Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events for Week of June 29 - July 11 Events Features Events News Emma Jane-Doody Stetson June 28, 2020 On June 30, The Waters Edge at Giovanni’s invites you to their first drive-in movie experience. Check out BIG on the big screen.Half Full Brewery just opened a new Stamford location, Third Place, with an outdoor beer garden, locally made brews and draft cocktails made with local spirits, and live music coming soon! Third Place will also serve as a work and events space. (+ Hapa Food Truck!)Every Wednesday night at 8pm, tune into CTBites’s Instagram Live to watch them as they "cook the book!” The Connecticut Chefs Recipes for Restaurant Relief E-Cookbook is now on sale and every week cookbook author Anna Francese Gass and a guest chef will show you how to make one of the recipes.Oyster Club’s “Summer Nights” pop-up continues through July 11th.Don’t miss Grano Arso’s Vietnamese Pop-Up every Monday. Read More
Cook The Book: Tune In On CTBites Instagram Live July 1st with Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern On State Events Recipe Cooking Cookbooks Education Instagram Live Recipe Video Stephanie Webster June 28, 2020 Readers, Diners, New Quarantine Couch Potato-Turned-Chefs! Tune into our new IGTV Weekly Series COOK THE BOOK.On Wednesday July 1st @8PM, join trained chef and beloved Connecticut Cookbook author, Anna Francese Gass (Heirloom Kitchen 2019) & Guest Chef Emily Mingrone from award winning Tavern On State, as they cook Emily’s recipe for Chicken & Dumplings from our recently released CTBites e-cookbook: Connecticut Chef Recipes for Restaurant ReliefTune In on @CTBITES INSTAGRAM LIVE!! Read More
Friday Froth: Stewards Of The Land Farm Brewery in Northford Features Restaurant Brewery Northford Friday Froth ct beer Beer James Gribbon June 26, 2020 One of life's principle joys is an unexpected bulldog. There you are, mind preoccupied and steps ahead of whatever you should be paying attention to in the moment you're actually living, and boom: giant smiley meatball of joy out of nowhere. How could that not improve any day? Last September, in the Before Times, I went to a Connecticut farm to find out about hop growing, and discovered a newborn brewery instead. At the time, Stewards Of The Land in Northford wasn't finished, not quite ready yet for the outside world. So now, just as the eyes of the world are cautiously blinking open again, I returned to sit on the farm brewery's patio and, yes, there was a bulldog.I'm not just making an allegory here: Guinness (that's the name he came with, give head brewery Alex DeFrancesco more credit for creativity than that), was cooling off on the stone patio, set with chairs outside the New England tavern style brewery, above a field of sprouting row crops - the hillside and lawns swaying here and there with bluish stalks of heirloom rye. I squatted down and scruffled Guinness' huge head behind his ears. He had it right. This is a place to stretch out and relax. Read More
Chefs At Home: Chia Seed Pudding Recipe from Chef Anthony Rinaldi Recipe Features Recipe Recipe Video Chia Breakfast Kids Kid Friendly kids activity Stephanie Webster June 25, 2020 Episode #4 of our Chefs At Home series is here…and it’s a heathy, simple and delicious recipe you can make all summer long. Chef Anthony Rinaldi, formerly Exec Chef at Kawa Ni in Westport, currently the Chef for Greenwich Country Day School, has been having some fun in his kitchen with this recipe for the Chia Seed Pudding. This recipe has 15 grams of protein and is easy enough for any kid to make themselves! Get your kids cooking and enjoy! Read More
Pepe’s Fresh Tomato Pie is Back in Restaurants for the Summer Restaurant Features Pizza Pepe's Limited Time Delivery Take Out CTbites Team June 25, 2020 Beginning on Wednesday, July 1, world-famous New Haven, Connecticut-based Frank Pepe Pizzeria will be serving up their seasonal Fresh Tomato Pie again for a limited time at all Pepe’s restaurants. For the 12th summer in a row, the famous pizza will be offered July through September at each of the restaurant’s locations in New Haven, Fairfield, Manchester, Danbury, Waterbury, West Hartford and Uncasville (Mohegan Sun). Read More
Parkville Market Opens in Hartford! CT's First Food Hall, Featuring Local Flavors Restaurant Features Food Hall Take Out To-Go Indian Brazilian Peruvian Pizza Seafood Puerto Rican American Hartford County Hartford Opening Kristin L. Wolfe June 24, 2020
Takeout Chronicles: Mr. Frosty and David’s Soundview Catering Features Restaurant Take Out To-Go Home Delivery ice cream Dessert Caterers Lobster Lobster Roll Norwalk April Guilbault June 23, 2020 This review is going to go in reverse because the first thing my family ordered for take-out in the early weeks of quarantine was…ice cream. We fancy ourselves pretty healthy eaters in this house, so our intense want of ice cream one evening will get chalked up to the need for some unabashed comfort food in the face of world events. Mr. Frosty’s Ice Cream in Norwalk is an institution. It (ice)screams summer and salty air evenings, sweatshirts, sandy hair, and flip-flops. However, their newly minted pickup kits will keep you entertained while we wait for any semblance of summer to return. We ordered the “Survival Kit.” Our next take-out order involved another hungering for summer. A summer in our house is not complete without a lobster roll and we knew where to get a good one: David’s Soundview Catering in Stamford. Read More
Spring Vegetable Chicken Fricassee, by Genee Habansky of Herbaceous Catering Features Recipe Recipe CTbites Team June 22, 2020 Wanna up your chicken game? Check out this tasty recipe for Spring Vegetable Chicken Fricassee from The Westport Farmers’ Market and Herbaceous Catering. When you purchase your ingredients locally….they just taste better. Read More
Chef Dan Kardos Launches Oar & Oak Creamery Ice Cream Truck Restaurant Food Truck ice cream Kid Friendly Kids Dessert Opening Maddie Phelps June 21, 2020 Chef Dan Kardos has made his mark on the Connecticut restaurant industry over the past two decades. He’s been the operator, the owner, and, of course, the chef of local favorites like Stratford’s Oar & Oak. This summer, he’s turning to something even sweeter.Kardos recently opened Oar & Oak Creamery, a 10x6 soft serve ice cream truck currently stationed at Knapp’s Landing in Stratford. The truck, Kardos emphasized, isn’t some extravagant ice cream parlor with dozens of flavors and toppings galore. It’s straightforward yet refreshingly original. Read More
Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events for June 22-28 Features Events News Events Virtual Experiences Virtual Cooking Classes Emma Jane-Doody Stetson June 21, 2020 It’s all about Tiki Tuesdays in Stamford! You and 5 other people can board the Tiki Taxi at The Crab Shell restaurant for a 30 minute spin around the harbor while listening to our tropical soundtrack and enjoying whatever you bring to drink. Price includes a complimentary Hawaiian Lei as well as our cooler loaded with ice and cups for your favorite beverage (BYOB).For four weeks this season, Oyster Club presents “Summer Nights,” an outdoor pop-up restaurant at Stone Acres Farm. Dine outdoors under the stars amongst summer blooms in the historic formal gardens. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night from June 18 through July 11, Oyster Club Executive Chef James Wayman and team will present a four course menu with a welcome cocktail, centered around a different theme.Bar Rosso in Stamford is now open on Mondays! Join them for happy hour from 3-6pm and wine bottle specials after 6pm. Read More
Cook The Book: Recipe Demos On Instagram Live Every Wednesday with Cookbook Author Anna Gass Features Events Cooking Cookbooks Education Recipe Recipe Video Celebrity Chef Kristin L. Wolfe June 20, 2020 Readers, Diners, New Quarantine Couch Potato-Turned-Chefs! Get Ready to tune into our new IGTV Weekly Series COOK THE BOOK.Join trained chef and beloved Connecticut Cookbook author, Anna Francese Gass (Heirloom Kitchen 2019), as she makes her way one through some of the most delicious recipes in the recently released CTBites e-cookbook: Connecticut Chef Recipes for Restaurant ReliefStarting this Wednesday June 24th @8PM Gass + a weekly featured Guest Chef will bring the book alive and further whet your appetite and drive to get in the kitchen. This weekSo, grab your aprons, your whisks, and the new e-cookbook (should we still plug here? for fun, great food, and to continue supporting our state’s wonderful restaurant industry. Read More
Winfield Coffee in Stamford Adds Cocktails and Dinner to the Menu Restaurant Stamford New Menu American Coffee Opening Hey Stamford! June 19, 2020 As Stamford kicks Phase 2 of its reopening plan into high gear, one Stamford Downtown cafe has taken the opportunity to make some exciting additions to their menu.Beginning this Friday, Winfield Street Coffee (96 Broad Street) adds cocktails, beer, wine, and some great happy hour & dinner options to their menu!The cafe, adjacent to the Ferguson Library, has been serving the Stamford community for just over a year. The menu includes a great selection of coffees and espresso drinks. (serving Counter Culture Coffee) They also serve other local products- like fresh baked goods, great breakfast and lunch sandwiches, salads, bowls, smoothies, and more!Winfield’s new dinner options will be available from 4pm – 9pm and as Owner, Breno Donatti, shared with us, will be a great spot for the early crowd or those looking to enjoy a light meal before their night out. The menu is also perfect for date night as it includes a number of shareable plates. Read More
Local Spotlight: Vita Cacciari of Vita Pasta Lab + Virtual Italian Cooking Classes Features Interview Cooking Classes Pasta Italian Noodles Andrew Dominick June 18, 2020 If not for my friend Micaela, I might have never met Vita Cacciari. Micaela sent me a text one night after she attended a pasta making class at Wakeman Town Farm. She asked if I knew of any commercial kitchen spaces so the woman who teaches these classes could have more options in the area. Micaela’s text, in regard to “the woman,” were of high praise; amazing, hard worker, and nice person were all phrases she used to describe Vita. “She’s Italian” was another.A slew of photos, video, and a website link followed. I browsed Vita’s site for her cooking class business, Vita Pasta Lab, and was instantly curious. I like to cook. I like to learn. I LOVE pasta. And Vita’s pasta looked stunningly beautiful. Read More
Celebrate Dad! Father's Day Specials Across Connecticut: (2020 Edition) Features Father's Day Emma Jane-Doody Stetson June 13, 2020 It’s hard to believe it’s June- and Father’s Day is right around the corner! Although restaurants have been given the green-light to resume indoor dining on June 17th, many of Connecticut’s eateries and caterers are still offering delicious takeout, curbside, and delivery options for Dad. Here is a guide to some of the Father’s Day specials that you can find across the state. Read More
Lobster Cakes Recipe from Shell & Bones Oyster Bar and Grill Recipe Lobster Recipe Seafood CTbites Team June 12, 2020 June 15th is NATIONAL LOBSTER DAY! Yup…It’s a thing. To celebrate, we asked Chef Arturo-Franco Camacho of Shell & Bones Oyster Bar and Grill in New Haven to send over one his favorite lobster-y recipes. Whip up some of these Lobster Cakes and celebrate the revered Day of Lobster. Enjoy! Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events, Openings, & News for June 15-21 Features Events News Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson June 12, 2020 Hoodoo Brown BBQ is bringing back its Hoodoo Barbeque School just in time for “Summer School.” Everyone who had their class cancelled due to corona will receive a special email with an early access code and get first shot at BBQ school. Stay tuned to their Facebook and social media platforms for details!Millwrights in Simsbury now offers brunch from 11am - 3pm! The three course prix fixe meal is $29. See the menu here.Terrain Café in Westport has reopened! The new limited hours are Friday 9-8, Saturday 9-8, and Sunday 9-4.Sign up now for the Caseus x Ordinary Food and Booze Pairing Class! On June 26, Jason, Tom, and Tim take you on a virtual culinary experience that you are sure to remember. Pickup the ingredients on 6/24 or 6/25 and tune in on the 26th! It is $45.On Monday June 15, join Wakeman Town Farm for an online talk entitled “How to Bring Biodiversity Back to Your Yard and Gardens.” $10 suggested donation. You will receive a Zoom link to let you into the talk, which takes place from 7-8pm. Sign up here. Read More
Tips to Maximize Your CSA From Mike's Organic Delivery Features Ingredients CSA Local Farm Ingredients How To Shop Local Mike Geller June 11, 2020 Having connected farmers to consumers for 10 years in Fairfield & Westchester Counties, Mike's Organic owner Mike Geller knows a thing or two about CSAs. And if there was ever a time to give a CSA a chance, it's now! First and foremost, our farmers need us. As many farms rely significantly on business from restaurants and other sources, a great way to support our farms right now is through signing up for a CSA.This crisis has highlighted the importance of small, local farms. If planes stop flying or processing plants close, it is they that will feed us...let us never forget that. Second, it is a way to guarantee that fresh, healthy, local food will be on your table for a period of several months. There is so much uncertainty in the world and this is one way to regain some control over your food. Also, so many of us are home cooking and a CSA allows you to be creative and introduce new things to your family!If you take care of your produce, it will take care of you. It's so fresh when you get it, and if you just give it a little love it will give a whole lot back. Read More
Connecticut Chefs Recipes for Restaurant Relief E-Cookbook NOW ON SALE!! Features Cookbooks Chef Recipe Cooking Fundraiser Homepage Stephanie Webster June 07, 2020
The Spread in SoNo Moves IronWorks Complex, Re-Opening This Week! Restaurant South Norwalk SONO American Global Cuisine Cuban Asian Happy Hour Bar Cocktails Norwalk Homepage Opening Stephanie Webster June 07, 2020 The Spread you know and love from Main Street in South Norwalk has some new digs and a whole new summer look. Spread owners Andrey Cortes, Chris Hickey, Chris Rasile, Shawn Longyear and Chef Carlos Baez have taken their much heralded menu and rustic industrial vibe, and moved down the street, next door to their sister spot, El Segundo. The new spot resides in the old Harlan Public location within the IronWorks complex, and it comes with one of the most beautiful outdoor dining spaces in Fairfield County. Loyal diners and regulars….don’t worry. The menu will feature all of the usual favorites such as their Brick Chicken and Ricotta Gnocchi but Chef Baez has a few surprises up his chef’s coat. Read More
CIBUS Opens 2nd Latin Fusion Spot In Stratford--CIBUS Dos Restaurant Latin American Lunch Opening James Gribbon June 07, 2020 I walked into the new Cibus Dos and, before I could even sit down, another patron was passionately, earnestly imploring me to get the soup. "My god, man" he said, fanning his mouth. "Incredible." Having been to the original location in another part of Stratford, I understood his enthusiasm. It's the kind of place which inspires strangers to demand you order what they are having, like "You have to try this, it's important." Stratford runs vertically on the map from the hilly northern reaches to gradually smooth out southerly to the open expanses of Lordship before disappearing into Long Island Sound. The first Cibus was an experiment placed on a corner in town towards the south end where nothing had previously existed for very long. The first time I went to Cibus, it was practically voyeurism. Every time thereafter, it's been a delight. Read More
