Friday Froth: Oktoberfest Was Born In March Ingredients Restaurant CT Beer Oktoberfest Beer James Gribbon September 19, 2014 I'm forever tempted to geek out in Froth: Hop varieties from New Zealand, Gemini astronauts on labels, fat tankers, coolships - I'm curious about everything, and I'll drink most of it once. Today I'll attempt to make a few points, mention beer early, then get out. Here we go: Oktoberfest is not a style of beer. In fact, it has more to do with a horse race than anything we drink. Most beer drinkers have heard the basic origin story: On October 12, 1810, crown prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen and everyone in Munich was invited to party on the fields in front of the city gates, which have been known as Theresienwiese, or "Theresa's meadow" ever since. Everyone had a great time, and you know damn well there was some beer involved, but the highlight of the party for everyone but the non-royals (probably) were the horse races which closed the jubilation. It was the desire to have the horse races again the next year which lead to Oktoberfest becoming an annual tradition. Read More
Weekly Nibble: Upcoming Food News & Events for Week of September 25th Emma Jane-Doody Stetson September 19, 2014 Match of Sono continues its new prix fixe menu through Friday the 26th. It includes 3 courses for just $30! SBC has launched “Southtoberfest,” which features seasonal brews and an Okoberfest inspired menu. Pumpkin crème brulee! View menu here. Thursday September 25, Taco Loco of Bridgeport will hold a tequila tasting w/ a 3 course Mexican meal, 3 mixed drinks, and Azunia tequila! $40 presale, $45 at the door. Walrus + Carpenter continues its BrewGrass with pig roast on Thursday Sept 25. It includes live music, a roast pig, draft specials, and more. The pig is served at 7:30pm. THE GREENWICH WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL IS FINALLY HERE! It takes place at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich overlooking the Long Island Sound with more than 100 vendors, local & nationally recognized chefs, cooking demos, and live music. Read More
New Canaan Nature Center Hosts Harvest Festival w/ Beer, Music & More Restaurant Festival Beer CTbites Team September 18, 2014 On October 4th New Canaan Nature Center will be hosting their third annual Harvest Festival from 7-10pm. This event is a fundraiser for the Nature Center, and is also the party everyone loves to attend but doesn’t want to host anymore. Boots, jeans, and a jacket in the meadow with beer, a bit of wine, music, and food for one ticket price. A local band called the Jazzholes will be performing, and Half Full Brewery and Two Roads Brewery, will be coming to serve party go-ers. There will be a wide variety of beer and wine to choose from and some great eats. Last year, vendors pouring beer and wine included Half Full, Two Roads, Estrella, GW Beer, Berkshire, DogFish Head, Widmer, Murphy’s and Charter Oak along with 3 liquor stores pouring a selection of wines and a few signature cocktails. This year they will also have a selection of gluten free labels.For more information about the location/time/etc.: http://www.newcanaannature.org/programs/adult/index.php Read More
Habitat, Harvest, and Happy Hour: New Haven Land Trust Benefit CTbites Team September 18, 2014 The New Haven Land Trust us hosting a bus tour of New Haven area nature preserves and community gardens ending in downtown New Haven's historic bar Ordinary on Sunday, October 5, 2014 at 4:30 to 8:30 pm. The organization will present the Environmental Business Award to Blue State Coffee. Tickets begin at $45 for party-only, $80 for a tour and party, and $125 for patrons. For more information and tickets: New Haven Land Trust Benefit Event.Featured food and drink: *Ordinary's selection of fine wines*Outstanding beers, including drafts from Connecticut's new brewery, Black Hog Brewing Co. *Cheese and charcuterie hand-selected by the cheese mongers from Caseus Fromagerie Bistro. Read More
Chef Speaker Lineup Announced for the 2014 CTbites & Serendipity Blogger Lounge at Greenwich Wine + Food Festival Restaurant Greenwich Greenwich Wine + Food Festival CTbites Team September 17, 2014 CTbites is pleased to announce the schedule for the CTbites & Serendipity Blogger Lounge at the Greenwich Wine+Food Festival on Saturday, September 27, 2014, co-hosted with the event's presenting sponsor, Serendipity magazine. The lounge will host the CTbites & Serendipity Chef Speaker Series, a schedule of 13 regionally and nationally recognized chefs who will take part in a Q & A with editors from Serendipity and CTbites. Food bloggers, writers, and photographers are welcome to visit the tent, meet the chefs, and listen to the guest speakers. Speakers will be interviewed by CTbites' honarary team member Chef Matt Storch. CTbites Chef Speaker Series 12:15 pm Aaron Sanchez 12:45 pm Anne Burrell 1:15 pm Adam Richman 1:45 pm Geoffrey Zakarian 2:15 pm Christian Petroni 2:45 pm Fritz Knipschildt 3:00 pm Geoff Lazlo 3:15 pm Joel Viehland 3:30 pm Michael Young 3:45 pm Bill Taibe 4:00 pm Jean-Georges Vongerichten 4:30 pm Mixology Panel: Gretchen Thomas, Jeff Marron, Adam Patrick Read More
Fairfield Cheese Company Fall Class Schedule Restaurant Cheese Cooking Classes Education Wine Tasting CTbites Team September 17, 2014 Fairfield Cheese Company classes are back in session and school has never been this delicious. Whether you are a cheese novice looking for a anintroduction to the basics, or a cheese-aficionado seeking to expand your knowledge on a specific variety, they've got the class for you. I jumped at the chance to attend one of these sessions back in October and spent some time with owners Laura and Christopher who lead these entertaining and informative evenings. If you would like some background on Fairfield Cheese Company, check out our review, "Cheese 101." With wine pairings from Harry's Wine & Liquor, this is the perfect way to break out of that dinner-and-a-movie date night rut. Read More
Celebrate The Cocktail Culture @ Napa & Co. October 1st CTbites Team September 16, 2014 On Wednesday October 1, celebrate incredible libations as Mixologist Eric Ribeiro introduces Napa & Co.’s first installment of the “Cocktail Culture.” From 5-7PM, Eric will combine the flavors of the season with juices, bitters, liquors and condiments in developing ten hand-crafted and unique cocktails that will pair perfectly with Chef Adam Truelove’s amazing culinary creations. The matching of cocktails and food is becoming an experience in Fairfield County and Eric and Chef Adam have worked closely in developing the combinations. Priced at $40 (plus tax and gratuity) this event is sure to please those who are advocates of these new pairings and make converts of those who have not experienced its pleasure to the palate. To reserve a spot at this event, call Napa & Co. at 203-353-3319 Read More
Dan Barber Talks on How to Make Farm-to-Table A Truly Sustainable Movement Ingredients Farm to Table Amy Kundrat September 16, 2014 Photo: Food 52 In a recent interview with Yale's Environment 360, Dan Barber dsicussed the failure of the farm-to-table movement to support sustainable agriculture on a large scale. He tasked "the table that must support the farm, not the other way around." For the full interview and to listen to the podcast, visit Environment 360. But I went to Klaas’s farm [in upstate New York] to learn this recipe of wheat and I was standing in the middle of a field and all of a sudden discovered that he was growing very little wheat, and that instead he was growing a whole suite of lowly grains like millet and buckwheat and barley, and leguminous crops like Austrian winter peas and kidney beans. He was growing a lot of cover crops like vetch and clover. Read More
Top 10 Craft Cocktails in Lower Connecticut Ingredients Restaurant Cocktails Bar Best of CT Lou Gorfain September 16, 2014 “We've come through the Dark Ages of the Cocktail," observes Gretchen Thomas, Director of Wine and Spirits for Barcelona and Bartaco.. "There was a time here when the spirit of choice was mainly Vodka, and the best we could do was flavor it.” Though Connecticut may be a bit late to the party, the Craft Cocktail has finally, fully arrived. In fact, the drinks created at many local bars are as artful and artisanal as what's cooking in the kitchen. Today’s barcraft is almost culinary … reflecting the way we now cook and dine: with fresh seasonal ingredients, locally sourced and often hand crafted. Re-mixes of the old classics are updated with super premium, small batched spirits and served with stunning visual presentations and precisely balanced flavor constructions. “Cocktails have become part of the meal,” notes Jeff Marron, who heads up the beverage programs at Bill Taibe’s restaurants in Westport. They are enjoyed for flavor and complexity more than potency. The much celebrated legacy drinks of the Prohibition Era were often filled with unreliable spirits that were masked by powerful mixers. And the boozy indulgences at Mid-century served as Mad Men escapes more than savored enjoyment. After Viet Nam, mixed drinks barely survived the counter cultural revolution. It took a new millennium to revive the cocktail’s pleasurable role in America’s drinking and dining. Indeed, the eras of Gatsby, Draper and Joplin have long passed, and the Golden Age of Cocktails has come to the Gold Coast. So here’s our toast to the 10 top local Craft Cocktails… and the men and women who are raising the bar. Cheers! Read More
The Smokebox in Hamden: New Haven Area BBQ Has Arrived Features Restaurant BBQ Hamden New Haven Amy Kundrat September 14, 2014 SmokeBox in Hamden first opened to support the smoked meat habit of its sister restaurant Ordinary in New Haven. Its owners, Jason Sobocinski of Ordinary and Caseus, and Mike Farber of Mikro in Hamden, opened their doors to the public for lunch about six months ago. The kitchen's founding mission was simple, support the partners' network of New Haven and Hamden restaurants as a commissary kitchen with barbecue, and open for lunch if there is demand. And demand there is. Smokebox has become a sought after lunch destination thanks to its smoky slow cooked meat forward lunch box approach to barbecue. Also, there is the fact that this is real barbecue. Getting it right requires a constellation of well-sourced materials and ritual: types of woods, cuts of meat, spices or rubs, wet (sauce) or dry, and above all things, time—all things that Smokebox takes very seriously. Read More
WIN TICKETS to Craft Butchery's Porktoberfest Oct 5th CTbites Team September 13, 2014 Craft Butchery's highly anticipated Porktoberfest is back and CTbites will be giving away 4 tickets to this beautiful pig-fest. TO WIN TIX: Post A Comment Below and TELL US WHY YOU WANT TO ATTEND PORKTOBERFEST. Poems and Creativity are Welcome. EATS: Craft will be whole-roasting three 100-lb Berkshire pigs, as well as New England Brewing beer-braised bratwurst, kielbasa, sausages and smoked potato salad. Garelick & Herb will be providing delicious non-meaty sides: coleslaw, sauerkraut, pretzels, etc. On the sweeter side, Saugatuck Sweets will be making traditional German desserts. DRINKS: Beer partner is New England Brewing, and we will be featuring their beers alongside local Oktoberfest options KIDS: Apple cider and s'mores available for kids Read More
Two Roads Brewing Company's "OK2BERFEST" September 27 & 28th! Restaurant Brewery CT Beer Festival Beer CTbites Team September 13, 2014 It may be known as Oktoberfest but the real fun begins later this September. Stratford, CT's Two Roads Brewing Company will be celebrating their 2nd annual "Ok2berfest" on the grounds of their 100+ year old brewery and it promises to be two days of beer, food, music and… more beer! Building on the success of last year's event, this year's Ok2berfest will be a must-attend festival for beer lovers. And speaking of beer, Two Roads has brewed up two different Oktoberfest style beers just for the occasion dubbed "Ein" and "Zwei," that honor the Bavarian Oktoberfest tradition that originated in 1810.And since nothing goes better with flavorful craft beers than good food, great local eats will be served by some of the area's top food trucks. If you've ever been to Two Roads, you'll be familiar with some of the amazing culinary creations area chefs have been serving up in these fun gastro-mobiles! Tickets are on sale through Two Roads website: www.tworoadsbrewing.com where you will also find more information about the day including band schedule, the food truck line up and other pertinent information. Read More
2014's Chowdafest is October 12th: 36 Restaurants Battle, YOU Vote! CTbites Team September 12, 2014 Chowdafest is a culinary competition pitting award winning chefs & restaurants against each other where YOU are the judge! When you arrive, you get a pencil, ballot and spoon. Then slurp down 36 decadent samples of chowder, soup and bisque. It's up to you to determine whose chowda is the best. Chefs will compete in 4 categories: New England Clam Chowder, Manhattan and Rhode Island Clam chowders, Creative Chowder and Soup & Bisque. We had so much fun last year, we decided to make a short video. Here were the highlights from 2013. But this year will even bigger and better! Chowdafest has moved outdoors to Norwalk CT - the Chowder Capital of CT. It will be held outdoors at the idyllic Calf Pasture Beach which is exit #16 off I-95. Chowdafest remains one of the best deals around. Save $5, compliments of Stop & Shop, when you buy your ticket on-line for just $10 (adults). $15 at the door, $5 kids (6-12) and kids 5 and under are FREE. VIP tickets will be available this year for serious chowdaheads. Kids receive FREE chef hats, stickers and more while supplies last. Chowdafest will be held rain or shine. Buy Ticket Here. Every year a large portion of Chowdafest ticket sales go to a local charity fighting hunger in our community. This year Chowdafest will be donating half of its proceeds to Community Plates! Read More
Weekly Nibble: Upcoming Food News & Events for Week of Sept 15th Emma Jane-Doody Stetson September 12, 2014 Chef Aarón Sánchez’s new Stamford restaurant, Paloma has started serving lunch daily on Monday from 11:30-2:30pm. The menu includes dishes such as Chile de Arbol Steamed Mussels with Chipotle Lobster Stock; Ancho Cacao Braised Short Rib Sliders; and Camitas. After their success at the Mohegan SunWineFest, Casey Flat Ranch Wines have finally emerged on the Connecticut market! Join Artisan Restaurant and Brenda Bulllington of Casey Flat Ranch Wines for a 4-course wine dinner Sept.16. Each dish will be paired with a wine from Casey Flat Ranch. The intimate yet fun event will include 12 people, so reserve a spot @ 203.307.4222. Parent Child Resource Center hosts "Food Trucks in the Valley" on Thursday September 18th from 4 - 8 pm (rain date the 23rd) at Shelton Riverwalk. The FREE event includs 15+ food trucks, wine and beer, ciders, live music, a car show, and childrens' activities. Proceeds support PCRC's programs that serve children and families, most of whom suffer from trauma, abuse and neglect. The SoWe Food + Wine Fest comes to Southern Westchester County September 19-21. One of their signature events, The Best Chef Battle, will feature celebrity chefs like Rocco Dispirito, Graham Elliot, Franklin Becker & Dave DiBari. You can also visit the “Culinary Village” which will feature an array of food and wine for you to try. For tickets, a schedule of events, and details, visit: http://sowefwf.com/events/ Read More
Nourish New Haven Food Conference on September 19 at Yale Divinity School Features Restaurant Events New Haven Amy Kundrat September 12, 2014 Nourish New Haven, the local food justice and sustainability conference with Greater-Yale and Greater-New Haven partners, will take place again at Yale Divinity School on September 19-20, 2014. Register here. Space is limited. Read More
Qdoba Mexican Grill Opens in Westport w/ Fast Tasty Tex-Mexican Restaurant Westport Mexican Lunch Kid Friendly CTbites Team September 11, 2014 Qdoba Mexican Grill is now OPEN in Westport in Playhouse Square. Qdoba is a fast-casual Mexican restaurant, serving up the kind of quick meal you can feel good about eating...or feeding your kids. Qdoba serves burritos made in the San Francisco burrito style, tacos, quesadillas, taco salads, 3-Cheese Queso, Queso Diablo, tortilla soup, Mexican gumbo, and darn good fresh guacamole. Sure, there is some more authentic Mexican food to be had in Fairfield County, but in the "fast food" category, Qdoba is right up there. Read More
GIVEAWAY!! Win Tix To Exclusive Greenwich Wine & Food Festival Dinners & Events Festival Giveaway CTbites Team September 10, 2014 Would you like to win FREE TICKETS to the GREENWICH FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL? We've got some seriously sought after tickets to the following events that we are jusy dying to give away.... 2 Tickets to Gala Tickets ($325 value. Friday evening) 2 Tickets to On Stage Box Seat Dinner with Red Rooster ($475 value. Saturday evening) 2 Tickets to Oysters & Wine ($125 value. Thursday evening) TO WIN: Like our Facebook page in the next 12 days, or if you're already a part of our Facebook community, just COMMENT on ANY FACEBOOK POST in the next 12 days & mention The Greenwich Wine & Food Festival. We will randomly select 3 winners on September 22nd. Read More
The Harbor Brew Fest is Back @ Harbor Yard w/ A Bounty of Beer & Food Trucks Ingredients Restaurant CT Beer Festival Beer CTbites Team September 10, 2014 This in from the folks @ The Harbor Brew Fest... On a perfect fall day, there is no better place to sip a frosty than at The Harbor Brew Fest. The festival will feature international, domestic and local beers, CT’s most popular food trucks and talented bands. Harbor Brew Fest is taking place on September 20, 2014 at the Bluefish Stadium at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, CT. The Harbor Brew Fest will tap off with a Brewers Special from 12pm – 1pm. General Admission will begin at 1pm and we will pour until 5pm. In addition to adding more Brewers (100!) and 13 food trucks (view full list below) for our 2014 brew fest we will have our CT Craft beer tent, which will feature all of the best CT Craft Beers. Ticket sales will be limited and will sell out before the day of the event. A percentage of proceeds will benefit Harbor Light Foundation. Ticket info here. Read More
