While many of our readers have family traditions when it comes to Thanksgiving, we, at CTbites, feel it is important to add a newcomer to the recipe box each year. For 2016, we offer you a classic developed by South End's Chef Nick Martschenko. His recipe for Maple Praline Pumpkin Pecan Pie may become your family's go-to dessert. If you decide to cook this in your home next week, let us know what you thought.
One of Connecticut's most highly anticipated restaurant openings is nearing go time in downtown Westport. Bill Taibe and the team from Kawa Ni and The Whelk will open the doors to a new concept next week, Jesup Hall, located in Westport's old Town Hall. In Jesup, Taibe and Chef Daniel Sabia have created a community hangout, a restaurant that serves honest food, "the food we want to eat," says Sabia. In fact, there is nostalgia in both the menu and the concept. The Jesup family played a huge role in Westport's early years and our goal was to create something that felt like it had patina and age, says Taibe" The kitchen reveals a similar sentiment in its large cuts of meat, big salads, extensive burger menu, and popovers you'll wanna stash in your purse. With elegant vintage wallpaper, antique fixtures, warm tones and high ceilings, Jesup Hall is Westport's new local hangout.
It’s easier than ever to choose gluten free at Garelick& Herbs. We’ve been using gluten free labels in our prepared food case, and now we’re adding the labels to the food in our grab and go refrigerated case and in house bakery items!
In the entrees, there are now pasta dishes such as Pasta Primavera with fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes, a fabulous Potato “pasta” with Pesto- positively addictive whether you are gluten free or not. We have translated our Chicken Francais and Chicken Cutlets recipes to make them GF too.
The Granola Bar of Westport and Greenwich will soon be opening its doors in Stamford's Harbor Point District as part of an exciting and large scale expansion plan. The Granola Bar has joined forces with Trilynx, an investment and operating platform whose founders have more than 15 years of experience in hospitality brands such as Disney and Starwood Hotels. This new team will take The Granola Bar's breakfast and lunch hot spot beyond the boundaries of CT, but more immediately, will debut the first ever The Granola Bar TO GO at 700 Canal Street in Stamford in spring 2017 (directly across from Fairway Market).
Chef Brian Lewis' The Cottage is spreading its wings just in time for the new year...or rather its footprint, with a beautiful new expanded bar area. Lewis has taken over the adjacent space, once housing a barber shop, and has spent the last few months building out the perfect drink haven. The new bar area will have full service dining at the 10 seat bar alongside creative cocktails, local draft beer and an expanded wine program. Another addition is bartender, Ralph Leon who has been in the business for over 18 years, and has some very exciting new drinks planned for 2017.
After 20 years as a Sono institution, Barcelona Wine Bar has moved up the street and officially opened its doors in Norwalk’s new Waypointe complex. Their new home looks and feels much like the creative dining spaces guests have come to expect from Barcelona’s five CT locations, but as SVP Adam Halberg says “ Waypointe will feel familiar, but there are some key areas that make this new location quite unique.” The open kitchen, massive 40 seat bar, and a new menu approach will take their authentic and distinctive Spanish tapas menu even closer to the markets and restaurants of Spain.
Check the shelves at your local Stew Leonard's TODAY because their first ever Christmas Cookie Millk will be available for a limited time this holiday season. Stew Leonard's Christmas Cookie Milk a sweet, creamy milk that has the same flavor as a sugar cookie that's been dunked in milk. It comes straight from their dairy farms in upstate NY and is free from artificial growth hormones (rBST) and antibiotics. This milk goes from the farm to each of our stores in as little as 24 hours, and is sold in a ½ gallon glass for $4.99. Stew Leonard's Christmas Cookie Milk is going to go fast. Go grab some now.
WIN 2 FREE TIX to BEER CONN Festival, December 10th. To enter just tell us why you NEED to go in the comments section below.
The biggest names in brewing will gather once again at the WebsterBankArena on Saturday, December 10, 2016 for the 3rd annual BEER CONN festival. BEER CONN, a beer tasting extravaganza, will showcase more than 50 local, national, and international breweries and offer more than 100 beers for sampling. This fantastic thirst-quenching pay-one-price beer tasting event offers beer aficionados, beer lovers and the casual beer drinker the opportunity to speak to company representatives and the brewers responsible for creating some of the world's most popular and award-winning brews. 21+ only. Session 1: 12:30-4:00pm; Session 2: 5:30-9:00pm. www.Beer-Conn.com
Foxwoods® Resort Casino, Big Night Entertainment Group (BNEG) and Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri are excited to announce the opening of Guy Fieri’s Foxwoods Kitchen + Bar at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Friday, November 25 at 11:00 a.m.
This fall, chef, restaurateur, author and host of Food Network’s top-rated show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, is bringing his love affair with food to BNEG’s impressive roster of award-winning dining and entertainment venues which include GEM Italian Kitchen, Nightclub & Lounge, Red Lantern Boston, Red Lantern Foxwoods, Scorpion Bar Patriot Place, Scorpion Bar Foxwoods, High Rollers Luxury Lanes & Lounge, Shrine, and Empire Asian Restaurant & Lounge. The new restaurant is located on the casino level of the Grand Pequot Tower.
Does anyone remember the epically successful and brilliantly over the top kitschyMiracle 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."
New Haven is about to get their very own Donut Crazy. On Thursday, October 27th, Donut Crazy New Haven will be opening at 290 York Street, with an opening party from 2-5 pm.
For those unfamiliar with the Donut Crazy menu, readers should take note that while they offer the traditional breakfast dounghnut you've come to expect at a shop bearing this name, the key word here is "Crazy." These outrageously delicious doughtnuts are straight out of your ultimate food fantasy (or mine, anyway). Creative varietals including: French Toast (Glazed donut sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar drizzled with vanilla and maple icing); PB&J, (filled with grape jelly, topped with smooth peanut butter and chopped peanuts); and my favorite September special, Pumpkin Pie with pumpkin pie filling, spiced icing and shortbread crumbled cookie dip.
And doughnuts aren't all Jason Wojnarowski, Donut Crazy founder, has to offer. They will also be serving ON TAP nitro coffee, cold-brew coffee, iced teas and chocolate milk using Arethusa Farm’s milk and Shearwater's fair trade Coffee. In addition, they will be serving made-to-order breakfast sandwiches, also available on a glazed donut if you dare! For folks who prefer something more savory, they will have bagels & lox and avocado toast. The bakery team also makes muffins and sconces from scratch and will continue to surprise guests with some really special confections.
Miya's in New Haven recently won The 2016 WHITE HOUSE CHAMPION OF CHANGE FOR SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD award. Chef and owner, Bun Lai, is sharing a few dishes from this special dinner during New Haven's upcoming Restaurant Week, October 30-November 4. Bun says this about the menu (view White House menu below)...
In honor of every person in every part of the worldwide sustainability movement, this Miya’s NEW HAVEN RESTAURANT WEEK menu will feature a handful of my favorite award-winning sustainable seafood recipes featured at the Miya’s WHITE HOUSE CHAMPIONS of CHANGE dinner that I hosted. A top challenge to the sustainability movement is to make the healthiest food affordable and accessible to all. It is my humble assessment that our mother’s modest little restaurant has accomplished that.
3 of our favorite local chefs will be cooking at the esteemed James Beard House on Wednesday, November 9th. Bill Taibe, (Kawa Ni and the Whelk, Westport, CT), Anthony Kostelis (The Whelk) & Jeff Taibe (Kawa Ni) will bring a little CT love to NYC with a menu that is drool-worthy. Check out the full menu below...
Tri-state-area food lovers flock to Connecticut’s the Whelk and Kawa Ni for New England seafood fare and the Japanese izakaya experience, respectively. For one night only, Beard House guests will be able to get both in one place when the restaurants’ teams join forces for a locally sourced, Asian-inflected feast. Buy your tickets here.
Join CTbites, Moffly Media’s AtHome Magazine, and realtors Judy Michaelis & David Vynerib of CCO Habitats for Fairfield County's first ever, “KITCHENCRAWL,” a culinary tourto benefit Community Plates.
Here's how the Kitchen Crawl works... Guests will purchase a $45 ticket and proceed to 4 different Westport houses, where chefs from The Spread, The Pearl at Longshore, Nom Eez, Rothbard's & Vespa will be cooking just for you. Cooking demos and specially prepared bites will be enjoyed alongside wine and beer provided by Stew's Wines...all in spectacular designer kitchens.
The Little Pubyou know from Ridgefield, Wilton and Cos Cob is opening its fourth location in Fairfieldat the intersection of Stillson Avenue and Black Rock Turnpike. This spot has some history as it housed the Angus restaurant for over 70 years. Owner, Doug Grabe says "It's a cute and cozy building in a perfect neighborhood for Little Pub and we’re really looking forward to serving the Fairfield community."
"Little Pub Fairfield will share the traditional old world charm of our other little pubs with thick plaster walls, hand hewn beams, and antique iron light fixtures," says Grabe. In fact, the team re-purposed over 80 vintage beams from their Cos Cob renovation. A massive stone fireplace serves as the focal point for the main dining room, alongside some wonderful pub decor, including a vintage telephone booth.
What is unique to Fairfield is its size. The dining room is over 50% bigger than Wilton, with 130 seats. Grabe says "The bar alone is bigger than our entire Ridgefield footprint."
While this may not be breaking news for serious food lovers, those of us nostalgic for our lost Hello Kitty years will be delighted to hear that the Hello KittyCafe Truck will be making its first appearance in Stamford on Saturday, August 27th at the Stamford Town Center.
The Hello KittyCafe Truck is a mobile vehicle of cuteness that offers a tasty array of Hello Kitty sweets and special goodies to fans of all ages; it has been rolling up to festivals & events across the U.S. since its official debut at Hello Kitty Con in October 2014.
The yummy treats on board the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck will include a 3-piece Hello Kitty cookie set, a rainbow macaron box that includes a surprise Sanrio character design, a 4-pack of mini cakes, and bow-shaped bottles of water.
It's official. Fairfield just became the luckiest town in all of CT. On May 9th, MilkCraft will be opening at 1215 Post Road in the Brick Walk area of Fairfield, selling the creamiest ice cream in the universe. Why you ask? Milkcraft serves Nitrogen-churned ice cream, a process that freezes the cream so quickly that those pesky ice crystals that can form when the ice cream freezes slowly, never materialize. The end result is simply the smoothest creamiest ice cream you've ever tasted, with a mouthfeel like no other frozen confection.
But wait...it gets better. Milkcraft will be serving their nitrogen- churned dessert in Instagram ready "Creameebun" donut sandwiches, and Hong Kong-inspired "Bubblecones."
More details on Milkcraft coming soon. Get excited CT.
