Fans of Mecha Noodle Bar in Fairfield, residents of Norwalk, and noodle lovers everywhere will rejoice in the news that Mecha will be opening a second location right in SoNo’s downtown Washington Street. “We believe in the resurgence of SoNo, that this type of cuisine is a good fit for this urban area,” says Pham. SoNo residents can already be seen peering curiously into the spot that once housed Joe Bruno’s renown Pasta Nostra, now boasting windows lined with garden variety Ramen packets…a sign of things to come.
Mecha owner and chef, Tony Pham, will be joined by longtime friend and owner of Mézon, Richard Reyes. The team grew up together in Bethel with extended families who loved to gather around food, specifically Pho and Hot Pot, courtesy of the Phams. Sharing food with people they love is part of their collective DNA, and Pho is a “Universal comfort food,” says Pham.
For those not already familiar with the menu at Mecha, we’re talking ramen, pho, steamed baos and a well curated selection of Asian plates. Slurping is encouraged, as clearly stated on the menu.
There's a new Vietnamese on the block, and we are pretty excited about this one. CanTiin, a modern French Vietnamese bistro is opening at 269 Fairfield Ave in Bridgeport this October. Can Tiin boasts Chef Brian Reilly, (you might remember the name from Vespa in Westport). Chef Brian has noodles in his culinary DNA as his resume includes the role of Executive Chef at Noodle Cat in Ohio, back when high quality noodles were just starting to catch on.
Can Tiin's COO Kevin D Lalumiere is joined by Rachel Haughey from NEAT of Darien and Westport, thus completing the management team.
Now let's talk Menus....Lunch is broken down into Pho, Banh Mi, Steam Buns, Salads & Starters, and Noodle & Frys. The Dinner menu features a mouthwatering array of dishes including Spiced Duck Breast, Pork Belly with Daikon, Crispy Rice & Coconut Crepe, Spicy Baby Octopus Stor Fry, Marrow & Miso, and a nice twist on the classic burger, a Grilled Burger Steam Bun.
We will update you on additional details and the opening date as we move into October.
This summer marks the 10 year anniversary for Sono Baking Company. To celebrate the milestone of this beloved local bakery, we sat down with owner, John Barricelli, to talk about the business of baking and his plans for the future.
What made you decide to launch Sono Baking Company?
We launched Sono 10 years ago because we found that the need for baked goods and breads were hard to find in this area....everything was being brought up from the city....I always wanted to bake bread in a big oven early in the morning with no days off!
Has the business of baking changed in the past 10 year? How?
The business has not changed, but competition has grown a little....we still think we are superior to anything out there...we bake fresh everyday....bake locally, distribute locally.
Walrus + Carpenter owners, Adam Roytman and Joseph Farrell, are teaming up again with a new restaurant concept in downtown Westport. This new venture, housed in the cozy subterranean dining space that was once Tierrra, will maintain the casual neighborhood vibe diners have grown accustomed to at Walrus, but this duo will leave the BBQ in Black Rock and head to Europe for a completely different approach to comfort food. Westport has its first European Beer Bar (right by Old Town Hall).
Rothbard Ale + Larder will open this fall with a menu focused on Central European fare. Rothbard will draw inspiration from the cuisines of Alsace, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland, with a little Northern Italy thrown in for good measure. A preview of the menu in progress reveals specialties including Spatzle, Mussels, Rabbit Goulash, Steak Frites (Fleisher’s), housemade Jagershnitzel and Raclette, (a Swiss cheese, melted table side and draped over potatoes, bacon and onions). Hearty fare will be complimented by more delicate salads and fish entrees. “There will be something for everyone” says Roytman. Farrell and Roytman are particularly enthusiastic about the “For The Table,” section of the menu where diners can order entrees for 4, in the communal spirit of a true beer hall.
Four spectacular events to celebrate the seasons. These special events will be filled with the best chefs, farmers and food around and will occur once a season (spring, summer, winter and fall) to highlight the delights of each season. What more could a locavore ask for?Tickets for the next event can be purchased on July 15th here.
The locations for the next event are top secret but CTbites has the line-up of chefs for the July 26th event...and they are good! Matt Storch, James Cooper, Geoff Lazlo and Arik Bensimon and a few special guests that will be left to surprise and delight.
Pick-Your-Own Blueberries is NOW OPEN at Bishop's Orchards in Guilford CT. Today is Opening Day with weekday hours 8am-1:30pm, Saturday8am-4pm, and Sunday9am-4pm. Blueberry season lasts about 6-7 weeks, up until late August. Blueberry admission is FREE into the field. You MUST pay for what you pick, by the pound. The field location for Blueberry picking is at their Main Orchards located off of New England Road.
Remember to always call their PICK line before heading out at 203-458-PICK. Weather and crop availability are always a factor so hours and locations can change at anytime. If strawberry season was any indication of what is to come with blueberries, we are all in for a real treat!
We recently offered up 3 sets of tix to the Food Truck Rodeo in Stamford, going downthis weekend in Mill River Park. We are pleased to announce the winners of the giveaway. Please step forward and claim your prize!
Tamara, Ebonie & Robin G are the lucky winners.
To all who attend the event, have fun and eat something delicious on our behalf.
On May 21st, The Westport Farmers' Market opened its virtual doors for the 2015 summer season. Opening day brought a veritable Who's Who of the local restaurant community as chefs came out to show their support for the market as well as local farms and vendors. View the gallery above for highlights.
Market Director, Lori Cochran is looking forward to a great season. “What a great day! We are humbled by the continued support and thrilled with the season we have in store for everyone. Join us for lunch and enjoy a wide variety of quality food while enjoying a river view.”
2015 will bring a full lineup of weekly guest chefs, a few new food trucks and kids programming. See you there on Thursdays from 10-2pm at 50 Imperial Avenue in Westport.
Imian Partners will open The Beer Garden at Shippan Landing for its second season on May 21st. Imian first introduced the pop-up beer garden concept two summers ago with The Beer Garden at Harbor Point and is credited for invigorating the social scene in Stamford’s South End. The Shippan spot has a significantly more relaxed vibe than that of Harbor Point, but has all the charm and beauty of the perfect summer hangout.
With unobstructed waterfront views, (and the best seat in town to watch the sunset all summer long), The Beer Garden at Shippan Landing will showcase and rotate its carefully curated list of local craft beers on draft and in cans offering a variety of options. Look for favorites such as Half Full, Broad Brook, Captain Lawrence and more. We also hear that The Beer Garden will be partnering with Half Full to create a signature beer just for the garden. Pretty cool.
An impressive rotating lineup of the area’s best food trucks will also be part of the nightly festivities at the Beer Garden. Stay tuned for details on some of your favorite mobile eats.
The family-friendly environment will include outdoor games such as life-size jenga, corn hole, can jam and beer pong.Entertainment will include live music and special themed-events throughout the summer beginning on Sunday May 24th with a Memorial Day party.
What is "Fork it Over?" Well...the specifics for these events are a tad on the down low, but we can tell you a few savory and succulent details. The Westport Farmers' Market will host 4 fundraising events featuring seasonal ingredients. Each of these dinners will be hosted at locations to be announced the day of each dinner, and the chefs (or chefs) will be a complete surprise.
Chefs for these events include (sit down for this one): Arik Bensimon (le Farm); Matt Storch (Match); James Cooper (BONDA); Barcelona; Geoff Lazlo; Pat Pascarella (Bar Sugo); Jenn Balin (Sugar & Olives); Nick Martschenko (South End); Tim LaBant (Schoolhouse); Matt Stanczak (Stanziato's); Breno Donati (JHouse); Bill Taibe; Anthony Kostelis of The Whelk; Craft Butchery/Fleishers & Phoebe Cole Smith.
Join in the fun...and mystery. Help support the amazing efforts of Lori Cochran, and the Westport Farmers' Market.
Who doesn’t love brunch? Sleepy weekend diners can conveniently avoid their own kitchens while enjoying an often decadent and relaxed morning meal. Plus, as a bonus, brunch is often accompanied by a well crafted cocktail. For this reason, we were pleased to hear that Barcelona Wine Bar has launched brunch service every Saturday and Sunday at several of their locations, including West Hartford, Stamford, and now Fairfield. As each Barcelona menu highlights the vision of their executive chef, brunch menus will vary slightly based on style, but bear a similar theme. To investigate this new kid on the brunch block, we decided to visit Chef Darren Carbone, who recently took over the Barcelona Fairfield kitchen, and who brings to the table, a little Latin flair.
In looking at the new Brunch menu, it’s difficult not to get just a little bit excited. Entrées such as Duck Confit Hash, Chocolate and Dulce de Leche French Toast, and a Breakfast “Coca,” (grilled bread, mushrooms, egg and Sriracha), sound like solid reasons to get out of bed.
Registration is open forConnecticut Food Bank’s 2015 Walk Against Hunger! Four of the state’s largest cities are hosting the Walk Against Hunger, a community gathering that increases hunger awareness and generates much needed funds to combat hunger in Connecticut. The Walk Against Hunger will increase Connecticut Food Bank’s capacity to fight hunger and most importantly celebrates our New England Spirit of neighbor helping neighbor. Locations this year are: Bridgeport, Waterbury, New Haven & Norwich.
All four Walks are 2.5 to 3 miles long with festiviites beginning at 1 p.m. Click on any of the Walk locations below to sign up and access “Walker Tools” to help you reach your fundraising goals.
The Schoolhouse At Cannondal & Millstone Farm are hosting their annual Farm To Fork Dinners again this summer and TICKETS GO ON SALE: May 1st at 10 AM! Join Tim LaBant and his team from the Schoolhouse at Cannondale for another summer of transforming farm fresh bounty into al fresco dining!
Beginning at 6 PM, enjoy cocktails and a tour of beautiful Millstone Farm followed by four courses under the stars (weather permitting). Dinner is BYOB. Tickets are $126.35 per person (includes tax and gratuity). Tickets are first come first serve and are nonrefundable but may be transferred to another guest.
Craft Butchery has some very big news. This exclusively pastured, whole animal butchery is expanding their business, their product lines (including catering), and will soon open their doors for dinner service at the Westport location. Also, look out for a new Craft Butchery in Greenwich opening this summer.
CTbites sat down with Ryan Fibiger, owner of Craft Butchery to get the full scoop.
This rapid expansion, Ryan explained, “has actually been in the works for some time.” Craft knew they needed to grow to meet demand, but wanted to do so while maintaining their strict philosophy on sourcing and butchering. Fibiger said “We wanted to grow the business, but butchering is a labor intensive process that requires space and talent. It’s hard to replicate.” To speed things along, this old school, full-service, whole animal butchery made the wise decision to merge with Fleisher’s Grass-fed and Organic Meats in Brooklyn (Ryan’s stomping ground where he learned his trade). As part of this merger, Craft is now the proud owner of Fleisher’s 6,500 square foot processing facility and commissary in Red Hook, enabling Craft to grow all areas of their current business, including Catering, to-go retail offerings, and most importantly, their ability to break down animals on a larger scale. They also have a new name: Fleisher's Craft Butchery.
Saugatuck Grain + Grape is going to be holding a series of wine education classes. Classes will be held every other week this spring. The series will cover everything from "Introduction to Wine Tasting, Lexicon, and Labels" to "The World Through Rosé Covered Glasses" as they dive into specific varietals. For those who don't know Mimi and her team, there will most definitely be fun, food and some bad wine jokes in every session.
Classes will be led by Mimi McLaughlin and Jon Carr, the newest member of the SG+G team. There will be nibbles prepared by Mark Hepperman, their in-house chef, so your tummy and taste buds will be happy in a multitude of ways.
Below is a break down of the syllabus, cost and dates. Please call the store to reserve your spot.
When we asked Fortina'sChristian Petroni to share an Easter recipe, he turned to an Italian classic...his mother. Much of Petroni's culinary inspiration is derived from a richly food-centric childhood just outside of Naples, and this Easter recipe is no exception. Christian's mother's cooking can often be spotted on the menus of Fortina Pizza (Armonk, Ryebrook & Stamford coming soon), and now on CTbites. Thanks to Fiorella & Christian Petroni for sharing a little bit of their holiday with this ultimate comfort food Recipe for Easter Pie. What type of "pie" you ask. This recipe features: salami, sweet provolone, ricotta and eggs...enough said.
This incredible guide to all things Passover dessert comes from one of our fellow writers, Liz Rueven, of Kosher Like Me. This is the uber guide for those who wish to BUY, not cook their Passover sweets. Amen.
I love it when my readers tell me what they need! So when M. phoned to ask where oh where should she buy her Passover desserts, we took the challenge and got to work looking for the best of the best.
For those strictly kosher or not so much, those on the west side or the west coast, we’ve got your freshly baked, professionally made Passover dessert options covered.
Mark your calendars. On Wednesday, March 20th, the first day of spring, tickets will go on sale for the 2015 season of Outstanding In The Field.Buy tickets here and do it fast! These go quickly.
CT will host 3 events this year. The Hickories will host Chef Jennifer Balin of Sugar & Olives on Sept. 8th as well as Chefs Holly Michaud & Scott Ostrander of Mama’s Boy on Sept. 9th. Day 3 will be at Waldingfield Farm with Jason Sobocinski of Casseus Fromagerie & Bistro.
"Outstanding in the Field is a roving culinary adventure– literally a restaurant without walls." Their mission is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it. The other meaning of Outstanding in the Field is outstanding as in the best.
Fans of Mecha Noodle Bar in Fairfield, residents of Norwalk, and noodle lovers everywhere will rejoice in the news that Mecha will be opening a second location right in SoNo’s downtown Washington Street. “We believe in the resurgence of SoNo, that this type of cuisine is a good fit for this urban area,” says Pham. SoNo residents can already be seen peering curiously into the spot that once housed Joe Bruno’s renown Pasta Nostra, now boasting windows lined with garden variety Ramen packets…a sign of things to come. 
