Walter's Hot Dogs Opens Today in Stamford's Harbor Point Restaurant Stamford Hot Dogs Comfort Food Kid Friendly To-Go Take Out Lunch Delicious Dives Andrew Dominick October 12, 2017 Walter's Hot Dogs opens today in Stamford at 200 Commons Park South at Harbor Point. This 100-year-old hot dog institution is serious business and has ton of accolades. At the Stamford location, customers can expect all the good stuff that’s made Walter’s a popular destination for locals and tourists alike; curly fries, fried potato puffs, homemade hand-scooped ice cream and Italian ice, and funnel cake fries dusted with powdered sugar. Additionally, you’ll be able to enjoy a Walter’s item that was previously only available on their food trucks, the Puffy Dog, a hot dog (or double it, if you dare) served with fried and smashed potato puffs in the bun. Read More
The Pastry Hideaway Bakery & Cafe Opens in Wilton Restaurant Wilton Bakery Breakfast Lunch Dessert Fairfield County Foodie October 11, 2017 My heart did a somersault at the first bite of the pain au chocolat. The Pastry Hideaway - Bakery & Cafe had nailed it. This breakfast favorite was remarkably flaky, the exterior bearing that unmistakably delicate crunch. Every bite caused teeny-tiny flaky crumbs to scatter all over my hands and napkin. A lot of butter must have gone into that perfection, but heck, it's worth it. With lovely dark chocolate enveloped in its soft and chewy interior… each bite was pure joy. The Pastry Hideaway - Bakery & Cafe recently opened their doors in downtown Wilton. At the helm is Culinary Institute of America grad Pamela Graham. Her life has taken her to many places around the world. She moved back to Wilton from Johannesburg with her family a couple of years ago. Before opening Pastry Hideaway she was most recently working at Bouchon bakery in New York. Read More
The Drunk Alpaca: Baked Goods Made with Local Craft Beer Features Bakery Dessert Beer CT Beer Shelton Andrew Dominick October 10, 2017 Firefly Hollow Choconaut Porter brownies, Brewport Seventh Inning SIPA BBQ-glazed potato chips, Thimble Island Ruby blondies. If you didn’t pick up on it, there’s a theme here, Connecticut local beer and baked goods. That’s cool, but The Drunk Alpaca is much more than just booze baked cakes and chips.The Drunk Alpaca was created by friends Stephania Halverson and Jessica Oen, who met when they worked together at Whole Foods in Darien, where Halverson was the bakery manager, and Oen was a kitchen supervisor and head cake decorator. The duo clicked during their time at the grocery store and wanted to do their own thing. Baking was the obvious, logical business to get into. Read More
Cocoanuts Thai Rolled Ice Cream & Dessert Truck Launches w/ Vegan, Gluten Free Menu Restaurant Food Truck Dessert ice cream Coffee healthy Norwalk Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster October 08, 2017 Tyler Moss is rolling into town, quite literally, with a new Thai rolled ice cream and dessert truck that elevates this food trend to the next level. After nearly dying from an allergic reaction to a peanut, Moss, who previously ran the popular Bun Burger Bun allergen friendly food truck, is reaching out to his fan base again and providing a healthier dessert option in the form of outrageously creative frozen desserts, coffee, and hot cocoa. Cocoanuts is the name to look for, and the truck will be parked outside the South Norwalk Ice Rink starting in late October. What’s on the menu? Cocoanuts will be serving up non -dairy, gluten free, vegan desserts to the hungry masses using coconut cream, coconut milk, and other allergen friendly ingredients. The best part...these desserts are so rich and delicious, you would never know they are allergen free. Read More
Lorca Cafe to open in Fleishers Greenwich Features Fleishers Butcher CTbites Team October 06, 2017 Fleisher’s Craft Butchery is collaborating with Leyla Dam Jenkins from Lorca cafe, on opening a sunny new location in early November inside the Fleisher’s Greenwich butcher shop at 160 E. Putnam Ave. Cos Cob.Like the beloved Stamford original, Lorca's new branch will be offering a variety of specialty coffee drinks and Spanish-influenced sweets, like their signature alfajores (shortbread cookies with dulce de leche and coconut). Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events for October 8-15 Features Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson October 06, 2017 Join Terrain Garden Cafe for a food-focused evening hosted by CTBites and the Westport Farmers Market. On Monday October 9, they’ll gather with some of the food industry’s leading talents to discuss trends, restaurant and farming secrets, and everyday life during an open forum. Reservations required. $50 per person. Cost includes welcome cocktail, stationary and passed hors d’oeuvres, and hospitality. Tickets available here.On Monday October 9, 86’D- A Culinary Collision- takes place in West Hartford. 8 Remaining Chefs will participate in 8 Battle Rounds in secret restaurants with open kitchens. A portion of the proceeds will be given to End Hunger CT. Tickets are $30. On Tuesday October 10, Two Roads Brewing Company and CT Girls Pint Out are celebrating Women in Beer! A $10 ticket includes a beer and the chance to hear from a panel of women in the industry. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Get In Touch Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Through October 31, visit Sport Hill Farm every Saturday and Sunday from 12-5pm to purchase a pumpkin from the patch. Kids can receive a free tattoo and treat and the farm will donate 35% of the pumpkin purchases back to the community via Easton PTA & E.L.F. Read More
Recap: Red Bee Apiary Tasting, An Evening in the Hive Features Events April Guilbault October 05, 2017 Spicy. Fruity. Grassy. Buttery. Ashy, woody, and mineral-y.Would you believe these words are all describing honey? Red Bee Apiary in Weston recently hosted a “Rare and Exotic Honey and Mead” sensory tasting evening and by golly, all those adjectives described the varied honeys that graced our collective lips. In a country barn located on a cozy, twinkly property, owner and Queen Bee, Marina Marchese, began our evening with a little talk about the bees (no birds. just bees). What goes on inside a hive and what roles do the bees have in their colony? How, exactly, do those little fabulous fliers make honey and fill those perfect hexagons? How did Marina became so enthralled with beekeeping? I won’t divulge those answers, lest you attend one of these sensory evenings on your own some time, which you should. It is both an educational and intriguing, not to mention, delicious event. Read More
Guide To Best Tacos in CT: Happy National Taco Day Restaurant Tacos Mexican Best of CT Delicious Dives Norwalk Hartford Stamford New Haven Bridgeport Homepage Stephanie Webster October 04, 2017 Here's our list of our favorite Taco Restaurants & Trucks in Connecticut. Feel free to add your favorites to the list below. Rincon Taqueria (493 Connecticut Ave., Norwalk) From the owners of Bistro du Soleil in SoNo comes a menu that includes Huevas Rancheros, Burritos, Chilaquiles, Tacos, Empanadas, Tamales and a Chicken Quesadilla. All of their dishes pack great flavors. Mix and match the tacos, from Baja fish to pork, empanadas, generous portions. Fresh ingredients and complimentary yellow rice and beans. Pretty small deli-like space and BYOB. Tacos Mexico (82 Fort Point St., Norwalk) Enchiladas, grilled specialities, lots of shrimp dishes, chipotle chicken tacos and the hot sauce is HOT-consider yourself warned, so you made need an Orange-Ginger Mojito (muy bueno). Plain from the outside, but pleasant inside, and very reasonably priced. Parking can be tricky. http://tacosmexicollc.comChango Rosa (1 Union Pl, Hartford ) This fun casual restaurant and cocktail bar serves a fusion of authentic Latin American street foods and the popular smoked meats from Bear's Smokehouse. The menu features foods such as empanadas, enchiladas, arepas, and tacos! The meats are divine. https://changorosa.com/ Read More
Chowdafest 2017 Winners Announced! Features Events CTbites Team October 03, 2017 At 11am on Sunday, the bright sun and warm temperature greeted over 10,000 visitors to the Stop & Shop sponsored Chowdafest at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport. The traffic exiting I-95 North and South was jam packed with soup-seekers who arrived from all over New England and New York. Of the 40 purveyors of chowders, bisques and gumbos, the most common offering was the traditional New England Clam Chowder, though many other inventive recipes were up to the competition. Enthusiastic providers ladled their savory soups and asked for votes until 3pm when they scraped the bottom of their pots empty. (View the list of winners below.) Read More
Recap: Greenwich Wine + Food Festival 2017 Features Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson October 03, 2017 On September 22 and 23, The Greenwich Wine + Food Festival took over Roger Sherman Park. 2017 marked the seventh year for the festival, which has grown in popularity thanks to its line-up of celebrity chefs, restaurants, beverage sponsors, and musical acts.This year saw the return of Adam Richman, widely known for hosting the Travel Channel’s “Man vs. Food,” and Alex Guarnaschelli, Iron Chef and restaurateur. Greenwich resident and festival staple Kathy Lee Gifford also came back to highlight her wines and moderate celebrity panels.2017 brought exciting new additions as well; Chef and television star Mario Batali added his name to the roster along with others like Scott Conant, Mary Giuliani, Kevin de Chenes, and Julia Deane. Multi-Grammy and Billboard award-winning band Train headlined the evening concert. Read More
WIN FREE Tickets to Alton Brown Live Eat Your Science at Palace Theater Features Giveaway Events Stephanie Webster October 02, 2017 We are very pleased to be able to offer our CTBites readers three pairs of FREE TICKETS to Alton Brown Live Eat Your Science at Palace Theater on October 29th. TO WIN a pair of tickets, Tell us why YOU NEED TO SEE THIS SHOW in the comments section below. You also must be a CTBITES NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBER to enter giveaway. (Subscribe here)Alton Brown is the creator and host of the Food Network television show Good Eats (14 seasons), host of the mini-series Feasting on Asphalt and Feasting on Waves, and host and main commentator on Iron Chef America, Cutthroat Kitchen and Camp Cutthroat. Brown is a best-selling author of several books on food and cooking. “Alton Brown Live: Eat Your Science” (www.altonbrownlive.com), the follow-up to the smash “Edible Inevitable” tour, hits the road again. Fans can expect all-new everything including songs, multimedia presentations, talk-show antics, and bigger and better potentially dangerous food demonstrations. Read More
Antojos Brings Authentic & Excellent Colombian Fare To Norwalk Restaurant Columbian Latin American Lunch Delicious Dives Norwalk Homepage Andrew Dominick October 01, 2017 You could speed right through the Broad River section of Norwalk and not even know Antojos was there. Being from Norwalk, and still residing here, I pride myself on knowing what’s in the area, but this small Colombian restaurant that opened last December was off my radar until recently. If not for a couple of friends—both of whom are Colombian—who posted mouthwatering photos and their own rave reviews of Antojos, I still might not have noticed Antojos as it sits in the corner of one of New Canaan Avenue’s strip malls, in the space that was formerly Lou’s Pizza. Antojos is a small spot, with seating for maybe 25 customers. There’s booth seating on one side of each table, with cushy pillows for added back comfort, and chairs on the other side for non-booth loving people. Also, there’s a wooden bin of silverware on each table, so you won’t have to bother asking for an extra fork or spoon should you require a fresh one, or for sharing purposes. Walk in, have a seat, and you’ll promptly be greeted with fast, friendly service. Read More
Explore Norwalk's Waypointe Neighborhood at "Wine Down at The Block" Features Norwalk Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson September 29, 2017 What if I told you that for just over $25, you could enjoy food and a beverage from four popular restaurants in one of Fairfield County's up-and-coming neighborhoods? And I'm not talking about small-sized portions cobbled together from leftover ingredients or the cheapest bottled beers. I mean delicious dishes straight from the menu alongside specialty cocktails, craft beers, and wine. You'd probably think I'd gone crazy... but it's true."Wine Down at The Block" affords participants the chance to explore Norwalk's Waypointe neighborhood at an affordable price. Barcelona Wine Bar, Sedona Taphouse, Bobby Q's Cue & Co., and Colony Grill all offer a dish and a drink as part of the package, while vendors like Pinot's Palette, Endurance House, and Salon by JC provide demonstrations and discounts. Read More
Where Do Local Chefs Eat Out? John Barricelli of Sono Baking Company Features Chef Talk Celebrity Chef Stephanie Webster September 29, 2017 We continue our series, "Where Do Local Chefs Eat Out," with a man who knows a thing or two about baked goods. John Barricalli of Sono Baking Company has been making bread the old fashioned way since before "artisan" was trendy. His favorite item? The classic sourdough loaf. Here's where John eats out when he isn't in his own kitchen. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events for October 1st-7th Features Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson September 28, 2017 Westport Restaurant Week begins October 1 and lasts until October 15. Popular restaurants like Rive Bistro, Le Penguin, Pearl, Rothbard Ale & Larder, and more will offer special fixed price lunch, brunch and dinner menus. Friday October 6 is National Noodle Day! To celebrate, New Haven presents Noodles On9, a free family friendly event. From 6-8pm, the street festival will close a section of Orange St in the Historic 9th Square so that participants can enjoy noodle dishes from local restaurants and the opening of Artspace’s City Wide Open Studios. October 4 is National Taco Day! Celebrate at Bartaco with tacos, fresh-squeezed cocktails, an exclusive Snapchat filter, and a #bartacosecret reveal!Mohegan Sun's BrewFest returns on Saturday October 7. The Grand Tasting will feature over 150 beers and local restaurants will have food for purchase. A portion of ticket sales will go to the Channel 3 Kids Camp. Read More
CTBites Scene: Ok2berfest At Two Roads Brewing Features Brewery Oktoberfest James Gribbon September 28, 2017 CTBites travels Connecticut finding the best food, drinks, and events in the state. Sometimes we'll see you out there as part of a new series we're calling CTBites Scene. Ok2berfest returned to Two Roads Brewing Company in Stratford on September 16-17, and CTBites was there. This was the fifth year of the highly anticipated event, and a capacity crowd of 3,000 was on hand each of the two days as bands played, food trucks sold their cornucopia, and the sun shone. Two Roads brewed three specialty beers for the event: Ein marzen, Zwei festbier, and drei altbier.Did you make the scene? Read More
Match Burger Lobster Opens Tonight in Westport Restaurant Lobster Westport Take Out Seafood Dessert Lunch Homepage Burgers Stephanie Webster September 27, 2017 Chef Matt Storch's latest venture, Match Burger Lobster, opens today in Westport. If you want the full scoop, check out our article from back in August. If you're wondering what the menu looks like, feast your eyes on the slideshow above. Warning: expect excessive drooling. The dishes include everything from "Sloppy Fries" with burger drippings and cheese, to a divine hot Lobster Roll, Match's famous burger, and an Oyster Bun (think Match's signature Carpetbaggers on a seeded bun). The "Monster Combo" features a Match mini burger and a 1/1/4 pound lobster, and for vegetarians, a vibrant purple Veggie Burger has been creatively crafted with beans, beets and grains. Salads are available, but why would you go there when you can eat the "The Indulgence," an outrageous platter featuring beef, lobster, foie, truffles and fries. Hot damn! Read More
Quinoa Paella with Shrimp, Chorizo & Chicken Recipe via Marcia Selden Recipe Features Recipe Marcia Selden Catering September 25, 2017 Take a break from the classic paella, and mix up your healthy grains with Marcia Selden's recipe for Quinoa Paella with Shrimp, Chorizo + Chicken. We appreciate a one pan meal and this dish has great rich flavor from the chorizo and saffron. Interesting food fact: Coming from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus, it takes 75,000 blossoms or 225,000 hand-picked stigmas to make a single pound which explains why it is the world’s most expensive spice. Enjoy this recipe and send us feedback. Read More
Bistro Du Soleil Opens in Westport: A French Mediterranean Gem Restaurant Mediterranean French Latin American Lunch Homepage Opening Westport Fairfield County Foodie September 24, 2017 The Muñoz del Castillo family has done it again and opened a winner in Westport, Bistro Du Soleil. You may recognize the name from their Norwalk location (which sadly closed), their prior catering business, as well as one of our favorite Mexican spots, Rincon in Norwalk. This same family has opened a tiny gem by the Saugatuck train station, serving Mediterranean cuisine with strong classic French undertones. From the escargot and Gambas Al Ajlllo to the Magret Duck Breast and gorgeous Beef Bourgignon, this BYOB venue is not to be missed. Bistro Du Soleil and the Muñoz family truly understand the art of both hospitality and simply delicious food. Read More
Chick-fil-A Opening in Norwalk October 19th Restaurant To-Go Lunch Breakfast Norwalk Kid Friendly Opening Stephanie Webster September 21, 2017 Breaking fast food news for lower Fairfield County. Chick-fil-A just posted on their Facebook page that they will be opening a Norwalk location on October 19, 2017. For those who have been living under a rock, Chick-fil_A is one of America;s most beloved fast food chains. The number one reason for this is the chicken sandwiches (and the waffle fries). "The fast-food chain made its bones with boneless chicken sandwiches. It claims to have invented the concept in 1946" says International Business Times Read More
