Last summer Prime opened its doors in Stamford’s Harbor Point area. The stunning restaurant boasts exquisite views of the Long Island Sound and the Rippowam River. Removable tempered glass walls offer guests unparalleled views, thus making it a perfect dining destination no matter the season and an absolute must during the summertime. Inside the restaurant, the space’s elegant yet relaxed interior offers a New England-inspired decor reminiscent of Cape Cod and the Massachusetts islands.
Dining al fresco at Prime is an experience to remember. Their newly redesigned Cabana Bar is destined to be the “it” place to be this summer. In addition to the many events that will be held there this summer, the Cabana can be reserved for private functions, accommodating parties up to 50. The space itself has been updated with a custom bar from the Vermont islands of white solid core and backlit translucent white face panels integrate the bar with the rest of the décor - soft grays and blues.
If you hear anyone mention Flinders Lane in Stamford, it’s not a street they’re talking about, it’s a restaurant. More specifically, it’s an Australian-influenced restaurant. If you’re as bewildered as I was when I found out this type of cuisine had arrived in Downtown Stamford—and as curious too—keep reading.
I sought out more info. The common-sense thing to-do was to check out Flinders Lanes’ website, where “Modern Australian” is described as “We take inspiration from the cuisines of nearby Southeast Asia and subtle influence from the food of British settlers mixed with that of Greek and Italian immigrants.” I still found myself scratching my head, wondering if this was accurate. I have a few Australian friends so I fact checked with them and both said that this sounded right, and one added, “We don’t have much ‘real’ Aussie food. Meat pies and tomato sauce, maybe.”
In honor of National Chowder Day (yes, that's a thing), we asked Chef Arturo Franco Camacho of Shell & Bones in New Haven CT to share his recipe for their very delicious Clam Chowder. The recipe is delightfully simple but is layered with flavors that create a deeply delicious rich chowder.
Say you wanted to eat your way around the globe, but you were short on time and money and didn’t feel like flying. Problem solved. Chef Colt Taylor can take you there through his ever-changing menu. No jet lag or weather delays, and oh, the places your palate will go!
“We want to create more than a restaurant,” Colt explains. “We want to create this experience. Like you can come to four different places, and have four different meals, experiences, moments. We’re on menu 15 in five months. It’s exciting and it keeps things fresh.”
Not big on leaving the comforts of home? His Tuesday night burger night’s got all-American appeal, replete with fries and a craft brew. Wednesday is a popular Italian night. Mexico more your style? Take a trip on Thursday for tacos and tequila. And soon they’ll soon launch bourbon and braises on Fridays.
Then, come Sunday, it’s time for boozy brunch. “It’s eggs Arcadia and red velvet pancakes, all that fun stuff.” What’s eggs Arcadia, you say? “It’s my signature little brunch thing—like merging a Connecticut lobster roll and poached eggs. We put poached eggs over butter-poached lobster on a biscuit with a ginger-citrus hollandaise. It’s delicious!”
We'd left the dock in South Norwalk in utter darkness to harvest oysters in one of the oldest, most productive oyster fisheries in America. Jordan Giles of Half Full Brewery in Stamford shucked a few on the steps of the Grace's pilothouse and handed one to me. The Copp's Island oyster had been at the bottom of the Sound minutes ago.
The "Why" is tripartite: I've always loved oysters (and can apparently add them to skiing and air travel on the list of things I'll wake up at an evil hour for), I had never been on an oyster boat, and Half Full brewery will host their second ever Grace&Darkness oyster stout can release and oyster roast on Sunday, January 21 at noon. These oysters were to be the main attraction.
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!
In the ever changing landscape of the Stamford dining scene, there are consistencies: Pizza places, Steak Houses, Italian restaurants, etc.. etc … I’m not complaining. I love it all. But when I have a chance to share news of something a bit different, I get excited. That’s how I feel about Flinders Lane.
You may have been told not to eat raw oysters in months that don’t have an R. It’s not true. It was a beautiful, temperate August afternoon when I stood on Hummock Island slurping freshly harvested oysters and casting their shells onto the ground below. Hummock Island Oyster Company recently started offering “oyster tours,” giving the public an opportunity to visit the island, witness the operation, and taste oysters fresh from the sea. I eagerly accepted their invitation to participate, which is how I found myself indulging in oysters in early August.
I have a real appreciation for chefs who can bridge the gap between food that tastes good and food that is just plain fun. Knot Norms bills itself as a "fast casual New England seafood eatery," and has recently opened in East Norwalk next to Mr. Frosty's at East Norwalk at 10 First Avenue. The menu reads like a classic New England summer playlist, with greatest hits including: Lobsters Rolls, a Fried Chicken Roll, Roasted Oysters and a Crab Salad Roll...just to name a few. This casual spot may have a "just strolled off the beach" feel to it, but don't be fooled, Knot Norms is far from your average seafood shack.
Chef Matt Storch (of Match and Nom Eez) is opening Match Burger Lobster this summer, a new fast casual concept. It will be located in the space next to Fleishers Craft Butchery, in the Saugatuck neighborhood of Westport, CT, just off Exit 17 on I-95 near the Westport train station. Are we excited? Yes, because the new restaurant will leverage our proximity to high quality, local ingredients: fresh seafood from Norm Bloom and Sons, and Northeast pasture-raised and humanely-handled beef, ground daily at Fleishers. Storch's opening menu will include classic lobster rolls, whole lobsters, a variety of burgers, local Copps Island oysters, paper-thin onion rings, donut milk shakes, wine and beer. Oh...and foot-long hot dogs from Fleishers.
‘The Coastal’ Lobster Roll named iconic food of Connecticut; Captain Mike Harden chosen to serve state dish at national event, Flavored Nation.
Captain Mike Harden has been chosen to represent Connecticut at Flavored Nation’s inaugural event, serving the state’s iconic ‘hot with butter’ lobster roll (also known as ‘the coastal’) to thousands of food enthusiasts – alongside chefs and restaurateurs from 49 other states. A Coast Guard captain and licensed lobster fisherman, Harden founded LobsterCraft in 2012 after friends asked if he could catch, cook and prepare lobster for them.
Steamed clams, sweet mussels swimming in flavorful broth, freshly harvested sugar corn, creamy red potatoes, maybe a tangy fruit pie to top it all off and certainly lots and lots of warm, creamery butter. Add to all of these delights, the perfect setting, some decorations and maybe some help along the way serving it up and what do you have? The perfect summer gathering and we at CTBites certainly love those. That said, we have compiled this list of restaurants, shacks, and caterers for all of your seaworthy hankerings. Grab some friends, break out the bibs and the crackers, and drawwwww that butter, baby! Get ready to enjoy summer, New England style~
To celebrate National Lobster day on June 15 — the perfect kickoff to summer — we’ve highlighted our top picks for hot lobster rolls that we’ve tried and tested over the years. The simple yet perfect dish of buttery lobster meat stuffed in a bun is best eaten in its classic presentation — with a side of melted butter, cole slaw and possibly even French fries.
The 2017 edition features all of our past favorites plus new additions from southeastern Connecticut where views of the Long Island Sound enjoyed with your meal add to the summertime ambiance.
Cataplana is a Portuguese seafood dish originating in the southern region of Portugal in Algarve, and it is about as traditional a Portuguese dish as you can get. It uses a copper cooking device also called a Cataplana which unique to the Algarve region. If you don’t have this vessel you simply can use a pan with a lid.
This dish we are going to make is a variation using a fresh fish like Halibut, littleneck clams, and Spanish chorizo. Cataplana is perfect for making this dish because it efficiently contains the flavor and heat of the contents in the dish to provide a uniquely flavored and scented dish, simply without any fuss.
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.
When one of the best, young, rising stars in the area stops you as you walk by his food truck and says, “I really want you to try this sandwich,” you take notice. And when that sandwich raises the bar for food being served from food trucks, it deserves special mention. The rising star is Chris Gonzales, the truck is HAPA, and the sandwich is the Ahi Burger. This is one of the best sandwiches I have eaten in quite some time.
The HAPA food truck has been one of my favorites since it opened. The tacos, the burger, the fries, the Brussels sprouts are all out of this world. I never imagined I would write these accolades about a “tuna burger.” HAPA’s combination starts with wild caught yellowfin, furikake crust, edamame, edamame puree, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and spicy mayo on HAPA’s Ube bun.
Oh so many fish in da sea! And that’s only the beginning....what kind of fish do you want to prepare? Do you know how to prepare it? Oh, yeah, and where should you go to get this fish, short of heading out into open waters yourself? And wait, and here’s the $100,000 question: is the fish you are buying everything it says it is? Good grief. It’s almost easier dating and looking for *those* fish in the sea. Well, fear not, CTBites sat down recently with one of the Big Fish out there, Jim Thistle of Fjord Fish Market, and he helped guide us through seemingly murky waters...
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.
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.”
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.
