Oyster Tour with Norm Bloom and Son of Copps Island Oysters Seafood ellen bowen August 10, 2016 National Oyster Day may be one of those silly made up holidays, but this past National Oyster Day, which fell on Friday August 5th, will always be remembered as the day I joined Norm Bloom and his family from Copps Island Oysters for an afternoon filled with an education in oysters, a tour of their oyster farms and most exciting, shucking and slurping. Organized by Earthplace, Westport’s non-profit nature center for environmental learning and specifically in support of their Harbor Watch program, a group of ten arrived on yet another sparking summer day. Read More
10 Questions with Ian Vest, Back 40 Kitchen in Greenwich Restaurant Greenwich Amy Kundrat August 10, 2016 Chef Ian Vest of Greenwich's Back 40 Kitchen began his career as a busboy at thirteen years old. Since his teens, he has worked in top kitchens including Daniel Boulud's Manhattan hotspot, DBGB, where he served as Executive Chef. Ian's culinary ethos always begins by considering source—a fitting parallel for the refined farmhouse feel of Back 40 Kitchen in Greenwich, which gets much of its produce from its own farm in Washington, Connecticut. Get to know Connecticut's newest culinary transplant, his recent late night cravings, his chef mentor, and why making it rain truffles is not always a good thing. Read More
A Taste of Boothbay Lobster Company In Stamford's Harbor Point Restaurant Lobster Seafood Stamford Lunch Lou Gorfain August 09, 2016 As we first reported last year, Boothbay Lobster Company wanted to bring the “wicked fresh" Maine seafood shack experience down the coast to Harbor Point in Stamford. Fade out. Fade in. The evocative new restaurant has just opened. At a recent tasting for the media, CTBites had a chance to discover what has been gained and lost in translation. For starters, we were curious about the Down East take on Connecticut’s indigenous warm, buttered lobster roll. Before crafting their version, co-owners David Galin and Willie Craig examined and tasted our local renditions. They sampled bread, garnishes, butter portions, even weighed the meat in every roll. At Fairway Market, Galin unexpectedly found a commercial potato bun (Martin’s) that enjoyed great taste and structure. However, it was side loaded, not top cut, like most Connecticut lobster rolls. “I know it’s not totally traditional,” Galin explained, “but a potato roll seemed perfect. In Maine, we love our spuds.” Read More
Lucky Lou’s in Wethersfield - Pub Fare with a Mediterranean Flair Hope Simmons August 07, 2016 There’s a Mediterranean breeze blowing through the historic village of Old Wethersfield, culinarily speaking. Within the Deming-Standish House, and on its patio outside, Lucky Lou’s is serving up deliciousness in a casual atmosphere for all lovers of fine, fresh food. It’s creative burgers piled sky-high on brioche buns. It’s an ocean far and wide of fresh seafood—from shrimp to octopus to cod. It’s serious pub food, and a place so serious about its beef, it’s strictly grass-fed Certified Piedmontese®, straight from America’s heartland. It’s desserts that change with the seasons, proudly made in-house. Read More
This week from the Westport Farmers’ Market: Quinoa Tabbouleh Lynn Felici-Gallant August 06, 2016 Shopping at a farmers’ market can sometimes be intimidating; all that beautiful produce can be overwhelming if one isn’t a seasoned at-home chef. Folks at the Westport Farmers’ Market understand that, and it is just this reason the WFM provides a recipe page on their website. Sue Smith, owner of Prime Health Style in Westport, is a frequent contributor to the page and guest at the market. Her recipe for Quinoa Tabbouleh, below, is perfect for farmers’ market goers who have a bounty of herbs and vegetables in hand. Featuring tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, garlic, parsley, and mint, Sue’s recipe is a refreshing twist on tabbouleh that utilizes much of the farm-fresh produce found at the market. Try it topped with crumbled cheese from Beltane Farm or Sankow Beaver Brook Farm and served with a sliced baguette from SoNo Baking Company, Wave Hill Breads, or Bien Cuit. Read More
25 Spots For Great Oysters In Connecticut CTbites Team August 05, 2016 Today is National Oyster Day...and really isn't every day a good day for oysters? With its proximity to Long Island Sound, 618 miles of coastline, and bustling culinary scene, Connecticut is the perfect place to dine on fresh seafood. Celebrate this great excuse for a national holiday. Go forth and eat. Here are 25 CT restaurants in the state that serve up delicious oysters. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events & Happenings for Week of Aug 8-14 Emma Jane-Doody Stetson August 04, 2016 The Bridgeport Bluefish are holding their second annual “Fish Fest” at Harbor Yard on Saturday August 13. Join them for music, beer, and food. The 10th Annual Shoreline Wine Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, August 13 and 14. Celebrate Connecticut wineries and local food at Bishop’s Orchards. Tickets start at $11. The inaugural Greater Orange Restaurant Week will take place August 8-14. Over 24 restaurants, including Bella Napoli, Coromandel Cuisine of India, Ola Restaurant, and Plan B, will be participating. Diners will have the chance to win up to $10,000 in prizes and enjoy special cocktails, wines, and beer. The Artisanal Burger Company in Machester, CT hosts a New England Brewing Company beer dinner on Monday August 8 at 6:30pm. The evening starts with a reception. It progresses with a three course dinner and dessert. It costs $60 per person. The Summer 2016 Happy Hour series presented by CTbites continues on Tuesday August 9 from 5:30-7:30pm on Vespa’s gorgeous outdoor patio. For $39 per person, enjoy delicious appetizers from Chef David White while sipping on specialty summer cocktails. The Price includes a specialty cocktail and a second drink of your choice. Menu and tickets here. Read More
Sneak Peek at Spiga Ristorante: New Italian Opening in New Canaan Restaurant Italian New Canaan Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger August 03, 2016 Many residents of New Canaan have been eagerly awaiting the opening of Spiga Ristorante in the space that formerly housed Barolo restaurant on Main Street. The wait is almost over. In the next two weeks, Spiga will unveil its newly revamped interior, offering a wide variety of Italian cuisine in a relaxed environment. CTbites was invited for a sneak peek and discuss the vision of the restaurant with two of the owners, Dan Camporeale and Rose Dionne. This is the first restaurant for Rose and the fourth restaurant for Dan, who is also one of the owners of Pizzeria Molto in Fairfield. Spiga will be his group’s first restaurant in New Canaan. When I asked Dan why he chose New Canaan he mentioned, “There is no true Italian restaurant in New Canaan. The space has a lot of positives and there is plenty of parking directly across the street.” Read More
Double L Market: Westport's First Farm Stand Turns 30 Ingredients Farm to Table Local Farm Specialty Market Westport Jessica Ryan August 02, 2016 Lloyd Allen’s Double L Market in Westport is celebrating its 20th year. The market, now in its third location near Hillspoint Road, is the “original” farmstand. Described as “eclectic” it has weathered every storm and outlasted the competition thanks to a very dedicated group of followers. “When you’ve done this for as long as I have you get to know a lot of people and what they want. We want to be able to offer the best!” Allen told me. “We were a farmstand and farmers market long before anyone else - before it became a thing. We were wild, and on the side of the road, in the open air and having lots of fun doing it.” Although Allen and his staff are no longer on the side of the road, and are now in an enclosed air-conditioned corner store, a little bit of that wildness still remains. “We are still having a great time,” he added. “You meet people who are passionate on both sides of the market - the growers are passionate about producing the best and our consumers are passionate to find and eat the best.” Read More
Bill Taibe To Open New Restaurant in Downtown Westport: Tavern Fare in Old Spruce Spot Restaurant Bill Taibe Westport Opening Lou Gorfain July 31, 2016 Bill Taibe is passionate about Westport. Its vibe. Its verve. And its role as a culinary capital. Few would dispute that he is partially responsible for that vibrancy. Opening the landmark Le Farm in 2009, Chef Taibe rocked and rolled the town’s culture with a menu that was as loud, lush and as unpredictable as his playlist. The Whelk followed in 2012 -- featuring creative spins on local mollusks and other creatures of the deep. Three years later, he imported Japanese gastropub cuisine to Saugatuck with the stylish Kawa Ni, a twist on Far Eastern dining and drinking. This trio of radically different hot spots inspired other new Westport restaurants, bakeries, butcheries, fisheries, and specialty shops, as well as a re-invented Farmers Market. The city became a magical destination for dining and shopping. Then last year, Taibe shocked the local food community with the impromptu, seemingly impulsive, and very enigmatic announcement that he was closing his celebrated Le Farm. “It was time,” he told us. No other reasons were offered. Nary a notion of what was next. Bill wasn't being coy. He simply didn't know. Bill now knows much more. And he’s ready to share some of his ideas with CTBites’ readers. Read More
TerraSole, A Small Italian Eatery in The Heart Of Ridgefield Restaurant Italian Ridgefield Seafood Lunch Jessica Ryan July 31, 2016 Unless you’re a resident of Ridgefield you might not be familiar with TerraSole, a small Italian eatery in the heart of Ridgefield. But I feel it is my job to extol the virtues of this sleepy little gem that has been part of the town’s landscape since 2007, and is poised to enter its second decade with quiet confidence. I was invited to join a group of writers and editors to visit TerraSole and nearly declined. Am I ever glad I went! When the weather is nice, diners can now sit outside in the newly completed terrace. The pale blue interior is simple yet charming. It is the food that takes center stage and rightly steals the show. While locals are avid fans, non-locals should take note. This charming yet understated destination is well worth the drive. Owner Pietro Polini, who hails from Puglia and moved to the states in 1999, infuses the region’s flavors into his dishes. Read More
Friday Froth: New Belgium Beer Is Now Available In Connecticut! Ingredients Beer CT Beer Friday Froth James Gribbon July 29, 2016 New Belgium Brewing Company of Fort Collins, Colorado, is now a month into making their beer available in Connecticut for the first time. Thanks to an extremely effective initial round of distribution, I've seen their canoe-shaped tap handles popping up all over Fairfield and New Haven counties. Not too long ago, before New Belgium built their new brewery in Asheville, NC, the beer was only scantily available much east of the mountain time zone. It was during this time that I went full-on Smokey And The Bandit and made a beer run from Georgia to Colorado and back again. It started with a heartbreak. My trip to Colorado, like that of the Conquistadors, began with an expedition to Mexico. Specifically, an airline ticket to Cancun for spring break. The father of one of my friends in the history program at the University of Georgia was pilot, and I could afford the ticket to Mexico because it was free. The five of us who were going planned to spend the savings by investing in cheap accommodations, cheaper booze, and lasting skin damage. I was hard at work polishing my lustrous C average in college Spanish all the way up to a gleaming B-minus when my hopes were torched like ships of Cortez. The promised five tickets materialized as two tickets, and I hadn't made the cut. Read More
Citarella Greenwich - Fresh from the Dock to your Table Ingredients Recipe Greenwich Seafood Specialty Market Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger July 28, 2016 “I’ll meet you at the front gate at 5am.” This email, which I received from Joe Gurrera, the owner of Citarella, required setting the alarm for 3:30am, grabbing two cups of coffee and driving the hour to the Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx. Visiting the new Fulton Fish Market was something I have always wanted to do, mingle with the best purveyors of the freshest and best selection of fish, just hours before it arrives at stores and restaurants in preparation for the day’s fare. The history of Citarella dates to 1912, when a small fish shop opened in Manhattan. Over seventy years later, in 1983, Joe Gurrera purchased the shop and Citarella was born. Joe’s passion for fish started when he was a small boy venturing, in the dead of the night, to the original Fulton Fish Market. It was during these nightly excursions that he educated himself on the various fish and, more importantly, how to choose the best of the best. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events & Happenings for Week of August 1-7 Emma Jane-Doody Stetson July 27, 2016 The Loft in Sono turns 20 on August 5th and they are celebrating with a party. Doors @9pm, half price drinks and a kickin DJ. Happy anniversary! Litchfield County is hosting its first food truck festival on August 6 and 7. In addition to celebrating the mobile cuisine, there will be vendors, crafters, antique dealers, and more. It will take place at the Terryville Fairgrounds. On Monday nights, The Fez offers ½ price bottles of wine off the entire wine list! It’s also game night where guests can pull out the checkers, bananagrams and more. Visit the Avon Free Public Library in Avon, CT for their Farmers Market on Monday nights from 4-7pm. It features 15 local farms, vendors, and purveyors. The Sign of the Whale, Stamford’s rooftop beer garden, now has a lobster dinner special every Tuesday night. Dig into a 1.25 pound lobster, corn, new potatoes, and sausage for $24.95. The promotion starts at 5pm and continues while supplies last. Read More
Zucchini Fritters Recipe & Edible Flowers via The Westport Farmers' Market Recipe Lynn Felici-Gallant July 26, 2016 Edible flowers are all the rage, and squash blossoms are perhaps one of the most familiar of culinary botanicals. Though tremendously popular today, serving the flowers of plants in the Cucurbit family – which includes Cucurbita pepo (zucchini, yellow squash, acorn, and pumpkin, among others) – dates at least as far back as 16th century Italy, and to Native Americans before then. Barcelona of Fairfield will bring this Mediterranean tradition to the Westport Farmers’ Market as this week’s featured chef. Don’t miss their demonstration, complete with recipe, starting at 10:15. Squash blossoms are not the only edible flowers you’ll find at the market. Muddy Feet Flower Farm, of course, is chock full of flowers for your table and recipes, but other vendors feature flowers for your plate and palette, too. Nasturtium, lavender, calendula, thyme, dill, clover, begonia, elderberry, and even daylilies adorn dishes and recipes, from cocktails to the main course. Make this the week you gather an armful of edible flowers to try at home. Read More
Best Warm Lobster Rolls in Connecticut: 2016 Updated Edition Restaurant Lobster Seafood Best of CT Lou Gorfain July 24, 2016 Enough of the Lobster Salad roll vs. Warm Lobster roll debate. After all, when dining on whole steamed lobster, only a land lubber would first chill the meat, lather it in mayo, and sprinkle on some celery. Whole lobster is best devoured warm and buttery. Just like a Connecticut Lobster Roll. Our state lays claim to the warm lobster roll because it was first created at a Milford café named Perry’s sometime in the twenties. Elsewhere in New England, warm lobster rolls are rarely served. Since 2014 CTbites has celebrated summer with a survey of Connecticut Lobster Rolls available along the shoreline. We stand by our past evaluations since those versions of rolls remain relatively consistent from year to year. After all, the three simple ingredients of a warm lobster roll -- bread, butter, and meat – never change. Such variables as doneness, toppings, and cuts are not an issue. So for 2016, at the suggestion of readers, chefs, and staff, we add a dozen new restaurants, trucks, and drive-ins to the 2015 portfolio. This list represents the NEW additions. And CTbites even ventured mid-state, far from the shore, for one of the best lobster rolls in Connecticut. Which is where we begin … Read More
CTbites Invites: Happy Hour on the River at Vespa for $39 CTbites Team July 24, 2016 Third in the Summer 2016 Happy Hour series presented by CTbites, happens on Tuesday August 9th 5:30-7:30 at the gorgeous outdoor patio of Vespa in National Hall. Overlooking the Saugatuck River and Downtown Westport, for $39 per person, enjoy delicious appetizers from Chef David White while sipping on specialty Summer cocktails. Price includes specialty cocktail, "Color Blind" and second drink of your choice. Buy your tickets here Menu items include: - Golden Fried Artichoke Hearts with lemon zest and fiore di sale - Chicken Liver Toast with Red Onion Mostarda, Crispy Spring Onion and Sourdough bread - Fresh Whipped Ricotta Toast with Kumquat Marmalade and Chili Roasted Hazelnuts - Heirloom Beet Salad with warm goat cheese, ginger salted pistachios, avocado yogurt and lemon "Color Blind" cocktail is a refreshing mix of Citadelle Gin, Lemongrass Basil, Lemon Juice, Boston Bitters, and Basil Oil. Read More
El Segundo Opening in Downtown Sono: The Spread Team + Global Street Food Restaurant Norwalk SONO Tacos Kid Friendly Lou Gorfain July 21, 2016 The Spread was the first: hip, smart, happening. Contemporary Sono. El Segundo, by definition, will be The Second. This time: Street. Urban. Old World Global. “We’ll have street food from each of the 7 Continents,” said Chris Hickey as he recently gave CTBites a preview of The Spread team’s new joint set to open in early August. Hickey and co-owners Andrey Cortes, Chris Rasile, Shawn Longyear and Executive Chef Carlos Baez envision an international playground for the palate. “We’re going to have some fun,” Chris promised, grinning. Open the corrugated metal garage door, and the vista is a courtyard boasting a fountain, storefronts, and looming apartments. A piazza in Naples? A market in Buenos Aries. A food fair in Bangkok. Inside the restaurant, you’re on a side street. The vibe is almost Third World. The predominant motif is that corrugated sheeting – the humble material that shelters much of the earth’s population. A wall is painted in the brilliant graffiti of Duster, New York’s notorious tagger. On the wall, a subway door and a Number 6 Train to Duster’s Bronx. Its boogie. Its street food. Read More
Millwright's Restaurant to Host Two CT Chef Events CTbites Team July 20, 2016 (Photo courtesy of BSC Photo) Help celebrate Millwright's Restaurant and Tavern's fourth anniversary with two outstanding culinary events in July. Located in Simsbury CT, Chef/Owner Tyler Anderson has created a gathering spot for both old and new friends in the historic 1680 Hop Brook Mill. The Restaurant offers three different unique spaces, an elegant dining room, a relaxed tavern, and a beautiful loft that includes a small kitchen/prep area, most of which allow guests to view the pond and rushing waterfall out back. The first event occurs on Tuesday, July 26th at 6PM. Aptly named The Millwright's Reunion Dinner, Chef Anderson is welcoming back the people who were instrumental in creating what Millwright's has become today. Enjoy a cocktail hour with passed canapes, plus one course from each of the following chefs: Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events & Happenings for Week of July 24-31 Emma Jane-Doody Stetson July 20, 2016 A new farmer's market opens in the heart of Sono. The market, known as "Common Ground," runs from 11am-3pm on Saturdays through the end of October. There will also be a table of free books for children and musicians on hand to perform. Visit the market at 50 Washington Street. Celebrate Summer in Style with Happy Hour at Patagonia! From 5-7pm on Tuesday July 26, the Westport store will offer food, giveaways, and beer from Black Hog Brewing Company. Fleisher’s Craft Butchery in Westport has announced a Summer Grilling Series. The first installation will take place on Tuesday July 26 from 7-9pm. Learn about the cuts of the meat that work best on the grill, how to season your meat, and how to flip burgers like the pros. Then, dig into some delicious meats along with sides, salads, and a beer. It costs $100 per person. Community Table & Kent Falls Brewing Co. are teaming up for a special evening of food and beer on July 26. Read More
