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.
“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, dear,” my maternal grandmother told me over and over again when I was growing up in the Midwest. Grandma, may she rest in peace, always had berry patches in her backyard for pies to please the most hard-hearted male guest, but if she could have seen the scale and abundance of Connecticut berry farms, she would probably, as we used to say, have fainted dead away. Prairies are not made for berries; woodlands are. Since it’s true that the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach, too, I’ve developed a passion for the annual ritual of visiting local pick-your-own farms for strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
The argument for going to pick-your-own farms, when one has the time, is unassailable. It does not get more local than this, unless, like my Grandma, you want to grow your own (another unassailable idea but beyond the scope of this article). Berries in season are at their peak of freshness and nadir of price, and one also has the satisfaction of knowing that one is supporting farmers in one’s community.
Founded by John and Lynn Holbrook, Holbrook Farm in Bethel has been family run and operated for the past 40 years. The farm is small by most people’s standards. Although it is situated on 12 acres only two are used for production. From these two acres yield an abundance of produce. While not certified organic, the land is clean of pesticides and herbicides, using plants that attract beneficial insects. Weeds have a special place in the ecological mix as well.
Last week I took a trip up to the farm to meet with Jess Wong, the new manager who gave me a tour of the property. Wong was brought on to manage the property and grow the farm to a new level of productivity. A Skidmore graduate, she dabbled in marketing for a while before realizing that she missed being outdoors and working with her hands. Wong started volunteering at the farm assisting the former manager, handling minor projects and social media
Last December John told her that he wanted to retire and asked if she would run the farm and the market. Wong was elated. She had big plans for the farm which included a new greenhouse and renovating the store. But greenhouses are expensive. Enter Tony Pham and Richard Reyes of Mecha Noodle Bar, and Mezon, and their new program, Eat Justice, a movement of restaurants on a mission to transform taste and tradition to pride and progress.
We are VERY excited about this week's Bethel food news covered by our friends Hearst Connecticut:
Several local entrepreneurs hope to open a brew pub in the former train station, which they believe will bring a new demographic to downtown [Bethel].
Lisa Tassone, owner of La Zingara on P.T. Barnum Square, and several partners have been discussing a brew pub when space at the station became available. Bethel Cycle closed last fall after operating in the building for about five years. “As soon as we walked into the space we knew it was a perfect fit,” said Tassone, who opened La Zingara about 13 years ago. Chris Sanzeni, an experienced brewer, said the historic building and the artistic nature of making beer is a perfect fit — adding Smirnoff vodka was produced for the first time in the building next door.
It's that time of year again. Sign up for Ambler Farms immensely popular, Maple Syrup Tap-a-Tree program.Sign up quickly...these classes fill up fast.
Learn the science and history of maple syruping by being a hands-on part of the process at Ambler Farm in Wilton.
Training Sessions:Saturday, February 6th at 10am or 1pm Learn the science and history of maple syruping by being a hands-on part of the process. There will be two training sessions offered (February 6th at 10am or 1pm); only ONE session is required for training. On that day, participants will choose a tree and hang their bucket that will collect sap. Ambler Farm will send regular updates on the running of the sap so families can come to the Farm to collect sap from their trees. Sap will be boiled down in the Farm’s sugar shack and each family will go home with their very own bottle of Ambler Farm maple syrup.
Tickets have gone on sale for the Dinners At The Farm 2016 season!
At Dinners At The Farm, each evening begins at 6:00pm, dinner served at 7:00pm. Tickets are per person and are $125 (Wednesdays, Thursdays & Sundays), $150 (Fridays and Saturdays).Upon arrival, guests are greeted with an orchard fruit cocktail and passed hors d’oeuvre and then proceed onto a lively tour of the farm with our warm and engaging farm hosts. Following the tour, guests are seated beneath a tent at long candle-lit tables with white porcelain settings where they will savor course after course of freshly cooked food with ingredients just picked from the fields outside the tent. Guests will break bread and raise a glass with the farmers, fishermen, and others who make up Connecticut’s vibrant agricultural community.
Our 2016 season marks 10 years of hosting our celebrated open-air dinners in the fields of Connecticut farms for delightful and delicious evenings of locally grown food, wine, and conviviality. Dates and additional information here.
With the holiday season fast approaching, Stuart Family Farm can supply your family and friends with some of the highest quality, best tasting, most humanely raised meat products found anywhere. Located on the Litchfield/Fairfield County border in picturesque Bridgewater, CT, the Stuart Family raises 100% grass fed/finished beef, pastured pork, and pastured poultry.
Stuart Family Farm is an environmentally friendly farm, utilizing organic fertilizer on all pastures and hay fields and is free of all herbicides and pesticides. The cow herd is pasture rotated throughout the grazing season and is fed hay that is grown exclusively on the farm during the winter months. The farm became certified Animal Welfare Approved in 2008 and is audited annually to maintain active certification. AWA is a food label for meat products that come from farm animals raised according to the highest animal welfare and environmental standards.
The dream began in a sandbox…..where five year old Geoff Lazlo planted his first garden.
Since then, he has tended, harvested, and cooked with the likes of Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, Michael Anthony at Gramercy Tavern, Dan Barber at Stone Barns, and Bill Taibe at The Whelk.
“What a pedigree!” we said to Lazlo, now the Managing Partner and Executive Chef of the newly opened Mill Street Table and Bar in Greenwich. “Your takeaway?”
"That a seasonal cook has to react like a top athlete," he told us. “Fresh ingredients are in constant motion. Early asparagus is very different than late asparagus, so you're always adjusting to a fast, ever changing game."
Geoff's garden isn't Madison Square, but his own herb and vegetable plots at Greenwich Community Gardens, and, of course, Back 40 Farm. That’s the family acreage in Washington Depot run by his partners at Mill Street, Bill and Leslie King, who head up the organic-centric Back 40 Group.
What Lazlo doesn't pick from there, he sources locally: whether it be oysters farmed off the Greenwich shore, milk, cream and butter churned atArethusa Dairy Farm in Litchfield, even Byram River Rum, distilled down the road in Post Chester. Mill Street represents the fulfilment of Geoff’s dream to establish his own place, an “American Restaurant,” celebrating family, community and local bounty.
Pick-Your-Own Blueberries is NOW OPEN at Bishop's Orchards in Guilford CT. Today is Opening Day with weekday hours 8am-1:30pm, Saturday8am-4pm, and Sunday9am-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!
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.
The Black Rock Farmer’s Market (BRFM) is back and better than ever! Now in its second season, the market will be held every Saturday from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm on the field next to St. Ann Church on 481 Brewster Street. The mission of BRFM is to serve as a community gathering place where local and organic farmers, producers and artisans can offer fresh agricultural and related locally sourced products to the Black Rock community and surrounding area. With a strong focus on sustainability, BRFM educates people on the importance of good health and creates business opportunities for local vendors.
This year will host a variety of local vendors including Sport Hill Farm of Easton, Aradia Farm of Southbury, K is for Cookies of Black Rock, Jane’s Good Food of Westport and more. There are many new and exciting experiences for market attendees, including more local farms, food demos and educational programs. The last Saturday of every month, visitors can shop for unique and creative items in the Artisan Market.
New this year there will also be a lecture series beginning on June 27th featuring Michel Nischan, CEO, President and Co-Founder of Wholesome Wave in Bridgeport. Nischan was recently named Humanitarian of the Year by the James Beard Foundation.
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.
Tucked in the rear of a charming passageway on Elm Street in New Canaan is Baldanza Natural Market Cafe. With a large and diverse organic menu, and a blackboard filled with the names of local purveyors, this small restaurant is fast becoming a local favorite. Owners Sandy and Angela Baldanza opened the café last year serving lunches and an occasional ‘pop up dinner’. Baldanza recently expanded the hours to include regular dinner service and partnered with Chef Kender Urena, who many will remember as the Chef /Owner of Bistro Bonne Nuit. Urena was awarded a Grand Diploma in Culinary Art with outstanding honors from the French Culinary Institute in NYC and was one of Bon Appétit Magazine Top 100 Chefs in America in 2007.
Photo: La ZingaraLa Zingara in Bethel will launch a new cocktail program beginning April 1 with a menu spanning classic cocktails to their own crafted creations. The backbone of the new menu will be rooted in house made ingredients, including syrups, grenadine, fresh-squeezed juices, and (a handful of) bitters. In addition to the new cocktail program, Ecco Rooftop Eatery & Bar (located just above La Zingara) will reopen on April 1 as well.
"We are finally bringing La Zingara up to par on the cocktails that we have been doing on the [Ecco] rooftop for a while now. We are looking to bring the same quality that we bring to our food. Clean, simple drinks that utilize what is in season. Twists on the classics," said Lisa Tassone, La Zingara and Ecco owner.
Mark your calendars. On Wednesday, March 20th, the first day of spring, tickets will go on sale for the 2015 season of Outstanding In The Field.Buy tickets here and do it fast! These go quickly.
CT will host 3 events this year. The Hickories will host Chef Jennifer Balin of Sugar & Olives on Sept. 8th as well as Chefs Holly Michaud & Scott Ostrander of Mama’s Boy on Sept. 9th. Day 3 will be at Waldingfield Farm with Jason Sobocinski of Casseus Fromagerie & Bistro.
"Outstanding in the Field is a roving culinary adventure– literally a restaurant without walls." Their mission is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it. The other meaning of Outstanding in the Field is outstanding as in the best.
Behind every great man is a great woman. And for Dagwood Bumstead, that woman is Blondie.
Bethel's Sycamore Drive-in Restaurant, founded in 1948 and famous for its summer cruise nights, homemade root beer, and thin French-style burgers, has introduced the new Blondie burger, a fitting companion for their popular Dagwood burger. And I believe it's about time, the cartoon is named after the blonde bombshell matriarch, afterall.
Rizzuto’s Wood-fired Pizza Kitchen & Bar in Bethel, CT is celebrating their 10-year anniversary beginning January 25 through February 21 with special $10 lunch and $20.04 dinner prix fixe menus.
Owner Bill Rizzuto opened the neighborhood Italian restaurant in December of 2004, transitioning from his career as a hotelier to restaurateur, now with multiple locations across the state, including Stamfrod, West Harford, and Westport.
Wah Lah is the ideal lunch location for a cozy cup of soup or a delicious pressed sandwich, with a side of small town charm. A fast-casual restaurant that focuses on the holy lunch trinity of soups, sandwiches, and salads, Wah Lah sets itself apart thanks to its amiable and talented owner-chef Keith Burke, and a well-executed and consistent menu that honors classic and wholesome recipes.
Keith opened Wah Lah in 2010. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, he worked in the foodservice industry for 14 years, traveling across the country before deciding to change his pace and put down roots in the small Connecticut town of Bethel. The fast casual dining concept appealed to him, and he decided to marry that approach to the lunch-friendly category of soups with salads and sandwiches soon following.
Wah Lah’s menu is a list of eight to twelve soups made fresh daily
Tickets have gone on sale for the Dinners At The Farm 2016 season!
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.
