Fried ice cream is a thing again! At least it is in Stamford.
If you haven’t heard the sweet whispers and the sizzle of the hot oil, the concession stand at Cummings Beach has a brand-new resident.
Drop & Fry was started by two city residents, Irving Diaz and Mario Forte, friends since freshman year of high school. They came up with the idea to batter-dip-and-fry pound cake-coated balls of ice cream, after being dissatisfied with fried ice cream desserts at Mexican and Asian restaurants, where you’d typically see if offered. They also saw an opportunity to capitalize on selling a sweet treat that’s not all that common in Fairfield County.
After being closed for 13 years, a Stratford legend has returned!
Finally, and to much anticipation, Cricket Car Hop has reemerged in Lordship over Independence Day weekend to sling burgers, fries, shakes, and foot longs once again.
The original, which opened in the mid-1950s, closed in 2004, and was located on Main Street, almost exactly a mile away from where they are now on Access Road. Running the show at the sequel version of the popular hot dog hut is co-owner Stacy DiCostanzo—who worked as a cook at Cricket from 1980 until it closed—and her husband, Ron, who handles day-to-day general manager duties.
Barbeque took a circuitous route to land in Connecticut. The root word, possiblybarbacoa, is reportedly Carib indian for cooking food on a raised grate over a fire. This, then, is Barbeque: the verb. You may hear people using the word this way as we approach the Fourth of July: "hot dogs, hamburgers, we're having a barbeque." Historically correct or not, I am not down with the verb: "barbeque" is a noun. It is meat - deeply, carefully smoked - and the goal is a harmonic balance of aroma and flavor, the joining together of fire and food.
The path to opening the new H'Cue Texas BBQ in Derby has as many twists, turns, stops and starts as the route to its spiritual home in Lockhart, Texas.
When The Port opened its doors in Westport recently, crafting a dining experience for all ages was part of the goal. “I’ve always wanted to open a restaurant, a neighborhood spot where locals can enjoy food that is approachable and comfortable,” said owner Sal Augeri. Connecticut is home to an array of esteemed restaurants, but sometimes it’s hard to find a place where kids will also feel at home amid all the gourmet eateries. Fortunately, there are a number of places where adults and children alike can enjoy a delicious meal out. These restaurants offer kid-friendly dishes, atmospheres, and even specials. Did we miss one of your favorite kid-friendly spots? Let us know below.
MOC Eatery, the brainchild of Chef Drew Alden , is a six option food truck that will create a love affair between you and your favorite sandwich joints. Although they only offer three sandwiches, three salads, and two sides, they are packing crazy flavors that will have you coming back for more.
Unlike most two-month-olds, MOC Eatery has a very solid foundation for what they want to serve to their customers. Serving locally sourced ingredients of the highest caliber and taking inspiration from the seasons to guide their menu, no matter what time of the year you go, you are bound to taste something special.
“Boy do I have a surprise for you!” my husband said. My daughter, Sophia, and I came down guessing at all the possibilities—a kitten? A box of donuts? Tickets to Hamilton? “Nope,” he said, holding out a small Styrofoam cup. “Even better.” Sophia and I looked at it a moment before realization dawned. “Dole Whip!?” we shrieked, before seizing the cup and gobbling it up between us.
For the uninitiated let me explain: Dole Whip is a frozen, airy pineapple confection that is something between a cloud of pure, chilly joy and a tropical party for the taste buds. We first had Dole Whip in Hawaii—the only place besides Disney Land where it is sold—until now.
Connecticut Magazine recently rounded up the Best Diners in CT. Here's the list...
What makes a diner a diner? Is it stainless steel? A counter and stools? A building that’s been manufactured in a different location? Breakfast service 24 hours a day? To some devotees of the classic American diner, it is all of these things, and more. We’ve elected to be a bit more inclusive in our requirements. For us, a diner must offer typical American fare at reasonable prices in a comfortable setting, and perhaps most importantly, serve breakfast during all hours of operation. So get ready to hit the road to check out our picks for the best diners in Connecticut. Whether it’s the stellar food, the glistening metal, the glowing neon or the community feel, all have something to offer.
Get ready, Stamford, an almost 100-year-old hot dog institution, with a ton of accolades, is opening just in time for your summer sausage eating pleasure. Walter’s Hot Dogs is set to split, grill, and slather up their famed franks in early to mid-August, located in the space by the fountain in Commons Park, previously occupied by Mr. Frosty’s and The Hut. The Harbor Point edition of Walter’s is their second big reveal in just a few months as they announced a White Plains location would be opening sometime this fall.
2017 was a good year for burger lovers in Southwest CT. A closing (Fleisher's Craft Kitchen) and a fire (The National) have sadly removed two of 2016’s winning burgers from contention in our 2017 edition of Top Ten Burgers in Southwest CT. Nonetheless, the local burger scene remains vibrant, inventive, and ever evolving. So we happily welcome three new, mouthwatering iterations to our 2017 Top Ten Burgers list.
We sampled over 75 burgers to arrive at this list. Our rankings this year are focused exclusively on the sandwich and its ingredients alone, not the accompanying sides.
Tucked down a side street in downtown Hard Hittin’ (New Britain), Riley’s Hot Dog and Burger Gourmet is turning out some of the most creative dogs and burgers around. From the Nacho Poppa Dog to wild creations brimming with mac ‘n cheese, you’ll find combinations you never dreamed of. But this little “mom and pop” shop isn’t run by a husband and wife team. Rick Charamut and Deb Dalena are two friends, now business partners, who once worked together in a sign shop. “We both kind of needed a change of pace,” Rick says.
The day started with snow flurries in Denver, pre-dawn, long week, long flight, two hours from Kennedy to CT. When my wife asked where we should eat, the temptation for a culinary transport to the Caribbean was too much to resist. After a quick drive to SONO, we were seated at one of my favorite restaurants, Harlan Publick, where Chef Kamal Rose is still creating magical combinations, balancing the spiciness of the Islands, with a delicate focus on subtleness.
For me, it's hard not to be attracted to the scent of frying empanadas and Puerto Rican music which is why I found myself gravitating towards Pito Sofrito today. Pito Sofrito is a mobile food truck located in Stamford. CT and usually hangs around Atlantic and Bell street near the Veterans Park during lunch hours. They are serving up fresh, authentic Puerto Rican cuisine to the masses and we just can't get enough. The proprietors of the truck are two Puerto Rican natives who grew up cooking in the kitchen with their grandmother and mother which after all is where all great recipes, memories, and traditions are born. They came over in 2003 and made the intrepid plunge into the food truck industry just six months ago and have experienced great success.
The phrase, "It takes a village" comes to mind when describing the new restaurant that opens today, taking over the old Vespa space on the Saugatuck River in Westport. I've seen many restaurant openings in my day, but few have the support and focus on community in the way owner, Sal Augeri, has at The Port. This is Augeri's first restaurant, but he says "I've always wanted to open a restaurant, a neighborhood spot where locals can enjoy food that is approachable and comfortable." Indeed, Sal and his classic American menu may have hit upon something in the Westport food scene. Where does one go for a team dinner, a casual evening that won't break the bank, or a quick bite with your family after your kids’ practice? We haven't tasted the food yet, but according to Augeri and his 35 local Westport investors, you go to The Port.
While the rest of us were hibernating this winter, Justin Kingsley, Pit Master at The Stand in Branford, was up daily at the crack of dawn, cleaning and firing up the restaurant’s duel smokers in the pitch black. “Anyone can BBQ in September,” he quips as he opens one of the smokers to reveal shelves of pork shoulder and chicken slow-cooking for that night’s dinner. They look like perfection – rubbed with love and house-made spice blends he’s developed through trial and error with co-owner Eamon Roche. Justin tells me, to get the best flavors, they “draw inspiration from everywhere, see what works, and then make it our own.”
I'll admit, I'm late to the party on these 100% organic, all natural, crazy town delicious marshmallows. I stumbled upon SmashMallows at Balducci's today, but as it turns out, they have been written up by In Style, Cooking Light and even People Magazine, They are quite simply, the "Dom Perignon of marshmallows." Balducci's is currently carrying them in Mint Chocolate Chi, Toasted Coconut Pineapple, Strawberry & Cream, and Cinnamon Churo. However, if you look online, there are three additional flavors worth an order: Root Beer Float, Meyer Lemon Chia, and Espresso Bean.
The Beer Garden in Shippan Landing is just weeks away from opening for the season!
Imian Partners, owners of the 15,000 square foot waterfront oasis plan to roll up their doors on Thursday May 18th and run through mid-October (weather permitting). The hours of operation are Wednesdays & Thursdays from 4:00pm – 11:00pm; Friday: 3:00pm – 12:00am and Saturday & Sundays 2:00pm – 12:00am.
Throughout the Summer you can expect a variety of special events, including: Country Fest, A Food Truck Mash-up, Burger Throwdown, Yoga Fest and more! And, of course they’ll be opening as only they know how… a weekend long celebration to include cold beer, delicious food, amazing sunsets, live music and more!! As more details become available we’ll be certain to share.
There are those who say pigs don’t fly…. They’ve never had Killer B’s Bacon Flight where thick cut strips of bacon arrive attached to a clothing wire, juices dripping, only to come flying immediately off. I really intended to have just one bite…
Killer B recently opened in South Norwalk, and stands for Beer, Bourbon, Bacon and Burgers – and with that I will tell you that this bacon, offered in such flavors as bourbon, butterscotch, fire, honey and orange, was indeed “killer.” Take a bite and you soon realize this ain’t no grocery store bacon.
In case you hadn't heard, SoNo Baking Company is giving up the keys to its downtown Westport location at 44 Church Lane, across from the new Bedford Square. Aux Delices will be taking over the space in the next few weeks. This will be Aux Delices' second location in Westport, and Aux Delices owner, Debra Ponzek, said "We had been eyeing this location for quite some time and were excited when the space became available."
Aux Delices, means “all the delicious food in life,” andculinary institute-trained Debra Ponzek, describes her cooking as “quality, healthy food for busy people.” If you have visited any of their other locations in Greenwich, Darien or Westport's Post Road, you will find quick and easy service, grab-n-go items, as well as a sit down cafe experience. For fans of Aux Delices, the menu at the new Westport location will be similar to you as well.
"When I was first looking for a location, I didn't even want a place with a kitchen." It's not what you expect to hear from the owner of a bar which has become more famous for food than its drinks. When Bronx-native Jay Carlucci bought the Dew Drop Inn in 2006, "I just wanted a neighborhood bar, I wasn't even looking north of White Plains." One major reinvention and many smaller renovations later, the Dew Drop is a linchpin of both the restaurant and social scenes in Derby, and a regular top three finisher in every list of the best wing spots in Connecticut.
"It was rough then, but it was definitely a local hangout, a neighborhood bar." His vision was to take the concept and make it better. Within the first few months every light beer was taken off the menu, and Carlucci heard about it: 'You're crazy, you didn't make money in the valley selling new beers.'
The first hot rod movement was sparked by people who realized cast off objects still had plenty of potential. Kids walking to school in post WWII America passed junkyards where derelict Model T Fords, relics even then, baked in the sun. An after school job's income could net you one of those heaps, and with it came your first taste of independence. Dropping in a salvaged flathead V-8 could make that old bucket loud, fast, and dangerous. The sexy combination was like flypaper to teenagers and young veterans, and their creativity launched an American culture.
Newly opened PizzaCo, just across the street from Two Roads Brewing Company, is one such hot rod. Once the site of several thoroughly defunct gas stations, the old place has been cleaned up, given a new paint job, and had its own motor swap. The driving engine is now a Marra Forni oven. They call their pizza "Garage Fired," and PizzaCo's edge was hiring world champion Bruno DiFabio to create it.
