Who doesn’t love a wedding? Wait…what? Did you know that Oktoberfest got its start in 1810 as a celebration of the wedding of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen? (please try saying that last name after a stein of brew.) We can get onboard with any wedding celebration that involves giant pretzels, bratwurst for miles, and beer flowing like a Bavarian river. Another little factoid for you to thrill your beer-buddies with: the current Oktoberfest in Germany only serves beer from the original six breweries in Munich. Our list, lucky for you, is a tad longer. You can call that a win and not even have to fly anywhere. Oktoberfest, weddings, whatever you are celebrating-Raise those steins! Prost!
Enjoy these 25+ spots to celebrate OKTOBERFEST in Connecticut!
Gotham Burger Social Club teams up with Winfield Street Coffee for a POP UP to remember on July 11th 12-4pm ( Rain Date - July 10th 12-4pm.) This collaboration will include the award winning Gotham Smash Burger paired with Aperol Spritzers, Pasta Salad, Artisan Tater Tots & Nutella Stuffed Cookies as add ons. Local vendors like Longford’s Ice Cream will be scooping their small batch, along with Living Juice spiked with Cylinder Vodka and RowHouse Stamford will be show casing what they offer on their Rowers. Note: this will be a pre order event all info on Instagram : @gothamburgersocialclub.
RHK Seafood Boil and Bar, located at 19 North Water Street in the heart of SoNo across the street from the Maritime Aquarium, is launching a new Wednesday “Aperitif Hour.” Beginning Wednesday, June 30, the weekly special will run from 4-8pm. For $23.99, guests can select one beverage (choice of house red or white wine, beer, Negroni, Old Fashioned, Campari Spritz or Aperol Spritz), and following in the European tradition, receive a rotating selection of “Chef’s Choice” small bites.
Join Washington Prime Sono for their 7th Anniversary Yacht Party on Thursday, July 22nd. They set sail at 9:00PM with DJ Norbs 3000 spinning and kicking off the beats. The Patio Deck will have a Tiki Tequila Bar sponsored by Olmeca Altos 100% Agave Tequila! We also have High Noon Seltzers in the house all night long!! No Cover Charge. Dress to Impress. All White or Hawaiian Style. This Event is a 21 and Over Event Only.
Did ya know?? You can buy straight off the boat local oysters, clams and lobsters from The Oysterman’s Daughter, a small ‘hidden’ shop located at the boatyard where Copps Island oysters are harvested and distributed nationwide. It was created with the intention of providing fresh shellfish straight off the boats to the consumer from the folks at Copps Island Oysters. It is a lifestyle shop selling an assortment of different products unique to boaters and beach lovers alike.
On May 14, Chef Geoff Lazlo will host a virtual cooking class to benefit The United Way of Greenwich. A $40 box comes with all of the ingredients that you need to make a 2 course dinner at home. Start by creating a Lionni Latticini Burrata & Sugar Snap Pea Salad. As an entrée, follow along to cook a Half Chicken, Roasted Tomato & Chickpea Ragü with Asparagus. Email geoff@geofflazlo.com for more information.
Chef Tyler Anderson of Millwright’s will lead a virtual cooking class on May 15. Purchase a kit ahead of time, which includes all the ingredients you will need for an hour long cooking class with Chef Tyler Anderson via Zoom. Pan roasted asparagus with sauce gribiche, Lobster gnocchi with spring vegetables and pesto, and Lemon bars with chantilly cream are all on the menu. Wine add-ons available!
Ordinary & Roia of New Haven are teaming up for a Virtual Cocktail & Food Pairing Class on Friday, May 15th at 7:30pm. Cocktails by Ordinary and Food prepared by ROIA! All options will be vegetarian and all kits will be picked up at Ordinary. https://roiarestaurant.square.site/
Kombucha is delicious and nutritious! Cross Culture Kombucha Taproom & Brewery will teach you how to make your own at home in their Kombucha Homebrewing Workshop on November 21.
The eight of you who read my work know about my passion for all things Italian: the espresso, the wine, the men (hmm, sore subject), the music (1990s Zucchero anyone?), but, when you have good, really good Italian food, it can truly be a spiritual experience.
And that just happened. At Strega in Branford. Owner and pizzaiolo Danilo Mongillo alongside his Chef Marco Giugliano have broken ground, dug their hands in, and come out with gold. Mongillo, from Puglianello in the Benevento region of Italy, has been in Connecticut since 2014 and says he’s been so thankful for the Branford community for how welcoming they’ve been since the restaurant opened in 2016.
Donut Crazy, a local, family-owned eatery specializing in unique donut flavors (lovingly called Dailies and Crazies), today announced the opening of its newest location in Branford. Housed in the newly renovated 972 West Main Street, the take-out restaurant offers the full Donut Crazy menu.
Conveniently located in a bustling part of town, the approximately 500-square-foot store is dine-out only, but incorporates the same fun, funky atmosphere as Donut Crazy’s other popular locations. The comprehensive menu includes 45 varieties of donuts baked daily, avocado toast, breakfast sandwiches, and Dr. Smoothie products, as well as Rise Brewing Co.’s nitro coffee and chocolate milk on draft.
When Paul Staley, the celebrated chef and owner of Branford’s Reverie Kitchen, was growing up in Madison, he had a paper route. One Thanksgiving, he folded a menu for rolls and pies into each New Haven Register. Soon, his customers were asking if he could make them the same for Christmas.
“I used the money I earned to pay for cooking classes with Jacques Pepin,” said the genial 53-year-old, who went on to hone his skills at the Culinary Institute of America, then worked as a sous chef in all-world restaurant Nikolai’s Roof in Atlanta, where the five-course prix fixe dinner once had a one-year waitlist.
“The food was elevated,” Staley said with palpable enthusiasm on a recent afternoon at Reverie Kitchen, the Branford Hill bistro with the sublime cuisine and the improbable location alongside a cleaners, one story below a nail salon, and amid a throng of fast-food joints.
“We used everything with the best ingredients. We were constantly pushing the envelope,” said the Madison resident, who was also a pastry chef at Robert Henry’s (now Union League Cafe) in New Haven and once cooked for Pope John Paul II.
Caseus Fromagerie Bistro, located in New Haven, will hold a “Porters and Stouts Beer and Cheese Pairing Class” on Monday Dece,ber 4 from 6-7:30pm. They’ll pair delicious dark brews with cheeses from their fromagerie. Tickets are available online and costs approximately $45.
On Tuesday December 5, Baldanza Café in New Canaan will team up with South Avenue Butcher for another Baldanza Butcher Dinner. There are two seatings: 5:30pm and 7:30pm. Tickets are $100 (which includes tax and gratuity) and can be purchased by calling 203-966-4000.
On Thursday December 7, Kosher Like Me food blogger Liz Rueven will present an interactive cooking class focusing on Chanukah latkes (potato pancakes). Students will prepare a classic recipe in addition to learning how to make seasonal variations and fruit sauces to top them with. Feel free to BYOB.
Soul Tasty in Stamford's Chef, Jean J will be featured on the TV show CHOPPED! They are having a viewing party Thursday, Dec. 7 at Acuario Restaurant (78 W. Park Place Stamford,CT) from 7:30-10:30pm (episode airs at 9pm). Head on over!
Then on Sunday November 26, Washington Prime will have a Homecoming Family Brunch Buffet. Join them for one of 3 different seating times: 11AM, 12:30PM, and 2PM. The price per person is $34.95 per person and includes a complimentary bloody mary, mimosa, or bellini. Children are $19.95 and tots under 4 are free.
Prime: An American Kitchen and Bar in Stamford’s Harbor Point now offers a “Power Lunch.” When you order the two-course $24 price fixed lunch, they guarantee you’ll be in and out in 35 minutes from when your order is taken. Prime is open for lunch from 12:00pm - 3:00pm, Monday through Saturday.
Inspired by a recent inquiry from a local chef, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite places to take a flavorful break on the way to or from Connecticut’s casinos. No need to gamble on where to stop for a bite; the southern shoreline towns along I-95 dish up some amazing food—from banh mi to seafood, donuts, Greek specialties and more.
Branford
You’ve heard us say it before, but the recommendation bears repeating: look no further than Takumi Sushi, Ramen & Lounge for the finest sushi and ramen around!
The summertime heat makes me crave a meaty backyard barbecue with crunchy roasted corn on the side and finished off with a sweet slice of juicy watermelon. But where can you get a meal like this if you don’t feel like cooking at home? Mix summertime with the great eats in Connecticut, and you get a barbecue wish list extraordinaire with several spots ranking high on CTbites’ favorites list and others that we really need to try.
While the rest of us were hibernating this winter, Justin Kingsley, Pit Master at The Stand in Branford, was up daily at the crack of dawn, cleaning and firing up the restaurant’s duel smokers in the pitch black. “Anyone can BBQ in September,” he quips as he opens one of the smokers to reveal shelves of pork shoulder and chicken slow-cooking for that night’s dinner. They look like perfection – rubbed with love and house-made spice blends he’s developed through trial and error with co-owner Eamon Roche. Justin tells me, to get the best flavors, they “draw inspiration from everywhere, see what works, and then make it our own.”
I heard it through the grapevine their ramen was simply divine, so off I went to check it out. Then, I sampled their sushi, and an ongoing dilemma emerged—what to eat today? Must I choose? Ideally, you’ll want to go with someone who loves both, so you can share and have the best of everything, all in one artfully presented meal. You’ll find it all under one roof at Takumi Sushi, Ramen & Lounge on Route 1 in Branford.
Shoreline locals talked up Hanami for years, so if you remember that spot, it’s now Takumi. And it’s fabulous. I’ve been making the trip to the shore just about every week to get my fix since December. A simple, contemporary space where you can take a break from the hustle and bustle and focus on dining deliciously.
Whether you're a foodie or into food rescue, Food For All, the hottest strolling culinary event in Fairfield County, is the place to be on April 26th. Help Food Rescue US end local hunger while enjoying tasting plates and specialty cocktails from the region's top restaurants. Trust us - you don't want to miss this buzz-worthy, drool-inducing, "take a picture of this food!" night to benefit Food Rescue US. With every $1 donated = 20 rescued meals, as a guest at Food For All you know you're making a significant difference to hungry families!
Restaurant sneak peek: Fortina, Fleishers Craft Kitchen, INDIA, Mecha Noodle Bar, Room 112. Visit event page for a full lineup of restaurants and details.
The Venezuelan-inspired Jojoto Restaurant + Bar is opening in Branford this August. Owner Victor Figueroa and Neil Fuentes, our favorite Singing Chef, have teamed up for a restaurant that is "high-energy, Latin infused with authentic Venezuelan dishes."
Jojoto will open in a 40-seat intimate dining room that was previously occupied by Augie's Restaurant. The menu will feature rustic and traditional recipes that take inspiration from the land as well as the nearby shoreline, and include:
Costillas de Res of sofrito and cabernet braised short ribs with polenta, gremolata and truffle essence; Venezuelan BBQ with beef tenderloin, chicken, pork, choice of chorizo or blood sausage, yuca, guasacaca and crema fresca; Hamburguesa Venezolana piled high with lettuce, tomato, ham, queso, avocado, bacon, crushed potato chips, slaw, ketchup, mustard, garlic sauce, topped with a duck egg and served with truffle fries; Pabellon Criollo with rice, black beans, shredded beef and sweet plantains; and Gallinita Rellena, deboned, crispy skin Cornish hen stuffed with leeks and sweet plantain with an orange, lemon grass and honey reduction. Seasonal paella preparations and market fresh fish dishes change daily.
From the same folks that brought us Roomba and Tacuba, comes the shoreline's newest restaurant, Beach + Barn. The dynamic husband and wife team of Chef Arturo and Suzette Franco-Camacho have reimagined their space in Branford, re-opening their Main Street restaurant as a casual "country to coast" lunch and dinner retreat.
Their approach is "to create an everyday, neighborhood spot with great tasting, affordable food." After several years of running successful restaurants in New Haven, the couple moved to Branford. Beach + Barn is their thoughtful response to living and working within the Branford community for the past several years, and a distillation of what they believe was missing in the restaurant scene in the shoreline, and especially Branford.
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re experiencing a taco moment.
The latest in the list of talented Connecticut chefs to jump on the taco bandwagon (or in his case, back on it) is Arturo Franco-Camacho and his wife Suzette, the dynamic pair behind our state’s latest taco joint, Tacuba in Branford. Opening just this past week, Tacuba isn’t exactly in the neighborhood, but trust me when I tell you this is a place you should know about.
The folks behind one of the state’s first taco carts sixteen years ago, the initial iteration of South Norwalk’s Habana, New Haven’s beloved Roomba and upscale Bespoke, they couple is currently running Branford’s Suburban, and now Tacuba and the adjacent wine bar, Swill.
