To “86” or to “eighty-six” something is a term commonly used in the hospitality industry. It’s defined, maybe best so, in the Urban Dictionary, where it’s summarized as “getting rid of something, removing it, or refusing service.” If a dish is popular for the evening, and thus, sold out, you might hear a chef say something like, “86 pasta special.” But to “reject, discard, or cancel” or to 86, has a different meaning to Beto Ortiz in the present day. Ortiz, the founder of Humans of the Kitchen (think Humans of New York for the service industry), a chef in his own right, and someone who’s open about his own struggles with mental health, substance abuse, and an overall rebellious nature, started the 86 Challenge, a wellness program for chefs and restaurant professionals.
This fall, Mystic will play host to the Mystic Cocktail Classic (November 7–10), a new event celebrating the creativity and craftsmanship that define modern mixology. Presented by Veritable Distillery, the festival will bring together some of the most respected voices in the spirits world for conversation, competition, and coastal hospitality.
Today, organizers announced the 12 semi finalists who have advanced to the next round of the Mystic Cocktail Competition, which takes place during the event’s finale on Monday, November 10.
Bartenders and mixologists from across the country were invited to submit entries across four key spirit categories - liqueur, gin, rum, and whiskey. Submissions arrived from over 25 states, reflecting the competition’s nationwide appeal. Entries were evaluated on originality, balance, technique, presentation, and storytelling, by a panel of industry experts.
There’s a new hot spot in New Haven, but you might drive past it without blinking.
This small, waterside gem is located within the Pequonnock Yacht Club in the tranquil City Point neighborhood of New Haven. It’s housed in the building that was formerly City Point Kitchen, just in front of Shell & Bones, and is the pride and joy of restaurateur couple Larry Wang and Bilian “Nia” Chen.
Despite having what may be the most progressive omakase menu in the state, Little Lotus is deeply rooted in history. So, if you enjoy things delicacies like sea urchin, O-toro, A5 Japanese wagyu beef, foie gras…and blow torches… keep on reading.
Fridays and Saturdays are for sipping…TEA! Pinky extension for each taste of herbal, green, or black tea is mandatory, of course. On the heels of Elm’s overhaul of their interior and food menu, afternoon tea is back! If it feels like we’ve taken this tea journey once before, we certainly have. Back in 2021, I covered Elm’s spread of scones, bites both savory and sweet, a piping hot teapot, and for an extra charge, and if you desire, a glass (or bottle, if that’s how you get down) of bubbly.
Join 365 Collective by Abigail Fox + Serendipity for a special evening with Dana Pollack, founder of the cult-favorite Dana’s Bakery and author of the brand-new cookbook Bake It Gluten Free: 100 Recipes for Classic Treats (out October 21, 2025), on November 6, 2025 from 6 - 7:30pm.
In her first fully gluten-free baking collection, Dana reimagines beloved desserts and baked goods, think Confetti Birthday Cake, Babka French Toast, Monkey Bread, and Strawberry Shortcake Cookies so everyone can enjoy them, without sacrificing any of the flavor of the original. With her trademark creativity and expertise as a trained pastry chef, Dana makes gluten-free baking approachable, fun, and irresistibly delicious.
Gioia, an Italian restaurant, market, gelateria and rooftop space located at 150 Wooster Street, New Haven, is hosting “Chefs for Chef,” a 5-course tasting dinner on Sunday, October 26 beginning at 6pm. In partnership with the Connecticut Restaurant Association, proceeds from the dinner benefit the Connecticut Hospitality Education Foundation, supporting education and opportunity in the local hospitality community.
The event will begin with a festive welcome cocktail and passed bites, followed by a five-course dinner featuring a signature dish from each chef with wine pairings. Participating chefs include:
Tyler Anderson, Millwright’s Restaurant
Tim Cabral, Gioia, Ordinary
Prasad Chirnomula, Chef Prasad Indian Cuisine
Michelle Greenfield, Allium Eatery
Avi Szapiro, Gioia
Chelsea Tripp, Kouign
Tickets are $175/pp for café and bar seating (not including tax and gratuity), and $350/pp for VIP Chef’s Counter Seats (only 4 are available!).
SoNo 1420, America’s Maritime Distillery in South Norwalk, CT, recently introduced its new food service partner, Norwalk’s popular LobsterCraft food truck. The partnership between SoNo 1420’s Double Gold Award-Winning whiskeys and spirits and LobsterCraft’s #1 voted lobster roll, make for a great new weekend visit in the Norwalk food scene.
This collab takes place amongst outdoor firepits, SONO 1420’s outstanding cocktails c/o mixologist Blake Poon, every Thursday-Saturday 5-9PM, with live music every Friday!
Whether you're planning a holiday party, corporate retreat, dream wedding, or milestone celebration, the right venue sets the tone for the entire event. Across the state, there are countless hidden gems and well-known favorites that offer the perfect backdrop for gatherings of all kinds, each with its own charm, amenities, and atmosphere. Scenic shoreline locales. Historic mansions. Elegant ballrooms. Rustic barns. Wineries, distilleries, and breweries. Restaurants, inns, and pizza joints. A vintage car club. A lace factory. A historic opera house. A room dedicated to Vlad the Impaler. And yes, much, much more. Connecticut offers an incredibly diverse range of unique event spaces that cater to every style and occasion and transform any event from ordinary to extraordinary. In this guide, we’ve curated a list of the best event spaces across the state, each selected for its ability to create unforgettable experiences. No matter your vision or guest count, there's a perfect space waiting for you here. This list is organized by county for your convenience.
TThis is a dinner you won’t want to miss. On October 22nd, Chef Jared Falco, of Bar Rosina’s is teaming up with BJ Ryan’s for an iconic Italian family-style dining experience, to honor the legendary Chef Michael Maroni, of Maroni’s Cuisine. Yes, there will be black burgundy and white truffles from NUNZIA involved, as well as caviar from Pierless Seafood.
After well over a decade serving traditional carnitas and Mexican street food on Bridgeport’s State Street, owner and lifelong taquero, Gil Salvador Perez Hurtado, is shutting down shop at his beloved Super Taqueria Las Salsas. October 19, 2025 will be the final service day for the legendary taqueria which, if you read our story in 2024, began first as a low-key pop up out of Hurtado’s apartment, then became one of the state’s more popular food trucks, before he moved it to a brick-and-mortar location.
’Tis the season of football, hayrides, haunted trails, apple picking, pumpkin cold brews—I could go on and on. But in honor of the first weekend of fall, let me set the scene: it’s a crisp 60-degree Sunday morning, you’re heading back from the farmers market with a slightly overstuffed bag of fall goodies, just to go rot on the couch and alternate between RedZone and Gilmore Girls. A New England fall is like no other and, in my opinion, one of the best times of year.
The farmers market in question is New Haven’s Edgewood Park Market, and the bag in question is filled with treats from Downright Breads—a micro bakery in the greater New Haven area where the wonderful baker Soli, alongside her family, serves up absolute heaven in bread form. We’re talking sourdough, cookies, challah, cinnamon rolls, English muffins—the list goes on. After a quick trip down Whalley Ave, I indulged in a full feast of Downright Breads’ offerings, and I’m here to report back on my five favorites.
Walk through the doors of Jeff Taibe’s izakaya, Bar Bushido, and chances are, you’ll be greeted by Kylie Keeley, especially if you’re sitting down at her bar.
Correction. One of her bars.
The pub part of Bar Bushido—where you’ll find yakitori, ramen, karaage chicken, DIY hand rolls, and other Japanese bar bites—is where Keeley says the “drinks match the energy.” The izakaya is a vibe; it’s loud (but with good energy), casual, and a great hangout for any occasion, and it’s where she’s rocking out a drink list of highballs, creative sake bombs, and cocktails ingredients (especially Japanese ingredients) that should spark your curiosity and tickle your tastebuds.
At the very back of the space is Bar Bushido’s alter ego, a quieter, more intimate hand roll bar, where Keeley’s cocktails are more focused on highlighting a certain flavor profile.
Over the past months, I’ve been on a quest to find the best pizza in the Valley, exploring Waterbury and its neighboring towns. Now, it feels like the right time to turn my attention to what many consider the epicenter of Connecticut pizza: New Haven, where you're met with no shortage of options to explore. When a couple of buddies and I were scheduling a pizza lunch, we decided to sidestep the potential chaos of Wooster Street and headed over a few blocks to Modern Apizza on State Street. Once you manage to find parking, be prepared to wait, and count yourself lucky if you have that lucky timing of an immediate opening. We arrived just after noon and, to our good fortune, a booth was open in the back room. We took it as a sign of good things to come. As soon as our server arrived, we ordered a couple of bottles of Foxon Park, Kola and Root Beer, then got down to topping talk. We kept it semi-classic: one pie fully loaded with pepperoni and the other topped with sausage and onion.
Just a mere mile and change from the Delamar Southport and Artisan, founder Charles Mallory’s Greenwich Hospitality Group has opened a new luxury hotel with a restaurant, Dandelion, that’s been booked solid for weeks right out of the gate. “We took ownership of it 2-3 years ago,” says Delamar’s corporate director of restaurants, Hicham Amaaou. “I’ve been working with Frederic Keifer (Delamar’s corporate chef/partner) since Artisan Southport in 2012, then West Hartford, and we created La Plage together from scratch. But this is two separate entities and the food is very opposite.”
After drawing more than 13,000 votes and months of anticipation, the State of Connecticut officially unveiled the Connecticut Pizza Trail — the first-ever statewide trail celebrating the pizzerias, makers, and partners that earned the state its title as the Pizza Capital of the U.S.
The launch event took place at Modern Apizza in New Haven, the number one vote-getter in the statewide survey that determined the trail’s Top 100 pizzerias.
“Pizza is one of America’s most beloved foods, and nowhere does it better than Connecticut,” said Anthony Anthony, Chief Marketing Officer for the State of Connecticut. “For more than a century, our apizza has been a source of pride, community, and economic strength. The Connecticut Pizza Trail brings that story to life – and this new experience for residents and visitors alike shines a global spotlight on the people and places that make this state the undisputed Pizza Capital of the U.S.”
The Connecticut Restaurant Association (CRA) has announced the honorees and finalists for the 2025 CRAZIES Awards, an annual event which recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s hospitality community. On Monday, December 8, hospitality owners, operators, chefs, industry staff and vendors from across the state will come together at Foxwoods Resort Casino to celebrate the success of their industry and honor winners across more than 20 award categories. Last year’s CRAZIES gala hosted 1,500 guests and generated more than 25,000 online public votes.
In 2024, when I interviewed Sal Bagliavio, the co-owner of Bailey’s Backyard, about his second spot, Taco Dia in Newtown, he very cryptically mentioned that he and chef/co-owner Forrest Pasternack were actively looking to open something else, somewhere else to follow up their taqueria.
Cosetta Pizzeria and Paninoteca on the Post Road in Fairfield is that something else—and what it is, simply put, is a more gourmet version of the neighborhood slice shop, plus sandwiches (including breakfast), house-made pastry, and coffee.
Coffee is more than just a drink. For many, coffee is an important step in their morning routine and an absolute necessity before starting the day. With National Coffee Day being celebrated on September 29, there’s no better time to check out Connecticut’s vibrant coffee scene. From cozy neighborhood cafés to trendy specialty shops, we’ve rounded up businesses across the state where you can grab your favorite cup of joe. Whether you are into the latest coffee trend or you like to keep things simple with just cream and sugar, there’s a coffee shop in Connecticut perfect for you. To make your search for your new favorite coffee spot even easier, we’ve organized this guide by county. Simply scroll to your local county to find the nearest coffee shops.
Last week I had the opportunity and privilege to attend the opening dinner at the newly opened Omakase Westport Restaurant at 45 Saugatuck Avenue in Westport. The vision of Chef Edwin comes to fruition in an incredibly intimate setting. Renowned for his ability to seamlessly blend traditional Japanese techniques with modern flavors and innovative presentations, Chef delivers a memorable experience.
With decades of experience in prestigious New York City establishments including Sushi of Gari, Nobu, and Tender at the Sanctuary Hotel, Edwin has honed his craft to perfection. His most recent endeavors includes spearheading the sushi program at TerraSole Ristorante in Ridgefield, CT, and showcasing his talent at Omakase in New Fairfield.
In collaboration with TerraSole owner Scott Yandrasevich, Chef Edwin is introducing his unique Omakase offerings to the local community, sourcing the finest seafood from Japan and fresh local catches. His passion for the art of sushi, combining the traditional with the modern, and dedication to excellence promise to delight and inspire all who visit Omakase Westport.
Introducing the New Haven Pizza Club Pizza Bagel Tour, a delicious fundraiser with 100% of all proceeds going direct to Feeding Families- including all costs that are also donated.
The Pizza Bagel Tour is a pop-up pizza bagel collab with Olmo Bagels X New Haven Pizza Club X a rotating New Haven pizzeria. Each pop up will be at a different Pizzeria and their 2nd stop is the iconic Modern Apizza on OCTOBER 6th, 6-9PM at Modern Apizza at 874 State Street in New Haven.
What began as a dream to unite people through a universal symbol—pizza—has evolved into a movement rooted in storytelling, collaboration, design, and immersive experiences. The Pizza Bagel Tour brings together legacy New Haven businesses and iconic culinary voices to create one-of-a-kind moments that transcend art and food. But at its core, the project has always pointed in one direction: toward the mission.
