BONDA En Plein Air Dining Event July 10 & 11 @ Greenfield Hill Grange CTbites Team June 19, 2013 Back by popular demand, BONDA takes dinner to the outdoors July 10th & 11th 6:30 pm at the Greenfield Hill Grange at #133 Hillside Road in Fairfield. BONDA will host two magical and intimate evenings dining in the open air, “en plein air.” Following a cocktail hour, featuring passed hors d’oeuvres, wine, and a BONDA special cocktail honoring the Grange, "The Granger," guests will be invited to a four course dinner (with wine of course!) artfully curated by Owner Jamie Cooper. All of this will be enjoyed in the sweet summer air with a background country orchestra of crickets and birds. Price: $150 per person all inclusive of tax and gratuity, non refundable but transferable, rain or shine. BONDA will begin taking reservations Tuesday, June 18th at 10:00 am Call 203.292.9555 or email bondarestaurant@hotmail.com Read More
Invites: Flower Arranging and Lunch at Da Pietro's CTbites Team June 18, 2013 Kick off summer with a special lunch time experience on TUESDAY JUNE 25th (TWO SEATS LEFT) OR THURSDAY JUNE 27th ( just added! ) from CTbites for $48-! Two favorite Fairfield County businesses join together for this unique Invite. Join Coreen of Bridge Floral in Southport at Westport's intimate Da Pietro's Restaurant from 11:00 am to 12:45 pm as she does a demonstration and offers tips about cut flowers and flower arranging and then guides you thru your own personal floral creation to take home. MORE INFORMATION HERE.Surrounded by your beautiful floral creations, enjoy a delicious 2 course lunch prepared by Chef Pietro Scotti followed by dessert and coffee. View Full Menu Below: Read More
The Best Store Bought Ice Creams: A Summer Roundup Lou Gorfain June 18, 2013 THE BEST STORE BOUGHT ICE CREAMS NOT “HAAGAN-DASZ” OR “BEN AND JERRY’S” Here’s the scoop on ice cream. It's not sold by weight, but by size. A pint of cheap ice cream is fluffed up 50 percent with air and tastes less deep, creamy, and rich as an equal volume of a better brand, which is pumped with only enough air to make it smooth. "That's why the first thing I do when picking an ice cream," explains Guy Chandonnet, the Frozen Foods buyer for Fairway Markets, "Is simply lift the container. If it's got heft, that's a good sign I'm going to like what's inside." Supermarkets carry up to 4 different grades of ice cream: Super-premium, Premium, Standard, and Economy. Aeration increases as you move down the ladder, butterfat concentration intensifies as you climb up, as do weight, price, calories, and sheer flavor. Until the Sixties, no groceries carried super-premium. It was only sold in specialty shops, home made and hand packed. But then an enterprising ice cream maven in the Bronx commercialized his family's recipe, labeled it Haagan-Dasz, a meaningless but marketable name, and created a heavy, high end ice cream for the mass market. It took off, inviting competitors, like two guys from Vermont who added mix-ins and called the confections "Ben and Jerry's." Even today these two brands still dominate the SP category. But in recent years, smaller, more artisanal companies have won space on supermarket freezer shelves, by crafting ice creams made with the freshest of sustainable ingredients, sourced locally, designed to deliver inventive flavor fusions, and marketed as tasting as good as what's offered at a gourmet ice cream shop. CTBites recently sampled some of the new super premiums available locally. We were both surprised and impressed with what we tasted. Read More
A New Chef @ Terrain's Garden Cafe in Westport Restaurant Farm to Table Local Artisan Westport Christy Colasurdo June 16, 2013 A recent event at Terrain brought together farmers, foodies and local food purveyors to kick off the spring season and to introduce the Garden Café’s new Executive Chef, Jared Frazer, to the Westport dining scene. The introduction of the new chef is good news to fans of Terrain who previously gave mixed reviews to Garden Café’s food. After a few lunches and the recent spring dinner party, it’s clear that Chef Frazer has a firm grip on the farm-to-table concept, recently completing a stint as Sous Chef at Terrain’s Glen Mills flagship café. He brings over 13 years of culinary experience including Executive Chef and Chef de Cuisine at Supper in Philadelphia and Perry’s in Washington, DC. He also worked with world renowned Chefs Jose Andres and Michel Richard in several top restaurants throughout Washington, DC, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Read More
Food 411: Name the Restaurant That Served This... CTbites Team June 14, 2013 Where did the CTbites staff put down this Porter House? (The first person to guess the restaurant wins CTbites swag) Read More
1st Annual Pork In The Park BBQ Festival in Stamford CTbites Team June 14, 2013 Who doesn't want Pork In The Park? The Stamford Mill River Collaborative, the Stamford Mayor’s Youth Employment Program and Bar Q BBQ Saloon invite you to the 1st Annual Pork in the Park BBQ Festival. The festival will take place in the Mill River Park and Greenway in Stamford on July 13 and 14. There will be tasty food, cooking demos, swinging music, a kids' play zone and the crowning of the official Connecticut BBQ Champion, per the rule and regulations of the Kansas City BBQ Society. BBQ contestants wil be judged in four classic categories: Chicken, Ribs, Pork butt, & Brisket. The winner of each category will receive cash and a trophy. The competition is open to any and all BBQ lovers. To learn more about how you can participate, click here All proceeds from the festival will support summer interns of the Mayor’s Youth Employment Program, including those placed at the Mill River Park and Greenway. Read More
Seasonal Strawberry Recipes from Festivities Catering Features Cocktails Recipe Dessert CTbites Team June 13, 2013 Throwback Thursday: Seasonal Strawberry recipes originally posted June 2012 Wondering what to do with the 10 pounds of strawberries your family picked over the weekend? Festivities has some great ideas for you. Whether you like your berries boozy, savory or sweet, here are three seasonal strawberry recipes to suit every palate: Strawberry Sangria, Balsamic Macerated Strawberries with Sweetened Ricotta, and Strawberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Bites. Enjoy the complete recipes below: Read More
10 Questions for Chef Geoff Lazlo of The Whelk in Westport Interview Restaurant Chef Talk Stephanie Webster June 12, 2013 On any given day, Chef Geoff Lazlo can be found in his vegetable garden, with his young family, or in the kitchen at The Whelk in Westport. After years of working at renown restaurants such as Blue Hill Stone Barns, Chez Panisse, and most recently Gramercy Tavern, Geoff came back to CT where he was born, to join team Bill Taibe. “I made an effort to work at the very best restaurants while I was in New York City,” says Lazlo, “but I was never really an urban person. When I was 5 years old I turned my sandbox into a garden.” As passionate locavores who care deeply about the integrity of each and every ingredient, Taibe and Lazlo would agree that this has been a perfect match. After a few months at Le Farm which Geoff says “was a great opportunity to be in a small chef driven kitchen after Gramercy Tavern," Geoff took over the helm at The Whelk (recently voted Best Seafood Restaurant in Fairfield County). When asked about The Whelk, Geoff said, “I’m a really academic guy and I like the challenge of approaching seafood with multiple cooking methods.” “Bill and I have a similar spirit, but we come at food from two different angles. I cook clean and light, and Bill encourages me to add that last ingredient that pushes it further.” Read More
Iskream: Walnut Beach Creamery Owner Creates New Brand Without "Real" Sugar Ingredients ice cream Kid Friendly Dessert Nancy Kleeger June 11, 2013 There is nothing I love more than a good "grass roots" story - and this particular story involves a love affair with a sweet confectionary that has stood the ultimate test of time. It is the result of one local Milford woman's passion for creating great ice cream and an idea to lower ice cream's sugar content. I'm sure this ice cream innovator's tale, will soon become a part of "sweet" history, right there alongside the revered Mrs. Fields. I think it is safe to say that most Americans could conjure up iconic visions of having ice cream on a hot summer's day at the beach.. at the ballpark.. at family picnics and at birthday celebrations. Ice cream is inherently part of the American Way of life - be it chocolate, vanilla, mint-chocolate chip or strawberry, be it from a store, an ice-cream cart or the beloved Good Humor man and his captivating bells. Iskream, the brainchild and collaboration of Susan Patrick and Biagio Barrone, was born out of Susan's very own creamery in Milford. She owns the storefront Walnut Beach Creamery which has been churning out amazing, inventive flavors to locals since 2007. Read More
Bourbon Tasting at Field House Farm in Madison Ingredients Cocktails Amy Kundrat June 11, 2013 Field House Farm is hosting a Bourbon Tasting on Saturday, June 22 with Bourbon Specialist and President of the Louisville Kentucky Bourbon Society, Paul Meyer for an exclusive and rare tasting ofKentucky Bourbons. A selection of five to six bourbons will be presented and discussed. Chef David Borselle and Chef Eric Hole (of Bar Bouchee, Madison) will be providing appetizers for this outdoor event. Hen and Heifer Bakery will be presenting a special blend of sweets, specialty caramels, and chocolates. Read More
Bartaco Opens Today in Westport: Video Walk Through Restaurant Tacos Westport Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster June 10, 2013 The highly anticipated taco hot spot, Bartaco, will officially open their doors in Westport at 4PM tonight for dinner service. CTbites got inside early to check out the new styling dining room on Westport's Saugatuck River at 20 Wilton Road. This location will feature an outdoor patio, alongside their signature design elements and the now familiar just walked off the beach casual vibe. However, this new location is truly unique. Over the past year Bartaco has been researching Westport's archives, and guests will be delighted to find historic images seen throughout the restaurant, harkening back to Co-Owner Sasa's childhood in yes...Westport. In conjunction with this launch, diners will find some exciting new taco options on the menu. Taco additions include: Falafel, Fried Oyster, Curry Shrimp, Wild Boar and Sesame Ribeye. Check out the video for more information and a full tour of Bartaco Westport. Read More
Gold's Delicatessen In Westport: Real New York Style Deli Since 1958 Ingredients Restaurant Westport Deli Delicious Dives Breakfast Lunch CTbites Team June 09, 2013 Jarret Liotta is a veteran freelance writer whose articles and essays have appeared in over 75 different publications, including The New York Times & National Geographic. He is a native of Westport, Connecticut. I was browsing CTbites recently and was surprised and thrilled to find no contributor had yet posted a review of Gold’s Delicatessen in Westport, because now I get to do it. In a nutshell, if you taste a hot corned beef sandwich from Gold’s, you will be in Hebraic heaven. This is a real New York style Jewish deli, and as fine a one as I’ve ever found in New York or Miami. In one of the rarer gifts by today’s deli experience, Gold’s makes its own corned beef—as they make their own brisket. Both are excellent and, if you’re lucky—stay with me here—you’ll get a slightly fattier serving that is just astounding for its flavor and the kind of grand indulgent satisfaction you won’t find with the store-bought stuff served in most places. Read More
CTbites Voted "Best Local Blogger" in Fairfield Country Readers' Poll CTbites Team June 09, 2013 We almost forgot to share our good news. CTbites would like to extend a huge thank you to all of our readers and friends who voted for us to win "Best Local Blogger" & 2nd Place for "Best Local Twitterer" in the 2013 Fairfield County Readers' Poll. We are only as strong as our community of passionate foodies and eaters, and we look towards you for guidance. If you have tips, comments, or would like to let us know about a dining experience you've had in CT, please Contact Us. Read More
Friday Froth: A Tour Through The Exotic Beer @ Nepenthia, Part 2 Ingredients Oxford Beer James Gribbon June 07, 2013 Streamlined now, I returned to action. My kit included nothing but a camera, a notepad, a pen, the tasting glass they loaned me, and the clothes I hoped to still be wearing by the time I reemerged. I made my way confidently back into Nepenthia. Exotic, hand selected beers waited to be found all throughout the facilities at B. United International in Oxford, Conn. - spread across tables staffed by the men and women who made them. If Steve Inskeep's voice woke me from this dream I was going on a three state rampage. I crossed the threshold into BU's loading bay and saw lines of colorful bottles adorned with the owl of Hitachino. Toshiyuki Kiuchi, owner and brewmaster of Kiuchi Brewery (makers of Hitachno beers) was gesticulating madly with a broad smile on his face, making himself clear, or at least somewhat understood, to a group of bottle shop reps. Read More
3rd Annual International Food Festival at Olde Mistick Village Road Trip Restaurant Mystic Shoreline East CTbites Team June 07, 2013 Olde Mistick Village Merchants will host the 3rd Annual International Food Festival this weekend on June 8 and 9, 2013, from 11 am to 8 pm on Saturday, and 11 am to 6 pm on Sunday, rain or shine. This event is free and open to the public. The festival will present the best of international cuisines from numerous local restaurants and award winning executive chefs. Participating food purveyors will include: Beachside Catering, Harp & Dragon, Hub's Clam Shack, Johny's Peking Tokyo, Mango's Italian Ice, Mystic Diner & Restaurant, Portuguese Fisherman, Pizza Grille, Semolina Pasta Shop, Taste of India, The Pita Spot, Toasted, Zest Fresh Pastry and more. Read More
The Beer Garden at Harbor Point Hosts Community Plates Night Beer CTbites Team June 06, 2013 The Beer Garden at Harbor Point is hosting Community Plates Night at Harbor Point on Wednesday, June 19 from 4-9pm. The event is free, and open to the public. A percentage of all drink sales at the Beer Garden and food sales from Lobster Craft, Hot Off the Grille, VanChetta, the Rolling Rotisserie food truck & Mr. Frosty Mobile Ice Cream Truck are going to Community Plates to help connect food available for rescue with people who need it. All of the festivities are in the name of helping to end hunger in Fairfield County. For questions about the event, please contact communityplatesevents@gmail.com or we'll see you there. Read More
Chelsea, Spotted Horse Owners Sign Lease for Swanky Franks Space in Westport CTbites Team June 05, 2013 The lease on the old Swanky Franks at 1050 Post Road in Westport has been handed over to restaurateurs Kevin McHugh and Scott Beck who collectively co-own 6 restaurants in Fairfield County (including Spotted Horse, Gray Goose and The Chelsea). These guys bring some serious street cred to the party...and actually quite a bit of party as well. McHugh, who was the original co-owner and designer of The Little Pub in Ridgefield, plans to create a similar casual themed pub for lower Fairfield County area. Plans are being drafted and an open date is being targeted for the Fall. We will bring you more information as the build out begins. Read More
Local Chefs Speak @ Farmer-Chef Event, Wakeman Farm CTbites Team June 05, 2013 On Monday, June 17, a panel of distinguished restaurateurs and farmers is getting together at Wakeman Town Farm, 134 Cross Highway, Westport, to talk about The Farmer-Chef Connection. The public is invited to join local chefs including Bill Taibe (le Farm & The Whelk) and Nancy Roper (Boxcar Cantina) for a lively discussion about why it's more important than ever for restaurants to source and serve local foods, and why it's vital for consumers to support these local venues. Held at 6:30 p.m. at Wakeman Town Farm, the event will feature a moderated discussion between our area's top sustainable restauranteurs, food purveyors and consumers. Read More
L'Escale Hosts Serge Hochar of Chateau Musar Ingredients Wine Chat Natalie Kronick June 05, 2013 There are moments in the career of a wine sales rep that will forever last in ones' memory. One of those moments happened this past Friday night when I had the privilege of dining and tasting through some of the most remarkable and enigmatic wines of the world – Chateau Musar. To my delight, I had the rare opportunity to dine next to Serge Hochar, wine maker of Musar in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, at L'Escale in Greenwich, CT. The event was sponsored by Nicholas Roberts Fine Wine in Darien, CT by Peter Troilo. Serge came to speak with his son, Marc Hochar. In the lineup, we had six wines; three red and three white wines; all individually spellbinding and curious. But before I even start to tap into the amazing-ness that is Ch. Musar, I want to talk about Serge. Serge Hochar, in of himself, is an enigma. But he's the kind of puzzle that you can't stop playing with, like a rubix Cube or those metal trick toys that are so simple, yet hard to find the right notch. Serge has been an engineer, a doctor, a lawyer and in his lifetime and the only thing that has held his attention so long is wine. Talk about a man that has found his calling in life! His wines are right in line with his own personality. Read More
