How New Haven’s Salsa Queen Became the State’s First Black Female Brewer (via CT Magazine)

Features Ingredients Brewery CT Beer Beer

Connecticut Magazine March 12, 2019

We love celebrating local CT entrepreneurs. Connecticut Magazine gives a shout out to this trailblazing woman who’s shaking up the primarily male dominated craft brewing industry. We also hear that Rhythm beer will be available at Chef Chris Scott’s highly anticipated Birdman Juke Joint in Bridgeport.

Craft beer needs more diversity. The realization hit New Haven’s Alisa Bowens-Mercado five years ago while she was at a beer festival. She didn’t mean diversity in terms of more women and minority ownership of breweries; not yet anyhow. Back then she was thinking about diversity of flavor.

At that festival, every beer she tried was either too hoppy or too sour for her taste. She felt the craft industry needed more approachable options for drinkers like her.

“I want to make a beer that, when I go to a beer festival, that I can drink,” she told her husband.

Four years later Rhythm Brewing Co. was born and Bowens-Mercado, owner of Alisa’s House of Salsa, a dance studio in New Haven, became Connecticut’s first female African-American brewer. This month, as she celebrates Rhythm Brewing’s one-year anniversary, the company’s flagship product, Rhythm Unfiltered Lager, is available at more than 200 locations across the state. Bowens-Mercado is also getting ready to start distributing it in the Bahamas.

LuLu Chinese: Old World Chinese Flavors with Healthy Local Ingredients in Greenwich CT

Restaurant Greenwich Chinese Openings Homepage

Jessica Ryan March 09, 2019

Back in 2015 I was invited to a new Chinese restaurant concept in Westchester by veteran restaurateur Jody Pennette. Skeptical as to how this type of cuisine could be different and better, I went. What I experienced was indeed that and more. Chinese food, I soon learned, could be delicious, even healthful, sticking to simple flavors and using organic ingredients while placing these dishes in the middle of a dynamic and upscale setting.

Fast forward and I am invited to Greenwich to check out Pennette’s latest Chinese food adventure. Once again he pushes the envelope with another, though similar, take on this ethnic fare, bringing us LuLu Chinese with its lighter brighter versions.

Nibble: Tasty, Ramen-Y, Boozy CT Food Events for March 10-17

Features News Events

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson March 09, 2019

Wilton Restaurant Week returns March 11 – 17. Restaurants located in and around Wilton are serving up special prix fixe menus and other culinary selections. Participants include Bernard’s of Ridgefield, Oak and Almond, Parlor Restaurant, and more.

EAT RAMEN!! During the month of March, Mecha Noddle Bar is donating 50 cents from every bowl of ramen to Food Rescue US - whose mission is to reduce hunger and food waste throughout the United States. Every dollar raised= 9 meals. Their goal is $5,000 (or 10,000 bowls of ramen) for the month.

Bistro on Main is delighted to announce a fundraiser dinner, with all proceeds to benefit Interval House, on March 11th at 6 pm. Interval house provides often life altering assistance for men, women, and children fleeing domestic violence. The 4 course meal is $85 per person.

Carbone’s Kitchen, located at 6 Wintonbury Mall in Bloomfield, has launched three special weeknight menus that will run through the end of June. Join them for “Delicious Monday,” Tuesday “Prince Spaghetti Night,” and Wednesday “Franklin Ave Lasagna Night.” Each meal is a 3 course prix fixe menu for $25, plus tax and gratuity.

Celebrate International Women's Day w/ Fleisher's Craft Butchery's Female Butchers

Features Butcher

CTbites Team March 08, 2019

Who do you picture when you hear the word "butcher?" For many, a grizzled older man with strong biceps comes to mind. Butchery is undeniably male-dominated, with only 27% women, only slightly higher than the 25% of women farmers and ranchers. But times are changing, and the rise of craft butchery has meant more opportunities for women. For International Women's Day (Mar. 8), Fleisher’s Craft Butchery (locations in Westport, Greenwich & Brooklyn) interviewed some of the many women in the Fleishers family.

45+ Restaurants, Bars & Events for St. Patrick’s Day in CT: 2019 Edition

Features St. Patrick's Day Holiday Events

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson March 08, 2019

This year, St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday! That means that Connecticut restaurants and bars are opening their doors even earlier, and, in some cases, festivities are lasting all weekend long. From buffets to live music to step dancers to Guinness, here is a list of 46+ places where you can get out your green and be Irish for a day in CT.

Tigin Irish Pub, Stamford: Tigin Irish Pub in Stamford opens at 7:30am on Saturday 3/16 and Sunday 3/17. There will be outdoor tents, live music, food specials, drink specials, and more.
EAT IN Connecticut Pub Crawl, Hartford: Eat IN Connecticut will host a “Culinary Corner St. Paddy’s Day Pub Crawl” in West Hartford, CT on Saturday, March 16 from 1-5pm. Participating venues include Artisan (at The Delamar Hotel), Flora, INDIA, The Cook and The Bear, & Vinted
O’Neill’s, South Norwalk: O'Neill's is celebration St. Patrick's Day all month long! On 3/17, the festivities begin at 7am with an Irish buffet breakfast. The day continues with music, Irish dancers, food specials, and more.
Bobby V’s, Stamford: Bobby V's St. Patrick's Day celebration lasts from March 15-17. There will be food specials, drink specials, and plenty of giveaways.
Wadsworth Athenium Museum, Hartford: At The Wadsworth Athenium Museum, members and nonmembers can enjoy an à la carte brunch with live Irish music by The Executive Session. There are two seatings, one at 10:30 am and one at 12:30 pm.

Cocktail Naming Contest! Name This Bar Sugo Cocktail & WIN $100 Gift Card

Features Cocktails Contest Giveaway

Stephanie Webster March 07, 2019

WIN a $100 gift card for Bar Sugo!! Here's how...

It's time for another cocktail throw down! Bar Sugo’s Mixologist Seth Hiravi has decided to trust the fate of their new signature cocktail to the naming skills of our CTbites readers. If your cocktail name is selected, you will win a $100 gift card for Bar Sugo (cocktails included).

Here are the ingredients for the cocktail in need of a name:

Mystic Cheese Co. Opens in Groton, CT: Artisanal Cheese Shop, Wine, Beer & Classes

Ingredients Features Openings Groton Cheese Specialty Market

CTbites Team March 06, 2019

In an unusual but convenient industrial park in Groton, just near the Groton Airport, Mystic Cheese Co. is opening a new location this month to serve homemade and artisanal cheeses to the after-work crowd and cheese connoisseurs alike. Upon stepping into the front doors at the new site of Mystic Cheese, visitors are welcomed into a cozy tasting room in which they can perch on barstool seating that offers glimpses into the impressively sized cheese maturation room.

The feeling that the owners, Brian Civitello and Jason Sobocinksi (former owner of the beloved Caseus Cheese), have tried to create with their events and cut to order cheese is relaxed, fun, and unpretentious. Mystic Cheese has definitely accomplished this with their communal tables, friendliness, and awesome narwhal logo. By doing this, their overall aim is to attract people to the world of artisanal cheeses by offering cheeses at multiple price points, cheese-centric food, and educational classes.

Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events For March 4-10th

Features Events News

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson March 04, 2019

Join Peaches for their Annual Fat Tuesday Party Tuesday, March 5. Enjoy music by The New Orleans Beatniks at 6:00 PM and classic specials from the Big Easy all night long.

The Wakeman Boys and Girls Club, featuring Chef Matt Storch of Match Restaurants, presents a Young At Heart Great Futures Benefit Auction at the Smilow Burroughs Clubhouse on March 9. Visit gfba2019.givesmart.com for tickets and information.

The Hops Company is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day early! Join them before or after the New Haven St. Patrick's Day parade on 3/10 for music, Bag Pipers, the Highland Rovers Irish Band, Guinness Engravings, and more! Zuppardi's is serving up corned beef and cabbage as a classic dish and as a Pizza!

Ambler Farm offers a Youth Apprentice Program from May-October for students currently in grades 5-11. Apprentices meet several times a week to plant, maintain and harvest the farm’s educational gardens and work with Farmer Jonathan in the production gardens.

Hapa Food Truck Opens Restaurant at Decadent Ales Microbrewery

Restaurant Brewery Burgers Tacos Filipino Openings Hawaiian Homepage

Andrew Dominick March 02, 2019

Over the past few years, Hapa Food Truck and chef/owner Chris Gonzalez have gained quite the following. I’m guilty of following up a few weightlifting sessions at Crunch Gym with a Hapa Burger or tacos when Gonzalez parked his trucked at the Priceline building. So, yes, I’m a fan just as much as all of you are. But every winter, Hapa goes into hibernation, leaving many of us yearning for warmer weather and his Filipino-Hawaiian inspired food.

Well, friends, you don’t have to wait for spring and tracking Hapa down just got a whole lot easier. Gonzalez now has a physical Hapa location in Mamaroneck’s new microbrewery, Decadent Ales inside of the popular craft beer store, Half Time.

NEW CTbites Hot Dish Podcast Episode: Day Drinking with Mixologists Craig Ventrice & Dimitrios Zahariadis

Features Podcast Cocktails

Stephanie Webster March 01, 2019

CTbites’ NEW Podcast Episode is here! Roadtrip to Highland Brass Co. for a spirited conversation with mixologists Craig Ventrice & Dimitrios Zahariadis. We do some day drinking and explore heady topics including: the question of bartender vs. mixologist, dealing with assholes, favorite watering holes, dive bars...and we learn how to make the perfect sazerac cocktail. Join us, and have a listen here.

The "Great Westport Burger Contest" Starts Today (via Dan Woog)

Features Burgers Westport

CTbites Team February 28, 2019

This just in from Dan Woog’s 06880 blog.

Sure, tomorrow is the first day of March. We will turn an important corner on our long, dark, snowless winter.

But tomorrow is special for another reason: It’s the first day of the Great Westport Burger Contest.

The restaurants are Amis, Black Duck, Border Grille, Dunville’s, Harvest, Jesup Hall, Jr’s, Little Barn, Match Burger, McDonald’s, Parker Mansion, Rothbard Ale + Larder, Rye Ridge Deli, Shake Shack, Spotted Horse, Tarry Lodge, Tavern on Main and Viva Zapata.

All month long, 18 burger-making restaurants will compete in 7 categories:

Fortina Pizza Debuts "Fortina At Home" Meal Kits!

Features To-Go Meal Kit Cooking Recipe Italian

Andrew Dominick February 28, 2019

If you follow Fortina Pizza or chef/owner Christian Petroni on Instagram, chances are you thought about hitting that “skip a shipment” in your Blue Apron settings for something a little more local and a lot more restaurant quality.

Petroni’s wood-fired restaurants known for their Neapolitan pizza, pasta dishes, and tasty Bronx Italian grub just got in the meal kit game in the middle of February when they launched Fortina At Home.

Congrats To James Beard Awards Semifinalist: Chef Tyler Anderson

Features News

Stephanie Webster February 27, 2019

The James Beard Foundation announced today its list of Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists for the 29th annual James Beard Foundation Awards. Selected from a list of more than 20,000 online entries, the prestigious group of semifinalists in 21 categories represents a wide range of culinary talent, from exceptional chefs and dining destinations nationally and in ten different regions across the U.S., to the best new restaurants, outstanding bar programs, bakers, and rising star chefs 30 or younger.

CT is proud to host a semifinalist for Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY State, RI, VT).

Congrats to Chef Tyler Anderson, of Millwright’s, TheCook&TheBear & Porrón&Piña.

We recently interviewed Chef Tyler on CTbite's’ Hot Dish Podcast. Check out the interview here, chock full of interesting and unexpected details about this James Beard semifinalist.

Video: How To Make A Sazerac Cocktail with Mixologist Craig Ventrice

Podcast Video Recipe Video Recipe Cocktails Bar

CTbites Team February 27, 2019

Here’s a little boozy teaser for our next CTbites Hot Dish Podcast episode featuring mixologists Craig Ventrice & Dimitrios Elias Zahariadis. Learn How To Make A Sazerac Cocktail as we do some “Day Drinking with Mixologists.” LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST EPISODE HERE: https://simplecast.com/s/54ee8396

Sneak Peek: Two Roads Brewing Opening $15 million "Area Two" Expansion, March 11th

Restaurant Features Openings Brewery Beer CT Beer

James Gribbon February 26, 2019

I love taking people to the tasting room at Two Roads for the first time and showing them all the history you can touch in the place. Feel how the wooden floor is worn down here? This is where decades of workers had to walk to get between the machines of the factory. Look and you can see some of the machines they built and used, just off from the giant mash tuns which rise up through the floor behind the glass. The wooden floor they cut out for the tuns got chopped into pucks and laid down as the bar surface we're leaning on now. Cool, right? The building next door, Two Roads' 25,000 square foot, $15 million dollar expansion, Area Two, is brand new - but it already has plenty of stories to tell.

Area Two will open to the public on Monday, March 11. The new facility is a short walk across the hop yard from the mothership brewery, on the same side of the street. The focus of Area Two is the production of wild, sour, and spontaneously fermented beers.

Foundry Kitchen and Tavern: Chef Neugold's Sandy Hook Gem

Restaurant Sandy Hook Comfort Food American Lunch Bar Cocktails Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe February 24, 2019

The historic corner waterfront property in the quaint village of Sandy Hook along the Pootatuck River has seen numerous habitants, but we think the current reign causing a stir at the Foundry Kitchen and Tavern are here to stay. Chef Clark Neugold and his magical crew are bringing lots o’ tasty vibes to hungry diners and we are eternally grateful.

An old foundry is quite likely the best place to spy upon all things shiny and the crew at the Foundry thought so too. The decor is what I like to call “dressed up rustic” with sturdy wood tables and chairs, exposed brick, and plenty of historic metal pieces from the original building circa 1857. Not to mention the metal plated ceiling that glistens when hit by candlelight. I daresay, this is what defined my first (and second, and third) “moment” at the Foundry.

Some people are afraid of change. Not Chef Neugold. Much of his career has been about creating, inventing, and trying new places and flavors. From Connecticut to Hawaii to Charleston, then back again, his very raison d’etre is to experiment, try new things, but commit to quality and great presentation. And, he hopes to do so in a welcoming environment with diners eager to know what’s new instead of expecting the same ol’ menu week after week. With that in mind, eaters at the Foundry will pick up exciting Pacific Asian notes he learned from his time working with chef of television fame Lee Anne Wong (Top Chef, Iron Chef, and Unique Eats) at her restaurant Koko Head Cafe in Hawaii; or, close their eyes in pleasure when tasting Southern fare inspired by Neugold’s time with world renown BBQ Master Rodney Scott.

Nibble: Delicious CT Food Events For Week of February 24-March 3

Features Events News Homepage

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 22, 2019

Washington Prime in SoNo presents its annual Game Dinner on February 26. The Price is $85 per person and includes a 5-course meal and open bar! Dishes include Bison Ribeye Tartare, Wild Boar Meatballs, and more.

Max Amore in Glastonbury invites you to a Michele Chiarlo Wine Dinner on Tuesday February 26. The beautiful Italian wines will be features next to an amuse and 4 courses. Tickets are $90 plus tax and tip.

Join Hardcore Sweet Cupcakes in Oakville for a Protein Bar Class on Sunday March 3 at 4pm. Chef Reed will be showing you these easy recipes to do and learn at home! All supplies are included. Tickets are $35 per person.

Sport Hill Farm’s Cash Crop CSA is here! Set up a Crop Cash account and pre-pay for the amount you budget. They set up a farm credit account in your name, deduct your purchases and send you a receipt with your remaining balance. Good for any purchases in the Market during our growing season between Memorial Day and late December.

Westport Farmers' Mkt Launches 2019 Fork it Over Series with Brunch at The Whelk

Features Events

Lori Cochran February 21, 2019

Fans of Westport restaurateur Bill Taibe and Anthony Kostelis won’t want to miss the Westport Farmers’ Market annual Fork it Over on March 10, 2019 at The Whelk. Only 60 tickets are available for the this intimate Kiddish BRUNCH event where community members gather for great food and conversation in support of the Westport Farmers’ Market. Special Chef Guest includes Arik Bensimon (most recently at Le Farm), so we are pretty excited to get this chef team back together.

This year’s theme honors WFM’s celebration of culture and the recipes that inspire our communities. “Chefs Taibe and Anthony Kostelis promise to take their culinary talents over the top for this special brunch experience and we can’t wait!” said Lori Cochran-Dougall.

Brunching—Minus the Burger—at Harlan Publick in South Norwalk

Restaurant Burgers Brunch Breakfast Stamford

Andrew Dominick February 20, 2019

The burger at Harlan Publick is always the right move. You know, the one on the Wave Hill Breads English muffin, with the sweet, salty bacon jam, and the cheddar ale sauce that drips down the plump brisket blend patty. No one would blame you if you ordered it every damn time. It’s that good and should be mentioned amongst Connecticut’s best burgers.

Spoiler: Harlan Publick is more than just a burger. I knew this, but it was still tough to look past. Even when I went for dinner and ordered something else, I still thought about the Harlan Burger. I felt guilty. It felt like cheating. And it’s not that the food wasn’t good, it was! Fact is, I’ve never had a bad experience at any of the Harlan restaurants.

I’ll continue to blame the burger for clouding up all my Harlan experiences, including Sundays, because that’s a thing, a thing I overlooked every time I had brunch in South Norwalk. When Harlan Publick reached out to CTbites with a brunch invite, I jumped all over it. SoNo’s my ‘hood and I needed to know if I could get over their burger or at least forget about it for one freaking visit.

Best Wings in Stamford? The People Have Spoken (via Hey Stamford!)

Restaurant Best of CT

Hey Stamford! February 19, 2019

A few weeks ago, Hey Stamford! took to the streets, (and social media) to find out the source for the Best Wings in Stamford. If you’re a wing lover, you’ll want to read this…

Spicy, dry rubbed, Jerk, or Grilled … any way, we love wings! Drenched in sauce or dry-rubbed with spices, chicken wings are the ultimate finger food that begs to be eaten in extremely large amounts — preferably with your favorite beer in hand.

Now when you’re talking about wings, the question always begins, “Who has the best wings in Stamford”? It’s actually a question we get asked a lot and though we have our favorites … this time we went to the people.