Taberna Mediterranean Tapas and Wine Bar in Fairfield's Brick Walk

Restaurant Fairfield Italian Mediterranean Spanish Tapas

Jessica Ryan

I have an affinity for those underexplored sweet spots that are slightly off the beaten path, tucked away, or unheard of. For whatever reason, Taberna, a Mediterranean tapas and wine bar located in the Brick Walk in downtown Fairfield hasn’t been widely discovered. Although I hadn’t heard of it many have, and those who have sing its praises.

Some of you might be familiar with the name, thinking it’s not in Fairfield, it’s in Bridgeport! And you would be correct, sort of... Prior to opening the Fairfield location, Chef Daniel Lopez and his brother Jaime owned and operated the Bridgeport restaurant for 8 years. Upon hearing that it was closing, longtime diners were happy to follow to the new larger venue with light-filled dining area, large bar and outdoor patio.

I was able to sit down and chat with Chef Lopez who was born and raised in Ecuador who revealed to me that he had been enamored with the flavors and cuisines of the Mediterranean since he was a child. In 1994 he and his brother emigrated to the states and immediately began working in the restaurant industry - for many well-known Fairfield County favorites.

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Back to School with Kohlrabi & Radish Salad from The Whelk and Westport Farmers’ Market

Recipe Recipe

Lynn Felici-Gallant

It might be back-to-school season, but it’s still summer at the Westport Farmers’ Market. Thirty vendors plus guests, including many favorites and a few new faces, brave every sort of weather each week to bring us the very best in fresh vegetables, cheese, meat, fruit and berries, coffee, tea, pasta, pet food, flowers, prepared foods, and artisan crafts. Before saying so-long to the kids for the season, stop by the market to stock up on fresh ingredients for hearty breakfasts and healthful lunches. Anthony Kostelis of The Whelk, offers this refreshing salad to pack in the kiddo’s box or serve at dinner.

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Nibble: CT Food Events & Happenings for Week of August 21-28

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Mill Street Bar + Table and Jessica Wong of Holbrook Farm are joining together to support the farm and highlight local ingredients.  On Sunday August 21, Chef Lazlo will prepare a special meal of appetizers, salads, dinner entrees, and dessert while Jessica details the farm’s new projects.  It runs from 5-8pm and costs $100 per person.  Purchase tickets here.

Enjoy a wine tour with the Greenwich Wine Society on Friday August 26.  A bus will leave Riverside shopping center at 9am.  From there, visit two wineries and have lunch at the Griswold Inn in Essex, CT.  The tour ends at 8pm.  Tickets are $125 per person.  

On Sunday, August 21, enjoy a Tomato Tasting at Ambler Farm where you can explore the world of tomatoes.  Guests are encouraged to bring a tomato-based dish for sharing at the event and a tomato from home- the largest wins a prize!  It costs $20 per family up to 6 people. 

The Bronx Brewery is making its Connecticut debut!  Welcome them to the state with a launch party at Barcade in New Haven from noon to midnight on Thursday August 25. 

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Little Pub Opens Today in Fairfield on Black Rock Turnpike

Restaurant Beer Fairfield Pub Comfort Food Kid Friendly Burgers

Stephanie Webster

The Little Pub you know from Ridgefield, Wilton and Cos Cob is opening its fourth location in Fairfield at the intersection of Stillson Avenue and Black Rock Turnpike. This spot has some history as it housed the Angus restaurant for over 70 years. Owner, Doug Grabe says "It's a cute and cozy building in a perfect neighborhood for Little Pub and we’re really looking forward to serving the Fairfield community."

"Little Pub Fairfield will share the traditional old world charm of our other little pubs with thick plaster walls, hand hewn beams, and antique iron light fixtures," says Grabe. In fact, the team re-purposed over 80 vintage beams from their Cos Cob renovation. A massive stone fireplace serves as the focal point for the main dining room, alongside some wonderful pub decor, including a vintage telephone booth.

What is unique to Fairfield is its size. The dining room is over 50% bigger than Wilton, with 130 seats. Grabe says "The bar alone is bigger than our entire Ridgefield footprint." 

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Brewport Brewing Co. Brings New Haven Pizza To Bridgeport CT

Restaurant Beer Brewery Bridgeport CT Beer Pizza

James Gribbon

A lot of the time, when you write about food and beer, you realize the compelling truths in a story start with the people. Case in point, Brewport Brewing Co. If you've driven on I-95 through Bridgeport any time in the past several months, you have probably seen eye-searing electronic billboards announce its impending arrival as part of their scroll. The waiting is over, and the entire month of August has been designated a public "sneak preview" of the pizza-centric brewpub. I dropped by unannounced to get a taste of what we have in store. Here's your first look.

Brewport started out as an idea in the mind of its president, Bruce Barrett, of Barrett Outdoor Communications, hence the billboards. (You may also recognize his IWagePeace.org billboards.) The brewpub is located directly off exit 27 on 95N, below one of Barrett's billboards, and roughly at the radiant point in the center of the giant loop made by the exit 27A connector. The easy access, and the huge mural of brewing equipment painted on the building's side, make it hard to miss. Bruce and his brother John purchased the building in 2000, and it continued its life as a distribution center for the Fairfield County News for years before they contacted their longtime friend - and brewery manager at BAR New Haven - Jeff Browning.
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CTbites' Chef Demo Tent @ The 9th Annual Blues, Views & BBQ Festival

Restaurant Chef Events

ellen bowen

The 9th annual Blues, Views & BBQ Festival will be held in Westport CT on September 3 & 4 at the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts and the grounds of the Westport Library.  

CTbites will once again play host to the area's top chefs as they grill up some of their favorite dishes and offer up samples for attendees of the festival.  

CTbites Chef Line-up for 2016 includes:

Saturday 9/3 12-4 pm 

12:00- Rothbard's- Chef Jon Vaast

1:00- Match/Nom Eez- Chef Match Storch

2:00-  Da Pietro's- Chef Pietro Scotti

3:00- The Spread / El Segundo- Chef Carlos Baez

4:00- Pearl at Longshore- Chef Michael Hazen

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Nosh Hound Food Truck Rolls into Stamford: Global Cuisine with Deliciously, Bold Combinations

Restaurant Food Truck Stamford Comfort Food

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

Nosh Hound Eatery is the newest entry to the Stamford Food Truck scene. When I saw the post by my buddy over at Hey Stamford, I was curious. When I read his praise and a menu that really intrigued me, it had potential, and I decided to drive to Stamford and give it a shot.

Nosh Hound is the brainchild of owners Sam Ralbovsky and Maycie Maringer.  After graduating from the Culinary program at Johnson & Wales University and a three-month cross country food inspired road trip, they returned to Sam’s hometown of Stamford, CT. The two young cooks became enamored by the diverse cooking styles they encuntered on their cross country adventure and wanted to show their passion with a menu of “global cuisine experienced through the medium of sandwiches, snacks, and small bites.”

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Zucchini Overload? Try This Westport Farmers’ Market Recipe for Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients Recipe healthy

Lynn Felici-Gallant

A guy walks into a doctor’s office with a zucchini in one ear, a cucumber in the other, and a carrot stuck in his nostril. The man says, “Doc, this is awful. What’s wrong with me?” The doctor sits him down and says, “First of all, you need to start eating sensibly.”

To many at this time of year, zucchini is no laughing matter. In fact, this fruit of summer is so abundant some dare say they are sick of it. The good news is twofold: firstly, an abundance of any fruit in the Curcubita pepo family (which includes zucchini, summer squash, pumpkin, and cucumbers) is a sign of healthy bee pollination. While zucchini is easy to grow, it depends on plentiful bee activity for an abundant crop (or dedicated farmers who hand-pollinate). Assuming your favorite growers at the Westport Farmers’ Market haven’t been pollinating by hand, a bountiful crop of this summer staple means bees are happy. And when bees are happy. . . 

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Hello Kitty Cafe Truck Rolls into Stamford August 27th

Restaurant

Stephanie Webster

While this may not be breaking news for serious food lovers, those of us nostalgic for our lost Hello Kitty years will be delighted to hear that the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck will be making its first appearance in Stamford on Saturday, August 27th at the Stamford Town Center.  

The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is a mobile vehicle of cuteness that offers a tasty array of Hello Kitty sweets and special goodies to fans of all ages; it has been rolling up to festivals & events across the U.S. since its official debut at Hello Kitty Con in October 2014.    
 
The yummy treats on board the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck will include a 3-piece Hello Kitty cookie set, a rainbow macaron box that includes a surprise Sanrio character design, a 4-pack of mini cakes, and bow-shaped bottles of water.
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Nibble: CT Food Events & Happenings for Week of August 14th-21st

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Nom-eez in Bridgeport has debuted “EEZ Wake Up Wednesdays.”  Stop in every Wednesday until 11:30am to get a classic breakfast sandwich, coffee, and a donut for just $5!  It has us saying “Pl-EEZ, we want it!”

This week, Max's Chef to Farm Dinner series is all about "Cigars, Bourbon & Steak.”  Head over to the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Museum on Thursday August 18 at 6:30pm for a reception, hors d’oeuvres, a multi-course meal, wines and beer, a museum tour, select cigars, and live music.  It costs approximately $188 per person.  

The 42nd annual Milford Oyster Festival takes place on Saturday August 20 starting at 10am.  The festival boasts over 35,000 oysters, crafts, food, rides, and more.  This year, Blue Oyster Cult and the Marshall Tucker Band will perform.  

Black Rock has announced its first ever Black Rock Porchfest on Saturday August 20.  The day celebrates the “music, people, and place” that make up the community.  The day features live music on porches throughout the neighborhood.  Black Rock is also home to a plethora of dynamic restaurants and food trucks- both established and new.  

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Oyster Tour with Norm Bloom and Son of Copps Island Oysters

Seafood

ellen bowen

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.

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10 Questions with Ian Vest, Back 40 Kitchen in Greenwich

Restaurant Greenwich

Amy Kundrat

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.

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A Taste of Boothbay Lobster Company In Stamford's Harbor Point

Restaurant Lobster Seafood Stamford Lunch

Lou Gorfain

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.”  

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Lucky Lou’s in Wethersfield - Pub Fare with a Mediterranean Flair

Hope Simmons

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.

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This week from the Westport Farmers’ Market: Quinoa Tabbouleh

Lynn Felici-Gallant

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.

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Nibble: CT Food Events & Happenings for Week of Aug 8-14

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

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. 

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Sneak Peek at Spiga Ristorante: New Italian Opening in New Canaan

Restaurant Italian New Canaan

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

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.”

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Double L Market: Westport's First Farm Stand Turns 30

Ingredients Farm to Table Local Farm Specialty Market Westport

Jessica Ryan

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.”

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