CTbites was invited to a lunch at Del Frisco’s Grille in Stamford, the pubbier version of the nationwide steak house, representing the twenty-second Grille opening and its first location in Connecticut. The single, main dining area is extremely open and airy, with a soaring ceiling, reclaimed woods, large murals, and light fixtures giving an industrial-hip, NYC vibe. Seating includes tables, banquettes, and a long bar, all with leather backed seats and bar stools. The large open kitchen is situated in the rear of the dining room.
Coming up this weekend is the 5th Annual Greenwich Wine + Food Festival presented by Serendipity, a four day festival September 23- 26th, celebrating top chefs and mixologists. A special new feature this year includes the Hole In The Wall Gang Celebrity Green Room.
Open to the public, the Green Room will be hosting a number of interviews with celebrity chefs, mixologists and musicians throughout Saturday and will include a CTbites Chef Panel with CT chefs, moderated by Matt Storch of Match Sono, and The Chelsea in Fairfield. Chef Storch will talk food trends, shop and get saucey with Nick Martschenko from South End and UnCorked in New Canaan, Pat Pascarella from Bar Sugo in Norwalk, Christian Petroni from Fortina, Armonk and Rye Brook (and coming soon to Stamford)and Bill Taibe from Le Farm, The Whelk, and KawaNi in Westport. The Chef Panel will be from 2:30-3:00 PM.
Wave Hill Breads turns 10 this year. We sat down with Mitch Rapoport and Margaret Sapir to talk about 10 years in the bread biz.
What made you decide to launch Wave Hill Breads? Having observed that there was so little outstanding bread between New York and Boston, we recognized an unmet need. After we tasted remarkable bread at a restaurant in Stowe, Vermont, we tracked down the French baker, apprenticed to him, and brought authentic French bread-making techniques Connecticut.
Has the business of baking changed in the past 10 year? How? Our business has changed since we moved to Norwalk from Wilton. We expanded our product line and now offer a wider variety of breads, croissants, and pastries. We opened a Café which won Best Bistro on the Gold Coast from Moffly Media but it distracted from our core wholesale business. We also participated in the short-lived Sono Marketplace. With so many restaurant and store clients, we automated our delivery and production tracking. But we still shape every loaf, croissant, and cookie by hand.
The Stand Juice Company, whose mantra is, Life, Fueled by Plants, is about to open its third location in Westport, CT.
Carissa and Mike Hvizdo, are the life force behind Fairfield County’s feel-good The Stand Juice Company. The Stand has been serving up plant based juices, snacks, sandwiches and baked goods since 2005. The business has flourished over the last 10 years and the duo’s standing within the local sustainable food community is palpable among industry jocks, farmers, and loyal consumers.
The excitement surrounding The Stand Juice Company’s newest location at 1200 Post Road East in Westport only further celebrates the enjoyment and healthful benefits people have been experiencing since Carissa and Mike first made their mark in the organic juice world in 2005 with their original location on Wall Street in Norwalk.
Monday nights at elm in New Canaan are the place to be! Try their signature burger along with a draft beer for just $15. Chef Luke will be serving up some bites perfect for football as well, such as Short Rib Chili, Smoked Pork Sliders, and Korean BBQ Wings.
AMG Catering’s Fall Adult Cooking Classes are officially underway! The season begins with “Thirty Minute Meals” on Tuesday September 22. Learn how to make 3 entrees- chicken, beef, and fish- along with side dishes in under 2 hours. The class costs $90 per person and goes from 7-9pm. Buy tickets here:
Max Restaurant Group has two exciting events this week. Tuesday Sept. 22: Avion Tequila & Cocktail Dinner at Max Fish in Glastonbury, CT. Thursday Sept 24: Pigs & Pinot Tasting at Max Downtown in Hartford, CT
After 30 years, memories are still being made at the Redding Roadhouse. Located in central Redding, aka where “all roads meet in the middle of nowhere”, The Roadhouse has hosted hundreds of weddings, graduations and holiday parties, and thousands of first dates and rowdy and rockin’ Saturday nights. Happily, some things do stay the same!
After several years during which ownership passed outside the family, Jordan Wright, the current operator and nephew of founder Mac “Mackenzie” Groetzinger, has restored much of the original character of this iconic eatery. Drawing on his experience as a builder and his deep personal affection for the business, Wright undertook a major renovation in the fall of 2014. Rather than change the country ambiance, he made subtle changes and upgrades to improve the overall dining experience. Aging kitchen equipment was replaced, the custom mahogany bar in the Tap Room was extended, the bocce court was rebuilt and a stone fire pit was added to the patio.
One of New Haven’s most venerated eateries, Claire’s Corner Copia, celebrates its 40th anniversary this week with a series of events during a two-day celebration on September 16 - 17, giving back to the community that has supported them for four decades.
"New Haven is a great city for so many reasons: Yale (and, my favorite art gallery), the Shubert Theater, and other wonderful attractions. But, the best reason I love this city is because it's filled with many people who make a difference in the lives of others every day," said owner Claire Criscuolo.
When asked about what they have in store for the next forty years, Claire explained:
Starting after a little break for a week (we need a break after all the excitement of our anniversary), we are going to work on two main things: helping more people to eat healthier and lobbying to expand job opportunities here in our city through manufacturing. For this week, though, we'll be wearing party hats and eating birthday cake. And most importantly, saying ‘Thank You’ for all the wonderful people who made it possible for this ‘crazy experiment’ of bringing delicious vegetarian foods and kindness to our community become a dream come true for us.
With the debut of the sleek and sexy bruculino in South Norwalk, Joe Bruno finally presides over a true restaurant. "Pasta Nostra was never meant to be more than a lunch spot," he says of the venerable store front that served as the anchor of the Sono culinary scene for 30 years. The place was getting old; Bruno wasn’t getting younger; it was time for something youthful, vibrant, and new.
bruculino (Italian slang for “Brooklyn dude” – as in the person of Joe Bruno) is certainly all that -- and more. Imagined by renowned Westport architect Roger Ferris, the glassy new space at 20 North Main is dominated by a fetching forty foot terrazzo bar that is flanked by 23 neon-red Lucite seats, all staged in what was once a furniture store. For now, the bar is a lavoro in corso (still under construction), but Bruno will soon be mixing an array of spirits and craft cocktails in addition to the well curated wine list he brought over from Washington Street. He also brought his entire staff from PN, both the back and front of the house.
CTbites is giving away 3 pairs of general admission tickets for Saturday September 26th. This includes The Grand Tasting Tent, Chef Demos, Burger Battle with Adam Richman, Bartender Showdown + more.
TO WIN tell us why you deserve a pair of free tickets be emailing us your entry here. Winners will be announced September 21st.
Screw pumpkin beer and the sell sheet it rode in on. Screw it in September, and double-dog screw it in August, when I first start seeing it in stores. The fact I wasn't arrested for petty vandalism last month is a minor miracle. If you complain about summer being over to soon while ordering a late fall seasonal I hope you step in something wet while wearing socks. Such are the depths of my disdain.
I say all this, even though I don't dislike pumpkin beers as such, because the end of summer and early fall are excellent times for beer. Hops and grain are both being harvested this time of year, and I encourage you to take full advantage of the brilliant little season between light, summer beers, and the heavy, spiced beers of winter, because that middleground is fertile, delicious,and short-lived. Let's do this.
On Tuesday September 15, Nicholas Roberts Fine Wines and Vespa Westport will host Robin Shay, Export Manager from Allegrini Wines, for a 5 course wine dinner. 10% of all wine sales taken during the evening will benefit Turning Wine into Water. The reception starts at 6:30, dinner at 7. $125 per guest, plus tax and gratuity. Info here.
Also on Tuesday September 15, Post 154 is encouraging wine enthusiasts to meet and mingle with a wine social from 6-9pm. Guests will try wines from Buena Vista, and have the chance to meet the Count of Buena Vista, Agoston Haraszthy. $39.99 pp.
“Food Trucks in the Valley” returns to Shelton, CT on Thursday September 17. This year there will be over 25 trucks, which is 10 more than last year! All of the details are on their facebook page:
Two Roads Brewery will hold its highly anticipated “Ok2berfest” Saturday September 19 and Sunday September 20.
Top Chefs from all around Fairfield County gathered at the CTbites Chef Demo Tent to delight guests at the Blues, Views & BBQ Festival this past weekend in Westport. They grilled, demoed recipes, and served up some great eats to thousands of eager fans. Was it fun? Heck yeah. The chefs you see above hail from: Match, Walrus + Carpenter, The Spread, Fleishers Craft Butchery, Bobby Q’s, Vespa, Can Tiin & NEAT, as well as Da Pietro's. They made brisket, pork buns, sliders, pork belly, and every other cut of every meat imaginable. Good times were had by all. Check out the pics!
Marcia Selden Catering & Event Planning, a top caterer in Stamford, CT, loves kids and enjoys teaching them all about food. They host cooking parties for kids and adults in their commercial kitchen space and they know a thing or two about cooking and partying at the same time. Kids cooking parties have become a super popular birthday party theme, and it’s easy to see why. Children love to be part of the action especially when they get to ‘help out’ in the kitchen. Food is one of life’s pleasures, and preparing it is tons of fun too. Here are some of their top tips for having a fun, interactive party for kids between 6-12 that won’t leave your kitchen looking like a war-zone.
Fans of Mecha Noodle Bar in Fairfield, residents of Norwalk, and noodle lovers everywhere will rejoice in the news that Mecha will be opening a second location right in SoNo’s downtown Washington Street. “We believe in the resurgence of SoNo, that this type of cuisine is a good fit for this urban area,” says Pham. SoNo residents can already be seen peering curiously into the spot that once housed Joe Bruno’s renown Pasta Nostra, now boasting windows lined with garden variety Ramen packets…a sign of things to come.
Mecha owner and chef, Tony Pham, will be joined by longtime friend and owner of Mézon, Richard Reyes. The team grew up together in Bethel with extended families who loved to gather around food, specifically Pho and Hot Pot, courtesy of the Phams. Sharing food with people they love is part of their collective DNA, and Pho is a “Universal comfort food,” says Pham.
For those not already familiar with the menu at Mecha, we’re talking ramen, pho, steamed baos and a well curated selection of Asian plates. Slurping is encouraged, as clearly stated on the menu.
On Friday, September 18th join Optimus Foundation for the 5th Annual CT Chefs Challenge at the Lincoln Culinary Institute in Shelton. Enjoy an evening of food, music and raffles while eight of CT’s top chefs compete for this year’s champion title!
The event will consist of two rounds of culinary battle, each chef has one hour and a maximum budget of $300 to prepare 10 plates of their signature dish. No ahead of time cooking in this battle of culinary excellence. Each chef is allowed to bring one Sous Chef as well as utilize Lincoln Culinary students to help them be the champion. The dishes will be judged on “Taste, Creativity and Presentation." The top scoring dish will win the championship belt and the $1,000 grand prize! Attendees will also have the chance to choose a “People's Choice” winner with a purchase of a Tasting Ticket that allows guests to taste each chef's dish at the tasting tables.
It started well over 10 years ago in Boston. Two boyhood friends and a dream – a dream to open a restaurant featuring healthy, wholesome food. The company’s founders, Jon and Anthony grew up eating nutritious food from Anthony’s Uncle Faris’s kitchen. When the two friends went off to college they over indulged on fast food. While they loved this way of eating, they hated how it made them look and feel. And so the two decided to open a business together based on the simple premise that they would offer people “fast” food by making it “real” – Food “made by people, not factories.” As they embarked on this journey, they heeded Uncle Faris’ other pieces of advice: “Take it easy, Live life, and most of all ‘be good.’” And with this b.good was born.
With many successful restaurants already established in New England, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Toronto, Canada, the newest location has just opened in my town of Fairfield. (Greenwich will also open its door shortly.)
The summer wind-down is on us, but I am holding onto the season like a starfish attacking a clam. The days are starting their slow slide, and I've been thinking about light changing over to dark, so that will be our theme this week - day to dusk to demonic.
Day
Southern Tier Tangier is your high-noon-in-summer brew. It's a session IPA - light in alcohol and color - but heavily dosed with Azacca hops and tangerine peels to arrive with swirling flavor. Tangier pours a cloudy amber with a thick head. The flowery Azaccas pair excellently with the citrus in the creation of a very, very nice drink that is more IPA-ish, than straight up IPA. Sometimes a beer can get in its own way, and the heavier malting of other citri-fied IPAs like grapefruit Sculpin can sometimes lend them a bit of drag in some situations, but Tangier's weight and execution make it outstanding for hot, humid days.
The Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival, one of the East Coast’s most sophisticated and anticipated events, returns for its 10th year from September 25 – 27, 2015. Once again, the Marble House lawn will be the setting for the two-day Grand Tasting, which offers guests the chance to sample hundreds of wines from around the world and cuisine from nearly two dozen regional restaurants and caterers.
Martha Stewart will return to the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival for her second year, headlining a brand new signature event with French chef Jacques Pépin. During A Conversation with Martha Stewart and Jacques Pépin, guests can enjoy a lively and engaging conversation with the lifestyle expert and the French chef while sipping Champagne Taittinger in the Marble House Gold Ballroom before heading out to the Grand Tasting.
Chef Pépin will also join daughter Claudine Pépin for a cooking demonstration on the KitchenAid Culinary Demonstration Stage during Sunday’s Grand Tasting. Claudine Pépin joined her father in preparing delicious meals and sharing cooking techniques on three public television shows and has served as a Brand Ambassador for Moet & Chandon and Dom Perignon Champagne. She recently wrote her first book, Kids Cook French, a collection of thirty favorite, simple, classic French recipes in both English and French, illustrated by her father Jacques and daughter Shorey.
Norwalk’s 38th Annual Oyster Festival will be held this weekend, Friday September 11-Sunday September 13. Try delicious seafood, visit booths from local vendors, enjoy live music, and more. Here's more info on ticket prices, times, and parking information.
The much anticipated Brass City Brewfest takes over Waterbury, CT on Saturday September 12. This is the 9th year of the festival, which is considered one of the largest in New England. This year, there will be over 125 breweries and brewpubs with more than 275 domestic and international brews. Guests can also enjoy mini beer seminars throughout the day.
Barcelona Restaurant New Haven and Two Road’s Brewery unite on Thursday September 10 for “Two Roads to Barcelona.” Chef Frank Proto will create special Barcelona style bar food to compliment the brews. It costs $45 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
Meanwhile on September 10, Barcelona South Norwalk invites you to a wine dinner centering on the wines of Telmo Rodriguez, one of Spain’s pioneer winemakers. Gusts can meet him as well. $50 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
Match Restaurant is celebrating its 16th birthday with a month of festivities during September.
The fourth annual Slice of Saugatuck Festival is fast approaching and set to go off on Saturday September 12, from noon -3pm (rain date Sept 19). The family friendly Wine & Food and Retail Experience has once again expanded, both in the number of participating venues and what is being offered to the festivalgoer, especially kids.
“The festival is once again bigger,” said WWCC Executive Director Matthew Mandell, “Not only will there be tastings at over two dozen eateries, and great offerings by all the other merchants; there will be a mini maker space, drones, obstacle courses, bouncy houses, balloon bender, hoola hoops and rock climbing. The kids are going to love it.”
Added this year to the seven other musical offerings during the main event will be a free concert in Luciano Park right after the tastings are over. The festival continues with the Sweet Sounds of Summer with two more bands playing at 3pm and 5pm.
Tickets, with a passport to take around for tastes, will cost $10 per adult and $5 for Children 6-12. There will be at least five locations throughout the area with different bands playing.
CTbites was invited to a lunch at Del Frisco’s Grille in Stamford, the pubbier version of the nationwide steak house, representing the twenty-second Grille opening and its first location in Connecticut. The single, main dining area is extremely open and airy, with a soaring ceiling, reclaimed woods, large murals, and light fixtures giving an industrial-hip, NYC vibe. Seating includes tables, banquettes, and a long bar, all with leather backed seats and bar stools. The large open kitchen is situated in the rear of the dining room.
