Due to the pandemic, many families have primarily been eating at home for the past year. Home-cooked meals are great but can get monotonous, and let’s be real -- sometimes you just don’t want all the work. Jackie’s Empanadas On The Go is a great solution for tired parents, young adults craving a quick delicious meal, and anyone looking for a unique alternative to the meal-time grind. They can be purchased frozen or baked, picked up or delivered… how easy is that?!
Jackie Mendive, the founder of Empanadas On The Go, said her journey began by preparing empanadas for her family and friends. Mendiv grew up in Argentina, and she wanted to keep her upbringing and culture alive. Jackie says she would often think to herself, “I wish I could just order them online” since the actual preparation was extremely time-consuming. In January of 2017, she decided to begin selling her empanadas to local families. Since then, Empanadas On The Go has expanded to all of Fairfield County, Westchester County, as well as delivering to Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Is there anything more perfect than hosting a dinner party for 6-8 people, where the meal is delivered to your doorstep, arrives in a single pre-made pot, and you don’t have to do ANY of the work? I think not. It is for this reason that I sing ALL the praises for THE FOOD CRATE’s customizable ATLANTIC STEAMPOT. This quintessential New England seafood experience comes ready to cook in its own container, complete with Snow Crab, Peeled White Shrimp, Atlantic Clams, Mussels, Smoked Sausage (optional), Potatoes and Corn….and the best part is…everything has been done for you. This dinner party in a box arrives perfectly layered. No muss. No fuss, All you need to do is pour wine or beer and cook as per the directions on the label. Bonus: Want more yum? Add up to 2.5LBS of mixed King Crab, Lobster, Shrimp and more Snow Crab a la carte and invite a few more guests.
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They call it a "slider," but it is not a slider. They call it "Hot Chicken," and it is definitely, exactly, most assuredly, guaranteed and board certified to be both of those things. Good lord. I have never been to Nashville, because I have never been a member of a southern lady's bachelorette party, but I have both been to Bridgeport, and Enjoyed-to-Tolerated many a chicken sandwich. If this is what they're like in central Tennessee, I may take the trip.
Howling Hot Chicken is just past the Bridgeport/Trumbull line down from the mall, and will shortly share a wall with a Milkcraft creamery, whose owners identified a bit of vacuum in the Connecticut landscape which needed filling with Extremely Hot Chicken (or mild, or simply fried with no spice, your call) and created a new franchise. Recognizing a similar void in my lunchtime, I recently swung by.
I often fantasize about waking up to a 6 pack of donuts and a warm bacon egg and cheese sandwich nestled on a freshly made biscuit. Seriously…all the time. I’ve got issues. Well, now there is a ghost kitchen in Westport, CT where such dreams can become a reality…and they did last weekend. Introducing Grammie’s. For those not familiar with the concept of a ghost kitchen, it just means there is no actual restaurant—not in the traditional sense. You can't come and cozy up to a table, but you can order Grammie's donuts, cronuts, flakey biscuits, croissants and breakfast sandwiches (made on ANY of the above freshly baked carbs) for curbside pickup and delivery through their website. Yup. Lay in bed and hit send…Voila!
As of February 1, fans of Nala’s Kitchen will be able to get some of their delicious, wholesome meals at various Noble Convenience Stores across Connecticut. Sure, You can order their meals online whenever you’d like, but what a radical shift for your gas and go stops! Imagine going to a convenience store, after pumping gas, and, instead of coming out with candy, soda, and some unidentifiable colorful snack you’d likely feel guilty and sick over twenty minutes later, you could leave your local Noble’s munching on something that will be both healthy and gaa’damn delicious.
John Dimarco and his renown Luigi's Bakery, served up Italian sweets on Main street in Bridgeport for 50 years. Two years ago, Dimarco closed the bakery and joined in a partnership with three longtime friends to expand the wholesale side of his business. Luigi’s was famous for its Original Cannoli Pie and their killer tasty cannoli cream. Hence, for the new spot, they chose the name “The Cannoli Pie Company” and relaunched and refocused their wholesale distribution business around being "Cannoli Specialists" and "Masters of All Things Cannoli."
This little bakery that could has some big news for the holidays. In between making wedding cakes for most of Connecticut and running a full Italian Bakery, John managed to get his amazing cannoli pies into 85 local Stop & Shops along with scattered Price Rite, Shop Rites and specialty stores. And now, two years later, their cannoli pie is in EVERY SINGLE STOP & SHOP – over 400 stores in 5 states!
Chef Geoff Lazlo has been cooking delicious locally sourced, elevated comfort food for years in Fairfield County. CT diners will remember him from Bill Taibe’s The Whelk in Westport, and most recently from the very popular Mill Street in Greenwich, but he also spent time at both Gramercy Tavern and Blue Hill Stone Barns. When I got on the phone with Lazlo last week to discuss his new chef driven gourmet food delivery service, I had to laugh when I asked “what’s going on chef?,” and he replied with “honestly I don’t even know anymore.” Restaurants and chefs across the state have had to be nimble and do some pivoting to stay relevant in the current pandemic economy, and Lazlo is no exception. “I’m always figuring out the next thing to do, and I’m always thinking about moving forward,” says Lazlo. That forward motion propelled him to launch Geoff Lazlo Food, serving Fairfield and Westchester Counties, and giving food-lovers the opportunity to enjoy hand-cooked meals in the comfort of their own homes.
Not gonna lie. I’m sucked in by looks. What’s on the inside counts, sure, but when I see a sharp, sexy...wait a minute. I’m talking about my drinks. What were you thinking?
Ok, weird intro aside, there seems to be an endless list of new canned drinks out there and room for even more. And, although nothing these days seems to be “normal” we are trying to enjoy ourselves however we can; and to me, sun, water, and delicious cold drinks, certainly helps that effort. So, while some of your pandemic hobbies might have revolved around expanding your mind or being creative with activities like puzzles, knitting, or cooking grannies old recipes, mine sorta kinda included drinking on the beach; and drinking delicious, creatively designed canned beverages, in particular. I started out with the popular seltzers like White Claw, Stoli’s yada yada, then moved to a few hard ciders from the 1911 suite (from Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards), like the Rosé in a tall, gorgeous soft pink can; then my fam and I fell in love with punch of the Watermelon Mint with graphics as a bold as the taste.
But then my new “hobby” got a little more interesting, uh...well, bolder, with stronger boozish. Here are a couple of brands created in our lovely state, then a few others you just have to try, especially since there’s still at least six weeks left of sunshine. However, I gather these will still be enjoyed well beyond the end of summer.
CT based startup, THE FOOD CRATE has launched in the tri-state area (and just beyond) with overnight delivery of chef-sourced specialty and high end prepared foods to residents of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. Why is this food delivery service different from all others? After eating my way through several of these fully loaded crates, enjoying everything from gluten-free chicken meatballs and marinated shrimp kabobs to Hawaiian Baby Back Ribs, a Lobster Pot for 8 and restaurant quality crab cakes, I can report with great certainty that The Food Crate is a delivery service that relieves the pressure of the dreaded nightly “what’s for dinner” conundrum, and will surely be on repeat order in my home. (Also thru Aug 31st CTbites readers get 15% OFF with Code: CTB15)
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.
So, we all like to support our local vendors, especially at times like these, but occasionally you need something a little “extra” or specialized, that you may not find at your local shop. Enter food-lover, cook, and long-time advocate Ben Simon, a New Haven native who is bringing high-quality, small-producer pantry staples and non-perishables to front doors across the United States with his new subscription box company, Ben to Table.
Ben to Table is a New Haven-based monthly subscription box inspired by Simon’s years of working on environmental and human rights campaigns across the globe, with a focus on preserving and promoting sustainable agriculture.
Most of the time we bring you pieces on chefs but we’re trying something new that puts the focus on interesting food and beverage industry folks that ARE NOT chefs but have a tale to tell; think bartenders, independent bakers, farmers, maybe some brewers, or even that waiter everyone seems to know.
It’s only fitting to kick it off with Mike Geller, the owner of Mike’s Organic Delivery in Stamford. He’s not a chef, he has a story, and he’s really easy to have a conversation with. He’s one of the reasons why I thought of this series in the first place, so making him number one was a no-brainer.
If you’re unfamiliar with Mike’s Organic, it opened in 2009, strictly as a grocery delivery service. Now, celebrating its decade-old birthday, Geller expanded his business and opened his doors to the public with a mini market filled with carefully selected organic goods, fresh produce, and lots of local products. To boot, they host lots of special events and cooking classes with the likes of Geoff Lazlo, Ross Bread, and Nit Noi Provisions.
How it all started, though, is quite something. Cue the Q&A!
I pose this question to you…Is there anything better than a well executed egg sandwich in the wee hours of the morning (or really any time of day)? A nice runny yolk…smoky bacon…buttery Parker House roll….drooling yet? Well, for lovers of all things egg sandwich, we’ve got some egg-citing news. The crave-worthy egg sandwich food truck, The Tasty Yolk, has officially opened the doors to their NEW storefront location at 2992 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport TODAY! No longer will hungry diners exclusively have to seek out one of their three Fairfield County mobile breakfast sandwich delivery vehicles. Chef Eric Felitto’s (Food Network Chopped Champion) award winning menu will be available 6 days a week, Tuesday through Sunday. P.S. MSN awarded The Tasty Yolk one of "America's 100 Best Food Trucks." Oh, and did I mention they have added a FULL LUNCH MENU to the lineup?? Yup…We’re pumped.
Hidden gems are the heart and soul of this site. I think the other CTbites writers would wholeheartedly agree that those “off the beaten path” restaurants or those that haven’t quite reached a mainstream audience yet, those are the ones that we get excited about the most.
Azteca Restaurant in Bridgeport is exactly the kind of place that gets my blood flowing. Its family owned, and still new as it opened during the summer. It also might’ve never come to my attention if chef Bill Taibe didn’t sing its praises to us after a random night out in Bridgeport and a cell phone search for “Mexican food near me.”
If not for a chef’s need for late night munchies, Azteca would not have been on our radar. With this information, Stephanie Webster and I rolled out to Azteca for an unforgettable midday Monday feast.
Connecticut are you ready? I mean really ready. You may have fallen under the spell of what others have told you is Soul Food, but Chef Chris Scott, of TV’s Top Chef Season 15 and beloved Brooklyn restaurants Butterfunk and Sumner’s Luncheonette, is not playing around. He is giving you the real deal, with seasoning to the nth power, and a history lesson to boot. In just 48 hours of opening, the reception has been tremendous. So much so, Chef says, “I might just have to sleep down stairs for awhile.” The lines have been long and the orders have been flying out the window. Birdman Juke Joint is on everyone’s list to try. But that is the thing. You can’t, or won’t just try it. You will be swept away. Or, as the fellers I sat with at the bar did, ….you might just use every curse word imaginable to convey your newfound love.
When the Blind Rhino opened in South Norwalk in 2015 it made waves both as the first dedicated sports bar in a nightlife-intensive district which was somehow devoid of one, and for making quality food and drink the focus, rather than an afterthought to bats and balls. Do they have beer and wings? Yep, but their beers are two dozen taps' worth of Connecticut focused craft, and their wings come with flavors like Togarashi dry rub and won multiple medals at the last year's National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, NY. Is there such a thing as a gastro sports bar? Yes, actually, there are two - and you can now find the second one just over the Fairfield town line in the Black Rock neighborhood of Bridgeport.
Drivers casting their eyes randomly about, desperate for a diversionary glance at anything besides traffic and out of state plates between the concrete shoulders of I-95 may settle their gaze on a new brick building on the waterfront of Bridgeport harbor. Slightly reminiscent of a lighthouse, it sits at the other side of the new development in Steelpointe Harbor from Bass Pro Shops, and - as of this week - houses the new Boca Oyster Bar. CTBites hit the bar during their soft open at the end of May to give you this first look.
FreshDirect, the Northeast’s leading online fresh food grocer, announced that it will be extending its service further into Connecticut, and will now be delivering to Fairfield, Norwalk, Southport, and Westport, in addition to Greenwich and Stamford, starting Tuesday March 26th. Why is this exciting? For those not familiar with FreshDirect, they pioneered the short supply chain, so you can experience fresh food at its finest. Place an order online before 9pm, and you can have ALL of your groceries delivered to your house the following day. From responsibly sourced seafood to organic produce, their food comes to their campus straight from the source and is delivered to your door at peak freshness in just a few days. That's less handling by middlemen—and it puts more money in the bank for local farmers, skilled artisans, and responsible fishermen.
“It’s about the chicken…” says Chef Chris Scott (Top Chef Season 15), telling his new Connecticut fan base a story at his sold out Pop Up last Thursday night. And he’s about to knock nutmeggers socks off left and right with what he calls Real Soul Food, not the “gentrified” sort we’ve heard about or tasted before. There’s a story attached to the chicken, to the greens and black-eyed peas; there’s a story about the people who originally brought us the food. Real Soul Food is not just the celebrated dishes we’ve come to know and love. Chef wants everyone to understand the heritage behind this cuisine, and really hear about the ones who toiled long and hard for the meals we know as southern soul food. It’s time we learned about the Birdman; and Chef Scott is just the one to deliver the tale. He is passionate, he is immensely knowledgeable, he is experienced, and he just so happens to be one freakin’ amazing Chef.
Chef Matt Storch is at it again, this time with a concept that waxes nostalgic to his humble beginnings in the kitchen of the much loved Tex-Mex joint, "Tacos Or What?" in Westport. Tacos Or What was the local spot where Storch learned to love the business of food, and now, Match Taco is his latest venture going into the Black Rock neighborhood of Bridgeport.
Storch plans to get back to his roots (yes, his grandma actually owned a restaurant in Mexico City) and get his hands into some serious tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas...all the Tex-Mex food you could want. Additionally Match Taco will be filling those weekend morning comfort food cravings with a full menu of breakfast sandwiches. Intrigued? Read on...
