Ma! Mom! Mommmmmmmm! Mamamamamama! Let’s hear it for Mom or all those fabulous women who are like Moms to us. While, of course, we are thankful for them each and every second/minute/day of the year, let’s go a bit above and beyond on the day named for them. It’s only fair and for sure will be appreciated. And here’s your glass of Prosecco, Mom….or two.
Spring is springing and life is getting closer to resuming. Almost. And we’ve got a holiday on our doorstep! What are we to do for this lovely and happy holiday? Well, let’s do what we have been doing and support area restaurants, some of which are open for indoor dining and most have take away service of fabulous meal packages. Sit back, bask in the warming sun, enjoy the daffodils at your feet and have a beautiful Easter. And lest we forget…we are guessing you need some desserts and chocolate bunnies to add to your fun, so check out the CTbites Sweets and Treats Guide!
*Unless noted, all Easter specials are for Sunday, April 4th, Easter Sunday.
We love it when two of our favorite food brands team up for a pop-up that involves delicious carb-loaded brunch fare. You may have heard me sing some praise for Adam Goldberg and his ridiculously tasty Pop-Up Bagels. Well, he has found a new regular Stamford pop-up location and dedicated cooking team with Marcia Selden Catering. Last weekend, CTbites got the chance to tag along for some bagel making fun. And, don’t worry…if you missed this past week’s pop-up event, mark your calendars for March 6th, and follow @popupbagels for notifications because these bagels sell out QUICKLY!
So, here’s how this bagel making and baking went down.
Instead of the usual sports equipment, players, and fans, Super Bowl 55 will also be brimming with masks, wipes, sanitizers and safety cards this year. The stadium will be 1/3 full and sitting next to those real folks will be cardboard cutouts of more “fans”. Where is Flat Stanley when we need him? We can only hope a flat Bernie will be somewhere in that crowd. Pandemic aside, one bit of equipment for *any* Super Bowl remains the same: food. And lots of it. Crammed in a stadium or at home with just your pod, food reigns supreme on Super Bowl Sunday and Connecticut eateries and caterers are offering great packages for you (and Bernie. And Stanley). So eat up, cheer loud, and thank the heavens above that there are only cardboard cutouts of fans, not food!
Here are 45+ Restaurants, Sports Bars, and Caterers for Super Bowl 2021.
Ok, let’s face it…2020 was no bueno, and the restaurant industry was one of the hardest hit. In an effort to normalize a year where nothing feels normal, we leaned heavily on America’s favorite past time…eating. Whether we comforted ourselves with homemade bagels or ordered takeout to support our local restaurants, food was critical to our collective covid endurance.
While we would all like 2020 to dissolve into the depths of history, and never look back, it is that time of year when the CTbites staff temporarily puts down our forks and contemplates our most memorable annual eats. In the spirit of 2020 and the restaurant community that came together to support one another, we have added something special for you this year. We invited a few friends from the Connecticut blogging and social media scene to join in our Top Eats roundup. Start drooling and take notes.
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.
This year, Passover begins on April 8 and continues through Thursday April 16. Although Connecticut restaurants are still closed for their dine-in operations, restaurants and caterers across the state are still offering tasty to-go and delivery options for Passover meals.
Can I just tell you how great it is to go to bed at the end of a fall night with the smell of a bonfire in my hair? Both end-of-season Hadley & Occum Farm Dinners hosted by DORO were truly sort of magical. Not in the knight in shining armor kind of magical, but in the can we hold onto to this beautiful moment of community and let these flavors and aromas linger just a little while longer kind of magical. It was community, it was the beautiful Sub Edge Farm, it was tremendous food, and it was a recognition of what Bourdain always talked about: the power of sharing a meal around a table, no matter who is dining with you.
Nominated as one of five for 2019 Caterer of the Year by the Connecticut Restaurant Association, we know DORO Catering and Restaurant Group is a master at their craft. With the connection of four restaurants, Zohara Kitchen, Avert, Treva, and Artisanal Burger Company, the catering group has a culinary treasure troveof flavors and experience from which to pull for any event they cater.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and many of Connecticut’s best restaurants have Thanksgiving specials & catering worth gobbling up! From prix fixe menus to extensive buffets to family style to take-out, there are options for everyone. So don’t cry fowl– make your reservations today! Space is limited and seats fill up quickly, and get your catering orders in if you’d prefer to do Thanksgiving at home, without the work!
At Sherkaan’s first pop-up last Thursday night, the Flipindian Feast, I had to swim through the the hungry crowd and make my way to, literally, the last seat available at the long copper bar. From the pervading tiger logo (Sherkaan means Tiger King in Hindi) and hindi phrases on the walls, to the cascade of bicycles hanging from the ceiling, diners are definitely transported to the packed spaces of a Southeast Asian hot spot. In addition to all the things to look at, pungent spices filled the room; they were so entrenched in the air that my hair smelled of them the next morning.
If you were fortunate enough to try Geoff Lazlo’s food at Mill Street Bar & Table—or at The Whelk and LeFarm prior to that—you know to expect fresh, seasonal food from the restaurant chef turned private chef and caterer. With his latest endeavor, Geoff Lazlo Food, he’s popping up at venues all over Fairfield County and beyond. These days you’ll catch Lazlo flashing his skills at places that practice and preach sustainability like Mike’s Organic Delivery, The Hickories, Millstone Farm, and he even returned to cook at one of Gramercy Tavern’s 25th anniversary alumni nights where he was a sous chef for four years.
School has started. You know what that means, don’t you? The holidays are coming (sorry!). Plan now, get a jump on things. This will be your year to be…ready for it?…organized! We all love the parties and events that the holidays bring but they can also have us sighing and dreading them because, well, they are a lot of work, no matter how wonderful they are. With that in mind, maybe this is the year you opt for a caterer to help you enjoy the season and these delightful gatherings all the more. A gift to yourself, so to speak. This bunch of professionals will set up, decorate, coordinate and serve a wonderful variety of delicious morsels for you and your guests. You can rest easy as your beautiful event unfolds before your very eyes. Sometimes, we get by with a little help from our friends, and in this case, our friends who cater…
