Foodie Road Trip: Three Days in Cape Cod Restaurant Cape Cod Road Trip Seafood Elizabeth Keyser July 17, 2012 Cape Cod is the perfect summer road trip destination for busy people. About a three-hour drive from Fairfield, Connecticut, the towns of Woods Hole and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, hold good news for food lovers. On a recent three-day getaway, my husband and I sought casual-but-good waterfront places where shorts fit the dress code. We discovered inspired and classic renditions of New England fare. Woods Hole is where the ferry leaves for Martha’s Vineyard, but it’s a destination in itself. The quaint gray-shingled town rests on a spit of land, where on a recent idyllic summer day, sunlight sparkled on the water, and breezes blew stress away. Ah, vacation. Read More
Chef Demo: Barcelona's Chef Helton DaSilva @ WFM July 19 CTbites Team July 16, 2012 This Thursday, July 19th, a little bit of Spain is making its way down to Westport in the form of Executive Chef Helton DaSilva from Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant. Chef DaSilva, of Barcelona in Fairfield, will be keeping it cool as this heat wave passes, with two salads this Thursday. His first demonstration, a chilled green bean salad with almonds and olives is perfect alone or as an accoutrement to just about any summer dish. The second, a cucumber mint and cilantro salad, is crisp and light, sure to awaken your taste buds. With the exception of the almonds and olives, all of the vegetables in these salads are sourced locally, from Barcelona’s very own garden in Fairfield. Read More
Craft Butchery "Pig On The Plaza" Event July 22nd Stephanie Webster July 16, 2012 Join Craft Butchery on Sunday, July 22, 2012, from 5-7 pm for the First Annual Pig on the Plaza event, held in front of the shop. They will be cooking one pig in a traditional smoker, and roasting another in a “La Caja China” box. Beer and wine will be provided by Saugatuck Grain and Grape. Details Cost: $15 per person Advanced purchase required (see below) No cancellations, no cash back. Rain date: August 12th. In the event of very bad weather on July 22nd, we may need to postpone the event. If this happens, we will offer an exchange for merchandise in the shop should you be unable to attend. Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds. Tickets (online purchase available for July 22nd event only) Saugatuck Craft Butchery 575 Riverside Ave Westport, CT 06880 (203) 226-MEAT Read More
LeRose Tries A New Recipe At Bar Q in Stamford Restaurant BBQ Stamford Take Out Kid Friendly James Gribbon July 15, 2012 "We're trying to establish Connecticut barbeque," says Bob LeRose, adding wood to the smoker cooking our ribs. I'm peppering Bobby Q himself with questions while trying not to lose my footing on the floor of the kitchen at the new Bar Q and simultaneously avoiding the hustling form of chef Tom Doherty. LeRose's second restaurant, located at 15 Clark Street in Stamford behind Black Bear, is the latest in his slow-smoked outreach program to those of us on the Sound. "This isn't Bobby Q's," he's quick to point out. "This is its alter-ego." Read More
Behind the Wheel of Westport's Ice Cream Truck Restaurant Westport ice cream Kid Friendly CTbites Team July 13, 2012 “Old McDonald” plays loudly over the sound system as two 19-year-old Westport boys, Jon Camche and Rick Snyder, cruise the streets of Fairfield County in their bright yellow vehicle. Occasionally the lyrics to “Happy Birthday” ring through the air, other times “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” repeats. With over 50 different children’s songs on their playlist, these two college boys take their business seriously. The 1964 Chevrolet milk truck has been transformed to deliver a different sort of dairy product – ice cream! Camche and Snyder, owners of Everybody Scream Ice Cream, are continuing to put smiles and melted sweets on locals’ faces for the second summer in a row. Summer favorite offerings include a few familiar faces: Chipwhich, SpongeBob Squarepants Popsicle, Screwball, Choco Taco, Firecracker, and the Strawberry Shortcake bar. Read More
Lorca Coffee & Churro Shop to Open in Stamford This Fall Restaurant Bakery Coffee Stamford Opening Amy Kundrat July 12, 2012 Lorca, a 10-12 seat coffee shop that will serve home-made churro and doughnuts, will be opening this October ar 125 Bedford Street in Stamford. Leyla Dam developed a passion for churro stands as a child growing up in Spain. When she completed architecture school in Brooklyn and was faced with few job prospects in her field, she returned to her roots finding investors to allow her to design and launch a churro and coffee shop. Part of the process of opening Lorca included moving to Seville to learn how to make churros and working with Rachel Haughey at Espresso Neat to learn how to make impeccably brewed coffee. In addition to developing the business and recipes, Dam is also designing the shop, a perfect blend of her passion for the churro and degree in architecture. As Dam explains, "Basically this is a total dream come true. I get to feed people, meet people, and design without a client. I couldn't ask for anything more!" Read More
FroYo World Opens on Westport / Norwalk Border Restaurant Westport Kid Friendly Dessert CTbites Team July 12, 2012 There’s a new yogurt place in town and Froyo World is a delicious treat you don’t want to miss! Located at 361 Post Road West between John’s Best and Milo’s Methods, in Westport, this hidden gem is sure to delight you. Going to school in North Carolina, there are at least four frozen yogurt shops within five miles of me and as a result I have developed a growing (and healthy??) obsession with this frozen treat. Of course, I have my favorites and a few classic concoctions I tend to repeat, but I’m always looking for something new. As the frozen yogurt fad continues to grow, many shops are becoming interchangeable, offering similar flavors with the same standard toppings. That being said, I walked into Froyo World after their grand opening Saturday, June 29th eager to see what I’d find. Read More
Bodega Taco Bar to Open in Darien Restaurant Darien Mexican CTbites Team July 11, 2012 According to the Lunch Break Chronicles, Bodega Taco Bar will be opening in Darien at 980 Post Road this fall. Read More
The 6th Annual Shoreline Wine Festival in Guilford CTbites Team July 11, 2012 The Shoreline Wine Festival takes place on August 11 & 12 and features Vineyards and Wineries from all over Connecticut at Bishop's Orchards Farm Market & Winery. Come sample the fruits of their labor. Enjoy food from local restaurants. Taste products from local businesses. Enjoy and purchase crafts from local artisans. Expand your knowledge of food and wine at seminars offered by local experts. Enjoy all of this while listening to the sounds of live music of renowned bands from around New England. Ticket admission includes tastings, entertainment, and more. Food is provided by local food vendors for an additional price. Wine from all participating wineries is available for sale at the event. For more information, visit www.shorelinewinefestival.com. Sponsored and Hosted at Bishop's Orchards Farm Market & Winery, 1355 Boston Post Road, Guilford, CT. Read More
Amuse Bouche: Food News for July 10, 2012 Restaurant Westport Beer CTbites Team July 10, 2012 Happy Hour with CTBites Come on down to the Dressing Room TONIGHT (tickets are $40), July 10 for Happy Hour on the patio from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Price of entry will secure you two drinks and appetizers as we reveal our cocktail naming contest winner. Summer Chill: Food and Music to Benefit FTC The Fairfield Theater Company is a non-profit group well worth supporting. They bring excellent music, theater, comedy and film to their locations at The Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport and Stage One by the Fairfield Train station. They will host Summer Chill this Friday at Stage One with food courtesy of Molto, an open bar, and entertainment by The Fry Daddys on Friday, July 13. Beer Run Eli Cannons Tap Room in Middletown will host a Saranac Brewing beer tasting TONIGHT, July 10 featuring their Blueberry Blonde, Chocolate Orange Porter and Lemon Ginger Saision. They'll have a Stone Brewing Ruination 10th anniversary party tomorrow July 11.Speaking of Ruination, Prime 16 in New Haven will also host an event on Thursday, July 12 featuring 10th Anniversary Ruination and a Double Dry Hopped Ruination. At the new Bottlerocket of Westport, check out two free tastings this week: Thursday, July 12, 4-7pm: Locally made (Port Chester, NY) Honey Comb Vokda from StilltheOne Distillery and Saturday, July 14, 4-7pm: In honor of Bastille Day we'll be pouring both Lillet Rosé and Kronenbourg 1664 beer. Read More
Chef Michael Batt @ Westport Farmers' Market Restaurant Farmers Market Westport CTbites Team July 10, 2012 Chef Michael Batt has been on the Food Network, trained under master chefs Geoffrey Zakarian (Town, LeCirque), Gray Kunz (L’Espinasse) & Terrence Brennan (Picholine, Artisinal), and is coming to this Thursday as the guest chef at the Westport Farmers’ Market on July 12. Eight years ago Michael Batt was the talk of New York, well on his way to becoming the next big thing in the City. Working at restuarants including City Hall, Thom, and Terrence Brennan’s Seafood & Chop House, Chef Batt was rapidly working his way to the top. Then fate stepped in and he met his wife, Gallia. Shortly after, the two moved to Connecticut and took over Food Design, then run by another husband and wife team. Today, Michael and Gallia run their business like a family, with many of the staff with them since 2004. Read More
Provençal Cuisine at l'escale in Greenwich Amy Kundrat July 08, 2012 Over the years, l’escale in Greenwich, CT has settled comfortably into its inimitable harbor location, continuing to be a port of call for many discerning diners in the surrounding zip codes and home many notable chefs along the way. Not satisfied to rest on its rankings and get by on its good looks, owner/operator Rick Wahlstedt (Artisan, Le Colonial, Japonais and La Goulue) recently hand-picked a team of veterans, including its opening Executive Chef Frederic Kieffer, to revive the l’escale esprit de corps. The care that went into selecting a talented team, a trio of veterans with venerable ties to fine French dining, has also been carried over to a seafood-centric Provençal menu. The result is a renewed focus that translates to ocean-centric Gallic refinement for one of Greenwich’s best dining destinations. 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
South End to Open in New Canaan Restaurant New Canaan Opening Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger July 05, 2012 The expanding number of New Canaan restaurants continues with the announcement of the newest addition, South End, which will open prior to Labor Day on Pine Street next to New Canaan Wine Merchants and feature the culinary creations of Chef Nicholas Martschenko. He is joined at South End by his business partner Keith Siskind, the former General Manager of Tarry Lodge in Port Chester, who will oversee the front of the house. Read More
Harvest Supper in New Canaan Closes Restaurant News CTbites Team July 05, 2012 Residents and visitors who walk down Elm Street in New Canaan will notice a change in the restaurant scenery. After several years Harvest Supper closed its doors on Saturday, June 30. Known in town for incredibly delicious food and included on my list of recommended hamburgers in Fairfield County, many will miss the coziness of the interior and the inventive cuisine designed by Chef Dan Kardos. Stay tuned as CTbites investigates where Restaurateur Grace Lamb next takes her culinary vision. Read More
Flour City Pasta: Organic Artisinal Pasta at Your Local Farmers' Market Restaurant Farmers Market Organic Pasta CTbites Team July 05, 2012 Farfalle, Fettuccine, Orecchiette, Penne, Fusilli, Orzo…..the list goes on, and my heart beats a little faster each time I hear one of these magical words. That’s what pasta is really, a little bit of magic. It has the power to transport you to your first bite of mac and cheese in your Grandma’s kitchen, to Sunday night baked spaghetti, to home. Although I am not Italian, pasta has always been a part of my life and my weakness. This long-lasting relationship began when I was in a high chair, with bowties and butter and has since spiraled to squid ink fettuccine topped with sautéed scallops served in a warm Gorgonzola cream sauce as a college student today. In between, there has been shrimp alfredo, orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sweet sausage, vegetable lasagna, and the classic Bolognese. As I grow, so does this list. Read More
Dinners at the Farm Begin this Week in East Lyme CTbites Team July 03, 2012 The sixth season of Dinners at the Farm begins this Thursday evening, July 5 for six nights at White Gate Farm in East Lyme, CT. There are a limited number of tickets still available. Check availability and RSVP. A portion of the proceeds from this seasons' dinners will benefit: CitySeed, Connecticut Farmland Trust, Working Lands Alliance and new this year Region 4 Schools' healthy lunch program. Check their facebook page for updates and menus. Here's a sampling of this weekend's menu: Read More
Plan B Burger Bar: Pre Prohibition Dinner Restaurant Events Milford Burgers Cindy Hartog July 03, 2012 Many have described me as a Plan B Burger Bar addict! As a professional chef, most people assume I am a food snob, only interested in 5 Star dining venues. This is not the case. When I eat out, I am looking for quality and ambiance. Ambiance can mean elegance but it can also mean, as in this case, just plain fun! While Plan B’s special Prohibition event was all about the past, it is important to note that the Plan B Burger Bar's everyday menu shines with top notch natural beef burgers (veggie, portabella, salmon, and chicken versions are available too), salads, fun starters, a great assortment of fries, and weekly specials. If you have never been to Plan B Burger Bar before, last week’s Pre Prohibition Dinner would not have been an accurate introduction. Their Pre Prohibition Dinner was a forage into a new land. It was more of a Five Star dining experience, with expertly plated food and service, and even more unique top-notch drinks. Read More
