If you already have a bevy of Chinese menus with sauce stains in your house that no longer excite you, Ren Dumpling & Noodle House in Norwalk may just become your new “go to.” Tucked in the corner of a vast shopping plaza in Wilton, Ren Dumpling & Noodle House seems to be far from overlooked. This cozy and clean joint was bustling with hungry customers dining in and picking up takeaway.
Full disclosure: I lived in Hong Kong for five years, therefore, with five years experience consuming copious amounts of dumplings under my belt, my curiosity was piqued although my expectations may have been skewed. Ren isn’t all about the dumplings, however. In fact, the rest of the menu showcases an impressive amount of options you would see on most Chinese menus, with the addition of the odd Thai or Vietnamese dish or two, which seems to be standard these days.
A sous vide chicken sandwich is a minor detail, but the minor details make major taste differences - and that makes all the difference for your customers. That's what Roost believes. Completely locally owned and operated, the menu starts with the chicken sandwich - but with several twists: starting with a unique sous vide cooking technique which creates an incredibly juicy on the inside, crunchy on the outside sandwich, and continues with a variety of unique toppings from Napa Cabbage Slaw to Carolina Reaper Pepper Buffalo Sauce that you won't see at just any fast casual restaurant.
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.
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.
The delicacy of Hawaiian fast casual poké has finally made its way to Connecticut at the new Pokémoto, now open in New Haven, Hamden, Fairfield, & Norwalk. The fresh, sushi-grade fish, in addition to tofu and chicken options, is offered in an assortment of ways with a multitude of toppings and marinades from which to choose.
I recently visited Pokémoto’s Fairfield location to try the savory bowls and enjoyed the revamped space showcasing colorful fish, fruit, and vegetables aplenty. The offerings were laid out both simply and beautifully, allowing guests to either select from Signature Bowls or create their perfect mix of flavors in a customized entrée. Poké can be enjoyed in three formats: A poké bowl over rice, a wrap nestled in a sheet of roasted Nori, or over a salad.
Chef Matt Storch is at it again, this time with a concept that waxes nostalgic to his humble beginnings in the kitchen of the much loved Tex-Mex joint, "Tacos Or What?" in Westport. Tacos Or What was the local spot where Storch learned to love the business of food, and now, Match Taco is his latest venture going into the Black Rock neighborhood of Bridgeport.
Storch plans to get back to his roots (yes, his grandma actually owned a restaurant in Mexico City) and get his hands into some serious tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas...all the Tex-Mex food you could want. Additionally Match Taco will be filling those weekend morning comfort food cravings with a full menu of breakfast sandwiches. Intrigued? Read on...
Author Michael Lee-Murphy from Connecticut Magazine shares a great Vietnamese find in Hartford, Banh Meee.
Dung “G” Tran says, “Three years ago, I didn’t know how to cook.” Really? His menu at the new Banh Meee Vietnamese restaurant on Capitol Avenue in Hartford sure doesn’t taste like it.
Tran says he taught himself how to cook by watching YouTube tutorials and adding his own modern spin on traditional Vietnamese cooking. After operating for a few months as a food truck, Tran moved into the space made available by GoldBurgers’ closing of its Hartford location late last year.
Born to Vietnamese parents in San Bernardino, California, Tran says his parents sent him and his siblings to New England as youngsters to, as he puts it, avoid the gang violence of the area. Tran worked in insurance in Windsor for several years before launching himself into the food business.
Connecticut Magazine shares a unique find in Mystic. Half sandwich shop, half butcher, these guys know a thing or two about meat. Check it out.
A sandwich is a common thing. Delis and grinder shops can be found throughout our state. But once in a while a new sandwich comes along and causes us to look with fresh eyes at this most classic of foods. Down in Mystic, the brains behind the operations at seafood-focused Oyster Club and burger-centric Engine Room have launched a new venture called Grass & Bone, structured around making the best sandwiches they can, with the freshest, most locally sourced ingredients they can muster.
After seven years in business, it feels like it's about time to celebrate one of the old school CT food trucks, Weenie Lynn's. Weenie's is a family-owned & operated hot dog and specialty sandwich truck that has been serving the local food scene since spring of 2011. The truck is based in Danbury CT, but they are more than happy to bring their delicious dogs (and five kids) all over the tri state area...and they do. Weenie's serve two sizes of 100% All-Beef Hot Dogs (over 20 toppings & condiments), as well as Bratwurst, Kielbasa, and fresh-cut (never frozen) french fries, They also feature an ever growing menu of delicious sandwiches, many of them riffs off the classic grilled cheese.
Escape to a different era where comfort food is locally sourced, you are served with compassion and a smile on a garden patio, and you can experience a country feel that makes our fast-paced world slow down just a bit. This cute date (BYO), family fun and good vibe spot is something special to CT that you simply shouldn’t miss.
Heibeck’s in Wilton opened in 1931 and has been family run for four generations. Back then, George Heibeck and Katherine Dhly Heibeck stayed up all night to hand churn over 100 of their original ice cream flavors to perfection, and then served the creamy goodness to their loyal customers daily. Though their ice cream is no longer produced on premises, the family prides itself upon the use of local food sources.
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, the nation’s largest and fastest growing New York pizza concept, has signed a multi-unit franchise deal to bring its larger than life slices and whole pies to the greater Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut areas. Franchisee Matthew Rusconi is looking to open the first location by year’s end and is actively scouting real estate opportunities in Hartford County, New Haven, Middletown, and Cromwell.
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, founded in 2008 by cousins and best friends Francis Garcia and Sal Basille, specializes in serving authentic New York slices in a fast casual setting, but without the conveyor belt oven. The concept’s massive slices and whole pies, which have been named the ‘Best Pizza’ by The NY Post and one of the ‘Top 5 Slices in the Boroughs’ by CBS New York, range from the traditionally-topped to the more eccentric.
Back in 2015, a few Yale students, including chef and culinary director Lucas Sin, got together and opened Junzi Kitchen in New Haven. The small counter-serve spot dishes out traditional Northern Chinese cuisine, specializing in bings (flour-pressed wraps) and noodles.
Since its creation, Junzi Kitchen has expanded to New York City, with one currently at Colombia University and a second to open on Bleecker Street this spring.
The New Haven location is bright and welcoming. It has an organic feel with its white brick walls, light wood accents, and lush greenery dangling from the ceiling. On one wall, there is a small display of featured artwork, including ceramics made by the China-based artist Junty.
Throw me into the mix of longtime Norwalkers who were shocked and saddened when the iconic Swanky Franks abruptly closed less than a year ago. What’s done is done. I’ve come to grips with the notion that I’ll be forever sour that I can’t order a ripper with chili and a pile of fresh cut fries heavily drizzled with ketchup. I grew up eating there so I’m entitled to hold onto that nostalgia. That doesn’t mean I won’t support what’s there now.
About six months after Swanky’s called it quits, a banner appeared on the front of the building. It advertised a new roadside joint called No Leftovers featuring Jamaican food. When No Leftovers opened at the start of 2018, I noticed the parking lot was usually full, or close to it, multiple times throughout the day. That’s a good sign. And seeing how I really like jerk chicken, I knew had to check it out.
Food, like any other aspect of human culture, has its landmarks. Local touchstones, the food you grew up with can be felt from great distances away, even by people who didn't grow up nearby. Ask just about anyone across the world what constitutes American food and chances are "hamburger" will be in their top two answers. The burger's invention at Louis Lunch in New Haven is well known and, regionally, so is Danny's Drive-In in Stratford. This is why a "For Sale" sign on the building has met with such concern - it's only been seen twice before in 83 years.
When Breno Donatti took over the almost century-old Winfield Street Italian Deli back in 2015, one of his goals was to infuse some new school life into the menu while upholding some of the delis traditional recipes and values. What Donatti has excelled at since opening is using his background in fine dining as both an owner and a general manager to improve the business. He uses fresh, local ingredients from nearby farms whenever possible. He and his cooks have tinkered with recipes of deli classics, so you know after your first bite, that you’re not eating a bland, ordinary sandwich.
Gracing the Westport restaurant scene NewBrook Kitchen embraces health and well-being with fine cuisine. The brainchild of Chefs Cindy and Danielle Hartog, a dynamic mother and daughter team, the casual café-style eatery was brought to life after the two were diagnosed with separate autoimmune diseases and turned to nutrition to control their symptoms. They found dining out to be a struggle; it was challenging to find restaurants, cafés, and markets able to accommodate their new lifestyle.
I was invited to attend one of their popular Tasting Dinners, and always a fan of healthy dining I was eager to see what NewBrook Kitchen was all about. There’s nothing pretentious or over the top here. This modest, casual eatery is also BYOB, allowing guests to enjoy their favorite wines with a great meal at reasonable prices.
Mix Creative Kitchen is the latest to grace the ever-growing and increasingly popular health-focused, quick serve restaurants in the area. Located near the bottom of Greenwich Avenue on Elm Street, a brightly lit café style eatery now occupies the longtime vacant space. The restaurant was created on the premise of bringing together “fast food” and “real food,” a theme that seems to be trending in Fairfield County. As I walked in and surveyed the premises, noting the salad and bowl areas as well as the items in the refrigerated sections I was reminded of other local favorites; The Granola Bar, Organika, B.GOOD and Freshii and was curious to see how this would stack up against the competition.
More exciting CT openings! Beloved Chinese restaurant Lao Sze Chuan, whom you may know from their immensely popular Milford location, has finally opened their doors to their second CT location, Gingko. Lao Sze Chuan's new Fairfield restaurant is located at 923 Post Road and is hands down, the best place to go when craving authentic Szechuan cuisine in CT.
Lao is part of a small chain started by Chef Tony Hu, who made a splash in Chicago with four Chinese restaurants devoted to the concept of “gourmet authentic Szechuan.” The Tony Gourmet Group, now has restaurants all over the world. The menu is extensive and includes everything from Hot Oil Dumplings to Diced Rabbit with Peanuts, and Hot and Sour Eel with Cellophane Noodles.
We have waited patiently, and the time has come. We reported back in April that the family run Layla's Falafel, cooking up some of the best take out Middle Eastern food in CT, was scheduled to open in Westport. The time is NOW. This Monday, October 30th, Layla's will open its doors at 1537 Post Road East.
The Hummus & Pita Co., known for its homemade, fresh and healthy Mediterranean cuisine, has signed a new franchisee, Rishi Parikh, to open a location in Danbury, Connecticut. The newest store will be located at 15 Federal Road in Brookfield.
The rapidly growing Mediterranean fast-casual concept brings guilt-free, homemade cuisine to the masses in a comfortable and inviting environment. All menu items are made from scratch on the premises and use only the freshest ingredients to create high-quality, flavor-focused eats. The concept stands out with its freshly baked pita and laffa breads, vegetarian dishes and meats cooked in a traditional taboon oven.
