Tomorrow, March 17th, SoNo Baking Company will open the doors to its newest location in downtown Westport at 44 Church Lane. Owner John Barricelli will breath new life into the spot that once housed Java Coffee with a full breakfast and lunch menu for local Westport guests and lovers of SoNo's baked good, breads and coffee.
What should diners and shoppers expect? The downtown location will mirror SoNo Baking Company's SONO menu and concept and will feature eggs and breakfast specialties including Belgian waffles and pancakes followed by soups, salads and sandwiches for lunch.
A 12 person communal table anchors the dining space, which seats 50, and the patio will open with an additional 20 seats as soon as weather permits.
The Schoolhouse at Cannondale, in Wilton, has decided to start a series of late Winter early Spring events at the Schoolhouse that will focus on ingredients, techniques, or themes we are into at the current moment.
Their first event will be on Tuesday, March 24th and will focus on nose to tail cooking. Chef Tim LeBant and his team will be creating four courses utilizing different cuts of pork. They will also have a selection of beers and bourbons to pair with the courses as well (at a separate cost) as well as our regular wine list. You can book a reservation online by clicking here and choosing a time and party size. Reservation are available from 5:30-8:30. The nose-to-tail dinner will be $60/person.
Jeff Marron, Beverage/Bar Manager and master of all things cocktails for Kawa Ni, The Whelk & Le Farm, has cooked up a little friendly competition for your drinking pleasure. 6 craft cocktail contests will be held, each with a different group of celebrity competitors (see rules below), where master mixologists will go head to head to create some of the best drinks in Fairfield County. Each event will feature 6 judges, and only 30 guests. Small bites and hors d’oeurves will be provided by LeFarm, The Whelk and/or Kawa NI.
CTbites is giving away 6 seats to ATTEND or JUDGE one of these exclusive events.
How can YOU score a seat? Come up with a name for cocktail in the photo above. We will select our top 6 names for the 1st event on March 24th!
Ingredients: Tito's Vodka, Thai Chili infused Merlet, Creme de Cassis, Contratto Bianco, Vermouth, Fresh Lime Topped with Club Soda Lemon peel garnish
In the dessert world, pie trumps all. It's all American, even if it isn't apple, and when done right, it's just plain delicious. Walrus + Carpenter in Bridgeport recently launched a new dessert menu that features...you guessed it, pie. In fact, the menu is ALL pie, 6 different tantalizing options including: Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie, Chess Pie, Key Lime and their signature "Walrus Pie," featuring a bacon-chocolate chip cookie crust, bacon crumble, bacon candy & peanut butter ice cream (Get in the car...there's still time).
In keeping with Walrus' attention to detail, this master of all things smoked meat have put a little extra love into each and every pie. The creative cookie based pie shells, the flakiness of the Apple Pie's cheddar crust, and the gently torched meringue are just a few noteworthy elements. Plus, Walrus + Carpenter is now open 7 days a week, so you can enjoy this 6 pie menu 24/7. View the full Pie Menu Photo Gallery below:
From restaurant openings (and closings) to memorable food-centric events and a slew of our own guides and top ten lists, we trolled our analytics to bring you the most widely read stories from 2014. Take a trip down memory lane, or use this opportunity to catch up on some great articles you may have missed. Here are the Top Stories of 2014.
Looking for the perfect Holiday Cocktail recipe for your festivities? Sean Nye has mixed up a little something special for CTbites, from his new post, behind the bar of Match in South Norwalk.
Sean hails most recently from Walrus & Carpenter, as well as Bodega and South End in New Canaan. Jusy sayin...the man knows how to make a drink.
Enjoy this truly delicious recipe for the "Holiday Flip" made with Applejack Brandy, cardamaro and nutmeg. And if you're simply too tired from opening presents, just go order one at Match.
Yep. It's true. In a few short months, Java Coffee in Westport at 44 Church Lane is a thing of the past (sad to see them go). The good news? Sono Baking Company has just signed the lease for that very same location, and hopes to be up and running by February-ish.
Owner, John Barricelli, says "The old Java location will be more of a cafe, with our primary retail storefront in Westport being the Post Road shop." "This location will not be a full bakery, but will feature complete menus for breakfast and lunch, great coffee, and possibly dinner...down the road."
We will keep you posted as we get closer to the opening date.
How does it feel to be hired as the new Chef de Cuisine for one of Fairfield County’s most successful restaurants? Chef Anthony Kostelis, of The Whelk in Westport, would say it is like a dream come true. In fact, ever since Kostelis started working with Bill Taibe in 2010, he knew he didn't want to be anywhere else.
Kostelis’ love of food began at the ripe age of 15 when he started work in a Manchester pizza restaurant. Half Greek, half Italian, and the son of a food purveyor for high end ingredients, Anthony seemed fated to head down a culinary path. By age 20, he was working in New Haven as a server and bartender at Ibiza, when he decided to leave college and pursue his real passion, cooking. Working his way through the CIA, he was mentored by Executive Chef Jeff Caputo of Scoozzi, also in New Haven, who took him under his wing and “set me up for success,” says Anthony.
This past Thursday night, Mecha Noodle Bar and Walrus & Carpenter in Bridgeport teamed up for an evening of smoked meat, ramen, sake and Bruce Lee films as they threw down a traditional Bo Ssäm Dinner. What is Bo Ssam you ask? Ssäm is Korean for enclosed or wrapped, and Bo Ssäm is a meal of slow cooked pork shoulder wrapped in greens (often Bibb lettuce), topped with an oyster, sticky rice, Korean bbq sauce, and kimchi. Tony Pham of Mecha took it a few steps further and threw in Pork Belly w/ Thai Chile Cornbread, Ramen topped with both brisket and pork, Scallion Pancakes, as well as "Deviled Onsen Tamago (eggs)" with..yes...you guessed it.. BACON, kimchi, and fermented seaweed. 30 guests thought they had died and gone to heaven in the belly of a pig.
The theme revolved around the 70's cult action films of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, so moustaches and ninja attire were donned. The photos really say it all, but we look forward to anything these guys collaborate on in the future.
CT Food Bank is getting a jump on the holiday this year, as the need for Thanksgiving meals will be at an all-time high. That's why Connecticut Food Bank has started a Thanksgiving Early Bird "virtual" food drive.
Please help them ensure that no one goes without a holiday meal this year. Last year with everyone's help, we were able to provide nearly 600,000 meals for people in need of food assistance. With just a $10 donation, you can feed a person for an entire week!
This year, they anticipate an unprecedented need, as demand on our food-assistance network is continuing to rise. In Connecticut, there are nearly 500,000 people who are struggling with hunger, and one in five children in Connecticut doesn't always know where their next meal is coming from.
Can you help make sure no one goes without a holiday meal this year?
Sono Baking Company is officially open for business at their new Darien outpost. Guests can drop in and sample John Barricelli’s expansive baked goods menu, or sit down after ordering counter side and dig into both breakfast and lunch. I know what you’re thinking…yes, he remembered the espresso machine. Excited? We are.
Conveniently located on 49 Tokeneke Road right across from the Darien train station, Sono Baking Co. is the perfect spot to grab an impeccably baked croissant or egg sandwich and a quick latte on the way to the train. Open 7AM to 7PM, this beautiful sun soaked interior also offers guests comfortable seating where one can relax and order from their menu of soups, paninis, quiche or special weekend pancakes.
The Black Rock Farmers' Market is throwing a party to celebrate the closing of the market for the 2014 season. Go shop the market on October 25th from 9-1pm, and then stay for an afternoon of celebration at their Harvest Hootenanny featuring local food, local breweries, and live music, from 1-5pm. Musical guest will be Black Rock's own Oh, Cassius!
Good times were had at this year's Greenwich Wine + Food Festival as National and local celebrity chefs sat down with Chef Matt Storch and Serendipity Editor, Danielle Manion at the CTbites & Serendipity Blogger Lounge. Here is the first installment, our interview with the formidable Adam Richman, made famous with his hit show "Man V. Food" on The Travel Channel.
Adam even has some great local restaurant recommendations!
This past Sunday, thousands of chowder loving foodies from all over Connecticut converged at Norwalk’s Calf Pasture Beach to determine the state’s best chowder, soup and bisque at Chowdafest 2014. 36 restaurants competed with soupy entries such including traditional New Englands, lobster bisques, Manhattans, even a chicken pot pie soup. But, in the end there could only be a few winners.
The very popular Creative Chowder category was exceptionally close as eight restaurants showcased their culinary skills. The Spread from South Norwalk took top honors for their chorizo and shrimp chowder which was also the highest rated entry for the entire event.
Voters chose Donovan’s of South Norwalk for their New England clam chowder, winning for the third consecutive year.
Gray Goose of Fairfield took first place in their first Chowdafest competition winning the Traditional Chowder category for Manhattan and Rhode Island clam chowders only.
Newcomer Soup Thyme of Monroe won the Soup & Bisque category
We often say "join us" here at CTbites, but on Wednesday, October 15th 6:30 PM, we really mean join US as Amy Kundrat & Stephanie Webster sit down at the beautiful Artisan Restaurant in Southport to talk about our new cookbook, Fairfield County Chef’s Table. We won't just be talking...you get to enjoy a special meal prepared by Executive Chef Frederick Kieffer (who will also be there to chat).
ARTISAN is one of the featured restaurants in Fairfield County Chef’s Table. Make your reservations now for pre-paid tickets by calling 203-255-7756 Ext 501 or email: FairfieldUBookstoreEvents@gmail.com. Event Cost: $50 includes a sit down dinner and 1 copy of Fairfield County Chef’s Table along with book talk by author, photographer and chef. Additional ad-ons are available: 2nd dinner for $25, additional book for $22. Prices include tax & gratuities. Open cash bar will be available.
Saugatuck Craft Butchery's 2nd annual Porktoberfest came and went this past Sunday in Westport, with great weather, epic pig action and plenty of beer from New England Brewing. People lined up to grab photos and gawk as each beautiful Berkshire pig was lifted out of its Caja China roasting box. Austrian tunes played, kids ate s'mores and a generally good time was had by all. Thanks toSaugatuck Sweets for the seasonal desserts as well as the newly opened Garelick & Herbs for some tasty sides. Enjoy the photos and see you next year.
Geoff Lazlo, former Executive Chef at The Whelk in Westport,is heading back to his hometown of Greenwich, CT to open a place of his own. The restaurant will be located in the former Lolita Cocina space on Mill Street in Byram and will reflect the type of cooking he has done at esteemed venues such as Gramercy Tavern, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and The Whelk. Often seen walking into his kitchen with something freshly picked from his home garden, Geoff will continue to feature produce from local farms on the menu, but also bring the farm into the physical space and the surrounding neighborhood.With a strong focus on locally-sourced, seasonal American cuisine, Lazlo hopes to push this concept one step further by partnering with the Back 40 Farm in Washington, Connecticut.
Bill Taibe's new Izakaya inspired venture, Kawa Ni opens this week in Westport. Rather than describing this truly excellent menu, we thought we would just show you. Enjoy!
Tomorrow, March 17th, SoNo Baking Company will open the doors to its newest location in downtown Westport at 44 Church Lane. Owner John Barricelli will breath new life into the spot that once housed Java Coffee with a full breakfast and lunch menu for local Westport guests and lovers of SoNo's baked good, breads and coffee. 
