Dere Street: Newtown’s Crossroads of British and Italian Cuisine Restaurant Italian Newtown Hope Simmons June 05, 2016 High atop a hill, near Newtown’s historic flagpole, lies the intersection of Church Hill Road and Main Street. And there, you’ll find an entirely different type of intersection—one where British and Italian cuisines meet. The concept was inspired by the original Dere Street, an ancient Roman road in Northern England, built in the first century A.D. To honor this historic place where British and Roman cultures intersect, the two cuisines are now celebrated at Dere Street in Newtown. Past the 1800s building facade, it’s contemporary, whimsical and positively humming with other diners and imbibers. Home to 28 different gins, an abundant “British wine list” of single malts, beer and a selection of cocktails so unique, you’d be wise to arrive thirsty. Bring your appetite, as well as an open mind. If you’re a gin lover, this is the closest spot to heaven on earth you’ll find anywhere near here. And if you’re a vodka drinker? Well, they do have one brand, just in case they can’t convert you. Keeping with the British theme, it’s Broken Shed from New Zealand, a former colony. But they’d sure love to try to turn you on to gin. Read More
Kent Falls Brewing Begins Bottle Sales At The Farm: A First Look Ingredients Restaurant Beer Beer Garden Brewery CT Beer James Gribbon June 03, 2016 If, in an alternate world, you'd bought stock in Kent Falls Brewing Co. the first time you read about the small, Connecticut based brewer here on CTBites, you'd be rich by now. The brewery isn't actually public in the financial sense, but it will welcome the public to its farm in Kent, Conn. for the first time on June 11. Kent Falls beer has previously only been available on tap, in bottles at a few shops, and at single farmer's market. All that changes this summer, and anyone up for a drive to the NW corner will be able to buy it bottled at the source, Saturdays from 11a.m.-5p.m., with a focus on special releases like brewery-only IPAs and barrel aged beers. A special bottle release is planned for the grand opening on the 11th. Kent Falls has seen its popularity skyrocket lately and, as I've said several times before, the beer justifies the acclaim. The announcement of their new retail sales plan ended up being just the push I needed to finally visit their brewery and the working farm in which it's seated. Here is your first look. Read More
Embody Fitness Gourmet, Guest Chef @Westport Farmers' Market June 9 Lynn Felici-Gallant June 03, 2016 The approaching summer solstice signals the beginning of summer and in many traditions, the healing of self and soul. For some it is a time for purification and renewal of energy. For the Westport Farmers’ Market, it is the perfect time to feature Embody Fitness Gourmet as this week’s guest chef/restaurant. Embody, with its first stand-alone location on Riverside Avenue in Westport (there are two other locations inside Equinox and the YMCA in Darien) is on a mission to “create sustenance to optimize fitness through simple foods and nutrients that are consciously sourced and crafted.” With a menu that includes “Uppity” and “Vitality” juices, “Nutty”, “Spiced”, “Classic”, and ”Exotic” blends, vibrant breakfast and salad bowls, and original, handcrafted granolas and bars, Embody’s goal is nothing short of “creating a shift to a more food-conscious preservation of self.” We can’t wait to see what healthful and delicious elixir they create for shoppers this Thursday. Get a seat early; the chef demo begins at 10:15. Read More
Best Doughnuts in CT 2016: Friday June 3 is National Doughnut Day! Restaurant Bakery Doughnuts Breakfast Dessert CTbites Team June 03, 2016 Happy National Doughnut Day. Yes, it’s a recognized national holiday, and CT has great doughnuts for sweettooths ready to celebrate. Here are places serving delicious ones...if you have a suggestion for a shop we missed, please let us know below. Uncle Leo’s, Redding Tony's Square Donuts, New Haven Donut Crazy, Shelton, Stratford. Bridgeport (nom-eez) Speedy Donuts, Norwalk Whitney Donut & Sandwich Shop, Hamden Lakeside Diner, Stamford Beach Donuts, Old Lyme Darien Doughnut, Darien Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events & Happenings For Week of June 6-13 Emma Jane-Doody Stetson June 03, 2016 The Coventry Farmers' Market at Hale Homestead kicks off its latest season on Sunday June 5 from 11-2pm and continues every Sunday through October 20. Local vendors like Lazizah Bakery, 18th Century Purity Farms, and Wayne's Organic Garden are all returning for the upcoming season! In lieu of SoNo Restaurant Week, Match Restaurant has decided to give back to the local community with a special “Match Gives” menu. From Sunday June 5 to Friday June 10, enjoy a 3-course menu for $40 featuring local ingredients from the Westport Farmers' Market and surrounding farms. A percentage of gross sales will go to support Community Plates, Westport Farmers' Market, Human Services Council, and The Triangle Community Center of Norwalk. Fire Engine Pizza is also helping the community with “Monday Matters” on Monday June 6 starting at 11:30am. Up to 20% of Monday's sales will be donated to Camp Rising Sun, a camp for kids with cancer. On Wednesday June 8 from 6-9pm, Two Roads Brewery invites you to “Drink n’ Draw.” An instructor will guide you through painting a Two Roads Brewery glass. $40 gets you all your painting materials and your first beer. Barcade in New Haven is teaming up with Captain Lawrence Brewing from Elmsford, New York to make a collaborative beer: Simpsons Did It! IPA. The special brew includes notes of pineapple, making it ideal for the summer months ahead. They’ll debut it on Thursday June 9 starting at 12pm. Step aside rainbow bagels… Stew Leonard’s is helping seniors celebrate their graduations with custom bagels in high school colors! This June, Stew’s will add color to their signature bagel dough before the dough is rolled together, kettle boiled and hearth baked. Contact your local store for availability. Read More
2016 Chef Demo Lineup @ Westport Farmers' Market CTbites Team June 03, 2016 The Westport Farmers’ Market (WFM) wants you to fall in love with your kitchen again. While creating a thriving local hub for seasonal food, WFM has selected 20 of the top area chefs and restaurants to show you a thing or two about using the delicious freshness you can find each week at the market. Fairfield County’s favorite farm-to-table chefs will appear weekly to conduct classes and demos from 10:15 to 11:00 a.m. They will help you learn how to use locally produced, seasonal ingredients found at the market to prepare fresh, easy meals for your family. Each chef will have printed recipes for you to take home and test out in your kitchen. Every chef demo will feature a local chef who supports the local food culture, and the WFM. They share WFM’s dedication to real farmers who grow real food. And what they do with it is really delicious. Check out the WFM 2014 Summer Market Chef Demo Schedule below: Read More
INDIA, Farm-to-Table Indian Cuisine, Opens in New Canaan: A First Look Restaurant Farm to Table Local Farm New Canaan Indian Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger June 02, 2016 Bold…intense…complex…flavors, these are the words that best describe the menu that Master Chef Prasad Chirnomula is serving at his latest restaurant, INDIA, in New Canaan. Chef Prasad is no stranger to New Canaan, or Connecticut. As the owner/chef of the highly successfully Thali restaurants, he announced several months ago that he was closing his flagship restaurant in New Canaan, desirous of opening a smaller, more intimate, restaurant in town. The interior of INDIA does just that, with a relaxed, sensual feel accentuated with flowing silk curtains engulfing many of the tables. Chef Prasad invited CTbites to enjoy traditional cuisine from various regions of India, as well as sample many of his creative and inventive renditions from across southeast Asia and Africa. During the visit, this gregarious Master Chef joined us to explain the history, the composition, his vision for the dish as well as the numerous ingredients that were required to meet his high standards. His exuberance was evident in every description, and it translated into each of his creations. After close to twenty different dishes, my appreciation for his talent and the Indian heritage was significantly elevated, this was a culinary adventure. I was also pleasantly surprised when he told us that most are gluten-free, Indian recipes do not thicken sauces with gluten. Read More
Grilled Pizza with Pea Pesto, Caramelized Onions, Herbed Ricotta & Meatballs Recipe Pizza Recipe Marcia Selden Catering June 01, 2016 With warmer weather on its way, it's time to clean up that grill and bring on the 2016 grilling season. And really...doesn't everything taste just a little bit better on the grill? Even pizza.... If you've never made grilled pizza, you'll be amazed by how simple it is. We've gone with pea pesto, caramelized onions, herbed ricotta and meatballs for our toppings, but feel free to dream up any accompaniment you wish. Marcia Selden Catering has more great summer recipes coming soon. Read More
Eat Justice: Mecha & Mezon Owners Launch Innovative Philanthropic Movement Jessica Ryan May 31, 2016 Visionaries, restaurant owners, and childhood friends Tony Pham (Mecha Noodle Bar) and Richard Reyes (Mecha & Mezon) have embarked on a new philanthropic mission aimed at bringing the community together while fighting for noble causes. I met Rich and Tony at their new office in the heart of Danbury. The expansive space will serve as a commune for shared ideas, bringing entrepreneurs together. This new project, they told me, is a fun deviation from the fast pace of the restaurant world. Eat/Justice is a movement of restaurants on a mission to transform taste and tradition to pride and progress. Through cause partnerships, creative events and everyday food choices, we work to keep cultural diversity strong, increase access to healthy food and empower the talented restaurant community. Read More
2016 CTbites' Best "10" Burgers in Southwest CT Restaurant Delicious Dives Comfort Food Best of CT Burgers Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger May 29, 2016 HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY AND HAMBURGER MONTH The thermometer reads 90-degrees, the trees are in full bloom, the birds are chirping and the air is filled with the fragrant aroma of backyard grilling. It must be time for my Annual CTbites’ Southwest Connecticut Burger Review, now celebrating its 5th anniversary. This year I again took a slightly different approach. Over the years I have rated, and continually update, every burger I eat in CT on a scale from 1-10. To achieve the highest score, the bun-to-bun experience needs to be flawless; meat, cheese, toppings, sauce, and bun, all must work in absolute unison. There are currently thirteen incredible burgers that received a perfect “10.” From two east coast interpretations of the west coast double-double, to a food truck creation served on an Ube bun to several with bacon-onion jam, all of these burgers were spectacular. The 2016 list includes six new burgers while four from last year's list did not make the cut. The final rankings from the the Winner to number thirteen take into account not only the burgers but also the fries or chips. Here is the CTbites' list of the Best “10” Burgers in Southwest Connecticut. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events & Happening for Week of May 31-June 5 Emma Jane-Doody Stetson May 28, 2016 Please join us for Match Gives: Sunday, June 5 – Friday, June 10. Match will be donating a percentage of sales to support Community Plates, Westport Farmer’s Market, Human Services Council & The Triangle Community Center of Norwalk. Choose from our 3 Course Menu for $40 and/or our regular menu as we showcase local ingredients straight from the Westport Farmer’s Market as well as local farms and businesses. Reservations your table: 203.852.1088 ext.4. PopShop Market is back! It will take place on Saturday, June 4th from 10am-3pm at The Warehouse @ FTC and outside lot, 70 Sanford Street, Fairfield, CT. Peruse items from local vendors while enjoying a cocktail from the full bar or delicious bites from a food truck. LobsterCraft Lobster Rolls, Brick + Wood Pizza Truck, and the Bodega Taco Truck will all be there. Plus, The BuzzTruck + Donut Crazy Barare debuting their new collaboration! For the third year in a row, CTbites has partnered with Chef Frederic Kieffer and Artisan at the Delamar Hotel Southport for an outdoor Happy Hour on their gorgeous patio. Mark your calendars for Wednesday June 1st 5:30-7:30, as we kick off “al fresco” dining with assorted appetizers and cocktails. Priced at $39, the Happy Hour includes a specialty cocktail and a second cocktail or wine or beer.Buy your tickets here. Fleisher’s Craft Butchery will offer Burger Boxes starting May 28. Read More
Friday Froth: Two Roads Hosts Gathering At The Bines James Gribbon May 27, 2016 It's unusual for a brewery to have a competitor's beer on tap, so inviting 25 brewers over to pour almost 100 of their beers in your yard is as common as a white buffalo. The part of the noble bison was played this May by Two Roads Brewing, who opened up their hop yard to breweries, food trucks, and almost 900 ticketed guests from around the region. We ate Swiss has browns, we drank the new Two Roads OJIPA, and we did it all among the greenery of rapidly climbing hop bines in Stratford. Read More
Mill Street Bar & Table Launches “Mill Street Speakers” Lunch Series Education CTbites Team May 27, 2016 On Thursday June 2, 2016, Mill Street Bar & Table and the Back 40 Farm Group, will launch a luncheon series entitled “Mill Street Speakers” with monthly guests speaking at the Greenwich farm-to-table restaurant. Our first speaker, Jeff Cordulack, Executive Director of CTNOFA (Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association), will address the issue of carbon and its effects on our food system. Geoff Lazlo, Executive Chef and Managing Partner of Mill Street Bar & Table, wants his guests to know where their food really comes from and how it was grown. “I am dedicated to sourcing locally and I change my menu almost daily – we walk the walk here,” he told the New York Times recently. Geoff wants people to dig deeper to understand not only the importance of their food sources, but the equally important growing practices on the farms where these foods are from. “Good, sustainable farming practices dramatically affect the taste, nutritional value as well as the sustainability of the foods people eat,” says Geoff , “ so we are thrilled to have CTNOFA’s Jeff Cordulack come dine and talk with our guests about this important topic with a focus on carbon.” Read More
Kawa Ni Now Offering Patio Dining in Westport Restaurant Asian Cocktails Japanese Organic Outdoor Dining Bar Stephanie Webster May 26, 2016
Getting to Know FRESKOS Modern Greek Food in Hamden Restaurant Greek Hamden Mediterranean Amy Kundrat May 26, 2016 During my first job out of college, I frequented a diner for what became a weekly Greek salad lunch ritual. That may have been over ten years ago, but it inspired a life-long love affair with the dish. So when a friend suggested trying out newly opened FRESKOS in Hamden, I jumped at the chance to try their greek salad and was happily met with a heaping bowl filled with romaine lettuce and topped with chopped cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, stuffed grape leaves, and a big block of feta. Served with warm pita, and greek dressing, I have finally found my local antidote to that Greek salad craving. FRESKOS is a modern Greek fast casual restaurant, that leans towards light and fresh Greek dishes such as souvlaki and gyro sandwiches which are served with warm pita, red onion, tomato, tzaziki, and dill. In addition to sandwiches, FRESKOS focuses on seasonal salads and soups, such as the avgolemono soup, a traditional Greek soup with a chicken broth base filled with lemon, egg and rice. A FRESKOS original is a Greek Pita Pizza, which struck me as an apt Greek interpretation to its pizza-loving location just a stone's throw from New Haven. Read More
The Uber-Guide to Connecticut’s Asian Markets Ingredients Asian Seafood Special Dietary Needs Specialty Market Anna Bendiksen May 25, 2016 “From wonder into wonder existence opens,” said Laozi, the founder of Tao Buddhism. He might have been speaking of the joys of the table, so central to Asian culture for millennia---and to Connecticut foodies today. Almost 160,000 people of Asian descent call Connecticut home, and a considerable number of grocery stores in the state support the diverse cooking traditions of China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. True to both their Asian roots and the universal principle of making the best of fresh ingredients, quite often the most modest such store will have a produce section and a fish section---in one case, at least, featuring live fish. Your guide to the best East and Southeast Asian markets of Connecticut appears below. Read More
Melt Mobile Announces Launch of "Cheesy" Franchise Restaurant Food Truck CTbites Team May 24, 2016 Melt Mobile has just announced the launch of a franchise opportunity for budding entrepreneurs looking to break into the food truck business. Franchisee operators will be able to license Melt Mobile’s name and business model, and under the guidance and expertise from Darlene and Diana, carry on this scrumptious dairy infatuation grilled between two slices of buttery bread, further reinforcing that we all just need to Take it Cheesy. It was March of 2012. Food Network’s new reality show “3 Days to Open with Bobby Flay” followed entrepreneurs Darlene Andersen and Diana Hall through the grueling task of launching a food truck business. The process was caught on film, there for all to see – the good, the bad, the soggy bread and the burnt cheese. But that was fine by Darlene and Diana. “It might not have been pretty,” recalls Darlene of the not-so glamorous side of reality TV and the reality of the food biz, “But everybody got what they wanted out of it. And that’s just how business works.” Read More
May 26 @ The Westport Farmers' Market: Guest Chef, Bar Sugo Ingredients Farmers Market Lynn Felici-Gallant May 23, 2016 With the fragrance of simmering basil on one end and vendors setting up to the Talking Heads on the other, there was a palpable energy to opening day of the Westport Farmers’ Market last Thursday. And this week promises the same, sans the Talking Heads, perhaps. Instead, Julie Moffat will lead a short class in qigong for shoppers who want to destress. Qigong is an ancient Chinese health care system that integrates posture, breathing, and focused intention. Gentle movements are adaptable for people of all age groups and abilities. Julie’s sessions are hugely popular and we invite you to join her at the market this Thursday, the 26th, from 1:00 to 1:30. Fragrance will once-again fill the air, of course – from the vendors’ booths to the make-shift kitchen of Bar Sugo, this week’s featured chef/restaurant. Bar Sugo is a Norwalk icon that celebrates the art of simple Italian fare using farm-fresh ingredients just like Nona did. Chef Pasquale Pascarella will lead a demonstration at noon on pasta making; get a seat early, what’s not to love about a free sample of handcrafted pasta? Read More
DiFiore Ravioli Shop: Three Generations of Italian Cooking, In Hartford & Rocky Hill Ingredients Hartford Italian Pasta Rocky Hill Specialty Market Hope Simmons May 22, 2016 Most people look forward to taking it easy and traveling in their 60s. But at age 62, Andy and Louise DiFiore had a different retirement plan in mind. They opened DiFiore Ravioli Shop on Franklin Avenue, in Hartford’s Little Italy back in 1982. Their son Don explains, “My parents were always the home gourmet types. Back in those days, they weren’t called foodies, but they had a lifelong love of food. My dad had been an executive in the office machine world almost his whole life in sales and marketing. And he was probably looking at this more as being a retirement thing for income. Just like a little boutique store. But they stayed with it. My dad would be in the store until he was in his late 80s. And my mom stayed in the store till she was 90. She’s 95 now.” Then, about five years ago, Don’s father was in a nursing home and his mother was getting too old to run the store any longer. They were going to close it. Then Don’s eldest sister came back home from Chicago to help. “She threw the option at me—do you want to do something with it? Geez, I don’t know.” Read More
Nibble: CT food Events & Happenings for May 22-29 Emma Jane-Doody Stetson May 20, 2016 On Tuesday May 24, The Weekend Kitchen in Essex will teach you all about “International Street Food Cooking.” Chef Jennifer Magrey’s cooking class is inspired by the food carts found around Yale University in New Haven. Learn dishes like Banh Mi Chicken and Pork Meatball & Pickled Carrot Sandwiches, Grilled Steak Skewers with Chimichurri, Sweet Potato Chaat Bites, and Churros. 6:30-10pm, $75 pp. Cheese can be fun and games! The Greenwich location of the Fairfield Cheese Company invites you to “Wine & Cheese Pairing Round Robin” on Tuesday May 24 from 7-9pm. Attendees will have the chance to try four cheeses with four wine and rate the pairings. That exercise will then be used to discuss the basics of pairing. It costs $50 per person. Fleishers Craft Butchery’s will hold a “Knife Skills & Poultry 101” class at their Greenwich location on May 24. Learn basic knife technique and then use those skills to break down a raw chicken and carve a cooked bird. It lasts from 7-9pm and costs $100 per person. More Farmers Markets kick off their seasons this week! Old Greenwich opens on May 25 while Rowayton begins on May 27. On Thursday May 26, “RiverFare” comes to the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, CT. Guests can enjoy tasty bites, fine spirits, local beers, and a silent auction all while overlooking the harbor. Tickets start at $60. Read More
