There’s a new fried chicken restaurant in town and it’s not like any other.
Last summer Lovebird opened its first Connecticut eatery at 2385 Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield on the heels of four successful Pennsylvania restaurants (Blue Bell, Bryn Mawr, Doylestown and Newtown.)
Stephanie Wilson Paulson, a long- time friend of founder John Ordway, decided to bring the restaurant to Connecticut and thought Fairfield to be an ideal location.
Lovebird is unique in that it is a celiac-friendly, gluten-free* restaurant that describes itself as a high quality chicken restaurant changing the way fried chicken is done, and redefining the way people are eating fried chicken. Free of GMO's, antibiotics, and unpronounceable ingredients, Lovebird uses only Gerber’s Amish Farm cage-free chicken for their made-to-order sandwiches, salads, and quinoa bowls, with vegetarian and vegan options. Diners shouldn’t overlook their sides, crispy Brussels, fried pickles and mac and cheese, all – of course – gluten-free!
Wildacre Rotisserie, a new fast casual rotisserie restaurant, will make its debut in Greenwich, CT in Spring 2022. Led by former Starbucks and sweetgreen culinary leader and Fairfield County resident Ben Pote, the restaurant will bring a fresh take on traditional rotisserie to Cos Cob. The concept of the eatery, both in cuisine and design, is inspired by California with a thoughtfully curated menu that offers something for everyone.
Rotisserie chicken and slow-roasted cauliflower are at the heart of the menu, complemented by entree-style salads, plant-forward sides, and sauces that are made in-house daily, with thoughtful pops of flavor throughout. The chicken, for example, is rubbed with bay leaf, oregano, and fennel pollen, giving it an herbaceous, savory flavor, while the whole-roasted cauliflower is sprinkled with za’atar, a Middle-Eastern herb blend. Wildacre’s salads are hearty enough for lunch and dinner, or to eat alongside a whole roasted chicken or cauliflower. Guests can order a la carte or select a bundled meal, which offers the choice of either a rotisserie chicken or slow-roasted cauliflower main plus two sides and two sauces. Side dishes range from french fries to roasted brussels sprouts, and the majority of the menu is gluten-free. The California influence shows up throughout the menu, which features ingredients like fennel pollen, meyer lemon, and avocado, and flavors inspired by Mediterranean, Central American, and Asian cuisines.
Tarrytown, Yonkers, Bronxville, Pleasantville, and now Stamford.
Since opening in 2014 in Tarrytown, The Taco Project’s popularity kept growing in Westchester, and now they’ve brought their brand of Mexican-inspired fast casualness across the state border to the busy High Ridge Shopping Center.
Co-owner Carmelo Milio—who’s one of The Taco Project’s head honchos with partners Sebastian Aliberti and Nicholas Mesce—mentioned that opening their fifth location in Stamford was a natural progression for their brand.
“Being that we’re all Westchester residents (Sebastian is in Pleasantville, I’m in Armonk, and Nick’s in Dobbs Ferry), we come to Stamford to hang out often,” he says. “We’ve always thought about opening here, but we didn’t necessarily want it to be Downtown, so we can cater to our fans in Pound Ridge and Bedford as well. We like to be in these type of neighborhoods where it’s a little more laid back, more families, but still keep a fun ambiance while getting your food to you quickly, like within 15 minutes or so.”
Avon Prime Meats, located in Avon, CT, was voted “Best Local Food Market,” an honor awarded for excellence as a butcher, but also due to their loyal following and footprint in the local community. In addition to having a reputation for top notch meats, they also serve as a specialty grocer, deli and caterer, but as of this week, things are heating up at Avon Prime Meats. Two smokers have been added to the kitchen, and their chefs have been honing the craft of smoking their prime cuts to get ready for the big launch of Avon Prime Smoked Meats. Why are we excited? Here’s what’s coming off those smokers hot and ready Sun-Wed: brisket, pastrami, baby back ribs, pulled pork, heritage slab bacon, and Old Spot pork are on the menu - and their deli customers are going wild. Not only can guests score these smoked meats by the pound (with some tasty BBQ sides), but the deli situation has done some leveling up with the addition of these house smoked sandwich meats.
Haven Hot Chicken, which brings Nashville Hot Chicken and “Not Chicken” to the area as one of the first fully dedicated Nashville Hot Chicken concepts in New England, has announced its opening of a second location in Orange, Connecticut. Located at 550 Boston Post Road, the 1400 square foot location will feature the brand’s signature menu of crispy, crunchy, juicy, spicy, delicious chicken and vegetarian options ranging from Country (not spicy) to Haven (extremely spicy), along with their famous fries and seasonal limited-time offerings.(Read our review of their New Haven location here.)
The Country Table recently opened its doors in the Glennville area of Greenwich, but the story behind this new popular eatery started roughly 25 years ago. Greenwich residents, Geoff Lazlo and Greg Oshins have known each other since childhood, and this concept has been in the works since the age of 10, when the highlight of their day was scouting the best deli sandwiches in the Greenwich area (shout out to their beloved Rinaldi Country Deli, still in business today). The search for the best sandwich was a strong part of their culture, deeply nostalgic, and the driving force behind this new brick-and-mortar extension of Geoff Lazlo Foods.
As keepers of Connecticut culinary intel, we field a lot of reader queries. One question commonly asked is, “where can I get really good quality, great tasting vegan food” that also answers the question, “why can’t I understand half the ingredients in the so-called “healthy” convenience store foods? We recently came across Plantidote Foods vegan, ready made plant-based patties, and they check all the boxes. They taste great, have just 10 nutrient packed ingredients, all of which you can see, pronounce and understand, and they are made right here in Norwalk CT.
I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all been here at some point: you go out to eat, thoroughly enjoy everything that passes your lips, and maybe (probably) eat a little too much because it’s so dang tasty and before you know it, you’re reaching for the Tums and the fat-pants, not necessarily in that order.
Well, I went out to eat the other night, thoroughly enjoyed everything that passed my lips, and did in fact, eat a bit too much but you know what? I left this establishment feeling….good, great, even healthy. “How can this be?” you ask. Three little words: Green and Tonic.
It makes sense that the name of this now one-year old, bright spot in New Haven means FIREWORK. Its innovative, delicious dishes are bold and vibrant and the space pops out like none other. I typically prefer a dimly lit space when eating out and yet Pataka’s electrifying, glowing design, produced in part by Box 8 Creative, will mesmerize you and make you a believer; this fast casual, one-of-a-kind, veggie Indian experience, could not be any other way. It’s as if it is Diwali everyday. In addition to being a part of his father’s restaurant Sitar (in New Haven since 2006), Harry Singh has already created a local institution with House of Naan under his belt since 2016; so, knowing the demands and demographic of New Haven, a serious pocket of CT’s culinary creativity, was a given.
The iconic Po Café is located in the heart of Washington CT and lives in a charming historic white clapboard house right next to the town’s post office – hence the nickname. The building, once home to a pharmacy and grocery store, sits across from the idyllic town’s church. The area served as the inspiration behind fictional town Stars Hollow made famous by Rory and Lorelei Gilmore. As soon as you walk through the front door you can almost imagine Luke standing behind the counter of the old fashioned soda fountain pouring a cup of coffee.
If you live in Fairfield County, you most likely already have a favorite Tasty Yolk menu item. Their breakfast sandwiches are the stuff of legends, and if you don’t know about The Tasty Yolk, well now ya know. The Tasty Yolk started as a single food truck in 2016, quickly added two more trucks to the lineup, and then opened their first storefront location in Bridgeport in 2019. And now…drumroll please…they are opening a NEW location in STRATFORD at 3530 Main Street, on Wednesday, October 20th.
The Connecticut chef began his culinary career as a cook while in the Navy. Afterwards he spent years working in kitchens at Connecticut restaurants including the Hard Rock Cafe at Foxwoods and New Haven spots such as Caseus, Olmo and High George. But he always knew he wanted to venture out on his own in some capacity.
“The industry is tough,” says his husband, Seth Wallace. “Not a lot of folks see a great future for themselves cooking on the line. And so we had talked for a long time about, ‘What are you going to do? And do you want to open something? And if so, what?”
Eventually, McGuire realized the answer could be found in his Filipino heritage and its culinary traditions, which he had never delved into professionally.
“It was one of those moments where I was like, ‘Oh, it's been with me this whole time,’” McGuire says. “I started to dig into my own culture and actually get more acquainted with just a lot of the things that I wasn't aware of when I was growing up as a child.” He adds, “It's been a really cool way to build relationships with other branches of my family.”
After opening Aux Delices and making the eatery a household name in Fairfield County, why wouldn’t Debra Ponzek want to open a new cafe to accommodate the busy shoppers, commuters and local Greenwich residents with the perfect place to grab a quick bite?
Located in the heart of Greenwich Avenue, Daily Cafe and Eatery serves the Greenwich community seven days a week with grab-and-go breakfast and lunch items, made with fresh ingredients catered to accommodate the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Ponzek and her team officially opened their doors on May 5 on the Avenue, which was their ideal location.
Connecticut is full of trailblazing women, particularly in the culinary world. Our ongoing column, “It’s A Woman’s World” is devoted to CT female influencers who’ve forged their own paths, often in food-related fields long dominated by men.
Whether farming the land, bringing healthy food to the masses, feeding an entrepreneurial spirit, or injecting feminism with food, these groundbreaking ladies have set a new definition of women’s work, creating new paths, and setting examples for those who follow.
Sara Oberhammer is someone I’ve personally wanted to feature for a while. Many of you might know her as a bartender at various restaurants around Fairfield County—and if you’ve had several of those mango margaritas with the spicy, salty rim at either location of The Blind Rhino, that was Sara’s award-winning creation.
While you still might catch her mixing cocktails at your favorite haunt, Sara has paved her own path in wellness, offering health coaching, personal training, and meal prepping colorful, nutritious bowls that are vegan, gluten-free, and even the dressings are homemade.
Look. I’m a lover not a fighter. So, when it comes to Pizza-in-Connecticut politics, I usually stand on this side of the pie. HOWEVER, I will always have an opinion. Here’s what I’ve concluded thus far: like coffee shops that seem to be on every corner, there’s always room for another slice. And, as Matt Stanczak, the mastermind and magic wand wielder behind Good Old Days Pizza agrees, as long as each shop is doing a little something different...then why not!?
So, let’s get our fric-on, shall we?
Talk about doing a little something different, the frico on Good Old Days’ “Detroit-Inspired” classic squares are such tasty, drool-worthy, dream-inducing corners of heaven. I’m not kidding. I think I’d go over and over again just to pick frico off everyone’s pie. Ok, maybe not amidst a pandemic, but you get what I mean. Salty, crispy and chewy brown bites of cheese that are like the edges of nonna’s lasagna. If that’s not all, the thick red sauce is bright, and the dough looks like it should be dense and heavy, but it’s not.
Nestled in a strip mall in the Broad River section of Norwalk, you could easily miss Antojos Columbian restaurant. You’ve probably driven by, and barely noticed it, or you may remember our write up on this hidden gem back in 2017. Whether you’re new to Antojos, or a loyal customer, you’ll want to pay attention. They are serving up some seriously tasty authentic Columbian fare, and some exciting new menu items have recently dropped. We felt they were ready for their close-up. Enjoy the photo journey, complete with menu names for easy ordering. Get that drool cup ready…
It’s not easy to find Romanian cuisine in the Nutmeg state. Aline and Christian Caldarariu, owners of the recently opened, Cafe Transilvania, say their new takeout spot is the only Romanian restaurant in Connecticut. The couple, both with backgrounds in hospitality and the culinary world, had intended to open a sit down restaurant pre-Covid, but the world changed, and so did their plans. Their new spot, located at 246 Post Road, in Fairfield CT, has opened to an enthusiastic response from both the large Romanian community in Fairfield County (who knew?), as well as local diners, who are excited to sample a cuisine that has previously eluded food lovers the Connecticut area.
The tumult of 2020 is all the more reason to celebrate hard this holiday season. Gather your loved ones, (in a socially distanced manner), anddo yourself a favor this year…hire one of these outstanding Fairfield County caterers. Consider it a little gift to yourself, and enjoy the season even more by taking the work off of your plate. 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…
This year, caterers are more full service than ever before, offering a range of catering options, both large and small. Whether you’re looking to bring in Friday night dinner with your family, or planning a small wedding, this talented crew can do it all.
