Friday Froth: 3 Cold Beers For A Hot Day Ingredients CT Beer Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon July 24, 2015 No. Just no, NYC commissioner of the Department of Health, Mary Bassett - I will not avoid drinking beer on scorching hot summer days. Yes, I will drink some water, because I am not an idiot, but you can take a cold beer from my (still mostly warm), dead hand. Thankfully, this is 'murica, where many a dilapidated package store is hung with signs advertising the coldest beer in town (following Strong Bad's motto: "A One That Isn't Cold Is Scarcely A One At All"), thus saving us all from aloe vera vitamin drinks and the resultant loss of will to live. A crisp beer on a hot day is a joy forever, as the poet probably said, so this week we're going to check out three hot weather beers, canned for your lawn mower riding, golf bag stuffing, back yard sitting pleasure. Read More
Downtown Milford Farmers' Market Kids Day on August 1 Restaurant Farmers Market Milford CTbites Team July 24, 2015 The Downtown Milford Farmer's Market will be hosting a Kid's Day featuring the characters Anna and Elsa from the animated movie Frozen, sponsored by Sensitive Care Pediatrics Dentistry in Milford, CT. When: Saturday, August 1st Where: Downtown Milford Farmer's Market 58 River Street, Milford, CT What: Carnival-like experience for kids of all ages - Live appearance from Disney's Anna and Elsa - Face Painting - Balloon Animals - Games and Raffles - Kid's Clothing and Accessories Market begins at 9am - 1pm Kids activities begin at 9:30 -1 Read More
Crazy Taco-Mex Food Truck: Great Carnitas Taco Restaurant Food Truck Tacos Mexican Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger July 23, 2015 The food truck craze continues and I visited Crazy Taco-Mex. The simply decorated truck includes a Sombrero with the rim in the shape of a handlebar moustache. The menu includes Tacos ($3.50) Quesadillas ($6), and Burritos ($7). I was interested in Tacos and ordered three, a steak, a carnitas and a chicken. The menu states that each is topped with onions, cilantro and salsa verde. Read More
Not Your Nona’s Panzanella Salad Recipes via Marcia Selden Catering Catering Recipe Marcia Selden Catering July 22, 2015 Panzanella is a great way to use up day-old bread and turn it into something tasty. You might remember your Grandmother making the traditional tomato/bread version--but if the thought of making the same ol’ seems uninspiring, check out these fun twists from our friends at Marcia Selden Catering. Enjoy these great recipes for Greek Panzanella and Tex Mex Panzanella. Read More
Annabelle's Natural Ice Cream Now Being Sold @ Gingerbitz in New Canaan Ingredients Restaurant ice cream Ingredients Kid Friendly Dessert Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger July 22, 2015 In a town that offers the best gelato in Fairfield County, New Canaan has been void of the same quality ice cream. That has now changed as Gingerbitz on Elm Street is now selling scoops of Annabelle’s Ice Cream from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. When I heard the news I headed straight to Gingerbitz to sample. Nestled alongside the cakes, pastries, woopie pies and the Stumptown coffee, Gingerbitz offers four rotating varieties. With the scorching temperature this past weekend, there were several people lined up to order a cone or a cup of the current selections; Triple Chocolate, New Hampshire Pure Maple Walnut, Raspberry Chocolate Chip and Salty Caramel. A quick look on Annabelle’s website describes the ice cream a “super premium, 16% butter fat, kosher®, natural ice cream with NO additives or artificial colors.” Each of them were extra-creamy, dense and full of great flavors. The chocolate was my favorite. The richness of the chocolate was elevated by chocolate chunks and a dark fudge. Read More
Parallel Post Hosts 3rd Annual Farm-To-Trumbull dinner ellen bowen July 21, 2015 Farm to Table is a word we in CT try not to take too lightly. The current food movement encourages both chefs and diners to choose fresh produce, seasonal vegetables and fruits and locally sourced meat and fish. Parallel Post, in the Trumbull Marriott, and helmed by James Beard nominated chef James Dean Max, believes in strengthening the farming community and engages local purveyors for a majority of it’s ingredients- seafood from Norm Bloom & Sons in Norwalk, CT, Foley Fish in Boston, meats from Ox Hollow Farm in Roxbury, CT, dairy from Farmer’s Cow in Lebanon, CT and greens from Gilberties Herb Gardens in Easton and Westport, CT. Read More
Lugano Wine Bar & Salumeria Opens in Greenwich Restaurant Greenwich Italian Salumeria Tapas Wine Bar Bar Emma Jane-Doody Stetson July 19, 2015 Going out for a meal can be an incredibly rewarding experience. There is a reason restaurants are a popular spot for a night out and a number of people proudly refer to themselves as “foodies.” However, it can also be a downright chore. Do I brave the downtown traffic? Where do I park my car? How do I get there? Will there be a table for me? Lugano Wine Bar and Salumeria, newly opened in Greenwich, alleviates all of those hassles. The Italian inspired restaurant sits just off of exit 6 from I-95 on East Putnam Avenue in Riverside, far removed from the droves of people downtown. It has its own lot next to the restaurant for easy parking as well as a valet service. Indoors, the space is approachable, yet impressive. When you walk through the front doors, you enter a spacious bar with plenty of seating and room to stand and mingle. Wine glasses elegantly line the bar’s counter, as if inviting patrons in for a drink. Just off of the bar to the right is a large dining room with high ceilings and a dome that serves as a skylight. It is light and open, lined with large windows. Lugano even boasts a private dining room for special functions, or for guests who prefer a quiet dining experience. The lovely space was the impetus for the restaurant. Read More
Friday Froth: Kent Falls Shower Beer and Wild Beer Evolver Beer James Gribbon July 19, 2015 The freshest beer news, delivered weekly, is one of my goals with Friday Froth. Tender, green shoots of hop aroma and flavor, seeded by the brewer, come to full fruition the moment you crack a young IPA, and tend to wilt when left to languish on a shelf. The hop plant is like knowledge that way, reaching its true potential when you use it to water yourself. Bursting through the dewy soil of Connecticut's beer scene this week was a new leaf in the form of Shower Beer from Kent Falls Brewery. How new are we talking? The five gallon pilot batch sampled by myself and others at the latest Beers At The Beach event in Norwalk was the only one in existence, for now. Read More
Weekly Nibble: "Blues On The Beach," Crawfish Boils, CT Wine Festival + More! Emma Jane-Doody Stetson July 16, 2015 On Tuesday July 21, The Weekend Kitchen in Essex presents “Chill’n and Grill’n” with Chef Jenn Magrey. From 6:30-10pm, learn dishes like grilled Succo-Squash salad, planked captain Cod filets with herb lemon butter sauce, and Greek chicken. It costs $75 per person. On Tuesday nights, bring your own bottle of wine to accompany a Chef’s tasting menu at Morello Italian Bistro in Greenwich. There will be no corkage fee for guests enjoying the special menu (guests not ordering it will be charged a $25 corkage fee.) Starting July 23, City Limits Diner is bringing BBQ to Westchester with a special menu including dry-rubbed ribs, sides such as braised greens, and homemade desserts. The summer specials last until August 6. Thursday July 23 is Uinta Night at Cask Republic New Haven. Read More
Guide to CT Wine & Spirit Shops for Summer 2015 Ingredients Features CT Beer Cocktails Specialty Market Wine Shop April Guilbault July 15, 2015 If there is one sound that can make you think of a hot summer day, it is the clink of ice in a big, tall glass. Ka-chink, clink, clink. Does a fizzy sound follow on the heels of those ka-chinks? Is there a ker-plop of a citrus wedge tumbling into that cool pool of refreshing, fizzy goodness? Ahhhh...and this is the sound that follows all of those...Ahhhh. Hello, icy cold craft beer, hello tart and tingly gin and tonic, hello creamy pina. It’s so nice to see you again. To make you overflow with summer lovin’, we have found spirit shops around the state that will put the ka-chink-clink-clink in your future... Read More
Michel Nischan Judges Healthy Lunchtime Challenge & Attends State Dinner @ The White House CTbites Team July 14, 2015 Chef Michel Nischan, Wholesome Wave CEO and Founder, joined forces with First Lady Michelle Obama, WGBH, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a judge in the fourth annual Healthy Lunchtime Challenge early this year. The aim of the lunchtime challenge is to promote culinary education and healthy eating among youth across the country. On July 9 and 10th, Chef Nischan participated in a day-long welcome event for the 2015 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge winners, demoing some of his favorite, affordable and healthy recipes, and attending the Kids “State Dinner” at the White House. Read More
Ready, Set, Growler: New Law Makes Beer To Go an Option in CT via Connecticut Mag. Connecticut Magazine July 14, 2015 The news seems to just get better and better for Connecticut beer lovers. As of this month, growler sales are legal in Connecticut at bars and restaurants. Growlers—64-ounce or 32-ounce (half growler) jugs that are filled with draft beer—have long been a popular take home option at Connecticut breweries (when filled properly without excess air, growlers preserve the draft flavor of a beer). However, until now, in Connecticut the only place to get growler fills has been at breweries. Though a clear boon to beer enthusiasts, the law change raises some complex questions for elite beer bars about pricing (if they charge $7 or $9 a pint for premium craft beer, how much would a growler fill cost?), quality control (an improperly filled growler does not keep beer fresh long at all) and staffing (can they afford to have an employee filling growlers on a crowded Friday or Saturday night?). As a result of these and other questions, Connecticut beer bars seem split on whether or not to proceed with growler fills. Coalhouse Pizza in Stamford just opened a new craft beer and bourbon bar at its current space. Originally the plan was to have 72 beers on tap but when news of growler sales being legalized hit, owner Gerard Robertson upped it to 85 tap lines. Read More
Tix On Sale for Westport Farmers’ Market 2nd “Mystery” Fundraiser w/ Chefs Arik Bensimon, Matt Storch, James Cooper & Geoff Lazlo Stephanie Webster July 13, 2015 Four spectacular events to celebrate the seasons. These special events will be filled with the best chefs, farmers and food around and will occur once a season (spring, summer, winter and fall) to highlight the delights of each season. What more could a locavore ask for? Tickets for the next event can be purchased on July 15th here. The locations for the next event are top secret but CTbites has the line-up of chefs for the July 26th event...and they are good! Matt Storch, James Cooper, Geoff Lazlo and Arik Bensimon and a few special guests that will be left to surprise and delight. The catch? Read More
Bailey's Backyard in Ridgefield: 2 CTbites Writers Explore Their New Summer Menu Restaurant Farm to Table Ridgefield CTbites Team July 12, 2015 When Sal and Forrest invite you to a summer tasting menu, you say yes first and ask questions later. That would be Sal Bagliavio, owner of Bailey’s Backyard in Ridgefield, and Forrest Pasternack, the restaurant’s executive chef. The two have been the creative force behind the restaurant’s New American menu since its reinvention just two years ago. The story of Bailey’s actually goes back to 1999 when Sal, a chef himself, renovated the then coffee shop into a beloved Ridgefield restaurant that he ran for over a decade. Eager for a new chapter but happy to remain in Ridgefield, he reimagined it as a New American restaurant driven by seasonal ingredients and local purveyors in 2013. Over the past two years, Bailey’s has solidified its place in the Fairfield County dining scene thanks to the adventurous culinary spirit of Chef Pasternack and the dedication of Bagliavio. Read More
Miya's Sushi Announces CSA/Fishery Limited to 12 Memberships Ingredients Features CSA Fish New Haven Amy Kundrat July 12, 2015 Photos: Andrew Sullivan Miya's Sushi in New Haven, led by Chef Bun Lai, is launching a first-of-it's-kind CSA/Fishery set to launch this August. Membership includes a monthly delivery of 6-8 servings of seafood for 5 months at a cost of $800, with delivery included (free to New Haven area, additional costs may apply to regions beyond). Here is the announcement and details from Bun Lai: Miya’s Sushi is thrilled to announce the first installment of the member-driven Allies in Sustainable Food. This first season will be limited to a dozen memberships, beginning in August and ending in December of 2015. By being a member of Allies in Sustainable Food, you are supporting the experimentation and research of a small, local, innovative restaurant. Due to high food and labor costs, Miya’s operates on a thin margin, so your financial support will go directly into the development of our most groundbreaking off-the-menu approaches to sustainable eating. Read More
Friday Froth: Three Rare Beers You Should Be Drinking James Gribbon July 10, 2015 A single strawberry means a lot when you're in space. Commodities anywhere are delicacies somewhere, and so it is with beer. IPAs from New England Brewing and Two Roads are practically table beers here, but Sea Hag is a hard get just over the border in New York, and Will Gordoncouldn't even find a Lil Heaven in Massachusetts for his Drunkspin session IPA post. Add trophy hunters and the detestable trend of beer scalping into the market, and even local beers can become endangered species. Today we're going to look at three beers brewed in New England which still manage to be rare birds in Connecticut. The real life James Bond was an ornithologist, which means he spent a lot of time looking for that short, elusive sighting. Prepare to do the same here, but I've selected three beers which I think are well worth the search. Read More
Pick Your Own Blueberries Opens Today @ Bishop's Orchards in Guilford CT Ingredients Features Local Farm Pick Your Own kids activity Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster July 10, 2015 Pick-Your-Own Blueberries is NOW OPEN at Bishop's Orchards in Guilford CT. Today is Opening Day with weekday hours 8am-1:30pm, Saturday 8am-4pm, and Sunday 9am-4pm. Blueberry season lasts about 6-7 weeks, up until late August. Blueberry admission is FREE into the field. You MUST pay for what you pick, by the pound. The field location for Blueberry picking is at their Main Orchards located off of New England Road. Remember to always call their PICK line before heading out at 203-458-PICK. Weather and crop availability are always a factor so hours and locations can change at anytime. If strawberry season was any indication of what is to come with blueberries, we are all in for a real treat! Read More
Weekly Nibble: Bacon & Brew, Kids Cooking, Wine Dinners, Meet the Farmers + More! Emma Jane-Doody Stetson July 09, 2015 This summer, Mama’s Boy in South Norwalk offers “Cruise and Cuisine” on Friday nights. Enjoy a three course dinner on the Norwalk Harbor at sunset. It runs through August 28 and costs $57 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Beer meets farm fresh cuisine on Monday July 13. Kent Falls Brewing and Birch Hill Tavern will host a 5 course beer dinner in Glastonbury, CT with locally sourced dishes created by Chef Chris Evans and his culinary team. Purchase your tickets for $65 pp here. Kids are home for the summer and you can treat them to cooking classes at Stew Leonard’s Newington location. This week, they’ll offer a “Quick and Healthy Snack & Meal” class for toddlers (ages 2-5, adult must accompany child). There will be two sessions Tuesday July 14: 9:30-10:30am and 11:30am-12:30pm & Saturday 9:30-10:30am. The cost is $15 per child. Barcelona is more than a wine bar. On Tuesday July 14, the West Hartford location invites you to “Stony Creek Brewery Night.” Chef Eric Stagl will pair his cuisine with the local craft brews for a unique beer dinner. It starts at 7pm and costs $45 person, plus tax and gratuity. Read More
Party In The Park in Stamford on July 18th: Food Truck Rodeo Folks Play Host Again James Gribbon July 08, 2015 The first ever Food Truck Rodeo & Music Festival rode into Stamford on June 20th, and a large crowd shrugged off the rain to get their grub on. More than twenty food and beverage trucks ringed Mill River Park, offering a diversity of selections ranging from BBQ, to pizza, Caribbean food, donuts, tacos, lobster rolls, pierogies, and grilled cheese. The coffee truck seemed to be doing a good business on a warm, drizzly day, but visitors were just as likely to be seen with a cup of beer from Blue Point Brewery in one hand and frisbee in the other in the Rodeo's beer garden. Anyone who missed the Rodeo will get a second chance on July 18, when the food trucks and music return for Party In The Park. Advance tickets are $5, and double to $10 at the door. Read More
Homespun Mexican at Mexicali Rose in Bethel and Newtown Restaurant Bethel Newtown Mexican Kid Friendly Amy Kundrat July 05, 2015 Mexicali Rose is the type of small town dive you might take for granted if you grew up with it in your backyard (like I did), or you selfishly want to keep it to yourself (like I do). As a kid growing up in Newtown, I knew it was preferable to its Subway strip mall neighbor, but it wasn’t until I logged many thousands of miles of travel and dozens (hundreds?) of taco joints, that I truly saw this place. Homemade tortilla chips, walls covered in a clutter of Mexican folkloric kitsch, a handful of enamel top tables, and one very kind family that owns and runs the restaurant make Mexicali Rose one of my favorite hidden northern Fairfield County gems. Read More
