Filtering by Tag: Recipe,Dining Guide

Miami Road Trip: MIABites.com's Guide To Dining Out In Miami

Features Restaurant Miami Dining Guide Travel

ellen bowen

With Winter upon us, and CT residents itching for some warmth and sun, we asked our sister site MIABites.com for a little dining advice for all those heading to Florida this season. Here are some of MIAbites Contributors Best Bites for "am to pm" dining in and around Miami, Miami Beach, Wynwood and the Design District.

Obviously, all of the Miami Beach hotels have top restaurants and prices to match. Jose Andres The Bazaar and Katsuya at the SLS South Beach, Scarpetta, StripSteak and Pizza Burger by Michael Mina and Hakkasan at The Fontainebleau , Mr. Chow at The W South Beach, Pao by Paul Qui and Los Fuegos at Faena and Jean Georges, The Matador Room at the EDITION, the relocated NOBU in the Nobu Hotel Eden Roc, are all popular and top picks where chances are you will have a delicious albeit expensive meal. But if you’d like to dig deeper into the Mimi food scene, check out our guide by category…


Chef Matt Storch's Recipe for "Day After Turkey & Waffles"

Features Recipe Recipe Thanksgiving Breakfast

CTbites Team

What’s for day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast? Chef Matt Storch of Match Restaurant & Match Burger Lobster has a great idea for all those leftovers. Bust out the waffle maker, that last slice of pecan pie people were simply too full to consume last night, and some tasty turkey bits for breakie.

Enjoy Chef Storch’s Day After Thanksgiving Turkey & Waffles. You’re welcome.


65+ Restaurants, Caterers & Farms for Thanksgiving 2021

Features Restaurant Thanksgiving Holiday Catering Guide Dining Guide Homepage

April Guilbault

Bring on the good food, the gratitude, and the tablecloth you use once a year-Thanksgiving is here! This holiday, thankfully, will be more about in-person celebrating than seeing how many Zoom family chats we can schedule between the appetizer course and the dessert course. Man, doesn’t it feel good to greet a holiday with thoughts of “looking forward to this!” rather than “how the heck are we going to do this?”. To that end, one of your biggest challenges this month will be which of these wonderful establishments to order your food from and you will win no matter who you choose. From turkeys and pies you can bake yourself so they are bubbly warm when you serve them, to vegan and gluten-free options and dine-in options across the state, bellies will be full and happy. You can even send a meal to a loved one or donate one to spread the love. Oh, and make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the list, where you will find places to order fresh turkeys. Eat up, celebrate well. Psst-We’d be remiss if we didn’t tell you that we are grateful for our fabulous readers. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!


Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins by Whitney Flood of Nine Main Café in New Preston

Recipe Features Recipe Baked Goods Muffin Gluten-Free

CTbites Team

Well it’s that time of year. What to do with all those pumpkin innards after your spawn (or you) have scooped and carved? Obviously, you eat it. Here’s one great idea from Chef Whitney Flood of Nine Main Café in New Preston & Farmers and Cooks, who has created a wonderful Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffin recipe for all of you gluten intolerant folks out there.


2021 Guide To Great Coffee In Connecticut

Features Restaurant Best of CT Dining Guide Coffee Tea And Coffee Breakfast Homepage

April Guilbault

September 29th is National Coffee Day. Coffee addicts unite. Or those who just love a good cup o’ joe, stand up. Love learning about coffee and trying new varieties? Raise your hand (or mugs). Coffee is here! Connecticut is happily strewn North to South, East to West with roasters, cafes and lots of folks who know a whole lot about these little beans that captivate our attention. There are roasters who have subscription services, cafes with drink lists a mile long and honestly, many happy and caffeinated faces to go with each. You could spend all of next year jumping around the state and trying each one of these…hey, why not start now? And psst-if we have missed any places you love, please let us know in the comments section!


2021 Guide To Waterfront Dining in Connecticut

Features Restaurant Dining Guide Waterfront Outdoor Dining Best of CT Summer Dining Homepage

April Guilbault

If there is one thing that makes us long for summer all year long it is the ability to eat, play, explore, even sleep and just “be” outside. That carefree feeling of stepping outdoors without the boots and the hats and the puffy coats. Grab your flip-flops, maybe a bit of sunscreen and off we go! Ah, the carefreeness of it! And eating outside? How can it be that a bit of sun and air will elevate even the simplest food? A hot dog never tastes better around a campfire or at a ballgame. A bag of chips at the beach with a sandwich? Perfection. So, to that end, we have compiled a list of GREAT WATERFRONT DINING spots-some of which have indoor dining with fabulous views and many perch you outside on beautiful, expansive decks or docks to enjoy their dishes. If a simple hot dog tastes great outside, these venues will have you giddy.


Guide to Connecticut Lobster, Clambakes and Seafood Shacks: 2021 Edition

Restaurant Features Best of CT Seafood seafood boil Lobster Lobster Roll Lobster Bake Clambake Dining Guide homepage Homepage

April Guilbault

It is doubtful that, when mentioning summer eats, lobster anything wouldn’t be in the Top 3 list of foods that folks love, drive miles for, yearn for during the winter months and spiritedly debate (hot? cold? with mayo? just butter?). Well, summer is here, time to strap on that bib, lick those buttery fingers and well, get crackin’. From piled-high lobster rolls and creamy bisques, to hot fried clams and fluffy fritters, seafood rules the roost when temps rise and those ocean breezes soothe the soul. Whether you are searching for a lunch by the water or hosting a party for friends (weee! finally!), these venues will add some buttery fun to your summer days. Bon appetit! Here, let me tie that bib for you….


75+ Spots For Ice Cream, Gelato & Frozen Desserts In CT (2021 Get Licking Edition)

Features Restaurant ice cream Italian Ices Gelato Kid Friendly Best of CT Dining Guide Summer Dessert Frozen Yogurt Homepage Highlight

April Guilbault

Sitting on a bench, licking a drippy ice cream cone on a warm summer day or a balmy evening can be, well…sublime. The skies are clear, the sun or moon is hanging in the sky-all is right with the world and these are a few moments to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. And creamy rich ice cream or scoop of blissful gelato is one of those pleasures, indeed. Honestly, unless you have dropped that cone (bloop, splat! *tears*), when have you ever gone for ice cream and left unhappy? Cream, fruits, swirls of caramel, bits of chocolate chips, a nut here and there-nothing can beat it. Take a few moments this summer to enjoy those simple things, like a cone with a friend or even by yourself. Here’s a list to point the way…

Enjoy these 75+ Spots for Ice Cream, Gelato and Frozen Desserts in CT.


Classic Strawberry Shortcake Recipe from Kosher Like Me & Barberry Hill Farm

Recipe Features Recipe Dessert Local Farm

Liz Rueven

If you’re lucky enough to live anywhere near a farm that grows strawberries, be sure to venture out to pick your own. When you tire of having sweet, ruby tinged juice staining your fingers, and you can tear yourself away from eating every other berry you bend to pick, head home to bake these easy and classic strawberry shortcakes.

Thank you, Christy Colasurdo and Tracey Medeiros, for sharing this recipe from their just released cookbook, The Connecticut Farm to Table Cookbook; 150 Home-Grown Recipes from the Nutmeg State, June 2015. This beautifully photographed book is a celebration of the local and seasonal. Although it highlights CT. chefs, the recipes are suitable for all die-hard locavores anywhere.


Roasted Spring-Dug Carrots with Pistachio Dukkah & Crème Fraîche from Lauren Braun Costello

Features Recipe Recipe Farm Fresh Farm To Table Healthy Eats

CTbites Team

This recipe can be made with regular, conventional orange carrots, but spring-dug rainbow carrots from the farmer’s market are a colorful celebration of time and place like no other. Seasoned with a pistachio dukkah (an Egyptian nut-herb-spice blend traditionally made instead with hazelnuts, plus sesame seeds, coriander, mint, cumin, and salt and pepper), the flavors are both unexpected and familiar. Crème fraîche, with its creamy, sour finish is the icing on this proverbial carrot cake. Fresh microgreens complete the dish, offering more visual and textural contrast.—Lauren Braun Costello


Pizza Bianca with Mushrooms and Bacon via Westport Farmers' Market

Features Recipe Pizza Recipe

CTbites Team

I have been making this dough for so long, I do not even remember where it came from. It has been my kids’ favorite since they were small, and it still is now that they are all grown up ;-). It is essentially foolproof, and takes no time to whip up. Because I wanted to represent as many vendors from The Westport Farmers’ Market as possible, and make it as close to a one-stop-shop recipe, I added some flour I had on hand from Kneads Bakery, and it worked. So this just goes to show…who says you can’t shop local + seasonal in the Northeast in March?!?


Cook with Jacques Pépin & Friends Vol 2 On Sale March 9th!

Features Cooking Virtual Cooking Classes Recipe Recipe Video Cookbooks Homepage

CTbites Team

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.


Mexican Hot Chocolate Bomb Recipe via Connecticut Food & Farm Magazine

Features Recipe Recipe Dessert Hot Cocoa Chocolate Kid Friendly

CTbites Team

This recipe for Mexican Hot Cocoa Bombs is from the winter issue of Connecticut Food and Farm Magazine, written by Juli Mancini, Recipe Developer and Food Stylist, who is obsessed with the visual organizational of all things edible, botanical, and chocolate.

Hand made with solid chocolate, these decadent Mexican hot chocolate bombs produce an unrivaled cup of rich cocoa. Hot chocolate bombs are hollow hand crafted chocolate spheres, placed in a mug with a pour-over of hot milk or coffee. Bombs are packed with surprise confections, slowly exposed as the chocolate melts from the heat of the liquid. Mexican hot chocolate bombs are a fine place to start, especially if you love a spicy twist, but personalize your own creations to taste. It’s simple to marble the chocolate for a really beautiful look. Simply package in cello-bags or stack in Mason jars and you have the perfect Valentine gift - unexpected, entertaining, and delectable.


Butternut Squash “Alfredo” with Crispy Prosciutto from Herbaceous Catering

Features Recipe Recipe Healthy Eats

CTbites Team

Tis the season for, yup, you called it…SQUASH. Chefs around CT are busily creating new ways to use this seasonal bounty and Genee Habansky of Herbaceous Catering, has come up with this recipe for Butternut Squash “Alfredo” with Crispy Prosciutto. We feel strongly that the addition of prosciutto to just about anything vastly improved the dish, and this Squash Alfredo is no exception. Make it at home and let us know what you think. You can find all the gorgeous squash you could ever need at The Westport Farmers’ Market, or at any local farmers’ market near you. Support local!


Eat The Rainbow: Kasha & Root Vegetable Stuffed Purple Cabbage Recipe from Chef Lauren Braun Costello

Features Recipe Recipe Vegan Vegetarian

CTbites Team

Lauren Braun Costello is a local chef and author. You can find her @itslaurenofcourse.

This stuffed cabbage features kasha (coarse buckwheat groats) loaded with a rainbow panoply of sautéed root vegetables of your choosing. Unlike a traditional sweet and sour stuffed cabbage that is braised in a tomato sauce, this recipe calls for neither additional cooking after the wilted cabbage leaves have been stuffed, nor for a sauce. The result is a vibrant dish that highlights the crunch of the cruciferous cabbage. Make this dish entirely vegan by cooking the kasha without an egg.


Taco Daddy's Cheesy Cracker Crusted Fried Chicken & Waffles Crunch Wrap Recipe

Recipe Features Recipe Tacos

Stephanie Webster

CTbites recently partnered with Taco Daddy’s Chef Mo Major to help promote Milton’s new Cheesy Cheddar Crackers (which are really rather delicious). We asked Chef Major to create a Crunchwrap with the addition of these snackables, and in 30 minutes he came out of the kitchen with this ridiculously tasty recipe for a Cheesy Cracker Crusted Fried Chicken & Waffles Crunch Wrap. Guess what? Now you can make it at home. Enjoy!


Cavatappi with Carrot Pesto and Lemon Arugula by Sue Smith, Prime Health Style

Features Recipe Recipe Vegetarian Pasta

CTbites Team

What’s cooking people? The Westport Farmers’ Market and Sue Smith from Prime Health Style, have a great vegetarian recipe for the pasta lovers out there. Cavatappi is the Italian word for corkscrew, hence the name of this spiral-shaped, macaroni-like pasta. It’s ideal for use with a thick sauce, here paired with a zesty carrot pesto. This vegetarian recipe creates a tasty and satisfying summer one-dish meal, or can be served as a side dish. See notes below for easy vegan and gluten-free substitutions.


Summer Quinoa Salad with Peaches and Minty Lime Dressing via Westport Farmers' Market

Features Recipe Recipe Kosher Gluten-Free healthy Salads

Liz Rueven

When peaches hit the summer market in CT there are plenty of reasons to celebrate. I love everything about them: their seductive fruity fragrance, their juicy sunny flesh and most of all, their versatility.

In this easy quinoa salad, peaches lean more savory than sweet, making this the perfect accompaniment to grilled fish or chicken. But remember that quinoa is a complete protein on its own so feel free to make this the whole meal and be done. I'm already dreaming about this salad for breakfast with some luscious creamy goat cheese or salty feta.


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

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!