Stone Row Kitchen + Bar: Don't Miss This CRAzies Awards Winner Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Willimantic Windham Interview Cocktails Homepage Andrew Dominick October 27, 2024 Anyone in this state that follows the Connecticut Restaurant Association’s CRAzies Awards might have noticed a perennial nominee out of Windham County, specifically in the borough of Willimantic, not far from the campus of Eastern State Connecticut University, by the name of Stone Row Kitchen + Bar. Read More
Mine Hill Distillery in Roxbury: Spirits Distilled + Bottled in Connecticut and a Cocktail Program Coming Soon Features Interview Ingredients Distillery Spirits Litchfield County Roxbury Homepage Andrew Dominick October 15, 2024 Driving on Connecticut State Route 67 towards Roxbury, you’ll notice a handful of historic buildings that date back to the 1800s. What used to be a train station, cigar factory, lumber shed, general store, and a post office is now a distillery. And unless you’re up in that area, Mine Hill Distillery may have popped up on your radar in this very moment as you’re reading this. Read More
My Favorite Dish: Wagyu Brisket Bao Buns at The Cottage in Westport + Greenwich Ingredients Interview Restaurant My Favorite Dish The Cottage Westport The Cottage Greenwich Westport Greenwich Bao Brisket Ingredients Andrew Dominick October 11, 2024 No trip to The Cottage is complete without…IT. At least one, but probably two. Fans of Brian Lewis’ flagship restaurant in Westport (and in Greenwich in recent years) know that I’m talking specifically about the wagyu brisket bao buns, a day one appetizer (though I could eat these as my main course) when Lewis opened in 2015. The buns have had their share of the spotlight, too, as they’ve been gushed about in TheNew York Times, Forbes, and countless local news sites and blogs. Read More
2024 Catering Guide: 20+ Connecticut Caterers for Your Special Event Ingredients Events Catering Guide Caterers Caterer Catering April Guilbault October 10, 2024 Ah, the “ber” months-filled with so many great holidays and events! I think we can all agree that while we are excited for the holiday season, it can also be a bit daunting. Happily, at our beck and call are a plethora of fabulous resources, such as these skilled, creative, and enthusiastic caterers. Your work just got easier, your event just got more memorable, and the food just got more delicious. Book ‘em soon so you can lean back and enjoy these “ber” months! A note: We are listing towns where the caterers are based, but many of them work throughout CT, so don’t hesitate to call them. Enjoy! Read More
Allium Eatery in Westport: Nominated for Best CT Chef 2024 Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Restaurants French Modern American Westport Chef Interview Homepage Andrew Dominick October 09, 2024 Now almost three years old, Michelle Greenfield’s Allium Eatery started out, as she puts it, “small.” Her restaurant, inside, is also small. Put a dozen people in there and it feels full. When the weather cooperates, Allium can take some walk ins for patio dining, otherwise you have a choice between either the 5:30 seating or the 7:30. n this case of “small,” small is good, and Greenfield’s restaurant is one of the hottest tickets in town. No website, just social media, and they’re more active on Instagram, FYI. And chances are, when a table does wiggle free from a prior reservation on busier nights, it’s a given that someone will see their Instagram story announcement and snatch it right up. Read More
Don Memo in Westport Introduces a Limited Happy Hour Burger Ingredients Restaurant Burgers Burger Happy Hour Westport Mexican Andrew Dominick October 02, 2024 When Don Memo posted on Instagram that they’d be serving a burger during their Hora Feliz (that’s happy hour in English), their fans were pretty stoked, present company included. Show me a good happy hour AND throw in a limited cheeseburger, something Don Memo has never offered before, and I’m there. Read More
Magic 5 Pie Co. Expands Menu in Norwalk...And It's TASTY! Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Norwalk Magic 5 Pie Co Pizza Homepage Interview Andrew Dominick September 27, 2024 Now almost three years old, Magic 5 Pie Co. has had no problem with repeat diners. But the people have to first find it before they can return.Tucked away in the parking lot of the East Norwalk Metro-North Station, even longtime Norwalkers won’t even see it from the usual slow crawl of East Avenue traffic. You’ll have to go all the way in the back. Or you can plug in “Magic 5 Pie Co.” in Google Maps for an assist. “Lots of people still don’t know we’re in Norwalk,” says Shawn Longyear, who along with Chris Hickey, Andrey Cortes, and Christopher Rasile, are also all co-owners of The Spread and El Segundo just across the bridge in South Norwalk. “But once they find us, they come back.” Read More
Taco Dia Opens in Newtown from the Bailey’s Backyard Team Features Interview Restaurant Ingredients Openings Newtown Homepage Interview Mexican Tacos Cocktails Andrew Dominick September 23, 2024 On the heels of their quarter century anniversary, Bailey’s Backyard, and its original and forever owner, Sal Bagliavio have a sequel. And no, it’s not following in the exact footsteps of Bailey’s—one of Connecticut O.G. farm-to-table restaurants. Ristorante numéro dos for Bagliavio and chef/partner Forrest Pasternack, who returned to Bailey’s recently, are entering the world of tacos with Taco Dia—because every day is taco day, not just Tuesdays. If you’re at least a little familiar with Bailey’s, Bagliavio and Pasternack entering the realm of Mexican cuisine isn’t that shocking. Bailey’s is very New American, and if you’ve eaten there, Mexican pops up on the menu frequently, and especially on their Wednesday night Market Table tasting menu. Read More
Wave Hill Breads Expands in Norwalk with New Cafe Featuring Pizza, Coffee, + More Features Ingredients Interview Bakery Norwalk Pizza Pastry Baker Wave Hill Breads Homepage Andrew Dominick September 05, 2024 When I sat down with Tim Topi to talk about his bakery’s expansion, and second location, this time in the form of a sit-down café, I jokingly told him that Wave Hill Breads could very well be the most mentioned place in the history of this website. It may not actually be a joke, though. Countless restaurants swear by Wave Hill and prominently feature their sourdough or burger buns on their menu and others have a deal with Topi’s bakery for custom loaves or buns. Off the top of my head? Damon Sawyer’s 29 Markle Ct uses their brioche buns, Jeff Taibe of Taproot serves Wave Hill sourdough with either butter or pimento cheese and bacon jam, Josie & Tony’s has them custom bake semolina for their terrific sandwiches, and they bake milk buns for Cwispy Chkn’s tasty fried chicken sliders. I’m sure I’m leaving out dozens more, but you get the idea. Read More
Cucina Daniella: Authentic Italian Specialty Foods & Sandwich Shop Opens In Darien Ingredients Restaurant Darien Italian Italian Deli Specialty Market Sandwiches Italian Sandwich Prepared Food Homepage Katie Simons August 24, 2024 Ever find yourself daydreaming about salty, oily tuscan bread with fresh prosciutto and earthy lettuce? Instead of booking that eight hour flight to Italy, the easier — yet equally tasty option — is located on Tokeneke Road in Darien. Cucina Daniella brings a mix of prepared Italian classics, fresh sandwiches on homemade bread and Italian-imported quality ingredients to Fairfield County. While the gourmet grocery store opened in January, the project has been a long time coming for Chef and Owner Daniella Palazzolo. Palazzolo grew up in a food-centered Italian home with a love for the food her family in Sicily made. After 30 years in corporate America, she began selling her favorite imported Italian products — namely olive oil — at local farmer’s markets in 2019. During the pandemic Palazzolo obtained her carterring license and began selling prepared foods like meatballs and homemade pasta sauces. After seeing her success on a small scale, she worked with a women’s business development team to apply for a loan for a physical storefront and expansion of her team. Read More
Sarah & Bernard Bouissou Open À Table, a Gourmet Market in Ridgefield Features Ingredients Interview Gourmet Market Ridgefield Homepage Interview Market Andrew Dominick August 11, 2024 “One of the things we hear all the time is, ‘We had no idea you were here!’ And once they’re here, they always come back.” For over 20 years, Ridgefielders and those way further out knew exactly where to find Sarah and Bernard Bouissou. Read More
Foolproof Brewing Grand Opening In Bridgeport Features Ingredients Bridgeport Brewery Opening Beer CT Beer Homepage CTbites Team August 01, 2024 Foolproof Brewing Company is excited to announce the grand opening of their second location in Bridgeport, CT with a brand new brewery, taproom, and kitchen located at 800 Union Avenue. Read More
Cwispy Chkn in Stamford: Why We Love These Chicken Sliders + Features Ingredients Restaurant Fast Casual Fried Chicken Fried Chicken Sandwich Stamford Homepage Andrew Dominick July 19, 2024 Fried chicken sandwiches are hot right now. And with no signs of dwindling down anytime soon, places that serve crispy, juicy fried chicken on a bun are popping up all over. For Cwispy Chkn—which opened in November 2023 in the former Magee’s Curbside in Stamford’s Shippan neighborhood—maybe they’re guilty of riding the fried chicken sandwich wave, but the difference is, they’re doing things their way. Read More
Tree House Brewing Co. Bought a Farm in Woodstock: Go...Drink Some Cider Features Brewery Ingredients Road Trip Seasonal Craft Beer Beer Cider Cidery Woodstock Tree House Brewing Company Homepage Andrew Dominick June 21, 2024 Ahh! Remember the good old days when standing in long lines at breweries was something people actually did?Me too. And thinking back on it now, and despite making snobby craft beer small talk, that legitimately sucked. What were we thinking? I’ve even heard tales about people sleeping on the street overnight just to get stouts at Other Half. Perhaps the undisputed king of waiting in a beer line took place in the first half of the 2010s when Tree House Brewing Company moved to Monson, Massachusetts in 2013 and you hoped with all you had in your soul that you could get a growler fill or even a couple cans of Julius, Haze, or Green. IYKYK.Hell, let’s take it even further to the days of making your non-beer drinking friend, mother, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, and possibly someone you didn’t even really like that much to go up with you, stand in line behind you, and you could potentially double your allotted Tree House haul. Read More
The Cottage Westport Launches Farmers Market Prix Fixe Menu Ingredients Interview Restaurant Seasonal Ingredients Farmers Market The Cottage Westport Westport Interview Homepage Andrew Dominick June 14, 2024 Just over two months from this very publication date, The Cottage Westport welcomed back chef de cuisine, Christian Wilki, after his stints at Villa Mulino in Avon and Swyft and Ore Hill in Kent. Having worked with chef and owner Brian Lewis for five years previously, Wilki is happy to return to further cultivate and create culinary magic at The Cottage. ingredients from the Westport Farmers Market.“We did this a while back, but one day, me, Brian, and Ralph ( León)were sitting down after service sharing a bottle of water—I know, so exciting—and we sat here talking and I said that I wanted to do a farmers market menu again like we did years ago,” Wilki says. “Brian was like, ‘absolutely, let’s do it.’” Read More
Tacos Los Gordos: Hidden Taco Gem in New Haven Features Ingredients Interview New Haven Restaurant Tacos Mexican New Haven Homepage Chef Andrew Dominick June 11, 2024 If you’ve dined around the Connecticut restaurant scene with regularity, it’s pretty common to see familiar chef faces. Edgar Marcial is one of those.Just under two years ago, Marcial opened exactly the type of spot he was looking for in Downtown New Haven.And what he’s doing at Tacos Los Gordos is all love.And judging from the waves of customers that wander in here and smash tacos and wash them down with a Mexican Coke out of his vintage Coca-Cola cooler, they’re loving it, too.What’s represented, taco wise, is from all parts of Mexico: carnitas from Michoacán, beef birria from Tijuana, of course crispy cod taco that reps Baja and SoCal, and al pastor, cooked on a spit, from Mexico City that’ll immediately catch your eye upon entry. Read More
Scoop This: OGGI Gelato Opens First Shop in the U.S. in Norwalk Features Ice Cream Ingredients Interview Gelato ice cream Ingredients Norwalk Interview Italian Andrew Dominick June 03, 2024 Udine, Trieste, Pordenone, Rome, Barcelona, Santiago, Athens, and…Norwalk, Connecticut? So, you usually don’t see six European cities and one South American city mentioned in the same breath as Norwalk, but when it comes to gelato and master gelato maker, Carmelo Chiaramida, this is perhaps the one time it applies. What Chiaramida is doing in Norwalk, opening his first OGGI Gelato shop in America, is simply every local ice cream lover’s good fortune.Call it a coincidence through connection, actually. And it’s best spelled out by Maurizio Ricci, who along with his brother, Graziano, are the founders of Romanacci and Norwalk’s Osteria Romana. Read More
Josie & Tony’s in Norwalk Opens Arthur Avenue Inspired Deli Counter: No Membership Required Features Ingredients Restaurant Deli Sandwich Sandwiches Norwalk South Norwalk Homepage Interview Andrew Dominick May 24, 2024 Joshua Mesnick is well aware that his restaurant, Josie & Tony’s Italian Deli & Supper Club, is polarizing.He dared to be different and opened a fine dining membership-based restaurant in South Norwalk, catering to paid club members first, and the general public second. Scoff it you want, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in. It’s not impossible, and if it’s not for you, Mesnick will be the first to tell you, that that’s totally fine. “I’ve always done through this project what I’m passionate about,” he says. “Membership has been sold out. We have plenty of great regulars that aren’t members. There have been doubters all along and that’s OK!”Supper club aside, let’s talk about that other part of the name…Italian Deli. Read More
It’s a Woman’s World: Amanda Eng of Kash & Liv Coffee Creations Ingredients Interview Coffee Coffee Shop It's A Woman's World Interview Newtown Sandy Hook Andrew Dominick May 17, 2024 From corporate America to…coffee?!That’s exactly what Amanda Eng did. And now she’s making waves with her craft coffee concoctions that have included creative, original flavored lattes, cold brews with fruity sweet cream cold foams, and decadent cups of hot cocoa.Amanda, and her coffee biz that’s named after her twins, Kash and Liv, is seemingly everywhere in the Newtown with pop ups at PTA meetings, to Newsylum Brewery, and others. Now with a home base inside of Uncle Matt’s Bakery and Café in nearby Sandy Hook, you’ll at least always know where to find her for your caffeine fix.I recently caught up with Amanda to get Kash & Liv Coffee Creations’ origin story, to talk coffee and coffee inspiration, and what’s in her very near future.Grab a cup (of her coffee if you have access) and check out our Q&A! Read More
The Search for Tony Pizza Napolitano’s Elusive Square Pie Features Ingredients Interview Pizza Weston Westport Pop-Up Homepage Interview Andrew Dominick May 15, 2024 The elusiveness of certain limited foods only makes me want THAT particular thing even more. That’s exactly how I felt trying to track down Anthony Kesselmark’s square pizzas, aka, the grandma pie. Read More
