Once again, Strega owner Danilo Mongillo is celebrating a prestigious honor for his authentic Italian fare – but this one means more, he says.
Gambero Rosso, an Italian authority on food, wine and travel, awarded Mongillo’s New Haven restaurant a “due forchette,” or ‘two forks” designation in a recent ceremony in New York City. Restaurants are honored with a rating of one to three forks, similar to Michelin star ratings.
Now in its second generation of family ownership, Coracora is helmed by sisters Chef Macarena Ludena and co-owner Grecia Ludena. First opened in 2011 by their parents Luisa Jimenez and Hector Ludena,
Coracora has since built up its loyal clientèle based on three main pillars -- high-quality ingredients, a warm and welcoming family-like experience, and top-notch customer service. All dishes are made in- house and without artificial preservatives, furthering Coracora's dedication to excellence and authentic Peruvian cuisine.
Coracora will take the space formerly occupied by Rosa Mexicano who recently closed their doors in West Hartford.
The James Beard Foundation announced its 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists in advance of the James Beard Awards.
Congrats to our Connecticut semifinalists Chef Reneé Touponce (The Port of Call and Oyster Club) for Outstanding Chef & Chef David Standridge (The Shipwright’s Daughter) for Best Chef, New England, and Cora Cora for Outstanding Restaurant.
The full list of 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists can be found below and on the James Beard Foundation website. Nominees will be announced on Wednesday, April 3 and winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 10 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Congrats to Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern On State who received one of the 23 coveted dishes on NEW YORK TIMES’ list of 23 of the Best American Dishes of 2023.
“Each year as we travel the country to scout out candidates for our many best-restaurant lists — whether the big national listing in the early fall or the new “best of” city listswe’ve begun rolling out — our reporters and editors eat hundreds of meals in dozens of states. Inevitably we come across that one dish that we almost wish we’d ordered two of, and wish we could find closer to home.
Some are high-concept — a Dungeness crab doughnut, for instance — while others are just perfect examples of beloved familiars like brisket tacos or fried chicken. What they have in common, though, is that months later they still jump to mind when we're asked, “What were your favorite dishes of this year?”
I will always order the fried chicken at a promising new restaurant like this one. Its fried chicken thighs with green tomato relish and radish salad was the best of many dishes I loved this year in the growing “tavern” category — a much-needed bridge between pub grub and tweezer food.—-JULIA MOSKIN, New York Times”
The Connecticut Restaurant Association (CRA) announced yesterday the award winners and finalists for the 2023 CRAZIES Awards Gala. On Monday, December 4, hospitality owners, operators, chefs, servers, 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.
The public can now vote by CLICKING HERE through the end of November for each category: Chef of the Year, Baker of the Year, Bartender of the Year, Server of the Year, Caterer of the Year, People’s Choice, Restaurant Newcomer, County Restaurants of the Year and Overall Restaurant of the Year. Winners will be selected from not only the public vote, but also from our nominating panel members.
The CRAZIES selection process began in August with an online public nomination process and state-wide chef panel. Subsequently, nearly 40 food writers, critics, bloggers, and social media influencers held multiple meeting to finalize the list of honorees and nominees for 2023. The nominees for Restaurateur of the Year and CT Hospitality Hall of Fame were brought to the CRA Board of Directors, where the overall award winners were selected in each of these two categories.
Fiesta! is now open in Stamford’s West side neighborhood (conveniently located in the Shop Rite shopping center.) The Rojas family opened this location, their fifth restaurant, this past November, continuing in their dedication to share authentic Peruvian cuisine and culture with the Fairfield County community.
Alberto Rojas’ opened the first Fiesta! location nearly 30 years ago. The Peruvian businessman and entrepreneur came to the States in the 1980s and has owned numerous local businesses over the years including those in the dry cleaning, travel and marketing industries. Rojas, a youthful 76, welcomed us warmly, and with pride, to his newest eatery.
It’s that time of year, when the CTbites staff temporarily puts down our forks, and contemplates our most memorable annual eats. 2022 saw an explosion of restaurateurs and chefs entering the Connecticut culinary scene, and the CTBites team, alongside some special guest reviewers below, did our best to eat it all. There were some clear standouts, restaurants that you’ll find repeated in the “top eats” lists below, and some more hidden gems you should add to your dining dance card.
In 2022 restaurants continued to struggle with both labor and supply shortages, and yet, chefs continued to innovate, creating memorable dishes, and sharing their love for cooking with Connecticut diners. It is critical that in 2023 we continue to support our favorite restaurants, chefs, bartenders, and front of house staff, who work so hard to bring you a unique and tasty experience. Be kind when you dine. And with that in mind, here are CTbites’ TOP EATS 2022.
Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. We are excited to showcase the nominees for 2022’s CRAZIES AWARDS “BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR” in this 5 part series. All of the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Chef David DiStasi of Materia Ristorante in Bantam.
Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. We are excited to showcase the nominees for 2022’s CRAZIES AWARDS “BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR” in this 5 part series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Jared Sippel of Restaurant L’Ostal in Darien, CT.
Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAZIES awards. We are excited to showcase the nominees for 2022’s CRAZIES AWARDS “BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR” in this 5 part series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Chef David Standridge of The Shipwright’s Daughter in Mystic CT.
Chicken-n-beer may be the title of a 2003 Ludacris album, but it’s also a spinoff concept brought to you by a Danbury mainstay, Empire of the Incas and owner David Aliaga.
At Po-Yo, the savory focus should be easily guessed is you’re familiar with Peruvian cuisine and one of its popular dishes, pollo a la brasa. We even dig that the restaurant’s name teaches the masses how to properly pronounce “POLLO,” although, those who’ve watched enough Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are likely well-versed in its pronunciation.
Currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, Cora Cora Peruvian Restaurant and the Ludena family that own it, are finally getting the recognition they deserve. All of their hard work and dedication to serving traditional, authentic Peruvian food handed down through family recipes has helped not only them, but Connecticut also, gain recognition on the national food scene with not one, but two nominations by the James Beard Foundation. First for Outstanding Restaurant, and second for Best Chef: Northeast.
Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. We are excited to showcase the nominees for BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR in our new series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Emily Mingrone of Tavern on State in New Haven.
Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. Restaurant owners, operators, chefs, and vendors come together to celebrate the success of the industry at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Monday, December 6. While a panel of more than 25 food writers, critics, bloggers, and social media influencers created a list of nominees, YOU VOTE for the winners.
We are excited to showcase the nominees for BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR in our new series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Joel Gargano of Grano Arso in Chester CT.
Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. We are excited to showcase the nominees for BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR in our new series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Michone Danae Arrington of The Art of Yum in Waterbury & Southington, CT.
Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. Restaurant owners, operators, chefs, and vendors come together to celebrate the success of the industry at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Monday, December 6. While a panel of more than 25 food writers, critics, bloggers, and social media influencers created a list of nominees, YOU VOTE for the winners.
We are excited to showcase the nominees for BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR in our new series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. We begin with Chef Ashley Flagg of Millwrights, in Simsbury CT.
You might hear the name The Rockin Chicken (TRC) and think it’s yet another really good chicken-themed joint, like West Hartford’s Chicken Citizen & Donuts, Wethersfield’s El Pollo Guapo, Newington’s Rooster Co. or the Elm City’s Hot Haven Chicken. But you’ll see it’s actually so much more. Since TRC opened in June, 2016 on Franklin Avenue in Hartford, it has been my go-to for Peruvian food, long one of my favorite cuisines.
TRC is owned by Dr. Miguel A. Colán and his wife, Kate. The genial couple doesn’t just own the business but the building as well. For Miguel, a Hartford chiropractor, it was an almost-weekly family tradition growing up in Lima to visit pollerias a la brasa, popular local restaurants specializing in charcoal rotisserie chicken. TRC grew out of his desire to recreate that dining experience for Hartford-area restaurant-goers.
A now seven-time nominee from Connecticut and two chefs from Westchester County have been named Best Chef semifinalists in the 2020 James Beard Foundation Awards.Tyler Anderson has carried the torch for Connecticut since 2014 at Millwright’s Restaurant in Simsbury. Newcomers David DiBari from The Cookery in Dobbs Ferry and Eric Gao from O Mandarin in Hartsdale are showing the nation that what is happening in Westcheter’s kitchens should be paid attention to.
Last year, the James Beard Foundation announced it was redefining the regions that make up the Best Chef awards since 2012. Once its own category, the five New York City boroughs will now contend with the rest of the state, which used to fall under the New England region. A statement says this is an effort to begin to “level the playing field” and recognize just how rich the dining world is across America. This year, NYS has 20 semifinalists; just four are outside of NYC.
“In a small town in Westchester, and you’ve been cooking for 11 years, you just didn’t really think that this is something you’d be noted for,” DiBari says. “And it really honestly feels absolutely amazing.”
“WTF!” was DiBari’s response upon hearing the news through a relative on social media. “Everyone knows the James Beard awards have to be the Grammys of the hospitality industry,” he says.
