The Weekly Nibble: Upcoming Food News & Events

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Stew Leonard’s will welcome local cookbook author Dina Cheney to sign copies of her new cookbook, Meatless All Day: Recipes for Inspired Vegetarian Meals, on Saturday, March 8 from 12-2.  Dina Cheney has been the “Taste Test” columnist for Everyday with Rachael Ray for several years, is a regular contributor to Fine Cooking, and has written articles or developed recipes for more than 20 other publications. Cheney lives in Cos Cob, Connecticut.

DC Brau beer is officially in CT!  Come to Turnpike Wines in Fairfield to help celebrate the launch on Saturday March 8 from 1-5pm.  Free event.  For information on these delicious craft brews visit:

It’s the 2nd Annual Great Wall of Stouts at The Ginger Man in Norwalk.  26 stoutly stouts will be on tap Monday, March 10 through Sunday, March 16.  

Monday March 10th, experience a “Cool and Fun Varietals” wine class at Napa & Co in Stamford.  If you’re tired of Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot, try this class to find varietals lesser known like Grenache Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Tannat, Pinot Meunier, Petit Verdot, and more.  $45+ pp.

Tuesday March 11 at 7pm, Barcelona in New Haven will present you with “Foods from Chef Frank’s Trip to Spain.”  The trip provided some amazing culinary inspiration.  Experience some of the dishes he brought back with him. $25 per person, plus tax and gratuity. 

Also on Tuesday, “Celebrity bartender” Linda Kavanagh of Max Exposure Media will put her culinary skills and knowledge to work in support of Community Plates at Bistro 7 in Wilton.  Visit the link to see which guest bartenders will support different charitable causes throughout the month. 


Bodega Hits The Road w/ The Bodega Food Truck Catering

Features Restaurant Food Truck Tacos Mexican

CTbites Team

Bodega Taco Bar continues to make its mark on Fairfield County with the addition of the Bodega Food Truck hittin’ the road this month. The rolling vibrant green mobile might as well be named the party bus as it already being booked for private parties, school functions and outdoor events – and the paint’s not even dry yet! Fans of Bodega’s innovative and edgy, while authentic and fresh cuisine, will now have the opportunity to follow their favorite cuisine to a street corner near them or grab a taco while partaking in a local event. This taqueria on wheels will also be the centerpiece of Bodega’s thriving catering business.

The team has created a catering menu that straddles the line between “fine” and “fiery” with ease. From a Burrito Bar and Taco Party, to passed hors d’oeuvres of Tuna Tataki and Smoked Chicken Albondigas,  party goers are assured to have a unique experience.  Bowls of hand slapped guacamole, pico de gallo, and cucumber mango salsa with fresh corn tortilla chips are a true crowd pleaser, as are roasted veggies with poblano agave yogurt dip and ceviche bowls with vibrant citrus shrimp and scallops. That deli sandwich platter at the office lunch meeting is transformed with hearty “tortas” such as; Argentinian grilled hangar steak with chipotle aioli, greens and queso fresco; Grilled Chicken with black beans, goat cheese and pickled onions; Grilled Portabella with truffle red pepper aioli and crispy kale; and the Baja Fish Wrap with mango cucumber salsa.


Da Pietro's Chef Pietro Scotti Talks About 25 Years in Westport

Restaurant Chef Talk French Italian Westport Lunch

ellen bowen

Chef Pietro Scotti…on 25 years in Westport!

On the day after Michel Nischan sadly announced the closing of The Dressing Room, I was sitting in the cozy dining room off the kitchen of Chef Pietro Scotti’s home talking with Pietro and his wife, Janine, about the changes in the restaurant scene and in particular dining in Fairfield County.  

An anchor in Westport for over 25 years, Da Pietro’s Restaurant on Riverside Ave was one of the first “fine dining” establishments in Fairfield County, and immediately become popular as the “go to” place for special occasions and romantic dinners.  Reviewed as “Perfection ” by The New York Times and  “Excellent” by Wine Spectator, the intimate 25 seat restaurant specializes in fresh pastas, creative starters and hearty and seasonal entrees.  

Pietro, known for his big smile, warm personality, and unfailing generosity to local community events and causes, has helmed Da Pietro’s since the beginning and can still be found in the tiny restaurant kitchen every day during both lunch and dinner.   


Ferguson Library's A Novel Affair is a Foodie's Delight

CTbites Team

The Ferguson Library’s major fundraiser, A Novel Affair, will transform the library (at Bedford and Broad Street, Stamford) into an elegant venue Thursday, April 10 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. The event, which raises funds for library services and collections, is a foodie’s delight, featuring small plates from some of the most popular area restaurants and caterers, an open bar and wine tastings hosted by BevMax. There will also be craft beer tastings courtesy of Charter Oak Brewing Company, SBC and Half Full Brewery. This is the fourth year for the event, which last year netted $160,000 for the library.

Tickets are $125. Reservations available at www.fergusonlibrary.org or by calling 203 351-8205. Sponsorship information at 203 351-8208.

Participating restaurants: 
Bar Rosso
Charter Oak Brewing Company
David’s Soundview Catering
DiMare Pastry Shop
The Fez Restaurant & Bar
Greenwich Staffing
Half Full Brewery
Hudson Grille
Lorca
napa & co


Graham Elliot's Primary Food & Drink Opens in Greenwich: Outstanding & Creative Cuisine

Restaurant Celebrity Chef

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

Primary Food & Drink, the newest member of Master Chef Graham Elliot’s expanding restaurant group, opened in Greenwich this past December under the direction of Executive Chef and Managing Partner Merlin Verrier. The restaurant is serving some of the most innovative and imaginative interpretations of traditional recipes using unique combinations and ingredients.

With six Michelin stars in his portfolio, Chef Verrier worked under several of the great chefs in America. His culinary experience included stops in his native California, Oregon and Colorado where he was eventually noticed by James Beard Award winner Chef Jennifer Jasinski and promoted to Sous Chef at her Rioja Restaurant. His travels brought him to Chicago in 2008 where his business relationship with Chef Elliot commenced. One month after joining Chef Elliot, he was promoted to Sous Chef and a year later he was overseeing the kitchen as Chef du Cuisine where he received his first Michelin star. Chef Verrier now brings his magical cuisine to Fairfield County.


Sustainable Food & Farm Expo, Sunday, March 9

CTbites Team

Hundreds of guests eager to sample local, artisan and organic food, attend tasting workshops, and learn about homesteading are expected to flock to Audubon Greenwich’s Sustainable Food & Farm Expo on Sunday, March 9, from 10 am until 5 pm. Twenty exhibitors and vendors, including organic farmers, homesteading experts, artisan food producers, specialty food retailers, and an organic restaurant, will be present to share their products and expertise with attendees. Attend free talks about backyard beekeeping, chicken keeping, organic gardening, community gardening, and the soil food web.

The Sustainable Food & Farm Expo is produced by Audubon Greenwich in cooperation with the Fairfield Green Food Guide and is poised to attract both regular guests and newcomers from as far as Westchester County. “Audubon is proud to host this exciting, family-friendly event. Organic farming practices and more wholesome approaches to eating will greatly reduce our burden on Earth’s natural resources while enhancing our habitats, soils, and communities” said Jeff Cordulack, Audubon Greenwich’s Events Manager.


Friday Froth: The Good Earth

Ingredients Beer

James Gribbon

Someone - I don't recall who, and I'm forced to paraphrase here - once said the amazing thing about books is that a writer who may be hundreds of miles away or hundreds of years dead can speak directly from their mind into that of the reader. A recipes is the same, because what is a recipe but another cook speaking into your head and guiding your hands? A recipe is thus a combination of people and ingredients -  ideas of taste and texture made physical manifest. In this way a chef is the same as a brewer, and a dish is like a beer. 

Artisinal foods and beers are the result of obsessive dedication to recipes using prime ingredients to produce an idealized flavor. How much closer can you get to your ingredients than visting the actual dirt from which they spring? That's the idea behind Victory Brewing Company's Ranch series of double IPAs. 

The name comes from Victory working with family owned hop farms, which are sometimes called hop ranches, as if the hops detach themselves and wander the moonlit world when the humans aren't watching. Victory worked with growers from Roy Farms, Carpenter and Seagal Ranches, and and Perrault Farms, among others, to create this series. 


The Weekly Nibble: Upcoming Food News & Events

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Friday February 28, Frate’s in Darien will hold a complimentary in store wine tasting from 4-7.

Also on Friday, join Chef Tom Devine at Two Steps Downtown Grille in Danbury for a night of Mardi Gras!  The meal includes Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, New Orleans BBQ Shrimp, Carpetbagger Filet Mignon, and Banana’s Foster Flambé.  Reserve by emailing  tom-twostepsrest@comcast.net or calling 203-794-0032. $55pp. 

On Saturday March 1, Set Sail with L’escale and the YMCA of Greenwich. The Havana-themed night will feature food from the restaurant, cocktails, wine, and more.  Tickets start at $275.Al’s Warehouse 3 will hold a free wine tasting in the Fairfield Store on Saturday March 1 from 4-8pm.

Another Saturday event: Join Larry McCulloch, winemaker for the Jones Family Farms Winery in Shelton, as he leads a class on making award winning fruit wines.  This seminar will also include a tasting of award winning wines made from apples, pears, blueberries, raspberries and black currants. $40.00 per person.  To register call 203-452-7332. 10am-1pm.

3/1-3/2 is the Maple Sugar Festival Weekend at Stamford Museum & Nature Center.  More Info and ticket purchase here. 

Tuesday March 4 is Fat Tuesday at The Spread in Norwalk! Join them for Mardis Gras inspired cocktails, food, and fun! http://www.thespreadsono.com/events.html 


The Ginger Man Hosts 2nd Annual Great Wall of Stouts

Ingredients CT Beer Beer

CTbites Team

The Gingerman in South Norwalk is hosting their second annual Wall of Stouts running from March 10th - March 16th. They will be taking over 26 of their lines just like last year's event to pull some amazing beer from their private vintage collection.  Vintage bottles will also come out of the back room this year. If you're serious about your Stout, here's where you'll want to be. 


Rare Beer Night @ Half Full Brewery in Stamford: Catch it Monthly

James Gribbon

Rare beers aren't often new beers. This works just fine in the case of a year old bomber of Imperial Stout Trooper, or the '08 Schneider Weisse Aventinus I had at a recent beer festival. It's not so fine when I walk into a bar in February and they're trying to pass off a fall seasonal that came out in August as a craft offering because the distributor gave them a skinny deal on the keg. 

Events like the monthly Rare Beer Night at Half Full Brewery in Stamford are thus somewhat of an exception: rare beer, in this case, is also fresh beer. The fact that forty ticketed guests were met with fruit and charcuterie from Fairway, and cheese plates from Fairfield Cheese Company to pair with the beer, was an added bonus.

The entire staff of Half Full pitches in after work on the third Wednesday of every month to set up tables and seating in the brewery's tasting room for this event, which pairs extremely limited edition Half Full beers with various foods. The event's cheeses were selected by Fairfield Cheese Co. co-owner Chris Palumbo, who was on hand to speak on each of the pairings he made with beers made by Half Full brewers... pardon, "Chief Beer Artist and Chief Beer Scientist," 


Oscar Party Menu Planning via Marcia Selden Catering

Recipe

Marcia Selden Catering

And the Oscar Goes to…

The Oscar’s are right around the corner, a night of glamour, drama and of course food.  This is the perfect night to glam up the house and invite friends over for a dinner worthy of a gold man.

Decorate the house with oversized shiny gold stars and old movie posters.  Rent rich red velvet tablecloths and bust out the good silverware.  This Oscar inspired menu will impress your friends and family and the best part?  Most of these recipes can be made in advance so you won’t miss a minute of the fun! Then call “The Butler” to help serve….Dallas’ Best Oysters Rockefeller, Omaha (Nebraska) Beef Wellington Nouveau, Zero Gravity Potato Gratin, Jumbo Asparagus with Blue Jasmine Vinaigrette, Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Honey Gold Martini. 


Sun WineFest 2014 @ Mohegan Sun: The Recap

Ingredients Celebrity Chef Wine Shop Wine Tasting

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Mohegan Sun’s annual WineFest is my Super Bowl.  Before the big game, football aficionados took to twitter in anticipation of the showdown.  I, too, waged a full out blitz on social media- enthusiastically counting down til I could try some great wines and see my favorite chefs back in action!  For the Super Bowl, avid fans suited up in team apparel and NFL jerseys.  I also donned some fancy getup; my yearly uniform is a pink shirt bedazzled with “Wine Diva” and a sparkly headband.  Some people love calfskin; I love food, wine, and fun.

From the moment I entered the Convention Center, it was apparent that this year’s festival was bigger than ever.  Media members are granted an additional hour to peruse the venue.  Last year there was a handful of us and it was easy to get a preview of what was to come.  This year, however, it seemed that people everywhere were vying to cover the event.  Media members were elbow-to-elbow before the doors even opened to the public.  It was an extravaganza!

The SunWineFest’s signature event is its Grand Tasting, which spans the weekend. 


Valhrona Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta, Salty Caramel, Malt Ice Cream Shake via Parallel Post

Features Recipe Dessert

CTbites Team

 

Parallel Post in Trumbull is currently celebrating National Chocolate Lover's Month during February, and will also honor American Chocolate Week during the week of March 17th.  Parallel Post is overseen by James Beard nominated Chef Dean James Max, and serves up modern-American cuisine focused on seasonal ingredients. To celebrate the joy of chocolate, Chef Max will be sharing a few of his chocolate inspired recipes with CTbites, the first is this amazing Valhrona Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta, Salty Caramel, Malt Ice Cream Shake. Yes please!

[Live Event] A Taste of Innovation: From Farm to Table

Restaurant Farm to Table

Amy Kundrat

Join the Yale Sustainable Food Project for A Taste of Innovation: From Farm to Table, a conversation on innovation in the agricultural value chain. Moderated by Mark Bomford of the Yale Sustainable Food Project, this panel of entrepreneurs and authors will explore some of the ways that we can redesign our current food systems and how to develop the regenerative food systems of tomorrow.

The event is free and open to the public, held at Yale School of Management at 165 Whitney Avenue, Room 220, in New Haven, CT. Watch the event live on February 25 at 11:45 am.

Speakers include: Joe Dobrow, Author of Natural Prophets: From Health Foods to Whole Foods; Patrick Horan, Waldingfield Farms; Dan Horan, President and CEO of Five Acre Farms; Moderated by Mark Bomford, Director of the Yale Sustainable Food Project.

 


Kibberia Restaurant Brings Middle Eastern Cuisine to Westport

Restaurant Middle Eastern Westport Lunch

Sarah Green

In September, Westport welcomed KIBBERIA Restaurant and Cafe to the Post Road serving traditional Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine. Kibbe, a Levantine dish made of bulgur, minced onions and ground beef, is a staple in many Middle Eastern kitchens, and  KIBBERIA serves KIBBE and an enormous variety of other Middle Eastern dishes, always fresh, always home-made (except for the Pita Bread)  and very tasty! You have to excuse the packaging and get right down to the food… Cafeteria style with paper bowls for soup does not scream “GOURMET” by any means. But the food is the thing...and KIBBERIA does not disappoint.

Westport is KIBBERIA’s second location (the other has been a huge success in Danbury since 2011) owned by Lebanese-born Nick Iskander and co-owner and head chef Carole Iskander. She is cooking for a packed, Westport crowd every day but Sunday. From moms with kids to business people out for a healthy, quick lunch to vegans to carnivores KIBBERIA provides a healthy, hearty, Middle Eastern meal that suits any palate.


Cocktail Contest: Win Dinner for 2 @ Baró in Fairfield

Restaurant Cocktails Recipe

CTbites Team

WIN a FREE Dinner for two @ Baró New World Cantina in Fairfield. Here's how...

It's time for another cocktail throw down! Baró  New World Cantina in Fairfield has decided to trust the fate of their new specialty cocktail to the naming skills of our CTbites readers.  If your cocktail name is selected, you will win a FREE DINNER FOR TWO at Baró in Fairfield (cocktails included). 

Here are the ingredients for the cocktail in need of a name:

1.75 ounce Flor de Cana 7-Yr
1 ounce simple syrup
.75 lime juice
.5 grapefruit juice

Swizzle with crushed ice, top with two dash angostura bitters and Pina leaf.

Post your submission below (include email). We welcome input from readers. If you see a name you like...post your vote!

May the best namer win!! Good luck.

The winner will be announced on March 10th


[Video] Behind the Scenes with Stanziato's c/o Local Food Rocks

Restaurant Danbury Pizza

Amy Kundrat

There is a synergy that sets Matt Stanczak's Stanziato's Wood Fired Pizza in Danbury apart. The combination of a chef/owner with a sincere devotion to his craft, a respect for simplicity, a loyalty to local ingredients, and last but certainly not least, Matt's fearless and fun leadership, make the sum of Stanziato's greater than its parts.

Local Food Rocks captured the essence of Stanziato's perfectly in this behind-the-scenes video of how they build their fires (Jenga-style), what makes their pies so amazing (slow fermentation, good old Danbury water), and a couple trips to local farms you may recognize.

This talented duo behind the blog and RMedia.TV deserves its own shout-out. Alicia (passionate home cook and blogger) and Renato (the man behind the camera and guitar) Ghio are literally a rocking duo. Check them out.

If you watch one thing this weekend, make it this. And if you go to Stanziato's, don't miss the soppressata and chilies pizza and pair it with a salad.  


Friday Froth: Steam Heat

Ingredients Features CT Beer Friday Froth Beer

James Gribbon

The business of craft beer is expanding rapidly. Every Friday Froth column I've ever published on this site has been a celebration of that fact. I - and I'd guess you, if you're reading this - revel in the vast landscape of offerings which slake our thirst, delight our palette, and expand our notions of what beer can be. An article in the March issue of Forbes stated there are over 2,700 craft breweries in the U.S. right now, and the industry is currently worth roughly $100 billion per year. Unfortunately, that's money worth fighting for. 

Lawyers in the employ of San Francisco-based Anchor Brewing Company have taken legal action against Hartford craft beer touchstone City Steam Brewery over the use of the word "steam." As of this week, I am officially boycotting Anchor beers until they drop this petty lawsuit, and I encourage anyone who cares about the craft beer landscape of Connecticut to do the same. Here's why...


Rincon Taqueria in Norwalk- A Hidden Gem in Plain Sight

Restaurant Delicious Dives Norwalk Tacos Mexican Comfort Food Kid Friendly

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

Rincon Taqueria is the epitome of a hidden gem.

The exterior is fairly non-descript and the interior is one large, open space, but the food is delicious. As you enter there are tables for twenty patrons to the left and behind these tables is a long glass deli case containing large baskets and bowls filled with several varieties of chili peppers. Along the right wall are three six-foot tall refrigerators with bottles of soda, home-canned items and take-away containers, including homemade apple sauce, beef and vegetable soup, cassoulet with duck and pork, duck confit. Taqueria?

The young lady behind the counter asked if I needed assistance. I looked at the wall behind her and saw two large hand-written chalkboard menus with more traditional taqueria fare…Huevas Rancheros, Burritos, Chilaquiles, Tacos, Empanadas, Tamales and a Chicken Quesadilla. I ordered a trio of tacos…a fried fish, a beef and a pork. As it turns out the young lady is one of the owners, Maria Munoz Del Castillo.

As I waited, Maria brought a plate of Frijoles con Arroz. In addition to the slightly spicey rice and black beans, the dish contained a few green beans, corn, scallions, diced red onions and cilantro. It was a very pleasant way to wait for my meal.


Muse by Jonathan Cartwright' Debuts at Connecticut's Luxe Mayflower Grace

Restaurant Litchfield

Douglas P Clement

“At the Mayflower Inn, reality does not intrude,” our restaurant critic, Elise Maclay, once wrote in Connecticut Magazine.“The doors are firmly shut against it and the staff is skilled at maintaining the illusion that the elegant dining room, the spacious entry hall, the cozy library, comprise your ancestral domain, a country estate that has been in your family for generations."

That was many years ago, but memories of how sybaritically satisfying the Mayflower was in its early days, when chef Thomas Moran oversaw the kitchen, pushed to the forefront last Wednesday evening when fortunate members of the media were invited to join some of Litchfield County’s notable residents in celebrating the debut of The Mayflower Grace, the country retreat as restyled by new owner Grace Hotels.

The Mayflower Grace a 30-room hotel on 58 acres of gardens and woodlands nestled on a rise in lovely Washington, Conn., retains its “Downton Abbey” appeal as the type of luxury hideaway that has drawn the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton. 

Where the recent extensive refurbishment of the Mayflower is most obvious—and the reason folks such as authors Dani Shapiro and Candace Bushnell braved the wintry weather Wednesday—is the creation of Muse by Jonathan Cartwright, the new restaurant that brings with it a much different, sleeker and modern feel, complemented by the cuisine of Cartwright, the native of Sheffield, England, and world-class chef with a Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux distinction who offers refined modern European cuisine that incorporates the best of local and seasonal produce.

On Wednesday, those qualities, along with Cartwright’s versatility and flair for subtle drama, were evident in the wide range of small-bites offered to guests, most notably in a smoked lobster dish served in a plastic egg-shaped vessel. When you unscrewed the top and lifted it off, a wonderful smoky aroma wafted upwards. The lobster itself was rich, smoky, perfectly cooked and delicious.

In addition to new flavors, Muse by Jonathan Cartwright brings a distinctive new look and feel to dining at The Mayflower Grace.

Read the full article on ConnecticutMag.com