Known for her multiple James Beard Award and IACP Award-winning cookbooks, CT’s own Dorie Greenspan is back with 150 all new signature recipes in BAKING WITH DORIE (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; October 19, 2021; $35.00;). This new collection, her fourteenth cookbook, arrives exactly thirty years after her food writing debut, much to the delight of her legion of fans.
Kissaki has finally come to CT…Greenwich to be exact. The high end boutique sushi chainhas earned accolades from Eater, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Crains, to name a few. Most recently the upscale and wildly popular sushi eatery shot into the spotlight on Page Six when comedian Jimmy Fallon left a $400 tip at the Watermill NY location. CTBites is thrilled to announce the restaurant’s Connecticut debut.
Kissaki is the latest in a slew of sushi and omakase joints now calling Greenwich home, but none, so far, has what this has - it’s got chutzpah. The Greenwich venue marks the restaurant’s 5th location after The Hamptons, Long Island City, The Bowery and Columbus Circle. There are plans for further expansion in the near future.
The latest Video Recipe Book from the Jacques Pépin Foundation features over 40 culinary luminaries and will be available March 9th. After a successful Vol. 1 release, The Jacques Pépin Foundation, (JPF) an organization that enriches lives and strengthens communities through culinary education, proudly debuts Cook with Jacques Pépin & Friends: Vol 2. This Video Recipe Book features over 40 lauded chefs across the country including Marcus Samuelsson, Ingrid Hoffmann, Michael Voltaggio, Rick Bayless, Michael Symon, Carla Hall, Diego Galicia, Traci Des Jardins, and, of course, Jacques Pépin.
Each dish and drink featured in Cook with Jacques Pépin & Friends includes a personal, instructional video as well a printable recipe. The Video Recipe Book is available to all JPF Members, and in addition to Vol. 2., members can access Vol. 1. Combined, nearly 100 recipes and more than 12 hours of video instruction live on the Membership site. Every JPF Membership directly supports community-based culinary training programs nationwide that provide pathways to individual empowerment, better health and employment. Membership starts at $40 per year.
Moon is the newest restaurant to grace Greenwich’s illustrious restaurant scene offering a mixed culinary concept featuring an immersive cocktail experience, and an authentic Japanese Omakase experience. The upscale eatery boasts an interior with influences from both Asia and Europe. Sleek lines, natural elements of woods, stone and glass grace the interior offering an atmosphere that is sophisticated, elegant and welcoming.
How would you rank your cooking skills? Have you become a master baker or a serious mixologist at the bar? From baking or creating homemade pasta to perfecting classic cocktails, we have a list of VIRTUAL (& IN PERSON) COOKING & COCKTAILS CLASSES for you to get the creative juices flowing. Step up your kitchen and home bar chops now:
Note to Readers: Many below who offer classes in person must adhere to strIct Covid guidelines, please heed protocols. That said, there are plenty of online options as well.
Do you know of a cooking class spot we missed? Contact us.
Chef Jamie Bordonaro’s “day” job is Sous Chef at Millwrights Restaurant in Simsbury Connecticut, but over the past six years, Bordonaro has been working on a project of his own, in all of that “free” time one has as a chef. Jamie recently finished the publication of a cookbook titled, “Pursuit of Passion,” and as you can imagine, he is more than a little excited to finally be able to share the fruits of his labor with the public.
The cookbook is a personal narrative and compilation of Bordonaro’s cooking techniques, flavor profiles, and skills that he acquired throughout his culinary career. But it is so much more than that, and is grounded in purpose that relates to one’s own inner drive and the importance of creating opportunity within yourself to follow your passion.
Chef Silvia Baldini of Strawberry & Sage has released a wonderful new E-cookbook, “Room at the Table; Recipes from the Heart.” The cookbook is a collection of family recipes donated by ‘New Canaan Democrats’ members, friends, community leaders, and legislators. It’s a cookbook about the joy and benefits of sharing delicious meals with others. It is also about building a bigger table that welcomes and includes our friends and neighbors, embraces our diversities, and celebrates our expansive attitudes and values of compassion and care for everyone.
Contributors to the project include: Senator Kamala Harris—vice-presidential candidate, Chef Marcus Samuelsson— award-winning chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, philanthropist and food activist, judge on Chopped, Gloria Steinem— Activist, author, Feminist…and oh so many more.
What is it about fire? For most of human history, cooking over an open fire was the only way to cook a meal. Now, fire is just one technique in a chef’s culinary toolbox, but is one whose process and taste feel nostalgic, beautiful, and pure.
Enter the master of all things FIRE, Chef Dan Sabia, whoestablished Wood Fire Food catering and events in 2018 with a desire to cultivate deeper connections between food producers and eaters by blending his passion for design, Argentinian open fire cooking, community, and localized food, to transform the dining experience. His mission has always been to create an immersive and interactive experience where diners cultivate connections to their food, the chef, and each other. And now Chef Sabia is taking it one step further.
In the Covid era, where events and live cooking classes have been all but eliminated, and indoor dining remains at reduced capacity, Sabia is bringing a new dining experience to CT, with all the comforts of HOME.
About a year ago I was invited to a press event at Tony’s at the J House in Greenwich, Connecticut which I covered for CTBites here. So when we were recently invited back to experience the new Miku Sushi Pop-up I was delighted.
The owners of MIKU SUSHI K Dong, and Chef Steve Chen, have created a special partnership with Tony Capasso, managing partner at Tony’s at the J House, to launch an all-new “elevated” sushi bar at the upscale steakhouse.
The MIKU x Tony’s pop-up is led by Executive Chef Joe Liu, former head sushi chef at Tao and Masa in Manhattan. The special menu features many of MIKU signature rolls as well as two new rolls, exclusive to Tony’s. The Tony Roll is made with bluefin toro, avocado, scallion and spicy lobster salad, and J House Roll with king salmon, avocado, wasabi sesame and spicy yellowtail.
The owners of MIKU SUSHI on Greenwich Avenue, K Dong, and Chef Steve Chen, have partnered with Tony Capasso, managing partner at Tony’s at the J House, to launch an all-new “elevated” sushi bar at the trendy boutique hotel, J House, in Greenwich, Connecticut.
The MIKU x Tony’s pop-up is led by Executive Chef Joe Liu, former head sushi chef at Tao and Masa in Manhattan. Chef Liu trained uber master sushi Chef Daisuke Nakazawa, featured in the documentary film, Jiro Dreams of Sushi alongside world-renown master sushi chef, Jiro Ono.
The menu soft-launched this week and features almost a dozen of the MIKU signature rolls including two new exclusives, Tony Roll made with bluefin toro, avocado, scallion and spicy lobster salad, and J House Roll made with king salmon, avocado, wasabi sesame and spicy yellowtail.
Restaurants in Connecticut are now open for outdoor and indoor dining. That being said, for those who aren’t yet comfortable leaving their houses and actually visiting a restaurant, most, if not all, establishments are still offering excellent takeout options.
Now, I have Celiac Disease and have to follow a VERY strict gluten-free diet, and I know firsthand that ordering online or over the phone can be daunting and anxiety producing: how do I know that the chefs that are preparing my food are aware of the extent of my dietary restrictions? Mentioning an allergy over the phone or leaving a note in an online order isn’t as comforting as actually talking to someone in person and letting them know. HOWEVER, over this strange period of time, I have felt completely comfortable ordering online or over the phone at multiple restaurants with Celiac Disease! Here are a few of my favorite dishes from the restaurants I felt safe at:
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 Relief
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 Relief
Starting 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 week
So, 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.
If you’re missing in person cooking classes or simply want to spice up your usual repertoire, Connecticut caterers, chefs, restaurants, shops, and bartenders have the perfect solution: virtual classes! Want to bake a cake? Mix up a cocktail? Cook a savory meal? Get private instruction? Do it as a group? There are opportunities for all of it! Here is a guide to virtual experiences in Connecticut.
Episode #2 of our new Chefs At Home series is here…and It’s a good one. 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 Ultimate Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie. This guy knows his way around a kitchen. Those kids at Greenwich Country Day are darn lucky….Enjoy!
In addition to blazing trails with restaurants (Thali, INDIA, Indian Kitchen) Chef Prasad has begun to make his fans swoon on a more intimate level with a regular cooking school series. What a special treat. I recently went to one of his Sunday classes and came away with a whole new passion for Indian cuisine. And believe me, I’ve already been a giant fan for years. (Jackson Diner, Queens anyone? I lived in Jackson Heights for ten years).
Join the culinary professionals that lead the kitchens of Westport restaurants Terrain Cafe and Amis at Stamford Museum & Nature Center as they show you the joys of sourcing and cooking with the best in seasonal and sustainable ingredients. From salads and appetizers to entrees, pastas and desserts, this six-part series (January 27 through March 9.) takes you through the methodology of creating show-stopping dishes as you also learn how to source the best ingredients right in your own backyard.
For the next two weeks CTbites will be featuring a series of Thanksgiving recipes from local CT chefs. Some of these recipes will be family favorites, or dishes the chefs cook in their own homes. Others will grace the holiday menus found at your local restaurant. One thing is certain. They will all be delicious and worthy of a seat at YOUR table. Our second in this series comes from Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern On State. Enjoy her recipe for Candied Kabocha Squash.
