Buddy Valastro, the star of TLC’s Cake Boss and owner of the famous Carlo’s bakery, is opening shop in Greenwich, CT, this fall. He talks to Serendipity about the sweet life and what to expect at the new site: delicious pastries, over-the-top cakes, and maybe even tv cameras!
Why did you choose Greenwich for your first Carlo’s Bakery out of New Jersey? I love it here, it’s a great town. I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve been able to spend here. There’s so much to do on Greenwich Avenue, and so many families in the area. I knew it would be a great fit for the first Carlo’s Bakery outside of New Jersey. I have friends who live in the Westchester area, so I’ve been able to get to know the area better when I visit them.
Everyone wants to know — will you be working at the new bakery? Of course, I’m going to be there as often as I can. I’m a hands-on person, and it’s very important for me to make sure that our Greenwich location will meet the same standards I’ve built for Carlo’s Bakery. So, I’ll be here to make sure we’re running smoothly.
At this time of year the internet is teeming with turkey recipes- brined birds, fried birds, bacon wrapped birds. November also signals an equally important time, football season! We wanted to share our favorite game day, “hangin’ with friends” snack foods. You know the “what you eat on the couch all day long, watching the game in your sweatpants” meal.
The trick to a successful game day with friends is to use make-ahead recipes, so all you have to do is invite your friends, grab the remote, and a seat on the couch.
We’ve taken the classics and added our Marcia Selden Catering touch. Keep it simple, use paper plates, have lots of napkins on hand, and use fun serving pieces. This will keep the feel casual, and most importantly, make clean up a breeze. Enjoy 3 great recipes: Mexican 7 Layer Dip, "Da Bomb" Chili Potato Skins, Michael's Maple Chicken Wings & Sausage Bread. Oh yeah!!
Did you know that October 25 was actually Champagne Day? So we don’t get the day off and the postal service still delivers, but it is, in fact, a holiday celebrated worldwide.
In honor of the occasion, Ruth Frantz of Henri’s Reserve hosted a champagne tasting at Southport Galleries in Southport, CT. She invited an assortment of clients, friends, foodies, wine enthusiasts, writers, and bloggers to try some of the beautiful champagnes she carries.
Henri’s Reserve is an interesting concept. While many of us are used to going to stores to pick up a bottle of wine, all of Ruth’s sales are done online. She represents small, family owned champagnes. Many of her offerings are relatively unknown; she advocates them because she believes in them.
Interestingly enough, Frantzgot her start dealing with larger champagne houses. One of her first restaurant jobs was with Eleven Madison Park.
Westchesterites and Nutmeggers...CHAR in Byram is open!
In the crazy scene that was this year’s Culinary Village at The Greenwich Wine+Food Festival there were a few major culinary stand outs…and one was a Grilled Octopus with Garlic Confit prepared by CHAR. From that single bite I knew that a visit to this Greenwich newcomer was required.
Situated along the river in Byram on the NY border, CHAR is owned by experienced GM, Jimmy Rucova, and his two brothers who also run Dolphin and Cafe Hudson, both in Yonkers. CHAR has a warm, but "cool" interior, with multiple dining spaces all outfitted with beautiful reclaimed wood. The wall coverings are former floor joists from old buildings in Brooklyn and the flooring is water-logged white oak from Alabama. A stone fireplace provides the focal point in the main dining room and antique brass fixtures dot the faux-tin ceiling to provide a casually hip environment.
The culinary landscape in Greenwich expands with the recent opening of Golden View Firenze at 249 Railroad Avenue with its owner, chef and menu direct from Florence, Italy. For many years Tommaso Grasso, owner of Golden View Open Bar overlooking the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, visited friends in the US and they recently convinced him to bring his upscale cuisine and vibe to Greenwich. He persuaded Italian chef Francesco Casu to join him from Florence, and the two have created a traditional and authentic Tuscan menu.
Entering the restaurant, you immediately feel the European influence in the décor. The sleek black and white tables and chairs were imported from Italy and the walls are all adorned with paintings also imported from Italy. The entire space has an inviting European hip ambience and is spacious for the forty guests who will dine on traditional Tuscan cuisine. The entire rear of the dining area is dedicated to the stainless steel kitchen with a Chef’s Counter for four lucky guests.
How cool is it to walk up to a 1952 Chevy Pick-Up truck and order a perfectly prepared Napoletana pizza, with great ingredients imported from Italy, prepared by a classical trained Italian chef, and baked in under two minutes in a blazing hot, wood-fired oven. Pizza Luca, the brain child of Chef Dean Medico, creates pizza masterpieces that are steeped in the tradition of Italy, using only the best ingredients from Italy to create three distinctly southern Italian pizza delicacies, the Marinara, the Margherita, and the sauce-less Bianca.
The best life has to offer often happens around the dinner table. Mealtime moments shared with family and friends over good food and good drinks. However, making a meal that will impress your guests is a time consuming feat, one that takes you away from those life-well-lived moments at the table. That’s when Book-a-Cook steps in, relieving you of any stress and work involved in planning a family meal, dinner party or culinary event. There is so much culinary prowess in Fairfield County, and with Book-a-Cook you can book a chef’s table right in your own kitchen.
Book-a-Cook was founded by Westport native and Fairfield resident, Ashley Hart. Hart, an Institute of Culinary Education graduate and former New York City and Hamptons personal chef, wanted to provide intimate access to some of the great chefs in this area. Many cities offer similar services, but the suburban market had yet to be tapped. “We live in a very social community and it seemed like the perfect fit,” says Hart. With the help of business partner Amy Strife, Book-a-Cook launched in January. “Our goal is to take a restaurant experience into your home and make the experience as seamless as possible,” says Strife. “You are able to have a much more personal experience with the chef.”
I like making (and drinking) this cocktail. Maybe it's because that you can't tell how bitter the Sibila Amaro is. It adds just the right amount of complexity to cut through the sweetness of the preserves. The Domaine Canton adds an underlying ginger spice while the Plymouth Gin and Carpano Antica Vermouth tie everything together. I like to call this kind of cocktail a "think or drink" cocktail. You can either think about every sip, analyze it and pull the flavors apart or just sip it on your front porch on a beautiful Summer day while watching the grass grow.
The Chelsea in Fairfield boasts a vibrant pub scene and some pretty tasty fare. Chef Matt Storch who oversees the kitchen with Jeff Spence (also from Match Restaurant) says, "There's a lot of love in every dish." Given the season, we were feeling the love for this classic mashup: Gazpacho meets Classic Mozzarella & Tomatoes. Enjoy this dish while tomatoes are still in season, because unless you are canning those beauties, the harvest time for local vipe ripened tomatoes is coming to a close in September.
Enjoy a little bit of The Chelsea in your kitchen.
Late summer offers some of the best produce of the season! For those of you who garden, you may be finding yourself with a bumper crop of plump sweet tomatoes. Here’s our recipe for a delicious tomato tart. Don’t let the word tart intimidate you, it’s deceptively easy to make, and absolutely perfect for a picnic at the beach or at home with friends.
Green & Tonic Opens Second Location In Greenwich with foods that find their power in both taste and healing.
As a California native who has spent the last 17 years living in Connecticut, I know health food in its many forms. I also know junk food disguised as health food. I’ve eaten my share of overpriced twigs and sprouts on tiny plates, overcooked veggies flavored with too much salt and oil, “natural” juices loaded with sugar and calories, and ingredients I couldn’t pronounce. In other words, you can’t fool me, baby. Butwhen I walked into Green & Tonic after it opened its second location in Greenwich, my doubts quickly vanished. This place walks the walk on healthy food. Oh, and it tastes good too.
Co-owner Jeffrey Pandolfino, a Johnson & Wales graduate with vast experience in the restaurant business, who ran his own operation for many years and also spent time at Pret A Manger, was motivated to serve healthy, organic food for another reason – he knew the healing power of food.
Fairfield county residents will be soon crossing the border (passports not required)-- into Upper Westchester County's suburb of Armonk, after this week's opening of Fortina. Chef Christian Petroni, recently Executive Chef of Greenwich's Barcelona Restaurant, is joined by John Nealon, ex-GM of the same provenance and Nealon's childhood friend, Rob Krauss as business partners. Both Nealon and Krauss originally hail from Westport. Petroni, a local himself, is also co-owner of Cooked & Co., in Scarsdale.
Recalling the many memorable meals he had eaten during his time spent in Italy, Petroni's vision was to bring Italy's simple authentic flavors, cooking methods and presentation to the dishes he serves at Fortina. This vision is executed with the help of 2 wood burning ovens imported straight from Naples, Italy which serve as a focal point in the main dining room. In fact with the exception of just a few menu items, everything is cooked in these fiery hearths...even a pasta dish or two! (And you should hear Petroni when he speaks of his ovens...like a proud new Papa )
Wilton residents, rejoice! Little Pub's second location is now open at 26 Danbury Road in Wilton. They will offer the same fare, and thanks to a much larger kitchen, will also be offering some new items. Check it out and please let us know what you think!
For the latest on their menu and what's on tap, check out littlepub.com and stay tuned to their Facebook page.
Harvest Wine Bar, located on the lower end of Greenwich Avenue, elevates the restaurant offerings in downtown Greenwich to a much higher level. The Sigueza brothers, Vicente and Kleber, can now add another fantastic restaurant to their portfolio, which includes Cave Wine Bar in New Canaan, Scena Wine Bar in Darien and 55 Wine Bar in Fairfield. A beautiful casual dining space in the front area is dominated by a large brick wall and accentuated with wood tables and chairs. You can continue walking to the rear of the restaurant and enjoy the long bar or tables, all with views through the large west-facing windows lining the entire rear wall of the restaurant.
Overseeing the kitchen is Chef Eben Leonardwho is migrating from Scena Wine Barwhere CTbites enjoyed his creativity and culinary talent on numerous occasions. His opening menu combines aspects from southern Europe, with a modern twist, to American classics.
In search of my culinary Dulcinea, I heard there was a new "cocinero" in the town. So, instead of hopping on a faithful nag, I got in my fickle Mini Cooper and headed to the Greenwich Barcelona for the culinary offerings of new head-chef, Michael Lucente. Chef Michael comes to Barcelona after 10 years of experience, starting as a graduate from the Culinary Institute of America. He has been Sous Chef at BLT Steak in Westchester and Napa in Stamford and head chef at La Promenade des Anglais in New York. He had the exciting opportunity to Sous Chef on Iron Chef America in April of last year and joined Barcelona Greenwich in November. Greenwich, you're in luck. And so are Barcelona patrons everywhere as the revamping of Barcelona's signature menu is making tapas-cravers everywhere muy feliz.
The Drawing Room is a trio of businesses - a design boutique, a café, and most recently, an art gallery - all owned by the husband and wife design duo Kenleigh and Michael Larock. As designers, they are called upon to combine disparate elements and select accents that will bring harmony to a space. In this regard, The Artists’ Table Dinner was a perfect expression of their work. The Larocks, along with the Gallery’s Curator, Cameron Schmitz, and the Café’s Chef, Paul Lockely, brought symphonic harmony to their pairing of a five-course dinner with the art in the gallery’s current exhibition, Homeland.
The attention to detail and care with which the menu and the evening were planned were apparent not only in the way the staff spoke about the process from concept to creation, but also in their genuine level of excitement in sharing the art and the chefs’ inventive interpretations of it. Chef Paul Lockely, of the Drawing Room, and Guest Chef Bjoern Eiken, of Thomas Henkelmann at Homestead Inn, created 5 dishes each inspired by one of the five artists’ works.
Though CTBites traditionally reviews the food created by gifted chefs in the Back of the House, we thought a story about the talent at the Front might be in order. So who better to feature than Tony Capasso, the celebrated maître d of Gabriele’s Italian Steakhouse in Greenwich and unquestionably the biggest personality on the Connecticut restaurant scene? Actually, Copasso may be more MC than Maitre ‘d.
"My mother tells me that when I was five, I was already meeting, greeting and introducing people to each other in my apartment house," he told us. "I've always been a people person. President of my high school. Captain of the football team, I like people, they like me, and that's what this job is all about."
Déjà vu all over again so…Mangia, Mangia Mangia…and Mangia again...
We recently recommended several places that are serving up delicious Bolognese and promised more. So here is our second, and last, installment of 2013 Recommended Pasta Bolognese of Fairfield County that includes two slight variations of the traditional sauce, one with chicken and another with oxtail. Let the games begin...and let the lipitor flow for these 2 brave diners who sampled Bolognese from all over Fairfield County.
FromCotto in Stamford to The Spread in SoNo to Louie's in Cos Cob, we bring you tasting notes on 10 more Bologneses.
The Awards Season is in full swing! The Golden Globes, Sundance Film Festival are already old news…the Grammy’s just scored record ratings and now the anticipation builds for the “motherlode” of all awards… The 85th Academy Awards for Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences (also known as the Oscar’s ) airing on Sunday 2/24 on ABC. And what better way to spend a winter evening than with Dinner and a Movie!
But, what if you don’t feel like braving the weather, the crowds or JUST can’t stand the smell of popcorn?How about staying in and watching a movie and ordering in or making dinner? Therefore, I offer you the CTbites, “CANNED FILM FESTIVAL" with tasty recomendations for food focused movies in 4 categories: Food Flick Classics, Watch With Your Kids, Food Education, and Flicks For Wine Lovers.
Harvest Wine Bar & Restaurant, the latest venture of the Sigueza brothers, Vicente and Kleber, owners of Scena Restaurant in Darien, Cava Wine Bar & Restaurant in New Canaan and 55 Degrees in Fairfield, opens this week in Greenwich at 372 Greenwich Avenue. With large windows beckoning the guests, the modern interior is dominated by wood, stone and leather. Wood-topped tables are all hand-made and surrounded by leather backed chairs. Individual lights descend from the ceiling to create a whimsical touch to the otherwise masculine décor. The rear wall is half glass and sunsets will create an inviting end to the day to enjoy one of the signature cocktails with many of the fruit and vegetable additions juiced on site.
The menu is best described as “food inspired by the American tradition,” a steak house that meets Little Italy and embraces the sea and the farm to table movement.
