The LBD. The Little Black Dress. It’s the item in a gal’s closet that never disappoints. It fits, it’s classy, not too overstated, but makes the fresh statement, “I’ve arrived.”
Well, guess who has arrived in Greenwich? The LBT. Little Beet Table. It too is classy, not too overstated, and undeniably fresh.
Following its successful predecessors in New York and Chicago, and under the esteemed direction of chef and culinary director Matt Aita (Rouge Tomate, Daniel, Jean Georges), Little Beet Table is amping up what it means to offer fresh, wholesome delicious food. From brunch to lunch and dinner, to cocktails and snacks, LBT puts a real twist on traditional sweet and savory bites and does it all gluten-free. As one of the first exclusively gluten-free restaurants around, Little Beet Table is on top of their game when it comes to unearthing tasty, healthy alternatives for the gluten-based dishes most of us crave, but some of us can’t or shouldn't have.
Exclusivity when dining out has a way of making us feel special. The smaller, the better. It’s like being part of a special club. It’s cool knowing that at that very moment, in a space half the size of a normal living room, that you and 20 people are the only ones that get to take part in an intimate dinner.
Most often the problem is that “exclusive” equates to “EXPENSIVE.”
That brings us to Greenwich! Wait, before you think this is going to be some $150 per person affair, you’re so very wrong.
What if I told you that there’s a great four-course tasting menu offered on the first Friday and Saturday of every month for $65?
If eating out is your thing, I bet you’d be intrigued. What am I saying? It’s Fairfield County, of course eating out is your thing.
Would it be crazier if I mentioned that it goes down at a luxury lifestyle boutique store? And that it’s BYOB? Bet you didn’t see those swerves coming.
K Dong is beaming. Not because his newly minted MIKU Sushi Restaurant in Greenwich has just opened to strong word-of-mouth and packed houses. Nope, his delighted smile is the result of a diner’s one-word reaction to the Tuna Tartare:
“Ethereal.”
That diner is me and I am quite impressed… as well as surprised. In most restaurants, TT has become a boring culinary meme — over sauced, over spiced, and overworked. K Dong’s version is totally understated. Garnished with micro greens, the crimson slices crown a mound of vividly green avocado, which sits on a gossamer of Yuzu and a whisper of wasabi. Rather than overwhelming the delicate flesh, like so many tartares, the sauce and spice enhance the pristine flavor of the Bluefin. Yep, this dish is, indeed, “Ethereal.”
Downtown Cos Cob will be a lot sweeter with the much-anticipated grand opening of Chocoylatte Gourmet on Monday, July 8. The desserts & coffee shoppe, located at 121 E. Putnam Avenue will open its doors to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony beginning at 11am.
Chocoylatte Gourmet will offer an array of handmade freshly baked desserts, cookies, pastries and assorted fine chocolates made with the finest ingredients available in the market. Every treat will be prepared from scratch, every day and handcrafted on-site. For those with dietary sensitivities, the desserts & coffee shoppe will also offer gluten-free and lactose-free goodies, and promises to maintain the same high-quality ingredients baked with thoughtfulness and care. Guests will also enjoy recipes containing less sugar, no trans fats, non-GMO ingredients, no preservatives, no chemicals, no artificial preservatives, no artificial sweeteners, and no artificial flavors.
Tony Capasso has developed quite the reputation earning himself quite the following. After spending nearly 20 years at Valbella! and Gabriele’s Italian Steakhouse, the veteran Maître d’ now has a steak place of his own at the JHouse, a boutique hotel in Greenwich. Tony is warm, affable and charming. He has a special way with his customers as he circles around to each table offering quick yet challenging trivia questions for all to answer. His eyes twinkle. His smile is infectious.
The story of Mothership on Main Bakery in Danbury began eight years ago, after owner Anna Llanos had just finished treatment for cancer. Instead of applying for a job, “like a normal person,” she did what most of us would not dare to do in the easiest of times, she turned the Airstream trailer in her driveway into an espresso bar and bakery. After opening two more kitchens in commercial buildings in Danbury, she realized that she wanted to find a location where she could be a part of the larger community. This is how she eventually set up shop in a converted 1930s-era gas station on Main Street, where fans flock for breakfast, lunch, and all the baked goods they can eat in between.
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.
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.
Cafe 47, an intimate dining space inside Perfect Provenance in Greenwich, reflects the luxury retail and exhibition space that surrounds it: tasteful, diverse, and capricious. The restaurant’s new chef, Duane Shand, fits right in to the unpredictability of the place.
He radiates a rainbow of ethnicities -- West Indian, African, and Asian—a callaloo kid from Trinidad who unexpectedly, delightfully, now presides over a chic restaurant in one of America’s most patrician enclaves.
Shand landed in Greenwich via a serpentine culinary route: from training at Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando to restaurants around the world, such as the Royal Mail Hotel in Australia, Asador Etxebarr in Spain and Bad Saint in DC. But what ultimately brought him to Greenwich was…
Cross Culture Kombuchajust opened its doors in Danbury. It’s the first Kombucha taproom and brewery in the state, and they’ve been welcomed with open arms and growlers ready to fill. The light, effervescent drink has been around for ages but has most recently seen the limelight as a non-alcoholic alternative; one that is both really delicious and packed with healthy goodness.
Connecticut claims its share of Celebrity Chefs. These culinary artists routinely win Food Network Competitions, earn James Beard commendations, and enjoy (or endure) their roles as restaurant Rock Stars.
Though less lionized, Chef Frederic Kieffer is every bit their equal. He created the exquisite l’Escale in Greenwich, followed by Artisan in Southport, then again in West Hartford. All are considered gems … and like Kieffer himself, understated.
At nearly every pizza place, I have a set order or a few go-to specialty pies. I’m sure you can relate. This also applies to the legendary—and ever-expanding—Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. My usual suspects at Pepe’s are the tomato pie, occasionally a white clam (with bacon, obviously), or their still sort of new Margherita with thick-cut pepperoni as an added topping.
Every summer, I’m willing to make drastic life changes for Pepe’s fresh tomato pie, so based on mood, one of those other pies gets dropped as fast as a failing relationship. After all, those other pizzas will still be there waiting while you explore other options.
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.
You know how it goes. When you have a food allergy or sensitivity, or if you eat vegan or paleo, and you want to go out to eat anywhere, it can at times be quite the task to find a place to accommodate for what you need and want. Enter Pour Me in Danbury. I heard about them from a friend who also has food sensitivities and she called it a ‘healthy comfort food type place.’ So as someone who can’t have gluten or dairy, I was naturally intrigued. It was so nice not to have to call ahead to see if they had options other than a salad!
Andrea Gartner, the owner of Pour Me, opened the fine fast food cafe in downtown Danbury on a mission to revitalize downtown, and to provide food that gives people the fuel they need to “go out and do good in the world.”
Two years ago veteran restaurateurs Anshu Vidyarthi and Antoine Blech opened Le Penguin’s second location in Westport’s Sconset Square. This delightful French Bistro known for its superb, traditional fare has been a popular dining destination ever since. Always striving for perfection, the restaurant has made a few changes, some subtle, others less so.
The porch was recently renovated enabling diners to enjoy this nautically inspired outdoor space for much of the year. During the warmer weather the oversized window panels are removed for that en plein air feel; during inclement weather they are. When necessary, portable heaters add an additional layer of warmth and comfort. Panels have been added to the ceiling, and carpeting to the floor in order to help tone down the noise level. These subtle additions have proved quite successful.
Residents of Greenwich are no strangers to The Beach House Café located on Sound Beach Avenue in Old Greenwich. The restaurant, with its beachy-chic interior and seafood fare with a fresh, Asian twist, has been a local favorite since it was re-opened in 2016 by restauranteur Kane Xu.
Just recently The Beach House Café opened a second location in South Norwalk, directly across from the Maritime Center. While it retains a nautical theme with reclaimed wood, dock-line roping, seaside prints and dock-master lanterns, the vibe here is edgier, more urban, lending itself perfectly to the SoNo landscape.
I had the opportunity to visit the new SONO location for brunch a few weeks ago and was struck by the Southern influence, though perhaps I shouldn’t dismiss the fact that the restaurant’s current location once belonged to Mama’s Boy, known for its Southern cuisine. The Brunch Menu boasts a great many choices, seemingly something for everyone, unless you’re like me, indecisive with an extensive palate and healthy appetite.
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.
Lorca Coffee Barhas just opened their second location in Cos Cob, CT inside Fleisher's Craft Butcher shop. Coffee + Meat...works for me.
The menu at Lorca Greenwich will be slightly different than that at their Stamford location. They will still be serving up some of the best coffee in CT alongside baked goods and breakfast treats, including their manchego, sage pesto, and egg breakfast sandwich. However, they have leveraged the new relationship with Fleishers's and improved upon their "classic" - bacon, egg and cheese by adding a house-smoked tomato jam and using Fleisher's bacon.
They will also be adding empanadas made with Fleisher's chorizo, cheddar and salsa, and a Spanish tortilla that owner, Leyla Jenkins, has been making since she was a little girl. This is a typical Spanish frittata made with potatoes, onions, and eggs and served with a side salad and some smoked paprika aioli. Breakfast bowls and salads will be found on the menu in the near future.
Lorca Coffee Bar @ Fleisher's Craft Butcher 160 E. Putnam Avenue, Cos Cob
Market Place Hospitality group is delighted to announce the grand opening of their newest location, Market Place Kitchen & Bar Newton, this Friday, December 1st. The restaurant will be open to the general public for dinner and is located at: The Village at Lexington Gardens, 32 Church Hill Road, Newtown, CT. With sister locations in Avon, Danbury, and Woodbury, Market Place Kitchen & Bar is 100% locally owned and operated and committed to sourcing local ingredients and working with local farmers.
Managing Partner Eli Hawli says: “We are delighted and honored to be a local business supporting local farms. As our Market Place family continues to grow, we will continue to provide the same quality of craft cocktails and chef driven cuisine which we know all of our wonderful customers want and expect from us
Something Natural, the Nantucket sandwich and bakery shop that has been on-island for nearly 50 years, has always been a favorite destination for New Englanders who visit the island. It has in fact been one of the things I look forward to every summer. With the opening of Something Natural in Greenwich, devoted fans in Fairfield and Westchester Counties are now able to enjoy the shop’s delicious oversized sandwiches on pillow-y soft house-baked Portuguese bread, as well as a variety of other fresh breads year-round.
The owners of the Nantucket shop had received numerous offers to take Something Natural off-island, and until entrepreneur Seth Hirschel came along, they turned every one of those offers down. For Seth, the key factor in bringing Something Natural off island is that for him, it’s not just a restaurant project, it’s a passion. We couldn't be more excited to have them in Greenwich.
