Executive Chef Eren Polat and his wife Nigjar invite you to their newest restaurant, Sofra Turkish Grill a cozy neighborhood restaurantin Waterbury, Connecticut. The restaurant, which opened in late July 2023, has been drawing healthy crowds from Cheshire to Fairfield. No stranger to the restaurant world, Chef has over 25 years of experience in prominent restaurants in Turkey and Greece before opening his own Eren’s Grill in Fairfield. He opened Sofra to be closer to home and his family.
Chef hails from Adana, Turkey’s fourth largest city, located in the south where the Seyhan River meets the Mediterranean. One of the oldest cities in the world, it’s a major agricultural area and known for its distinctive cuisine, specifically the “Adana Kebabi,” a unique dish comprised of hand-minced meat prepared with a special knife called a Satir that closely resembles a machete. Authenticity is paramount as Chef remains true to his roots using the skills and techniques so prevalent in his country. So determined is he to do this, that many ingredients are imported directly from Turkey, some from Adana specifically.
If you don’t know about Chef Jin yet, you owe it to your taste buds to step into one of his now numerous restaurants across Connecticut. Perhaps you are familiar with Tomo 68 in Naugatuck or Natural Kitchen in Milford – and most recently, Ramen & Bao in Oxford. Those are all thanks to Chef Jin, and now you can check out Ji Bei Chuan in Orange, which has its official grand opening on May 9th.
Ji Bei Chuan is a widely popular dining establishment in China, with over 400 locations overseas. Here in the United States, there are only 40, with this Orange location the first in the state. As you step inside, your eyes are immediately drawn to its noodle bar: a beautiful dark-stained natural wood countertop where guests can dive head-first into one of the many noodle or soup dishes on the menu.
Haven Hot Chicken, which brings Nashville Hot Chicken and “Not Chicken” to the area as one of the first fully dedicated Nashville Hot Chicken concepts in New England, has announced its opening of a second location in Orange, Connecticut. Located at 550 Boston Post Road, the 1400 square foot location will feature the brand’s signature menu of crispy, crunchy, juicy, spicy, delicious chicken and vegetarian options ranging from Country (not spicy) to Haven (extremely spicy), along with their famous fries and seasonal limited-time offerings.(Read our review of their New Haven location here.)
Middle Eastern restaurants, long a welcome presence in Connecticut, lately seem to be multiplying. One of the most intriguing is Bab al Salam, which is located in an Orange plaza owned by the New Haven Islamic Center, which also hosts the Orange Farmers’ Market, a Muslim clothing store, a Middle Eastern market with halal butcher, and meeting spaces for events.
Bab al Salam opened in the middle of January. Owners Adnan Akil, a restaurant builder, and Suloman Chater, a restaurateur, both of whom have lived in the U.S. for decades, sought to replicate the food one might find in metropolises like Aleppo or Damascus in their homeland. They seem to have found a grateful audience in Orange.
It would be easy to drive by Yao’s Diner in Orange without a second glance. Housed at the end of a small shopping plaza, the restaurant which features authentic Chinese cuisine is unassuming on the outside and equally unpresumptuous within but from the time you step into the foyer you get a sense that this eatery is something different.
The first restaurant by Guangmin Yao and his wife Xuan Chen, Yao’s occupies the space that was Lisiano’s Italian restaurant for thirty years. Silent partners Charles Eaton and his wife are proprietors of the popular Q’s in Norwalk. The pair are world travelers with a passion for authentic East Asian cuisines.
Yale University's West Campus Urban Farm is hosting “ Maple Fest 2015: Lux et Syrupas ,” a free tasting of saps and syrups along with live demos and “tours of the campus sugar bush,” on Friday, April 10, from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm.
The first thing I noticed when I walked into Eren’s Grill was the neatness and precision of the refrigerator case. Platters of perfectly aligned kebabs await the grill. Bowls of bright-red-hued eggplant-tomato salad and pale, fluffy humus. Glistening rows of dark-green stuffed grape leaves. Then Eren, a young man wearing chef’s white’s embellished with the Turkish flag, stepped out from the open kitchen and proudly started telling me about his fresh and homemade food.
Fairfield’s new and only Turkish restaurant is a small joint in a strip mall. With just a few tables, it does a lot of take-out and catering. Whether eat-in or take-out, it’s a welcome addition to the Tunxis Hill section of Fairfield, a neighborhood that could use more good food. And the food here is good: fresh and full of flavor. Ottoman cuisine has a long and noble history, and Eren – who was head chef of the Athens’ Tike, an international group of Turkish restaurants in places like London, Cyprus and Kiev -- for 8 years -- is proud to put his signature on it. “I want to play a little,” he says.
Last spring we told you about Bereket, an tiny authentic Turkish eatery tucked behind a gas station in Bridgeport. This fortuitous find primarily offered takeout, but if you were lucky enough to get one of the 3 small tables, you were served food worthy of an Ottoman emperor. While we loved hiding out behind the Citgo station, we were pleased to hear that owner Selahattin Cinar had moved his very reasonably priced menu and talented cooks to a much larger space in Blackrock (the old Helados Vazquez). With an upgraded interior worthy of the excellent fare, Selahattin can now focus on the customer experience...and a more gracious host you've never seen. Warm up your car for a quick departure to Bridgeport.
It's been 24 hours since I left Bereket, a tiny hole in the wall Turkish restaurant located behind a Citgo station on Bridgeport's Main Street. As I write this I wonder, is it too soon to go back?
Bereket has been dubbed by people in the know as Fairfield County's best kept secret, and I finally understand what all the fuss is about. Mind you, this place is not fussy. Hidden beside of the gas station's mini mart, Bereket's small dining space has only 3 tables and boxes of Turkish beverages and pantry staples lining the walls. But what this single room Turkish delight lacks in ambiance, it makes up for in the quality, freshness, and flavor of the food.
Owner Selahattin Cinar has been in business for 6 years, and chats with customers while holding court in the kitchen preparing a steady stream of take-out orders. He greeted us warmly as we walked in, and we were relieved to find that he spoke enough English to answer questions and help us navigate their extensive menu. When we asked what was good, we were led to a display case filled with cold mezes (appetizers) and kebabs awaiting the heat, and simply told,it's all good. And it was.
