Restaurateur Jody Pennette Opens Live Music Venue Meets "French Dive Bar" Music & Industry in Norwalk Features Interview Restaurant Cocktails Bar Live Music French Norwalk Music Homepage Interview Andrew Dominick December 29, 2024 Veteran restaurateur Jody Pennette is no stranger to opening restaurants and bars all over the world, but his latest, Music & Industry in South Norwalk is different from the rest. This one, you see, is his, and his alone. “This is the 505th one I’ve opened, and it’s the only one I own,” he says. “I’m like a songwriter versus being a singer—I’m creating things for other people to perform. I size them up to see what I can do for them and try to deliver something that’s going to be a market worthy story.” Read More
Colt Taylor Opens The Essex Brasserie in Branford Interview Features Restaurant Openings Branford French The Essex Colt Taylor Homepage Andrew Dominick November 08, 2024 From a cantina to a brasserie. From Mexican to French-ish. But for Colt Taylor, the idea of his space on Branford’s N Main Street is for it to stay as a neighborhood spot. With that said, Taylor’s Los Charros Cantina is out as of August 31 and he immediately got to work on bringing a version of his acclaimed Old Saybrook restaurant, The Essex, a bit further south. At The Essex Brasserie, Taylor’s idea is a super casual, come as you are spot, that’s not only allowed him and his staff to streamline their thought process every day by not doing two very different menus and styles of food, it’s also to give his customers something they’ve been asking for. Read More
Allium Eatery in Westport: Nominated for Best CT Chef 2024 Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Restaurants French Modern American Westport Chef Interview Homepage Andrew Dominick October 09, 2024 Now almost three years old, Michelle Greenfield’s Allium Eatery started out, as she puts it, “small.” Her restaurant, inside, is also small. Put a dozen people in there and it feels full. When the weather cooperates, Allium can take some walk ins for patio dining, otherwise you have a choice between either the 5:30 seating or the 7:30. n this case of “small,” small is good, and Greenfield’s restaurant is one of the hottest tickets in town. No website, just social media, and they’re more active on Instagram, FYI. And chances are, when a table does wiggle free from a prior reservation on busier nights, it’s a given that someone will see their Instagram story announcement and snatch it right up. Read More
Restaurant L’Ostal Debuts New Bar-Only L’apero Menu Features Interview Restaurant Darien Happy Hour Cocktails Burger French Homepage Andrew Dominick July 21, 2023 Evolution is part of the progression of any restaurant, even one as damn good as Restaurant L’Ostal in Darien.Should you need a crash course in L’Ostal’s Provençal cuisine and on chef-owner and 2022 CRAZies “Chef of the Year” nominee, Jared Sippel, we covered all of that HERE a little more than a few years ago. Read More
L’escale Celebrates its 20th Anniversary on Greenwich's Waterfront Features Restaurant Greenwich Waterfront French Raw Bar Wine Events Yacht Experience Anniversary Jessica Ryan July 19, 2023 The iconic Greenwich restaurant known for its exceptional cuisine and timeless charm, is commemorating its 20th Anniversary this year, marking two decades of culinary excellence and cherished memories.Located at the Delamar Greenwich Harbor Hotel and founded in 2003, L’escale boasts an award-winning menu and extraordinary wine program. The restaurant’s stunning setting, décor and cuisine instantly transport you to the Cote d’Azur, if only temporarily (and without the need to step on a plane!) The picturesque setting conjures images of an Auguste Renoir painting of diners lunching au dehors, en plain air, and Edith Piaf serenading in the distance. The restaurant sits above the docks on the harbor with the stunning picnic boats and yachts below. L’escale represents a quiet, understated luxury, and whether it’s caviar or a juicy burger you’re craving, you’ll find these items and many more on the menu. Read More
First Look: Washington Prime and BJ Ryan’s Owners Open The Benjamin in Ridgefield Features Interview Restaurant French American Ridgefield Homepage Openings Interview Andrew Dominick June 07, 2023 Ridgefield’s West Lane is about to look a whole lot different after the transformation of Bernard’s Restaurant and Sarah’s Wine Bar to The Benjamin, brought to you by a trio of well-known Norwalk restaurateurs in Dave Studwell and Rob Moss of Washington Prime and B.J. Lawless of BJ Ryan’s Restaurant Group. Read More
Call, Respond, Then Run to RSVP for Beautiful French in West Cornwall Features Restaurant Seasonal Road Trip Homepage French Chef's Tasting Tasting Menu Tasting Cornwall West Cornwall Litchfield Andrew Dominick August 19, 2022 Several months ago, I’m certain my reaction to my dear friend, Katy, mentioning RSVP was something like, “Yeah. That means respond.” If we’re being technical, it’s actually “répondez s'il vous plait” or translated from French to English, “respond, if you please.”Until Katy finished her thought by telling me that RSVP a French restaurant in Litchfield County that she heard about from one of her friends who’s a bartender. “He raves about it,” she said.As is always the case, time passed. We kind of forgot about RSVP and barely looked into it for weeks, even months. Only occasionally we’d briefly bring it up, referring it as “THAT French place in Cornwall.” Read More
From Port Chester to Norwalk: Appetit Bistro Brings French Inspired Menu to SoNo Features Restaurant Interview French Norwalk Port Chester Homepage Andrew Dominick November 15, 2021 Oui, oui! You did hear correctly. There is a new French bistro on the block in South Norwalk and it goes by the name of Appetit Bistro.And while it may be new to Connecticut, it may not be new to some of its residents. For six years and counting, Appetit Bistro has been a staple in the village of Port Chester.For Montoya—who co-owns the restaurant with executive chef Ismael Carias—opening a second location three towns and a city away from the original was a no-brainer because of the fanfare they’ve received from the state that’s a stone’s throw away.So, with that, they’re bringing all the duck a l'orange, chicken paillard, steak frites, and buttery, garlicky escargot you can handle, right to the center of SoNo.But the pair’s French theme didn’t simply happen just because.“He (Ismael) ran the kitchen at Crew in Greenwich,” Montoya says. “And I fell in love with French food when I started working at L’escale back in 2002. It was my first job ever and I loved it. I was there for five years. I ended up managing BLT Steak in White Plains and we opened our desired concept because we knew we would be the only French bistro in Port Chester.”Their love letter to French food is evident at Appetit. Dishes are sometimes classic. The steak frites certainly is. Hard seared hangar steak, crusty on the outside, cool red on the inside, and tender as all hell—whatever that means to you. It’s served as it should be with a pile of salty shoestring fries and some frizzled onions that await the residuals of what should be a generous pour of the black peppercorn sauce. It’s always my ideal French meal when paired with a bold merlot or a strong Sazerac depending on the night. Most often for me, it’s the Saz. Read More
Introducing The Charles Underground: Darien Butcher Shop's After Hours French Alter Ego Features Restaurant Darien Darien Butcher Shop Underground Dinner French Homepage Andrew Dominick August 01, 2021 It’s past 6 p.m. The Darien Butcher Shop is closed. You cruise by and you see people inside. Some are standing, others are sitting at community tables, and they’re all probably enjoying a glass of vino while they chat, laugh, and catch up.You can’t walk in for a slab of bacon or a thick, bone-in ribeye, so what’s actually happening?Four days per week, Peter Crawford transforms his business into The Charles Underground, a French-inspired eatery, and the shop’s after-hours alter ego.The Charles is where Crawford, a former New England Culinary Institute graduate who has worked with Charlie Palmer, Jean-Georges, Neil Gallagher, and Terrence Brennen, gets to step back into his passion as a classically trained French chef.Foie gras and dry-aged steak? Sure. Homemade boudin blanc sausage with Robuchon potatoes, and morel mushroom sauce? They have done that, too.Lending a helping hand in the front of the house is someone you might recognize from his time at Kawa Ni. Anthony Rinaldi acts as a restaurant jack-of-all-trades at The Charles, whether he’s waiting and bussing tables or assisting in the kitchen with cooking and occasionally washing dishes. Read More
Celebrate Bastille Day w/ Ávert Brasserie's Steamed Mussels Recipe & A Party Features Recipe Recipe French Stephanie Webster July 11, 2017 Ávert Brasserie in West Hartford is celebrating Bastille Day with a festival Abounding with French cuisine, musique, dance, and myriad attractions for the whole family. This farm fête populaire invites locals to revel in the flavors, sounds, and joie de vivre of France!If you would like to host your own Bastille Day party, here is their great recipe for Steamed Mussels with Mustard, Curry and Cream. Yum. Check it out below. Read More
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak via Chef Emilie Features BBQ French Recipe CTbites Team July 21, 2011 Fire up the grill tonight ... your outdoors will get great with the flavors and the aromas of Grilled Marinated Flank Steak ! Whether you're cooking chicken, burgers, steak, fish on the grill, a tasty marinade gives taste and tenderness to every meat. You can use almost everything you have in your kitchen to make your own marinade. Today, I decided to buy a piece of Flank that I marinated with : Olive Oil, Garlic, Onions, Basil, Thyme, Parsley, dried Herbes de Provence, Barbecue Sauce and few drops of Tabasco. Check out the recipe below. The result: a serious crowd pleaser. La recette de Grilled Marinated Flank Steak Read More
Macarons with Chef Emilie Ingredients Features Cooking Classes French Dessert Amy Kundrat March 09, 2011 Whether you are a hopeless Francophile or just a lover of confections, macarons are the pinnacle of dessert perfection. A cross between a tiny cake and a cookie, macarons boast smooth and delicately crisp exteriors that give way to light and pillowy interiors and are filled with sweet and occasionally savory fillings. In the right hands, they can be the miraculous result of a few deceptively simple ingredients of almond flour, eggs and sugar. Read More
