Jesup Hall Introduces “Splendid Table” On (Select) Wednesdays Features Westport American Pop-Up Dinner Pizza Vegetarian Andrew Dominick July 24, 2019
Guide To Healthy Eating in Connecticut 2019 Features healthy Best of CT Juice Bar Paleo Gluten-Free Special Dietary Needs Specialty Market Vegetarian Vegan Homepage April Guilbault January 09, 2019 80% of New Year’s resolutions don’t make it to February. Yeeks. Sorry. Not to start our 2019 Healthy Eating Guide off on a negative foot or anything. Are you determined, though, that this will be the year that you finally cut the junk, cut the excuses, and buckle down so you don’t have to move that ol’ belt buckle? We thought so and therefore, we’d like to give you a leg up on throwing that 80% statistic to the ground and showing it who is boss. When you surround yourself with the healthy stuff, it makes it easy to enjoy the healthy stuff, so that said, we’ve got a nice long list of inventive, delicious, inspiring spots that are serving up food that will help you cruise into February with your head held high. Read More
Organika Kitchen Opens on Main Street in New Canaan Restaurant New Canaan Vegan Vegetarian Lunch Breakfast Openings Jessica Ryan October 19, 2018 Nearly one year after announcing its plans, vegan and vegetarian, Organika Kitchen, officially opened Monday in downtown New Canaan at 96 Main St.Owners, Gino and Cathy Riccio are excited the new location for their organic plant-based eatery, the first having met with great success in Southport. While many alleged healthy eateries have been popping up all over the place, Organika Kitchen takes the idea of healthy eating to a new level. Organika is more than a restaurant Gino explained, “It’s an experience that is as much about the food as it is the customers and the employees.” Organika opened its doors in August to praise from vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike. Cathy expanded on her husband’s thoughts. “We felt that we needed to be eating healthier. Read More
Gluten, Grain or Dairy Free? Pour Me Cafe in Danbury Has You Covered Restaurant Vegan Vegetarian Special Dietary Needs Danbury Local Artisan Gluten-Free Lunch Breakfast Homepage Stephanie Webster July 01, 2018 You know how it goes. When you have a food allergy or sensitivity, or if you eat vegan or paleo, and you want to go out to eat anywhere, it can at times be quite the task to find a place to accommodate for what you need and want. Enter Pour Me in Danbury. I heard about them from a friend who also has food sensitivities and she called it a ‘healthy comfort food type place.’ So as someone who can’t have gluten or dairy, I was naturally intrigued. It was so nice not to have to call ahead to see if they had options other than a salad! Andrea Gartner, the owner of Pour Me, opened the fine fast food cafe in downtown Danbury on a mission to revitalize downtown, and to provide food that gives people the fuel they need to “go out and do good in the world.” Read More
An Evening At NewBrook Kitchen: Embracing Healthy Eating With Fine Cuisine Restaurant Westport Special Dietary Needs Vegetarian Take Out Specialty Market Jessica Ryan January 19, 2018 Gracing the Westport restaurant scene NewBrook Kitchen embraces health and well-being with fine cuisine. The brainchild of Chefs Cindy and Danielle Hartog, a dynamic mother and daughter team, the casual café-style eatery was brought to life after the two were diagnosed with separate autoimmune diseases and turned to nutrition to control their symptoms. They found dining out to be a struggle; it was challenging to find restaurants, cafés, and markets able to accommodate their new lifestyle.I was invited to attend one of their popular Tasting Dinners, and always a fan of healthy dining I was eager to see what NewBrook Kitchen was all about. There’s nothing pretentious or over the top here. This modest, casual eatery is also BYOB, allowing guests to enjoy their favorite wines with a great meal at reasonable prices. Read More
Guide To Healthy Eats in CT: 2018 Edition Restaurant healthy Juice Cleanse Juice Bar Organic Vegan Vegetarian Specialty Market Special Dietary Needs Best of CT Homepage April Guilbault January 14, 2018 We are only a few short weeks into this brand-spanking new year, and TVs are blaring with eating program ads, magazine covers are screaming about how to “Lose 10 lbs. in a week!” and gyms are overflowing with people running for their lives on treadmills (Run, Forrest, Run!). Naturally, the CTBites answer to the holiday indulgences? EAT! Ok, ok…eat…HEALTHILY! Our fair state is brimming with amazing grocers, restaurants, and speciality stores that can help you get back on track after a season of going full-tilt boogie with the eating and drinking. The best part is that everything is so delicious and interesting. Branch out this year and try some new flavors and foods…goji berries, Matcha, Cauliflower pizza crust (wha!), Jackfruit! Dive in and explore. Here are some venues that will help you do just that. One more note: We fully realize that due to the sheer amount of noteworthy establishments, we are not able to list them all here. Please refer to our past Healthy Eats roundups for more listings and also, please chime in with places that you know and love. The more the merrier! Read More
Zoni Foods, Delicious Plant-Based Frozen Meals: A Conversation with CEO & Founder Zoë Lloyd Interview Features New Haven Interview healthy Vegetarian Vegan Amy Kundrat January 09, 2018 What should I make for dinner? This daily lament is the million billion dollar question fueling a booming meal kit industry. Weekly deliveries of fresh ingredients with easy-to-follow recipes offer the promise of an easy weeknight dinner. However, a growing segment of this audience such as young professionals and busy families is seeking something even simpler, less time consuming, and healthier. Read More
My Mix Creative Kitchen: Healthy Eats & Bold Flavors in Greenwich Restaurant Breakfast Lunch healthy Greenwich Salads To-Go Take Out Vegetarian Vegan Jessica Ryan December 31, 2017 Mix Creative Kitchen is the latest to grace the ever-growing and increasingly popular health-focused, quick serve restaurants in the area. Located near the bottom of Greenwich Avenue on Elm Street, a brightly lit café style eatery now occupies the longtime vacant space. The restaurant was created on the premise of bringing together “fast food” and “real food,” a theme that seems to be trending in Fairfield County. As I walked in and surveyed the premises, noting the salad and bowl areas as well as the items in the refrigerated sections I was reminded of other local favorites; The Granola Bar, Organika, B.GOOD and Freshii and was curious to see how this would stack up against the competition. Read More
"The Impossible Burger" Now Available at all CT Bareburger Locations Restaurant Features Stamford Ridgefield Lunch Vegan Vegetarian Special Dietary Needs Homepage Burgers Andrew Dominick November 09, 2017 Elk, beef, duck, bison, lamb and turkey are just some of the proteins used in burgers at Bareburger. The microchain makes sure their burgers are more than just meat-based, and keep vegetarians and vegans in mind with offerings that already include the Farmstead, made from sweet potatoes and wild rice, and the Guadalupe, a black bean and roasted corn burger. Recently, Bareburger has slowly started to roll out another all-natural vegan burger that supposedly tastes close to, or like beef.Created by Impossible Foods and CEO/founder/scientist Pat Brown, and appropriately named The Impossible Burger, this meatless option is solely made from plants. It’s made up of wheat and potato proteins for a familiar beef burger-like texture, vitamins, amino acids, sugars, and uses konjac (from Japanese yams) and xanthan (made by fermentation) as binders for the patty. It also uses a molecule called heme, which carries oxygen in our blood. Heme is in every living thing, plants included, and makes our blood red. Since red meat contains large amounts of heme, The Impossible Burger uses heme made from fermentation, and gives it a meatier taste than most vegan or veggie burgers on the market. It uses two fats, coconut oil and soybeans to give it that much needed sizzle effect when it hits the grill. Read More
Mixing Food and Feminism, Bloodroot Is 40 and Still Cooking via The NY Times Features Vegetarian Norwalk Special Dietary Needs CTbites Team March 15, 2017 The New York Times celebrates 40 years of food and feminism at one of CT's all time great eateries, Bloodroot. Four decades is a long time for any restaurant or bookstore to endure, and Bloodroot, which is both, is filled with history: vintage photographs, old movie posters and handwritten notes from fans, including the writers Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich.But the feminist enterprise — housed in a converted machine shop by the water, with gnarled pear trees and epazote growing wild out back — is no museum.As Bloodroot celebrates its 40th anniversary this month, new fiction and zines pepper the shelves, and the vegetarian menu is alive and shifting, driven by its owners’ love for food and their joyful experimentation in the kitchen. Read More
Back to The Schoolhouse At Cannondale For Vegetarian Wednesdays Restaurant Vegetarian Wilton Special Dietary Needs Homepage American Farm to Table CT Farms Jessica Ryan February 26, 2017 Poised to celebrate its 10th year with Chef Tim LeBant at the helm, The Schoolhouse at Cannondale has long been on my radar. When a friend recently asked me to dinner I jumped at the chance. Nestled among the charming shops at the Cannondale train station, the one room schoolhouse is as delightful from the exterior as it is inside. A small entryway outfitted with a tiny bar area is separated from the dining area by a small curtained doorway, while many framed accolades set the mood for an excellent meal. Read More
Where To Find Healthy Eats in CT: 2017 Edition Restaurant healthy Best of CT Organic Specialty Market Special Dietary Needs Vegan Vegetarian April Guilbault February 08, 2017 We usually post our “Healthy Eats” roundup at the beginning of January, when everyone is recovering from their holiday-induced food stupors. Indulgence ruled the roost for one-too-many weeks, so January brings a time of detox “get it all away from me” vigilance. After thinking about all of this healthy food, though, we realized that healthy eating isn’t just for those first weeks in January; it’s for all twelve months. I mean, man cannot survive on pork belly and butter alone (can he?). Read More
Organika Kitchen Opens in Southport w/ Vegan, Gluten & Dairy Free Menu Restaurant Organic Southport Special Dietary Needs To-Go Vegetarian healthy vegan Jessica Ryan December 22, 2016 Gino and Cathy Riccio have been an integral part of the Fairfield County restaurant scene for the past three decades, but their newest venture – an organic plant-based eatery – is uncharted territory for the couple. While many alleged healthy eateries have been popping up all over the place, Organika Kitchen takes the idea of healthy eating to a new level. I recently sat down the Riccios to learn about the inspiration behind their latest endeavor. Organika is more than a restaurant Gino explained, “It’s an experience that is as much about the food as it is the customers and the employees.” Organika opened its doors in August to praise from vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike. Cathy expanded on her husband’s thoughts. “We felt that we needed to be eating healthier. We grew up eating healthy, but somewhere along the way processed foods started to enter our diets. Now we have all this modified food and heavy-duty pesticides so even when we try to eat healthy we aren’t always.” Read More
“The Super Vegan”-- Two Boots Pizza from NYC brings its Unique Pies to Stamford Restaurant Pizza Stamford Vegetarian Comfort Food Kid Friendly Lou Gorfain November 17, 2016 As a card-carrying carnivore, I entered Two Boots with some misgivings. This quirky, new pizzeria in Stamford’s Harbor Point was celebrating World Vegan Month, prompting manager Roberta Petit to invite CTbites over for a tasting of The Super Vegan, a totally plant-based "pizzaextravaganza.” Nothing on the pie comes from a creature. ‘Za without juicy sausage? Or gooey cheese? C’mon, this is Connecticut. "We’re talking salad on a crust," I mumbled to myself as I sat down with Roberta. My immediate resolution: to earn a positive review, the pizza would have to be "great" in its own right, not a pie that was good – as it were -- for a vegan pizza. No handicaps. No excuses. Nothing less than a party in my mouth. Read More
Elm Hosts Community Table & Millwright's for 100% Vegan Night Restaurant Pop-Up Dinner Vegetarian vegan Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger October 11, 2016 My name is Jeff and I am a carnivore. When I saw the announcement that Elm Restaurant in New Canaan was hosting four of the best chefs in Connecticut were gathering in the kitchen to serve a completely vegan menu I was curious. Elm’s chef Luke Venner arranged for chefs Mazen Mustafa, formerly of The Elm restaurant in Brooklyn, Marcell Davidson, from Community Table in Washington, CT, and Tyler Anderson, from Millwright’s in Simsbury. Would these four chefs create a meal this self-professed carnivore would enjoy? The answer is YES. Read More
Veg-Centric Dinner Series at ROÌA in New Haven: Heirloom Tomatoes Restaurant Farm to Table Vegetarian New Haven Hope Simmons October 02, 2016 Up the steps off the city streets of New Haven, you may feel transported to another time and place. A space that somehow manages to feel elegant, yet contemporary and welcoming at the same time. This could only be ROÌA, where its elaborate high ceilings and attention to a bygone era’s architectural detail make a striking first impression. But they only set the stage for you to be further impressed with the sights and flavors about to arrive at the table. CTbites first visited ROÌA for its grand opening back in 2013—grand being a most fitting descriptor. We were thrilled to return and experience a dinner featuring summer’s bounty of the local heirloom tomato, in one interesting configuration after another. And just one in the “veg-centric dinner series” Chef Avi Szapiro has offered since last year, when they first showcased asparagus, followed by summer squash, then tomato. Read More
Guide To Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurants in CT Restaurant Organic Vegetarian healthy vegan April Guilbault June 26, 2016 Summer is here and that means road trips! Day trips! Exploring this great state of ours with its interesting nooks and crannies! You know, there is always one Big Kahuna of a question when out-and-about (besides, of course, “Where is there a good public restroom?”) and that would be: ”Where can we eat??!”. Aaaaannnd the answer goes on to get a bit more complicated when there’s a vegetarian or vegan in your traveling band of explorers. But thankfully, we have you and your veggie-eaters covered. Great spots all over the state to dine in a delightfully meat-free fashion. Many of these eateries even cater to gluten-free diners, too. Check the websites ahead of your travel time and you are good to go! Be off, young men and women! p.s.-You might be interested in taking a detour through Hamden on July 23rd for their Compassion Fest. It’s a gathering to promote the ideas of kindness, equity, and compassion AND there will be lots of vegan food there. Here are 16 delicious vegetarian & vegan Restaurants in CT. Read More
Catch a Healthy Habit in Fairfield: New Summer Menu, Raw, Vegan, Gluten Free Restaurant Juice Bar Smoothies Special Dietary Needs Vegetarian healthy vegan Raw Jessica Ryan June 19, 2016 Unassumingly tucked away amongst the store-fronts in downtown Fairfield is Catch a Healthy Habit. Maybe you’ve not been in a while…maybe you’ve never been at all, or you’ve been curious, but you’ve never been. The Cafe has been in Fairfield for over six years and in New Haven for two years prior to opening in Fairfield. This casual, health-based, raw, gluten-free and vegan eatery focuses on clean eating. Their products are organic and non-GMO and the tastes and presentations are delicious and beautiful. They recently launched their new Spring/Summer menu and Stephanie Webster, armed with her camera, and I had the opportunity to stop in and sample some of the newest goodies to grace the menu. The food is gorgeously plated, visually stunning, allowing the naturally vibrant colors of spring to take center stage. As the weather heats up and we shed our outer layers we still need to satisfy our hunger without feeling weighted down. Read More
Green & Tonic Opens 5th Location in Downtown Westport w/ Juices, Smoothies & Plant-Based Food Restaurant Gluten-Free Organic Vegetarian healthy vegan Take Out CTbites Team June 15, 2016 Green & Tonic opened today in downtown Westport, bringing its own unique brand of cold-pressed juices, smoothies and plant-based food. Located at 70 Jesup Road in the nexus of Westport’s shopping district, this new grab-and-go location will offer organic cold-pressed juices, smoothies, cold brew coffee and a full plant-based menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner including acai bowls, soups, salads, savory wraps, rice bowls, snacks and chia dessert items. The store will be hosting a Grand Opening party on Thursday, June 16 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm to introduce the store and will offer complimentary food and beverages. And for those unable to make the first party, Green & Tonic will host another community party also open to the public on Thursday, June 23 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. Hours are Monday – Friday 7:00am – 7:00pm, Saturday 8:00am – 6:00pm and Sunday 9:00pm – 5:00pm. Read More
18 Places to Eat Healthy in 2015: Juice Bars, Restaurants, Organic Markets, Food Trucks & More! Restaurant Juice Bar Juice Cleanse Organic Vegetarian healthy Vegan April Guilbault January 04, 2015 After six weeks of overdoing the bubbly and those cheesy hors d’oeuvres (sooo good), ‘tis time to turn that calendar page and welcome all things cleaner and leaner. 2015 is here, with new delights to entice us and healthy flavors and dishes to keep our immune systems fueled, our skin glowing, and our bellies from bulging. This year, as you treat your body well, will cauliflower be the new kale? Will that little green nut, the pistachio, reign supreme with its antioxidants, vitamins and protein? There are so many ways to treat our bodies well and, luckily, we have found a great offering of area resources that will satisfy our tastebuds and help keep our bodies healthy. Happy New Year! Here are 18 Places to Eat Healthy in Connecticut for 2015: Juice Bars, Restaurants, Organic Markets, Food Trucks & More! Read More