Stamford's Hop & Vine Taproom Wrote Connecticut's Self-Pour Bill Features Interview Restaurant Stamford beer Craft Beer Homepage self pour Interview Gastropub Andrew Dominick February 19, 2025 Sakarin Seedasome recalls a memory from 2017 when he was in San Diego. He walks in after work, wanting a beer, when he wondered, “Wait. What is this place?” “I love craft beer,” he says. “I think they had 20 or so taps, wine as well. I was confused at first, wondering if I had to buy a full 16 ounces of each one, but no, you pay per ounce. I was like, ‘Oh my god. I can try all of these.’ I stayed there all night.” Now one of the owners of Hop & Vine Taproom, which opened in Downtown Stamford in early January 2024, Seedasome and his partners Matthew Ventura and Connor Rasmussen, wanted to get it open much, much sooner. The problem? They couldn’t because it wasn’t legally possible. Read More
Winfield Street Coffee in Stamford Launches “Tudo” w/ Brazilian Pressed Sandwiches + Smash Burgers Features Interview Restaurant Burgers Tudo Brazilian Winfield Street Coffee Stamford takeout Homepage Interview Andrew Dominick October 13, 2023 If you hear the word “tudo” being whispered around Fairfield County, don’t try to decipher what it means without your iPhone’s translate app and “Portuguese (Brazil)” selected.Don’t actually open your app. I’ll do you the favor.“Tudo” translated to English means “all” or “everything.”We’re talking loaded and pressed sandwiches. Two types of smash burgers, a hot dog, a fried chicken sandwich, plus a few sides and a couple of unique (at least to this area) desserts. Read More
Winfield Street Coffee Introduces New Culinary + Coffee Directors and Expanded Lunch Menu Interview Restaurant Winfield Street Coffee Stamford Westport Westchester New York New York City Coffee Lunch Andrew Dominick April 05, 2023 reno Donatti recalls being in the Bronx and trying to get back to Stamford’s branch of Winfield Street Coffee. “I punched in Winfield Street Coffee in Google Maps, and for the time, it gave me the ‘see locations’ option,” he says. “I thought, Oh! This is awesome!” Read More
The Taco Project Introduces Former Alinea Chef as Culinary Director—Stamford Location Launches Brunch Interview Restaurant The Taco Project Stamford Westchester Brunch Interview Chef Talk tacos Mexican Fast Casual Homepage Andrew Dominick March 02, 2023 Less than a year ago, we introduced readers to Stamford branch of The Taco Project, a fast casual Mexican restaurant whose roots began in Tarrytown in 2014.Since April of 2022, The Taco Project and its brand grew even more outside of its existing Westchester locations (Tarrytown, Yonkers, Pleasantville, Bronxville) and its High Ridge Road spot in Stamford, as they’ve set their sights on the Florida market and opened up shop in Coral Springs.But with growth comes some additions. Read More
Quartiere in Stamford Implements “Adults Only” Policy Interview Restaurant adults only restaurant Stamford Italian food Italian Cocktails Date night Downtown Stamford Interview Andrew Dominick February 24, 2023 ADULTS ONLY!That’s exactly the policy Martin Bates put into effect on January 4, 2023, at his Downtown Stamford hotspot, Quartiere. Read More
Fortina Stamford Launches New Brunch Menu...And It's Damn Tasty Features Interview Restaurant Italian brunch Homepage Stamford Westchester Fortina Andrew Dominick February 10, 2022 Paul Failla uses the word “afterthought” when describing the brunch that was previously offered at all four Fortina locations in Stamford, Armonk, Rye Brook, and Yonkers.“The old menu was like five items,” he says. “People didn’t come here for brunch. They’d always get pizza. Brunch was always an afterthought here.”One of Failla’s first orders of business as the restaurant’s sole culinary director was to all but scrap the former “barely a brunch” format and make Fortina a place you’d seek out for daytime drinks, yolky goodness, breakfast sandwiches, sweets, and more.Failla joked that the only thing that would stay on the brunch menu are the bottomless mimosas, and while that’s true, the only other holdover will be a tweaked version of eggs in purgatory, but with a spicier marinara sauce.The rest of the menu is a switch-up entirely. Read More
The Quartiere Debuts in Downtown Stamford Interview Features Restaurant Italian Stamford Pasta Pizza Openings Homepage Andrew Dominick September 05, 2021 If you’ve cruised down Bank Street in Downtown Stamford, you may have noticed there’s a new Italian restaurant located in the former Cotto Wine Bar space.The Quartiere—roughly translated is Italian for neighborhood, area, or district—aims to be a go-to spot for pizza, pasta, and the like, in an elevated, casual setting with affordable prices.“The Q” is owned by Martin Bates, a 30-year industry vet from the United Kingdom where he ran an umbrella of 400 pubs, bars, and restaurants before taking on the role of president at a well-known sandwich and coffee franchise.“I worked for a brewery in the U.K. that owned all these pubs; I was all over the country driving 60,000 miles a year, living out of a suitcase, I never saw my kids, and they kept buying all these businesses while I was burning myself out,” Bates says. “I took a sabbatical for a year, traveled, went to Spain. I eventually met the founder of Pret A Manger who offered me a job where I ran a chunk of the businesses. I came to NYC in 2007 to run Pret.”Post Pret, Bates started his own private restaurant consulting firm, Ellis Rowan, and continued to open restaurant all over.Three years ago, Bates decided he’d eventually like to open up something of his own. “I was looking for my thing,” he says. “I started looking into neighborhood Italian because I love this style of pizza and pasta. I’m a carb freak. I love it.” Read More
10 Questions with Chef Arik Bensimon of Napa & Co. Interview Restaurant Chef Talk Stamford Stephanie Webster February 02, 2012 Chef Arik Bensimon started cooking at the age of 11 at his Aunt and Uncle's restaurant, Pasta Prego, on 45th and 5th Avenue in New York City. He has been in the kitchen ever since and there's no place he'd rather be (other than a yoga studio). As Napa and Company's Executive Chef he has created a menu that spans the culinary globe while staying close to the farm. Passionate and surprisingly understated, Chef Arik recently sat down with CTbites to answer a few questions about what makes him tick. If you had unexpected guests arriving at your home for dinner in 1 hour, what would you whip up? Pasta. I always have really good buccatini in the house and a can of really good tomatoes. I'd probably do a salad to go with it…with fresh greens and I love shaved fennel. What is the last dish you cooked for yourself? Whole grilled Bronzino with olive oil and lemon juice. I was cooking at my mother's house. What are your guilty pleasures in terms of food? Cereal. Kashi (any kind) with almond milk is da' bomb. Read More
