Port Chester Hall & Beer Garden is Now Open! Ingredients Restaurant Beer Garden Port Chester Beer CTbites Team May 27, 2014 This just in from the folks at PORT CHESTER HALL: After undergoing a full renovation and transformation into the first ever food hall, beer pavilion and garden in one venue, Port Chester Railroad Station is proud to announce the opening of PORT CHESTER HALL & BEER GARDEN. The Hall will be pouring 12 unique craft beer selections, created by Kelly Taylor, Director of Brewing for Port Chester Hall (in addition to Houston Hall and Flatiron Hall in Manhattan). These specialty beer styles include English, Belgian, German, and American, however all use mostly American ingredients. In addition to the proprietary beer selection, the Hall is serving imaginative cocktails by the in-house mixologist, as well as top shelf spirits and a variety of wines. The station's historic architecture, originally designed in 1890, was preserved and retooled with vintage lighting, seating, and century-old murals. The Pavilion combines the original railroad steel design with communal wood tables and a towering stone fireplace. Read More
Rhubarb Compote Recipe from Sugar & Olives Features Chef Talk Farmers Market Recipe CTbites Team May 27, 2014 SUGAR & OLIVES will be the guest at The Westport Farmers' Market THIS Thursday May 29th. SUGAR & OLIVES is devoted to serving wholesome, healthy and happy {LOCAL} food. If it's grown in CT, then it's served up at Sugar & Olives. SUGAR & OLIVES will demo-ing and serving up recipes for RHUBARB COMPOTE & PICKLED RAMPS (view complete recipes below) as well as providing rhubarb lemonade. Chef Jon Vaast and Jenn Balin will also discuss the many uses for these ingredients like ramp and rhubarb chutney, rhubarb tom collins, ramp martini, & ramp butter. SUGAR & OLIVES always strives to educate and cultivate its diners. A recent addition to the lineup at S&O is Jon Vaast, former executive chef of the Dressing Room Restaurant. We look forward to seeing him at the market. Read More
Sono Restaurant Week is Back June 8-13th Restaurant Restaurant Week CTbites Team May 27, 2014 Sono Restaurant Week is back this spring with almost 20 restaurants participating in prix fixe menus and great dining deals for lunch and dinner in downtown South Norwalk. Restaurant Week also gives diners the opportunity to check out some new venues in SoNo including: Quartino Trattoria Vineria, Johnny Utah’s (ride the bull while you're there), Sweet Lucy Lynn’s, as well as Dan Kardos' new Local Kitchen & Beer Bar. Participating Restaurants & Price Points Below: Read More
Food Trucks Schedule for Veteran's Park Stamford via Hey Stamford! Food Truck CTbites Team May 27, 2014 Thanks to Hey Stamford! for this update on the Stamford food truck schedule: That's right, you heard that right! You can now enjoy lunch from some of the hottest food trucks in our area every Tuesday-Thursday(11am - 3pm) in Veteran's Park (Atlantic and Main) this Summer! There is a great line up of food trucks for your summer lunch: Tuesday: The Poutine King, Valencia Luncheria, Wednesday: Firehouse Grill Food Rescue Truck, Melt Mobile and LobsterCraft Thursday: Firehouse Grill, Valencia and Volta Gelateria Creperia! They've got tables with umbrellas and music playing for your summer lunchtime get-away! Read More
gingerbitz Bakery Opens in New Canaan: A Sneak Peek Restaurant Bakery Specialty Market New Canaan Kid Friendly Dessert Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger May 26, 2014 “gingerbitz” is opening its doors in what owners Andrew and Karen Zuckert call the store’s “dress rehearsal” and CTbites and Hearst Connecticut Media Group were invited for a sneak peek and sample several of Karen’s delicious creations. Described as a bakery and café, gingerbitz is a welcome addition to New Canaan, which has yearned for a local bakery for many years. The longtime dream of New Canaan residents Andrew and Karen Zuckert, gingerbitz represents years of dedication. Karen is well known within Fairfield County for her amazing gingerbread houses that have graced many mantles, as well as featured at numerous holiday festivals. When the opportunity arose to open a bakery in town that would “broader showcase Karen’s talents,” the couple jumped at the opportunity. They painstakingly and meticulously renovated the location, developed relationships with vendors to provide organic products and Andrew embarked on his search for the perfect coffee. Read More
Friday Froth: Two Roads, Half Full, Stone Brewing, Vapeur Cochonne & More Brewery CT Beer Beer James Gribbon May 23, 2014 Satan's favorite sin may be vanity, but I like to think I've earned a curt nod of his horned head with my recent achievements in the fields of gluttony and sloth. A detailed recap of my travels during American Craft Beer Week would run about 20,000 words, and even I don't think I'm that interesting, so I've put reviews of some of the sweet, sweet beer I lucked into below, interspersed with a few tidbits of news. The gems which did not make this week's column will be coming your way soon, though - I took a LOT of notes. Biggest news [by size]: Two Roads Brewing in Stratford, already the largest brewery in the state, has announced plans for an expansion which will more than double their output, from ~80,000 barrels per year to over 175,000 barrels, at an estimated cost of $2.4million. Two Roads has expanded its reach from Connecticut to Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York, so demand has obviously increased, but only 25% of current capacity goes to brewing their own portfolio. Read More
109 Cheese & Wine's Perfect Grilled Cheese Recipe c/o Fairfield County Chef's Table Features Restaurant Cheese Ridgefield Recipe Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster May 23, 2014 In our second week featuring recipes from Fairfield County Chef's Table, we looked no further than Ridgefield to feature 109 Cheese & Wine's excellent grilled cheese sandwich with wild mushrooms. In addition to trying your hand at the recipe below, the shop also makes made-to-order grilled cheese sandwiches in their shop. 109 Cheese & Wine will be hosting a free event with Bernard's Restaurant and Southwest Café at 11 am on May 31 in their upstairs classroom, complete with food from all three restaurants, bubbly and beverages, as well as copies of Fairfield County Chef's Table. Stop by for a snack, and have the chefs and author sign your book! 109 Cheese & Wine109 Danbury Road, Ridgefield, CT 06877 | (203) 438-5757 | 109cheeseandwine.com Owners: Monica and Todd Brown Wild Mushroom Grilled Cheese Sandwich Read More
Weekly Nibble: Upcoming Food News & Events Holiday News Beer Emma Jane-Doody Stetson May 23, 2014 This Memorial Day, you can support our troops by eating delicious dishes from Dinosaur BBQ in Stamford! Each time you dig into a “Sweetheart Deal” or a “Brisket Plate,” Dinosaur Bar-B-Que will be donating $$ to the nonprofit organization Wounded Warriors Project, which supports a full range of programs and services for this generation of injured veterans and their families. Take part in this from Sunday, May 25th through Monday, May 26th. It’s a Memorial Day BBQ at Barcelona Fairfield! An all-day buffet will be served from 1-9pm for $20 adult and $10 for children. Nick Marzock will performs live from 2-6pm and there will be face painting for the kids from 1:30-4:30pm. There will even be a Narragansett Brewery beer tasting. Full menu & details here. The Darien Farmers' Market is open for the spring and summer season. It takes place every Wednesday in the Goodwives Shopping Center parking lot. Visit http://darienfarmersmarket.net/ for all the details. Wednesday May 28, Half Full Brewery in Stamford invites you to participate in a pub run! From 6:30–7:30pm, run a little, beer a little. Runners of all ability levels can start and finish at the brewery the 4th Wednesday of every month. Read More
Bounty Food Truck Rolls into Fairfield County with Grass Fed Gourmet Burgers & More Restaurant Food Truck Burgers Stephanie Webster May 22, 2014 We just had a moment with a new food truck that has rolled into Fairfield County, Bounty Food Truck featuring "Gourmet Burgers & More." With two CIA trained chefs manning the grill, this "farm to mobile" kitchen has some serious legs...and some really tasty burgers. We sampled the "Bordelaise Burger" with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, malbec butter and arugula. We asked for pink in the middle, and perfectly pink it was served. The burger was thick and juicy, caramelized onions deeply flavorful, with gruyere blanketing the beef, all softy nestled under a perfect brioche bun. We'd go back. Other selections today were a "Simple Burger" with lettuce, farm tomato and onion, as well as the " Bounty" with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle and "Bounty Spread." Intriguing... All of their ground beef is 100% grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free and straight from Saugatuck Craft Butchery in Westport. Their produce and eggs are sourced from Holbrook Farm in Bethel as well as Gilbertie's Farm in Easton. The gorgeous brioche bun is made by Wave Hill Breads in Norwalk, CT. Read More
4 Simple Tips for Perfect Grilling on a Wolf Outdoor Gas Grill (sponsored post) CTbites Team May 22, 2014 4 Simple Tips for Perfect Grilling on a Wolf Outdoor Gas Grill In anticipation of Memorial Day Weekend, which is seen by many as the beginning of the grilling season in New England, we are sharing Clarke Chef Brittany Williams' four easy tips to make your grilling successful. Chef Brittany recently worked on several videos (soon to hit YouTube) talking about how you can utilize a Wolf Gas Grill outdoors and Wolf Charbroiler indoors to enjoy great barbecue taste year-round. While Clarke offers the industry-leading Wolf Gas Grills with a 25,000 BTU direct heat infrared burner to sear meats faster, which seals in juices, Chef Brittany's BBQ tips will work on any grill. Here are her four tips for pefect grilling... Read More
Guide to Kids Summer Cooking Camps & Classes in Connecticut Kids Bites Features Restaurant Cooking Classes Education Kids kids activity kids cooking party April Guilbault May 22, 2014 Is May about the newly arriving crocuses (crocii?)? Or about the greening of our lawns after the longest winter ever? Nah. Let’s get down to business-it’s about finding camps for your kiddos before the summer hits and all of those spots are filled! The emails have begun flying and the scramble is beginning. What’s new? What’s fun? How about forgoing the traditional Camp Gitchigoomee canoes and bonfires and, instead, fan the flames of summer creativity in some area kitchens with cooking camps for kids! Here is a list of 8 Kids Cooking Classes & Summer Camps for 2014: Read More
2014 Westport Farmers' Market Opening Day is Thursday May 22nd Restaurant CT Farms Chef Farmers Market CTbites Team May 21, 2014 The Westport Farmers’ Market kicks off its ninth summer season on Thursday, May 22 and continues Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m through November 6 at 50 Imperial Avenue. They will kick-off the season with a green juice toast, by The Stand @12:00. Come early and enjoy the tasty treats Chef Cecily Ganz and the Staples High School Culinary team will be demonstrating from 10:15 - 11:00. WFM will offer locally produced products from over 40 vendors including meats, dairy, breads, seafood and produce each week, as well as host cooking and educational demonstrations from chefs and artisans. Read More
Harbor Point in Stamford Hosts Memorial Day Celebration with Music, Food, & Fun CTbites Team May 21, 2014 BLT invites the community to officially kick off the summer with a block party immediately following the Stamford Boys and Girls Club Corporate 5K on May 22, with Food by Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and Paloma, beverages by World of Beer, and music by celebrated local country band Jump the Gunn. Special events are scheduled almost every weekend. For the most up-to-date information and a full events calendar click here or visit the Harbor Point page on Facebook. Read More
Fortina's Christian Petroni Cooks The James Beard House: "Exuberant Italian" Stephanie Webster May 21, 2014 Chef Christian Petroni of Fortina in Armonk took The James Beard House by storm this past Monday night with a menu titled "Exuberant Italian." Few restaurants understand hospitality like Fortina owners, Petroni, Nealon & Krauss and The Beard House event was no exception. They simply brought the "family" to NYC. Petroni was joined in the kitchen by his own Jodi Bernhard alongside heavy hitters: Bill Taibe- The Whelk/le farm; Merlin Verrier- Primary by Graham Elliot; Dave DiBari- The Cookery/The Parlor; Chris Vergara- Harpers/Meritage/St. George; Rui Correia- Douro; as well as Her Lindstrom & Melissa Iscaro- Cooked & Co. Impressive? Heck yeah. The full menu is below. Read it with your favorite drool cup. Read More
“Hey Bartender” Documentary Screening May 29 in Westport Ingredients Food Movies CTbites Team May 20, 2014 Ever had a fantasy about becoming a bartender, if only for a night? Or wondered about the lives of those who shake, stir and pour? Now is your chance. The 92-minute documentary, “Hey Bartender” gives you an insider’s look into the lives and dreams of bartenders, and explains the lure of the bar that goes beyond the drinks. Steve Carpentieri, owner of Dunville’s Restaurant in Westport, is featured in the film. You’ll hear from some of the world’s most renowned bartenders, glance back to the Prohibition era, and see the rise of the classic cocktail era and its aftermath today. The film premiered at the prestigious SXSW Film Festival. Time: 7.30pm Date: Thursday, May 29 Place: Christ and Holy Trinity Church, 79 Church Lane, Westport. Cost: Tickets are $10 at the door or online at: westportcinema.org Read More
Themed "Pop-Up" Lunches Launch at Match in SoNo Wednesday-Friday Restaurant Dinner Events Lunch CTbites Team May 20, 2014 Think Match is great for dinner? For the first time in their 14-year history, Match is launching Lunch, but not just any lunch. Match will be serving a pop-up style themed lunch. Each week Match will be transformed by putting aside the usual menu and letting their chefs get creative to keep your curiosity piqued. What themes you ask... Matt Storch writes, "Like tacos? We've got an ode to ‘Taco’s or What?’ coming your way. Crave our burgers? We'll transform into a classic roadside burger & dog joint. Love Italian? We'll pull out the red checkered tablecloths!" Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday May 21, you can join Match three days a week, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 11:30 am – 2 pm. To find out what's on the menu, follow Match on Facebook and Twitter to see what's for lunch! Call or visit Opentable for reservations. Read More
Green Grunion Food Truck: San Diego-style Burritos in Danbury Restaurant Danbury Food Truck Tacos Beer Mexican Amy Kundrat May 19, 2014 The Green Grunion food truck is the brainchild of Paul Mannion, a Bethel native whose three year foray in San Diego served as inspiration for Danbury's San Diego-style burrito business on wheels. A restaurant industry veteran (you may remember his friendly face from behind the bar at Bethel’s La Zingara), Paul launched the business nearly a year ago in Danbury inspired by the burritos he came to know and love during his time in San Diego. I finally tracked down the Green Grunion after many positive reader recommendations, and a fuzzy memory of Paul telling me his grandiose plans from behind the Zingara bar last year. But first, a quick burrito primer for the uninitiated East Coast-dwellers (read: you, me, and everyone we know, Connecticut). Look up burrito in the dictionary and you'll likely conjure an image of the tightly-packed Mission style behemoths found in San Francisco's Mission District and interpreted loosely at a Chipotle near you. Read More
Best Bar Burgers in Fairfield County: 2014 Edition Danbury Darien Fairfield Norwalk Trumbull Westport New Canaan Best of CT Burgers Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger May 19, 2014 May is National Burger Month and it’s that time of year again for CTbites to unveil its “Best Bar Burgers of Fairfield County.” The last twelve months brought us several suggestions to try and I tried many of these additional locations. The 2014 list included some outstanding bars and haunts that served delicious burgers, so good in fact that only one newcomer was as delicious. (See complete list below) Not only was this an outstanding burger, but it earned my top spot as the Best Bar Burger in Fairfield County. Bick’s Burgers & Fries – 2014 Best Bar Burger in Fairfield County Read More
Fresh Strawberry, Herb and Honey Vinaigrette/Marinade Recipe from Chef Cecily Gans of Staples High School Culinary Arts Features Recipe CTbites Team May 19, 2014 Cecily Ganz is a culinary teacher at Staples High School. What makes her stand out is her commitment to teaching the kids the value of using local ingredients. Cecily spearheads our Gillespie Center monthly meal program where we, WFM, purchase food from our market for to kids prepare and serve the meal to our neighbors in need. She will be the guest chef at The Westport Farmers' Market on May 22nd. You can find her recipe for Fresh Strawberry, Herb & Honey Vinaigrette below. Read More
Plan B Burger Bar Milford Hosts "Game of Thrones" Feast June 17 CTbites Team May 19, 2014 To purchase tickets click here. Read More
