Word of mouth, and great word at that, brought me to The Spread, a spanking new dining hot spot in Sono. Two months young, the restaurant is the result a partnership of four guys, all with two decades-worth of bar and restaurant experience combined, plus one young and very talented chef, Arik Bensimon. Formerly the Executive Chef of Napa & Co., Chef Arik brings the food in this rustic yet hip joint to a level of excellence and seriousness not seen in Fairfield County in some time. The Spread’s menu is global in scope. It represents a range of cultures--Arik’s Moroccan background and French training, the partners' of Costa Rica, Italy, and France with a dash of New York and California in the mix. Indeed, the menu is all over the place, locally sourced and international, but somehow this eclectic mishmash works. Though dishes are simply titled on the menu, they are, in fact, complex and beautifully executed.
What is all that activity on the corner of Washington and Main Streets in SONO? CTbites has discovered that SBC Restaurant and Brewery will open its fifth location in the space formerly occupied by Wasabi Chi. Currently name NOLA, SBC's Bill Dasilva told CTbites that the new restaurant will be an Oyster bar with “twists on traditional seafood from New Orleans to Maine” in “a very casual, comfortable and cool” atmosphere. The opening is targeted for February 2013.
Overseeing the kitchen will be long time favorite to many in Fairfield County, Executive Chef Dan Kardos. Chef Kardos began his culinary career with SBC while a teenager and worked in several Fairfield County restaurants over the last few years including Napa & Co., Harvest Supper, @Bar Rosso, and most recently with Chef Bill Taibe at The Whelk.
Chef Bernard Bouissou of Bernard's in Ridgefield is somewhat of a Fairfield County legend amongst both chefs and diners alike. Talented chefs including Arik Bensimon and Bill Taibe have gained valuable skills in his contemporary French kitchen, and when it comes to entertaining, no one has a larger repertoire of beautiful holiday recipes.
Recently, Chef Bouissou stepped into CTbites' test kitchen to demonstrate his recipe for Baby Pumpkins filled with Pumpkin Mousseline, Sautéed Shrimp & Wild Mushrooms. These are stunning on a Thanksgiving table and simple to make. Watch the video for great tips while you try out this recipe at home (Recipe Below).
Chef Leticia Schwartz is the author of The Brazilian Kitchen, the cookbook that made Brazilian cooking accessible to the masses. She has appeared on The Today Show and teaches cooking classes in Fairfield County and NYC.
Welcome November! With the aftermath of hurricane Sandy and the elections behind us, I think we all want to move on to Thanksgiving, just around the corner, and the perfect occasion to be thankful for what we have. This is my favorite American Holiday and truly the biggest gourmet feast on the calendar year.
As a Brazilian living in the US, it took me a few years to understand the deep meaning of Thanksgiving— especially the repeated menu every year. On the other hand, the chef in me loves to see the whole country talking turkey and cooking this one giant meal.
One of my favorite desserts from the Thanksgiving picture is Pecan Pie. Over the last few years I have tried recipes from magazines, newspapers, cookbooks, and web sites. They are all good but in every recipe I wish something was different. There are just so many variables that impact the end result of a pecan pie.
“The SoNo scene has lost a bit of luster and we'd like to help bring some flavor back downtown,” says Chris Hickey, Co-Owner of The Spread opening October 2012.
Mr. Hickey, and his partners, Christopher Rasile, Andrey Cortes, and Shawn Longyear may be just the men for the job. With strong backgrounds in hospitality and almost legendary careers managing Bar at Barcelona’s SoNo and Greenwich locations, these four partners are poised to create some dining buzz in Michael Young's former Habana location.
But, despite boasting one of the largest bars in Fairfield County, The Spread is not just about creative cocktails. Enter the talented Chef Arik Bensimon, most recently the Executive Chef at Napa & Co., and now you’ve got yourself some serious culinary street cred to compliment the talent behind the bar.
Gavrielides Restaurant Group, the family behind Harbor Lights, Eastside Café, and Overtons, all located in Norwalk, have added yet another egg to their already full basket of food establishments.
Recently opened “Estia”, which shows off the Gavrielides family’s Greek roots, is a welcome addition to SONO’sWashington Street. It’s official: This tiny block now proudly boasts a veritable potpourri of cuisine, and with Greek cuisine now on offer, it is fast becoming a diners paradise. Let’s hope Estia, along with its’ neighboring partners in crime can live up to the increasing demand for quality, sophisticated food, so SONO can continue to thrive.
Corinne Trang, author of The Asian Grill, and local Fairfield County resident, is back with some holiday recipes that will get you eating out of the traditional Thanksgiving box.
Thanksgiving is a holiday my family adopted when we moved from France to the U.S. in 1978. And eating turkey on that day meant that the bird would never be seen again at our Christmas table as tradition dictated in the past. Our new American holiday quickly became another excuse to get together with family and friends and eat all day until our stomachs would burst. In that way, we were no different than other families joyfully eating their way through a 20-pound plus bird, side dishes, and desserts, except that…
Thank you to Chef Matt Storch of Match Restaurant in South Norwalkfor this next Thanksgiving recipe, Jack Daniels Whipped Sweet Potatoes w/ Brown Butter, Maple Syrup & Goat Cheese. Excuse me...I think I may have just drooled on my keyboard.
If you're looking for a less boozy side dish (Lord knows why this would be), check out Matt Storch's recipe for MATCH's Luscious Whipped Potatoes. Light and creamy, these are sure to please guests of all ages...even that sister-in-law who never smiles.
Everyone's favorite winter harvest holiday is soon upon us and it's time to start lining up those Thanksgiving recipes. While some have tried and true favorites passed down from generation to generation, my family is slightly more A.D.D. (attention deficit disorder) about the whole affair. Every year becomes an "exciting" opportunity to test out new dishes (some savored...some spit out) and pave the way for new traditions. We have however found that the best recipes often come from our local chefs. Hence, CTbites brings you the first in a series of Thanksgiving recipes from the Fairfield County chefs you know and love, starting with Executive Chef Jon Vaast of The Dressing Room. Enjoy!
Opening up the latest issue of Fine Cooking, we found it impossible to take our eyes of the cover. So who better to kick off our series of Thanksgiving Day recipes than the good folks at Fine Cooking who came up with this amazing-looking recipe and have let us share it with you. So if you've got the bird in your sights but are lacking inspiration, here is one recipe you may want to consider.
Butter & Herb Roasted Turkey with Madeira
Serves 10 to 12, with a good probability of leftovers
It's the morning after. You swore the night prior that you would never look at turkey again, much less eat it. Alas, you walk downstairs, open the fridge and there it is staring you in the face. Not wanting to waste this tasty bird, one has to get creative....but not another sandwich...Turkey Pot Pie.
Napa & Co. wraps-up our Thanksgiving Day Virtual Potluck Dinner with a decadent take on stuffing...Chestnut Corn Bread & Fois Gras Stuffing to be exact.
A hearty thank you to all the chefs, bloggers and readers who took the time to share one of their favorite recipes on on of our favorite holidays.
Thank you to Gayatri Batra for her recipe submission for "The Yummiest Cranberry Sauce Ever."
My five year old son, Jai owns this sauce! When he was in pre-school, he learnt how to make it with his teacher Ms Michelle Fulton for a class Thanksgiving Feast. He could not get over how easy it was to make and how good it tasted. He was completely bowled over when he was complimented on his culinary skills! That sealed his ownership on this sauce and has converted him into a cranberry lover.
I know everyone has their favorite mashed potato method. Some like it lumpy, some like it smooth, some like it baked in the oven so the top gets nice and crispy. This is a method of making super rich and creamy mashed potatoes using a ricer or food mill (cheap device you can find in any food store). I like the food mill better.
Note: Potatoes have a ton of starch, so if you do not want ‘gummy’ mashed potatoes, do not over cook them, and do not use a mixer or any other electric device to mix the potatoes. The idea is not to over work the potatoes.
When Michele Albano first got into pie-making, she burned out three ovens in her ski condo in Vermont supplying local farmers’ markets with pies made with “love and fresh fruit. ”Those days are long gone. She now operates Michele’s Pies out of a commercial kitchen and bake shop on Route 7 in Norwalk, delighting customers with award-winning crusted concoctions such as Chocolate Pecan Bourbon, Candyland and Ultimate Banana Split as well as old-fashioned favorites inspired by the pies she remembers her grandmother baking.
A cheese platter, like our "109 Thanksgiving Cheese Selection" is an easy and elegant way to ease into a holiday feast. Whether you buy a platter of craft your own, this is a great way to kick-off the holiday and can be endlessly repurposed into your holiday leftovers.
The first cheese selection is an award-winning Fiscalini Bandaged Cheddar, a mature cheddar aged in cloth from Modesto, CA. A little further south, I've chosen a smooth and bold blue with the Point Blue Reyes. For a lighter and creamier cheese, I chose the Vermont Butter and Cream Cremont an earthy selection from Vermont goats and cows. And finally, a Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper, a mild sheeps milk cheese from France with a slight nuttiness and nice body and one heck of a name.
