In September, as fresh flavors fill in the garden, berry patch, and orchard, it seemed a perfect time to hunt for the best Gelato.
“Flavor is what Gelato is all about,” says Guy Chandonnet who buys Fairway’s frozen foods and deserts, “Unlike ice cream,” he told us, “low fat gelato doesn’t coat the taste buds with butterfat. So its full flavors can really burst through.
As we tasted our way though both store-bought and shop-scooped Gelato in Southern Connecticut, we were dazzled with the invention and intensity of flavors.
Because it's slow churned, Gelato is denser and silkier than ice cream, making it a superior platform for flavor. And since Gelato melts more quickly in the mouth, it delivers that flavor quickly and dramatically. That's why most gelato masters delight in imaginative, often unexpected flavor adventures, mixing sweet, savory, salty and tart, and incorporating fruits, vegetables, herbs, cheeses, and even meat flavors into their frozen creations. What’s in season often translates to what’s in Gelato.
Here are some of the spectacular flavors we recently tasted in Southern Connecticut’s supermarkets and gelato shoppes.
The makeover at 17 Elm Street in New Canaan is complete and Baldanza Natural Market & Café is now open. With an organic focus and local sourcing, owners Sandy and Angela Baldanza are offering clean, fresh dishes from local sources.
The décor is reminiscent of an old fashioned country market with 12 interior seats and 18 on the patio for guests to enjoy the cuisine on site or ask for a take-away. The display case now offers organic salads with many of the items sourced from local farmers including Riverbank, The Hickories, John Boy's, Ryder and Ceccarelli’s Farms.
The Café is currently serving both breakfast and lunch. The opening breakfast choices include eggs, pancakes, French toast, Daily frittatas, granola and freshly baked croissants. The lunch options range from hot dogs and hamburgers to a Gruyere and Grafton Cheddar sandwich, plus a kale and arugula salad with cherry tomatoes and Gruyere. Daily "Specials" may include a Sliced Strip Steak Sandwich with Grafton Cheddar, L&T. In the early evening Baldanza offers take-away dinners including a lemon scented organic half-chicken.
Stay tuned when CTbites returns to sample the cuisine.
When I first walked into Embody Fitness Gourmet after it opened last September, it was a hot sticky day, the kind that melts the asphalt in the road. I could barely breathe and was in the midst of my usual daily stress. My car had almost died and the AC was acting quirky so I rolled into the parking lot off Riverside Ave across from the gas station. I ordered a GT Surge, a blend of crushed ice, green tea, freshly pressed lemon and agave nectar accented with fresh mint. Suddenly, my mind drifted off as the cool mojito-like flavors hit my tongue. I was transported to some palm-tree beach far away. Now, that the days of hot sunshine are long gone, I pull over and grab a homemade bean and kale soup as well as another GT Surge, if only to return to the summer in my mind. It seems these days, after much bad news and crazy weather, I need to escape often.
Fritz Knipschildt of House of Knipschildt/Chocopologie and Marina Marchese of Red Bee Honey are teaming up for a very unique evening of tasting and pairings. Marina and Fritz will present tasting flights partnering Artisan Chocolate & Single-Origin Honey at Chocopologie's SoNo location. Sweet! This event includes hors d’oeuvres & Cava, in addition to the tasting flights seen below.
Tasting Flights Include:
Farmhouse Honeycomb Enrobed in 96% Dark Chocolate
Orange Blossom Honey Drizzled Over Cocoa Nib Brittle
Buckwheat Honey Ganache Truffles
Red Currant Honey Drizzled Over a Raspberry and Pink Peppercorn Bonbon
Goldenrod Honey and 71% Ecuadorian Single Bean Dark Chocolate Fondue
Creamed Honey Spread Over Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread
When Harry’s Liquor Store and the Fairfield Cheese Shop decided to tear down the wall they shared between them, customers could wander back and forth, tasting wine and snacking on crackers and cheese. It was the perfect symbiosis of oenophiles and cheesemongers. It couldn’t get any better. But yeah. It could. And it did.
Brothers David and Andrew Tavolacci, who sold fresh pasta and sauces at their little and much- loved store in Georgetown, made a smart decision to move to Fairfield and share the parking lot with Harry’s. Now we can shop for the trifecta of food – wine, cheese, and pasta – without re-parking the car.
Tutto’s is where you go to purchase fresh pasta and home-made sauces, Wave Hill Bread, pesto, soups, and a variety of specialty foods.
On the twelfth night of Christmas, my true love brewed for me,” 1 buddha’s blend, 2 matcha matsu, 3 long life oolong, 4 la la lemon, 5 chocolate orange...and so the song goes. New to Main Street in downtown Westport, just in time for the holidays, is DAVIDsTEA, a Canadian company started by two cousins who wanted to introduce the masses to the ancient world of loose leaf tea in a fun, modern environment. Initially successful in Canada with over 80 stores, the cousins decided to set up shop in the U.S. with Westport following the likes of NYC, Chicago and San Francisco.
When a recipe called for whole uncleaned squid, I knew that the ingredient would be difficult to find. However, I did not expect it to be impossible. After 4 grocery stores, 4 markets, 6 restaurants, multiple phone calls and exactly 0 success, I began to think otherwise. Fortunately, a friend with ties to the food industry gave me a little tip as I was about to surrender: Pagano’s Seafood in Norwalk. Sure enough, they had plenty of whole squid for purchase. I started on my recipe within the hour.
It turns out that Pagano’s is greatly respected in both the restaurant community. They provide fish to some of the area’s most popular dining destinations including The Homestead Inn, Quattro Pazi, Napa and Company, Barcelona, Match, The Spotted Horse, and Bartaco. They even serve restaurants and markets in Massachusetts and New York. When I asked Allen Pagano, a founder and owner, why Pagano’s was so sought after, he chuckled and responded simply, “Because we’re the best.”
A week prior to the official opening on Saturday December 1st, SoNo Market Place decided to sponsor a soft opening on November 23rd and I decided that tasting some good local food was a whole lot better than fighting the crowds at the mall.
All of the food purveyors were in full test-mode and my first stop was Flat WhiteCoffee to taste the coffee described to CTbites by owner, John Palino, back in September. This was a creamy blend of rich coffee and steamed milk, a brand brought over from New Zealand, and one that should meet with great success in CT.
But it's not just about coffee at SoNo Market Place. With over 20 food vendors and eateries, this European style market is poised to be a foodie destination. Guests lined up at Wise Guys Pizza for New Haven style pies; Norm Bloom served up fresh oysters and clams straight from the Norwalk waters, and Fish & Chips were on the menu from Gotta Nibble. Caterering company, Festivities, has a permananet spot here with their take-out biz, "Party Express." Local specialty purveyors and well known brands such as Knipschildt Chocolatier, Wave Hill Breads, andNothin' But Granola have also opened shop at the market.
You won't believe what's in our PANTRY! Located at 1580 Post Road in Fairfield, Ct, The Pantry is much more than a food shop - it is Mecca for foodies as well as a one-stop-shop for busy consumers. Established in 2003 through the collaborative effort of chefs & food lovers, The Pantry has blossomed into a bustling marketplace stocked with an array of products and services for today's savvy clientele. What have they got? Top quality butchered meats & seafood (delivered daily from various New York markets), award winning desserts and pastries (the bakery has received "Best Desserts in Fairfield County" from Fairfield Weekly for 9 consecutive years), restaurant quality prepared foods & catering services, a full deli and salad bar, groceries, produce and floral & customized gift baskets. Whether you are looking for a freshly tossed salad, pan seared salmon with citrus, basil & olive oil or a chocolate chip cookie - The Pantry is the place to shop. This Pantry is stocked!!
Years ago, around the time The Brady Bunch was infiltrating almost every T.V. set in America, it was unlikely that your mom would have picked up dinner in lieu of cooking a homemade meal. While it’s true that familiar words in your household at the time may have included Wendy’s, Burger King and Arby’s, you weren’t pulling up to the drive-in window to order healthy, gourmet food. At home it may have been a casserole or a roast while mom always remained neatly coifed, and eating meals at the table as a family were normal.
Fast - forward 40 years and life is a lot different. In our fast paced world today we often find ourselves in a pinch, pressed for enough time to prepare a well-balanced meal for our disappearing family dinners due to time constraints. Enter Cinch, Fairfield’s newest “Gourmet Food Market.” A market where you shop for high quality meals that you just heat and serve in your own home. “Eat your heart out Carol Brady, let me tell you a little bit about the life of a 21st century family on the go.”
Half Full brewery in Stamford will host a Halloween party this Saturday, starting at 7p.m. For $50, you'll get open taps of Half Full Bright Ale, InaugerALE, IPA and Pumpkin Ale, Oktoberfest inspired food and Pumpkin Ale floats, via Station Eats, and a costume contest. Half Full recommends taking a cab to this one.
Feeling stressed about Election Day? Fairway Market in Stamford has a solution. Eat cupcakes.. Go Donkey or Elephant - for $1.49 each - celebrate or sob into your sweets.
The Spread opens TODAY in SoNo with Executive Chef Arik Bensimon. Don't miss out on this hipster scene and spectacular menu. More here.
Looking for a good brunch spot? Bar Sugo,Chef Pat Pascarella's new killer Italian venue in Norwalk, is serving a regional Italian brunch Saturday and Sunday with rotating menu items including: Crispy Pork Belly w/ Sunny Side Up Eggs, Sausage & Broccoli Rabe omelettes, pancakes, and all the usual suspects. View menu here.
Fall is here and Walter Stewart's Market, a fixture in downtown New Canaan since 1907, is celebrating the season with great products for your whole family. For those who haven’t shopped this local gem, take a a trip down the aisles of Walter Stewart’s Market, where you’ll find an amazing array of local, seasonal and specialty items...not to mention the Stewart’s wine shop. Finally one stop shopping.
How better to enjoy in these crisp Fall months, than with local apple and apple cider from Lyman Orchards in Middlefield CT or the exceptionally delicious Cider donuts from Blue Jay Orchards in Bethel.
The SoNo MarketPlace is springing to life at 314 Wilson Avenue in South Norwalkand will change how Fairfield County views food markets. The MarketPlace is the brainchild of John Palino, the New Yorker who oversaw the creation of more than twenty restaurants, bars and nightclubs and the host and co-creator of “The Kitchen Job,” New Zealand’s top rated food focused series. The site, influenced by the ambience of the food courts of France “will combine a seasonal outdoor farmers market with a year-round indoor urban marketplace.” Located within the transforming industrial area of SONO, John Palino, Joe Grasso, and Lindsay Sudel, will revitalize the water view property to create a foodie destination with additional shopping. Palino and Grasso are also taking a personal interest in three of the culinary booths: FLAT WHITE COFFEE, the SONO CANTINA, and GOTTA NIBBLE.
With summer in full swing there are even more reasons to shop Walter Stewart's Market, a fixture in downtown New Canaan since 1907. This family run grocer features not only outstanding customer service and a great selection of everyday needs for your family, but also local producers and hard to find specialty goods in every aisle.
Can't get to the farmers' market? Browse through Walter Stewart's produce section where local CT farmers from Wagner Farm in East Windsor, Millstone Farm in Wilton, and Dzen Farm in South Windsor, are delivering the very best of the CT harvest. What's in season right now? Here is the lineup: corn, yellow and green squash, green beans, blueberries, apricots, sugar plums, and green cabbage. Beautiful beefsteak tomatoes will be coming soon.
Having been in Westport for almost eight years, I am definitely enjoying all the hip, new restaurants popping up like wild mushrooms, from California fusion to country chic. I love the innovative foods, inventive cocktails, the trendy decor and the chance to hang out with people who are far more interesting than I am. But sometimes I crave a little old school, mom-and-pop, and a diversion from my mostly vegetarian ways. After driving past Art’s Deli on the Post Road, I finally went in, and discovered a wonderful new, old place. It seems that in spite of all that has changed, what’s old has become new again. But this time, it’s better than ever.
Back in Greenwich it was more than 10 years ago that I first walked into Greg Addonizio and Debra Ponzek’s tiny yellow-and-blue striped jewel of a café, Aux Delices. I went there almost every day, unable to resist their lemony ginger tea, inspiring desserts and gourmet take-out items. After I moved to Westport, I literally dreamed about their unbelievably decadent chocolate cake. Now, at long last, my dreams have come true. Aux Delices, which in French means “all the delicious food in life,” has opened a new location...in Westport, centrally located at 1035 Post Road East. With an airy, relaxed French brasserie ambience of copper fixtures, colorful chalkboard menus, and an outdoor patio, it’s the perfect instant getaway. And, while the service is quick and easy, the food however, is anything but fast food-like. With the exception of a few imported specialty items, drinks and cheeses, all foods and pastries are baked on-site, prepared by culinary institute-trained chef Ponzek, who describes her own cooking as “quality, healthy food for busy people.”
The Silvermine Market is kind of like a neighborhood clubhouse. Make that town hall, says Scott Kaluczky, chef and co-owner of the gourmet deli. “Silvermine has a rich history and a strong sense of community,” he says. The quaint area along the Silvermine River strattles the border of New Canaan, Wilton and Norwalk. The Market is an off-the-beaten path place to have a business breakfast, or lunch after a visit to the Silvermine Art Center’s classes and shows. But the Silvermine Market also holds a well-kept secret: on Friday and Saturday evenings, it transforms into a candlelit, table-clothed restaurantserving Italian-American and American fare. It’s called Nighttime at Silvermine.
Chris Cosentino: Chef/Partner of Incanto, Boccalone and Pigg, former Iron Chef, and author of the new cookbook, Beginnings: My Way To Start a Mealis the featured chef partner this season at Williams-Sonoma. With his inspired interpretations of Italian dishes and innovative whole animal cooking, Cosentino has proven he’s someone to watch in the culinary world.
On June 13, 5-7 pm you can join him at William Sonoma for an evening of Chris’s seasonal, Italian-Style first courses. These simple, rustic recipes reflect the chef’s love of cooking – both at home and in the kitchen of his San Francisco restaurant, Incanto and artisan salumeria, Boccalone.
COST: $75 includes 2-hour demo, a signed copy of the book and dinner!
Please call the store at 203-221-8667 for more information.
The Westport Farmers' Market opened today with an official ribbon cutting ceremony attended by members of the Fairfield County community who came to show their support for the market and "living local." First Selectman Gordon Joseloff and State Representative Jonathon Steinberg brandished their scissors with vigor as market shoppers applauded the start of the Westport Farmers' Market season. Also poised for the big day wasChef Jon Vaast of Dressing Room, one of the 23 guest chefs who will be appearing at the market throughout the season doing recipe demos and tastings (more on that later). The crowd was packed with people enjoying theirSkinny Pines Pizza, Raus' Cold Romans, Boxcar Cantina Tamales, and Du Soleil Fine Foods...and the rain held out. VIEW PHOTO GALLERY HERE.
It's not quite as momentous as the end of Prohibition, but Connecticut now has its own Repeal Day, as Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a bill Monday to end our state's archaic Blue Laws. And on American Craft Beer week, too. Way to go, Guv'na. Connecticut liquor stores will now be allowed to operate from 10a.m. - 5p.m. on Sundays, and choose one item per month to offer at a 10% discount. This last item was the lone concession to proponents of blue law repeal who sought the end of the state's mandatory minimum pricing practices. Discounts had previously been outlawed.
Like most of the other measures signed into law by Gov. Malloy, this decision came down to the economic bottom line.
