Filtering by Tag: BBQ,Tacos

40+ Sports Bars, Restaurants, BBQ joints, Pizzerias, Caterers, and More For Super Bowl LVII Orders

Restaurant Seasonal Super Bowl Chicken Wings Pizza Catering BBQ Sports Bar

Carly Terzigni

Whether you are rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Kansas City Chiefs, or Rihanna, nothing can bring the whole family around the television like the Super Bowl. And whether you are into wings, nachos, pizza, or all of the above (like us), there is no shortage of great food options to munch on while watching the game (or the commercials).


Mexicue Opens in Westport: Mexican-American ‘Classics Re-Mixed’ (via Westport Journal)

Restaurant Westport Openings Mexican Cocktails Tacos

Gretchen Thomas

This just in from Gretchen Webster of Westport Journal.

The day after Westport’s newest restaurant, Mexicue, opened at 38 Main St., founder Thomas Kelly said the “contemporary Mexican-American restaurant” was off to a good start.

He and Lynn Wilson, Mexicue’s operating partner, took about a year to plan and open the downtown location, once the site of the Bobby Q’s and Onion Alley restaurants.

The Mexicue in Westport is the seventh owned and operated by Kelly and Wilson. There are three others in New York City, two in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area and one in Stamford.

Tacos and margaritas are featured fare on the Mexicue menu.

“People like a good margarita with tacos,” and a place that is “fun and vibrant with loud music and strong drinks,” Kelly said.

Read the complete article at Westport Journal.


Former Nosh Hound Food Truck Owner Maycie Ralbovsky Joins Broken Symmetry as Executive Chef

Brewery Features Interview Restaurant Brewery Chef Talk Tasting Tasting Menu Tacos Mexican Craft Beer beer Homepage Broken Symmetry Bethel

Andrew Dominick

Ask any Fairfield County food truck fanatic what their favorite one was over the past handful of years and they’re likely to mention Nosh Hound if they know what they’re talking about.

The stacked sandwiches, the tacos, the burgers, and the bowls, and yes, even the “F” word…FUSION. It all really worked for Nosh Hound. I, for one, sought out Sam and Maycie Ralbovsky’s truck at every Mill River Park event. My final Nosh Hound memory was at Half Full’s Oktoberfest in Downtown Stamford when I obliterated a pork schnitzel sandwich.


It's Not Too Late to Visit The Last Taco Stand at Norwalk Cove Marina

Features Interview Seasonal Tacos Food Truck Homepage Seasonal Norwalk

Andrew Dominick

The thing about most food trucks in our area is that they’re seasonal. Once the weather gets frosty, they hibernate until the flowers begin to bloom again. But still, it’s better to have found quality eats late in the season than not at all.

I first heard about The Last Taco Stand (and we LOVE the name) in a couple of Norwalk local Facebook groups, then when I posted a quick Instagram story that I was planning to check them and their picturesque tacos out, that’s when my friend, Dominique said it was a good idea. Dom’s one of the folks I trust when it comes to food and drink, so when she told me that Neil, The Last Taco Stand’s owner, is “the best” and to make sure I get the sweet potato taco and “any of his hot sauces,” I knew I had to follow her instructions.


Más Tacos Por Favor! La Taqueria Expands to Darien

Features Interview Restaurant Tacos Margaritas Mexican Fast Casual Openings Darien Homepage

Andrew Dominick

A little more than two years ago, Dennis Lake opened his fast casual, but gourmet approach to a taqueria right at the top of Greenwich Avenue. Now he’s taken his homemade blue corn tortilla tacos, Mexican side dishes, and margaritas to Darien’s The Corbin District with a second location of La Taqueria.

But don’t call it a franchise. Maybe don’t even ask him if that’s the plan, even if it does lend extremely well to damn near every city and town. Instead, Lake would likely prefer you call it a well thought out expansion.


Connecticut Taco and Margarita Festival Comes to The Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in October

Events Features Tacos Festival Bridgeport

James Gribbon

The people demand tacos, and on October 15th at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, they shall receive tacos. And also margaritas. Naturally.

The 2022 Connecticut Taco and Margarita Festival at The Amp is available to anyone with $15 and dream to eat tacos, drink margs, see live wrestling from Adrenaline, maybe get their face painted, have access to shop vendors, test their courage at the hot sauce expo, and possibly gain a championship of their own at the taco eating contest.


Farmboys Smokin' BBQ Opens Brick-and-Mortar in Danbury

Features Interview Restaurant BBQ Danbury Openings Catering Homepage

Andrew Dominick

Right on South Street on Connecticut Route 53 is one of Danbury’s newest restaurant openings, Farmboys Smokin’ BBQ. But Farmboys is only new in the sense that it’s finally a brick-and-mortar sit-down spot where guests can salivate over platters of smoked meat and carby sides right before you begin to tear into the BBQ that’s in front of you.

The fact is, Farmboys has been a barbecue brand since 2011. Its founder and pitmaster, Matt Lombardo, started his BBQ journey after having less than stellar experiences at a restaurant he was once fond of.

“There used to be a place in Brewster that I won’t name because I won’t be that asshole,” Lombardo recalls. “I loved their brisket. One day I watched them pull it out of the fridge, throw it in the microwave, and feed it to me. I didn’t ask the first time if it was fresh, but the second time I went, they told me it was fresh, yet they did the same thing! That led to 15-16 years of BBQ for me. I started in my backyard, then started doing pop-ups to get a real public opinion instead of just serving to friends and family.”


Mex Spot Restaurant Opens in Norwalk at Former John’s Diner Location

Features Interview Restaurant Mexican Homepage Openings Tacos

Andrew Dominick

f you’ve driven by the stretch of Connecticut Avenue in Norwalk in the past few years by Baci Deli and directly across the street from Utopia, you may have noticed signs of life in the old John’s Diner.

The skinny on John’s Diner dates back to 1927 when Joseph Flynn transported the diner/trailer from Port Chester to Norwalk. But the “John” in John’s Diner didn’t actually happen until 1939 when it was run by John Ferandino, then ultimately his son, Michael, until 1994.

John’s Diner has been closed ever since.

But it’s back! Sort of.

Gone are the ultra-affordable blue plate specials and breakfast platters and in place of the diner fare are tacos, elote, fajitas, burritos, and some fun Mexican fast food in a burger with caramelized onions, grilled pineapple, bacon, Swiss, and grilled jalapeños.


Roadrunner Kitchen + Bar: Santa Fe Inspired Street Food in Black Rock

Features Interview Restaurant Black Rock Bridgeport Tacos Cocktails Family Friendly Homepage

Andrew Dominick

There’s only one way to begin an article about a restaurant that bears the name RoadRunner, and that’s with very Looney Tunes-like MEEP, MEEP!

Now that we’ve gotten the silliness out of the way—for now—it’s time to dish on this Bridgeport newcomer.

RoadRunner Kitchen + Bar comes to the Black Rock neighborhood from the New Canaan Restaurant Group whose restaurants include Gates in New Canaan and Bruxelles Brasserie in South Norwalk.

RoadRunner, though, is the polar opposite of its sister restaurants in terms of its high energy, casual vibe that suits families as well as adults who simply want to kick it at the bar and crush a few tacos.

But make no mistake, just because you read “tacos” doesn’t mean this is a Mexican joint. It’s New Mexican inspired. No, not like New American, but with Mexican food. We’re talking Santa Fe street eats and easy drinking cocktails with some fun shots thrown into the mix.


The Taco Project Opens in Stamford with Vibrant Mexican Fast Casual Fare

Restaurant The Taco Project Tacos Mexican Fast Casual Cocktails Stamford Openings To-Go Lunch Homepage

Andrew Dominick

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 Butchery Heats Up With New Smoked Meats Program

Restaurant Features Avon Butcher Butchery BBQ Deli Catering Caterer Lunch To-Go

Stephanie Webster

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.


Tacombi, NYC's Beloved Mexican Taqueria Sets Sights on Westport

Features Restaurant Mexican Openings Westport Tacos Breakfast Lunch

CTbites Team

This just in from The Westport Journal….

“The old filling station, at 1680 Post Road East in Westport, built circa 1955, and most recently home to AJ’s Farmstand, might soon be Tacombi’s latest outpost, minus the vintage VW with an air-cooled engine.”

This beloved NYC taco, burrito and quesadilla mecca has just been approved by planning & zoning, to move into Westport. Their tag line is “Connecting you to Mexico,” and the menu is the real deal.

Tacombi’s website says…

“We purchased a 1963 ‘combi’ bus in Mexico City, wheeled it slowly (very slowly) through the Yucatan peninsula and parked it comfortably in the once-sleepy, now wide awake, beach town of Playa del Carmen. The engine was scrapped, transmission sold, seats swapped for cooking equipment, and the roof was reeled back to produce a taco serving stand with warmth, charm and character.”

The chain opened its first brick-and-mortar location in New York City in 2010, where the bus is displayed inside. Since then they have expanded throughout NYC, and have locations in Long Island, Miami, and Virginia.


@ The Corner and Chef Carlos Perez Open ATC South Street Featuring High End Tacos + Cocktails

Features Interview Restaurant Litchfield Cocktails Tacos Openings Homepage

Andrew Dominick

Chef Carlos Perez is a busy man. Not only is he running the kitchen at the popular @ The Corner, a 2021 CRAzies winner for Best Restaurant West Region, he’s somehow found time to open a separate concept right next door.

Unlike @ The Corner, ATC South Street is not New American…it’s all about tacos, Mexican-inspired shared plates, and mostly agave-based craft cocktails.

“We (Perez along with owners Jayne and Red Lamphear) started working on it last March when the hair salon next door went out of business,” Perez says. “The place was a blank canvas. And we knew the opportunity wouldn’t come up again, so we jumped on it. We floated the idea of a pizza concept but there’s already enough of that. In the past at @ The Corner, we did Japanese sushi fusion with Mexican tacos as a pop-up, and they did well. We thought to go straight up Mexican because there’s not a lot of that here.”

We’ll get to the food soon. But what there’s also not a lot of according to Perez and bartender Alfie Gonzalez, is a spot that stays open a bit later than the rest for a younger crowd and for the restaurant industry. Whether it’s at 11:30 a.m. when they open, or 11-something at night, there’s a smooth Oaxaca old fashioned, a sweet (but sneaky) Painkiller, or some other tequila cocktail just for you. And if you want something that’s not listed, we’re betting they can make it. If wine is more your speed, they’ve got some of that, as well as plenty of local craft beer from the likes of Hoax, Two Roads, New Park, and Kent Falls.

While you enjoy the first sips of your cocktail of choice, do it with “small plates” and “sides” that are large enough to be shared. Chips & salsa at ATC South Street actually come with more than just salsa, there’s guac and queso that accompany it. But maybe the best sauce of them all comes with baked yucca fries. The habit forming black garlic mojo aioli is pungent, but kind of sweet, and all kinds of creamy. It’s the perfect dipper for the crispy outside, starchy inside of the yucca fries. If there’s any of that sauce leftover, don’t let the server take it away. You’ll use it on something else.

The rest of ATC South Street main menu is all about tacos. Each comes on Mi Tierra organic corn tortillas made with three ingredients (corn, water, and lime) grown and processed in the Connecticut River Valley.

What’s on (or in when you fold it!) each taco is mostly Mexican. The short rib in the birria taco is braised low and slow for six hours in a tomato base with malbec and beef stock. Perez told us that they continue saving the rich liquid for the next batch and make sure they skim the fat to make their consommé. If you know birria, you know that the consommé doesn’t only come into play when the tacos are getting toasty and melty on the flat top, but you get a little sidecar of it for taco submersion.

The pork taco (pineapple mango chutney, pickled cabbage, apple chayote salsa) is also braised for six hours in an orange juice, citrus, and garlic mojo, while the chicken tacos (pepita mole, avocado, pickled red onion, cotija cheese) are thighs braised in Tajin, a spice predominantly made up of ground chilis, salt, and lime.

Perez, though, who’s classically French trained and has a strong pastry background, mentioned that Mexican is a base for what ATC South Street intends on being, but that you will most certainly see him express his creativity with fusion tacos. On the initial menu, there’s a Japanese influenced tuna taco, served seared and rare, with carrot-seaweed slaw as one of its components.


Hindsight BBQ: Must Eat BBQ in Waterbury

Features Interview Restaurant Waterbury BBQ Hindsight BBQ Homepage Lunch Catering Comfort Food Openings

Andrew Dominick

When you pull up to Hindsight BBQ, it looks like a barbecue joint. Forget the fact that you can smell the smoke off the wood for miles or the sight of a packed patio area of carnivorous customers smacking their lips on ribs, wings, and definitely the brisket. You might even forget you’re in Waterbury. The setup of picnic tables, greenery and flowers, fire pits, an outdoor bar, and massive smokers all make you feel like you’re about to eat BBQ in a setting reminiscent of the south.

The man behind Hindsight is Jeff Schmidt. And he wants you to feel like you’re at a BBQ restaurant.

Schmidt is a self-proclaimed “restaurant baby.” His mom, Jayne Lamphear along with stepfather Red, own At The Corner in Litchfield and Black Rock Tavern in Thomaston. Schmidt has general managed at both, including a decade long stint after his family opened At The Corner.

Schmidt first got into the BBQ game as a hobby, but it quickly progressed into a pop-up. “I started doing it at Black Rock Tavern some weekends and,” he says. “COVID happened and I wanted to do new, so I did BBQ every weekend and that turned into every day. I even did pop-ups for brewery owners at Kent Falls, Tribus, Counter Weight, and Fox Farm. As the pandemic became more manageable, I said to myself, ‘I don’t want to stop doing this.’”

So he didn’t.

The pandemic, Schmidt told us, was a good opportunity to take the leap to do something that was solely his restaurant baby, so he found a space. “This place maybe would not have been available if not for the pandemic,” he says as he begins to laugh. “It was a diner years ago, then it was a place where you could come and have a drink with hot models! It wasn’t a strip joint, but it basically was! It was painted hot pink inside with black ceilings.”

Of course, like any BBQ enthusiast, and believe this, Schmidt is uber nerdy about the ‘cue craft, he continued his education with a trip down south. He spent time in Texas (one being LeRoy & Lewis BBQ in Austin), Georgia, and other states expanding his knowledge and learning from guys ingrained in the BBQ scene so he could bring elements back to Waterbury with him.

So, what’s Schmidt’s BBQ style at Hindsight? There isn’t one.


314 Beer Garden Opens at Former SoNo Marketplace

Features Restaurant Craft Beer beer Beer Garden ct beer BBQ Norwalk

Andrew Dominick

Some of you may remember the multi-vendor and artist space known as SoNo Marketplace at 314 Wilson Avenue. Don’t worry if you think it passed you by, it was sadly only open for a blink. But if you do recall, the courtyard area of the “market” was always set up for events and an outdoor bar with draft lines. Some years ago, SoNo Marketplace did host a chili cookoff and a pig roast with Half Full Brewery.

In 2021, that patio space has been resurrected as 314 Beer Garden, complete with 13 taps and all the essential biergarten décor with Adirondack chairs, picnic tables, string lights, and a massive fire pit smack dab in the center of it all.

314’s intro beer list on draft and in cans included a strong Connecticut brewery presence. New England Brewing Co.’s signature, hoppy Sea Hag and Supernaut were both available, as was Evenflow, a crushable lager from Hamden’s own No Worries.


Avellino Family BBQ Launches Food Truck at Third Place by Half Full Brewery

Features Restaurant Food Truck BBQ Sandwich Burgers beer Stamford Openings Homepage

Andrew Dominick

Leland and Sarah Avellino now have their BBQ spin-off.

If you recall, I covered their preorder smoked meat pickup concept earlier in 2021 and asked a question about whether Avellino Family BBQ would grow into a storefront. The answer was sort of a “not yet.”

Forget the brick-and-mortar. Think food truck. And it has a residence at the brand-new and stunningly beautiful Third Place by Half Full Brewery in the South End of Stamford.

Unlike Avellino’s BBQ pickup that includes pounds of smoked brisket, racks of ribs, and half chickens, the truck’s focus is sandwiches, some of them with smoked meat, some of them “smashed,” and others are occasionally grilled and sauced.

Let’s start with one of their signature smoked sammies. It’s a wagyu tri tip—served cold and shaved to the thickness of deli sandwich meat—with crispy shallots, a tangy dollop of BBQ sauce, and horseradish aioli.

Their other truck staple, you ask? A prime brisket blend double smash burger, melted American cheese, and Zap sauce (think Big Mac sauce with some heat) on a Martin’s Potato Roll.


¡Ay Güey! Cocina Mexicana Opens In Stratford

Restaurant Stratford Mexican Delicious Dives Tacos Lunch Openings

James Gribbon

There's a spot in Stratford most people can't see. An eighth of an acre, give or take, on Rt. 110 between I-95 and the River Road, where nothing seems to exist unless you're looking right at it. Focus your eyes on the spot, and your mind might register the word "Deli" on the storefront, which itself might be different each time you did, because they've been opening and closing in the location for years, flashing in and out of existence with the frequency of the scroll on an electronic billboard. There was nothing wrong with any of them, they just didn't send a signal from enough people's eyes to their brake pedals. A new spot has them taking notice.

¡Ay Güey! Cafe & Cocina Mexicana is a wholly different concept, and has transformed the space as much as the food served within. Everything from every deli before it went out the window. The interior is bright white, with inset drink coolers and a few tables for inside dining, while the sidewalk patio has been joined by a fenced and landscaped outdoor dining area to the side. Snag a Mexican Coca Cola, Mundet, Jarritos, etc. and whatever from the case and take a good luck the menu. Horchata, Topo Chico, and cafe de Olla (coffee dosed up with cinnamon and Piloncillo raw sugar) are also available for the soda-averse.


Chef Carlos Perez Debuts New Menu & A Sneak Peek at His Mexican Spot...Coming Soon!

Restaurant Litchfield Mexican American Tacos Openings Lunch Brunch Asian Dessert Homepage

Jessica Ryan

When asked if I wanted to head back to Litchfield to check out Chef Carlos Perez’s new spring menu at The Corner Restaurant and get a sneak peek into his newest Mexican venture (around “the corner”) I replied with a resounding Hell Yeah!

I first met Chef Carlos last July in the courtyard outside of his then new restaurant. It was in the height of the pandemic and I was thrilled to have an excuse to get out of dodge, but I had no idea just what was in store for me. (You can read more about that here.)

Last week, on a cool, rainy May day I hopped into my car for the beautiful hour-long drive along the newly verdant landscape. The drive there was the rainbow leading me to the proverbial pot of gold - The Corner Restaurant.


Smoking Again: Pitmaster Leland Avellino Opens Takeout-Only Avellino Family BBQ

Features Interview BBQ Pitmaster Norwalk Homepage Comfort Food Catering

Andrew Dominick

Leland Avellino is a name that might be familiar to local BBQ enthusiasts. Even if you can’t recall, there’s a good chance you ate at the Stamford branch of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que at least once. Avellino, who was a partner, didn’t only open that location in 2012, he went on to become the company’s corporate executive chef before he transitioned away from that role to return to the BBQ pits in Stamford because as he puts it, “I met my wife, had two kids, and life on the road wasn’t good for that, so I came back.”

When Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Stamford decided to pull the plug in June 2020 due to COVID-19, Avellino got antsy. He wanted to feed people clamoring for his smoked meats and he needed to get back to work to feed his family.

“I was sitting home, I was bored, and I wanted to feed my people,” he says. “I bought this 500-gallon converted propane tank smoker on a whim. I looked at tanks in Texas, Kansas, I talked to pit bosses all over to find a good one. I bought this one (built in Austin) locally from a guy who was going to do something in Greenwich, and he didn’t because of COVID. I bought it without telling my wife! I pulled the trigger, and boom! Here we are!”

The “here” is in the Glenbrook section of Stamford, at 47 Larkin Street, past Lock City Brewing and Marcia Selden Catering, at ONTHEMARC Events where Avellino uses a commercial kitchen space and parks his smoker by the front door.

At Avellino Family BBQ, he’s not doing the same ‘cue he did at Dino.


BAR New Haven & Bear's Smokehouse Partner Up for NEW Brisket Pizza, Launching TODAY

Features Restaurant Pizza New Haven New Haven Pizza BBQ News Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe

It’s official. It has now been scientifically proven that pizza does in fact bring unbridled joy and happiness upon all who partake. You can thank me for the revelation later. In the meantime get your asses over to BAR for their brand new seasonal pie, which might just knock your jingly socks and ugly Christmas sweater right off.

In what might be the best late-2020-collab since Bieber and Mendes’ “Monster,” BAR and Bears’ Smokehouse BBQ had a baby that you’ve got to try: Brisket Pizza featuring Bear’s BBQ brisket and Kansas City Sauce. White, mozzarella, Cheddar, Brisket, BBQ sauce, jalapeño, red onion and cilantro. Take a minute to read that again and focus on every ingredient. I’m sorry, but it is just down right sexy. Not any one ingredient overpowers the next, but all shine through like a little dance in your mouth. Wash it down with BAR’s own Highland Outlaw and your holiday has been made.