25 CT Restaurants & Venues for Holiday Parties

Restaurant Catering Entertaining Holiday

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson November 04, 2016

Halloween has come and gone and November is officially here! As you admire your bounties of candy, indulge in all things pumpkin, and embrace fall’s chilly temperatures, don’t forget to consider your holiday parties! Connecticut has a number of restaurants and venues that are sure to make your special occasions memorable. From private dining rooms to ballrooms to event planning teams, these 25 places will help you get your party on!

South End, New Canaan: South End in New Canaan has a private dining room that can seat up to 20 guests.
La Zingara, Bethel: La Zingara and its upstairs ECCO Rooftop both accommodate private parties. They have done everything from pig roasts to wine dinners.
Union League Cafe, New Haven: Union League Cafe in New Haven has a number of event spaces. Whether its corporate of personal, their team is ready to assist you.
The Loading Dock, Stamford: Industrial meets chic at The Loading Dock in Stamford. With a number of spaces, it's a great place to plan your next event.

Dinner At Miya's: Sustainable Sushi + More in New Haven

Restaurant Asian Japanese Seafood New Haven Sushi

ellen bowen November 03, 2016

This is probably as close to “Dinner at The White House” as I will ever get. On this, the week before the ELECTION, I headed up to Miya’s for their New Haven Restaurant Week 2016 White House Champions of Change dinner.

Miya’s is a well-known sushi spot a few blocks west of downtown New Haven that has been serving creative and sustainable seafood, foraged ingredients, and plant-based dishes for over 30 years. James Beard nominated innovative chef/owner Bun Lai, has been creating and cooking alongside his mother for much of the 30 years Miya’s has been open. (See Foraging with Chef Bun on CTbites)

New Havens Restaurant Week, which runs from 10/30- 11/4 gave Bun the opportunity to offer the menu he and his mother created for President and Mrs. Obama at last months White House Champions of Change Dinner. He was one of only twelve Sustainable Seafood honorees and the only chef awarded this respected award. While this menu is only available for a limited time, many of these dishes are available on Miya's regular menu.

Nibble: CT Food Events For Week of Nov 6-13

Events

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson November 02, 2016

Olea will host a Georges Laval Champagne Dinner on Monday November 7. Chef Manuel Romero will prepare a special menu to complement four premium champagnes. It costs $195 per person, inclusive.

Greenwich will have its 3^rd Annual Restaurant Week from November 11-20. Festivities begin on Thursday November 10 with an opening night party at J House. Then visit participating restaurants like Aux Delices, The National, Tarry Lodge, and Back 40 for prix fixe menus and specials.

The Perrot Memorial Library hosts Kate Perla, author of Tasting Rome: Fresh Flavors and Forgotten Recipes from an Ancient City, on Wednesday November 9 at 7:30pm. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and Bon Appétit. Her latest work is part cookbook part travel memoir.

On Thursday November 10, Basso Café in Norwalk invites you to an Italian wine dinner. Chef Renato Donzelli will prepare five courses to complement wines selected by Wine importer and Wine & Spirit Trust graduate Larry Smith. It costs $85 per person, plus tax and gratuity.

On November 10, Chef Matt Storch and CTBites’ own Stephanie Webster will give Y’s Men of Westport/Weston the inside scoop on the Fairfield County dining scene.

Two Roads To Build Second Brewing Facility & Tasting Room

Ingredients Restaurant Beer CT Beer Stratford

James Gribbon November 01, 2016

Two Roads Brewing of Stratford has announced their plans to add a 25,000 square foot expansion to their brewery specifically to create sour and barrel-aged beers. Situated on 2.5 acres of newly acquired land adjoining the existing brewery's hop yard and music venue, the brewhouse will have a 120-person capacity tasting room overlooking both the brewing operations, and a wetlands preserve.

Sour beers such as Framboise Noir Black Raspberry Lambic, Urban Funk Wild Ale made with yeast from Superstorm Sandy, and Worker’s Stomp White Wine Barrel-Aged Saison will see increased production, along with Hexotic Tropical Lambic, which won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado this October. Hexotic spends 28 months in oak, and was fermented with "Brett C" (brettanomyces clausenii). Six different types of fruit were added during fermentation, including orange, passion fruit, mangosteen, soursop (aka gaunabana), guava, and mango.

The Westport Winter Farmers’ Market Opens Nov. 12th At Gilbertie’s

Ingredients Restaurant Farmers Market Specialty Market Westport

CTbites Team November 01, 2016

Folks in Fairfield County have no need to put away their farmers’ market bags or head to the grocery store just yet. For while the temperatures might be dipping and leaves dropping, farm-fresh food is still in abundance. The Westport Winter Farmers’ Market will return for its 6th season to Gilbertie’s greenhouses at 7 Sylvan Lane beginning Saturday, November 12th and continuing through March 11th from 10 to 2.

An Interview w/ Chef Zac Young, PieCaken Creator + more!

Ingredients Recipe Chef Talk Dessert

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson November 01, 2016

Last Thanksgiving, the PieCaken took the world by storm! A sweet tooth’s twist on the “turducken,” the all-in-one dessert includes Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, and Apple Upside Down Cake layered together with cinnamon buttercream. Kelly Ripa loved it so much that she featured it several times on her show. CNN and The New York Times quickly followed suit. This year, the PieCaken is upping the ante with nationwide shipping! https://www.foodydirect.com/restaurants/the-piecaken-shop/dishes

CTBites had the opportunity to sit down with the mastermind behind the PieCaken, Chef Zac Young. Creative and outgoing, it’s fitting that he came up with such a whimsical idea. Young appeared on Top Chef Just Desserts, was named a “Top Ten Pastry Chef in America,” and currently serves as Pastry Director of Craveable Hospitality Group. Here are excerpts from our conversation.

DrewbaQ Food Truck: BBQ Sandwiches "Smokin' the Streets of CT"

Restaurant BBQ Food Truck Monroe Comfort Food

James Gribbon October 30, 2016

More barbecue is a good thing, and if you're not on board with this basic fact, then you can just get out of my face. It was with this cardinal rule of life firmly in mind that I hit the road in search of a new truck on the Connecticut food scene - a truck selling barbecue and barbecue accoutrements. The fact that this particular Friday found the DrewbaQ food truck at Veracious Brewing Company in Monroe was a purely unrelated coincidence, to be sure. It would be a grave disservice to you, our beloved CTBites readership, if I did not take full advantage of this entirely unforeseen circumstance so, in humble service to your unending curiosity re: all things food and beverage, I had several beers with my BBQ. So that I might report on pairings, you see.

Fortina Hosts Holiday Themed Miracle Pop-Up Bars in Stamford & Armonk

Restaurant Pop-Up Dinner Bar

Stephanie Webster October 30, 2016

Does anyone remember the epically successful and brilliantly over the top kitschy Miracle Bar pop-up from last holiday season? If you do, you'll be excited to hear that Miracle Bar is coming to Fortina, Thanksgiving eve through New Years 2016. "Miracle Bar will literally vomit Christmas and Hanukah," says Fortina's John Nealon. This holiday pop-up will take over the mezzanine in Fortina Stamford as well as a patio tent in Armonk.

Guest mixologists, custom holiday glassware, tons of tinsel, menorahs and cocktails with names like “ The Reindeer’s Revolt,” will created a uniquely fun drinking experience. Pair this with Fortina pizza and you've got yourself a party.

Artist, Raffa Dowling, who created last year's aesthetic is back for 2016, and will be in charge of crafting the pop-ups's rather unique design. Also John McNulty, who brought Miracle to CT (originally a NYC concept) is now playing for team Fortina and will be in on the fun.

We will bring you more as Fortina gets closer to opening their holiday "Miracles."

Nibble: CT Food Events & Happenings for Week of Oct. 30 - Nov. 6

Restaurant Recipe Events

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson October 28, 2016

EMBODY Fitness Gourmet is now open at the new Heritage Square complex on Forest Street in New Canaan! Embody offers a fitness inspired menu, a 14-foot community table, and easy plug-in and charging stations for guests. This is Embody's third location in Fairfield County, CT. You can also visit them in Darien and Westport.

New Haven Restaurant Week lasts until November 4. Popular restaurants like 116 Crown, Miya’s Sushi, Shell & Bones and Olea are participating.

On Thursday November 3, Fjord Fish Market, Greenwich Cheese, and Fleishers, will host the 2nd annual "Monger Mingle.” This year, guests can get in the holiday spirit by sampling holiday-inspired food from all three. It will take place THE HUB (160 E Putnam Avenue) from 7-9.

On Sunday, November 6 from 11am-1pm, blogger, photographer, chef, and author Gina Homolka will sign her newest cookbook and #1 New York Times Bestseller, Skinnytaste Fast and Slow: Knockout Quick-Fix and Slow-Cooker Recipes, at Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk.

Our First Visit To Donut Crazy New Haven: Open on York Street Today!

Restaurant Doughnuts New Haven Breakfast Kid Friendly

Amy Kundrat October 27, 2016

If it weren’t for the large neon “Let’s Eat Donuts” sign greeting you as you enter Donut Crazy’s newest location in New Haven, you might think you stumbled into a Yale library. Walls bathed in a Yale blue lacquered paint, a seating area with cozy leather chairs and a couch, and soaring ceilings make the 1450 square foot space seem more spacious and studious than it is. Just beyond this warm welcome is a hub of retail activity and a dining area of small tables, and a well-lit wall of Donut Crazy doughnuts in all their colorful and sugary glory.

“I wanted to give the space a library meets bar feel, not treat it like a typical commercial space, and the blue is a nod to Yale,” explained Donut Crazy owner Jason Wojnarowski.

For those uninitiated into Donut Crazy’s world of over-the-top sugary doughnut confections, this location feels like a giant step forward both in selection and ambiance. All of their baked goods are made in-house in a Donut Crazy Kitchen by an overnight team of bakers. In New Haven, Donut Crazy will offer its typical selection of “Dailies” and “Crazies.”

The National & Geoffrey Zakarian’s First Year in Greenwich + New Prix Fixe Lunch

Restaurant American Celebrity Chef Greenwich Lunch

Lou Gorfain October 27, 2016

With its new, 3 course prix fixe lunch, The National offers a commodity not always found along “The Ave” in Greenwich: a real bargain.

CTBites was recently invited to sample the new lunch menu, and we’ll fill you in on that delicious deal in a moment. But first, we wondered how the restaurant has evolved since it opened a year ago. So we asked owner and celebrity chef, Geoffrey Zakarian.

"We are never on auto pilot," the restaurateur told us. "And we always listen to the needs and wants of the customers. One change that people are loving is that we put French Fries on the menu. We started with homemade chips, but the fries are a huge hit. Sometimes, it is just those small things that people embrace."

Eggz Food Truck: Farm Fresh Food on Wheels

Restaurant Bethel Food Truck Breakfast Lunch Kid Friendly

Amy Kundrat October 26, 2016

Matt Stanczak, the former owner and mastermind behind Danbury's popular Stanziato’s, has just launched the mobile farm fresh kitchen Eggz. Open for business Monday through Saturday at Holbrook Farm, and beginning in November at the Westport Farmers' Market, Eggz will focus on egg sandwiches and other delicious farm fresh offerings with an emphasis on vegetables.

At launch, Eggz has 5 breakfast sandwich on rotation, based on classic offerings with a creative Matt Stanczak twist. The "Crack is Wack" (pictured below) is a combination of soft scrambled eggs, goat cheese, bacon, fig spread, and arugula on toasted brioche. A "Sausage, Egg, and Cheeze" is layers of housemade chicken chorizo, ever easy eggs, Vermont cheddar, and awesome sauce on a toasted brioche. Other playfully named sandwiches such as the "I'll Have What She's Having" and "Bodega Sandwich" feature prosciutto, scrambled or over easy eggs, and layers of Stanzack's fresh homemade ingredients.

Pizza Master Bruno DiFabio Opens Bronx House Pizza in Stamford

Pizza Stamford

CTbites Team October 25, 2016

Six-time World Pizza Champion / Restaurateur / Food Network Judge Bruno DiFabio added another gem to his pizza crown with the opening today of Bronx House Pizza Pie at 27 Ryan Street. This is DiFabio’s second location in the Springdale section, following the success of Amore Cucina a few blocks away.

Located on the corner of Camp Ave. immediate across the street from Twin Rinks and the Post office, this latest venture is reminiscent of an old-fashioned neighborhood pizza joint with red booths, a long pizza making area for all to watch and after-school teens hanging and waiting for their names to be called.

The menu consists of three sizes of pizza, small, large and Sicilian, with traditional and non-traditional toppings plus a few “Specialty Pies. The Bronx House caught my eye with sausage and pepperoni). Bronx House’s menu also features a few appetizers, salads, “Foot Long Hero’s” (notice they are not called a wedge), and “Italian Favorites” of Spaghetti & Meatballs, Baked Ziti, Chicken Parmesan, Sausage & Peppers and three chicken dishes.

Vine Wine Room Opens in Westport w/ New Italian Menu

Restaurant Italian Westport Wine Bar Wine Tasting

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson October 25, 2016

As Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump anxiously rehearsed their talking points and many huddled around their television screens in anticipation of the final Presidential debate, I was… sipping rose on the outdoor patio of Vine Wine Room in Westport. Despite the fact that it was mid-October, temperatures soared into the upper eighties and the sun shone gloriously. Ignoring any political tensions, a friend and I decided to take full advantage of the Indian Summer and headed over to Vine Wine Room, a restaurant-meets-lounge on Westport’s Main Street. One week prior, Vine hired acclaimed local chef Toni Sapienza to reimagine their menu and infuse new energy into the restaurant. They had invited us down to check out the lounge and we were eager to give Toni’s cuisine a try.

Taste of Fairfield County to Benefit Family & Children’s Agency - Nov. 10

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger October 25, 2016

Family & Children’s Agency (FCA) invites you to A Taste of Fairfield County, an evening of food and drink from local restaurants at Aitoro in Norwalk. The event, hosted by FCA’s Junior Board of Advisors, will be held Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016 and will benefit FCA’s ASPIRE after school program’s high school component. This is the fourth annual A Taste of Fairfield County, and attendees will enjoy live music and food samplings from various restaurants throughout the region.

Fall Flavor Pho Recipe via Marcia Selden

Recipe Recipe

Marcia Selden Catering October 25, 2016

It’s ‘pho’ sure that we love a big bowl of pho, especially now that it’s getting cold. You can add just about any ingredient or flavor profile you like. Our version is full of yummy fall flavors filled with roasted root vegetables and spices that pack a delicious punch. Enjoy!

Donut Crazy Opening in New Haven: Outrageous Donuts, Coffee & Breakfast

Restaurant Brunch Doughnuts New Haven Breakfast Take Out Kid Friendly Dessert

Stephanie Webster October 24, 2016

New Haven is about to get their very own Donut Crazy. On Thursday, October 27th, Donut Crazy New Haven will be opening at 290 York Street, with an opening party from 2-5 pm.

For those unfamiliar with the Donut Crazy menu, readers should take note that while they offer the traditional breakfast dounghnut you've come to expect at a shop bearing this name, the key word here is "Crazy." These outrageously delicious doughtnuts are straight out of your ultimate food fantasy (or mine, anyway). Creative varietals including: French Toast (Glazed donut sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar drizzled with vanilla and maple icing); PB&J, (filled with grape jelly, topped with smooth peanut butter and chopped peanuts); and my favorite September special, Pumpkin Pie with pumpkin pie filling, spiced icing and shortbread crumbled cookie dip.

And doughnuts aren't all Jason Wojnarowski, Donut Crazy founder, has to offer. They will also be serving ON TAP nitro coffee, cold-brew coffee, iced teas and chocolate milk using Arethusa Farm’s milk and Shearwater's fair trade Coffee. In addition, they will be serving made-to-order breakfast sandwiches, also available on a glazed donut if you dare! For folks who prefer something more savory, they will have bagels & lox and avocado toast. The bakery team also makes muffins and sconces from scratch and will continue to surprise guests with some really special confections.

CRAVE in Fairfield: Creative American Fare

Restaurant American Fairfield Lunch

Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger October 23, 2016

While Crave Restaurant in Fairfield may seem off the beaten path, it is conveniently located adjacent to the Fairfield Theatre Company and combines a hip vibe with a menu offering a wide array of options from a simple Mac & Cheese to a robust Chicken Scarpariello. The brainchild of owners Peter Prizio and Alfonso Cammarota, the owners’ concept was simple; create a restaurant and bar where everyone would feel at home and serve a global menu with bold flavors. The restaurant consists of two rooms. To the left is a traditional dining area with tables and high-tops and to the right is a bar, with large HDTVs and a U-shaped bar. Overseeing the kitchen is Executive Chef Rigo Lino; many will remember Chef Lino from the Mansion Clam House in Westport. His menu combines his Salvadoran heritage with the owners’ Italian roots.

CTbites was invited to a media event where, over the course of the evening, I enjoyed many of the chef’s creations.

18 Restaurants & Food Activities for Halloween in CT: 2016 Edition

Events Holiday

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson October 23, 2016

Halloween is right around the corner, and Connecticut restaurants are celebrating with spook-tacular specials and parties! If you’d like to warm yourself up with a bowl of chili, visit Simsbury for its chili challenge. For family fun, the Black Rock Farmers Market is holding its annual Harvest Hootenanny. That’s not all! From costume contests to creative menus to drink specials, here are restaurants and food inspired activities for Halloween!

Spooktacular Chili Challenge, Simsbury: Chili is a fall staple and this year's Simsbury Chili Challenge goes down Saturday October 29 from 12-5pm. Local restaurants will compete for the title while participants taste, listen to music, shop, enter a costume contest, and more!
J House, Greenwich: The J House Greenwich will have a Halloween Ball on Friday October 28 from 8pm-12am. There will be a costume contest for a $200 J House Gift Certificate.
Peaches, Norwalk: On Saturday October 29, Peaches in Norwalk invites you to a NOLA Style Masquerade with Otis and the Hurricanes, drink specials, food specials, costume prizes, and plenty of beads!
Black Rock Farmers Market Harvest Hootenanny, Bridgeport: The third season of the Black Rock Farmers Market is coming to a close.

Nibble: CT Food Events & Happenings for Week of October 23rd -30th

Restaurant Events

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson October 21, 2016

Woodbridge Restaurant Week runs from Monday October 24 through Friday October 28. Participating restaurants and menus.

Room 112 is now open at 112 Washington Street in SoNo! It is open 4 nights a week, Wednesday through Saturday.

On Monday October 24, Craft260 in Fairfield will host a Kent Falls Beer Dinner. Try 5 beers paired with 4 courses. The menu includes dishes like Smoked & Roasted Marrow Bones w/ Stinky Smoked Bleu Cheese and Charred & Sticky Pineapple Thai Chili St. Louis Pork Ribs.

Trick or Treat at Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk on Tuesday October 25. From 5-6pm, children 12 and under are invited to come in costume for trick or treating. Tickets are free, but need to be obtained in advance. There is a limit of 5 tickets per family.

Green Village Initiative, a nonprofit in Bridgeport that empowers the community to grow fresh food and eat healthy, is hosting its second annual Harvest Bites & Booze fundraiser on October 25th at Trattoria 'A Vucchella.