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Guide To Healthy Eating in Connecticut 2019

Features healthy Best of CT Juice Bar Paleo Gluten-Free Special Dietary Needs Specialty Market Vegetarian Vegan Homepage

April Guilbault

80% of New Year’s resolutions don’t make it to February. Yeeks. Sorry. Not to start our 2019 Healthy Eating Guide off on a negative foot or anything. Are you determined, though, that this will be the year that you finally cut the junk, cut the excuses, and buckle down so you don’t have to move that ol’ belt buckle? We thought so and therefore, we’d like to give you a leg up on throwing that 80% statistic to the ground and showing it who is boss. When you surround yourself with the healthy stuff, it makes it easy to enjoy the healthy stuff, so that said, we’ve got a nice long list of inventive, delicious, inspiring spots that are serving up food that will help you cruise into February with your head held high. 


CTbites 2018 Holiday Gift Guide for CT Food Lovers

Features Best of CT Gift Guide Holiday Homepage

April Guilbault

’Tis the season of holidays, sparkly and bright, there’s baking and partying well into the night 

The children are excited and the adults somewhat stressed, with planning and wrapping and finding the perfect Christmas vest 

What shall we get for Aunt Mo or Uncle Buck, it’s hard to decide, we aren’t having much luck 

But wait, it’s the Guide, the almighty Gift Guide! CTbites to the rescue, we exclaimed, we cried! 

There’s something for everyone, your foodies and friends, we’ve found several classics, along with a few trends

So wrap them up lovingly with great care and great pride, and present these gifts with a gleam in your eye 

How merry, how happy, the recipients will be, and you, the giver, will be brimming with glee!


Cheesemonger Subscription Box Launches From Fairfield & Greenwich Cheese Co.

Ingredients Features Cheese Delivery Service Home Delivery Gift Guide

Stephanie Webster

Fairfield & Greenwich Cheese Company have introduced a subscription cheese box service that curates small batch, artisan and traditional cheeses and delivers them, freshly cut, to the doorsteps of food lovers across the nation.

Cheesemonger Box will curate a selection of small batch and traditional American and European cheeses for monthly home delivery, launched this winter as the first cheese subscription service of its kind.

Founders Laura Downey and Chris Palumbo, co-founders and owners of Connecticut cheese shops Fairfield & Greenwich Cheese Company, are launching the service with the goal of “spreading the cheese love across the country” and empowering customers to “become the expert” on artisan cheese. 


Guide To Healthy Eats in CT: 2018 Edition

Restaurant healthy Juice Cleanse Juice Bar Organic Vegan Vegetarian Specialty Market Special Dietary Needs Best of CT Homepage

April Guilbault

We are only a few short weeks into this brand-spanking new year, and TVs are blaring with eating program ads, magazine covers are screaming about how to “Lose 10 lbs. in a week!” and gyms are overflowing with people running for their lives on treadmills (Run, Forrest, Run!). Naturally, the CTBites answer to the holiday indulgences? EAT! Ok, ok…eat…HEALTHILY! Our fair state is brimming with amazing grocers, restaurants, and speciality stores that can help you get back on track after a season of going full-tilt boogie with the eating and drinking. The best part is that everything is so delicious and interesting. Branch out this year and try some new flavors and foods…goji berries, Matcha, Cauliflower pizza crust (wha!), Jackfruit! Dive in and explore. Here are some venues that will help you do just that. One more note: We fully realize that due to the sheer amount of noteworthy establishments, we are not able to list them all here. Please refer to our past Healthy Eats roundups for more listings and also, please chime in with places that you know and love. The more the merrier! 


Local Chocolatier, Truffle Shots of Essex CT Named Country’s Best Chocolate Gift By Forbes Magazine

Restaurant Essex Chocolate Dessert Specialty Market Gift Guide

CTbites Team

Forbes magazine recently named local chocolatier, Truffle Shots of Essex, Connecticut among the country’s best chocolates for gift giving this holiday season. Forbes "loved the Fig and Balsamic shot—with aged balsamic and fig ganache as well as the Chipotle Cinnamon—dark chocolate ganache with a whiff of cinnamon and a slight kick from the chipotle."

Truffle Shots® brand chocolate truffles are the Chocolate Award-winning creation of mother-daughter chocolate lovers in Essex, Connecticut. The duo has replaced the chocolate shell of a traditional chocolate truffle with a sealed shot glass to create new levels of truffle indulgence.

The decadent, silky ganache of Truffle Shots® brand chocolate truffles melts on the tongue in sensory bliss in 30+ amazing flavors like Fig Balsamico, Tellicherry Cardamom, Caramel Beurre Noisette, Bumbleberry, Miel Habanero, Castelvetrano Olive, and Ginger, to name a few.


CTbites Holiday Gift Guide For Your Favorite CT Food Lover (2017 Edition)

Features Gift Guide Best of CT Holiday Homepage

April Guilbault

Holiday time and food just plain go hand-in-hand! Whether it is making a time-honored and well-loved recipe, sharing a meal with a group of special someones, or giving a gift of specialty food goods, the holidays…involve…food. Henceforth and ergo, we at CTBites would like to add a few items to your list. No need to check these twice, we can tell you right off that they are worth sharing! From pottery and chocolates to classes and luxury trips, there is something for every person you will be shopping for this season. Our great Nutmeg State is simply brimming with artisans and people who are making delicious, beautiful and fun products or offering experiences that enrich our lives. Enjoy these, enjoy *giving* these, and enjoy the smiles that will result. Have a wonderful holiday season, everyone! May it be delicious!


Embody Fitness Gourmet Opens New Location in Darien

Restaurant Darien healthy Juice Bar Juice Cleanse Take Out

Stephanie Webster

After nine years, EMBODY FITNESS GOURMET has a new location in Darien, at the Palmer’s Market Shopping Center (380 Heights Road). This is one of three Embody grab-n-go healthy organic locations; the others residing in New Canaan and Westport. 

Embody is our go-to spot for protein shakes, juices, and salads. In Darien, they have also started serving Intelligentsia coffee--one of the top coffee roasters in the country. Embody's menu embraces all forms of lean proteins and nutrient dense vegetables and fruits in their menu creations, many of which pair well together allowing customers to mix and match items for an entire day's worth of nutrition. My personal favorite...The Almond Buzz, a perfect combination of almond butter, almond milk, bananas, cacao and protein powder. 


Dress Up Your Party with Garelick & Herbs Holiday Platters sponsored post

Ingredients Recipe Gift Guide Holiday

CTbites Team

This holiday gift alert just in from Garelick & Herbs.

Looking for a delicious present that will be joyously received? Check out one of Garelick & Herbs gift platters...or design your own. Take the guess work out of your next hostess gift. These beautifully curated custom gifts are perfect for any occasion.

Stopping by your friend's for brunch? We have fabulous holiday housewarming gifts. Corporate Clients need a holiday gift? Send over one of our sweet-tastic dessert boxes or a signature Office Munchie Snack Basket. We can even send over a surprise lunch to your favorite client. Also, don’t forget your manicurist and hair stylist! Nothing warms the heart and soul more than something delicious from Garelick & Herbs. Having an impromptu celebration? Going away for the weekend? Your hosts will love our snacktastic gifts–customize salty, sweet, crunchy and colorful.

We have everything you need served up on a platter.


2016 Holiday Gift Guide For The CT Food Lover

Restaurant Recipe Gift Guide Holiday Best of CT

April Guilbault

Festive Foodalicious Finds ...and FAAABulous ones, we might add! For friends, family (this alliteration is getting fun isn’t it?), and frenemies alike. We have scouted and compiled a list of great gadgets, unique tableware, fun and memorable experiences, sugary sweets, and superb savories for all of the gift recipients in your life this season. So have fun while shopping! Buy one, buy two, buy with that perfect person in mind and think of the smiles and happiness you are sharing with them. How perfectly fabulous, right?

Here are 20 local CT gift ideas for your favorite food lover.


Catch a Healthy Habit in Fairfield: New Summer Menu, Raw, Vegan, Gluten Free

Restaurant Juice Bar Smoothies Special Dietary Needs Vegetarian healthy vegan Raw

Jessica Ryan

Unassumingly tucked away amongst the store-fronts in downtown Fairfield is Catch a Healthy Habit. Maybe you’ve not been in a while…maybe you’ve never been at all, or you’ve been curious, but you’ve never been. The Cafe has been in Fairfield for over six years and in New Haven for two years prior to opening in Fairfield.

This casual, health-based, raw, gluten-free and vegan eatery focuses on clean eating. Their products are organic and non-GMO and the tastes and presentations are delicious and beautiful. They recently launched their new Spring/Summer menu and Stephanie Webster, armed with her camera, and I had the opportunity to stop in and sample some of the newest goodies to grace the menu. The food is gorgeously plated, visually stunning, allowing the naturally vibrant colors of spring to take center stage. As the weather heats up and we shed our outer layers we still need to satisfy our hunger without feeling weighted down.


For The Love Of...10 Unique CT Valentine's Day Gift & Events

Ingredients Restaurant Gift Guide Holiday

April Guilbault

Oh, for the love of....! How do you typically finish that sentence? We here at CTBites have a lot of love to share and would like to complete that thought with a whole flurry of creative ways to wooooo your special someone. Show the person you love (like/lust) that they are the peanut butter to your jelly, the mac to your cheese, the frosting to your cupcake. We offer you these delish restaurants and take out spots, seductive surroundings, heavenly drinks, gratifying classes, tasteful gifts...hell, we are making this holiday easy for you. You should send US a Valentine! Take a peek and enjoy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Here are 10 totally unique local CT Valentine's Day Gifts for your loved one...


15 Places to Eat Healthy in CT: Juice Bars, Restaurants, Organic Markets & Food Trucks (2016 Edition)

Ingredients Restaurant Juice Bar Juice Cleanse Organic healthy Best of CT

April Guilbault

No partridges and pear trees in our version, but there were....

12 Frosted Cookies...11 Drinks-a-Drunk...10 Dips-for-Dipping...9 Ice-Cold Cocktails...8 Trays of Hors d’oeuvres...7 Festive Brunches...6 Company Dinners...5 Cooooookie Traaaaays (everybody sing)!...4 Cheese Straws...3 Baked Hams...2 Yule Logs...and (finally)...1 Healthy Meal for MEEEEE!!

Time to get back on that wagon, everyone. And thankfully, you have us to help you do it! Happy 2016 to you and may it be filled with good eats and good health! And ok, a good organic wine or beer now and then.

Here are 15 Healthy Restaurants, Juice Bars, Organic Market & Food Trucks across the state of Connecticut.


2015 CT Food Lover's Holiday Gift Guide

Restaurant Recipe Gift Guide Holiday Kitchen Gear Specialty Market

April Guilbault

“At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” said the incomparable Maya Angelou. Well, we couldn’t agree more! So this holiday season, we know that when you give some of these gifts  that we have found (along with a wide smile, a big hug and happy greetings!), the lucky recipients will surely be feeling the love. Happy them, happy you. Happy holidays, everyone! 

Here are 16 creative and delicious local CT gifts for the food lover in your life. 


The Stand Juice Company Opens 3rd Location in Westport

Restaurant Juice Bar Juice Cleanse Westport healthy

Jessica Ryan

Vegetarians and vegans and clean eaters rejoice, The Stand Juice Company has opened its 3rd location and is now open in Westport.

Carissa and Mike Hvizdo are passionate about what they do and passionate about the plant based juices, snacks, sandwiches and baked goods they serve at The Stand. Their commitment to “providing good food and a better earth using the land to do so,” has paved the way to their newest and 3rd location.

Mike and Carissa met at a farmer’s market. They will tell you that their connection was profound - brought together by her passion for living life off the land and Mike’s first-hand experience with conquering a rare blood disease through natural healing methods, which ultimately led to him earning his holistic educator certification and his work with the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, FL.


The Stand Juice Company Opens 3rd Location in Westport, CT

Features Restaurant Juice Bar Juice Cleanse Westport healthy

CTbites Team

The Stand Juice Company, whose mantra is, Life, Fueled by Plants, is about to open its third location in Westport, CT. 

Carissa and Mike Hvizdo, are the life force behind Fairfield County’s feel-good The Stand Juice Company. The Stand has been serving up plant based juices, snacks, sandwiches and baked goods since 2005. The business has flourished over the last 10 years and the duo’s standing within the local sustainable food community is palpable among industry jocks, farmers, and loyal consumers. 

The excitement surrounding The Stand Juice Company’s newest location at 1200 Post Road East in Westport only further celebrates the enjoyment and healthful benefits people have been experiencing since Carissa and Mike first made their mark in the organic juice world in 2005 with their original location on Wall Street in Norwalk.


CT Foodie Valentine's Day Gift Guide 2015

Restaurant Chocolate Gift Guide

April Guilbault

“Cooking is like love. It should entered into with abandon or not at all.” Such delicious, true words from Harriet Van Horne, who first penned this line for Vogue magazine in 1956. In the spirit of channeling Ms. Harriet, we hope that wild abandon flies out the proverbial window this Valentine’s Day and that you can enjoy some new culinary experiences and delights with your honey. Love is food for the soul and we want your soul overflowing!

Here are 12 gift ideas to entice and treat, from sweets to beers to bling...


Fairfield gets Freshii! Nutritious Healthy Food For People On The Go

Fairfield Juice Bar Special Dietary Needs Specialty Market Westport healthy Lunch

Jessica Ryan

Fairfield has worked its way up the food chain, offering all sorts of great dining opportunities for those with even the most discerning palates. With all the new restaurant openings, there was one thing that was lacking in the town’s culinary offerings; a really good health-food based option. Until now - enter Freshii. 

Sandwiched in between The Fairfield University Bookstore and Chef’s Table is Freshii, recently opened by owner Jonathan Blob who also owns the Westport location. Although word had not yet really gotten out, the restaurant was bustling the two times I went in, first to check it out, then when I returned to chat with Blob. 

The store, long and narrow, airy and bright, evokes a fresh, healthy attitude. Bright green, leaf-colored chairs are neatly lined up against the long counter space on one wall just below a large mirror reflecting the words...EAT. ENERGIZE. from the opposing wall. The light woods and grass-like covered wall lend themselves perfectly to an eatery of this type. A large menu board lists many and varied options. There are choices for breakfast, smoothies, juices, salads, wraps, bowls, soups and burritos.


18 Places to Eat Healthy in 2015: Juice Bars, Restaurants, Organic Markets, Food Trucks & More!

Restaurant Juice Bar Juice Cleanse Organic Vegetarian healthy Vegan

April Guilbault

After six weeks of overdoing the bubbly and those cheesy hors d’oeuvres (sooo good), ‘tis time to turn that calendar page and welcome all things cleaner and leaner. 2015 is here, with new delights to entice us and healthy flavors and dishes to keep our immune systems fueled, our skin glowing, and our bellies from bulging. This year, as you treat your body well, will cauliflower be the new kale? Will that little green nut, the pistachio, reign supreme with its antioxidants, vitamins and protein? There are so many ways to treat our bodies well and, luckily, we have found a great offering of area resources that will satisfy our tastebuds and help keep our bodies healthy. Happy New Year!

Here are 18 Places to Eat Healthy in Connecticut for 2015: Juice Bars, Restaurants, Organic Markets, Food Trucks & More!


2014 CT Food Lovers Holiday Gift Guide

Ingredients Features Restaurant Entertaining Gift Guide Holiday Specialty Market Wine Shop Dessert

April Guilbault

Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Gift giving-choosing a gift for another person that is resonant of their personality and interests-is a true art. How do we know this? We know this by the sheer number of Yankee Swap and White Elephant parties that we have all attended. You thought those salt and pepper shakers in the shape of ugly, primitive holiday carolers would be perfect for me...um, why? And thus, yet another odd gift enters the rotation of passed-along, re-gifted gifts. On the flip-side, we all hopefully have experienced the joy that comes when we do find that perfect gift. The thrill of watching the unwrapping and the smiles that follow! This holiday season, we would like to help you in your pursuit of That Perfect One....

We bring you the CTbites 2014 CT Food Lovers Gift Guide. Start shopping!


Valentine's Day Roundup: CT Gifts, Eats & Vacations for Your Loved One

Ingredients Features Restaurant Gift Guide Holiday Travel Dessert

April Guilbault

“My love for you is like a red, red rose” said the venerable Robert Burns, but maybe, just maybe it’s like a truffle making class or a sassy, classy Valentine cocktail. Every love is different, right? Valentine’s Day typically bubbles over with all things red, pink and sparkly. Boxed chocolates abound (some left in the box, half-bitten into) and romantic dinners are de rigueur. But, as with everything in life, it’s good to mix it up a bit to keep things fresh-dare to be different! This year, maybe try something new with your Valentine that will create a memory for years to come; take a cooking class together, go to a theme dinner, try a salt cave, stay overnight at a local, romantic hotel. Sometimes, a mini-vacation in your own backyard can be the most fun and deliciously decadent. So start with a red, red rose and branch out from there...