Help Support The Westport Farmers Market Ingredients Events Farmers Market Stephanie Webster September 19, 2010 The Westport Farmers Market will be hosting the first ever market fundraiser on September 23 during market hours. From 10:00 am to 2:00 pm bring a friend and enjoy lunch from our guest chefs Bill Taibe (leFarm), Nancy Roper (Boxcar Cantina) and Jeff Northrop (Westport Aquaculture) - who are teaming up for this special occasion. Everyone's favorite vendors will be on hand with tons of fall samples and specials. Come ready to eat, relax, win some prizes and help support your favorite market. Silent auction and raffle prizes have been generously donated by Sal Gilbertie, Kaia Yoga, Fort Hill Farm, Boxed Goodes, Westport Playhouse, Westport Art Center, Sherri Brooks Vinton, Sugar & Olives, The Dressing Room and many more. Raffle tickets are only $5. The auction items will be displayed at the Westport Farmers Market booth - look for red tablecloths with white polka dots. This event is to raise money for the Westport Farmers Market, a not for profit organization run solely on donations. They are working hard to raise the money to ensure their return for the 2011 season and beyond. Read More
Day-Tripping The Fairfield County, CT Wine Trail Ingredients Wine Chat JoAnn LoGiurato September 16, 2010 At this time of year, the crisp sunny days, and cool nights, have me itching to get out and do something “harvesty." We are lucky enough to have access to several excellent local vineyards, with a great variety of activities for singles, couples and families. I can’t think of a better way to spend a beautiful autumn day, than to relax and unwind, sipping a local wine with some fantastic nibbles (either provided by the vineyard or toted along in your picnic basket) and enjoying life set on a vineyard! During the next few weeks Harvest Celebrations will abound. Vineyards will all be hosting special events that are sure to entice any wine enthusiast. Following is a guide to local vineyards to help you get started on your autumnal wine tripping: Read More
This Week In Wine: Manifesto Sauvignon Blanc Ingredients This Week In Wine Kathleen Hall September 08, 2010 "This Week In Wine" is a new CTbites column featuring seasonal wine picks with great drinkability, good value, and local availability. Writer, Kathleen Hall, has been the Wine Manager @ Pastis in NYC and Head Sommelier @ Greenwich's Morello Bistro. A wine to drink while you sit on your patio and watch the sun set in these last few days of summer. Manifesto! Sauvignon Blanc is made with grapes grown organically, from the North Coast of California. While some New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc can be overly fruity and Sancerre from France tends to be lean and steely, this wine is something in the middle – a style that is rounded and rich, with ripe citrus fruit flavors and a refreshing acidity. With flavors of Meyer lemon, grapefruit, orange peel and a hint of herbs Read More
School is Back in Session @ Fairfield Cheese Company Ingredients Cooking Classes Education Specialty Market Stephanie Webster September 08, 2010 Fairfield Cheese Company classes are back in session and school has never been this delicious. Whether you are a cheese novice looking for a an introduction to the basics, or a cheese-aficionado seeking to expand your knowledge on a specific variety, they've got the class for you. I jumped at the chance to attend one of these sessions last season and spent some time with owners Laura and Christopher who lead these entertaining and informative evenings. If you would like some background on Fairfield Cheese Company, check out our review, "Cheese 101." With wine pairings from Harry's Wine & Liquor, this is the perfect way to break out of that dinner-and-a-movie date night rut. If you attend any of the classes below, let us know what you think! Read More
Advertisement: Sweet Rexie's Candy & Ice Cream Ingredients Advertisement Stephanie Webster September 02, 2010 I don't know about you but when I need that bulk bin candy fix, there is only one place to go…Sweet Rexie’s. Voted Best Candy Store in Fairfield County for 2010, this kid-friendly haven will satisfy any sweet tooth, but did you know that Sweet Rexie's is actually much more than just a candy store? Sweet Rexie's serves up great events, including kids birthdays, cooking classes and Hershey's Premium ice cream, just right for an after school treat. With 16 great flavors the likes of "Cookies vs. Peanut Butter," "Playdough," and "Cotton Candy," every child (or adult) will walk away a happy camper. Need a gift? Sweet Rexie's has a unique selection of toys, apparel, and baby gifts. Plus, if you don't have time to get to the store, Sweet Rexie's offers local delivery & nationwide shipping. Special Offer for CT Bites Readers - $50 off a birthday party if booked by Sept 30, 2010. Read More
Get Cooking With Aux Delices Ingredients Features Cooking Classes Stamford Liz Rueven August 27, 2010 Summer Comfort Food was the theme of the class I recently attended at Aux Delices’ Cooking School in their commissary kitchen in Stamford. As we are smack in the middle of this steaming season, I was happy to be invited to relax, observe and learn something new about how to prepare summer dishes, utilizing the season’s bounty. Aux Delices has retail store locations, all with seating, in Darien, Riverside and Greenwich. The shops offer owner/Chef Debra Ponzek’s culinary creations of prepared foods and a unique collection of specialty food items. Their name translates as “all the delicious food in life,” and considering their choices of scrumptious take out items, private and corporate catering offerings, and classes at their cooking school, the name is certainly apt. Read More
2 Hours @ The Craft Beer & Chili Challenge Ingredients Events Beer Comfort Food Stephanie Webster August 24, 2010 Last Sunday thousands of beer and chili loving CT residents descended upon Mohegan Sun for the Craft Beer and Chili Challenge. Thirteen restaurants traveled from across the state to throw down their winning recipe for the great American classic. There was enough heat to keep you warm through winter and the sweet smell of cumin wafted all the way up to the slot machines. And what to wash down this fiery feast? Certainly water was not the proper pairing. 40 breweries with over 100 beers were present to quench our thirst, some local, some National, but all pouring. Here are some of the highlights: Read More
What's New @ The Westport Farmers Market Ingredients Liz Rueven August 14, 2010 Chef Cecily Gans, Main Course Catering, will present arugula salad with fresh fruit vinaigrette on August 19 between 10-2, at the Westport Farmers’ Market. Always the communicative and generous instructor, she will provide hand outs of her recipe and tips on composing summer salads. As a chef who has touched so many young hearts in Westport, she will surely be greeting lots of her former students and their parents as they stop by to taste and visit. Ask a sampling of student at Staples High School in Westport, which class they loved the most, or hoped to enroll in but couldn’t get into because it was oversubscribed, and many will say it was CULINARY ARTS, taught by Cecily Gans. Read More
Beer & Chili Challenge @ Mohegan Sun Ingredients Events Beer Stephanie Webster August 11, 2010 Chefs are always talking about wine pairings, but for all of you who prefer a cold one to a glass of vino, here's your chance for sample some of the best beer CT has to offer. The Craft Beer & Chili Challenge will be held at The Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday, August 22 from 12-4 p.m. What's better than 100's of beers & dozens of chilis? Really, nothing, but if you require added appeal, attendees will get to vote for their favorites as they crown the best official beers and chilies in Connecticut. Chili will range from from hearty and meaty, to hot and spicy, to vegetarian, and everything in between, so there's something for every eater. Participating breweries include… Read More
4th Annual Shoreline Wine Festival Ingredients Events Wine Chat Stephanie Webster August 11, 2010 Wondering what to do this weekend? Why not join the party at the 4th Annual Shoreline Wine Festival? Saturday, August 14th • 12 noon to 7pm Sunday, August 15th • 12 noon to 6pm Come and celebrate over 10 Connecticut Wineries and sample the fruits of their labor. Enjoy food from local restaurants. Meet and sample products from local businesses. Enjoy and purchase crafts from local artisans. Expand your knowledge of food and wine at seminars offered by local experts. Enjoy all of this while listening to the sounds of live music from renowned bands around New England. Location: Bishop's Orchards Farm Market & Winery 1355 Boston Post Road, Guilford Read More
CT Taste Organic Festival 2010 Ingredients Kids Bites Events Organic kids activity Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster August 09, 2010 Save the Date. Join CT National Organic Farming Organization to celebrate the 10th annual TASTE! ORGANIC CT 2010 on September 19th at Manchester Community College from 10 am to 4pm. Experience the only LOCAL & ORGANIC festival in Connecticut offering a farmer's market, fresh prepared food, live music, sustainable vendors, artisans, free workshops and free kids activities! Head Chef, John Turenne is busily sourcing the finest and freshest ingredients from Connecticut Farms to be on the event's menu. Three local celebrity chefs are designing recipes that will showcase our local and organic food. Chef John Turenne, fresh from his recent TV stint with “The Naked Chef” Jamie Oliver, will be cooking and running the NOFA Food Booth show. Read More
What's New @ The Westport Farmers Market Ingredients Liz Rueven August 07, 2010 A taste of the Mediterranean will arrive at the Westport Farmers’ Market on August 12 when Chef Pedro Garzon steps away from Cafe Manolo to present chilled gazpacho to shoppers. As the summer’s steamy weather continues, we welcome the opportunity to eat our soups chilled and avoid turning on the stoves. Chef Garzon will be demonstrating his method of preparing this summer treat on the spot. He will use a simple, traditional, Andalusian recipe, sourcing perfectly ripe tomatoes, firm cucumbers, brightly colored peppers, mild onions and garlic from the vendors that morning. SONO bakery will provide the bread which will be blended into the raw vegetable soup. Read More
Get Close to the Source: The Easton Farm Tour 2010 Ingredients Easton Education Events Local Farm Farm Fresh Stephanie Webster August 03, 2010 Don't miss the second annual Easton Farm Tour. This celebration of Easton's local and sustainable farming community is a self-guided tour taking place on August 14 from 10am to 2pm. This free event begins at the Easton Firehouse Green on Sport Hill Road (Route 59) where visitors will sign in and receive a copy of the beautiful Easton Farm Map – “Easton is a Farmers’ Market.” This great guide will serve as your road map and pass to enjoy the many farming delights that Easton has to offer. Gilbertie’s, Sport Hill and Sherwood Farms are a few of the highlighted destinations. Skinny Pines – the Easton-based wood-fired pizza truck - will be on site with their mobile wood-fired oven, using locally sourced Easton produce. Who doesn't love that? Come have lunch, listen to music and learn where your food comes from. Read More
Chef Talk: Barcelona's Blood Orange Margarita Ingredients Features Chef Talk Cocktails Spanish Recipe Amy Kundrat August 02, 2010 Everybody loves a good adult beverage. This fairly safe assumption has inspired this recent Chef Talk mini-series focusing exclusively on uncovering and sharing some of Fairfield County's best cocktails. You're going to need to break out the shaker with this first cocktail, the Barcelona Blood Orange Margarita. The margarita is one of the most popular picks at the restaurant known for a bustling happy hour and hearty Spanish tapas menu in its four locations in Fairfield County and now an outpost in your house. Cheers! Read More
The Cakebox: Let Them Eat Cake! Ingredients Bakery Catering Ridgefield Special Dietary Needs Dessert Sarah Green July 26, 2010 Eat, Pray, Love - you’ve heard of it, right? Well in the words of Willy Wonka, “Strike that, reverse it” - The CAKEBOX in Ridgefield has it all in the correct order - Pray (if you must), Eat (as many cupcakes as you can), and Love (absolutely!) This ESSENTIAL new dessert-stop in the Copps Hill Commons shopping center in Ridgefield is a cake and cupcake lover’s Shangri-La. Ridgefield native Jordan Gregory and her partner, Robert Byrnes, opened The Cake Box in April and have been whipping up extraordinary cakes for all occasions (including, eventually, custom wedding cakes), cupcakes by the dozen, and individual cupcakes, cookies, and macaroons at the store for your perusal and MASS consumption! Ms. Gregory received her pastry training at the Institute for Culinary Education in NYC and Mr. Byrnes, who has a degree in hotel and restaurant management, designs the custom cakes. Trust me, they know their stuff! Read More
Ancona’s Market is 90 Years Young Ingredients Events Ridgefield Specialty Market Amy Kundrat July 20, 2010 A familiar fixture in Ridgefield for the past ninety (!) years, Ancona’s Market will celebrate their anniversary this Saturday, July 24 with an open house and evening benefit. The day-long open house will be “in full-swing by noon” and feature activities for children, live music and tasting stations from many vendors including Ola Granola, Simmons Family Farm Yogurt, Arethusa Farms Milk, and Wave Hill Bread. You can also stop next door at Ancona’s Wines and Liquors to sample their usual Saturday tastings from 12 noon to 3 pm and 3 to 6 pm or stroll through what has to be one of the most diverse and well-stocked walk-in coolers around (and also where you’ll find me). Read More
CT Berry Picking is On!! Ingredients Kids Bites Local Farm kids activity Farm Fresh Kid Friendly Dessert Stephanie Webster July 19, 2010
A Truly Excellent Apple Pie @ Stew Leonard's Ingredients Features Specialty Market Farm Fresh Dessert Stephanie Webster July 15, 2010 It's a few hours before your guests arrive for that big family BBQ. You're scrambling to get the prep done before the doorbell rings….and oh no…you realize you forgot the dessert!! Fear not my brave Fairfield County residents. Stew Leonard's has the perfect solution for you…and you'd never guess it wasn't homemade. Named "best pie in America" by Gourmet Magazine as well as the Wall Street Journal (a dubious food critic, but we'll go with it), Stew's is now carrying The Elegant Farmer's "Apple Pie Baked In A Paper Bag." I know what you're thinking. 1. Stew's? Really? and 2. Doesn't the bag go up in flames? Yes and no. We were introduced to this gem by a CTbites reader, and had to check it out for ourselves. This Wisconsin based pie shop uses apples fresh from their farm, and they make their pies just how I like them. Read More
Top Summer Cocktails: A Connecticut Blogger Round-up Ingredients Features Amy Kundrat July 08, 2010 The summer cocktail season is in full-swing and rather than mindlessly reach for the shaker and ice we decided we needed a lesson or two (or ten). We asked ourselves, what are all the cool people drinking? To answer this we went to the source and rounded up a few of our favorite food and drink bloggers in Connecticut to share their favorite summer cocktails with CTbites. I guarantee these cool summer drinks will have you planning meals AROUND your drinks. And if you feel inspired, please share your favorite summer cocktail as a comment below. Cheers! Read More
Gin Tasting @ NRG Wines Ingredients Cocktails Events Amy Kundrat July 06, 2010 If your preferred cocktail is a gin martini or the summer staple, a gin and tonic, there is an event happening this week you will not want to miss. Peter Troilo at Nicholas Roberts Fine Wines will be hosting a gin tasting this Friday July 9 beginning at 5 pm at their shop located at 1053 Boston Post Road in Darien. Usually known for a great selection of wines, NRG is mixing it up and will be presenting four gins with equally different styles and approaches to taste. If you’re on the fence about the juniper substance, you may want to read my love note to the stuff as inspiration, Bringing Back the Martini. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, let’s meet our contestants. Read More
