Filtering by Author: Lou Gorfain

Joe Bruno Closes Pasta Nostra and Opens Audacious Bruculino in South Norwalk

Restaurant Italian Norwalk SONO

Lou Gorfain September 13, 2015

With the debut of the sleek and sexy bruculino in South Norwalk, Joe Bruno finally presides over a true restaurant. "Pasta Nostra was never meant to be more than a lunch spot," he says of the venerable store front that served as the anchor of the Sono culinary scene for 30 years. The place was getting old; Bruno wasn’t getting younger; it was time for something youthful, vibrant, and new.

bruculino (Italian slang for “Brooklyn dude” – as in the person of Joe Bruno) is certainly all that -- and more. Imagined by renowned Westport architect Roger Ferris, the glassy new space at 20 North Main is dominated by a fetching forty foot terrazzo bar that is flanked by 23 neon-red Lucite seats, all staged in what was once a furniture store. For now, the bar is a lavoro in corso (still under construction), but Bruno will soon be mixing an array of spirits and craft cocktails in addition to the well curated wine list he brought over from Washington Street. He also brought his entire staff from PN, both the back and front of the house.

Best Warm Lobster Rolls On The Connecticut Coast: 2015 Update

Restaurant Delicious Dives Lobster Seafood Lunch

Lou Gorfain July 26, 2015

Welcome to the end of July, summer’s center point. The perfect time for our annual quest to find the best of Connecticut's official pleasure of summer: warm, buttery lobster rolls.

At the suggestion of readers, chefs, CTBites staff and a food critic or two, we've added an array of food trucks, pounds, shacks, and even a high end restaurant to our previous portfolio (see 2014 edition here).

So take a ride up the balmy Connecticut coastline. We start in the southwest and head northeast, as CTBites forages the best warm lobster rolls in America.

Aarón Sánchez & Chris Batemen Unveil Seasonal Menu At Paloma, Stamford

Restaurant Celebrity Chef Stamford Lunch Latin American

Lou Gorfain July 03, 2015

After a bloggers’ tasting at Paloma in Stamford’s Harbor Point, CTBites sat down with Chef de Cuisine Chris Bateman to review the menu -- and his creative relationship with celebrity chef-owner Aarón Sánchez.

Bateman is a culinary prodigy. Fresh from CIA, the young chef opened Four Seasons Restaurants and Hotels around the world. So debuting Paloma last summer wasn’t his first big time rodeo. Sánchez may be its star, but Bateman runs the day-to-day show.

We wondered how much the celeb is involved in the creation of Paloma’s menu. “Very much,” Bateman replies. “We work closely. But he’s wide open to my ideas, and listens really well.” The unshaven, still youthful chef, sporting jeans and a Yankee cap worn backwards, confides, “Aarón is the reason I’ve stayed here. I love cooking with him.”

Boothbay Lobster Company Opening in Stamford's Harbor Point: Wicked Fresh Maine Seafood

Restaurant Openings Seafood Stamford

Lou Gorfain June 18, 2015

It’s official. The Boothbay Lobster Company will be opening its first restaurant in early 2016 at Harbor Point in Stamford. In fact, owner David Galin had just finished hanging up the announcement sign in the window of the new location, when we asked about his plans.

Since Boothbay is Lobster Haven in Maine, our first question had to be, “Connecticut Lobster Roll or New England Lobster Roll?”

“Both,” Galin said, grinning. “And either way, we’ll serve tail, knuckle and claw meat in a really good bun.”

The restaurant concept is so fresh that Galin and his somewhat silent business partner are still refining the details, but “fresh” is the operant theme: seafood plucked directly from the cold waters of Maine immediately trucked to Harbor Point.

When the concept is further embellished, Galin promised to give CTBites readers a very early preview.

This we can leak.

LisaMarie's Food Truck: Paradise Lost, Then Found Off The Beaten Path in CT

Restaurant Catering Danbury Food Truck Lunch

Lou Gorfain June 09, 2015

Lisamarie Ault was flying high. For twenty years she had served as the personal Chef to Edgar Bronfman, Sr., the billionaire magnate of the Seagram’s empire, preparing the best of everything for a man who demanded world-class excellence. That's exactly what he got from a devoted chef who was trained at CIA and cooked at restaurants from Switzerland to Hawaii. Lisamarie led a rarefied life in her own culinary paradise.

But then she suddenly fell back to earth. In December of 2013, Bronfman abruptly died, and his family no longer had need for a personal cook. Lisamarie was out of a job … and a dear friend. “Mr. B”, as she calls him, had become the father she lost days before she took the position two decades earlier.

“In March of last year, I had no idea what I was going to do next,” she recalls. “Suddenly, out of the blue, I learned that Mr. Bronfman had included me in his will.” On an impulse, Lisamarie decided to buy an old food truck, and take it on the road under the banner of "PARADISE FOODS.”

Restaurant Re-Boot: Bistro 7 In Wilton CT

Restaurant American Farm to Table Wilton

Lou Gorfain October 12, 2014

Seven is Breno Donatti’s lucky number. His restaurant, “ Bistro 7” is located on Highway 7 in Wilton. “Seven is God's favorite number,” he told us, “And I also got the inspiration for Bistro 7 in the 7th district of Paris in a place called ‘Cafe Central.’”

Well, hopefully we won’t jinx anything by dubbing his re-programed farm–to-fork café in Wilton as “Bistro 7.1.”

With a new chef, sous chef, general manager, and a reimagined food and beverage menu, Donatti has updated his operating system, and from what we tasted at a recent Grand Reopening, the app is not just new, but vastly improved: less complicated and well-priced.

We began with a Roasted Root Veggie Bisque, blended with slow cooked carrots, butternut squash, parsnips, sweet potato, root spices, and garnished with a bacon chip. Breno claims it’s even better than his award winning Butternut Squash Bisque and we don’t disagree.

Top 10 Craft Cocktails in Lower Connecticut

Ingredients Restaurant Cocktails Bar Best of CT

Lou Gorfain September 16, 2014

“We've come through the Dark Ages of the Cocktail," observes Gretchen Thomas, Director of Wine and Spirits for Barcelona and Bartaco.. "There was a time here when the spirit of choice was mainly Vodka, and the best we could do was flavor it.”

Though Connecticut may be a bit late to the party, the Craft Cocktail has finally, fully arrived. In fact, the drinks created at many local bars are as artful and artisanal as what's cooking in the kitchen.

Today’s barcraft is almost culinary … reflecting the way we now cook and dine: with fresh seasonal ingredients, locally sourced and often hand crafted. Re-mixes of the old classics are updated with super premium, small batched spirits and served with stunning visual presentations and precisely balanced flavor constructions.

“Cocktails have become part of the meal,” notes Jeff Marron, who heads up the beverage programs at Bill Taibe’s restaurants in Westport. They are enjoyed for flavor and complexity more than potency.

The much celebrated legacy drinks of the Prohibition Era were often filled with unreliable spirits that were masked by powerful mixers. And the boozy indulgences at Mid-century served as Mad Men escapes more than savored enjoyment. After Viet Nam, mixed drinks barely survived the counter cultural revolution. It took a new millennium to revive the cocktail’s pleasurable role in America’s drinking and dining.

Indeed, the eras of Gatsby, Draper and Joplin have long passed, and the Golden Age of Cocktails has come to the Gold Coast. So here’s our toast to the 10 top local Craft Cocktails… and the men and women who are raising the bar. Cheers!

Chef Aarón Sánchez Gives CTbites Preview of Paloma Restaurant, Opening in Stamford July 21

Restaurant Celebrity Chef Stamford Mexican Latin American

Lou Gorfain July 20, 2014

I never thought “gourmet” and “Mexican” belonged in the same sentence. Until I had dinner at Zarela's, a Mexican restaurant which had just opened on Second Ave. back in 1987. A revelation! Zarela Martinez orchestrated textures and flavors just as artfully and lovingly as the new chefs who were redefining Manhattan’s food scene. Zarela’s fast became the Nobu of Mexican food, one of the hottest spots in town. There, I learned the magic of mole and the enchantment that truffles could lend to an enchilada.

A generation later, Aarón Sánchez, the Food Channel’s charismatic Mexican rock star chef, hopes that his new Stamford restaurant Paloma (opening Monday, July 21st, in Harbor Point) will similarly introduce Connecticut to the fire and the finesse of fine Mexican and Latin American cuisines. Revelations run in the family -- Aarón (pronounced "AH-rone") is Zarela's son.

For all his celebrity, Sánchez feels he remains not only in his mother's debt, but also her shadow.

"I honor her because she did it first," he told us when we chatted last week, a comfortable conversation marked by his humility and respect.

"I believe family is at the center of the Mexican experience."

Best Local Ice Cream Shoppes in Lower Connecticut: 2014 Edition

ice cream Best of CT Kid Friendly Dessert

Lou Gorfain July 13, 2014

We have expanded and updated last year’s popular roundup of the best ice parlors in lower Connecticut.

New flavors abound for 2014. One of our favorite scoop shops melted away, but thanks to our readers, we found a truly magical hidden gem in an unexpected place. Here's the updated list of BEST LOCAL ICE CREAM PARLORS IN LOWER CONNECTICUT.

Ice cream fans, don't miss our companion piece, the 2014 Edition of BEST DAIRY FARM ICE CREAM IN CT.

My Signature Dish: Chef Tony Pham of Mecha Noodle Bar, Fairfield Talks Ramen

Restaurant Asian Fairfield Japanese Kid Friendly

Lou Gorfain July 01, 2014

MY SLURPY SIGNATURE DISH

Ramen Shops in Japan are as plentiful as hamburger joints over here. Every street boasts a shop. Yet none are exactly alike, mainly because each is distinguished by the owner’s unique signature dish, his personal autograph. In that tradition, Tony Pham has created his own signature dish for Mecha Noodle Bar: a unique interpretation of traditional Miso Ramen. Here’s the story behind it.

Tony likes to play with contrasts. And not just the culinary kind.

Case in point. Before trying his signature dish, Miso Ramen, take a look overhead at his futuristic Mecha Noodle Bar. Dangling from the ceiling, an arsenal of over three hundred vertical 2x4’s seem to be aimed directly at every table in the room. Alien, threatening.

By design.

Now try Pham’s dramatic interpretation of a classical Ramen. No, don’t taste it, slurp it. Breath in its steamy aromatic bouquet. Savor the deep, contrasting flavors: mushrooms and miso redolent of the earth, noodles that invoke wheat fields, a succulent pork belly that also warms and welcomes, counterpointed by the lively spice and heat of scallion and chili oil. It’s Japanese comfort food,a perfect contrast after a playful scare.

Connecticut's Best Dairy Farm Ice Cream: 2014 Edition

Ingredients Restaurant Road Trip ice cream Best of CT Kid Friendly Dessert

Lou Gorfain June 22, 2014

With summer finally here, we have updated and expanded our annual roundup of the best dairy farm ice cream in Connecticut.

You can’t get closer to farm fresh ice cream than tasting it at farm. Not only do you see the cows, you whiff them, and that aroma is part of the authenticity of the experience, if not the charm. Sure, these farms aren’t close by. But WTD. They’re “Worth The Drive” And worth the lick: usually the freshest, creamiest, and most flavorful retail ice cream available in Connecticut.

While Chocolate and Vanilla remain cash cows, dairy farms also offer a greater array of flavors than you’ll find at parlors or in the supermarket freezer case. In fact, farmers have begun to rival restaurant chefs for sheer inventiveness and culinary dairying-doo.

So, for your and your family’s guilty or innocent pleasures, we submit our favorite cow-to-cone ice creams …

Secrets of a Supermarket: The Science of Selling

Ingredients Features Specialty Market

Lou Gorfain June 20, 2014

There exists an arcane branch of psychology dubbed “Supermarket Science." To uncover the secrets of how and why we buy our groceries, researchers treat a supermarket floor as a behavioral lab. They track such factors as our route through the store, our eyeball movement in the aisles, even our conversation at the checkout counter. As a result, nothing in a supermarket is there by happenstance.

So how much does a supermarket play the customer? Encourage you to buy more?

To find out, we asked Robert Reinisch the manger of Stamford's Fairway market to candidly talk about his store’s selling strategies. We chose Fairway not only to take advantage of Reinisch's openness and passion to do well by his customers, but also because it’s a food-centric supermarket. No banks, no pharmacy, no kitchenware, not even a loyalty card (another window on your personal buying habits.)

We asked Robert about the first axiom of Supermarket Science: “The more time spent in the store, the more money spent in a store.”

"Absolutely we want the customer to spend as much time as possible here," Reinisch allowed. "Our average shopping trip lasts about an hour."

Wow, that's 50% longer than the national average of 40 minutes. What’s Fairway’s secret? Appealing to a customer’s basic emotions.

Breaking Food News! Fortina is Coming to Stamford's Harbor Point

Lou Gorfain June 01, 2014

We love Fortina. Christian Petroni and Jodi Bernhard's wood fired Italian kitchen is arguably the best around. Only trouble, Fortina is not really “around” It lies off in Armonk, New York, which for most of our readers is a haul, a long drive over narrow and twisting Back Country trails.

Grazie a Dio. We are happy to report that Fortina is coming to Stamford's booming Harbor Point. Late last week they signed a contract for a soaring, sun splashed space on Washington Avenue, facing Commons Park. According to Petroni and his partners John Nealon and Rob Krauss, the restaurant will feel like Armonk, but be different.

"It's like a Fortina snowflake," Chef Petroni explained. "Once you get closer to the snowflake, it's completely unique."

Nealon added, “We hate the idea of building a cookie cutter Fortina.”

The three talented partners are designing the space themselves, eschewing an interior designer. They will take a minimalist approach and envision a polished concrete floor and bar, flanked by grand, floor to ceiling windows.

Join the CSA @ Hubbard Heights Farm in Stamford: Here's Why...

Lou Gorfain May 06, 2014

The CSA from Hubbard Heights Farm is different than most subscription food programs. That’s because its fields lay smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Stamford, the state’s third largest city. Consequently, most subscribers live within a few minutes of the farm, so it’s easy to drop by and watch their groceries grow.

“They really identify with the place,” says Randy Brown, the Cornel l-trained Wizard who conceived and created this one of a kind urban farm. “Because they’re sort of shareholders, the subscribers feel ownership of the crops.”

Convenient access also allows people to customize their weekly supply of just picked vegetables, greens, and flowers. “We don’t have to transport the boxes to a central pickup point like most CSA’s,” Brown points out. That allows subscribers to personalize their portions. In fact, they can even go into the fields and pick their own food. “It doesn’t get fresher than that,” Randy adds.

Restaurant Scene Explodes @ Stamford's Harbor Point

Restaurant Deli Frozen Yogurt Stamford Latin American Burgers

Lou Gorfain March 14, 2014

Hard to believe, but spring beckons. It’s just a few days away. And along with hyacinths and daffodils, a number of new eateries will soon be blossoming at Stamford's Harbor Point -- just in time for those hazey lazey dayz. (Yes Virginia, there is a Summer)

At the spectacular 6000 square foot Glass Garden on the waterfront, Aaron Sanchez is now shooting for a Cinco de Mayo opening for his new latin themed resto. As CTBites first reported last year, Sanchez will be working his spanish sorcery in a sexy, high end dining, cocktail and wine lounge space. But there's a name change: “Alegre” has become “Poloma”

According to Jon Sabrowski, Harbor Point's Leasing Director, a bouquet of other new eateries are targeting a Memorial Day opening. Among them is an American grill from South End Hospitality, whose pedigree includes Black Bear, Darien Social, Bobby Q's and McFadden’s. The tap house will feature a rooftop bar, offering a panoramic view of the harbor and the Sound beyond. (Yes Virginia, there are sea breezes.) The restaurant faces the 22 story twin towered apartment complex currently under construction (We can report that the 242 unit complex will not be the hotel-condo once envisioned.)

Le Farm's Signature Dish: Chef Arik Bensimon & Bill Taibe Talk Poutine

Restaurant Chef Talk Westport

Lou Gorfain January 22, 2014

Would Bensimom consider an encore of LePoutine for our readers? You bet! He’s putting the dish back on the LeFarm menu for a limited run, January 23 -25. Not to be missed. (If bacon ate, it would eat Poutine.)

Foie gras and Poutine are two foods not usually found in the same sentence, much less married in a restaurant dish. But if you were dining at LeFarm a couple of years ago, “LePoutine” was the crazy delicious rock star in the room – a decadent, playful, steamy mashup of foie gras, fried potatoes, wine, beef cheeks, kale, gravy and imagination.

A Montreal favorite, Poutine is unadulterated cardiac-on-a-plate, usually devoured with great gusto, its grease supposedly the perfect insulation before or and after a hard night of drinking. (It should be duly noted that Le Farm’s version, unlike the French Canadian, didn’t include the traditional cheese curds. But buttery Foie Gras more than made up for the missing fat calories.)

“It was big, it was indulgent, and people just loved it. So did we,” Bill Taibe, the founder of LeFarm told us, grinning with the memory of his exciting crowd pleaser.

"My Signature Dish," Chef Jodi Bernhard of Fortina in Armonk

Restaurant Armonk Chef Talk Italian My Signature Dish

Lou Gorfain December 17, 2013

"My Signature Dish" is a new CTbites column featuring a rotating cast of chefs, and the dishes that define their cooking style, or simply make them happy to fire up the stove.

Jodi Bernhard hardly hesitated when choosing her signature dish at Fortina, Christian Petroni’s "casually hip" Italian restaurant in Armonk. Her eyes gleaming, she said, "It's our Pork Braciole." Braciole, hip?

If you grew up Italian, you probably hold memories of Braciole near and dear. This classic rolled, stuffed meat roast, usually serves as centerpiece for those sprawling homemade Italian dinners that lazily linger across Sunday afternoons into evening. Braciole invokes home. And family. Instant Nostalgia.

Ok, so how does a chef modernize a memory? Autograph a treasured family photo?

“That is the gist of our approach at Fortina,” Jodi explained. “ We try to not stray too far from ‘mom's’ version, but still make it a restaurant dish with our stamp on it. We are true to simplicity and flavor.”

The notion of putting “Mom’s dish” on Fortina’s playful, hip menu was Christian’s, one of the restaurant’s owners. (Patroni and and Jodi once cooked together at Barcelona in nearby Greenwich.) Though she and Christian work as collaborators, the task of “restaurantizing” this homey meal was largely up to Bernhard.

CTbites Speaks With Lidia Bastianich

Ingredients Interview Features Celebrity Chef Chef Talk Cookbooks Italian

Lou Gorfain December 12, 2013

Like Oprah or Madonna in pop culture, Lidia is one-name-famous to foodies, a television star (Lidia's Italy -- PBS), renowned restaurateur (Felidia, Eataly, Delposto, Becco), a worldwide brand (Lidia's Sauces and Pasta), bestselling author (Lidia’s Commonsense Guide to Italian Cooking is her latest), mom, grandmother, whew, one name so many roles.

So CTBites was delighted that Lidia carved out time from her hectic schedule to chat with us prior to her book signing this Saturday at Stamford's Fairway Market (details below.)

Incidentally, Lidia is no stranger to Connecticut. Her son Joe and his family live in Greenwich, she tapes her PBS show in Norwalk, and of course the Bastianich clan is associated with Tarry Lodge in both Westport and Port Chester.

We began the conversation, wondering what Lidia the little girl would think if she could peer into a crystal ball and see the famous Lidia of today.

“When I was nine years old we had fled from Communist Yugoslavia and my family was in a refugee camp,” she told us, “I think that little girl, her mouth would be open at what I’ve accomplished.” Then Lidia thought about that youngster for a moment and resolutely stated, “But you know, I always had confidence I was going to amount to something And food was so very important to me, because we didn’t have much.”

My Signature Dish: Chef Scott Ostrander from Mama's Boy in SoNo

Restaurant Chef Talk My Signature Dish Southern

Lou Gorfain November 20, 2013

"My Signature Dish" is a new CTbites column featuring a rotating cast of chefs, and the dishes that define their cooking style, or simply make them happy to fire up the oven.

We looked forward to learning about what Scott Ostrander had chosen as his signature dish at Mama’s Boy in SoNo, a Connecticut restaurant featuring Southern cooking and cuisine. But he was reluctant to tell us much about it. “We’re dealing with some major issues,” he confided. “Trying to dodge disaster.”

Issues. Disasters. Great. The stuff of a good story. We urged him on. But Chef Ostrander demurred. “I just can’t get into it right now,” he apologized.

The next time we met, the chef was all smiles. Problems solved. Scott shared the back story, one that reveals how a gifted chef deals with and solves both business and culinary challenges.

His new signature dish at Mama’s Boy is Crisp Pork Shank, an osso bucca-like braised pork shank with a dramatic Southern twist. Traditionally, slowly simmered meat is tender, juicy, and deeply flavored. But its soft texture is monochromatic. For his shank, Scott wanted contrapuntal textures. Soft. And Crunchy.

Big News @ Stamford's Harbor Point: Chopped Co-Star, Aaron Sanchez Opening & Beer Garden Closing!

Lou Gorfain October 31, 2013

The food scene continues to soar (along with rising skyscrapers) at Harbor Point, Stamford’s new 3.5 billion dollar “city within a city.”

CTBites has just learned that celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez, restaurateur and co-star of Chopped and Heat Seekers, is bringing his Mexican magic to a new home in Waterfront Square. ALEGRE, a sexy, high end restaurant, cocktail and wine lounge, will occupy the 6,000 square foot glass building that has housed the Beer Garden, which is closing.

Alegre’s is sponsored by the owners of Frankie and Johnnie’s Steakhouses and famed mixologist and competitive sommelier, Olie Berlic, who is to wine and spirits what Sanchez is to Latin food. According to Jon Sabrowski, leasing director at Harbor Point, Aaron’s Stamford outpost should open sometime next Spring or Summer.

Alegre’s concept will be similar to that of the Mexican Melting Pot menu at Mestizo, Aaron’s acclaimed Kansas City restaurant. (In addition to Sanchez’s cookbooks and television appearances in both North and South America, he also sets the culinary vision for Crossroads at the House of Blues nationwide and Tacombi Tacqueria in New York City.)

As for the crowds who flocked to the old Beer Garden this past summer, they need not weep in their brews. Next spring, a new 4200 square foot World of Beer will open just steps away on Waterfront Square. Pouring selected and seasonal craft brews from around the globe, this national franchise will offer one of the widest selections of suds and spirits in Connecticut, along with tavern food fare.

Sabrowski confirmed that Bareburger, New York City’s award winning organic beef and meat restaurant has now chosen Harbor Point as its Stamford home. Opening next year, they will be also be located on Waterfront square.

We have also learned that Harbor Point is close to sealing deals that could bring two more exciting dining additions to the South End. Stay with CTBites for updates.