the Vietnamese sandwich, were crestfallen when Pacific Foods(1561 Black Rock Turnpike, Fairfield (203) 220-9450) closed just a few months after opening. I’m thrilled to report it’s back, under the same management. Good news is that this hole-in-the-wall storefront now has three tables for eating in.
As CT Bites previously reported, the menu offers summer rolls, pho and bubble tea, and there’s a small grocery section. But here’s what you have to order: the bánh mì. It could be described as a Vietnamese sub. Like a sub, the classic version combines cold cuts and crisp vegetables. But this light, well-proportioned sandwich is not an over-stuffed meat- feast, and each component reveals the way that the French colonization of Vietnam melded the flavors and cooking techniques of the two cultures.
Every once in a while something new comes to town that we just have to explore! This time, it’s Pacific Food on the Black Rock Turnpike that adds a little bit of Asian flavor to the shopping options in Fairfield. We visited Pacific Food recently to see what kind of eclectic goodies we could fill our shopping carts with. After all, it’s about time we started using our wok pans for something worth wok-ing!
Pacific Food is a unique Asian market open almost three months in a small shopping center just as Blackrock Turnpike splits into Tunxis Hill. The small footprint of the grocer packs a punch – offeringcounter-style favorites such as Vietnamese sandwiches, Japanese-style smoothiesin a rainbow of flavors and a decided-upon favorite, traditional Chinese Bubble Tea.
Some things just NEED to be fresh - my dental hygienist's breath, hotel bed sheets, and most definitely - my sushi. That is why FIN in Fairfield is my pick for outstanding Sushi restaurant in the area. We sat outside for this latest visit, overlooking the Post Road. But the indoor seating is just as comfortable with capacity for about 50. FIN isn't fancy and it isn't trendy. The decor is simple and unassuming and the wait staff is as friendly as they come. But most importantly, the fish - well - it's delish.
BODEGA: hispanic/spanish/:Latin mini-mart, kind of like a 7-11, but usually smaller and more like a liquor store atmosphere. The word came from the actual Spanish word for "grocery store"- le bodega.
The following are two takes on opening night @ Bodega Taco Bar in Fairfield, the 1st by Stephanie Webster, the 2nd by a new CTbites contributor, Emily Sackett.
Chef Michael Young, owner of the popular Valencia Luncheria, is expanding his cult following and heading to Fairfield. His highly anticipated new venture, Bodega Taco Bar, opened this week at 1700 Post Road representing a culinary journey from Venezuela to Mexico. The concept? "Tacos and tequila with a slice of Brooklyn" says Young. The new menu features Mexican beach food… tacos, tortas, and well priced platos. Loyal Valencia diners will find that the menu retains the casually vibrant Latin American flavors they have come to crave, but at Bodega Taco Bar, breezy cabana meets bar scene chic resulting in tacos with a playfully upscale twist.
“I can hear myself speak” was my sentiment shortly after arriving at Liana’s. It’s kind of nice in this age of lofty wine bars and chic locales to find respite at a place on the cozy side that makes an effort to slow the pace down just a little.
Despite its small street level space on Tunxis Hill Road in Fairfield, Liana’s Trattoria accommodates a full bar and two high top tables to the left through the entry, with a half wall separating it from the dining room to the right. The ceilings are low and with lights dimmed the ambience is, dare I say, intimate.
Liana DeMeglio, who worked for a long time at Pasta Nostra in Sono, greeted and sat us, returning frequently to check on us throughout the meal, while hours before she was in the kitchen making desserts and the ricotta gnocchi renowned by repeat diners. It’s readily apparent that she’s the lady of the house;
Reheated is a twice-weekly round-up of bite-sized food news in Connecticut and beyond.
In Connecticut...
A book signing & reception at Fairfield Cheese Company on Dec. 17 from 5 to 7 pm with Angela Miller, author of HAY FEVER: How Chasing a Dream on a Vermont Farm Changed My Life. Call for info: 203.292.8194.
Crumbs in Greenwich is finally open and will give away 1,000 cupcakes on Sat., Dec. 18 beginning at 8 a.m. Info The Feast.
Breaking food news in New Canaan includes a new fro yo joint, an expansion for Chef Luis and a new Italian market. Info Patch.com.
SoNo Baking Company's John Baricelli shares a grown up recipe for ginger snaps. Recipe via RidgefieldCTBlog.com.
The Stamford Advocate is reporting there will be a new grocery store opening soon in Stamford's Springdale section on Hope Street. Info Stamford Advocate.
There are lots of NYE bashes, but only Thali will celebrating with an Indian DJ, Bollywood Masala songs, and an Indian grand buffet dinner at $70 pp. RSVP @ Thali.
