BBQ, Music & Fun @ Sun BBQFest June 20-22nd at Mohegan Sun CTbites Team June 10, 2014 Warm up with a weekend of tasty BBQ, live entertainment and fun for the whole family at the SUN BBQFEST June 20-22nd @ Mohegan Sun. Sink your teeth into some of the nation's best barbecue with festivities including a team BBQ competition, beer trailer, live music plus an extraordinary fireworks display! Kick off your summer with a guaranteed chillin' & grillin' good time! Click here for a complete list of vendors. Don't miss the Wing Competition on Saturday June 21st! Vote on the best wings from 1:00pm - 3:00pm at the judges tent. Purchase a set of tickets at the tent for only $5 and try 5 delicious wing samples. Vote on your favorite and help us crown the winning Wing Team! This event will benefit The Operation BBQ Relief. Find out more about their efforts here. Read More
Community Table in Washington: A New Bar and Expanded Dining Room Restaurant Farm to Table Washington Organic Bar Amy Kundrat June 09, 2014 Community Table, the Washington, CT restaurant that should be on every serious gourmand’s bucket list, debuted a stunning new dining room and bar this week, kicking off its high summer season with its signature rustic modern style. The four-year old restaurant continues to set itself apart by a seasonally-driven New Nordic-inspired menu. Its talented team, led by James Beard-nominated Executive Chef Joel Viehland, has helped to establish Community Table as one of the region’s best restaurants. The new dining room and bar, designed by architect Peter Talblot working closely with owner Peggy Anderson on the design vision, Read More
Farm to Table @ Bailey's Backyard in Ridgefield Restaurant American Farm to Table Ridgefield Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger June 08, 2014 Bailey’s Backyard opened in 1999, the brainchild of Chef Sal Bagliavio, who oversaw the kitchen for fourteen years. Wanting to spend more time with his family he hired Executive Chef Forrest Pasternack in early 2013 to develop a farm-to-table menu, focused on locally produced ingredients. Born and raised in Western Connecticut, Chef Pasternack’s love of fresh ingredients developed at an early age. His childhood included picking vegetables, fishing the waters of Nantucket Sound, and digging clams in Chatham, Mass.: all to enjoy at family dinner. This passion was both enhanced and refined when he graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America. Post-graduation he sharpened his culinary skills at some of New York’s finest restaurants, including Zoe with Chef David Honeysett, the BLT Restaurant Group with Chef Laurent Tourendel, Eats on Lexington with Chef Jeremy Spector, Employee’s Only and The Brindle Room. His passion for the farm-to-table movement inspired his menus at The SOHO Grand Hotel in lower Manhattan and Terra Restaurant in Greenwich. Since joining Baily’s Backyard, he has dazzled guests with creative combinations and bold flavors. Read More
Recap: Bar Sugo Wins The 2014 Meatball Challenge CTbites Team June 07, 2014 It was a great evening for a great cause. Over 100 people converged on the Factory Underground to settle a contest among eleven local chefs, who makes the best meatball. Each chef created their version of the Italian classic and creativity was evident in many. There was a a meatball perched on BBQ pork and beans, an fantastic arancini with a meat sauce, an interpretation of a gyro and a Mexican version. In the end the guests voted and the winner was... Bar Sugo - Winner 2014 Meatball Challenge Read More
Weekly Nibble: Upcoming Food News & Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson June 06, 2014 Monday June 9, June 9, the Wilton Chamber of Commerce present its 7th Annual ‘Taste of Wilton’ on the Wilton Town Green. The event will feature food and beverage purveyors from throughout the area who showcase samples of their specialties. From 5:30-8:30, swirl and savor the best that local chefs, culinary personalities, mixologists and restaurateurs have to offer. Get schooled with Fairfield Cheese Company Tuesday, June 10th. 7-9pm with a "Perfect Pairings: Cheese & Wine" class. With the help of their friends at Harry’s Wine & Liquor, they will pair the perfect cheese with its perfect wine match and discuss the basics of pairing cheese & wine $45.00 Barcelona New Haven will teach you to make “Classic Spanish Tapas” on Tuesday June 10. To make reservations, please call the restaurant at 203.848.3000. $25pp. “Wine, Cheese, and Art” will come to New Canaan on Wednesday June 11. The Rotary Club of New Canaan and the Carriage Barn Arts Center are jointly sponsoring a wine and cheese tasting event set in the Carriage Barn's exhibition hall. The funds raised will support Rotary's End Polio campaign and the Arts Center's programs. 6-9pm. Read More
Chef Brian Lewis Welcomes Chef Didier Elena in First "Guest Chefs Series" CTbites Team June 06, 2014 Join Chef Brian Lewis on Thursday, June 12th as he welcomes internationally renowned chef Didier Elena of Chef's Club by Food & Wine to the first of the “Guest Chef Series” hosted by elm restaurant. Chef Lewis told CTbites, “I am excited to begin this series of regularly scheduled events where I will partner with chefs who share my passion for dishes that are inspired by the seasons.” The first in his series is entitled "June Flavors from the French Riviera to the Connecticut River.” Both chefs will prepare dishes based on the seasonal flavors found in their local region. Chef Elena, a native of Monaco and a two-decade veteran chef under Chef Alain Ducasse, will prepare dishes reflecting the hallmarks of pure, minimal ingredients of southern French-Mediterranean cuisine. Chef Lewis will focus on the abundant ingredients found locally in southern Connecticut, mostly from neighboring Millstone Farm. Read More
VanChetta Rolling Rotisserie Food Truck: Outstanding Porchetta Sandwich Restaurant Food Truck Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger June 05, 2014 The food truck craze has officially invaded Fairfield County. Until last year there were less than a handful of colorful food trucks gracing the streets and parking lots of Fairfield County. Last year, the circular driveway outside the Beer Garden at Harbor Point became their go-to location, the choices expanded and lines confirmed that people finally accepted the fact that great food can be both prepared and served from a rolling kitchen. Traditionally limited to a griddle or grill in food preparation, I was intrigued to learn that one housed a rotisserie and excited when I discovered that they served porchetta, one of my favorites. Enter VanChetta Rolling Rotisserie... I checked their Facebook page for their location. Was there fire behind all of this rotisserie smoke? As I approached the brightly colored truck with its bold “VanChetta” adorning the sides and “?YRGNUH” emblazoned on the front, I had a good feeling. The line was several deep and others were already enjoying a variety of Chef/Owner Andy Dolan’s creations at surrounding picnic tables. Read More
An Exclusive Look @ The New OEC Brewing in Oxford (Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores) Ingredients Brewery CT Beer Oxford Beer James Gribbon June 05, 2014 You read it here first back in April, and now CTbites is bringing you an absolutely exclusive first look at OEC Brewing, days before the grand opening party this Saturday. The party, by the way, is open to everyone, and will take place at 7 Fox Hollow Rd., Oxford, CT, from noon to 5p.m. We have the tap and bottle list for the event below. As a reminder, OEC stands for Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores, a bit of muddled Latin roughly translating to the "Order of Eccentric Boilers," and is the work of Ben Neidhart and Jie Yu. Ben designed the name, logo, and all associated labels and artwork as a bit of a spoof on medieval guilds and secret societies, and framed examples of this art can be found decorating the walls of OEC's combined brewery and tasting room. The Grounds Read More
Join Chef Elizabeth Falkner @ Napa & Co.'s Pizza Party CTbites Team June 05, 2014 Come to Napa & Co. and join Chef Adam Truelove and Owner Mary Schaffer as they welcome celebrity Chef Elizabeth Falkner on Friday June 27th for "THE FRIDAY NIGHT PIZZA PARTY" from 6 to 9pm. Chef Falkner is a multiple award winning chef, a James Beard Foundation Award nominee and a lover of culinary competition. Many will remember her incredible skills on Food Network's "Next Iron Chef, Redemption," "Food Network's Challenge," "Iron Chef America" and her outstanding performance in the finals of "Next Iron Chef, Super Chefs," as well as a contestant on Bravo's "Top Chef Masters." A lover of pastas and pizzas, she recently entered and won an international Pizza Competition in Naples, Italy. Read More
2014 Guest Chef Lineup @ The Westport Farmers' Market Ingredients Chef Farmers Market Local Farm Stephanie Webster June 05, 2014 Already love the Westport Farmers' Market? Here's another reason to feel good about shopping local. Market Director, Lori Cochran has announced an outstanding "Guest Chef" Lineup for 2014. Mark your calendars people as the guest chefs will conduct classes and demos from 10:15 to 11:00 a.m. every Thursday. I don't know about you, but some of my favorite chefs in Fairfield County are on this list. Don't miss your chance to meet and greet the people who make your mouth water. The Westport Farmers Market will be held every Thursday from 10-2 at the Imperial Avenue Parking Lot. Read on for the complete Guest Chef Program Schedule: Read More
Doughnut Day: Best Doughnuts in Fairfield County & Beyond Restaurant Bakery Kids Breakfast Best of CT Kid Friendly Dessert Emma Jane-Doody Stetson June 05, 2014 Friday June 6 is National Donut Day! Yes, it's an actual holiday... it started in 1938 and has been celebrated on the first Friday in June ever since. Back then, making doughnuts proved a complicated ordeal, with people resorting to wine bottles as rolling pins and metal tins as cutting edges. Today, however, several CT restaurants have made doughnuts an art form. As a Stamford resident, I constantly heard people talk about the legendary donuts at the Lakeside Diner. Their rounds are neither ornate nor revolutionary. Instead, the old-fashioned donuts taste just like something Grandma would have pulled out of the oven. The classic cake recipe has a dusting of granulated sugar that pleases children and adults alike. On the other side of the spectrum, Orangeside of New Haven eschews tradition and bakes up SQUARE donuts. It started out as an exercise in frugality; traditional round cutters proved expensive and the square shaped reduced the amount of scrap dough. However, the original design became an instant hit, even recognized by Saveur Magazine as one of the top 50 donuts in the United States. Read More
LobsterCraft Food Truck Opening Brick & Mortar Shop in Darien Restaurant Food Truck CTbites Team June 03, 2014 LobsterCraft, in collaboration with Imian Hospitality, announces the first brick-and-mortar location of the popular gourmet food truck of the same name. LobsterCraft Darien developed out of a relationship formed last summer at Imian’s wildly successful pop-up, The Beer Garden at Harbor Point. The LobsterCraft food truck spent many bustling nights at The Beer Garden, cultivating a loyal following of lobster lovers who track the truck using the full range of social media outlets. LobsterCraft, founded in 2012 by Norwalk-based lobsterman and Coast Guard Captain, Michael Harden, and chef-partner, Trond Fletcher, takes the traditional Connecticut Style lobster roll to the “next level.” The duo’s commitment to perfecting Connecticut’s official state sandwich has earned LobsterCraft a number of awards and accolades, including best food truck and best lobster roll in the state. LobsterCraft rolls are simple, yet elegant combinations of fresh, hot-buttered lobster meat mixed with a pinch of a proprietary 12-ingredient seasoning blend Read More
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Launches Rock ‘n Roast on June 4 Restaurant CTbites Team June 02, 2014 The countdown is on! Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is launching Rock ‘n Roast: a whole-hog barbecue with live music, this coming Wednesday. Here is what you need to know: Read More
CTbites' Best Restaurant Burgers in Fairfield County: 2014 Edition Restaurant Fairfield Norwalk SONO Stamford Westport New Canaan Best of CT Burgers Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger June 01, 2014 National Burger Month draws to a close. What better way to celebrate the conclusion of an entire month of enjoying some incredible hamburgers than announcing the 2014 CTbites' winners of the Best Restaurant Burgers of Fairfield County. More burgers challenged last year’s winners and three were successful, Olio, Mama’s Boy and Bar Sugo. For the second year in a row, the winner is: The Whelk– 2014 Best Restaurant Burger in Fairfield County 1 - The Whelk (Westport) – The Whelk Burger combines a blend rich flavored meat, sweet pickles, cry baby Swiss cheese, two varieties of bacon, crisped onions and onion mayo on a brioche bun. The dry aged blend of short rib, brisket and chuck from Craft Saugatuck Butchery was fantastic. The cheese covered, thick patty sat atop two different varieties of bacon that added saltiness and smokiness, while slices of sweet pickles, a slice of frisée and the onion accented mayo brought additional flavors and textures. Sitting atop the plump patty was a handful of crisped onions. Read More
Breaking Food News! Fortina is Coming to Stamford's Harbor Point Lou Gorfain June 01, 2014 We love Fortina. Christian Petroni and Jodi Bernhard's wood fired Italian kitchen is arguably the best around. Only trouble, Fortina is not really “around” It lies off in Armonk, New York, which for most of our readers is a haul, a long drive over narrow and twisting Back Country trails. Grazie a Dio. We are happy to report that Fortina is coming to Stamford's booming Harbor Point. Late last week they signed a contract for a soaring, sun splashed space on Washington Avenue, facing Commons Park. According to Petroni and his partners John Nealon and Rob Krauss, the restaurant will feel like Armonk, but be different. "It's like a Fortina snowflake," Chef Petroni explained. "Once you get closer to the snowflake, it's completely unique." Nealon added, “We hate the idea of building a cookie cutter Fortina.” The three talented partners are designing the space themselves, eschewing an interior designer. They will take a minimalist approach and envision a polished concrete floor and bar, flanked by grand, floor to ceiling windows. Read More
Cookies for Kids With Cancer: Danbury Bake Sale, June 8 at Danbury Square Restaurant Fundraiser Amy Kundrat June 01, 2014 Cookies for Kids' Cancer will hold a bake sale on Sunday, June 8 at 10 am in Danbury Square in Danbury, CT. “We are determined to raise as much as we can for childhood cancer research,” says the sale’s organizer (and Fine Cooking senior editor), Denise Mickelsen. “We invite everyone interested in volunteering, baking, or stopping by for some delicious treats to do so. Every dollar counts and we need your help!” A national 501(c)3 non-profit, Cookies for Kids' Cancer is committed to raising funds for research to develop new, improved treatments for pediatric cancer, the #1 disease killer of children in the U.S. They provide inspiration and support for individuals, businesses and organizations to raise funds by hosting grassroots bake sales and other fundraising events. The Danbury bake sale will have cookies and other baked goods, raffle prizes, balloons, and much more for the entire family. For more information on the organization, visit the Cookies for Kids' Cancer website, and stay in touch locally at Danbury Cookies for Kids with Cancer on Facebook. Read More
Weekly Nibble: Upcoming Food News & Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson May 30, 2014 Tuesday June 3, the Fairfield Cheese Company invites you to an evening of Cheese and Chutney. Pair and taste different variations of the two delicacies from 7-9pm. $45pp, call (203) 292-8194 to purchase. On Wednesday June 4, you can travel to Greece without leaving the country with Harry’s Wines in Fairfield. Greece has the history of being the early cradle of winemaking and the wine makers of Greece are crafting wines from indigenous varieties. $35pp, 7-9pm. Details here. Dinosaur BBQ of Stamford is celebrating the arrival of summer with Rock n’ Roast on the deck! On Wednesday the 4th from 6-9pm, enjoy all kinds of classic BBQ from a whole hog while listening to live music. Join Tomato and Basil in Fairfield every Wednesday for Wine Wednesdays. Come in, have a bite to eat, and enjoy 50% off any bottle of wine in the restaurant. Thursday June 5 is Fairfield County’s inaugural Meatball Challenge. The event will feature a variety of scrumptious meatballs from 10 area chefs, including participants from Bar Sugo, Bobby Q’s, Craft Butchery, David’s Soundview Catering, Have a Ball, Match, Meatball & Co., The Local Meatball, The Spread and Strada 18. Read More
Naughty Is The New Nice at Naughty Water Whiskey Bar & Grille in Bridgeport (sponsored post) CTbites Team May 30, 2014 [The following article is a sponsored post written as an advertisement] Naughty Water Whiskey Bar and Grille is Black Rock’s newest hot spot for dining and entertainment. With a nod to Prohibition (hence the “naughty water” euphemism for alcohol) and the nostalgic inclination to foster freedom of expression and the spirit of “indulge your naughty side”, this new addition to the Black Rock scene is fast becoming the go-to place for those seeking something just a tad outside of mainstream. The menu is eclectic Contemporary American featuring whiskey infusion tapas selections along with traditional comfort food with a sweet and savory twist. At the helm of this stylish new restaurant is Executive Chef Robert Morales, a CIA graduate who’s earliest inspiration was Chef Daniel Boulud. Chef Robert brings more then what you would expect to the “and grille” aspect of this whiskey bar and diners are taking notice of what is now becoming a staple on the new “Restaurant Row” of Black Rock. Read More
Recap: Chef Jeff Taibe's Rooftop Takeover at Ecco Restaurant Bethel Bill Taibe Farm to Table Amy Kundrat May 29, 2014 Earlier this month, Chef Jeff Taibe led a one night kitchen takeover of the Ecco Rooftop in Bethel, located above La Zingara. The chef and his team prepared a five-course wood-fired feast in the intimate en plein air restaurant. "We chose Ecco because I love the atmosphere. I love how casual it feels sitting on the patio. Another draw was working with the wood-fired oven," said Jeff Taibe. "Plus I wanted to bring some attention to upper Fairfield, there are a lot of hidden gems and great places to go and I feel Ecco is one of them." About 25 people sat under the twinkling lights of the rooftop, enjoying Taibe's creations presented on vintage china from Borrowed, and paired with the evening's signature cocktail, the Paper Plane, a combination of bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice, concocted by mixologist Jeff Marron. Taibe will be the executive chef at brother Bill Taibe's newest restaurant in Westport. Read More
Annual Sunset Picnic at Ambler Farm in Wilton is June 14 Restaurant Farm Dinner CTbites Team May 28, 2014 Ambler Farm has announced plans for their annual "Sunset Picnic – An Evening in the Garden" on Saturday, June 14 from 6 to 10 pm. The evening will be catered by Barcelona restaurant and tickets are $95 members / $110 non-member. Ambler Farm is located in Wilton at 257 Hurlbutt Street. Registration is now open to members, and will open to the general public (space permitting, and tickets are going FAST) on May 15th. Register Here. Read More
