Donate a Blanket, Get Wine, @ Olio's "Warm Blanket Drive" CTbites Team February 24, 2015 If you are looking to share the warmth and enjoy a great meal, Olio Restaurant on Hope Street in Stamford is once again hosting its Warm Blanket Drive. Owners Steve Costanzo and Moira Hyland have been a pillar in giving back to the community and between now and March 7th bring in and donate a new, or like new blanket, and enjoy a glass of complimentary wine while you dine. Read More
The Spread Hosts "Oyster Madness" March 3rd w/ 14 Oyster Preparations! CTbites Team February 24, 2015 Head over to the Spread in South Norwalk next Tuesday March 3rd and help raise money for the “Sheffield Island Lighthouse Education Program.” Starting at 430PM Chef Carlos will prepare oysters fourteen different ways. In conjunction with Copps Island Oysters, The Spread team will host an evening filled with Oyster Shooters, Poached Oysters. Oysters Casino, Oyster sliders and their famous BBQ grilled Oysters. Read More
Ice Bar & Winter Patio Party @ Rizzuto’s Westport + Ice Luge! CTbites Team February 23, 2015 Tired of the cold? Why not embrace it at Rizzuto’s Oyster Bar & Restaurant? Their popular outdoor patio will play host to a New Amsterdam Ice Bar & Winter Patio Party. Specialty cocktails & oyster shooters served all night on February 27 & 28 Only. Grab your ski gear and head over to Westport. Guests must be 21 and older. Don't miss the Ice Luge Constructed By Ice Matters! Rizzuto's Oyster Bar & Restaurant is located @ 540 Riverside Ave in Westport. Read More
1st Annual Market Style Street-Food Rave in Stamford via HeyStamford! Restaurant Festival Stamford CTbites Team February 23, 2015
Da Legna: New Haven's Best Kept Pizza Secret Features Restaurant Pizza New Haven Amy Kundrat February 22, 2015 Da Legna is the best kept secret for New Haven pizza lovers. But it shouldn’t be. Ask a friend who lives or works in New Haven for their favorite pie, and steel yourself for a slew of anecdotes, a bit of Elm City history, and maybe even a neighborhood geography lesson – Wooster v. State Street. Then, after declaring their allegiance to one of the “big three,” lean in, because your friend may end their (a)pizza diatribe with an almost conspiratorial whisper of “Da Legna,” the two-year old State Street restaurant devoted to wood-fired pizzas, Italian tapas, and a refreshing lack of pretense. Read More
Three Interviews with Connecticut James Beard Award Semifinalists Interview Chef Talk Washington Amy Kundrat February 21, 2015 Chefs Tyler Anderson, Bill Taibe, and Joel Viehland were recently recognized by the James Beard Foundation as semifinalists in the 2015 Best Chef: Northeast category. On the occasion of their nomination, we asked each of them to answer a few questions, from the serious (key influences and mentors) to the hypothetical (a CTbites blank check to open a new restaurant). Want to know where Chef Tyler Anderson's next restaurant could be, who Chef Viehland would love to cook for, and who is one of Chef Taibe's biggest influences (hint: he is a chef in one of his kitchens)? Read on for this and more from three of Connecticut's best chefs. Read More
Weekly Nibble: Mimi Sheraton; Tim LaBant; Cooking Classes; Whole Hog Dinner + More Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 20, 2015 Monday February 23, Napa and Co is giving you the opportunity to meet with Justin King of organic winery King Wine Estates of Oregon. The night will feature three courses with wine pairings. $50pp (plus tax and gratuity). Celebrate Johnny Cash’s birthday with Walrus + Carpenter on Thursday February 26. The night will be hosted by BrewGrass and include a whole hog BBQ dinner. Mimi Sheraton, award-winning author and former restaurant critic for The New York Times, will be at the Westport Public Library on Saturday, February 28 to discuss her new book, 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List. Sheraton's appearance will be a conversation with Matt Storch, chef and owner of Match Restaurant. Details here. The Barcelona restaurants have a number of offerings this week: Tuesday February 24 at 7pm, Barcelona West Hartford presents “Craft Beer and Tapas.” Read More
CT NOFA 2015 Winter Conference CT Farms Danbury CTbites Team February 19, 2015 CT NOFA's Winter Conference is Connecticut's largest food, agriculture and sustainability conference, held Western Connecticut State University's Midtown Campus in Danbury on Saturday, March 7. The conference will focus on the future of sustainable farming through dozens of workshops, an exhibition space with over over 70 vendors featuring local foods, crafts, books, and sustainability initiatives. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Kristine Nichols, Rodale Institute Chief Scientist who will deliver a speech on the "Regenerative Agriculture for Soil & Climate Health." Read More
Burger Bests: Bailey's Backyard's Cheddar & Ale, One Excellent Burger Restaurant American Ridgefield Comfort Food Burgers Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger February 19, 2015 The next stop on my unending burger quest found me sitting at a high top table in the rear of Bailey’s Backyard in Ridgefield. This modest two room restaurant is known for its creative cuisine with an unwavering Farm to Table attitude instilled in the entire menu by Executive Chef, Forrest Pasternack. Many told me about the Cheddar and Ale Burger, and it was time I tried it for myself. The Burger is served with caramelized onions, cheddar & ale sauce on a brioche, with a side of shoestring potatoes. Read More
CT Chefs Anderson, Taibe and Viehland Named James Beard Semi-Finalists CTbites Team February 18, 2015 Three of Connecticut’s best chefs were recognized this week by the James Beard Organization as 2015 Restaurant & Chef Award Semifinalists. The three outstanding chefs include Tyler Anderson of Millwright’s in Simsbury, Bill Taibe of Le Farm, The Whelk and Kawa Ni, in Westport, and Joel Viehland of Community Table in Washington. Each was announced as a semi-finalists in the 2015 “Best Chef – Northeast” category. For those of us who have enjoyed the outstanding cuisine of these three culinary masters their inclusion comes as no surprise. Read More
The American Chestnut Educational Tasting on March 5 CTbites Team February 17, 2015 UPDATE MARCH 4TH - EVENT IS CANCELLED FOR TOMORROW DUE TO THE WEATHER AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED IN THE SPRING. As announced by Fairfield Green Food Guide. Join Steve Conaway of The American Chestnut Foundation, Chef Silvia Baldini as he leads a "Culinary Demonstration and Tasting," and Analiese Paik for a discussion entitled "Heirloom and Ark of Taste" on Thursday, March 5 at The Carriage Barn Arts Center in Waveny Park in New Canaan. The informative session runs from 6:30-8:30 pm. Conaway is the Conservation & Outreach Director of the Greenwich Land Trust, home of the American Chestnut Tree Sanctuary, and a fountain of information of chestnut growing. Please bring your questions for the Q&A to follow his talk. Next, Chef Silvia Baldini of Strawberry and Sage will discuss how to store, cook, and peel fresh chestnuts, and demonstrate how to prepare Mont Blanc chestnut cakes, a classic chestnut dessert from her native Italy. Analiese Paik of the Fairfield Green Food Guide will inform guests about rare and delicious heirloom and Ark of Taste foods and provide insider tips on sourcing them. Read More
Local Chef Adam Greenberg (Fortina) Competes on "Chopped" Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger February 16, 2015 Chef Adam Greenberg of Fortina will be the latest local chef to appear on The Food Network’s “Chopped” on February 24th at 1000PM. The chefs are each given a ”mystery basket” and are required to create an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert re-purposing each of these ingredients. Three world class chefs then critique each chef’s creation down to the smallest details. Lose the round and you are “chopped,” the others move to the next round. Win all three rounds and you are the Chopped Champ. Chef Adam was kind enough to share a few thoughts on the competition and his culinary future with CTbites. Read More
Mediterraneo in Norwalk ... A Culinary Tour of Southern Europe Restaurant American Norwalk Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger February 15, 2015 Mediterraneo, a ‘destination restaurant’ in the Hotel Zero Degrees on Main Street in Norwalk is a beautiful backdrop for Executive Chef Albert DeAngelis’ culinary tour of the Mediterranean. The aquatic inspired dining room features a large bar area to the left, with several high top tables to augment the bar seating, and to the right is the main dining room. With hardwood floors, white chairs and a large nautical flag painting along the far right wall, the dining area presents a clean and airy feel. The highlight of the room is the floor to ceiling glass wall that overlooks the panoramic, million-dollar waterfall view on the river. From a magnificent French Braised beef “Bourguignon” to a mild Tuscan Prosciutto wrapped rabbit loin to an outstanding Wild black sea bass, the menu at Mediterraneo offers wide varieties of clean flavors and combinations. Mediterraneo is one of five local restaurants owned by the Z Hospitality Group. Read More
Friday Froth: Notes From Big Brew NY Beer Festival Ingredients Festival Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon February 13, 2015 Session beers are popular now, but a single drinking session rarely includes 250 different beers. The Big Brew NY Beer Festival returned to White Plains on Feb. 7 with hundreds of kegged and bottled beers, plus a VIP area with almost 30 casks of special ales. It's tough to write with a beer in one hand and camera in the other, but I managed to record a few notes and observations from what has become a very good midsize beer festival.First: it may look crowded in a few of these photos, but the crowd was never an issue. Beer fest attendees tend to be pretty easy going. Most seem happy just to be in a place where they can simply stick out their glass and have it filled, and it's exciting to try new brands and styles without running the risk of taking your first sip and realizing you're now stuck with a six pack of beer you wouldn't use to poison driveway weeds. Read More
Celebrate Fat Tuesday @ The Spread in Sono CTbites Team February 12, 2015 Celebrate NOLA style at The Spread in Norwalk on February 17th. Chef Carlos has created a special Fat Tuesday menu that will be offered in addition to their a la carte dinner menu. It's not easy to find Crawfish Étouffée and Beignets in Fairfield County. Get over there there next week and join the party. Read More
Weekly Nibble: Cuban Food, Craft Beer, Gnocchi Cooking Class, Mama's Boy BYOB & More Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 12, 2015 The Chelsea in Fairfield has debuted a 2 course prix fixe lunch and 3 course prix fixe dinner. They are $14.99 and $29.99 respectively. Mama’s Boy goes BYOB on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Enjoy no corkage fee as well as ½ off selected bottles on those nights. Cask Republic New Haven will have a huge Dogfish Head Tap Takeover on Monday February 16. It will have 23 beers, including many limited releases. Bar Sugo continues its “Serie Vino” Italian Wine Class & Food Pairing Series on February 17. This week, the theme is Tuscany. It starts at 7pm. Also on Tuesday, Barcelona Greenwich will teach you all about the art of Gnocchi. Read More
Award-Winning Author & Food Critic Mimi Sheraton in Conversation with Chef Matt Storch Interview Author Westport CTbites Team February 12, 2015 Mimi Sheraton, award-winning author and former restaurant critic for The New York Times, will be at the Westport Public Library on Saturday, February 28 to discuss her new book, 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List. Sheraton's appearance will be a conversation with Matt Storch, chef and owner of Match Restaurant. About Mimi Sheraton Mimi Sheraton is a journalist, restaurant critic, lecturer, IACP and James Beard Award–winning cookbook author, and the woman about whom famed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten declared, “Her knowledge knows no bounds, her glossary of flavors is ultimate. Her opinion is like gold.” The former restaurant critic of the New York Times, Read More
Strada 18: Revisiting Classic Italian Comfort Food in Norwalk Restaurant Italian Norwalk SONO Lunch Jessica Ryan February 11, 2015 I was recently invited to a press dinner at Strada 18 in South Norwalk. The restaurant was eager to share with us their Italian-American Comfort Classics Dinner. With temperatures well below the freezing mark, all the snow, freezing rain and sleet, this is the type of food so many are craving right now. A group of about 20 or so writers, editors and bloggers gathered together for this dinner that was prepared especially for us. We started out with the Fried Calamari with Three Sauces, aioli, lemon-lime-jalapeno-cilantro, and marinara. The calamari was tender, flavorful and incredibly crispy and the accompanying sauces complemented them perfectly. We also enjoyed the Arancini, a fried risotto ball stuffed with American farmstead Fontina and served with a tomato sauce. The Arancini was good – but I wouldn’t say it was outstanding or one of the best I’ve ever had. Read More
The New Blondie Burger at Sycamore Drive In in Bethel Restaurant Bethel Diner Comfort Food Kid Friendly Burgers Amy Kundrat February 10, 2015 Photo: Ryan Kundrat Behind every great man is a great woman. And for Dagwood Bumstead, that woman is Blondie. Bethel's Sycamore Drive-in Restaurant, founded in 1948 and famous for its summer cruise nights, homemade root beer, and thin French-style burgers, has introduced the new Blondie burger, a fitting companion for their popular Dagwood burger. And I believe it's about time, the cartoon is named after the blonde bombshell matriarch, afterall. Read More
The Rob Roy Cocktail: A Manhattan with a Kilt Features Cocktails Recipe Amy Kundrat February 09, 2015 When the winter doldrums set in, and the temperatures flirt with zero, I set my sights firmly on brown spirits. Whisky, not whiskey, to be exact. A dram will usually do the trick, but on occasion I like to sully that perfect spirit by making it the foundation of a Rob Roy cocktail. If you can reconcile the fact that you’re meddling with the perfection that is scotch, with sweet vermouth and bitters, then you’ve found your perfect century-old cocktail. It’s essentially a Manhattan with a kilt, which is a fitting description seeing as it was created in New York’s Waldorf Astoria in 1894 for an opera based on the Scottish folk hero and outlaw Robert Roy MacGregor. There is something about peated scotch and a roaring fire, but an unpeated or blended whisky for your Rob Roy will also do the trick. Read More
