The Waters Edge at Giovanni’s (sponsored post)

Restaurant Catering Darien Events Seafood Steakhouse Lunch

CTbites Team June 26, 2013

The restaurant of The Waters Edge at Giovanni’s is a gem hidden at the fringes of Darien, Connecticut. The restaurant marries the subtleties of Italian cuisine with the boldness of an American Steakhouse to create a dining experience unique in its balance and complexity. Each menu selection is made from the freshest of ingredients and designed to tantalize the palette.

A core tenant of The Waters Edge at Giovanni’s is to serve only the best food and the best food starts with the best ingredients. Vegetable dishes, such as the restaurant’s stuffed zucchini flowers, are made from homegrown and hand picked vegetables to ensure maximum freshness. Seafood is purchased live whenever possible and, in the case of the restaurant’s blue point oysters, sourced locally and brought to the restaurant directly from the Tallmadge Brother’s boat in Norwalk. Beef, which the Restaurant’s staff butchers and ages in house to produce the best possible flavor and texture, is always prime Certified Angus Beef. This commitment to quality ingredients extends not just to the restaurant’s dining customers but also to the weddings and other events The Waters Edge at Giovanni’s hosts and caters.

The Connecticut Wine Festival Returns July 27th & 28th

Wine Tasting

CTbites Team June 25, 2013

The Connecticut Wine Festival will be returning this year for its fifth year of showcasing some of Connecticut’s best wines. It is a reflection on the growing popularity of Connecticut wines, which are quickly gaining a reputation as quality vintage worthy of attention from wine lovers everywhere.

This year, the Fifth Annual Connecticut Wine Festival will be staged again at the Goshen Fairgrounds in Litchfield County, on Saturday and Sunday, July 27th and 28th. Sponsored by the Connecticut Vineyard and Winery Association (CVWA) and presented by the CT Wine Trail, the festival features fine wines from a wide variety of local vintners, making it one of the “must attend” events of the summer. The festival also features wine classes, specialty food vendors, artisanal crafts, as well as a variety of live musical entertainment.

Mama's Boy Southern Table & Refuge: Southern in SONO

Restaurant Brunch Norwalk SONO Southern Lunch Kid Friendly

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger June 23, 2013

Visit Mama’s Boy Southern Table and Refuge in SONO and experience some good old-fashioned southern hospitality and cuisine. The newest addition to SONO offers a Georgian-Carolina cuisine with the flavors and ingredients not seen on other Fairfield County menus; not spicy Cajun or Creole but grits, okra, shrimp, catfish, with a little fried chicken thrown in.

Fairfield County native and owner Greer Fredericks, and her business partner Ami Dorel, bring a southern feel to the décor, and flavors to the menu, from Greer’s years in the South. Overseeing the kitchen is Chef Scott Ostrander who recently relocated from Jacksonville, Florida. His previous restaurant, ‘Town, won the Robert W. Tolf Award for Best New Restaurant from Florida Trend magazine and voted one of Jacksonville Magazine’s Northeast Florida’s Top 25 restaurants. After graduating from the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, Ostrander worked in restaurants from DC to Florida and brings authentic southern cuisine to the Mama’s Boy menu. Ostrander is currently sourcing many of his ingredients from South Carolina while simultaneously building a stable of local farms, vendors and merchants.

Strawberry Picking is On @ Bishop's Orchards

Ingredients Local Farm kids activity Kid Friendly

CTbites Team June 22, 2013

This just in from Bishop's Orchards...

"The 2012 Pick Your Own Season is OFFICIALLY here. Picking is at its peak right now so come PYO Strawberries this weekend, from 8:30 am - 5 pm. The Strawberry crop looks great this year and they are absolutely delicious and so sweet. Remember, our Strawberry season is only a few weeks long, so don't miss your chance to pick and enjoy the freshest local strawberries!

We hope to be open most mornings thru mid July, but weather conditions and the plentiful availability of ripe berries determines our daily schedule, so call in daily for our schedule. 203.458.PICK We hope to see you in the fields!"

For more information on Bishop's Orchards see their web site.

Meatball & Co. Opens in Darien

Restaurant Darien Italian Comfort Food Lunch Kid Friendly

CTbites Team June 21, 2013

Meatball & Co., in Darien, was in “soft opening” mode last week in anticipation of next week's "official" opening and CTbites stopped by to taste a few of their meatballs. The main entrance is in the rear of the building and I decided to sit on their patio and enjoy the beautiful weather. The menu is separated into numerous sections so please listen carefully as the server explains the various options.

I chose an assortment of sliders including a Beef with Cheesy Goodness, a Spicy Pork with Pesto and the special of the day, a Buffalo Chicken Slider. Each was served on a delicious and sweet brioche bun from Kneaded Bread in Port Chester.

Chef / Owner Joe Criscuolo showed a deft hand in both the texture and the flavors.

Friday Froth: Sunshower

Ingredients Friday Froth Beer

James Gribbon June 21, 2013

I have met a lot of great people at beer bars. Whether the conversation starts with an apology for bumping elbows or parachuting into someone's conversation, there's a good chance they won't act like you've tried to cut them off in traffic. Plus, there's always beer to talk about if the conversation stalls out - most people are there for the same reason, after all. I like beer bars, but June is hardly a time for working on your hunchback impression over rings stained into a wooden bar, is it? No, ma'am. The recent spate of thunderstorms have currently left my basement in good condition to solve the drought problems of the entire American southwest, but it's still outdoor drinking season, dammit.

Outdoor drinking, especially outdoor day drinking, is the best drinking. Park, yard, beach, rocky outcrop in the Dolomites, it doesn't matter: you've already escaped the four walls which house most of life's tedium. Simply getting outside at all apparently makes us happier all on its own, but a drink in the hand does tend to add a certain air of possibility.

Mecha Noodle Bar Opens in Fairfield: An Interview w/ Tony Pham

Restaurant Asian Fairfield Japanese Vietnamese Norwalk SONO

Nancy Kleeger June 20, 2013

Ramen noodles are having "their moment," and restaurateur Tony Pham, owner of Pho Vietnam in Danbury has just opened a new venture in Fairfield that will have fans of Asian food slurping without pause. Welcome to MECHA.

Pham, a Vietnamese American who opened Pho Vietnam at the tender age of 21, again uses his raw talent drawing from his years of experience traveling around the world and working in numerous kitchens. His newest baby, Mecha, located on Post Road in Fairfield is a hip, cozy joint that serves up Ramen as well as Asian street food. Consulting with a master Ramen chef, Tony Pham is placing all bets on this age old Japanese noodle..and we hear Pho is on the way. For a new restaurant aiming directly at the college crowd around Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, it's a perfect match.

Read our interview with Tony Pham below to find out more about Tony's family, the history of Ramen, the meaning of "MECHA," and what inspires Tony Pham.

And The Food 411 Winner Is....

Food 411

CTbites Team June 19, 2013

You've waited long enough. We are pleased to announce a winner for our recent Food 411, featuring this fine looking piece of meat.

The Restaurant is The Waters Edge at Giovanni's in Darien. Two readers guessed this venue, but the first person is the true winner, so Matt Pergo, you have won this round of Food 411.

Great guesses were made by everyone. If you're hungry, go check these guys out.

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 10^th & 11^th 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 18^th at 10:00 am Call 203.292.9555 or email bondarestaurant@hotmail.com

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:

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.

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.

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)

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.

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:

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.