For decades, Colony Grill has offered pizza. Pizza (with a capital P) and only pizza. Delicious pizza, to be sure, with a unique thin crust and lots of available toppings (including the legendary hot oil). But with the exception of veg toppings -- fresh mushrooms, onions, black olives and peppers (stingers and cherry) -- there was no greenery to be found.
Veg-avores rejoice! Colony Grill is now offering a Salad Pizza. The signature Colony crust comes topped with fresh mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots tossed with a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. Clean and simple. As it says on the menu, No Cheese, No Sauce.
Yep, it’s healthy. Good for folks training for the 3rd Annual Colony Grill “Hot Oil” 5K on November 10. (Until then, $1 for each salad pizza sold will go to race proceeds, which benefit local police and fire department initiatives.) For those who like clean eating (and we definitely do), this salad pizza is a welcomed addition to the Colony menu board.
Cookies are, by definition, hard to resist. Fairfield resident Michelle Jaffee has made resistance even more difficult with her new line of cookies, Sweet & Simple, adorable in their individual cellophane wrappers, brown and white labels and retro daisy logo. What’s more, the label proclaims, they’re “baked with love.”
We at CTBites like to support the local, entrepreneurial spirit. (Plus – let’s face it -- we don’t hate eating cookies.) So we set out to sample the sweets.
What does “o.a.t.s.” stand for? Outrageously addictive tasty snack? Obscenely arduous to stop [eating]? Yes, but no. Simply put, o.a.t.s. is oats. Plus a handful of other identifiable ingredients (all of which I can pronounce), combined to create a truly delicious “granola for the foodie.”
o.a.t.s. granola was developed only a year ago by two Westport women, Julie Gaines and Dana Noorily. Both women are busy moms – between them they have five kids under the age of seven – and passionate foodies. Disappointed by commercial granolas, Julie set out to bake her own at home. After sharing the results with Dana, they joined forces, selling hundreds of mason jars of the granola through friends and family last holiday season.
The scene at Cove Marina today was, in a word, cute. The green and white striped cupcake truck was cute. The owners, 16-year old twins Kate and Gavin Nelson, were cute. And the cupcakes themselves were, yes, very cute.
But there’s much more to the Short and Sweet Cupcake Truck. The truck is actually a fully equipped mobile commercial kitchen/bakery. The young Nelson twins are not just accomplished bakers and entrepreneurs, but also authors (with two published children’s books between them) and philanthropists (founders of The Gift of Words, a non-profit foundation providing books to children in underserved communities). Not bad for two high school juniors who don’t yet have driver’s licenses (their dad drives the truck)! And the cupcakes don’t just look good – they taste great. But more on that later.
Contented goats frolicking in green meadows, giving fresh, naturally homogenized milk. Local, sustainable, organic ingredients. The leafy Bohdi Tree, symbol of Buddhist enlightenment. Lovely images to associate with . . . dessert.
Yeah, yeah, kumbayah, you may say. Get to the good stuff -- the treats, not the trees. But they go hand in hand at Peace Tree Desserts, according to owner and chef RobynEades. The Peace Tree, inspired by her dog Bodhi, is a fitting symbol for Robyn’s approach to sourcing and creating delicious desserts. Even the Peace Tree labels are eco-friendly, made from soy ink and recycled paper.
Ah, Versailles. So distant. So unreachable. So . . . French.
Well, that’s how our group felt after canceling /rescheduling our planned trip to this well-established Greenwich eatery THREE separate times. As it turns out, each date was snowier, icier and slushier than the one before. It took three snow storms, three snow days and nearly a month, but we finally made it.
The new location (a few doors down from the original on Greenwich Ave.) is lovely and trimly elegant. We arrived early for lunch … and it’s a good thing we did. The dining room was full to capacity -- with a line out the door -- by 12:20.
If you liked Bonda at its former Westport/Saugatuck location, you’ll love its new incarnation in Fairfield’s Greenfield Hill (the former home of La Colline Verte and Fraiche). Sure, we miss Abbondanza – owner/chef Jamie Cooper’s former Saugatuck gourmet deli/catering operation and site of the original Bonda. But we’re excited he’s now focused on the restaurant and taking it to the next level in this new location. It’s a clean, inviting space, with warm orange walls, fresh white trim, vintage posters and comfortable seating. The small, sixty-seat restaurant was nearly filled to capacity when we visited on an otherwise quiet Tuesday evening in October. For good reason. In fact, for at least three very good reasons.
Reason 1: The Bond-alicious food. Inventive yet simple dishes, expertly prepared. Although the menu has a classic American backbone, Jamie treats the world as his pantry.
I’m told “Masas” means dough in Spanish. For very little “dough” you can consume A LOT of dough at Masas Arepera, a new, family-run spot in a tiny strip mall on Westport Ave in Norwalk.
(Bring some dough, though, because it’s cash only.)
Place your order at the counter. Menu items are listed on the wall and for those of us who don’t speak Spanish there is a yellow take-out menu with helpful English descriptions. (The Venezuelan family and staff are friendly but not much English is spoken.) Note also that all items may not be available at all times. (One member of our group had been told on an earlier visit that chicken wasn’t available that day.) So be prepared to go with the flow. We’re very glad we did.
Photos: Courtesy of The Mayflower InnMy husband and I recently had the chance to spend a day at the Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington, CT. It was, in a word, sublime. It’s nestled in the Litchfield County countryside, with rolling hills, lush foliage and perfectly manicured gardens -- a New England picture-postcard paradise. The Inn itself is an elegant, magnificently maintained, five-star luxury spa resort. I could go on for hours about the place. But this is CTBites -- let’s talk about the food.
For starters, let’s call it Valencia Breakfast-eria. With food this good, breakfast deserves star billing. And it’s served at Valencia Luncheria seven days a week.
Personally, breakfast is my favorite restaurant meal. For me, the pleasure of a breakfast out -- aside from not having to cook it -- is the feeling of being on vacation. Stepping out into a new, exotic locale, sampling local favorites, getting the feel of a place and its people. So it was this morning at Valencia, stepping out of the blazing Venezuelan-like sun, through the blue and while striped tent flaps, into the tiny mango-hued storefront.
We know from CTBites’ earlier review of Valencia Luncheria much about this tiny 16-seat restaurant and it’s excellent arepas, plantains, and lunch and dinner specialties. Breakfast is similar in quality, quantity, value (and frequent long waits for a table), but with its long and interesting menu of breakfast/brunch specials, the AM meal deserves its own review.
