Brewery Legitimus, the 7 barrel craft brewery co-founded by husband and wife team Chris and Christina Sayer, is partnering once again withBarden Farm (New Hartford, CT), to bring a Community Supported Agriculture, Beer & Cheese (CSABC) Share to the community. Back for a second year in a row, the 10-week “Farm, Beer and Cheese Share” begins July 11th and will run until September 12th.
The first in the area, the CSABC share brings together locally grown produce from Barden Farm, locally crafted beer by Brewery Legitimus, and locally made cheese from several different farms in CT.
A CSABC share membership is $485 for the 10 Weeks and includes Craft Beer from Brewery Legitimus, Cheese and of course a Farm Share from Barden Farm. It works just like a CSA. Here’s what’s included:
Laura Downey and Chris Palumbo, co-owners of the popular Fairfield and Greenwich Cheese Company shops, reflect upon their 10-year journey in the cheese biz, their accomplishments, and how far consumers have come in their appreciation for delectable fromage. They will also be celebrating with some great cheese-centric classes in early May. Check ‘em out here.
In an unusual but convenient industrial park in Groton, just near the Groton Airport, Mystic Cheese Co. is opening a new location this month to serve homemade and artisanal cheeses to the after-work crowd and cheese connoisseurs alike. Upon stepping into the front doors at the new site of Mystic Cheese, visitors are welcomed into a cozy tasting room in which they can perch on barstool seating that offers glimpses into the impressively sized cheese maturation room.
The feeling that the owners, Brian Civitello and Jason Sobocinksi (former owner of the beloved Caseus Cheese), have tried to create with their events and cut to order cheese is relaxed, fun, and unpretentious. Mystic Cheese has definitely accomplished this with their communal tables, friendliness, and awesome narwhal logo. By doing this, their overall aim is to attract people to the world of artisanal cheeses by offering cheeses at multiple price points, cheese-centric food, and educational classes.
When food trucks in Connecticut started to become more prevalent, there was one I remembered well. The name “Fryborg” definitely stood out, and the fact that they specialized in hand-cut fries didn’t suck either. I first stumbled upon Fryborg around the time Two Roads Brewing Company opened in Stratford, so that “stumble” was a real one after multiple pints in the brewery’s upstairs tasting room. It was then that Fryborg’s bacon, egg, and cheese fries and their marinara-laden pizza fries perfectly complimented my buzz. If I had to render a guess, I’m not in the minority on similar experiences.
Lately, I’ve heard a lot about Blackie’s Hot Dog Stand, a roadside dive that’s been open for 90 years and counting. Blackie’s came up in casual conversation twice; the founder of this site, Stephanie Webster, heard about it from a friend, then a friend of mine mentioned it. Shortly thereafter, Visit Connecticut posted a list of “8 Classic Summer Drive-Ins” with Blackie’s being one of the featured haunts. Well, now I had to check it out. That’s no coincidence, that’s a sign!
One of the best parts about being on the road in the summer in Connecticut is stopping at a drive-in for a quick but tasty meal. The state has many such spots, but here are 8 of the most tried and true.
Sea Swirl, Mystic: It's easy to spot Sea Swirl as the former Carvel location, but the focus now is on fried seafood, especially clams, scallops, and oysters.
The Sycamore, Bethel: Known for its steak burgers and homemade root beer, as well as its carhops and 1950's ambiance. Be sure to check out their web site for cruise nights and and other special events.
Harry's Place, Colchester: Looking for a real juicy burger? Harry's shapes its patties into a ball, puts them on a grill, and then gradually flattens them with a spatula. The results have brought customers back every summer for decades.
I can admit when I have a problem. Connecticut has several great food trucks, and I social media stalk a bunch of them. The addiction is obviously the food, then there’s this game of being able to track down the truck or trucks in question. Will I be free? Where will the truck be? What time? And for how long will they be there?
One that I played cat and mouse with recently was The Colombian Hot Dog, a mobile trailer that specializes in Colombian fast food. They were put on my radar by a local photographer friend who spent some time shooting The Colombian Hot Dog crew in action one summer night. He suggested I check them out, but it took a while since the truck is only parked in Norwalk one night per week.
Some time several decades ago Milanno Ukehaxhaj left Kosovo at an opportune time on his way to America and making me a sandwich. That is skipping over a lot, but we'll get to the details in later paragraphs, and anyway it was a very good sandwich. This sandwich was not made when I visited the deli earlier this month with his wife and business partner Diana feeding me information as well as chicken parmigiana, it was made during my lunch break at a summer job I held in 2000, which is when I fell in love with Gaetano's.
After seven years in business, it feels like it's about time to celebrate one of the old school CT food trucks, Weenie Lynn's. Weenie's is a family-owned & operated hot dog and specialty sandwich truck that has been serving the local food scene since spring of 2011. The truck is based in Danbury CT, but they are more than happy to bring their delicious dogs (and five kids) all over the tri state area...and they do. Weenie's serve two sizes of 100% All-Beef Hot Dogs (over 20 toppings & condiments), as well as Bratwurst, Kielbasa, and fresh-cut (never frozen) french fries, They also feature an ever growing menu of delicious sandwiches, many of them riffs off the classic grilled cheese.
Escape to a different era where comfort food is locally sourced, you are served with compassion and a smile on a garden patio, and you can experience a country feel that makes our fast-paced world slow down just a bit. This cute date (BYO), family fun and good vibe spot is something special to CT that you simply shouldn’t miss.
Heibeck’s in Wilton opened in 1931 and has been family run for four generations. Back then, George Heibeck and Katherine Dhly Heibeck stayed up all night to hand churn over 100 of their original ice cream flavors to perfection, and then served the creamy goodness to their loyal customers daily. Though their ice cream is no longer produced on premises, the family prides itself upon the use of local food sources.
Shack®is thrilled to announce it will open its doors on Friday, April 27that 11AM. The West Hartford Shack will be located at Corbin's Corner, 1445 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford, CT. This marks Shake Shack’s fourth Connecticut Shack, with existing locations in Darien, New Haven and Westport.
In addition to the Shack classics, the West Hartford Shack will be spinning up a selection of custom frozen custard concretes: Shack Attack (chocolate custard, fudge sauce, chocolate truffle cookie dough, Mast Brothers Shake Shack dark chocolate chunks, topped with chocolate sprinkles), Cookie Butter Blender (vanilla custard, cookie butter, chocolate toffee and chocolate sprinkles)and Pie Oh My (vanilla custard and slice of Four & Twenty Blackbirds seasonal pie).
Farmington, Connecticut; the land of colonial homes and rolling hills, horse farms, schools once attended by former First Ladies and now, home of Dom's Coffee, rated byArchitectural Digest as The Most Beautiful Cafe in Connecticut.
Remember when the word coffeehouse conjured visions of overstuffed, cast-off furniture populated by long-lounging “alternative” coffee-sippers? All that was missing was your local version of Phoebe Buffay crooning about her Smelly Cat. Gone are those days. A new, craft-caffeinated, curated, uplifting day has dawned in the land of this coffeehouse and many others.
Food, like any other aspect of human culture, has its landmarks. Local touchstones, the food you grew up with can be felt from great distances away, even by people who didn't grow up nearby. Ask just about anyone across the world what constitutes American food and chances are "hamburger" will be in their top two answers. The burger's invention at Louis Lunch in New Haven is well known and, regionally, so is Danny's Drive-In in Stratford. This is why a "For Sale" sign on the building has met with such concern - it's only been seen twice before in 83 years.
Fairfield & Greenwich Cheese Company have introduced a subscription cheese box service that curates small batch, artisan and traditional cheeses and delivers them, freshly cut, to the doorsteps of food lovers across the nation.
Cheesemonger Box will curate a selection of small batch and traditional American and European cheeses for monthly home delivery, launched this winter as the first cheese subscription service of its kind.
Founders Laura Downey and Chris Palumbo, co-founders and owners of Connecticut cheese shops Fairfield & Greenwich Cheese Company, are launching the service with the goal of “spreading the cheese love across the country” and empowering customers to “become the expert” on artisan cheese.
One of my favorite new-ish restaurants to pop up in the culinary hot spot of Mystic, Connecticut is the hip Engine Room. This outstanding restaurant highlights fresh, unique food served in a welcoming, very Instagrammable atmosphere. Let’s talk through their scrumptious menu while settling into their comfortable seats and remarking on their friendly staff.
Whether you think brunch is overrated or not, you should find your way to the Engine Room for a leisurely Sunday brunch with friends. Set inside an open wood and brick interior, with metal chairs and shiny black leather booth seating, you’ll feel comfortable enough to linger over your meal, and unlike many crowded establishments, you won’t feel rushed by the staff.
Back to the menu, which has something for traditional sweet breakfast lovers and those who aren’t really into breakfast foods (oh, the horror!).
Shake Shack CT and Shake Shacks around the nation have some exciting news: At the end of this month, chili is coming to Shake Shack. They will debut a chili-themed menu available via the Shack App exclusive starting Monday, October 30th and available for in-Shack ordering on Thursday, November 2nd.
They will be serving up the Chili Cheeseburger, Chili Cheese Dog and Chili Cheese Fries for a limited time. INSIDER TIP:Though you won’t see it listed on the menu, ask your Shack for a side of chili to score a cup. The chili menu includes:
Chili Cheeseburger:Cheeseburger topped with smoked and slow braised beef chili with ancho and chile de arbol peppers
Chili Cheese Dog: Vienna beef hot dog topped with smoked and slow braised beef chili with ancho and chile de arbol peppers
Chili Cheese Fries:Crinkle cut fries topped with smoked and slow braised beef chili with ancho and chile de arbol peppers
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.
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.
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.
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.
