Puerto Vallarta Stamford, Redefining High End Mexican Dining Restaurant Mexican Stamford Pop-Up Dinner Latin American Homepage Jessica Ryan July 30, 2024 Last week we took a little trip to Puerto Vallarta to the restaurant’s newest and flagship location. There are presently eight restaurants in Connecticut including Avon, Danbury, Fairfield, Orange, Middletown, Newington and Southington. The Stamford location is unique in its offerings and it’s looking to change the way that Americans perceive Mexican food. We sat down with owner Esaul “Saul” Rodriguez who talk about the brand’s past and future and shared his story and vision. The Stamford restaurant is unique, and Saul described it as a “little laboratory” and explained that he wanted to change things up a little. “I want to change the way that people think about Mexican food. I think Mexican food is going through a revolution.” He added that the coastline plays a large role in the country’s cuisine and this is very evident at the Stamford location. Read More
Arden’s “After Hours” Dinner Series Returns With Guest Chefs+ In Rowayton Events Restaurant Chef's Tasting Rowayton Norwalk Pop-Up Pop-Up Dinner Sam Schwab May 21, 2024 Rowayton’s Arden’s is continuing their “After Hours” dinner series for the third summer in a row, and we were lucky enough to sit down with owner Jill Lukeman to get a first look at what’s to come. For those who aren’t familiar, Arden’s is a neighborhood cafe located in the heart of Rowayton. Its coastal decor and delicious fare makes it the perfect spot to enjoy a delicious breakfast, lunch, or cup of joe. Since opening in 2022, the team has hosted monthly dinners to expand beyond their daytime offerings. “We have always been passionate about entertaining our friends and hosting dinner parties at home. When we opened Arden's, we thought why not bring this same spirit to our cafe and offer something that feels like dinner at a friend's house (without the headache of planning and the clean-up!). We are also passionate about music so we incorporated a music element to make the evenings even more unique and intimate,” Lukeman shared with us. Read More
Chef Tyler Anderson Presents "Room Service at the Goodwin", A Theatrical, Interactive 3-Course Private Dinner Experience Features Restaurant Hartford County West Hartford Private Party Private Dining Dining Experience Pop-Up Dinner Hotel CTbites Team December 16, 2020 weHartford, in partnership with Chef Tyler Anderson and the Goodwin Hotel, is pleased to announce a unique and COVID-safe dining experience beginning January 8th, 2021, running Thursday through Sunday dinner seatings through the winter.Room Service at the Goodwin: Yes-or-No Morgan, is the first event of its kind. Select hotel rooms at The Goodwin have been transformed into private dining spaces for up to four people. Each party will enjoy a theatrical, interactive three-course dinner experience, curated by Chef Tyler Anderson, with clues, hints, and performances that unveil details and secrets about the life of the historic American businessman JP Morgan, a Hartford local and frequent visitor to The Goodwin Hotel. Read More
Don't Miss The MIKU Sushi Pop-Up at Tony's At The Jhouse Restaurant Features Openings Pop-Up Dinner Sushi Japanese Italian Greenwich Homepage Jessica Ryan September 11, 2020 About a year ago I was invited to a press event at Tony’s at the J House in Greenwich, Connecticut which I covered for CTBites here. So when we were recently invited back to experience the new Miku Sushi Pop-up I was delighted.The owners of MIKU SUSHI K Dong, and Chef Steve Chen, have created a special partnership with Tony Capasso, managing partner at Tony’s at the J House, to launch an all-new “elevated” sushi bar at the upscale steakhouse.The MIKU x Tony’s pop-up is led by Executive Chef Joe Liu, former head sushi chef at Tao and Masa in Manhattan. The special menu features many of MIKU signature rolls as well as two new rolls, exclusive to Tony’s. The Tony Roll is made with bluefin toro, avocado, scallion and spicy lobster salad, and J House Roll with king salmon, avocado, wasabi sesame and spicy yellowtail. Read More
MIKU SUSHI Launches a Pop-Up Sushi Bar at Tony’s At The J House in Greenwich Restaurant Sushi Pop-Up Bar Pop-Up Dinner Greenwich Openings CTbites Team August 13, 2020 The owners of MIKU SUSHI on Greenwich Avenue, K Dong, and Chef Steve Chen, have partnered with Tony Capasso, managing partner at Tony’s at the J House, to launch an all-new “elevated” sushi bar at the trendy boutique hotel, J House, in Greenwich, Connecticut.The MIKU x Tony’s pop-up is led by Executive Chef Joe Liu, former head sushi chef at Tao and Masa in Manhattan. Chef Liu trained uber master sushi Chef Daisuke Nakazawa, featured in the documentary film, Jiro Dreams of Sushi alongside world-renown master sushi chef, Jiro Ono.The menu soft-launched this week and features almost a dozen of the MIKU signature rolls including two new exclusives, Tony Roll made with bluefin toro, avocado, scallion and spicy lobster salad, and J House Roll made with king salmon, avocado, wasabi sesame and spicy yellowtail. Read More
Experience the New TASTING Series at Prime Stamford (sponsored post) Features Restaurant Pop-Up Dinner Stamford Chef Talk Chef's Tasting Jessica Ryan January 11, 2020 Earlier this week a few of us from the CTBites team made our now seasonal pilgrimage to Prime in Stamford. This time to experience the restaurant’s new TASTING menu.The summit of cuisine at Prime, the TASTING series is a re-imagined experience in dining. Small tastes are presented in a unique rhythm and play to Chef’s sensibilities on a weekly basis. In what feels like a restaurant within a restaurant, TASTING places you in the inner sanctum of the kitchen, with the Chef as your guide. The four course TASTING menu is a truly unique table experience. Read More
Chef's Tasting at The Spread Greenwich with Chef Carlos Baez Restaurant Chef Pop-Up Dinner Chef's Tasting Greenwich Stephanie Webster November 06, 2019 Let’s be real. Dining out is always a treat. You don’t have to clean up afterwards, and if you’re like me, the menu at almost ANY restaurant is going to surpass what’s going on in my own kitchen. However, if you’re a diner who appreciates experiencing the mind of chef who is executing dishes that are inspired by the season, an “aha” moment, or a desire to experiment, a Chef’s Tasting is the way to take dining to the next level. It was with this in mind, that I attended Chef Carlos Baez’ monthly Chef’s Table Tasting Dinner, held on the last Thursday of every month at The Spread’s Greenwich location. Read More
Filipindian Pop Up with Sherkaan + Kawit! + More to Come in New Haven Features Restaurant Pop-Up Dinner Indian New Haven Filipino Catering Caterers Kristin L. Wolfe October 23, 2019 At Sherkaan’s first pop-up last Thursday night, the Flipindian Feast, I had to swim through the the hungry crowd and make my way to, literally, the last seat available at the long copper bar. From the pervading tiger logo (Sherkaan means Tiger King in Hindi) and hindi phrases on the walls, to the cascade of bicycles hanging from the ceiling, diners are definitely transported to the packed spaces of a Southeast Asian hot spot. In addition to all the things to look at, pungent spices filled the room; they were so entrenched in the air that my hair smelled of them the next morning. Read More
The Perfect Provenance’s Café 47 Hosts Exceptional Monthly Dinner Tasting Restaurant Greenwich Pop-Up Dinner Andrew Dominick July 30, 2019 Exclusivity when dining out has a way of making us feel special. The smaller, the better. It’s like being part of a special club. It’s cool knowing that at that very moment, in a space half the size of a normal living room, that you and 20 people are the only ones that get to take part in an intimate dinner. Most often the problem is that “exclusive” equates to “EXPENSIVE.” That brings us to Greenwich! Wait, before you think this is going to be some $150 per person affair, you’re so very wrong. What if I told you that there’s a great four-course tasting menu offered on the first Friday and Saturday of every month for $65? If eating out is your thing, I bet you’d be intrigued. What am I saying? It’s Fairfield County, of course eating out is your thing. Would it be crazier if I mentioned that it goes down at a luxury lifestyle boutique store? And that it’s BYOB? Bet you didn’t see those swerves coming. Read More
Don't Miss Chef Jeff Taibe's Monthly Bushido Pop-Up Dinner at Taproot in Bethel Restaurant Bethel Japanese Organic Local Artisan Sushi Pop-Up Dinner Homepage Andrew Dominick March 17, 2019 When Jeff Taibe opened Taproot in the second half of 2017, our Amy Kundrat summed up this Fairfield County gem beautifully. “Creative, seasonal, down-to-Earth, and hyper-local” (because damn near every ingredient comes from Connecticut farms) are all words she used. That summation is dead-on accurate. And yeah, you should run there. I wish I listened to her closing sentence and didn’t wait so long for a stellar culinary experience. Bethel isn’t THAT far, and Taproot is worth the drive. When I did go, I deserved the ribbing. “Hey, man! It only took you a f*cking year to get here!” Taibe joked. From the shareable, addictive apps, to carefully crafted cocktails, and braised pork cheeks that flaked apart with a slight twist of my fork, it was my favorite meal in Connecticut in 2018. All of the above is a well-deserved shout-out, but I’m not giving you a Taproot update. I’m dishing on the restaurant’s one-Sunday-per-month mood swing called “Bushido.” Bushido, as you can probably surmise, is a Japanese pop-up concept. The birth of Bushido is a story in itself. Read More
Fortina Launches "Underground" Culinary Experiences Features Restaurant Underground Dinner Rye Brook Pop-Up Dinner Catering Stephanie Webster March 16, 2017 I initially held off on sharing my tasting notes for Fortina's epically unique "underground" dinner last week, as it felt like a tease to share an eating adventure that could not be experienced by our readers. Well, all that has changed. The private dinners that began as a way for the Fortina culinary team to stretch their legs, experiment with flavors and dishes, and ultimately serve to inform new menu items, can now be booked by YOU. Here is a little inside scoop on last week's carefully orchestrated 8 person dinner/performance, complete with 10 courses, alcoholic icees, an opera singer, a comedian, escargot served on a VCR, and heck of a lot of fun. Read More
Fortina Hosts Holiday Themed Miracle Pop-Up Bars in Stamford & Armonk Restaurant Pop-Up Dinner Bar Stephanie Webster October 30, 2016 Does anyone remember the epically successful and brilliantly over the top kitschy Miracle Bar pop-up from last holiday season? If you do, you'll be excited to hear that Miracle Bar is coming to Fortina, Thanksgiving eve through New Years 2016. "Miracle Bar will literally vomit Christmas and Hanukah," says Fortina's John Nealon. This holiday pop-up will take over the mezzanine in Fortina Stamford as well as a patio tent in Armonk. Guest mixologists, custom holiday glassware, tons of tinsel, menorahs and cocktails with names like “ The Reindeer’s Revolt,” will created a uniquely fun drinking experience. Pair this with Fortina pizza and you've got yourself a party. Artist, Raffa Dowling, who created last year's aesthetic is back for 2016, and will be in charge of crafting the pop-ups's rather unique design. Also John McNulty, who brought Miracle to CT (originally a NYC concept) is now playing for team Fortina and will be in on the fun. We will bring you more as Fortina gets closer to opening their holiday "Miracles." Read More
Elm Hosts Community Table & Millwright's for 100% Vegan Night Restaurant Pop-Up Dinner Vegetarian vegan Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger October 11, 2016 My name is Jeff and I am a carnivore. When I saw the announcement that Elm Restaurant in New Canaan was hosting four of the best chefs in Connecticut were gathering in the kitchen to serve a completely vegan menu I was curious. Elm’s chef Luke Venner arranged for chefs Mazen Mustafa, formerly of The Elm restaurant in Brooklyn, Marcell Davidson, from Community Table in Washington, CT, and Tyler Anderson, from Millwright’s in Simsbury. Would these four chefs create a meal this self-professed carnivore would enjoy? The answer is YES. Read More
The Nook in Black Rock: Communal Private Dining...The Secret's Out Restaurant Black Rock Bridgeport Pop-Up Dinner Jessica Ryan July 12, 2016 Along came Carol, and then she opened The Nook, a private dining experience in Black Rock. The secret is about to get leaked. All who’ve visited The Nook can’t stop singing its praises - they’ll say how wonderful it is. What, exactly, is The Nook? And, if all these people have heard of The Nook, why hadn’t I? The concept was created by chef and caterer Carol Lentini and her husband and partner Mark Mojcher. Located in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, it is best described as a communal private dining experience. The eatery features one community table set in the middle of a long room offering an artistic and whimsical air with walls painted in a cheery bright pink, on which hang large colorful paintings. More private dining room, less public restaurant, we felt like guests, not customers. While you wait for dinner you can mingle with the others and introduce yourself; you’ll meet your neighbor and maybe even become fast friends. Two things should be noted - This isn’t the place for a quiet romantic evening out, and it’s BYOB. Read More
