Cheesy Recap: The Great Mac and Chili Challenge Features Events CTbites Team November 08, 2018 Breaking Mac & Cheese news: The 2018 Great Mac and Chili Challenge winners have been announced! Hub & Spoke in Bridgeport won for the third year in a row for their classic 3 bean beef chili. Old Post Tavern won the creative chili category with a “meat lovers chili.” Burger Bar & Bistro in Norwalk won the classic mac ‘n cheese category for the second consecutive year beating runner up Tacos Mexico in Norwalk and their “Queso Mac.” In the hotly contested creative mac category, Cask Republic in Stamford won for their second championship with their popular pesto mac ‘n cheese. Read More
CTBites' James Gribbon Gives Fall Road Trip Picks on CTStyle Features Beer CT Beer CTbites Team November 07, 2018 CTBites' own beer writer and food critic returned to WTNH's "CTStyle" on October 30th to discuss how breweries and fall road trips go together. Leaf peeping, orchard visits, whatever gets you out of the house, autumn is a great time to get to places you haven't been, and many of those out of the way places have a great brewery to visit. One of the spots mentioned in the segment was 5 Churches Brewing Company in New Britain, and you can watch the whole interview on CTStyle right here. Read More
"Teas" Your Palette with The Bubble & Brew Truck: Sweet Treats, Tea & Coffee Restaurant Tea And Coffee Dessert Bakery Gluten-Free Food Truck Kristin L. Wolfe November 06, 2018 In August, I was swept away by a candy apple color of the Bubble & Brew truck at the Wilton Farmers Market adjacent the Historical Society. I was at the vegetable stand when directly across from me was the most beautiful striking flash of red. In addition to their impressive design aesthetic---their 37 tea canisters were painted red to match the truck--the Bubble & Brew team has serious baking chops. With sweet treats for every palette, tasters will be delighted by all the offerings from this tiny dream on wheels. People will be astounded by some of their best sellers like the sticky toffee pudding, which is actually gluten-free. Read More
Il Pastaficio, Handmade Pasta, Opens in Cos Cob Restaurant Pasta Noodles To-Go Take Out Italian Cos Cob Greenwich Openings Homepage Jessica Ryan November 04, 2018 It’s a known fact that Italians love their pasta. It’s also a known fact that they eat it regularly and yet it seems to be something we have become fearful of. As I sit down to write this I remember a popular commercial from my youth. In the North End of Boston, a dark haired Italian woman leans out of her window and beckons her son to come home. “Anthony!” she shouted, and he came running home – but only on Wednesdays, for Wednesday was Prince Spaghetti Day! Today fad diets implore us to eat gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, carb-free, fat-free, etc. Enter Il Pastaficio, handmade pasta, in Cos Cob. Within weeks of opening locals have been rethinking and enjoying this Italian favorite. The reason is simple – as simple as their ingredients.Il Pastaficio is unique in its offering of pastas made from natural and antique grains that are rich on minerals, salts and vitamins. This pasta, as a result, is lighter, easier to digest and has a lower glycemic level than the glutinous versions we’ve come to know. Their pastas are made from organic legume flours (such as chickpea) rich in protein and completely additive-free. As a result, Pastaficio pastas are easier to digest. Read More
NIBBLE: CT Food News & Events For Week of November 4-11 Features News Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson November 03, 2018 Check out an assortment of CT brewers under one roof at the 5th Annual Connecticut Brewers Fest! It takes place at Two Roads on Monday November 5. $30.00 gets you a glass and unlimited three oz pours of some of the best beer the Nutmeg State has to offer. Every Wednesday at Walrus + Carpenter, get an eight-piece bucket of fried chicken with four biscuits for $25. Pair it with the Two-For-Two Roads deal and get two Two Roads Brewing brews in the can or on tap for the price of one.From one of the producers of the Blues Views and BBQ Festival comes Supper & Soul, a downtown dinner and concert series in Westport. The Nashville-inspired event takes place on Saturday November 10 and features Kasey Tyndall. Taproot in Bethel invites you to a Bushido “pop up” Sunday, November 11 from 4:30-8pm. Make your reservations by calling 475-329-5395. Read More
Black Duck Cafe Announces It's Staying In Business (Hopefully for Another 40 yrs) Features News CTbites Team November 02, 2018 Breaking news from Black Duck’s Facebook page. We are beyond pleased to announce that after many days of discussions with our creditors, landlord, and investors, the Duck has been able to secure a financial package which will allow us to continue operations (hopefully for the next 40 years!!). The outpouring of support from our loyal patrons over the past few days has been deeply moving and gratifying and we sincerely thank you. Like Phoenix, the Duck has risen from the ashes! To celebrate, please join us on Sunday, 11/4, for all day happy hour prices. Read More
Brewmaster Movie Screening at Avon Theater November 7th Features Food Movies Events CTbites Team November 02, 2018 Beer lovers rejoice! There’s a new movie in town…and it’s hoppy! Brewmaster will be screened at the Avon in Stamford on November 7th @7pm. The movie artfully captures the craftsmanship, passion and innovation within the beer industry. The story follows a young ambitious New York lawyer who dreams of becoming a brewmaster and a Milwaukee based professional beer educator as he attempts to become a Master Cicerone. Brewmaster creates a cinematic portrait of beer, those who love it, those who make it and those who are hustling to make their mark. Read More
CTbites & Half Full Present Beers & Bites: November 14th w/ Nosh Hound & Harlan Social Features Events Stephanie Webster November 02, 2018 Half Full Brewery and CT Bites are excited to announce the final BEERS & BITES for 2018, and you won’t want to miss this year's most creative and collaborative food and beer-pairing event series. On Wednesday, November 14th, the incredible Nosh Hound food truck alongside guest Chef Michael Sobelman from Harlan Social, will serve up a creative menu paired with Half Full Beer selections: Positively Pumpkin, WROR #11, WROR #12, Rise & Shine. Purchase a $50 ticket here. Read More
Brick Walk Tavern Opens in Fairfield, from Char Restaurant's Chef Snyder Restaurant Openings Fairfield American Gastropub Lunch Bar CTbites Team November 02, 2018 Friends since college and now partners, Chef David Snyder and former financial exec turned restaurateur Ted Vincent, introduce their first joint venture in the form of Brick Walk Tavern, a stylish and food-centric restaurant and gathering place located in the burgeoning Brick Walk neighborhood of Fairfield, Connecticut.Menu highlights include; not your average house-made chips and onion dip; chili garlic crispy shrimp laced with radish, cilantro, and green onion; Tuscan kale and Brussels sprout salad tossed with polenta croutons, dried cranberries, and lemon truffle vinaigrette; the French onion burger topped with 4-hour braised onions, veal jus, and gruyere cheese on a house made bun; pan-roasted cod over white beans, chorizo, charred tomato, and a roasted poblano broth; classic jambalaya of creole rice with tasso and andouille, jumbo shrimp and chicken; and steak frites, 10 oz hanger steak with a 72 hour red wine sauce, served with crispy truffle parmesan fries. Read More
Dinner with Dorie Greenspan and Chef Jes Bengston at terrain Features Celebrity Chef Amy Kundrat November 01, 2018 Westport’s terrain recently hosted a four-course meal inspired by Dorie Greenspan’s latest cookbook, The Way I Cook. Read More
OKO in Westport Launches Weekday Lunch & To Go Menu! Restaurant Openings Lunch To-Go Take Out Japanese Sushi Westport Homepage CTbites Team November 01, 2018 Chef Brian Lewis’ latest restaurant offering Japanese inspired cuisine in the historic Vigilant Hose Company Firehouse at 6 Wilton Road in Westport, Connecticut, is launching weekday lunch service and to-go options on Wednesday, November 7. Lunch will be available Wednesday – Friday from 11:30am-2:30pm and will feature a daily lunch-specific menu for this new service. Options will include Hand Rolls, Bento Boxes, Nigiri Sushi meals featuring 5x pieces of Nigiri Sushi, Sashimi meals featuring Chirashi Sushi, Sashimi Moriawase or Spicy Tuna Sashimi OKO poke, as well as favorites from the dinner menu. Read More
The Black Duck Cafe To Close Its Doors In Westport Features Westport Homepage James Gribbon October 30, 2018 UPDATE!! Black Duck receives funding and will stay in business…hopefully for the next 40 years. Article here. Westport nightlife staple The Black Duck Cafe plans to lock its doors for the last time on Sunday, November 4th. The classic watering hole has been an institution for over 40 years, cantilevered out over theSaugatuck River, and hosting generations of loyal diners and drinkers. The location was such a fixture of the Westport social scene, it's hard for us at CTBites to think we're close to seeing the end of it.Reached for comment, Pete Aitkin, owner of the Black Duck, did not give any specifics, but said "it's something that's been a long time coming, but we finally had to do it. There are a lot of people very said about it, starting with me, but we're going to invite everyone to come back in one last time this Saturday and Sunday."The Duck will be open Tuesday, October 30th, and Wednesday for Halloween, then take two days off before re-opening for the last times on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 3-4. Read More
5 Churches Brewing in New Britain: Craft Beer For Pizzaphiles Restaurant Brewery New Britain CT Beer Pizza Lunch James Gribbon October 30, 2018 One of the greatest advantages of living in New England is our access to autumn. Our home in Connecticut means even if we live in urban convenience, the rural hills and river valleys of our state are a nearby drive away. This proximity gives us one of our best traditions: the fall weekend road trip. We can get out, see what nature has in store for us, and find ourselves in places which fall outside the rhythm and routine of our daily lives. Up towards the center of the state, past the historic colonial homes on Worthington Ridge in Berlin and into New Britain - a city many on the coast may not consider a destination - is 5 Churches Brewing, a place you should. Read More
West Street Grill: A New American Gem in Litchfield For 30 Years Restaurant Litchfield Lunch American Douglas P Clement October 28, 2018 From the moment in May 1990 when West Street introduced urbane fine dining to well-heeled locals in Connecticut’s hilly rural paradise found—delighting sophisticated New Yorkers with country retreats—the Grill has been a haven for the affluent, famous, successful and talented. So it remains—but burnished by maturity and a culinary egalitarianism that has evolved naturally over the years. These days, West Street Grill draws from near and far its broadest and most diverse clientele ever.Guests come for the stylish but comfortable setting, and for a democratized menu in which reasonably-priced upscale comfort food mingles with dishes sporting more haute flourishes—and as high summer ripens into glorious autumn in a town filled with nature preserves, antiques, shopping and other attractions, they come because word is out that the Grill is having one of those moments when everything is aligned. Read More
Chef Ryan Durant of Branford's Assaggio Competes For Food Network's "Sexiest Chef Alive" Features Interview Celebrity Chef Chef Talk Food Network James Gribbon October 27, 2018 Ryan Durant, owner and executive chef of Assaggio in Branford, has been picked to compete for the title of "Sexiest Chef Alive" on the People Magazine/Food Network joint venture show by the same name, airing November 1st. CTBites spoke with chef Durant about the experience.How did you get involved with the show?People magazine randomly called me, one of the servers picked up the phone and they said it was something with the magazine's sexiest man issue. It had to do with a cooking segment I did on "Better Connecticut" with Scot Haney three years ago. Read More
Bear's Smokehouse BBQ Comes to New Haven @ The Stack (Biergarten & Brewery) Restaurant New Haven BBQ Openings Lunch Celebrity Chef Homepage CTbites Team October 26, 2018
Kashi Sushi Bar Opens in Stamford: Japanese With Bling! Restaurant Openings Stamford Japanese Sushi Homepage CTbites Team October 26, 2018 Located in a 2-story townhouse on Downtown Stamford’s Restaurant Row, the brick façade of Kashi Sushi Bar and Japanese Restaurant gives way to a multi-sensory experience. Introduced to the city’s thriving restaurant scene in January of 2016, Kashi’s modern industrial design element combined with its innovative and artistic approach to sushi and Japanese food preparations quickly landed this exciting new restaurant on the radar of local food enthusiasts. Read More
Nibble: CT Food Events, Dinners, Festivals, & Tastings for Week of October 28th- December 4th Features Events Halloween Emma Jane-Doody Stetson October 25, 2018 Bodega's Dias de los Muertos festivities last an entire weekend! Join them 11/1-11/4.The Great Mac & Chili Challenge takes place on Sunday November 4 at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport from 11am to 3pm. Enjoy unlimited sampling of chili and mac 'n cheese dishes from twenty fantastic local restaurants. Just like Chowdafest, your vote determines who has the best! Olmo and Ordinary in New Haven will be collaborating on Halloween with a fun filled night of Mario Kart 64, meatball subs, spicy sausage subs, snacks, and themed cocktails.On Thursday November 1, attend a Cheese and Wine Tasting Luncheon with Darien Cheese & Fine Food. Ken Skovron will lead you through a selection of eight cheeses while Megan Ruppenstein of Four Forks prepares a delicious seasonal salad. There will be wine and sparkling cider as well. Read More
Next Door in New Haven Hits the Spot for Small Plates and Pizza via CT Magazine Restaurant New Haven Pizza Lunch Cocktails Openings Connecticut Magazine October 24, 2018 Connecticut Magazine shares a great new spot for pizza and small plates in New Haven. Put this one on the list. New Haven is the opposite of a pizza desert. World-renowned pizza, er, apizza options abound, from Pepe’s, Sally’s and Modern to BAR and relative newcomers such as De Legna. So when I heard that pizza was one of the specialties at Next Door, a new bar and restaurant on Humphrey Street, I admired the restaurant owner’s chutzpah but privately wondered if the concept would work. Arriving at the restaurant on a recent evening, I learned that Next Door is about far more than just pizza.Opened in June, in the space that once held the venerable restaurant Humphrey’s, the expansive interior includes two distinct, yet linked, bar and dining areas. Each has a warm and welcoming neighborhood feel. In addition to its creative pizzas, Next Door has a wide variety of well-crafted and interesting food options, and the bar features 32 craft beer taps as well as excellent cocktails.The restaurant is owned by three veterans of the New Haven food scene: Douglas Coffin, who launched Big Green Truck Pizza (a mobile, wood-fired pizza truck business); Dom Giannotti, who owns Dive Bar & Restaurant in West Haven; and Robin Bodak, the owner of Coco Tamale, a New Haven street cart and catering company. The owners met while working “next door” to Next Door’s location at the adjoining garage that houses the Big Green Truck Pizza fleet. Read More
CELEBRATE Halloween in CT : 30+ Restaurants & Bars for 2018 Features Halloween Events Emma Jane-Doody Stetson October 23, 2018 Get out your costumes… Halloween is right around the corner! Connecticut restaurants, bars, and farms are offering spook-tacular specials and parties. We’re not trying to trick you- we’re just trying to make sure your holiday is a real treat!Evarito’s, Norwalk: Evarito's invites you to a Day Of The Dead party Saturday October 27. They'll have costume contests, giveaways, and more!Cook and the Bear, Hartford: On Sunday October 28, The Cook and the Bear hosts a Halloween Brunch Costume Party.SBC, Milford: SBC's Halloween Party on 10/27 will have a DJ and costume contests.Troupe429, New Canaan: Troupe429’s Halloween Party takes place Saturday 10/27. They'll have a DJ, costume contests, a dance party, and more.Tim’s Kitchen @ Wakeman Town Farm, Westport: Tim's Kitchen at Wakeman Town Farm invites kids to a Halloween Tasting Class. Tickets are $50 and the class can hold 12 students. Read More
