15 CT Restaurants Open for Thanksgiving Dinner Restaurant Holiday Thanksgiving Emma Jane-Doody Stetson November 10, 2015 Thanksgiving arrives Thursday November 26 and many Connecticut restaurants are inviting you to spend the holiday with them. From buffets to prix fixe and traditional to creative, there are a number of styles so that you can pick the best for you and your loved ones. NOTE: We came across a few more restaurants after the publish date of this article, so we've gone beyond 15. Enjoy! Millwright's, Simsbury Cafe on the Green, Danbury Artisan, Southport Bernard's, Ridgefield Elm Restaurant, New Canaan Mill on the River Restaurant, South Windsor Capital Grille, Stamford and Hartford Harbor Lights, Norwalk Read More
Help Others Receive a Weekend Meal Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger November 09, 2015 How many of us enjoyed a delicious dinner with friends and family at a restaurant this weekend? For many of our neighbors, just having a hot meal on the weekend is something they can only hope for...and now you can help. On Monday, November 16th, Baldanza in New Canaan is opening its doors and hearts and sponsoring "Bowls at Baldanza - Supporting National Hunger and Homelessness Week." The evening will support Filling in the Blanks, an organization that provides needy children with meals on the weekend. 100% of the proceeds, yes all of the proceeds, will go to Filling in the Blanks...so no child goes hungry Read More
Video: Tofu Master Minh Tsai Talks Tofu and Sustainability at Yale Ingredients Chef Talk Video Amy Kundrat November 09, 2015 Minh Tsai, investment banker turned tofu master, is speaking at Yale this week about the intersection of tofu and sustainability. Watch the event live on Tuesday, November 10. From Yale CBEY: Meet Minh Tsai, the investment banker turned tofu master, and learn about his company Hodo Soy, an artisanal tofu supplier from Oakland. Minh has been a pioneer in getting chefs and large institutions to use tofu including Chipotle (heard of sofritas?) and Costco. This talk is sure to entertain and inspire and provide an enlightening discussion on how traditional recipes (along with Masters students) can be used to change our future impact on the earth. Read More
WUJI in Scarsdale NY: A Fresh Approach to Chinese Food Jessica Ryan November 08, 2015 Update: WUJI will be opening in Westport & Greenwich in 2016. I was recently invited to dine at WUJI, a new Chinese dining concept in Scarsdale. I heard rumors that WUJI was different from many other local Chinese restaurants that serve Americanized Chinese food, which can be heavy, greasy and salty, and those rumors are true. Nestled in the charming village of Scarsdale, WUJI sits unassumingly tucked away from the sidewalk, with several red and white bicycles parked in front for local deliveries. There’s a very small seating area outside, protected by large hedges for privacy. Inside, the interior is simple, stylish and elegant without formality. Light grey walls, dark furniture with clean lines and framed oversized photographs of Buddha statues hang on the walls and give the restaurant a gallery-like feel. The bar area is framed by two enormous blue and white ginger jars that sit against cool white subway tiles. A mosaic created by shards of Blue Willow China anchor the far wall. Read More
2nd Annual Greenwich Restaurant Week November 12th - 18th Restaurant Restaurant Week CTbites Team November 08, 2015 Coming off a successful inaugural year, The 2nd Annual Greenwich Restaurant Week starts On November 12th and runs until November 18th. Participating restaurants include L'escale, Polpo, Harvest, Terra, Mediterraneo, Le Peguin, Le Fat Poodle, Osteria Applausi, Lugano's, Gabriele's, Char, Famous Greek Kitchen, Firenze, Blackstones Steakhouse, Little Pub, Bella Noona, Caren's Cos Cobber, Bobby Q's Pitstop, Coast, The Drawing Room, Elm Street Oyster House, Jhouse, Morello, Tengda, Mt.Kisco smokehouse, Greenwich Cheese Company and Winfield's at the Hyatt. Read More
Friday Froth: Iceland And Sweetwater Come To Connecticut Ingredients Beer CT Beer Friday Froth James Gribbon November 06, 2015 Reykjavik and Atlanta usually don't have anything in common besides yours truly, but we've all come full circle this week. The daisy chain works like this: I love Iceland, and have done some work for the country here in the U.S. which allowed me to to visit the land of fire and ice, eat hákarl, and learn the correct pronunciation of Eyjafjallajökull. I also have a degree in history from the University of Georgia, where I became acquainted with Sweetwater Brewing Company. Just recently, Two Roads and Evil Twin conspired to produce Geyser Gose, using Icelandic ingredients, and Sweetwater made their Connecticut debut. Hell yes. Read More
Weekly Nibble: Ladies Night, Thanksgiving Tasting Events, Elm City Brew Fest, Monger Mingle + More! Emma Jane-Doody Stetson November 06, 2015 Greenwich Restaurant Week returns November 12-18! This year, there are over 30 participating restaurants with special deals. View full list of participants and offers here . On Wednesday November 11, Veuve Clicquot and Le Fat Poodle in Greenwich are teaming up for a Ladies Night Out! “Le Grande Dame Ladies Night” will feature champagne and truffles with winemaker Pierre Casenave. The cost is $95 per person, plus tax and gratuity. It starts at 7pm. Reservations are required. Please call 203-717-1515. “The Hub” is back in Cos Cobb! On Thursday November 12, they will hold the “Monger Mingle,” an open house style event featuring Greenwich Cheese Co., Fleisher’s Craft Butchery, and Fjord Fish Market. It runs from 7-9pm and benefits Community Plates. This weekend, November 14 & 15, Stew Leonard’s invites you to get a “taste of Thanksgiving!” From 11am-3pm, they are going to have sampling stations all over the store featuring their most popular Thanksgiving dishes such as fresh turkey and home-style stuffing. Read More
bfresh Grocery Store Opens in Fairfield with Fresh New Shopping Experience Ingredients Features Fairfield Specialty Market Jessica Ryan November 05, 2015 Not another grocery store… Not something else to create more congestion to our already congested Post Road… These were my thoughts when I heard that yet another grocery store was coming to town. Read More
"Monger Mingle" Event w/ Fleishers Craft Butcher, Greenwich Cheese Co. & Fjord Fish Market in Greenwich @ The Hub CTbites Team November 05, 2015 Fleishers Craft Butcher has officially opened its brand new retail butcher shop and market in Greenwich, CT at 160 East Putnam Road. Alongside neighbors Fjord Fishery and Greenwich Cheese Co., Fleishers is aiming to revive this area, formerly known as The Hub, as Greenwich’s specialty premier food destination. To celebrate the opening of Fleishers, The Hub in Greenwich will host a special "Monger Mingle" open house night for the community on Thursday evening, 11/12, from 7 - 9 p.m. Guests will sample fare from Fleishers, Greenwich Cheese Co. and Fjord Fishery, along with complimentary tastings of beer and wine. The event is free and open to the public. Read More
14 Places For Great Holiday Pies in CT Features Bakery Entertaining Holiday Dessert April Guilbault November 04, 2015 Holiday season is heeeere, with its feasts and parties, and let’s be honest, you can’t really have too much pie, now can you? Note: with the brief exception of a kooky aunt who, after a post-Thanksgiving bout on the tread mill, did wearily proclaim “Too....Much....Pie!” but that’s another story for another time. So where to go for the best pies with the flakiest crusts, sweetest streusel toppings and the most flavorful fillings? We’ll be happy to tell you. Get those dessert plates ready and, um...you might want to loosen that belt. Here are 14 places to buy great holiday pies in CT. Read More
Norwalk's Open Door Shelter Celebrates "Chopped" Celebrity Restaurant Fundraiser Norwalk CTbites Team November 04, 2015 Open Door Shelter of Norwalk is hosting a fundraiser event on November 18 from 6 to 9 pm to celebrate the recent appearance of their kitchen manager, Victor Squire, on the Food Network show Chopped. The event will be held at Aitoro in Norwalk, and will feature a competitive cook off between Norwalk Community College culinary student chefs. Wine and appetizers will be served, and Chef Victor Squire, the Chopped competitor will be on hand throughout the event to meet guests. Tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased online. All proceeds from the event will benefit the mission and services of the Open Door Shelter in Norwalk. Read More
Why LeFarm in Westport Closed Its Doors: Q & A with Chef Bill Taibe Restaurant Chef Talk Westport Stephanie Webster November 03, 2015 Many CT diners were shocked when Bill Taibe announced that LeFarm in Westport was closing its doors after six years. LeFarm was without a doubt one of the most highly celebrated restaurants in Connecticut, a place where local chefs gathered on their nights off and regulars booked a table weekly. So, why did it close? We sat down with Chef Bill Taibe (owner of Kawa Ni and The Whelk) to find out why... LeFarm was a very successful restaurant right up until the day you closed the doors. Why did you decide to sell LeFarm? It was the right time. We had met our goals at LeFarm. It is now time to set our sites on a more focused plan. We want to offer more services. Create new experiences. Push ourselves a bit harder. Read More
Harlan Publick in South Norwalk: Innovative Cuisine with a Tropical Twist Restaurant Caribbean Norwalk SONO Bar Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger November 01, 2015 Harlan Publick opened last year in the SoNo Ironworks and immediately became a destination for great food, a vast line-up of beers and an outdoor terrace like none other in Fairfield County. The relaxed interior features a large bar, a dining area with both dining tables and high tops and a room for a private event that features several personalized beer taps, and represents the second for Managing Partner Steve Lewandowski, who is also the Managing Partner at Stamford’s Harlan Social, which has won accolades as one of the best restaurants in CT. Executive Chef Kamal Rose recently joined Harlan Publick, and his road to this position was less than traditional. Raised on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, he developed his passion for cooking from his grandmother. He moved to New York at the age of 15 and subsequently received an internship at TriBeca Grill. In 2009 he won a $20,000 scholarship in a national cooking competition and earned his diploma from the Institute of Culinary Education. He returned to TriBeca Grill under the tutelage of Drew Nieporent and Steve Lewandowski and last year, Lewandowski asked Rose to join him at Harlan Publick where his newly introduced cuisine exemplifies his Caribbean roots tempered by classical training. Read More
Friday Froth: At The Mouthfeel of Madness, Halloween Edition James Gribbon October 30, 2015 "Herbert West needed fresh bodies because his life-work was the reanimation of the dead."In the early 20th century, H.P. Lovecraft's fingers worked to create dread, revulsion, and hysteria. The son of a psychotic father, he was an early prodigy of letters, but more consumed with the hidden secrets being brought into society's focus through chemistry and astronomy. Now regarded as the father of modern horror writing, he was born in Providence, RI in 1890 - the same year and location as Narragansett Brewing Company.When Lovecraft was a child of ten and fascinated with the cosmos, the solar system stopped at Neptune. That was the end of all known worlds, and the beginning of the black emptiness of space. He soon learned that what we thought we knew was wrong, and new discoveries only served to highlight mankind's total lack of understanding. Physics and astronomy were soon to open "terrifying vistas of reality, and our frightful position therein." Read More
Weekly Nibble: Day Of The Dead Parties, Brewer's Festival, Lamb Butchery, Wing Fling + More! Emma Jane-Doody Stetson October 29, 2015 Fleisher’s in Westport continues its cooking classes with “Lamb Butchery 101” on Monday November 2. The class will take you through the butchering of an entire lamb and focus on sourcing and sustainability, knife skills, and basic animal anatomy. The class includes demonstrations by a Craft Butchery master butcher and tasting of samples. 7pm, $100 pp. The 2nd Annual Connecticut Craft Brewer’s festival will unfold on Monday November 2 from 6:30-9:30pm. Over 20 Connecticut breweries unite to offer tastes of their signature brews. Food trucks will be on hand with great local cuisine and proceeds will go toward the Connecticut Beer Guild. Limited tickets are available. On Wednesday November 4, Dine with the Authors of The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook, at Artisan Restaurant in Southport. Chef Frederic Kieffer will prepare a meal from farm fresh ingredients + cash bar. Dinner and a book costs $45 pp or $70 per couple. Additional books can be purchased for $20. Reservations required FairfieldUBoosktoreEvents@gmail.com. Stew Leonard's Wines of Norwalk will host its sixth annual Wine, Whiskey and Craft Beer Tasting benefitting the Norwalk Exchange Club on Thursday November 5! The night will feature over 100 wines, whiskies, and beers along with seasonal foods. The event takes from 6-8pm at Stew Leonard's food store, located at 100 Westport Avenue in Norwalk. A Chili Cook Off and Wing Fling will take place on Thursday November 5 in Monroe. Read More
Westport Farmers’ Market Heads Indoors Saturday Nov. 14th Ingredients Farmers Market CTbites Team October 28, 2015 As the temperatures start to dip and winter approaches, we must bid a fond farewell to what has been a phenomenally successful summer season. While we continue our Ten Year Anniversary we celebrate the fifth year of our winter market. We are thrilled to announce the start of the Winter Westport Farmers’ Market which will officially begin on Saturday, November 14 at 10:00am. The market will return for our fifth season at Gilbertie’s Herb Garden on Sylvan Lane in Westport. We will operate Saturday, November 14 – March 12 from 10:00 – 2:00. Read More
Cooking Behind The Bar: New Culinary Cocktails Welcome Winter @ Harlan Social in Stamford Lou Gorfain October 27, 2015 “Lately, when I come in to the bar,” Chris Messina admits, “I put on an apron.” That’s because Harlan Social’s General Manager and Sommelier has been playing with all manner of culinary ingredients to raise the bar on his winter cocktail menu. Whether Messina is rendering a slab of bacon for a bourbon infusion …. or reducing a cider that imbues the room with the crisp aroma of Mom's Apple Pie … he brings the artisanal crafts he mastered in the kitchens of Jean George and Tribeca Grill to the bar at Harlan Social in Harbor Point. Consider, for example, his "Beets by Harlan," a crimson confection of rum, bourbon, ginger beer and – wait for it-- beet juice. So what’s a workaday winter root veggie doing in a sexy nightime cocktail? Read More
The Prospector Theater in Ridgefield: A Very Special Movie Theater (sponsored post) CTbites Team October 27, 2015 The Prospector Theater is not a typical movie theater; it is special. Not just because their 4 theaters have the best in digital and sound technology and big comfy seats. The real reason that the Prospector Theater is special is their unique mission to provide educational and employment opportunities to adults with developmental disabilities through the operation of a four screen cinema. The theater offers first-run movies, documentaries, sing-alongs, classics, theme nights – all while they help support the Prospector’s Mission, and help change the lives of underemployed members of society. In the month of November, The Prospector will kick off our month long celebration of events and festivities to celebrate one year of meaningful employment. To celebrate, The Prospector will have themed on-the-go menu items at their Star Bar and house made gourmet popcorn for the following releases in November. They will also be serving an assortment of shaken, not stirred, specialty martinis for the premiere of Spectre! Patrons are welcome to bring these drinks into the movie and enjoy them during the show. Read More
Shortbread: The Queen Bee of Cookies Made Sweet + Savory via Marcia Selden Features Recipe Dessert Marcia Selden Catering October 26, 2015 Shortbread is the star of the cookie world—made almost entirely of butter and sugar, we bet you can’t eat just one! Sweet shortbread is perfect for dipping into hot tea while savory ones pair well with soup or are delicious with cheese. Marcia Selden Catering & Event Planning shares two of their favorites with us. These cookies won’t last long when you put them out, so be sure to grab one fast before they are all gone! Read More
New Chef @ elm Restaurant in New Canaan: Enter Chef Luke Venner Restaurant American Farm to Table New Canaan Lunch Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger October 25, 2015 Chef Luke Venner has been at the helm of elm Restaurant for several months and was invited to participate at the Greenwich Wine and Food Festival as one of the Innovative Chefs. The two small bites that he prepared at the festival were delicious. In hopes that these were reflective of his newly revised menu, CTbites returned to the restaurant to sample other dishes on his recently introduced Autumn menu. The appetizers and entrées that we enjoyed highlighted the inherent flavors of the ingredients utilizing Chef Luke’s balanced vision and delicate touch. We shared three dishes from the “smaller” section of the menu. Read More
