Bar Sugo in Norwalk 2.0: Enter Chef Paul Failla Restaurant Italian Norwalk Comfort Food Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger December 01, 2013 Slightly more than a year ago, restaurant Bar Sugo opened on Wall Street in Norwalk featuring a variety of owner/Chef Pat Pascarella’s fantastic pizzas, meatballs and delectable pastas. Pascarella recently handed the reins of the day-to-day culinary oversight to Chef Paul Failla, and CTbites re-visited to taste Chef Paul’s cuisine and his creative spin to the menu. Chef Faillia attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park before accepting a position at Burger Bar in South Norwalk. His culinary training continued at Dolce in Norwalk, The Atlantic Grill in Manhattan and The Saltwater Grille in Stamford, where he met Pascarella. He subsequently worked with Chef Dan Kardos at The Whelk and was one of the opening chefs with Chef Kardos at NOLA Oyster Bar. When Pascarella first approached Failla about joining Bar Sugo, he was looking for a successor to continue his vision of “food that Italians eat every day” while allowing the new chef to add his individual flair to the dishes. Read More
Marcia’s Killer Ole Turkey Burrito Recipe Features Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe Mexican Comfort Food Marcia Selden Catering November 29, 2013 Thanksgiving is so…yesterday… It’s Black Friday…time to shop till you drop! Start your mad dash through those crowded aisles with Marcia Selden’s Killer breakfast burrito so you can load up your shopping cart with big screen tv’s, fluffy $1 scarves, and an array of other necessary items (note the hint of sarcasm). While you would never think of running a marathon fueled on Dorito’s and Coke, Black Friday is, to many, a distance race, filled with surprise obstacles around every corner. Fuel your body with a high protein meal that will help you go the distance, and out run your fellow shoppers. If the thought of eating a leftover Tom Turkey Sandwich doesn’t float your boat, consider a spicy egg and turkey burrito, which can be eaten with one hand as you careen your cart down the aisles looking to score that awesome deal. Here’s our recipe for a delicious (and healthy) Ole Turkey Burrito with a spicy kick. Heck, pack 2, betcha have enough turkey for it! Read More
The Weekly Nibble: Upcoming Food News & Events Ingredients Restaurant Beer Dinner Events Wine Shop Wine Tasting Beer Emma Jane-Doody Stetson November 29, 2013 Celebrate Black Friday with Val’s of Greenwich! Barhill Gin will be hosting a tasting to get us geared-up for the holiday season. This complimentary event will take place from 3-7pm on Friday November 29. On Monday December 2, Buon Appetito Restaurant will partner with Super Cellar Liquors for a 4 course wine dinner. It begins at 6:30 at the restaurant in Canton, CT. $75 pp. For the menu and reservation information, see https://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs126/1102509927877/img/1248.jpg . Get an introduction to homebrewing beer on Tuesday December 3. The free event takes place from 6:30-8:30pm at Yale University’s International Center. Learn more and claim a seat at http://eventful.com/newhaven/events/introduction-homebrewing-beer-/E0-001-063499321-0 On Tuesday December 3, Luca Wine Bar and Visco Wines will partner with Harry’s Wine & Liquor to present a wine dinner called “The 4 Big B’s of Italy.” It will feature four of Italy’s coveted wines: Barbera, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino, and Barolo. They will be paired with 4 courses including homemade crepes, ravioli, veal shank, and poached pear for dessert. $98 pp, all inclusive. Please call Luca Wine Bar for reservations: (203) 286-5617. Read More
Friday Froth: The Little Pub Chooses Wisely Ingredients Restaurant Beer Dinner CT Beer Beer James Gribbon November 29, 2013 A quick bit of news to start this week's Froth: it turns out The Little Pub in Branchville has been aging kegs of a select few high gravity beers for the past year, and has started tapping one per Monday night. Issuing forth from the specialty tap on Monday, Nov. 25 will be Dogfish Head Olde School - a 16% ABV barleywine fermented with dates and figs. High alcohol, minimally hopped beers make the best candidates for aging, and tend to relax as they undergo further conditioning over time, so these beers will taste different from when they were first bottled in 2012. The robust duo of Green Flash Double Stout and New England Brewing Imperial Stout Trooper are scheduled for the first two Mondays in December (be absolutely sure to try that second one, on Dec. 9, if you're at all able), followed by Ovila Abbey Quad, Sierra Nevada Narwhal, Dogfish Head 120 Minute, and the second generation of the Dogfish Head/Sierra Nevada collaboration ale, Life&Limb. Read More
Mama’s Boy, Four Roses Whiskey & CTbites present…. CTbites Team November 29, 2013 Literally…The Hunger Games!… Time to throw out the Thanksgiving leftovers and indulge in a special night savoring Fall’s bounty! Mama’s Boy Southern Table & Refuge in SoNo invites you to a specially curated night of bourbons, specially selected by Four Roses, cigars, hand-rolled by Connecticut Cigar Company, and a 3 course Game dinner created uniquely for this evening by creative and talented Chef Scott Ostrander. Hosted on Wednesday December 4th in the “Low Country” ambiance of Mama’s Boy in SoNo, the evening begins at 6:30 pm and is priced at $85 pp plus tax and gratuity. Read More
Souterrain #6: Team Bill Taibe Recreates Little Italy @ Stanziato's Stephanie Webster November 27, 2013 Team Bill Taibe brought Arthur Avenue to Danbury CT, at the 6th Souterrain (a.k.a. Underground Dinner). The venue was Stanziato's Wood Fired Pizza, and the restaurant swap allowed diners to enjoy not only a little piece of Little Italy, but some unique dishes and flavors made possible by the wood fired oven prominently featured in Matt Stanczak's kitchen. Only 40 lucky guests managed to gain access to Souterrain #6, as it sold out in a matter of minutes, but those who responded quickly were treated to what felt like dinner on a cozy Mulberry alleyway. Marsha Glazer magically transformed the casual dining space with clotheslines (note bras and undergarments above), checkered tableclothes, and lights strung throughout. The menu was epic and featured roughly 12 courses (I stopped counting at some point). Arik Bensimon, Executive Chef at le Farm, was a key player in the menu creation, alongside Matt Stanczak, and dishes included: An outrageous Octopus Panzanella, Pickled Veggies, Baked Lima Bean Bruschetta, Calzone, Porchetta, Mortadella, an all inclusive medley of Roasted Squash, Affogato, and of course Italian cookies. Enjoy the photo gallery above...and if you would like to be a part of the next Souterrain, contact them and ask to get on their email list for future events. Read More
Ultimate CT Foodie Gift Guide 2013 Ingredients Features Coffee Entertaining Gift Guide Specialty Market April Guilbault November 27, 2013 This year, Thanksgiving is coming late, Hanukkah is arriving early and the Christmas holiday almost seems shortened before it has even begun. Have no fear, though, your holiday shopping will not bear the brunt of this crazy calendar...not with some of our suggestions. From unique food products, photographs, jewels and books, there is just about something for all the folks on what seems to be your never-ending list. How could so many people have been so good this year? Buy them some of these goodies and they’ll know...oh, they’ll know.... Read More
Little Pub's "The Order of Ancient & Auld Ales" Beer Events Restaurant CT Beer Beer CTbites Team November 26, 2013 The order of ancient and auld ales is called to order. By and large it’s been found that aging hi octane beers made them better because after a few years the alcohol mellows out and the nuances and flavors really begin to shine through. (sorry to get all wine enthusiast on you, just channeling our inner Robert Parker here.) Armed with that knowledge, Little Pub in Ridgefield started stockpiling high octane beers whenever we could get our hands on them. “Dogfish 120? Sure send us 6 logs”, “Sierra Bigfoot? Sure send over 4 of those”, and we kept stashing and stashing like mad squirrels until we ran out of space. Now that they're out of room it’s time to start pouring some of these beasties turned beauties. Little Pub is going to launch a different aged beer every monday* night through the rest of the 2013 and into 2014 as well (like we said, we stashed a lot of stuff away). *fine print: except for Monday Dec 2 which will be moved to Tuesday Dec 3. Read More
Baró & Mecha Noodle Bar Cocktail Throwdown Contest for PopShop CTbites Team November 26, 2013 Are you great at making cocktails or have just perfected drinking them? We want your help! Baró and Mecha Noodle Bar are going head-to-head in a mix-off to create the official cocktail of PopShop Holiday Market's BarCar. We need your expertise in deciding which cocktail has the best bite (or kiss) and should headline PopShop's signature BarCar at the PopShop Holiday Market on December 15th. The rules are easy: From November 27th through December 10th pop into Baró and Mecha to get a taste of the competition—literally. "Buy one, get one half off." 1 Sip down the cocktail contenders 2 Snap a photo of the winning cocktail and tag them either: #barowinner or #mechawinner and tag them to PopShop Markets Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/popshopCT or CT Bites https://www.facebook.com/CTbites 3 The cocktail hashtag with the most photo uploads wins! Baro and Mecha will be handing out cocktail competition cards. If you decide to try the cocktail your card will be stamped. Bring the stamped card to the other spot and receive the competitor’s drink half off! Read More
Mecha Noodle Bar Brings Asian Noodles & Street Food to Fairfield Restaurant Asian Fairfield Japanese Vietnamese Comfort Food Kid Friendly Nancy Kleeger November 24, 2013 Post opening tweaks are commonplace during the first few months after a restaurant's opening. With Mecha’s minor changes completed, it now firmly fills the belly rumbling void of Southeast Asian Noodles and street food, popularizing Ramen, Pho and South East Asian comfort food. Owner Tony Pham, who also owns Pho Vietnam in Danbury, saw an opportunity in Fairfield, to capture the hearts and hungry stomachs of the Fairfield U student bodies by opening a Ramen noodle bar. This small, but cozy, space is an architecturally clean, eye pleasing mix of Modern Asian décor...with a long community table in the center and block style tables around its perimeter. There is some additional seating circling the "bar" with colorful Asian ceramic stools adding some pop and a touch of elegance to this casual space. Pham is committed to keeping his two restaurants a "family affair," and you may be seated, served, or cooked for, by one of his family members! When I first visited with Tony in September, Ramen noodles were the main attraction on his menu. Several months later, Mecha’s menu is now representative of Japan’s different regional nuances with the current soup bases including Shoyu, Miso and Chicken. Read More
3 Fave Thanksgiving Side Dishes via Food Design’s Michael William Batt Features Catering Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe CTbites Team November 22, 2013 Ready to talk Thanksgiving Menus? Food Design's Chef Michael Batt has a few ideas for you: Michael Batt was recently named a winner on Food Network's "Chopped" program, but is his day job he provides great catering for clients including Ron Howard and Kathy Hilton and caters charitable events of all sizes for The American Red Cross, Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, and more. He has a few favorite Thanksgiving side dishes that have proved tried and true, and Chef Batt has offered to share his recipe with us. Check out these great recipes for: Sweet Potato puree with Maple Syrup, Vanilla bean, Cinnamon & Orange; Brussels’ Sprouts with Roasted Garlic, & Roasted Baby Carrots & Parsnips with brown Sugar & Sage. Read More
Fairway Market's Fabulous Potato Latkes Recipe Features Entertaining Holiday Recipe Lou Gorfain November 22, 2013 You don't have to be Jewish to love latkes. And it doesn't have to be Hanukkah to set aside your fear of frying and indulge in a steaming stack of crisp and creamy sautéed potato patties slathered in sour cream, applesauce (or even served a la mode). Indeed, the cold weather holidays offer the ideal excuse to serve warm, welcoming, and festive Latkes. Fairway Market has brought us a recipe for latkes that is perfect for holiday cooking, secular or sacred, starting with Thanksgiving. Not only are these yummy pancakes a seasonal treat, but they work wonderfully as a do-ahead. After frying, keep the latkes warm in a low oven for up to two hours. You can also make a day ahead, refrigerate and then re-heat on a cookie sheet for five minutes in a medium oven. Why are these latkes different than all others? Rebecca Martin of Fairway, who created the recipe, says there is no secret, but the following steps make the prep virtually foolproof. Read More
The Weekly Nibble: Upcoming Food News & Events Ingredients Restaurant Beer Dinner Wine Tasting Beer Emma Jane-Doody Stetson November 21, 2013 Mama’s Boy Southern Table & Refuge in Sono hosts a blues brunch on Sundays from 1-4pm. On November 24 and December 1 you can enjoy the Walter & David Blues Duo. More information here. On Monday November 25, Barcelona in West Hartford will offer a Thanksgiving Prep cooking class. Guests can learn to make chorizo stuffing, red chimchurri for the turkey, and more. The class starts at 7pm and costs $35pp, plus tax and gratuity. The Spread in Sono will have a pre-Thanksgiving Party on Wednesday November 27. Get the details here. Tuesday, November 26 Fairway Market will partner with Fox Radio to hold a food drive to benefit the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County. 8am-7pm. On November 30, Breckenridge Beer Company is partnering with the Craft Beer Guild of CT for a wine and cheese class. The class is $20/person, limited to 12 people due to size. Class begins at 4PM at Grand Vin Fine Wines of New Haven 28 E. Grand Ave. More information here. Red Stone Pub in Simsbury, CT will host a Beer Festival on November 30th from 1-9pm. There will be live music and a wide selection of craft beers. http://www.redstonepubs.com/1/post/2013/11/beer-festival.html Read More
Guide to Catering Thanksgiving in Fairfield County Ingredients Features Catering Entertaining Holiday Thanksgiving CTbites Team November 20, 2013 Thanksgiving is the most anticipated and sometimes the most daunting meal of the year. But, in the end, it is all about food, friends and family. Depending on the number of guests in your party, there are several options for celebrating the holiday that don't involve slaving away in the kitchen for days. Here are a few resources for those who would prefer to get a little assistance. (Readers: If you know of other Thanksgiving catering resources, please add them.) Rosie in New Canaan can handle all your Thanksgiving needs. A full menu of classic sides such as Rosie’s homemade herb gravy, haricots verts with shitakes, & celery root apple fennel soup. Call (203) 966-8998. Le Farm/ The Whelk will be closed on Thanksgiving, but will be offering LeFarm's Whipped Chicken Livers with bacon marmalade and/or The Whelk's Smoked Trout Dip to serve your family and friends for the holidays! Call to order: (203) 557-3701 Aux Delices in Greenwich and Westport can prepare your entire Thanksgiving meal. They will be open from 8:00 am - 6:30 pm Wed., November 27th and offer everything from turkeys in varying sizes, soups, sides and dessert. View the full Thanksgiving menu here. Sugar & Olives: Everything but the turkey...but everything is REALLY tasty. Fig and Apple Stuffing Muffins, Pecan and Bourbon Turkey Glaze, Brussels Sprouts w/ Pomegranate Molasses + Duck Bacon. Call for more information: (203) 454-3663 Read More
My Signature Dish: Chef Scott Ostrander from Mama's Boy in SoNo Restaurant Chef Talk My Signature Dish Southern Lou Gorfain November 20, 2013 "My Signature Dish" is a new CTbites column featuring a rotating cast of chefs, and the dishes that define their cooking style, or simply make them happy to fire up the oven. We looked forward to learning about what Scott Ostrander had chosen as his signature dish at Mama’s Boy in SoNo, a Connecticut restaurant featuring Southern cooking and cuisine. But he was reluctant to tell us much about it. “We’re dealing with some major issues,” he confided. “Trying to dodge disaster.” Issues. Disasters. Great. The stuff of a good story. We urged him on. But Chef Ostrander demurred. “I just can’t get into it right now,” he apologized. The next time we met, the chef was all smiles. Problems solved. Scott shared the back story, one that reveals how a gifted chef deals with and solves both business and culinary challenges. His new signature dish at Mama’s Boy is Crisp Pork Shank, an osso bucca-like braised pork shank with a dramatic Southern twist. Traditionally, slowly simmered meat is tender, juicy, and deeply flavored. But its soft texture is monochromatic. For his shank, Scott wanted contrapuntal textures. Soft. And Crunchy. Read More
4B Festival: Beer, Bourbon, BBQ, & Bacon Converge in New Haven Restaurant BBQ Cocktails Events Beer CTbites Team November 19, 2013 The 4B Festival announced the area’s first of its kind festival of specially curated beer, bourbon, barbecue and bacon is coming to New England. Happy Holidays to me! 4B concepted this indulgent experience in honor of two cornerstones of American heritage – fermented grains and salted meats – and to help drive local businesses and tourism. A portion of proceeds from ticket sales and sponsorships will go to the CT Craft Brewers Guild to help support local businesses. From microbrews to pork belly, the 4B Festival will bring together national and local purveyors all in one place to offer the most delicious and creative samplings to “4B” aficionados, all highlighted with musical performances, interactive art displays and live competitions among home brewers, BBQ taste tests and a bacon eating contest for the real meat eaters. From food samplings from pit masters, chefs and restaurants to bacon-infused treats to tastings at beer and bourbon stations with a souvenir shot glass. “After family there are very few important things in life, and we’ve narrowed them down to these four - Beer, Bourbon, Barbecue & Bacon,” said David Salinas Read More
Cooking with Fire: Fortina in Armonk Restaurant Armonk Italian Pizza Comfort Food Kid Friendly Amy Kundrat November 17, 2013 Cooking with wood fire has a preternatural, almost primal appeal. You could argue that as cavemen, it was our first foray into comfort food. The intense heat and smoke has the power to transform otherwise unassuming ingredients. The six-month old Fortina in Armonk, begins with this deceptively simple ethos–Italian food, cooked simply, in wood fired ovens–and elevates it with a thoughtful culinary execution and a familiar, if familial, disarming vibe. “There is a complexity to the simplicity,” said Rob Krauss, one of Fortina’s three partners along with John Nealon and Christian Petroni, nailing what makes the restaurant’s cuisine tick. I’m fairly certain Krauss is also referring to the restaurant’s team, an extended family of sorts that works equally hard at the food as they do cultivating the culture at Fortina More than the sum of its wood-fired parts, Fortina relies on the culinary prowess and Italian heritage of partner and Executive Chef Christian Petroni, formerly of Barcelona Greenwich, as both muse and ringleader. “My background is Italian, I grew up spending summers in Ponza. One of my favorite restaurants is Peasant. As a young cook, Frank de Carlo was an inspiration as a chef. I was intrigued by cooking in wood ovens. There is something about it that is so gratifying. It’s a beautiful thing.” Along with chef de cuisine Jodi Bernhard, formerly of Barcelona, the kitchen has the creative chops responsible for its daily printed menu. Read More
Maple Bourbon Old Fashioned Recipe via Saugatuck Grain & Grape Features Cocktails Entertaining Recipe Jeff Marron November 15, 2013 The "cocktail" found its place in literary history in 1806 in the May 6 issue of The Balance and Columbia Repository being defined to a confused reader by the editor as "Cock-tail, then is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters. It is vulgarly called a bittered sling...". Over the next thirty years or so, this definition became the "Old Fashioned" cocktail and was more of a way to make a drink than just a name for one. Taken by definition, if you use just those ingredients, you can make a Gin Old Fashioned, a Tequila Old Fashioned and so on. There was never any fruit or club soda involved in the original definition. That version seemed to pop up somewhere after Prohibition. Being the "back to basics" kind of guy I am, I don't use fruit or club soda in my Old Fashioned either. Read More
Friday Froth: Two For Two Beer Dinner CT Beer Beer James Gribbon November 15, 2013 There is a road, no simple highway,Between the dawn and the dark of night The wind outdoors stings in little nips - a puppy with needle-like teeth. The light is ruddy and beautiful in the early afternoon, but it arrives flat, and it provides meager heat. Nature, having provided, is exhausted. We'll have to see ourselves through this night. Did grim darkness inspire the brewers up the highway at Two Roads Brewing Co. to create an inky ale and name it Route Of All Evil? Who is this hellish clown, and why am I suddenly afraid of tricycles? Time for a stiff drink."Ales From The Crypt" says the label, and this beer pours almost dead black. The barest hints of red appear at the edges where the bubbling solution allows weak trickles of light to pass through. Fear of the dark begins to fade, though, as you notice a thick, tawny head bubbling up from within this Evil, and there's not much - cold, dark, or otherwise - that can't be overcome through the application of seven-point-five percent alcohol.The head leaves a sticky, bubbly lacing on the glass, and there's a clean and malty smell with just a suggestion of hops. The first swig is sharp with slightly acerbic, darkly toasty grain. The eyes can play tricks in the dark and tell the mouth to expect a heavy weight, but this beer's surprise is its light mouthfeel. There's no viscosity here, and large spherules of carbonation burst on the tongue. Route Of All Evil is a counterpoint to silken nitro stouts or the caloric feast of many winter ales currently hitting the market. Read More
