Marcell Davidsen Succeeds Joel Viehland as Executive Chef of Community Table in Washington, CT Restaurant Farm to Table Washington Amy Kundrat May 04, 2015 Photo c/o Community Table Marcell Davidsen will succeed Joel Viehland as Executive Chef of Community Table in Washington, CT beginning May 15. The restaurant shared the news of Davidsen's appointment in an announcement released this evening. A native of Denmark whose style is infused with Nordic infuences and exquisite plating, Davidsen was the restaurant's fomer sous chef under Viehland. Community Table's mission – celebrating modern cuisine informed by local farms and purveyors – will remain the overarching framework under Chef's Davidsen's leadership: From Community Table: Marcell Davidsen succeeds Joel Viehland as Executive Chef of Community Table After five remarkable years, and much national recognition including a nomination for best new restaurant in America by the James Beard Foundation and best chef nominations by Food and Wine Magazine and James Beard, Joel Viehland passes the reins to his former Sous Chef Marcell Davidsen. Read More
Locali in New Canaan: New Spring Menu, Clam Apizza + More Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger May 02, 2015 Spring has finally sprung! Chefs are introducing their new spring menus and restaurants are returning tables to their patios for guests looking to enjoy ‘al fresco’ dining. On a semi-crisp April evening I ventured to Locali in New Canaan to sample Chef Mogan Anthony’s newest additions to the spring menu, plus his version of the quintessential CT pizza - the clam apizza. There were several delicious additions to his small plates. Read More
Cinco de Mayo Tips c/o Aarón Sánchez & Serendipity Magazine Ingredients Features Holiday Recipe CTbites Team May 01, 2015 c/o Serendipty Magazine Chef Aarón Sánchez, Executive Chef of Paloma in Stamford, and well-known TV personality with appearances on Chopped and Taco Trip, is the guest editor of Serendipity Magazine's recent issue. His gourmet take on tacos and Cinco de Mayo party tips will leave you inspired to celebrate this Mexican holiday with his signature contemporary Latin approach. On Party Prep Try to have as many things done ahead of time as possible, and display food in cool bowls. I have dishes with different compartments where you can put little things like pickles in my line at Target.com. Pre-make your drinks in pitchers so you just have to add ice. The key is being proactive with the prep. You don’t want to be working hard while your guests are there. Read More
Instabites: Camille's Pizza in Tolland, Anthony's Deli in Stamford, Holbrook Farm in Bethel, Donut Crazy in Shelton Restaurant Bethel Local Farm Shelton Stamford Tolland Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster May 01, 2015 A few of our recent snackable moments from Instagram: Read More
The First Annual Food Truck Festival in New Haven Restaurant Food Truck New Haven CTbites Team April 30, 2015 The first annual New Haven Food Truck Festival will take place on Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31, along the Long Wharf Waterfront. A celebration of New Haven street food, the family friendly event will include live music, children's activities local vendors, and rides provided by Marenna Amusements. Tickets are $5 per person (children age 17 and under are free). Proceeds will fund a micro loans and other financial assistance to New Haven's emerging small business entrepreneurs. For more information, visit newhavenfoodtruckfestival.com. Read More
Chef Thomas Henkelmann's Samuel Adams Glazed Veal Shank c/o The Greenwich Girl Features Greenwich Amy Kundrat April 30, 2015 Photo: Lora Warnick Our go-to gal in lower Fairfield County, Greenwich Girl Laura McKittrick, shared a recipe from her recent Food & Brews Issue with the Homestead Inn's award-winning chef, Thomas Henkelmann. If you don't know about Chef Henkelmann or the Homestead Inn, picture a cozy yet charming setting with a French-inspired menu and dishes that double as works of art. This Sam Adams veal dish is a delicious way you can recreate a bit of the Homestead in your own home. Samuel Adams Glazed Veal Shank with Red Cabbage, Carrots & Pearl Onions Read More
Weekly Nibble: Cinco de Mayo, Mothers Day Brunch Spots, New Happy Hours + More Emma Jane-Doody Stetson April 30, 2015 Monday May 4, Napa and Co continues their wine classes with a night focused on Honig, a solar-powered, sustainable, and family run endeavor. 6:30pm. On Tuesday May 5, Bodega is celebrating Cinco de Mayo at both locations. Join them in Darien starting at 5pm for a Pig Roast and Pincho Party on the Patio featuring pig and special menu items from the grill. There will be live music and dancing by PanaMusik and friends from Patron Tequila will be offering bottle service, drink specials and giveaways. Many of CT’s best restaurants have special Mother’s Day celebrations. Here are 17 with special menus and promotions: Reserve early. AMG Catering will offer a Mother’s Day Brunch Class on Tuesday May 5 from 7-9pm. Learn dishes like Spinach and feta “ strada” with carmelized onions, Challah bread French toast “ pudding” with three berry salad, and Crepes. It costs $78 per person. http://amgcatering.com/942/ On May 7th, Community Plates, the technology-fueled, direct-transfer food rescue organization dedicated to ending food insecurity in America, is thrilled to present their signature fundraiser, “Food for All.” The evening features 18 of Fairfield County’s newest restaurants, craft cocktail bars, and a Dessert Café, which will feature sweet treats and libations. It will take place Thursday, May 7 from 6-9 PM at The Loading Dock (375 Fairfield Avenue, Stamford, CT). Tickets cost $75 ($60 each for groups of 6 or more and can be purchased at http://communityplates.org/ffa15ffld/ . Read More
Chef Luke Venner Joins elm in New Canaan & Presents New Menu Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger April 29, 2015 This Friday May 1, 2015, elm restaurant in New Canaan will introduce its new Executive Chef Luke Venner and his new, completely revamped menu. CTBites was invited to meet the new chef and have a glimpse of the changes that elm’s guests can expect from the new chef whose philosophy is "I prefer simple compositions with an emphasis on technique and seasonality. Chef Luke joins elm from BLT Fish in NYC where he was the Executive Chef. Born in South Dakota, some of his earliest memories include sitting with his grandfather on the family farm eating buttered sweet corn, cherries poached in syrup and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. He watched Julia Child on TV but his passion for the culinary arts was ignited when he saw “Great Chefs – Great Cities,” a behind the scenes documentary of chefs that included Daniel Boulud and Jean-Louis Palladin. He was one of twelve students in a European-style culinary training program in Colorado, where he was placed in the highly acclaimed Restaurant Picasso where he learned classical French techniques. After completing this four year program he joined Larkspur Restaurant in Vail, CO as the Chef de Cuisine and subsequently moved to Yountville, CA as the Chef de Partie of Redd Restaurant. He re-connected with, and joined, Chef Tyler Anderson as the Chef de Cuisine in the opening of Millwright Restaurant in Simsbury, CT where he was instrumental in the receipt of perfect reviews from every local Farmington Valley publication and the highest rating from the NY Times before moving to BLT Fish Read More
Wave Hill Breads Open For Bakery Tours Every Saturday! CTbites Team April 29, 2015 Central Norwalk’s award-winning artisan bakery, Wave Hill Breads, is now open to the public every Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Visitors will be greeted by the owners, Margaret Sapir and Mitchell Rapoport, or by the Chief Baker, Tim Topi, who can give you a tour of the bakery. They can also arrange for fun, educational group visits. While Wave Hill Breads is known primarily as a wholesale bakery, selling to some of the best restaurants and stores in the area, Saturdays offer local residents an opportunity to shop direct. Visitors will find many items not available at stores, such as just-out-of-the-oven-at-11 fresh Rosemary Roman Focaccia, Pumpernickel, Apricot Croissants, Wild Yeast Bread (Sourdough), and Cranberry-Walnut Demi-Baguettes. The bakery is located at 30 High Street, between Post Road and Wall Street, Read More
RIP Gates - 35 Years of Serving New Canaan Restaurant New Canaan Comfort Food Lunch Kid Friendly Burgers Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger April 28, 2015 Gates opened its doors thirty-five years ago and continues to offer an array of dishes that keep this “elder statesman” on New Canaan’s Restaurant Row bustling seven days a week. The entrance is guarded by ornate gates and once you enter you are immersed into a large, open dining area with walls adorned by murals by Janet Picard, paintings and large terra cotta planters. Wander to the left and you enter the bar with a long oak bar with 12 seats and several booths. Both areas are normally filled with locals partaking of a drink after work, families enjoying dinner and regulars having a good time with friends. Read More
Amore Cucina & Bar Raises Money for Susan G. Komen Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger April 27, 2015 CTbites gives a very special Shout Out to Bruno DiFabio and his team at Amore Cucina & Bar in Stamford for sponsoring an entire day dedicated to funding breast cancer research. Today the restaurant was packed with pizza lovers to help Amore raise and donate 100% of the day’s proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Race to the Cure for breast cancer research. CTbites was on hand early to thank Bruno for his generosity and partake in one of his outstanding pizzas. The Ferentini pizza that we enjoyed was all the more special knowing that the entire bill was assisting in the research to eliminate a disease that strikes so many families in Fairfield County and the world. Over the last few months there have been numerous articles written about the outstanding food being served at Amore and we felt it was important to recognize people in the area who give back to the community. So CTbites raises a glass of wine and a delicious slice of pizza to applaud Bruno DeFabio and his team at Amore Cucina & Bar…nice job!!! 921 Hope Street - Stamford, CT - (203) 357-1066 Read More
Brunch Menu Launches @ Barcelona Fairfield, Stamford & West Hartford Restaurant Brunch Fairfield Spanish Stamford West Hartford Breakfast Stephanie Webster April 26, 2015 Who doesn’t love brunch? Sleepy weekend diners can conveniently avoid their own kitchens while enjoying an often decadent and relaxed morning meal. Plus, as a bonus, brunch is often accompanied by a well crafted cocktail. For this reason, we were pleased to hear that Barcelona Wine Bar has launched brunch service every Saturday and Sunday at several of their locations, including West Hartford, Stamford, and now Fairfield. As each Barcelona menu highlights the vision of their executive chef, brunch menus will vary slightly based on style, but bear a similar theme. To investigate this new kid on the brunch block, we decided to visit Chef Darren Carbone, who recently took over the Barcelona Fairfield kitchen, and who brings to the table, a little Latin flair. In looking at the new Brunch menu, it’s difficult not to get just a little bit excited. Entrées such as Duck Confit Hash, Chocolate and Dulce de Leche French Toast, and a Breakfast “Coca,” (grilled bread, mushrooms, egg and Sriracha), sound like solid reasons to get out of bed. Read More
Ticket Giveaway for Ridgefield's Battle of the Chefs 2015 Restaurant Events Fundraiser Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster April 26, 2015 Chefs Bernard Bouissou (Bernard’s), Silvia Bianco (formerly of Biscotti) and Prasad Chirnomula ( Thali) Battle of the Chefs returns to Founders Hall on Sunday, May 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. and CTbites has a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky reader. The culinary showdown event will feature Chefs Silvia Bianco, formerly of Biscotti, Bernard Bouissou of Bernard’s, and Prasad Chirnomula of Thali, with emcees and hosts Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster (yours truly). We are GIVING AWAY 2 seats to the May 17 Battle Of The Chefs event (a $200 value). We will randomly select 1 lucky winner with a pair of tickets. To enter for a chance to win, please post a comment on this story (you must include your email and name when commenting) telling us what you think the secret ingredient should be. [All comments will be considered made before the end of the day, May 1. Winner announced on May 4]. Read More
109 Cheese Summer Pop-up Shop in Kent Restaurant Cheese Kent Litchfield Ridgefield Amy Kundrat April 24, 2015 [updated] This summer 109 Cheese will expand to Litchfield County with a pop-up shop on Kent's beautiful Main Street with an expected opening date of June 6, bringing their cheese, charcuterie, sandwiches, Farm Country Soups, and gourmet products to to the former Farm Country Soup location at 14 North Main Street. We will bring lots of our gourmet goodies, some local artisan favorites and best of all, our sandwiches and grilled cheese, plus we will have indoor and outdoor seating too! We are so excited to be expanding to Kent, an amazing town and destination. - Monica & Todd Brown 109 Cheese and Wine's homebase in "Ridgefield" will be operating as usual throughout the summer. Read More
Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Returns to New Canaan May 16 CTbites Team April 24, 2015 The Jamie Oliver Food Revolution returns to New Canaan, CT on Saturday, May 16th 10.00am – 12.00pm, once again getting kids and parents excited about food. The Bravery Passport was created to highlight Food Revolution Founder, Jamie Oliver’s wish: “To create a strong sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.” Families need to register in advance for a Bravery Passport, which lists participating New Canaan restaurants and food shops. Kids then go on a food trail, sampling tasters and getting a stamp for their passport. Food Ambassador Rachel Lampen says: “Last year New Canaan was buzzing with 350 local children visiting 16 different locations. They each sampled things they wouldn’t normally try - kale smoothies, tuna tartare, cockscomb, escargot, octopus, stewed calamari and stinky cheese. It was a crazy couple of hours but educational and huge fun for everyone. It also showcased New Canaan’s fabulous dining scene”. Read More
The Westport Farmers' Market Kicks Off Summer Season May 21st Ingredients Farmers Market Local Artisan Local Farm CTbites Team April 23, 2015 Thursday, May 21, the Westport Farmers’ Market (WFM) will kick off the 2015 summer season, celebrating a decade of fresh, local food. For the last ten seasons, the WFM has been cultivating community and nurturing an appreciation of real food, and the work that goes into growing it. It was June of 2006, when Paul Newman and Michel Nischan planted the first seed, and the WFM welcomed its first shoppers. With 14 vendors present that day, over 500 shoppers showed up to get a taste of something new. Now, about to embark on its tenth season, the WFM has blossomed into market boasting 45 vendors, food trucks, chef demos, yoga, organic eats, and even a pizza truck. And thousands of shoppers from all over Fairfield Country make the WFM Thursday market a destination. Read More
Weekly Nibble: DavidsTea, High West Bourbon, Picnics, Farm Dinners, Tequila Tasting + More! Emma Jane-Doody Stetson April 23, 2015 On Monday, April 27, FISH Restaurant in downtown Stamford will host a Michael David Winery wine dinner. Guests can try some of the winery's best bottlings during a Carnival themed Wine Dinner at FISH. DAVIDsTEA is now open at Westfarms Mall in Farmington, CT. Visit it on the 1st Floor of the Nordstrom wing. On Wednesday April 29, High West Bourbon and Mama’s Boy in Norwalk invite you to “Campfire & Charcuterie.” Enjoy bourbon pairings with dishes by Executive Chef Holly Michaud. $85 per person. Call 203-956-7171 to reserve. Join Barcelona Greenwich for “Spring Refreshers: Cocktails and Gazpacho” on April 28 at 7pm. Sip on craft cocktails while Chef Lucente demonstrates some great spring recipes. $30 per person plus tax and gratuity.Reservations (203) 983-6400. On April 29th, put some oomph in your picnic. Learn how to cook and pack an elegant meal you can share alfresco. 2 hour cooking demo features professional culinary instruction and demonstrations by Chopped Champion Chef Silvia Baldini and extra virgin olive oil pairings & education by Alina Lawrence of Olivette. $40 6:30-8:30 PM. Read More
Anaya Sushi: All-You-Can-Eat Sushi & Late Night Ramen in New Haven Restaurant Japanese New Haven Sushi CTbites Team April 22, 2015 Photo: Kathy D. Three-month-old Anaya Sushi, the Japanese restaurant located on Chapel Street in New Haven, recently introduced a $21 all-you-can-eat menu option. Pictured above is the Yale-themed "Handsome Dan" roll. Yale Daily News reported the restaurant will also extend its hours and menu with a "late night ramen house" option: Seeing the restaurant’s popularity, Kaoroptham said she also plans to open a late night ramen house in Anaya’s space when the sushi restaurant closes for the night. The proposed ramen restaurant would be open from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, according to the owner. Read the full story on Yale Daily News. Read More
Join the Walk Against Hunger w/ Connecticut Food Bank: 4 Locations! Fundraiser Stephanie Webster April 22, 2015 Registration is open for Connecticut Food Bank’s 2015 Walk Against Hunger! Four of the state’s largest cities are hosting the Walk Against Hunger, a community gathering that increases hunger awareness and generates much needed funds to combat hunger in Connecticut. The Walk Against Hunger will increase Connecticut Food Bank’s capacity to fight hunger and most importantly celebrates our New England Spirit of neighbor helping neighbor. Locations this year are: Bridgeport, Waterbury, New Haven & Norwich. All four Walks are 2.5 to 3 miles long with festiviites beginning at 1 p.m. Click on any of the Walk locations below to sign up and access “Walker Tools” to help you reach your fundraising goals. Read More
SAVOR Event Recap: A Celebration of Wine, Food & Spirits Hartford Emma Jane-Doody Stetson April 21, 2015 Savor, billed as a “celebration of Wine, Food, and Spirits,” made its grand debut on April 11 and 12 in Hartford, CT. Event sponsors gave us a preview in March, and the actual festival was a resounding success. Savor offered guests a weekend filled with memorable wine, food, and demonstrations. Vicky Cirilli, event coordinator, promised wines focused on “quality not quantity.” CT Distributors offered just that, bringing in some of their best bottles for guests to sample. It seemed that the majority of the wines featured retailed for about $50 and were carefully chosen for the weekend. As a result, Savor attracted wine savvy guests eager to learn, making the experience especially enjoyable. Read More
